210 - - a landscape with a sense of sight

The next day, the wagon carrying Thor and the others passed through the outer gate and headed south.

The wagon took a roundabout route through the rolling hills to the next hunting ground in the northeast.

The road through the undulating low hills was still rough in places, probably because it had been unused for nearly a year and had been hastily groomed.

The wheels rattled repeatedly, but the red-haired boy sitting on the dais did not seem to be bothered at all and continued talking excitedly.

"So, you just came out of such a tight place, and when I came to, there was a lot of blood, wasn't there? I'm so sick of this."

That's a good experience.

Riccar explains in detail the scene where he was attacked by Shiraitachi, to which Thor, who is next to him on the left, nods his head and replies.

The boy rolls his eyes for a moment, but continues the conversation with his red tail wagging happily.

"Oh yeah, I was so pissed off at that time, but now I remember how strong he was!

"Watch the moves of your troublesome opponents and remember to repeat them in your head."

Riccardo shouted with enthusiasm at the words of Garudo, who was now holding the reins on his right side.

"Yeah, next time I see you, I won't be able to f*ck you again!　I don't know if I'll be able to ...... see you, though."

"I'll still be useful to you even if I don't see you."

Really?

What you don't like to have done to you can be done to many people.

The red-haired boy, who has been thinking for a while, mutters with a twinkle in his eyes at the words of Thor who has taken over.

"I see........., if I can get a spur out of that awful one........."

Then, the door behind the dais was slammed twice, and suddenly opened from the inside.

A dark-haired boy emerged from inside.

"Hey, is Riccar here yet?　I think it's time for you to switch."

"Well, it hasn't been that long!"

It is not every day that you get a chance to sit down and talk with two seasoned adventurers.

Unfortunately, the governor's table is full when three men are seated on it.

So we had been taking turns every hour, but Sisan, who couldn't wait any longer, rushed us.

The leader of the group, Garudo, who was driving the carriage, answered the leader's urging with a smile.

"Oh, we can see the woods now. We are almost there.

"What, already?"

"Tell them inside to get ready to dismount soon."

"...... Yes, sir, I understand."

It had already been nearly three hours since their departure, but it seemed to fly by for the young people.

Sisang looks a little disgruntled, but quickly replies honestly and closes the door.

Just as Thor and the others were talking about some tips for combat on the coach, Yuril was giving a lecture for the rear guard in the car.

Here, too, the girls were listening to the lecture with their eyes shining.

Of course, that's not all...

"I see!　Positioning is really important."

"I always thought it was important not to be noticed by the opponent, but on the contrary, it can be used as a diversion by showing movement. ......"

"Yes, I could almost feel the scales falling from my neck."

Not only Alethea and Ecclesia, but also Hinck, the archer, was in the mix somehow.

"It's also important to see the whole picture, but don't get too hung up on that. There is a limit to what a person can do alone.

"That's why you share the work with your colleagues."

"Yes, because sometimes you can move more by concentrating on one body at a time.

Alethea nodded her head repeatedly, then spoke as if an idea had just occurred to her.

"Come to think of it, your concentration the other day was amazing, Sora-chan. You were the only one who could keep up with that Whitetail.

"Wow, I had no idea what was going on."

"I couldn't move even if I knew what I was doing. I realized that experience makes a big difference.

"Oh, no, it's just a coincidence!"

Alethea and the others talk to the girl with enthusiasm as she tries to show her modesty in a flustered manner.

"No, if it weren't for Sora-chan, we might have ended up there!

"That's right!　I was really scared."

"If you don't get it off your chest, we're going to lose all confidence in you.

"Uh-huh."

Sola looked puzzled, but this time she nodded back firmly.

Then Sisan came back and called out to him.

He said, "They are about to arrive. Mr. Garudo wants you to get ready to disembark.

"What, already?"

"Come on, Moe, wake up!"

Alesia pokes the cheek of a child who is slumbering on Yuril's lap.

The Soukei girl's mouth fell open when she felt the fingers sinking into it.

"Wow, it's so soft!"

"Mmmm ......"

"Is that so?　Oh, it's really puffy, isn't it?"

"Muuuuuuuuh ......"

"How could you do such a crazy thing with such a pretty face?"

But it saved our lives. I'm grateful to you, Moo-chan.

"Don't talk like that, he'll get carried away again."

Gently touching the child's cheeks, the girls look into her young face.

Moo, who had opened her mouth cutely, wriggled a little and let out a mumbling sound in her sleep.

"Moo ...... moo no more ......, don't do anything dangerous ....... Don't get involved ...... in important ......."

"Moo ......!"

"Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ......!"

"Great ...... blacksuke is ...... having a great ...... hearing ...... uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu."

"Hey, that way!"

The child's purple eyes fluttered open at Hinck's prodding.

He then touched the insect cage on his waist and let out a relieved breath.

Then he looked up at the two girls poking his cheeks curiously.

"What a dream!"

Alethea and the others chuckled at this innocent remark without realizing it.

Despite the bustle inside, the carriage enters the plaza.

Although it was open, it seemed to have been forced to be flattened, and was little different from a mere vacant lot.

It is almost unpopular, with only a few tents standing in the corner.

In addition, there was a small wooden hut.

It looked hastily constructed and somewhat shabby.

It seemed to be a sub-branch of the Adventurers' Bureau.

Looming right behind the office was a dense line of trees.

The trunks of these trees, called "red trees," were dark reddish brown in color and looked very conspicuous even from a distance.

The color of the trunks of the red trees is a strange characteristic of their ecology, as they stand tall with a large number of roots extending directly into the water.

The problem is that the tips of the roots are lakes filled with bright red water.

The most promising theory so far is that the color of the trunks may be affected by sucking up the red water.

The lake is covered with redwood forests that cover the soft muddy ground around the shore without any gaps.

This place, which is also said to be the source of the river of blood, was called the lake of pools of blood because of its appearance.

This is the hunting ground of the Red Scale adventurers.

Thor and his companions disembark from the wagon and go to the shore of the river that extends from the lake.

Currently, the shore of the lake is blocked by a forest of redwood trees and is not easily accessible, so the only hunting ground is around the river that flows out from the lake.

Because the riverbank is narrow, there are not many people, but it looks quite cramped.

Thor scratched the bottom of his chin silently as he recalled the former sight of the bloodstream.

"Ouch!　Hey, Thor's brother!"

Suddenly called from downstream, Thor turned his head in that direction.

It was Gugtaf, the youngest of the three familiar brothers, who was shouting and waving his hands in the air.

"I was hoping you would be here by now. Oh, Yuril, you're still as beautiful as ever.

What happened to the rest of you?

This way, this way. It's a little cramped in here, so it's hard to get things done.

Gugtaf walks away with these words, and the group follows him.

A few minutes' walk down the river brought them to a small riverbed.

Thor feels a nostalgic sense of déjà vu at the sight of three tents lined up in a row.

On the bank of the river are the other two of the three brothers, wielding axes.

This too is a familiar scene.

Rorolf, the eldest of the three, looks up and waves happily to Thor.

Then he suddenly introduced what was behind them.

Look at this, Brother Thor!　What do you think of this raft?"