66-Episode 66: Guardian deity of hidden fields and forests

"Area Heel.

I gather up the residents of the western village who were injured after being attacked by the demons and recover.

''Oh, the wounds happened so fast!

What amazing magic it is to treat so many people at once!

'Thank you!　Master Wizard!

The villagers look at their finished healing bodies and thank me excitedly.

''No, no, there are plenty of people in the city who can use this level of recovery magic if you go to the city.

Oh yeah, the recovery wizard I know was able to heal the injured people in a ridiculously large area in an instant.

The recovery magic that covers the entire battlefield is beyond the level of cowardice.

And only your allies can recover.

What?　Is that right?

It's amazing what wizards do in other villages.

However, for such a large number of people, the number of villagers is quite small.

Oh, I wonder if these people were the ones who escaped?

It's more than that...

And then Mr. Calm comes in, who has been waiting for the treatment to be finished.

'You guys have been working on a hidden field,'

" " " " " "

The people in the village shuddered at the statement "hidden field".

'What's a hidden field?'

A hidden field, if that's what you mean.

'I've heard of them. I think it's a field we secretly cultivate to provide food for our own consumption under the cover of our heavily taxed lords.

Heh, I didn't know there were fields like that.

There weren't any hidden fields in our village, so I wonder if it was a good lord who ruled them?

No, to us, a hidden field means a field that hides from demons.

Calm-san supplemented Liliella's explanation, "I'm not sure.

'Is it to hide you from the demons?'

Oh, did I remember that the Sky King said something about demons attacking us when we build a large field?

''Yes, those who say that the fields in the village and the food given to them by His Majesty the Sky King aren't enough, will hide and build fields in hard-to-find places near the village.

I see. The food we were given wasn't nearly enough.

And the reason you didn't have many inhabitants in the west village you helped was because they were in the forest working in the fields.

Even if you defeat Bahamut, the danger is still there, isn't it?

Liliera-san says sadly.

She must have remembered the time when her hometown was destroyed by a forest of monsters and demonic beasts.

'It is forbidden to create hidden fields. How can you guys not know that?

I'm sorry, knight.

The villagers nodded as Mr. Carm scolded them.

'You know that if the demons find out about your hidden field, they will attack you. You got greedy and expanded the field anyway, didn't you?''

""Ugh!"

The villagers groaned at Mr. Carm's strange statement.

'Why did they ask why they expanded their fields when they are not allowed to build hidden fields?

That reminds me.

A knight nearby overhears us wondering about this.

"We're chronically short of food, so we're blinded enough to create a small hidden field that the demons can't find us.

Heh, I'd say it's a rather loose or warm-hearted decision.

Hmm, is the Celestial King a better king than I thought?

Well, not all royal nobles are bad people, either.

However, if an evil creature were to attack the fields, the crops would be wasted, and the villagers who were working in the fields would be attacked. If the fields are planted too close to the village, there is a danger of the village itself being attacked, which is why hidden fields are basically prohibited.

'But this year's field is so unfruitful, I don't know if it will survive the year even with the mercy of His Majesty the Sky King.

I guess the Sky King's mercy is a tribute from the city on earth.

'So you expanded your hidden field and the demons found you.

Mr. Carm puts a finger to his brow and lets out a sigh, "Oh dear.

'But, well, don't worry about that.

What does that mean...?

Mr. Calm holds out his hand to me and tells the villagers.

His Majesty the Sky King's determination and their cooperation in coming from the ground have resulted in the defeat of our long-time tormentor, the Lord of Mori Island. When the demons that remain on Morishima are defeated, we will soon be able to enjoy the blessings of Morishima.

What?　Is it true, my knight!

The villagers shout in amazement when they realize that the longstanding food shortage will be solved.

Yes, that's not all. We have defeated many demons on Morishima Island. Hence, the demons that attacked here were probably the ones that left Mori Island before our defeats began.

Does that mean...?

There aren't as many demons in this forest island now as there were before. And the remaining demons will be defeated by our knightly group. In other words, even if we build new fields in the future, we won't be attacked by demons anymore.

