136 - - 134th Episode - Exploring Small Animals

The condition of the first forest, which had grown rapidly, improved, and Dolly made the trees bear fruit. The fruit was abundant, though not seasonal, so I asked Sylphy to bring me to the forest to catch some small animals.

The air of the forest filled my lungs with a more complex smell than that of the forest of the fountain house. Perhaps the number and variety of plants are much greater in this forest. Maybe my forest has a long way to go.

"Well, let me explain our plan for the next few days. First, Bell and the others will explore this forest. I want you to bring the small herbivores so they don't get hurt. Can you do that?

"I can!" "Queue!" "Catch!" "Coo-coo!"

The belles responded with their hands raised in high spirits. I feel like a kindergarten teacher. Can I go now?　Not yet?　He was so anxious that he couldn't wait to get going, so I gave him the go-ahead and he rushed into the forest at breakneck speed. I felt a little uneasy.

Let's see, Sarah and the others are next. Sara and the others are to search in the same way as in the labyrinth, in cooperation with Fukuchan and the others. You should also think about how to catch the small animals so that they don't get hurt.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Okay, but raise your hand if you want to ask a question."

Sarah and the others are looking incredibly nervous. I felt like an elementary school teacher after Bell and the others, but it was too much to ask them to separate from the group.

"Well, may I ask you a question?"

Sara was puzzled, but raised her right hand and started over. She's a very nice girl.

"Yes, Sarah, is that you?"

Yes, yes. What should I do about demons and dangerous animals?"

"That's a good question, Sara. Sylphy says that there are goblins, orcs, crazy boas and forest wolves in this forest. All of them can be defeated if we are not too careful. This time, Dolly will go with us just in case, but please try to do the best you can on your own."

It's the first time to meet them, but both Crazy Boa and Forest Wolf are effective with magic and they can do anything if we don't let them get close to us, so Sarah and the others should have no problem.

"Yes, Master, a question!

Marco also raised his hand to ask me a question. They are good kids who can learn. I'm so proud of you, sir.

"Yes, Marco. What is it?"

"What do I do with the demons I've defeated?"

"...... Sylphy. What is the value of the demons?"

"Well?　I doubt it's worth that much because it's so weak.　We have plenty of orc meat, and I think we have enough to secure the magic stone."

...... Orc meat is a waste, but neither I nor Sara and her friends have ever dismantled an orc before. Lending Sara and her friends a magic bag would be a good solution, but should we let them experience a situation where they can't carry their prey?

Well, Sarah and her friends are likely to bring back their prey with them, even if it takes them a lot of effort. I think it's better to let them learn to give up while they still can.

"The goal this time is to get the small animals... so the demons should only take the magic stones and bury them in Uri..."

"And the orcs?"

Sarah asks a question without raising her hand, perhaps in surprise. Surprise makes you forget about the stones.

"Yes, it's a waste, but we can't carry it with just Sara and the others. We have to give up what we can't carry in order to achieve our goal.

Marco and Kikka are going to ditch the oak meat too?　Seriously?　You look like you're about to get it. I'll make sure to tell them that we can carry enough and that our lives are more important than material goods.

I explain the importance of giving up as politely as possible. ............I'm sure they'll understand. He looked kind of sad, but it's okay, right?

"That's why our goal is to secure small animals. So our goal is to secure small animals.

Okay. ...... okay.

I'm worried about you.

"Dory, I'm sorry, but you've got to look after Sarah and the kids."

"Hmm. Okay. I'll take good care of you.

I'm sure he'll be fine, because he smiled and accepted my offer. Most things are fine when you're in the forest with the Great Spirit of the Forest. I see Sarah and the others off into the forest.

"Yuta, what about you and your sisters?"

"Well, I'd like to explore too, but the kids are coming back here. What should I do?"

It's boring to just wait here, so I don't know what to do. .......

"Bell and the others will find Yuta, so it won't be a problem. I'll wind my way to Sarah and the others, so don't worry."

I'm counting on you, Sylphie. If I told her to go and get some small animals, she'd probably do it right away, but I'm not going to enjoy that.

"Thank you Sylphy. Then let's go exploring and look for small animals.

I walk through the forest with Sylphy and Dine. ...... I think about it calmly, I never looked for animals even when I was in Japan, and I can't sense the presence of any living creature. ......?　I have a feeling this is pretty difficult.

I try my best to look for them in bushes and tree cavities, but all I find are insects. Some of them are so aggressive and cool that I was a bit worried about taking them home with me, but since our goal this time is to find small herbivorous animals, I'll just give up.

I told Sara and the others to throw away the monsters, but it wouldn't be right for me to bring back something other than what I was looking for, would it? But there were some cool-looking bugs, like a beetle with horns like swords and a stag beetle with jagged, metallic scissors. I'll be sure to get one next time.

"Yuta, it's here!"

