Volume 6 - CH 18

Chapter 18 – Determination of Destinations and Use of Rubber Boats

After taking care of business at the merchant guild, we return to the Lutto. Leaving the Southern City, it is time to explore, huh…? Exploring another world, right?

We decided on our destination this time from some of the information we had researched. On the way from the Southern City to Palermo by ship, we decided to go to the Kingdom of Jerah, a nation of human supremacy, which makes us be inspected on the spot. If we are planning to relocate anyway, wouldn’t it be better to relocate the dark elves from a dangerous country? That’s what I decided.

Incidentally, when that opinion came up, I thought it would be troublesome, but I agreed to it out of concern for their reputation. Public opinion is important, isn’t it? I listened to the rest of the story that Dorothea-san had researched.

The Kingdom of Jerah is said to have a vast forest. The king has been trying to develop the forest for generations, sending his troops there, but they keep getting lost in the forest, getting attacked by monsters, suffering heavy losses, and failing.

They call it the Demon Forest. It’s a simple name, isn’t it? I would laugh if I didn’t have to head to that forest. I can’t laugh when I have to go there… Okay, I’ll oppose it. I don’t care what the world thinks. I knew I’d be going to some dangerous places, but the Demon Forest, that’s too dangerous.

“May I have a word?”

“Yes, did you find something difficult to understand?”

“No, Dorothea-san’s explanation was very clear. But isn’t it too dangerous? I don’t think it is possible for dark elves to live in such a dangerous place. Wouldn’t that be a futile attempt?”

Even if you look for a place where they don’t live, you won’t find dark elves. If you can’t find them, there is no need to go there. It’s a perfect theory.

But thank goodness, my initial plan was to go into every forest we found, so there was a chance we would have entered the Demon Forest without even knowing it. Information is important. I was recently taken aback by another world when I was given a cheat.

“What Wataru-san said is also true, but adventurers will explore forests where there are no strong monsters. It is difficult to live in hiding. Even in forests with some strong monsters, high-ranking adventurers will search for them. If you want to live in hiding, it has to be a forest that even high-ranking adventurers would avoid.”

“Are you saying that if they can’t hide, there is no point, so there is a higher chance of them being in dangerous forests?”

“Yes, most probably, but it would be so.”

Come to think of it, Felicia’s village also said that you couldn’t reach it from the land side without going through the danger zone. …Then how did the assailants attack Felicia’s village?

It may not seem like the most polite thing to ask now, but if I don’t ask, I’m going to have to worry about future exploration.

“Hey, Felicia, I know this is going to sound harsh, but Felicia’s village can only be reached by passing through a dangerous area, right? Why were you attacked?”

Ugh, Felicia looks so sad. I knew I shouldn’t have asked her. What should I do?

“Um, I’m sorry. You don’t have to remember.”

“No, it’s okay. The reason our village was attacked was probably because the adventurer we helped sold the village’s location. I heard that the adventurer was also involved in the attack.”

…Let’s see, the adventurer got lost or injured or something and was saved by a dark elf. And the saved adventurer sold the village position and came back with a slave hunter in tow?

That is the worst, but why would they leave the adventurer who knows the location of the village as it is? They’re hiding, so they should take precautions, right?

“I hate to say it, but are you saying that you left the adventurers who knew the location of the village untouched?”

“No, they said they rescued the adventurer at a place far from the village. My father said that since there was a considerable amount of time between the time they saved him and the time they attacked us, they must have known we were there and reached the village after careful investigation.”

Ah, I see. So he found out that the dark elves were there and, blinded by desire, determined the location of the village without regard to the danger zone? Is he a skilled adventurer? He has a terrible personality, though.

So, they found a safe route and attacked… Hmm, if there is a relatively safe place in the danger zone, it might be possible. It sounds risky, though.

Maybe the dark elves find relatively safe places to live in dangerous places. I guess not all of the demon forests are dangerous, either…

“I understand. I’m sorry I reminded you of something painful, Felicia.”

“No, it’s okay.”

But when I went to the village, it had been months since it was attacked. If they said they were repelled and they didn’t kill everyone, it seems like they could have attacked us after that, but I’m surprised they didn’t.