The villagers erupted again at Mr. Carm's words.

''Whoa!

''Thank goodness, thank goodness.''

Now I won't have to build a hidden field in the shadows of the demons.

The villagers shouted with joy and thanked Mr. Calm and the others for their help.

''However, we can't tolerate the hidden fields until we determine that we have completely defeated the demons. You should destroy the field that was hastily expanded.

Ha, ha!

The villagers hurriedly went to destroy the hidden fields.

It seems like it's a pretty hard life, but even so, they're kind enough not to tell you to destroy all the hidden fields.

Then our mission is over. Let's throw ourselves back to the sky castle, shall we, Lex-dono?

Mr. Carm said and called out to us.

But I had no intention of returning to the Celestial Castle.

No, we'd like to spend the night in the western village like this.

What?

Why is Mr. Carm doing this?　He nodded his head.

''We've defeated the demons that attacked the hidden field, but there may still be some demons lurking nearby, and there's a possibility that another demon will come from Morishima. So we'll stay for the night just in case.

''That's ... no, if that's what Lord Lex wants to do, that's fine. In that case, I'll leave a few of my men behind as well. You will stay with Lord Lex to guard the village for the night.

""Ha!"

Mr. Calm, who has accepted my will, orders his men to stay behind.

But even so, it seems that the number of people who remain is too many to say a few.......

Maybe Mr. Calm wanted to leave people behind for a reason?

So please take care of the village.

Yeah, I'll take care of it.

Then Mr. Calm and the others left us in charge of the village and returned to the Celestial Castle ourselves.

◆

Thank you so much for protecting our village's hidden fields.

Afterwards, we waited for the villagers to destroy the enlarged portion of the hidden field before we headed west to the village.

Then the village chief heard what happened and thanked us profusely.

''No, no, we haven't done anything serious,''

It's a big deal, and now that you've saved the hidden fields, we can live without the children being strapped.

Not only the village chief, but also the adults in the village bowed their heads with words of thanks.

''I heard that the demons in Morishima have been defeated, so from now on, we can expand our fields in peace.

No, technically, I just reduced the number of demons, but I didn't wipe them out.

Well, that's not something I need to say now.

''But we haven't exterminated all the demons in Morishima yet. I can't allow you to expand your fields without His Majesty the Sky King's permission.

Yes, I'm aware of that, my knight.

The remaining knights chide him and the village chief bows his head in a hurry.

But oh well. If Mr. Calm and the rest of the knight's group proceed with their all-out efforts to exterminate the demons in the forest island, the defeat of the demons will be completed in not too long.

From the feeling I got from probing with my detection magic, I didn't feel the existence of any demons that could surpass Bahamut.

They are all demons that can be sufficiently defeated with the magic items that Calm and the others have.

Maybe if we conduct a few more demon defeats in the forest island a few more times, the empty island will be safe.

''I can't give you much, but I will entertain you as much as I can.

The chiefs said so and offered us a meal.

It wasn't exactly delicious, and we weren't exactly stuffed to the brim, but we could tell that they were trying to be hospitable to us as much as they could.

"By the way, fellow travelers,

And the village chief comes to talk to me.

'Yes, can I help you?'

Well, I would like to thank the forest spirit for saving us this time, but what can I give him that would please him?

Spirit of the Forest?

For a moment I wondered what he was talking about, but from the village chief's gaze, it seemed to be a forest plant that grew rapidly from the plant magic he used to defeat the demons.

'Well, I think the right amount of water will do. It's a tree.

Oh, I see what I'm getting at.　Ladies and gentlemen, offer water to the spirit of the tree!

""Yes!"

The people in the village responded cheerfully, and everyone filled up their tubs with water and headed for the forest.

........hmmm, well, that's good.

I hope it doesn't get rooted.

I'm glad I helped you take them down.

Liliella softly murmurs.

Liliera looks at the people in the village carrying the tub with a smile.

''Hmm, yes.''

Yeah, sure.

It's good to see everyone happy.

There was a lot of confusion in this mess, but if the people in the village were spared in the end, it's probably a good thing.

Yeah, I think so.

