New Developments and Great Forests

I WOKE UP EARLY in the morning, before the low-hanging fog had a chance to burn

off. The air at the top of the mountain was chilly, and the breeze blowing across my

skin only made me colder.

I plunged into the overflowing outdoor bath to try to warm up.

I'd returned to my abandoned mountain shrine, far away from the fallen capital of the

Holy Hilk Kingdom.

I'd come back here after we'd cleared the city of the remaining undead and dealt with

getting the treaty signed in the Nohzan Kingdom, in the hopes of finally taking a break.

Unfortunately, neither the Nohzan Kingdom nor the Salma Kingdom could come up

with a good solution for dealing with the survivors, and the conversations had stalled

out.

This wasn't exactly unexpected. After all, the two countries had been enemies until

just a short while ago, and they'd only allied because of exceptional circumstances.

Nothing had fundamentally changed.

What's more, the Nohzan Kingdom's neighbors had all lost their leaders in the Holy

Hilk Kingdom's invasion. It would be weeks, months, maybe even years before the

regions found any semblance of stability.

With the controlling institutions in each of the countries gone, chaos reigned. Flooding

them with refugees would only complicate matters.

I couldn't help but wonder what would become of the two sisters we'd saved. The

more I thought about it, the darker my mood became.

I let out a heavy sigh and scooped up some warm water to scrub my face. "There's

nothing quite like a morning dip, but it's emotionally draining to return to my elven

body."

The mystical waters filling the hot spring at the base of the Lord Crown were said to

remove curses. And in fact, they did. Merely dipping into the warm water turned my

skeletal body back to one of flesh and blood—while also bringing all of my emotions

and senses into focus. In this state, though still an elf, I looked different from the other

elves who inhabited this world, what with my black hair, red eyes, brown skin, and

pointed ears.

I leaned back and let the rising steam envelop me.

The massive treetop of the Lord Crown filled the sky above me, swaying back and forth

with the wind. I wished I could just lose myself in the moment.

Alas, someone had other plans than to let me soak in the wonders of the universe and

took it upon themselves to bring me back to reality.

"Kyii! Kyii!"

Ponta summoned up a gust of wind, using its spirit magic to coast above the surface

of the water, mewing cheerfully. It landed atop my head like a seagull perching on an

outcropping of rock in the middle of the sea.

"Oy, Ponta! My head isn't a rest stop, you know."

Ponta's water-logged tail slapped against the front of my face, covering my nose and

mouth. I squirmed and spluttered, trying to breathe. My furry companion dropped

down to my shoulders and clung stubbornly to my neck in response.

"Kyii!"

Ponta ignored my grumblings and stuck out a paw, beckoning. It often did this when

it wanted to show me something.

I turned in the direction Ponta was indicating and spotted Ariane, standing at the

entrance to the open-air bath. I stood, holding Ponta up by the scruff of the neck.

"Oh, hey, Ariane. Do you need something?"

Ariane quickly spun away, averting her eyes. "Whoa, Arc! I don't need to see you like

that!"

I realized what I'd done and quickly ducked beneath the water again. "Ah, sorry about

that! But, uh, what brought you here?

Ariane returned her gaze to me, letting out a sigh. "Nothing in particular. I just followed

Ponta. Chiyome said she wanted to check in on the village. I figured it's about time that

we eat breakfast and get ready to head out."

Today's plans came back to me. The mountain people were building a new village off

to the east of this shrine, to house all those who'd escaped persecution.

The Jinshin clan had sent all their best carpenters to start building homes there.

Naturally, Chiyome wanted to check on their progress.

For my part, I hoped to talk to some of the craftspeople and see if they might help me

with some construction projects at the shrine. Obviously, I didn't want to bother

anyone when work on the village had only just begun, but I figured I should be able to

get a few people to help me out in between the other work they were doing.

It was about time I got myself a roof that actually kept out the rain, and I was also

hoping to make a proper set of furniture to spruce up the place.

As it was, I only came here to soak in the hot spring or retrieve some of the water

before returning to Ariane's home in Lalatoya to spend the night.

No matter how kind her family may be, I couldn't live as a freeloader in their home

forever. Now that the whole Hilk ordeal had finally settled down, I figured now was

the perfect time to change that. But my plans hinged on the progress in the new

settlement.

"Ah, that's right. We should probably start getting ready."

"Kyii!"

I stepped out from the bath with Ponta, eliciting another loud yelp from Ariane before

she turned to leave. In my defense, I was so used to spending my days as a skeleton

that I no longer saw any issue with being naked. I guess that was also part of my curse.

For breakfast, Chiyome had prepared a soup of small woodland creatures she'd caught

and boiled together with some beans.

The dish only increased my desire to finally get a roof over this place so I could start

to do my own cooking.

"Thanks for helping out today, Arc."

Chiyome bowed her head, her cat ears twitching.

I chuckled. "Oh, it's nothing. There are some things I'd like to take care of as well."

Chiyome nodded knowingly. I'd already asked her to put in a good word for me with

the craftspeople, after all.

Since I'd visited the settlement before and sketched a picture of where I planned to

teleport to in my notebook, it was pretty simple to teleport back.

Once we finished breakfast, I used my long-distance teleportation spell, Transport

Gate, and returned to the settlement with Ariane, Ponta, and Chiyome in tow.

The settlement was built near a lake surrounded by the Furyu, Hyoryu, and Karyu

mountain ranges—towering masses of earth that no one dared traverse, since they

served as the homes of powerful dragons. The lake stretching out beneath these

mountains was so vast that you could easily mistake it for an inland sea.

The area they'd chosen was a wide-open plain surrounded by mountains, which

provided a natural defensive line. If they put all of their efforts into building this place

up, they could probably support a fairly large population.

After suffering persecution at the hands of the humans and having to live in small,

hidden settlements, a place like this could really offer relief to the mountain people.

Though we'd recently signed a treaty between the mountain people, the elves, and the

humans back in the Nohzan Kingdom, it would still be some time before these folks

could rest assured that the peace would last.

Now that the humans had agreed to cease their persecution, it was in the mountain

people's best interests to build up their forces, should the need arise to resist the

humans in the future. And with such a massive plot of land all to themselves, I had no

doubt that they could easily build their own kingdom out here.

Indeed, on the southern continent, the mountain people—or beast people, as they

were called down there—ruled most of the lands.

