Chapter 80: In the Depths of the Forest
I was in the storeroom by myself after I calmed down from talking with Kurune.
When I pulled out the drawer that’s in the back of the room, there was a mithril sword that was wrapped in a cloth inside.
After I pulled the cloth off, the silver blade that contained a tinge of magic power was revealed.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve kept the sword in a good condition since it saved Flora from the red bear 2 months ago, it was good to be used.
However, as I look at this sword that is a symbol of battle, I feel like I’m being told that things have come to this because I just ran away from the kingdom without facing them.
Even though I was leaving the country, I did not return the symbol of battle to them and just held onto it half-heartedly. It was as if I could not completely abandon fighting in the end because that is a part of my way of life.
Since I’ve been fighting since I was a kid, it might be inevitable for me to have such feelings inside. However, I decided to quit being an adventurer and go to Nordende to live as one of the villagers there, so I did not need to have such a dangerous object with me.
It’s because there’s a weakness lingering in me that something like this happened.
I should have talked things over with the royalty and the nobles and properly returned the sword to them before coming here.
However, nothing will change at this point even if I complain about such things.
Right now, let’s only think about saving Flora.
Once I’ve saved her, I will properly face the kingdom that I ran away from.
That is all I could think of at this moment.
After I finished putting my feelings in order, I wrapped the cloth back around the sword and exhaled deeply.
「……All right, let’s go」
I stuffed the gear I used from my adventurer days into a cloth bag, then I carried it on my back and walked out of the house with the cloth-wrapped sword in my hand.
That’s because the villagers would become worried if they see me walking around the village with my adventurer gear on.
I don’t know if Zoak took that into consideration, but it’s convenient that he chose the depths of the southern forest that extremely few people go to. Although if I think from his perspective, it might be that he just didn’t want anything unnecessary getting in our way.
「You’re all set?」
When I came out of the house, Kurune was there in her wizard’s robe with her staff in her hand.
Her light brown ponytail was swaying to the breeze.
「Yeahh, let’s head to the southern forest」
「Right. Are you sure you’ll be fine by yourself? If we do a surprise attack together, we might be able to save Flora right away, you know?」
Kurune asked me to make sure after I answered her with a calm nod.
「No, I’ll face him alone. Since it’s Zoak, I have no idea what he has in store. I want you to be on the lookout and check the surrounding area. I’m counting on you to keep the villagers safe」
It’s that Zoak we’re talking about. It’s actually quite possible that he has a large number of allies in hiding waiting to attack. Well, I would still be okay with that if I’m the only one who’ll be attacked, but the worst-case scenario would be having innocent villagers dragged into this.
I don’t want to bring our conflicts to a peaceful village that has nothing to do with our dispute.
That was why I decided to ask her to do things like investigating the surrounding area and keeping the villagers away, so something like that doesn’t happen.
「……I see」
Kurune answered after a short silence after I explained it like that to her.
When I took a closer look at her face, her mouth was making a へ shape like she was really not looking happy.
This is a gesture Kurune makes when she is feeling discontent inside her heart.
She’s probably thinking about barging into the fight once she’s finished checking the surrounding area.
「……I was told to go alone. Believe in me and don’t come, alright? If Flora gets hurt because you showed up then it’s all meaningless」
「I- I know! It’s obviously important to check if there are other assailants out there, but it’s just as important to make sure that innocent people aren’t dragged into this, right?」
Kurune answered while stuttering. I hit the bullseye, huh?
「But I’m going to come to take a look at the situation at least once, okay? If I’m able to save Flora then it will make things easier on you as well, and I can heal her if she’s injured」
「……Yeah, I’ll be relying on you at that time」
I almost lost control of myself from just imagining something like that, but now is the time to endure.
「Ah, Aldo, your face and voice are scary ……」
「……Sorry」
It seems that I couldn’t contain my feelings and they showed on my face.
After I calmed down with a deep breath and apologized to her, Kurune chuckled.
「Haha, you really love Flora, don’t you?」
「Please don’t poke fun at me right now」
Since I might be fighting a battle with my life on the line from this point forward, I can’t be having such peaceful feelings.
Perhaps Kurune had noticed my mood so she did not laugh any more than that as well.
「Well then, shall we get going?」
「Yeah」
With my voice as the signal, Kurune and I started running.
I have more confidence in my speed than anything else, but Kurune isn’t losing either.