Oh, I knew you'd be here.

At night, a swarm of demons is approaching towards the darkened western village.

No, technically, they are coming towards the hidden field hidden near the western village.

''I didn't expect them to really come.''

The knights who were waiting together shouted in surprise.

''Since you came once, isn't it natural for you to come twice?''

''No, I was wondering if there were still so many demons in the world after Lord Lex had defeated so many of them.

Oh, it's hard for someone who can't use detection magic to figure out how many demons there are, so you can't blame them for thinking so.

''It's fortunate that we're the only ones left when it comes to this, isn't it?

The knights raise their weapons to regain their composure.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good time. I'm going to use my big magic to defeat the demon, so please take care of the demon that I missed.

I got it!

I'll take care of it!　

Liliella and the knights shouted powerfully.

''Then let the battle begin!　Cyclone Break!

I unleash a storm magic to blow away the demons.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work for you.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.

Hm?　After all these people have been beaten up, they're still coming after us?

I wonder if it's a habit of the demons that live around the empty islands?

Gentlemen, please!

'Yes!　Let's go!

""Ha!"

Ha-ha, it looks like Liliera-san is leading her knights.

"Well, we need to deal with those demons we couldn't kill.

I turn to the demons that survived the magic.

They're not as strong as Bahamut, but they're pretty strong.

Hmmm, if Calm and the others were to fight with each other in perfect condition, would it be a little, well, pretty tough?

After all, Calm and his ancestors were refugees who originally fled from the collapse of the empty island.

It seems that they chose to fight as knights to protect the people from there, but it's a pity that their magic items were strong enough to do so, but their skill level as warriors is low.

Most of the small fry were defeated from a distance by the light emitted from the spear, and apparently he ignored enemies like Bahamut who couldn't win but didn't invade to the empty island unless he touched them.

In other words, he only fought against those he could beat, which is why his skill level hasn't improved.

The "Huh?　But there weren't any more demons this strong on Morishima, right?

What do you mean?　Could it be that they were out of Morishima Island before the strike began?

But why wasn't he in the first flock?

''Guaaaahhh!''

While I was thinking about this, the demons attacked.

I shouldn't, I shouldn't, I'll only think about it after I defeat them.

"Chase Sonic Lancer!

I use tracking magic to pierce the surviving demons one after another.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.

That's why I'll make sure to defeat them with tracking-type magic.

Huh, that's a lot.

After defeating the demons that were targeting the hidden fields, we returned to the western village.

But why did they attack us?　You tore down that part of the hidden field extension, didn't you?

Yeah, I think so.

The knights answer my question.

''Demons are not supposed to attack until the field is a certain size...''

Why did the demons come here and deviate from their own rules to attack us?

And even though most of his companions were defeated, he didn't quit attacking them.

''What's going on here?''

In the meantime, let's ask the chief if there are any other hidden fields.

Yeah, the most likely possibility is that there are other hidden fields.

◆

No, no, I wouldn't go that far. There are demons in the vicinity of the village, though not as many as in Morishima, so it's impossible to farm too far away. That's why it's impossible to plant a field too far away.

Oh, okay.

Empty Island is an isolated environment, and the only time the demons come in droves from Mori Island is when they find a place where they can get a lot of food, such as a hidden field.

But that's not all, there's a good chance that there are huggable demons, and above all, there's a good chance that demons from outside of the forest island will live nearby.

I shouldn't do this, I've been obsessed with the unique environment of the empty island.

In that case, is there a possibility that outside demons are targeting the village?

The demons that attacked earlier might not be the demons of Morishima, but perhaps the demons of the other empty islands.

When you think about it, the strength of the demons just now makes sense.

''This has a high probability of the demons attacking from other places even after the defeat of the Mori Island demons is over.

''My God, it's true!

The chief of the village turns blue when he says something different.

Well, I know the feeling.

You thought you were safe after defeating the master of Morishima, but now the demons are attacking you from other places, you must be on your guard.

''Could this be the reason why I defeated Bahamut?

What?

At that time, Liliella-san started to say something strange.

''No, if Bahamut was using this area as its territory, I wondered if there was a possibility that demons from other territories would attack for good.