If the mountain people here took advantage of their superior martial skills, they could

create such a force to be reckoned with that even the ruling powers of the dueling

Revlon empires would be hesitant to stand against them.

The only real challenge they faced was the fact that this place was a little too fortified.

They were practically closed off from the outside world. But I figured that wouldn't be

a problem for now.

After getting our bearings, we started making our way toward the peninsula that

jutted out into the lake. Things had changed quite a bit since I'd first drawn my sketch

of the landscape.

From where I stood, I could spot four or five wooden structures that appeared to be

houses and an outer wall made up of thick wooden logs joined together. They

reminded me of the hidden village I'd seen back in the Calcut Mountains.

"Well, I'll be. They've built a settlement out of nothing."

Ariane agreed with my assessment. "I know. It's really coming together."

Judging by their progress, it wouldn't be long before they could spare some

craftspeople.

"Kyii! Kyii!" From the mewing and enthusiastic wagging of its tail, it was evident that

Ponta had picked up on something of interest.

I noticed a wisp of smoke rising from one corner of the village, and for a moment, I

feared that one of the buildings might be on fire. But a moment later, I caught the

familiar scent of smoked fish.

With such a massive lake so close at hand, it didn't seem like they'd suffer any shortage

of seafood.

As far as I could tell, they were using the smoke to preserve their catch. Ponta's finely

tuned food sensors picked up on the smell immediately.

"Well, let's get going." Chiyome stepped out in front of us to lead the way.

It wasn't long until we ran into two guards at the outer wall. They recognized us and

offered a cheery greeting.

"Ooh, Chiyome! I see you brought Arc and Ariane with you."

The first person to speak was a short man with a deep, intimidating voice. This was

Pittah, the battle-scarred military commander of the hidden village back in the Calcut

Mountains. The long-time soldier was missing half of one of his long, rabbit-like ears,

and he wore a menacing expression on his face, even when he was smiling.

"Kyiiiiiii."

Ponta wasn't terribly fond of the man and immediately curled up behind my neck,

hiding from him. Pittah seemed somewhat hurt by this reaction, though I found it

endearing.

The other guard was Rowze, a bear woman so massive that she could give Goemon a

run for his money in a contest of strength. In fact, she'd probably win.

She wore leather armor dyed a bright shade of red over her light-brown skin, and she

could be identified by the half-circle ears atop her head and the little round tail

protruding from her lower back. These features looked adorable on their own, but no

human would dare take such a hulking figure lightly.

On her back was a massive axe that could easily cleave a person in two. This was no

mere decoration either—she'd use it on a moment's notice.

Rowze called out to me cheerfully. "And what brings you here today, Arc?"

"I'm accompanying Chiyome."

She turned her attention to the little ninja.

"I'm here to check on the construction and provide Master Hanzo with a report,"

Chiyome said. "I also want to see if you need any supplies. How do you find this place?

As far as I can tell, there don't seem to be any large monsters around."

Pittah ran a finger along his chin. "The plains are filled with small animals and some

decently sized beasts, but little in the way of monsters. We've spotted a grand dragon

near the lake a few times, but they tend to stay away from the village. For now, at least."

Rowze nodded. "The settlement is still pretty small, and we haven't run into any major

problems, but it's absolutely going to keep growing. Eventually, we may need to smack

that giant brute around."

The grand dragon they spoke of lived out on these plains and in the neighboring

forests. At first glance, it looked like a monstrous, four-eyed frog, standing around ten

to twenty meters tall, with a shell on its back made of stone and a long, spike-tipped

tail.

We'd run across a similar dragon the very first time we came out here. Pittah, Rowze,

Chiyome, and Goemon had teamed up to take the thing down while Ariane and I stood

on the sidelines and watched.

Under normal circumstances, these grand dragons could easily lay waste to a village

or two, but I didn't think there were any grave concerns, considering the people living

here.

With proper treatment, a grand dragon's hide could be used to make leather armor

that was stronger and more durable than metal. So even if they were attacked, they

could use the spoils to strengthen themselves against the next strike.

In fact, Ariane was wearing grand dragon leather armor as we spoke.

The fact that the mountain people could take down a powerful beast like a grand

dragon with such a small group was a testament to their fighting prowess. It was little

wonder that the humans viewed them as a threat.

Before coming here, I probably would have seen them the same way.

Even with a treaty in place, it would still be no small feat to bridge the gap between

humans and their counterparts. The typical fantasy concept of a world in which all

manner of species lived together in harmony seemed so far off that I wondered if I'd

ever see it.

I caught sight of Ariane waving her hand in front of my face, waking me from my

reverie. "You daydreaming or something?"

"No, I was just lost in thought." I tried to dismiss her suspicion with a casual wave of

my hand.

"That's fine, I guess. It's pretty much the norm for you anyway. But we should go and

check out the village. The plan was to take Chiyome back to her mountain hideout once

she's done here, right?"

"Ah, yes. I also wanted to check in with the carpenters while we're here. Let's hurry

along."

Pittah and Rowze led our small party into the village, where we were greeted by the

rhythmic sounds of wooden mallets as people worked to assemble houses and other

buildings.

From the workers applying the roofing tiles to those slathering a mud-like substance

on the walls, the whole place was full of activity and animated voices. Off in the

distance, I saw a group holding ropes and pulling a massive pole up into a standing

position.

It looked as if everyone in the village other than the two we'd found standing guard

was busy working. People would greet us as they passed, but they were all too busy to

stop and talk. It seemed like it was still too early to try to secure some workers for my

projects.

Pittah's face contorted into a sinister look that I took for a smile. "We finally got a few

buildings up that can shelter us from the elements, but there's still a long way to go. It

takes several folks working day and night just to build one house, and then we also

need to spare a few people to run trials to secure food."

Ariane cocked her head quizzically. "Trials?"

When we were first setting this place up, I purchased a large supply of food from the

port city of Lamburt in the Rhoden Kingdom to support the initial settlers. That should

have been enough to last them some time, but now I had my doubts.

Pittah seemed to read my mind and shook his head. "No, no, we still have much of the

food you procured for us. We were just looking to increase the number of settlers here

so that we have a few extra hands and our workers can get a little sleep. That's why

we need more food. We can't rely on you forever."

Rowze pointed toward the edge of the village. "Most of our work so far has involved

cultivating fields next to the village, fishing in the lake, and sending out parties to

explore what kind of flora and fauna are available in the nearby forests. Fishing in

particular has become an important food source for us."

