Volume 7 - CH 6

Chapter 6 – Return from the Demon Forest and a New Ship

After a bath and a good dose of lovey-dovey, I’ll make sure to disguise the Lutto and the Hideaway so that both the exterior and interior of the ship will look right on this world. Now we’re good to go.

Changing to a Japanese-style boat, we head for the dark elf village. There will be a lot of preparations to be made, luggage to be loaded, tickets for 25 people to be issued, and we should have enough time to get through the forest, which should be about three months.

We proceeded on our way, taking care of some minor things, and soon arrived at the dark elf village. Gael-san, who had come to pick us up, told us that since they had decided to trust us, we could go straight to the village with our boat.

It seems that everyone has already gathered, and people are gathered on two rafts that are connected to each other. I’m afraid they might sink or something. Seeing so many beautiful men and women in a row makes me feel the unreasonableness of another world. There are two kids? They said they couldn’t increase the number of people too much.

Elves or dark elves raise the face deviation value, don’t they? I’m happy for beautiful women, but I can only learn to be jealous of beautiful men.

I greet the village chief, give him my ticket and ask him to promise to keep what will be seen a secret. I summon the Hideaway in front of everyone and show them how to jump onto the magic circle of light and have the villagers experience it a few times.

I ask them to confirm that they cannot enter without a ticket and to confirm their safety by having them perform magic and attacks to the Hideaway. The villagers were a bit intimidated at first, but they gradually got used to it and were able to act smoothly.

I noticed that the villagers hardly shouted at all. When I summoned the Hideaway and when they jumped on the magic circle of light, they sometimes made small noises, but even the children didn’t shout… I felt like I was getting a glimpse of the harshness of this village.

But the ship summoning was finally revealed, too. I’m worried that if other people find out about the dark elf island, they might inadvertently give out my name or something. I wonder how to get the magic circle of contract? If I need an expert to install it, I can’t take him or her to the island, so it would be difficult.

After teaching them the rules of the ship and completing the training, I told them to load their belongings for the move on the deck of the Hideaway.

“Village Chief-san, is it okay if we leave as scheduled? If it’s too difficult, we can postpone it, okay?”

“Wataru-san, it will be fine. Our luggage is small, to begin with, so we can finish our preparations with plenty of time to spare. Thanks to Wataru-san’s strength, we can carry things that we had given up on as impossible to carry.”

“No, but that ship will be our place to stay while we are going through the forest. There are not enough rooms, so please prepare blankets and such.”

“Yes, I will let everyone know. “

“Haha, well, if people find out, there will be trouble, so I ask you to keep it a secret.”

“Yes, I will let them know that too.”

The village chief was much more cheerful as if he had been blown away by the decision to emigrate. It’s a good thing, right? After that, no problems occurred, and all the preparations were completed on the day before departure.

We held a banquet, as it was somehow the start of the journey. I served delicious food and drinks and made a lot of noise on the deck. Well, since we were in the middle of the Demon Forest, everyone didn’t make loud noises, but it seemed that there were few seasonings in the village, so they were surprised at the variety of flavors and were eating enthusiastically.

It’s a great feeling when people enjoy something you’ve made, isn’t it? I wondered if Claretta-san felt the same way, and we were both smiling. Well, it was Carla-san who ate the most.

Rimu and Fuu-chan were being held and fed by the two dark elf children while they were being cuddled. These kids have a lot to offer if they know how cute slime is.

The party is over, and everyone seems to have had a good time lying around on blankets. Beautiful men and women are drinking and rolling around. It’s a very strange feeling.

Well, tomorrow we’re going to be in the Demon Forest, so it wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun, at least today, right? Unless you’ve been drinking so much that you’re hungover, though… Well, tomorrow we’ll start walking in the forest. I’m not going to get too excited because everyone is here, but I’m going to quietly enjoy lovey-dovey time with Ines and Felicia and then go to bed.

………………

I can see the ocean through the trees… it’s kind of relaxing. It took us almost three months to reach the ocean because of the large number of people and the time it took to travel. I guess I underestimated how long it took to move with a large group of people.

It was hard in the beginning. Originally, the women in the village never went out into the dangerous forest, and they were not at a high enough level or physically strong enough. And since there were also children, we were inevitably slow.