“But that adventurer is unforgivable. As an adventurer, I can’t forgive him for returning the favor he owes you like that. Felicia-san, what happened to the adventurer? If he is alive, I am sure he will pay for it.”

Oof, Claretta-san’s in a very angry mode. Well, it’s a sickening story. I, too, want that adventurer to go to hell if he is still alive.

“I heard that the adventurer’s body has been identified. It’s all right.”

“Really, I’m glad to hear that because I wouldn’t have felt good if he had escaped.”

I could only say a few stupid things. I wish I could have comforted Felicia properly.

“Yes.”

Felicia, thank you for smiling and nodding. I know I started this story, but it turned out to be a dark story. Let’s change the subject.

“Listening to Felicia’s story, it seems that dark elves live in a relatively safe place in a dangerous forest after all. Shall we go to the Demon Forest?”

In the end, I concluded on my own that the dangerous forest is more likely to have dark elves… with a bit of sadness.

No one disagrees, and the decision to go to the Demon Forest is made. It’s scary, so I’ll have to figure out how to use the ship summoning to increase my safety on land.

At any rate, I take the Lutto out to the open sea and set the autopilot for the area around the Demon Forest.

“The destination should be the Demon Forest, but in order to gather information, we need to gather information in a country of human supremacy, right? How do you plan to do that?”

“Right, me, Dorothea, and Marina will have to gather information. In the meantime, Wataru-san and the others can take it easy.”

“Will you be alright?”

“Yes, as humans, we can move around without any problems. But there is a possibility of an on-site inspection, so it would be better to disguise the ship and make a place to hide.”

“Oh, yes, that’s true. I will disguise the ship when approaching the Kingdom of Jerah from the open sea.”

Now that most things have been decided, I’m going to sit back with a cup of tea. I wonder if it’s okay to go to the Demon Forest… Come to think of it; I haven’t checked my level recently. I’m sure my level has gone up, so let’s check it out.

Name: Wataru Toyomi

Age: 21

Race: Human

Occupation: Ship’s Captain　

Level: 216

Physical Strength: 4400

Magic Power: 438

Strength: 442　

Intelligence: 452

Dexterity: 448

Luck: 15

Skills:

Language Comprehension (Unique)

Ship Summoning: Level 4 (Unique)

Spearmanship: Level 1

Archery: Level 1

Daily Life Magic: Level 1

Tame: Level 2

I’m pretty sure when I checked my level in Palermo, it was 182, so I’ve gone up 34 levels… that’s great. I am fully aware of my strength and stamina, but I don’t feel like my intelligence is improving at all. I’m also very sad about my low luck.

And my skills have hardly improved at all. Is it not enough to do some swinging? I think I should be able to improve my archery skills by now…

…I’m surprised to see that my age has gone up by one year. It’s already past my birthday. Time seems to pass so fast in this other world.

Hmm, since I have all these levels and Felicia will cover me with a barrier, can I get by in the Demon Forest after I figure out how to use the ship summoning on land?

If I’m going to use the ship summoning on land, it’s going to be a rubber boat. Shall I go with a small rubber boat? I know it’s going to be in the way in the forest, but if I can secure the rubber boat on all sides, I won’t have to worry about anything but the top and bottom…

…If I turn the rubber boat upside down and use it like an umbrella, I can move around while walking… Let’s give it a try. I go out on the deck and summon the rubber boat.

“Master, what is it all of a sudden?”

“Oh, Ines, I want to turn this rubber boat upside down. Help me.”

“Hmm? Okay.”

I tried to turn the rubber boat over by holding it end to end, but it did not turn over properly because of the barriers against the edges and walls of the boat.

It’s strange; when I summoned the rubber boat inside the ship, there was no problem with the ceiling of the Lutto or anything else. Is there a situation where anything inside the barrier when I summon it is a permitted situation? Maybe if I move it, it would mean I have to permit the new part to enter.

Then if someone jumped in during the magic circle of light, would anyone be allowed to enter? No, the Creator God said that the boarding rejection would be triggered even during the magic circle… I’m not sure; I’ll think about it later.