Ariane and I nodded. Since the population of the village would only increase, securing

stable sources of food that could support such growth was a vital task.

Of course, I didn't mind going out and buying food for them, but I could see that it

would soon become unsustainable. Besides, I couldn't dedicate myself to helping them

out full time.

As it was, my ability to transport people and supplies using teleportation magic was

in high demand as we picked up the pieces after the war. Honestly, I felt like I'd turned

into a professional transport company.

The Holy Hilk Kingdom incident was just one example of how my teleportation

abilities had sped up processes that would normally have taken months, if not years,

here in this world.

Even though I was only temporarily offering my assistance, I could tell that I'd

impacted the speed at which events had developed. Were it not for my ability to

teleport all of the forces in to join the battle, the Nohzan Kingdom and its neighboring

countries would have fallen to the Holy Hilk Kingdom, making it all the more difficult

to take down the pontiff.

But the impact was severely limited by the fact that I was the only one who could do

this. No wonder the mountain people had decided that they didn't want to rely on me

forever.

Then again, these were people who'd been persecuted and even enslaved by humans.

After surviving under such harsh conditions, perhaps self-reliance was a source of

pride for them.

"Now that they've got a few houses built and food sources sorted out, perhaps we

should bring over a few more people from the village to help out." Chiyome, unaware

of just how far off track my mind had wandered, got to work inspecting the village and

making suggestions for next steps.

Pittah's face twisted into a leer. It was obvious what he was thinking.

Aside from Rowze and a handful of other women, most of the people here were men.

Clearly Pittah thought that "more people" meant more women. I'd seen no shortage of

beauties back in the hidden village, so I had little doubt that they'd improve the

liveliness of this new settlement. They might even encourage men like Pittah to work

even harder.

"You're not being weird again, are you, Arc?"

"Kyii?"

I could feel Ariane glaring at me through heavy-lidded eyes, so I quickly turned my

attention to a nearby building under construction.

The way the processed lumber was locked together to form the shell of the building

spoke to the carpenters' high level of skill. However, there was something about the

building that seemed strange to me.

"You know, I was wondering about something. I didn't bring much lumber here to the

settlement initially, so where are you procuring it from?"

Obviously there were a lot of trees in the area, but none of the lumber used to build

these houses looked like it was freshly cut. In fact, it had all been properly dried and

processed.

I'd only tossed out the question to try to get out from under the pressure of Ariane's

intimidating glare, but Chiyome responded in good faith.

"Members of the Jinshin clan must have used their ninjutsu powers to dry out the

lumber. It's one of the basic techniques taught to us by the founder."

Pittah and Rowze both nodded, confirming Chiyome's speculations.

"Wow… that's pretty useful."

Under normal circumstances, it could take several months before cut wood could dry

out enough to be useful in construction, but magic allowed them to greatly accelerate

the process.

Back in my world, we'd managed to achieve the same results through chemical means.

However, magic had the added benefit of not requiring massive facilities.

Not one to be outdone, Ariane chimed in. "The elves use spirit magic to remove

moisture from wood, too, you know."

She smiled triumphantly and puffed out her chest. There was something endearing

about the sight.

Elven magic and the Jinshin clan's ninjutsu both ultimately relied on a connection to

the spirits. It made sense that they would be used similarly.

"Interesting. So can you do it, too?" I asked out of idle curiosity, but the confident grin

on Ariane's face quickly faded.

She turned away, nervously tapping her index fingers together. "W-well, the spirit I

entered into a covenant with only has control over fire and earth. I'm not really strong

with water-related magic…"

Even if she had been proficient in such magic, it was hard to imagine Ariane using it to

perform menial tasks. She seemed much better suited for powerful, offensive magic.

I glanced at Chiyome. "So if we ever need any water magic, it'd be best to ask Chiyome."

She specialized in water elemental ninjutsu techniques and could target with great

precision. Or at least… I'd thought so. I was surprised to see Chiyome's ears droop.

She scratched her head. "Sure, I'm pretty good with water elemental techniques, but

this kind of ninjutsu has always been a weak point for me."

Ariane voiced my thoughts. "Hunh. You seem really skilled from what I've seen."

"Our founder believed that these types of techniques were great practice for ninjutsu,

particularly for controlling our power levels. Kind of like killing two birds with one

stone. But pulling moisture out of wood is very delicate work that requires you to

maintain a certain power level over a long period of time. Whenever I tried, I always

just ripped all of the moisture out at once, destroying the wood in the process."

Ariane seemed to identify with what she was saying. "I think maybe the bond between

you and your water spirit is so strong that it's easier for you to manipulate large

amounts of power than to do intricate tasks that require control. I'm pretty similar in

that respect."

Ariane took Chiyome's hand, and the two of them smiled over this shared bond.

"So you two are both bad at limiting your power, huh?"

No sooner had my offhand comment left my lips than Ariane was jabbing a finger at

me. "You're one to talk! If anyone can't keep their power under control, it's you!"

I knew that. In fact, I'd made my comment in commiseration with like-minded people,

though apparently she hadn't taken it that way.

Alas, all I could do was raise my hands in defeat.

"Kyii! Kyii!" Ponta chimed in from atop my head to get my attention.

"What is it, Ponta?"

A young wolf man was jogging over to us.

Ariane watched the newcomer with curiosity. "I wonder what happened."

All I could do was shrug.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." The wolf man bowed in my direction before turning to Pittah.

"Some members of the fishing party we sent out this morning haven't returned."

Pittah and Rowze both frowned at the news.

"Maybe they just haven't made it back yet," Rowze said

The wolf man shook his head. "With so many unexplored areas around us, we've made

it clear that every group should return by noon. None of the other members of the

fishing party have seen them, so we're starting to worry that something happened to

them."

"Do we know who's missing?" Pittah asked

"Yes. Everyone on the boat that Gin boarded."

Rowze tilted her head back and gazed up at the sky.

Gin was a soldier and part of the advance party that had originally come out here. He

was also a wolf man, similar to the one standing before us.

I recalled Rowze giving him special attention, like an affectionate older sister.

She let out a heavy sigh. "Dammit. I can't believe it."

Pittah clapped her on the back several times. "He always was an overly curious sort,

so it's not out of the realm of possibility that something caught his eye and he

completely forgot what he was supposed to be doing. Then again, we still don't know

what's lurking in the waters. We should prepare for the worst and try to rescue them,

assuming they need it."