Girasole surrounded the dark elf villagers and us, and the two children were carried on piggyback by turns by the stronger men as we carefully made our way through the forest.

We had a bit of a rough time when the monsters’ trigger was switched on for the first time, but we all managed to get aboard the Hideaway and made it through without a hitch. Slowing down means longer time in the forest, which in turn means more time in the Demon Forest, which in turn means more monsters. It was a vicious cycle.

It was a little uncomfortable to have thirty-four people on board, but the villagers said it was heaven compared to being stuck in a small space carved out of the rock. I don’t want to imagine how harsh the environment must have been.

Perhaps because they had endured the harsh environment, once they realized that they would be safe even if monsters attacked them, they stayed calm and didn’t make a fuss inside the ship, and they acted calmly when evacuating.

There were few problems in defeating the monsters because the men in the village could handle it as long as the trigger was not switched on. If they hunted near the village, they would sometimes not be able to evacuate in time if the switch went on. That would reduce the number of people.

As for the food, it seemed to be much better than in the village, and even though they were not used to being in the Demon Forest when it was time to eat, they forgot how tired they were and ate their meals, which was a good stress reliever, and they were able to proceed in a good mood until we reached the ocean. Meals are important, aren’t they?

While we were in the Demon Forest, the thing that bothered me the most was the purchase of a ship. We could travel by pulling the Hideaway with the Lutto, but it is slow, and it would be tough to slow down even more when we are months over schedule just to get there.

I thought about taking the ferry through the open sea and pulling the Hideaway with the Lutto from near the dark elf island, but with the ferry, I would have a direct connection with the mage in case information leaked out.

Well, I guess it’s too late now when I show the ship summoning, but I would like to avoid the ferry because of the impact it would have on the public.

I looked for a variety of ships. Especially the sightseeing ships were full of attractive ships. Some were castle-shaped, some were swan-shaped, some had windows on the bottom, some looked like pirate ships, and others were exciting. It doesn’t make sense, though, because it stands out so much that it has to be disguised as a ship.

I want the Sunseeker 155 yacht the most out of all the ones I found. But it costs 25 platinum coins… and I want a luxury liner as soon as possible, so I’m having a hard time. But it’s cool and luxurious, and I want it…

I also looked at cargo ships, but if I buy this one, it looks like it would have no problem carrying a lot of pepper, and if I don’t mind showing off my closeness to the mage, I want it, but… it doesn’t look like it would be suitable for transporting people, so I’ll hold off this time.

After much deliberation, I decided to buy the Sunseeker 155 yacht. The size is the same as a mid-size boat, and the 25 platinum coins are expensive, but I think it’s best to buy the ship you want. I know it’s just an excuse, though…

But it’s cool because it’s divided into four floors and has a Jacuzzi at the top. It has a spinning thing at the top of the ship that looks like a radar. I don’t know if it’s usable or even what it’s for, but it’s a nice thing.

The Hideaway on land, the Sunseeker 155 yacht at sea, there’s a proper use for both, and it’s not a waste, it shouldn’t be a waste.

Now that it’s a medium-sized ship, it could be used to wholesale a lot of pepper if I give up the mage-related stuff, and it’s not a waste. …I feel guilty, like I’m on a diet, and I’ve been indulging in something sweet.　

Even after buying it, I wonder if it was the right thing to do, but I’ve already bought it, so I’ll try not to think about it. By the way, buying this ship did not raise the level of ship summoning. I guess I have to buy a luxury liner to raise the level.

Now I have to think of a name for the ship… because it means something like going to a warm place… I can’t think of one. Even if I think of it from the outside, I can’t get an image of it without seeing the real thing… I guess the Seeker would be fine. It means someone who is searching for something so it’s perfect in an otherworldly way. It’s after I found the dark elves, though.

As I walk along, remembering the past three months, the ocean that I had seen between the trees is already in front of me. Finally, we pass through the Demon Forest. If the monsters’ trigger is switched on here and now, it would be the most troublesome thing, so we quietly exit the forest.

I don’t know how many generations have lived in that place, but it seems they have never seen the sea, and the dark elves are amazed at the sight of the sea. Even at a time like this, they don’t make a sound.

