Chapter 344

Episode 344: I will tell God (2)

“I don’t know who named it, but... I think it was really well chosen.”



Daniel said, catching the flying spores in his palm. A previously prepared bandana is carefully wrapped around his mouth.

“It really is a silent invasion.”

“There is no reason to make a loud noise when blowing the seeds.”

So did others. Meisters, Archmages, Inquisitors, Deathbringers, and even horses all wear masks over their mouths. These were all measures to prevent inhalation of spores.

“Even if you inhale it, just burn it from the inside. “Don’t worry too much,”

whispered the boy who had been quiet for a while, wondering what he was thinking. It seems like the Archmage was caught because he had promised to be a god, to the point where I wondered if he was scaring me. The words were repeated a couple of times, meaning not to worry too much, rather than meaning you don’t have to be careful.

‘Have you tried it?’

However, the tone in which he spoke seemed like an experience, so I asked him a question as soon as he finished speaking. The child was silent for a moment.

「...Because I like to elude the pursuer.」

‘...The pursuer.’

“At the beginning when I signed the contract, there were a lot of times when I wasn’t able to properly store my demon energy...”

‘Is that why you came here?’

“The reason this forest is scary is because not even demons can survive. “If the compatibility is not right, even the Great Devil is dangerous.”

‘I see...’

As I followed the edge, I saw the mushroom forest that was always located on the left. Even though we had a clear boundary, we were walking about fifty meters away, and the spores flew all the way. It made me wonder if I needed to distance myself a little more.

“But wouldn’t this make the mushroom forest bigger?”

“huh?”

“Wouldn’t a new mushroom grow where the spores flew?”

“Oh, that’s okay. “These trees bordering the mushrooms were created directly by ancient beasts to prevent the expansion of the forest.”

“Is that possible...?”

The Archmage scratched the veil in response to Daniel’s question.

“It would be better to show this in person.”

Then I tried tapping on a tree with my cane. Chubby. There was a sound like my stomach was full. Only then did she stick her cane into the crack between the shells. It seems like they are trying to peel off one of the shells.

“I will do it.”

I don’t know what it is, but I just need to peel it off, right? I let go of Frederick’s reins for a moment and stood next to the Archmage. For your information, the reason this is possible is because everyone got off to relieve the burden of speaking as the mask made breathing difficult.

The Archmage perked up his ears and tail, as if he still wasn’t used to the polite language.

Quad deuk.

In the meantime, I ripped off one of the shells with all my might. In the process, some of the bark was broken, but a piece the size of the palm of my hand remained.

“...This tree is famous for leaving only a few scratches when cut with a steel axe, but this one breaks.”

“That’s right...”

“Yes?”

“Steel?”

This is harder than steel? I touched the bark I had torn off. Although it was hard, it had texture so it was easy to crush.

The result of breaking it vertically was similar. It takes some effort, but it is not difficult.

“Anyway, it’s so hard that it’s difficult for spores to penetrate inside. That’s why I can endure it.”

“It’s really hard...”

“It’s amazing...”

I handed the tree bark, which I had torn so that the grain was perpendicular, to the Inquisitor and Daniel. I had no choice as they were the only ones who came to me to receive it.

If I were to categorize them, the two people on the hard side were crunching the tree bark like me. It’s easy to tear against the grain, so it seems like people are trying to tear against the grain.

Sigh.

“Oh, it broke.”

“...The hero is also strong.”

Soon the Inquisitor was holding the tree. Then Daniel, who was groaning, made a strange expression. His trembling forearms belong to someone trying to split them somehow.

Frozen. Guts helped him crawl up the tree and win.

“This is really hard.”

It’s obvious. Meister also somehow succeeded in breaking the shell into pieces. It seemed like it was similar to Meister, but it wasn’t anything particularly surprising.

One is a person who wields a sword, and the other is a person who folds metal. It would have been strange if both of them had weak grips.

“Crazy people...”

“....”

On the other hand, wizards and thieves didn’t even try from the beginning. It was an understanding of the topic by people who knew they would fail anyway.

“With this level of strength, I think it would be okay to use it as a weapon...”