Chiyome immediately volunteered. "If we're sending a search party, I want to join.

Water's my specialty, after all."

I looked out at the expansive lake ahead of us. It was perfectly flat, and there was

absolutely nothing obscuring our view. The fact that we couldn't see them practically

guaranteed that something bad had happened.

If there was a monster lurking in the lake, it would likely attack the mountain people

during their search. If it did, Chiyome could use her water elemental ninjutsu to defend

them.

Pittah and Rowze were incredibly gifted fighters, but boats made for uneven footing.

Magic users were most suitable for a job like this.

"I'd like to join the search as well." I still wasn't any good at keeping my power in check,

on land or sea, but I could still help.

Chiyome quickly and firmly shook her head. "No, this is our problem. We can't keep

dragging you into this."

Given that this was a simple search for a handful of people, and nowhere near the same

level of effort as when I'd helped save a large number of her comrades in Rhoden's

capital, she probably didn't feel it was appropriate to ask for my assistance.

I thought of it as helping out a friend, but she seemed uncomfortable with me always

coming to her aid.

Pittah and Rowze both nodded, seemingly in agreement with her. Perhaps I should put

some kind of condition on the deal to get them to let me help.

"All right, then. What if you do me a favor in exchange? I have teleportation magic, after

all, so I can easily bring you back to the village once we find the missing people."

Chiyome looked at me in surprise. "Arc, are you about to ask about carpenters?"

I couldn't tell if she was able to read my mind or just extremely observant, but I

nodded. "I'd like to borrow one carpenter for a bit as payment. Oh, and I want one of

the people who caused you so much distress to serve as their assistant."

Pittah belted out a loud guffaw at this. "I see no problem with that, Chiyome. Besides,

Gin and the rest will need to make up for all the heartache they've caused. This is

perfect."

Chiyome bowed to me. "Thank you for always coming to our aid, Arc. I'll start getting

ready."

She took off toward the lake at a dash.

I caught Ariane's gaze. She'd stayed silent throughout the entire exchange, though

from the way her cheeks were puffed out, it seemed like there was something she

wanted to say.

"So I guess you'll be staying…" I began.

"Oh, I'm going! As if there were any doubt!"

"Why are you so upset, Ariane?"

"None of your business." She puffed her cheeks out even more and elbowed me in the

side.

Chiyome and Ariane were both relatively young warriors by their respective species'

standards and had seemed to bond over that. Perhaps Ariane was angry that I'd butted

in before she had a chance to volunteer.

I'd have to be more careful in the future.

"Sorry, Ariane. I just really wanted to help Chiyome out. Can we talk about this later?

We should focus on searching for the missing people right now."

"That's not it." Ariane started off in the direction Chiyome had gone.

I watched her back for a few moments as I puzzled over her words.

"Kyii!"

At Ponta's insistence, I started after Ariane and Chiyome. By the time I arrived at the

lake, Chiyome had finished all the prep work. We met at the point where the lake came

closest to the village. A long, wooden jetty stretched out into the water, and several

tiny boats were docked to it.

These boats, if you could even call them that, resembled dugout canoes made from

massive logs. The mountain people had clearly gone with a simple design, since they

didn't have the people to spare for anything more elaborate.

It would be an incredibly tight fit to get me into one of them.

"We'll check out the surrounding area."

Several members of the fishing party—wolflike in appearance, similar to Gin—

hopped into two of the boats.

They worked the oars easily and moved gracefully across the lake.

Unlike the cat people of the Jinshin clan, the wolf people had little need for boats.

Despite this, they'd grown quite adept at maneuvering them. They must have

practiced since moving here.

If the wolf people, who were a lot closer to me in stature than the other mountain

people, were able to travel around in these canoes, I figured I could do it too. The bearlike Rowze, on the other hand, would be a different story.

"I guess Chiyome, Ariane, and I should take a boat and head on out as well?"

Ponta dove off my head and landed on the bow of the nearest boat before turning to

look back at me. "Kyii! Kyii!"

I laughed at the fox's insistence on being a member of the crew.

"Right, right. Of course you're coming with us."

Ariane and Chiyome stepped aboard next. Thanks to their years of training, they

seemed to have no problem maintaining their balance.

"Well, let's get going."

The moment I set foot inside it, the boat immediately dipped lower into the water,

though it seemed like it would be able to support the weight of my armor just fine.

I picked the oars up and started to row, the boat creaking ever so slightly as we moved

through the water.

"You're veering right, Arc."

Ariane was sitting at the bow, keeping an eye on our progress.

I'd noticed this myself, but given that my only experience with rowing was a few

paddles around the park, I didn't know how to properly maintain a heading.

"I know, but… well, it's hard. Do either of you know how to row?"

They both shook their heads. Clearly we'd made a poor choice in choosing who rode

in which boat, but I didn't want to head back and find someone to row for us. I had no

choice but to figure it out as I went.

After snaking our way through the water for a while, I began to get the hang of it. It

wasn't just a matter of rowing. You also needed to use the oars like rudders after you

pushed. I would row, correct the course, and then repeat the process once we were

heading straight. It was actually kind of fun.

I started to really get into it, and before I knew it, we were quite far from the coast.

The settlement was so small that I had to squint to see it.

"I know we came out here to look for them, but all I see is water. I don't even know

where to start looking."

Ariane leaned forward, looking back and forth with Ponta.

"Kyiii?"

All I could see was water in every direction. The lake was absolutely massive. Without

any clear place to start our search, it would take forever.

Then again, Pittah had mentioned that Gin was a curious sort. "Perhaps we should be

looking for a place that might have drawn Gin's attention."

Chiyome gave me a questioning stare. "Where would that be? There's nothing but

water out here."

Ariane nodded in agreement.

"Someplace no one's ever been before," I said, trying to make them understand. "A

place that inspires the imagination. A place that Gin felt compelled to visit."

I slowly started to change our course.

Ariane shot me a suspicious glance. "Wait, are you heading to the Furyu Mountains?"

"The Furyu mountain range is home to a wide variety of creatures," Chiyome said.

"Anyone living out here must know that it's dangerous to travel there without making

the proper preparations."

"The more you tell someone young that a place is dangerous, the more they want to

go."

I gave the oars another powerful push, sending the boat coasting forward.

Ariane and Chiyome exchanged confused glances before shrugging with defeated

sighs. They were both relatively young. Did they not understand the desire for

adventure?