Oh.

If you ask me, that might be true.

So now we have to deal with demons from other territories?

Hmm, we don't know the size of the enemy, and we don't know their headquarters.

This is no way to defeat the demons on Morishima.

Besides, if a monster appears after we leave here that Calm and the rest of the Sorachi knights can't defeat, we can't expect anything else.

Or rather, the possibility of such an opponent appearing is high enough.

Even though I was asked to do so, I was the one who defeated Bahamut.

I'm not going to feel good if I don't take care of them until the end.

All right, let's get an escort.

An escort?

Yes, we need to find the cause of the demon attack and prepare a guard to protect this village until we defeat it.

You're not going to be able to do that.

I am the chief of the west village.

We had to plant a hidden farm to make up for the shortage of food due to a bad harvest, but an evil creature found it and we were worried that the village was about to be destroyed.

Fortunately, the village was saved with the help of a knight and a genie of a tree.

Once the hidden field was destroyed, the village was next in line.

We were also fortunate that most of the hidden field was somewhat damaged, but most of the injured were healed by the travelers who were with the knights.

I'm very grateful.

I was even more grateful for the kindness of the traveler and the knights who stayed in the village to check on us.

I think it is unlikely that they would be attacked by the demons since we destroyed the enlarged hidden field, but I am thankful that the children and young people can still be safe.

But even so, I am grateful that the children and young people are safe.

The demons attacked us again, even though we'd already destroyed the hidden fields.

What in the world is going on here?

If the knights hadn't stayed behind, the village would've been devastated.

Thank you very much.

Huh?　I knew a demon could come in the future?

It's horrible that you let him down while giving him hope.

Then the traveler said to me like this

We don't know when the demons will come, so let's create a bodyguard.

Make it?　Do you want to make it instead of calling in the guards?

Fortunately, there's some good material in the West Woods, so I'll go make some more.

So said the traveler, and he set out for the western forest.

Can you make a bodyguard?

And in the evening, as the sun was setting, the demons appeared again.

Wow, it's really happening again.

I had hoped that the knights would kill the demons, but for some reason the knights didn't move.

Why don't you fight the demon, knight?

It's all right," said the traveler.

It's all right.

And when the demons approached the western village, the soles moved.

"What the hell is that?

I saw it in the words of the young people in the village.

A huge object moved out of the west forest and stood in front of the demons.

"Is that...a spirit of the tree?

It was the spirit of the tree that saved us yesterday.

The spirit of the tree is large and long, with thick branches and roots to intimidate the demons.

The demons attacked the spirit of the tree when it suddenly appeared.

The body of the spirit of the tree didn't react to the demons' attacks, instead using its thick roots to pierce the demons that had bitten it.

The demon tries to flee to the sky in a hurry, but its long branches wrap around its body and smash it mercilessly to the ground.

''Hang in there, tree spirit-sama!

We cheered for the spirit of the tree with a cheer.

But then the demons that had been attacking only sporadically changed their behavior.

The demons seemed to have decided that the spirit of the tree was in danger, so they surrounded him and attacked him all at once.

No matter how much the spirit of the tree, it doesn't matter how many demons are attacking it at the same time, it doesn't stand a chance!

Don't worry.

Yes, at the moment the traveler said that, the body of the wooden spirit master shone divinely and the attacking demons were blown away.

''Good, good, that's quite good.''

Hey, what did you do?

The companion of the traveler is having something to say to his companion.

We didn't know how many demons would continue to attack the village from now on, so we thought we'd prepare a golem to protect the village forever.

"A golem?　That's a golem?

Yes, it used to be a normal tree, but I modified it into a wood golem by modifying it in various ways. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's not. Theoretically, a monster like Bahamut the other day is enough to deal with.

I didn't say it was enough!

I don't know what I'm talking about, but it seems that the spirit of the tree will continue to protect our village.

Oh, thank goodness.

We all got down on our knees and worshipped the spirit of the tree.

We all kneeled down to worship the spirit of the tree, and thanked the traveler for convincing the spirit of the tree to protect our village.