As I climbed a tree and peeked into the cave, Sylphy spoke to me in a laid-back tone. What's here?　I look around, but nothing. While I was wondering, a wolf appeared from the bushes. I guessed it was a forest wolf.

It was about the size of a large dog, with dark green fur, perhaps a protective color. Just as I think one wolf appears, a dozen or so more appear from behind, completely surrounding the tree I'm climbing and howling.

"They're totally out to get me, aren't they? Can't you see the difference in strength?"

Even though I'm an amateur in martial arts, I've advanced to a higher level, and a monster of that caliber should be nothing to me.

"Well, in Yuta's case, he's not deadly, intimidating, or wary, so he's just considered a tasty prey.

You're a rude demon. You could beat Assault Dragon. I wish you could sense more. Let's just try to kill it.

I glare at a forest wolf with a deadly stare. ......?　They just howl around loudly. Normally, they would be frightened by my killing intent and run away with a cackle.

"Sylphy, Deanne, am I not killing you enough?"

It's not so much that it's weak, it's that it's not there.

"Hmm, did Yuta's face just get a little more serious?　But it doesn't look good to cling to a tree and put on a serious face!"

...... I guess you can't kill at higher levels. Maybe I need to train or something. I guess I'll just have to take it down. I take out my magic saw and jump down from the tree, and all the forest wolves jump at me at once.

I dodge them all and accurately cut off their heads. They seem to be moving slower, and I must be getting stronger. When I have dropped about half of the heads, a forest wolf barks and quickly disappears into the forest, keeping a wary eye on me.

We stow the defeated forest wolf for now and move to a new location. The small animals are probably running away and hiding because of the rampage. I'm anxious to catch at least one of them, but I feel like they are getting harder and harder to find.

"You're getting stronger, Yuta! I'm so impressed!

Deanne nudges my head while praising me. She's impressed.

"I think you've been able to do this for quite a while, haven't you?"

"Really?　......Sis, if you think about it, I've hardly ever seen Yuta fighting."

The hand that was being stroked stopped in some kind of shock. It is true that I have fought in front of Dine very rarely. With Sylphy, I can handle most of the things, so Deanne doesn't have much of a chance. If we have to fight by the water, it might be a good idea to ask Dine to help us.

Yuta, Tulu and Tamamo are coming this way.

Whoa, did you catch something?　Sylphy is smiling happily and there seems to be no problem. We move Dine's hands, which are still frozen in place, and wait for Tulu and Tamamo to arrive.

After a short wait, Tulu and Tamamo came flying back. Tulu is holding a round brown object with both hands. Is that a small animal?

"I got you, Fluffy." "Coo-coo."

Tulu holds out a round object in front of me that he says he caught. It was about the size of a bowling ball with brown fur. It is almost spherical except for its short limbs, long ears that stick out and a round tail.

The cute but round little animal is trembling and shaking, as if it is terribly frightened. It is indeed scary, since Tulu and Tamamo are invisible. It's natural to be frightened when something you can't see suddenly grabs you and brings you in front of humans. The sense of guilt is tremendous.

"Well, Tulu, Tamamo, thank you for bringing me here. She's very cute, but do you know what kind of animal she is?

Tulu nodded her head and said "tama-usagi" (a rabbit). ...... It's a ball rabbit. I've been aware of it since insects, but it's another world after all, with strange creatures. But it's cute.

When I reach out to pet it, it looks at me with despairing eyes. It hurts my heart. Well, what they're doing is kidnapping from an animal's point of view. I guess it can't be helped.

But I wonder what they were thinking, and how they evolved to this form. It's just a product of fantasy. There might be triangular or square rabbits if you look for them ....... It would be interesting to see them, but the cutest one would probably be a round one. A triangle would be scary.

"Well, Sylphie, this jade rabbit is quite frightened, can you make it stunned?　It would be easier for this girl to feel better if she was asleep."

"Yes, I can."

Sylphy tapped her finger on the forehead of the jade rabbit, and the rabbit stopped moving. What happened?　Maybe I did something with the air. ...... I still need to capture some small animals. I'm not going to ask, because I'll regret it. I'd feel so guilty if they said they suffocated him or something. I leave Tama-usagi with Sylphy and praise Tulu and Tamamo a lot.

"So, what kind of place was this ball rabbit in?"

I want to catch a little animal too, so let's see what kind of place you've been.

"In the pit of the earth." "Coo-coo."

Tulu pointed to the ground, and Tamamo went down to the ground and tapped the dirt with his paws. I see that they are just like rabbits. I found some holes too, but I couldn't find them. I guess if I keep looking I'll find them too.

"Thank you, Tulu and Tamamo, I'll check the holes too. Can you two go and get some more small animals?

I'll do my best.

I look over at Tulu and Tamamo, who are dependably undertaking the task, and I begin my search again. Tama-usagi are so cute. I would definitely be healed if I could see them rolling around in the forest I've built. Maybe I should make a Fluffy Kingdom. I'll have to do my best to find them.