That left Ponta as my only potential ally, but the cottontailed fox seemed too content

standing at the bow of the boat and letting its tail flutter in the sea spray to be

concerned with such matters. It didn't look like I'd be getting backup any time soon.

I'd just have to keep the spirit of adventure alive myself and focus on looking for Gin.

To be honest, I was actually a little excited—in spite of the unfortunate circumstances

that had brought us on this journey—but I decided to keep that from my companions.

I continued my pattern of rowing and course-correcting as we sped across the water.

While the Furyu Mountains were certainly known for being imposing and dangerous,

the three of us—four, if you counted our furry companion—were capable of facing

even a Dragon Lord, and I doubted we'd encounter anything that powerful.

Just how long had I been rowing anyway?

I felt like we'd made some progress at the very beginning, but lately it didn't feel like

we were getting any closer.

"The mountains are absolutely huge." Ariane looked as if she were staring at a

towering wall of stone. "They look completely different from the side I'm used to

seeing."

The Great Canada Forest, and Ariane's home, sat just on the other side of this very

range. It made sense that the mountains would look significantly different out here

with an unobstructed view, as opposed to the glimpses she was used to seeing through

the trees.

The peaks were capped with snow, which spoke to their immense height. Adding in

the types of wild creatures inhabiting the mountains, it would be no small feat for one

of the mountain people, much less a human, to traverse them.

As we continued toward the mountain, I identified a far more pressing problem. There

was no place to make landfall. Where the mountains met the lake were hundred-foothigh cliffs.

Obviously I could use Dimension Step to teleport to the top, but it would have been an

incredible challenge for Gin and the other wolf people to scale the cliff.

"Hmm. I figured Gin and the crew came to explore the base of the mountains, but

there's no way they would have abandoned their boat to climb up."

Chiyome seemed to be of the same mind. "Even I wouldn't attempt it without proper

equipment."

If the climb presented a challenge to an agile ninja like Chiyome, then it would only be

worse for Gin and the others.

"Kyii! Kyii!"

Ponta, however, seemed confident that it could make the trip.

"Maybe we should follow the coastline for a bit and see what we find." I changed course

and began to row parallel to the cliff.

"It seems to continue like this as far as I can tell. I don't see anywhere to climb up."

While Ariane was talking, I suddenly felt the bow of the boat shift.

"Huh?"

At the same moment, the oars began to tremble in my hands.

Chiyome was the first to react. "Arc, look over there!"

"Kyii!"

I turned to see a massive cavern in the cliffside. I swallowed hard. "Is that a… cave? It's

huge…"

The four of us stared at the gaping maw of the cave in stunned silence. The opening

was so large that even the massive Dragon Lord, Villiers Fim, could have made it

through without touching the sides.

We hadn't seen it earlier, due to the angle of our course.

Chiyome stared into the gloomy darkness ahead. "It looks like the lake continues on

into the cavern."

She was right. We could continue rowing right on through and inside. Not only that,

but I could feel a gentle current running past the oars, slowly drawing our boat into

the cave. Perhaps the lake split off and became a river. Judging by the size of the cave,

it'd have to be a pretty big underground river.

Compared to the last mountain cave we'd passed through, while searching for the

shrine, this was quite a bit larger.

Ariane looked back at me. "What should we do, Arc?" But it was clear from the look on

her face that she already knew my answer.

I responded without hesitation. "I think we should go in, of course!"

Ponta wagged its tail from the ship's bow in what I took to be agreement. "Kyii! Kyii!"

Ariane sighed and rolled her shoulders.

"I figured as much. But we'll at least need some light, won't we?" She offered one last

bit of resistance, implying that we should head back to regroup.

I pulled a crystal lamp out of my bag. "No worries! I figured something like this might

happen, so I brought all the supplies we'd need for an adventure."

"Kyiii!"

Ariane didn't seem to share my excitement. "Why would you bring something like that

with you?"

Chiyome tried to smooth things over. "Is it so bad? Thanks to Arc, we don't need to

waste any time getting ready. Besides, a cave is a pretty likely place for people to go

missing. We can't just ignore it."

"I guess so…" Ariane relented.

"All right, then. You'll be in charge of lighting the way."

I handed my crystal lamp to Ariane and went back to rowing.

The current continued to pull us deeper and deeper into the cave, though it was hardly

strong enough that we couldn't row back out if we wanted to. If it were much stronger,

then I might have understood why Gin and the rest had gotten lost. But that didn't

seem to be the case.

Our meager light barely illuminated the cavernous space. As we drifted further inside,

it felt as if we were floating in a great void. Light still shone from the entrance behind

us, but it was difficult to get a feel for our surroundings.

"It's impossible to know where we are, much less keep our bearings, with so little

light."

And yet we continued, undeterred, further and further from the fading light at the

entrance. I rowed on into the darkness, fully accepting the risk that we might be

shipwrecked… or worse. Knowing me, that wasn't just possible, but likely.

Finally, I decided it would be best to find the wall. Not only to give the lamp something

to reflect off of, but also for us to follow.

Chiyome seemed to have hit on the same idea. "Hey, Arc, you should head toward one

of the walls so we can maintain our bearings."

"Roger."

I paddled over toward the side, though I was mindful not to get too close, in case the

water near the walls was shallow.

I began to worry that the cave might fork somewhere up ahead. Then it would become

quite difficult to track down Gin and his companions. What if they'd followed the other

wall, for example, or gone in a completely different direction? And all of that was

assuming that they'd even come to this cave in the first place.

"I just hope we can pick up their trail."

The sounds of my splashing oars reverberated throughout the silent cavern. All I could

see was Ariane and the dull glow of the crystal lamp in her outstretched arm reflecting

off the rugged stone walls. Everything else was pitch-black.

I felt as if I was losing all sense of time and distance. Just as I started to wonder how

long we'd been at this, I spotted a flickering light up ahead.

"Wow! There are natural light crystals growing out here too?"

I glanced around and spotted more flickering specks.

Light crystals were used by the elves in various magical implements, such as the lamp

Ariane held.

The specks of light reminded me of gazing up at the night sky… and also brought to

mind the last time we were stuck in an underground cave.

Chiyome broke the silence. "At least they give us a sense of the layout of the cave."

Ponta, suddenly seeming to notice something, mewed from the boat's bow. It was

sniffing excitedly.