“Ines, wait a minute; it’s hard to do this when it’s so narrow, so we’ll move to the Fortress. Go let everyone know.”

“Okay.”

We all moved to the deck of the Fortress and resumed the experiment under the watchful eyes of the others.

“Master, I know you want to turn the boat over, but the barrier is against the floor, and it won’t turn over properly.”

If I give permission to board the Fortress, the problem will be solved, but I’m curious to see what will happen if I turn it over without any permission.

“Hmm, I’m curious to see what happens if I don’t give the permit, so I’ll give it my best shot. Dorothea-san, I think you can do it if you can reach it, so would you please use your spear to turn the rubber boat over?”

“Eh? …Yeah, okay.”

I’m sorry, I asked something that didn’t make sense. Dorothea-san, with a puzzled look on her face, hooked her spear onto the bottom of the boat and turned it over.　

“This is a scene that makes me wonder how to describe it, whether to say it’s inflexible or, on the contrary, too flexible. It’s a rubber boat that I summoned, but it’s strange.”

“Yes, that’s true. In a way, it’s a ridiculous sight.”

“It is strange.”

“I can understand how it happened, but it’s just absurd.”

Alessia-san, Carla-san, and Ilma-san answered my words. Rimu and Fuu-chan were very excited to see the mysterious scene in front of them.

There is a rubber boat floating about two meters up in the air. I know that it is supported by the barriers, but it is a strange sight.

“Hey, Wataru-san. I know it’s a little late for this, but what made you decide to turn the boat over?”

That’s a fair question, Alessia-san. If I don’t answer properly here, I will be classified as an incomprehensible man who suddenly starts doing strange things. I had to explain myself.

“You see, I was thinking that we would be going into the forest, which is more dangerous than I had imagined. I was thinking of a way to explore the forest safely. I was thinking that if I carried it upside down, it would protect me in all directions.”

“Ah, yes. It would be safe, but it would be very uncomfortable. What happens if you allow the floor to board?”

“I’ll give it a try. Permission.”

At the same time of permission, the rubber boat fell. What happens if I reject the floor again at this point? If the rubber boat floats, no problem, but what happens if I try to flip the Fortress… something scary is going to happen, so I’m not going to do it.

If it’s bad, it could start a big contest of barriers that can only be broken by the indestructible and the divine. It would be disastrous.

“If I carry it like this, I can crouch down if trees are in the way, and it’s easy to carry.”

“Ah, in the forest, even if you give permission for the ground, you’re likely to be held back by tree roots, stones, etc., because you’d have to give permission for every single tree root, stone, etc. I think it would be better to use the rubber boat in a situation where you don’t have to give permission on the ground.”

Alessia-san thinks again at my words… Can I use it?

“I think it’s definitely safe, and I should use it, but I wonder if this is what adventure is all about?”

…I understand what Alessia-san is trying to say. But I want to avoid fear and pain as much as possible.

“Alessia, this time, it’s not an adventure as usual; it’s mainly about escorting Wataru-san. If we can move around safely, we should ask him to do so. …I have a feeling that our need for an escort has been greatly reduced.”

Thanks for the follow-up, Dorothea-san. And sorry about something. I’ll try to get back on track and repatriate and re-summon the rubber boats. The new rubber boat was facing up; I guess I needed to repeat turning it over every time.

After trying various ways, I found out that it is easier to summon three rubber boats, three people per boat, and move the rubber boat overhead while pushing it with a stick.

It is a little troublesome when there are uneven surfaces or obstacles, but it seems to work fine except for the fact that it is difficult to pass through narrow places, and it is conspicuous. It wasn’t until I actually tried it in the forest that I was able to cheat movement on land in a way, though it’s walking.

In this way, we spend a good time thinking about what to do in the forest, watching movies, and playing games. Claretta-san is especially pleased because the Fortress and Stronghold’s ufo catcher stuffed toys have been changed. I think we’re seriously going to need a stuffed toy room.

After a relaxing time, we finally arrived at the open sea near the Kingdom of Jerah. The Demon Forest is just around the corner!