At any rate, me, Ines, and Felicia board the Galette and leave the land. After making sure no one sees us, I summon the Seeker.

“Oh, it’s cool. Don’t you think so?”

“Fufu, I guess so. It’s about the size of a medium-sized ship, but ships in Master’s world have a mysterious charm, don’t they?”

“Yes, it’s very nice. It seems to be easy to use in terms of size. Master, does this ship go into the harbor?”

Ines and Felicia seemed to like it too.

“I’m still trying to figure out if we can get it into the harbor. If I pretend that I bought the ship from the mage unreservedly, I’ll have to deal with a lot of trouble.”

“That’s true.”

“I’d like to take the time to explore the ship, but if Girasole or any of the dark elves saw it, it would be a problem, so this time, I’ll just disguise the ship and return immediately.”

“”Yes.””

We board the ship and return to land while making tickets for the exterior and interior to match the standards of this world. Since it would be troublesome if we were to be inspected, I asked them to quickly board the ship and head out to the open sea.

The exterior of the ship is a little stocky, but it now looks like a normal medium-sized ship. The interior is divided into four floors, which is strange. I wonder if mid-size ships in this world are divided into four floors?

After safely getting out to the open sea, we set our destination to the island of the dark elves and gathered in the living room for a breather.

“Village Chief-san, now that we’re here, we should be fine. We will reach our destination just by getting on the ship. There are not enough rooms on the ship, but the distribution will be decided by the village chief, just as on the Hideaway. I’ll tell you later which rooms are for us and Girasole.”

Hmm? The chief seems surprised. What’s going on?

“…..”

Huh? There’s no reply.

“Village Chief-san, what’s going on?”

“Eh? No, the distribution is fine, but if we stay on the ship, will we arrive at the safe haven of the dark elves?”

“Yes, we will arrive. Is there any problem?”

For some reason, the village chief’s face was getting cloudy.

“I heard it was an island, but since it is a safe haven, I thought there would be more difficulties ahead, so is everything alright?”

Ah, so that’s what you mean. If it’s not a dangerous place, then there’s a possibility that people will come soon, and that’s why he got anxious.

“It’s fine. It is a distance that would take five days, even for a normal magic boat. There is no route to a safe haven, and sea monsters are quite dangerous, so there is a risk to your life. I’m sure we’ll be attacked many times before we reach the island, so I can confirm that.”

“Is that so? I understand.”

That’s it, you have to pass through a dangerous place to feel uneasy, or you’re mentally in trouble. I was surprised that he agreed to move to the island since I had only explained it to him as a safe place to live.

“What should we do, Wataru-san?”

Oops, I had to show everyone around before I could talk to them, didn’t I?

“Oh, that’s right. There are rooms on the first floor, so let’s go there first. Village Chief-san, please come with us.”

I led everyone to the front of the rooms.

“There are four two-person rooms and five one-person rooms, so, yes,…… Girasole will use three of the two-person rooms, and one two-person room and the one-person room will be distributed by the village chief. I’m sorry, but the rest of you can rest in any available space.”

There is another room on the third floor, but it is connected to the wheelhouse, so let’s make it off-limits just in case.

“Wataru-san, we don’t have to be in a room either, okay? We are adventurers, so just having a roof over our heads is enough.”

“No, we are accustomed to living in large rooms, so just having five private rooms is enough for us. It would be more helpful if the Girasole people could use our rooms.”

“Ah, yes, it might be easier if the Girasole use the rooms rather than the dark elves having to share them with the others.”

“If you put it that way, then yes. What room are you going to stay in, Wataru-san?”

“There is a room on the second floor, so that’s where I’ll stay.”

After the room assignments were made, the village chief returned to the living room to talk with the villagers about the room assignments.

“Everyone, how about a cup of tea in the upstairs room? I’ll take off the disguise so you can see a little of what this ship is all about.”

“Fufu, that sounds exciting.”

We go to the room and drink tea while bragging about our luxurious room. It’s gorgeous, as only a luxury yacht can be. After we drop off all the dark elves, I’ll put all the decor back, and we can enjoy this ship.