“Oh, that’s not possible. It has good strength, but its elasticity is worse than that of steel. Another disadvantage is that, unlike steel, it breaks easily if you apply pressure to it. So it’s best to use them as mushroom deterrents.

* * *

“You’re finally taking off your mask.”

Although it was necessary, the inconvenience caused by a single piece of cloth was so great. Daniel pooh-poohed and took a deep breath. The air that was not filtered by the cloth was truly cool.

“Is this really okay? I see a lot of mushrooms here too...”

“There’s no need to worry, Inquisitor. “Even the spores spread by silent invaders revert to ordinary mushroom spores when they get a certain distance from the forest.”

“Is that so?”

“yes. Otherwise, the ancient beast would have even taken care of these trees here.”

I followed Daniel and took down my mask. As the mask, which had been pulled up to the nose like an assassin, was lowered, cool air hit my cheeks. In Korea, the air was at a temperature that can only be experienced at the beginning of winter.

“The air has become much colder.”

“Because I crossed the border. Now General Dong will raise his sword in earnest.”

“Right.”

I overheard Meister’s words about having to prepare winter clothes. It wasn’t because I didn’t particularly want to hear it, but because I was concerned about the despondent Deathbringer in the background.

“Can you help me?”

“...?”

“You don’t like it?”

“yes? “Do you mean me??”

At first, my feelings seemed complicated, so I left it alone. After confirming that he wanted to say something to me, I waited for him to gain courage first.

However, seeing as he didn’t say a word until we got back from that forest, it seems like if we leave him like this, he will live without saying a word until the end. It wasn’t a very good sign.

“...Then do you think I told someone else?”

We hurt each other a lot. However, I don’t think it was so shallow that I would immediately break off the relationship.

“...Wouldn’t Master Nari be more helpful than me?”

At least it’s not to the point where it gets so far away. Even if you insert the first button incorrectly, you can fasten the last button properly by skipping one space.

At least I thought so.

But why is he acting like that all of a sudden?

“If you look at the equipment, it might be possible. “But you know best what it feels like to apply it to the field.”

“that... But...”

“If it’s uncomfortable, it’s okay to decline.”

I don’t think there was anything else that would have made him shy away from me... Or did the events of the past few days have a big impact? No, it didn’t seem like that in particular...

“Heretic Questioner, do you have any experience with wintering?”

“No... I mainly worked between the South and East.”

“I see... Then I guess I’ll have to leave most of it to you, Meister.”

I debated whether or not to pursue this until the end, and ultimately decided on the latter. This is because there was neither the energy nor the justification to break down barriers and improve relations through in-depth dialogue.

Anyway, we were going to break up soon and we weren’t going to see each other again after that. There is no need to improve it.

“But honestly, you don’t need to prepare any equipment, do you?”

“...?”

“That sword changes into whatever you want.”

“...That’s right.”

Separately, the question posed by Meister was quite pondering. I fiddled with the hilt of the sword on my waist. I don’t know about Meister, but the same applies to clothes where you can designate the shape however you want. It was even possible to control the material.

“But transformation is only possible if I understand the structure. “You need to see it with your own eyes, even if you don’t have a picture.”

“If that’s the case, we can just look around when we buy the equipment.”

“Uh um. “I think I will ask the temple instead of purchasing it separately.”

“Ah, the Heretic Questioner provided equipment from the temple, right?”

“Yeah whatever.”

“Then, hero, you can also receive it there?”

“yes? I... I think that might be the case. The sea dragon’s armor blocks the heat, but it doesn’t particularly protect against the cold...”

“Then what about Archmage?”

“I have separate clothes for winter. “There’s no need to worry.”

“What? Then just him and I can buy it?”

This is why I feel sad without a friend. A man who had a magician as his grandfather and who also had outstanding abilities clicked his tongue. It was a sound that would have turned white if a person with nothing had heard it.

“You’re right in saying that.”

“It’s true that you don’t have a partner right now, right?”

“Instead, you can stand tall with only your own strength, without any help from behind. “Stop talking without conscience.”

“....”

I clicked my tongue and urged Frederick as I looked at the castle in the distance. I had to leave the conscienceless Meister behind and prepare to take my first step into the northern city.