"Kyii!"

"What is it?" Ariane reached out and stroked Ponta's head.

Up ahead, I caught sight of an expansive shoreline. The faint glow of the lamp reflected

off tiny pebbles and the rapidly rising ground beneath us.

Once we drew close enough to the shore, Ponta dove off the bow and onto the land.

"Kyii… Kyii!"

Ponta sniffed around for a moment before dashing off and stopping at another spot,

where it began to mew excitedly and wag its tail.

"Arc!"

"Right." At Ariane's prompting, I brought the boat to the shore.

Chiyome was first out of the boat, followed shortly by Ariane. They took off in a jog

toward Ponta. I followed more slowly, dragging the boat up onto the shore behind me.

Sure, we could just teleport out of here if it got washed away, but I'd feel terrible if we

lost one of the mountain people's few possessions.

While I was struggling with the boat, I heard Ariane call out. "Arc, take a look at this!"

"Did you find something?" I asked, trudging over.

Ponta sat at her feet, waving its tail proudly. Following Ariane's gaze, I saw the remains

of a fire.

Chiyome picked up a piece of charred wood, crushed it between her fingers, and

sniffed. "It's still fresh."

Ariane held the lamp high and inspected our surroundings.

A wall glowing with light crystals ran parallel to the shore a short distance away.

Several smaller tunnels headed off in different directions, but there were no additional

signs of life.

"It doesn't seem like there's anyone living out here, which means this must be Gin's

work."

Chiyome pointed. "Look over there. Several footprints, leading away from us."

Ariane let out a gasp. "Wow, you're right!"

But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't see anything that resembled footprints.

Only after kneeling down and closely inspecting the ground could I make out what

they'd found. Once again, I was impressed by their abilities.

I mean, sure, hunters and military specialists knew all sorts of tracking techniques,

but it was all so far beyond my own ability that it was practically magic.

"Apparently, Ponta here is quite the tracker."

I rubbed the fox's head affectionately, eliciting a cheerful wag of its tail as it puffed its

chest out.

"Kyii! Kyii!"

I was truly impressed at how Ponta had been able to catch the scent of the fire and

bring us out here. There was no way that a wild creature could have created a fire like

this. It had to have been built by Gin and his companions to cook their food—food that

drew Ponta's attention.

Regardless, I was glad to have finally found their trail.

"I'm guessing Gin used this spot as a place to rest. Maybe we should return to the

village and let them know?"

Ariane nodded. "I agree. We've been here so long that I've completely lost track of time.

Besides, we can just teleport back. Once we brief Pittah, he can make the call about

what to do next."

"All right. You two wait here, and I'll head back."

I took a few steps away from Ariane and cast Transport Gate. I returned half an hour

later.

As soon as the light from my spell faded, I heard Ariane's voice. "Well, you certainly

took your time. What happened?"

I held up the bag in my hand in response.

Ariane's eyes went wide. "That's not my camping gear, is it?"

"As I gave my report to Pittah and Rowze, I realized it was already quite late. Since we

won't be able to continue our search until tomorrow, I figured we might as well camp

out here. I stopped by Lalatoya, and Glenys got your camping gear together for me."

Ariane furrowed her brow. "I don't have any problem with continuing our search, but

camping makes no sense. You could just teleport us back to the village for the night."

She was absolutely right. And we'd certainly get a far better night's sleep in Lalatoya

than we would out here.

But there was a method to my madness.

"If whoever lit this fire comes back here, wouldn't it be better if we're here? That is…

assuming they didn't get lost in the caves."

Ariane let out an exaggerated sigh. "I… I guess I see your point."

That was only my stated reason for doing this, of course. In reality, I wanted to enjoy

the sense of adventure I'd get from camping on the shore of an underground lake.

Ariane, on the other hand, had camped countless times during her days patrolling the

great forests. She had little love for the experience, so I understood why she wasn't so

keen on the idea.

Ariane's golden gaze stayed locked on me. "You didn't orchestrate all of this just

because you wanted to camp out here… right?"

She saw right through me, but I shook my head firmly anyway. "No, no, of course not!

This is all so we can help the missing mountain people. Obviously I didn't suggest this

just because of the sheer thrill of adventure that would come with camping on the

shore of an underground lake. Chiyome, what do you think?"

I tried to redirect the conversation. Chiyome, who was scouting the area, looked over

at me and nodded.

"Arc's right. It's likely they'll retrace their steps when it's time to rest. Besides, I wanted

to take a look around and see how safe this place is."

As was the case any time you camped in unknown lands in this world, it was pretty

much a given that someone would need to stand watch. Monsters roamed the wilds,

and we had no idea what dangers lurked in this cave.

Though Chiyome had readily agreed to my plan, it was clear she had her own reasons

for wanting to camp. The Jinshin clan not only traveled the lands to save their enslaved

comrades; they also ensured the survival of their people by diligently bringing back

any information they acquired.

As one of the Jinshin clan's six great warriors, it made sense that Chiyome would fall

into her information gathering habits.

I wondered how many times I'd benefitted from the information network she and her

fellow Jinshin clan members had built up over the years.

"Kyii!"

Ponta's cheerful mew reverberated off the cave walls and brought me back to reality.

I coughed into my fist, glancing over toward Ariane.

"Chiyome and I should be able to keep watch just fine, so why don't I take you back to

the village, or to your home in Lalatoya? We can all meet up again tomorrow morning."

Were it a contest between sleeping out in the open or in a nice, warm bed, there was

no question which of the two would offer a more peaceful repose. And since there was

no need for all three of us to spend the night out here, I figured at least one of us should

be fully rested for tomorrow's search.

However, the angry look on Ariane's face said otherwise. "Now, wait just a second. Why

would you only send me back? I can't just leave Chiyome out here alone, ya know. I'm

definitely staying. Besides, I'm used to camping out."

She yanked the bag away from me and pulled it open. "Why'd you bring so much food?

We're roughing it, aren't we?"

She sounded genuinely perplexed by the fact that the bag was filled to the brim with

fresh meat, produce, and bread.

"I mean, I figured it'd be kinda chilly out here, so we might as well make something to

warm ourselves up. I'll be cooking, so all you need to do is sit back and relax."

I pulled out a pot I'd brought and showed it to her, which resulted in an unimpressed

sigh. I decided to leave her to her own devices and began getting dinner ready. Tonight,

I'd be making a simple soup.