She was sticking closely right behind me.
When it comes to being an adventurer as a wizard, being good at magic alone is not enough.
Adventurers are up against monsters who surpass human limits. No matter how many vanguards you have in your party, you will be attacked by the monsters.
The people who cannot even take care of themselves well enough at that moment will drag their companions down.
Wizards who are only stationary cannons will be killed by monsters in an instant. If they do not have the ability to reposition themselves and use magic while maintaining their distance accordingly, they won’t have much use in battles against monsters.
It sounds simple but it takes quite a bit of training to be able to pull that off.
Well, it’s exactly because Kurune is able to do that that she is an A-ranked adventurer as well.
「…It seems to be the case for me too, but hasn’t your speed dropped a bit?」
「Still, I’ve gotten faster recently. Your body becomes dull right away when you stop training it after all」
Maybe it’s thanks to the training I’ve been doing recently as a hunter, my body has become better than it was in springtime. However, if I were to compare it to how it was when I was an adventurer, it still feels way heavier so I’m nowhere near as fast.
I understand why that is but it’s irritating that I can’t move my body the way I want.
Kurune and I passed through the west side of the village that’s a little quieter and headed south.
We were seen by some adults who were working in a field and some children, but they only looked at us with a warm gaze like they were thinking that Kurune and I were playing tag.
It’s much better than them asking us what we’re doing or thinking there’s something suspicious about us, but their gazes were a bit hard to stand.
Luckily, we did not run into anyone else since then and we finally arrived at the southern forest.
There are extremely few people on the south side even though it’s in the village’s vicinity since there aren’t many people living or farming here.
Especially in the area around the forest where many trees are growing, there isn’t a single house or farm there, just an open plain.
For a place within Nordende, it’s a place that has a slightly lonely feel.
After I entered the thicket of the forest, I placed the cloth bag I carried on my back on the ground and quickly started to change.
「Alright, I’ll go check the surrounding area」
「Yeahh, please do」
After I responded like that, Kurune erased her presence and went to search the area surrounding the forest. Even if Zoak was monitoring us in this situation, I’m the only one who’s going to meet him. There shouldn’t be any problems technically.
One piece after another, I put on the adventurer’s gear that I have not worn in a long time.
Since I was originally a vanguard-type who capitalized on my speed, I don’t wear heavy armor.
I only wear my gear to cover the areas I have to at least cover, such as my chest, legs, arms, and shoulders.
I checked all of the gear on my body to make sure everything was ok, and then I removed the cloth that was covering the mithril sword and quickly entered the forest.
The inside of the forest was filled with dense trees, and their branches and leaves covered the sky, blocking the sunlight. Because of that, the inside of the forest was very dim and the visibility was very poor.
I proceeded with a look on my face that’s more serious than the one I have when I hunt as I walked on such a dark path.
Because deep in this forest, there’s a person who is far more dangerous than the monsters there. I need to proceed with caution.
The forest is so quiet that it’s eerie, and I cannot sense the presence of living creatures at all.
When I focused my mind and took a look at my surroundings, I noticed that there were slightly unnatural footprints on the ground.
The trace is faint, but I can tell that not that much time had passed.
They were only one person’s footprints. I wonder if they are Zoak’s since he’s waiting deep inside.
But why are Flora’s footprints not here?
No, it’s also possible that even these footprints are a trap.
The branches and leaves rustled from the wind as if they were provoking the unease in my heart.
Well, it won’t help even if I think about it right now.
At this moment, I only need to focus up and get ready for battle. If there are traps, I just have to break through them.
After I told myself that, I started walking on the path again.
I know that I have to proceed with full caution, but my pace naturally became quicker since I know Flora was in his hands.
My heart feels like it’s going to burst from the uneasiness, anger, and regret I feel.
……Please be safe, Flora.
I went deeper into the forest while I murmured that in my head like I was making a wish.
As I advanced like that, I suddenly caught two sounds of subtle body movements.
There’s no doubt about it. There’s a person up ahead.
I instinctively doubled my pace towards where the sounds came from.
As the rows of trees gradually thinned out, a small amount of sunlight began lighting up the path.
I pushed forward like I was being drawn to the light.
Then, the dense trees came to an end and I arrived at an open place.
It was a wide-open plain in the depths of the forest.
There, a man in black was standing with his arms folded.
「……You’re here, Aldred」
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