Chiyome volunteered to get some tinder together for the fire while I went about

chopping vegetables and tomatoes into large chunks and cutting the meat into bitesized pieces. I then poured some oil into the pot and tossed the meat in to give it a nice

sear.

The sound of the sizzling meat and the delicious scent wafting up from the pan seemed

oddly out of place in the cave, which was eerily silent save for the lap of water against

the shore.

Once the meat was nicely browned, I threw in some herbs and spices along with the

chunked-up vegetables and sauteed them together before pouring in some water and

putting the lid on to let it simmer.

"You really are pretty good at cooking, you know."

Ariane's voice drifted over as I watched the flame. I turned to find her staring at me

with interest. We held each other's gaze for a moment, until I realized that I hadn't

seen Chiyome for a while.

I glanced around. "Do you know where Chiyome went?"

"She said she was going to explore deeper into the cave."

I recalled Chiyome's earlier comment. "Hunh. She did say she wanted to take a look

around."

I turned my attention back to the pot. The rolling sound of bubbles breaking on the

surface of the soup echoed loudly throughout the cavern.

"If the village construction keeps up the pace," Ariane said, after a moment, "maybe

Chiyome will be able to come here and take a load off."

"Hmm?"

I shot Ariane a confused look.

"I mean, now that the whole Hilk debacle is over, we'll be done traveling together soon.

I dunno. It all seems kind of sad." She let out a somber sigh.

Once the settlement was built, the Jinshin clan would undoubtedly move their base of

operations here to continue serving as protectors of the mountain people.

With the massive Furyu Mountains separating Ariane's elven home from this new

settlement, it would soon be no easy task for her and Chiyome to spend time together

without teleportation powers like mine. The thought seemed to weigh heavily on her.

I, too, would be busy—getting my shrine back into shape—and would likely also be

seeing far less of Ariane for the first time since… well, pretty much since I'd come to

this world in the first place.

Plus, Ariane was a soldier and had a duty to her people.

"I doubt we'll be able to find all the cardinals any time soon, so I imagine we still have

some time together."

Ariane and I had gone practically everywhere together for so long that it felt natural,

expected even. Sadness washed over me as we discussed the inevitable future.

"Kyii!"

Ponta's shrill cry cut through the moody atmosphere and brought my attention back

to the bubbling pot. It must have detected a change in the scent and was prompting

me to remove the lid.

A cloud of steam billowed up, smelling delightfully of tomatoey soup. It looked pretty

good, I'd say.

"It won't do us any good to worry about things that haven't happened yet. Besides, I

can teleport us all together whenever we want."

Ariane didn't look convinced. In fact, she only seemed even more annoyed. "Well, isn't

that just swell, Arc? I sure wish I could teleport. Don't you want to try to teach me

how? I'd find a way to show my appreciation." Her eyes took on a hopeful sparkle.

"Hmm… I'd be more than willing to, but I don't know if it's something I can teach."

For me, using magic was simply a matter of deciding to cast a spell. Then it just…

happened. I couldn't think of a way to explain that process.

"I mean, I kind of gather up my magical energy and commit myself to teleporting and

then, well, it's like… opening up a door, I guess?"

I looked at Ariane to see if this made any sense to her, but she'd slumped visibly,

looking defeated.

"You, my sister… everyone around me seems to be able to do things on intuition alone.

But that doesn't work for me."

While Ariane lamented over her lot in life, I caught sight of Chiyome approaching from

a cave in the distance.

"Oh, Chiyome. We're about to eat dinner."

Chiyome found a place to sit near Ariane, who plopped down and pulled her in close

to complain about her conversation with me.

"Hey, listen! Arc said he'd teach me how to do magic…"

It felt like I was watching an easily annoyed older sister trying to pull her younger

sibling into her problems.

Even if we did end up eventually finding different paths in life, nothing would ever take

away the time we'd spent together. Maybe I didn't need to feel sad after all.

"Kyii! Kyii!"

Ponta looked up at me pleadingly, urging me on as I dished out the soup, then dashing

off to let Ariane know it was time to eat.

The next morning, we boarded our boat once again and let the current carry us

downstream and deeper into the cave.

We'd slept in shifts the whole night, but we hadn't spotted a single monster.

I spoke to no one in particular as I slowly worked the oars. "I'm surprised at how quiet

it was last night. Maybe there aren't any monsters down here."

Chiyome's ears twitched. She turned to look back at me from where she sat at the front

of the boat.

"It's dangerous to make any judgments based on one night. But I didn't see any

monsters or even tracks when I scouted the area. It's possible this place is pretty safe."

Ariane yawned, with Ponta held tightly to her chest. "Which means it's unlikely that

Gin and whoever met an untimely end. Maybe they just got lost and couldn't find the

exit." She stretched out her body to relieve some of the aches from sleeping on the

ground.

"Hmm, I wonder. Thanks to the light crystals, there's ample illumination. I mean, sure,

the cave's big. But big enough to get that lost?" Just as I said this, I noticed that the cave

forked off in several directions up ahead.

Chiyome noticed the sudden split too and lifted the crystal lamp. "Looks like it

branches off here. Which way do we go?" But before I had a chance to answer, she

spoke again, pointing at something. "Can you move the boat over toward that large

cave?"

"Certainly."

I rowed the boat in the direction she'd indicated.

Once we reached the split, Chiyome brought her face close to the wall, as if looking for

something.

"This symbol was etched into the wall recently. They must've gone this way."

It looked like a blade had been used to carve several evenly spaced marks in the wall.

"Hunh… But if they're leaving markings, does that mean they plan on coming back?"

"Look up ahead," Ariane said. "The cave splits off yet again. It seems like the whole

thing gets more elaborate the farther you go."

While I puzzled over the right direction to take, Chiyome raised a hand and pointed.

"Head over there, to the largest entrance."

"Mind if I ask your reasoning?"

"They went down the largest tunnel the first time the cave split off, so it seems likely

they'd continue doing that to make it easier to find their way back. See? There's

another mark, just like last time."

Ariane and I both turned, and, sure enough, there was the same marking. Choosing the

largest tunnels made sense. It was probably the easiest way to retrace your steps and

minimize the chance of getting lost.

"This should at least put us on the right path, even if we're still a ways behind," Ariane

said.

Ponta mewed in agreement, wagging its tail. "Kyii!"

We continued along through several more passages before once again arriving in a

vast, wide-open cavern. It was quite humid down here, but I could feel a gentle, dry

breeze moving past me. My companions—all of them far more perceptive than I was—

also took notice.

"Kyii! Kyii!"

Chiyome sniffed the air. "We're close to the outside. I can smell it."

Ariane closed her eyes, listening intently. "You're right. I can hear the faint rustle of the

wind."

This encouraged me to row even harder.

I could no longer see any crystals, and we were once again forced to rely on the lamp

as our only source of light. However, the farther we went, the stronger the sound of

the wind grew. Up ahead, light from the outside world began to shine in.

"Looks like we found the exit!"

The ceiling of the cave dropped farther and farther down as we neared the source of

the light, until finally I had to duck to avoid banging my head.

The lake—or river, or whatever—was just as wide as ever, but the hole was worlds

apart from the one we'd entered on the other side.

I squinted as I rowed us out of the cave and into bright sunlight.

It looked as if we were in a long valley that had been scooped right out of a deep,

impenetrable forest. The gentle current drew us along a winding path through the

trees. The whole scene looked awfully familiar.

"Is this… the Great Canada Forest? Did we cross all the way through the Furyu

Mountains?"

"No way! I never knew that there was a passage right through the mountains. But

where are we? I guess we'll just have to continue downstream to find out." Ariane was

just as surprised as I was. Probably even more so, considering this was her home.

From time to time, our surroundings darkened as a massive shadow fell over us from

above. I figured it was probably one of the dragons that roosted up in the Furyu peaks.

With such dense foliage covering the valley, it was quite rare for these creatures to

come down from the mountains, but out here in the open water, we made a fairly

obvious target. Fortunately for us, our tiny boat bobbing down the river must have

looked like unappealing prey, and we were left alone.

"I'm surprised we haven't been attacked." Ariane's face was etched with concern, and

she kept her eyes on the sky above.

I tried to offer some comfort. "You've nothing to worry about, Ariane. Even if we are

attacked by a dragon, I'll take it down in one fell swoop."

She shot me a glance through narrowed eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Try to

not use any over-the-top magic, all right? Even if you manage to take out one or two of

them, it will only attract more. I'm in no mood for a battle of attrition with the likes of

the Furyu dragons."

The Furyu dragons were nowhere near as powerful as the Dragon Lords, but they

were dragons all the same. Given that my fighting prowess revolved entirely around

overpowering my enemies, I wasn't exactly good at battling quietly. Ariane or Chiyome

would be better suited for that job.

For now, the best plan was to pray that we'd be able to pass through undisturbed.

We let the current carry us down the long, winding river, the Furyu Mountains growing

ever smaller in the distance.

Chiyome spotted something up ahead and called out. "A boat!"

I looked in the direction she was facing and, sure enough, there was a canoe nearly

identical to ours on the shore of the river. It looked like it had been abandoned.

These dugout canoes were each made from a single piece of wood with the interior

removed, which gave them a lot more strength and durability than normal boats.

However, the canoe up ahead was in absolutely miserable shape. There were splinters

and chunks of wood everywhere.

A tense silence overcame us, and we began scanning the surrounding area.

"I don't see anyone…"

We'd been confident that Gin and the other lost members of his party were all still

alive up until this point, but the sight of the smashed canoe cast a dark cloud of doubt

over that certainty.

What could have happened to them?

It wasn't impossible that one of the Furyu dragons had destroyed their canoe, but I

saw no signs of dragons in the area. Perhaps something else had done this.

We were now in the Great Canada Forest, after all. The mana here was dense—a

perfect place for powerful monsters to gather.

Ariane and the other elves living out here were accustomed to this, which explained

why she looked so attentive as she scanned the unfamiliar surroundings.

The elves lived in villages spread throughout the Great Canada Forest, though the area

was far too large for them to have a full grasp of what went on within its murky depths.

In fact, according to Dillan, the Great Canada Forest was larger than the entire Rhoden

Kingdom. As such, the elves who lived there were vastly outnumbered by the monsters

that called the forest their home.

"I guess we should go check it out."

"Kyii…" Ponta didn't seem to be picking up on anything dangerous in the immediate

area, so I decided to row our boat over to the shore. As we got close, I felt the bottom

of the canoe scrape against the riverbed. The sound echoed in the otherwise silent

forest.

After Ariane, Chiyome, and Ponta were safely out of the boat, I took a rope and tied it

to a nearby tree to keep it from floating away.

Sure, we'd still be able to get back using my teleportation magic even if the boat was

destroyed, but given what had happened to the canoe left on the shore—and the fact

that we were still only borrowing ours—I didn't feel confident leaving it there.

"The current isn't too strong, so the rope should be enough to hold it. Assuming no

one cuts it, of course."

While I was busy surveying my work, Ariane kept a careful watch on our surroundings.

Chiyome knelt next to the shattered canoe and inspected its remains.

"Is there anything that hints at where Gin may have gone?"

Chiyome pointed at the dirt next to the boat. "There's a blood trail. It looks pretty light,

so the wound probably wasn't life-threatening."

I looked closer and saw that the earth was stained red in places. "Hunh. You're right,

that does look like a blood trail. So maybe they were able to escape from whatever

attacked them?

I glanced around uneasily.

The only sounds were those of the burbling water and the birds twittering away high

up in the trees. It was so peaceful that it seemed almost unimaginable there could be

monsters lurking out there.

"Hey, Ponta, can you tell which way the bleeding person went?"

Ponta was already sniffing at the ground with great interest. It tilted its head back to

look up at me and mewed.

"Kyii? Kyii!"

Ponta gave a good long sniff and then started looking for the source of the scent.

Chiyome stared intently at the ground surrounding the droplets of blood and started

scouting the area, much like the cottontailed fox.

Obviously, no ninja worth her salt would want to lose to a furry animal in a tracking

battle.

Suddenly, Chiyome and Ponta raised their heads at once and looked in the same

direction.

"It seems like they ran off into the forest."

"Kyii! Kyii!"

With both of them in agreement, I was convinced. The group must have been trying to

escape whatever had attacked them.

"All right, then," Ariane said, her hand falling to the hilt of her sword. "We'll just need

to keep an eye out for monsters as we move through the woods."

"Right. We'll be far better off if we spot them before they spot us." I hefted my bag.

Chiyome and Ponta led the way into the forest. I followed after them, while Ariane

brought up the rear. The two expert trackers moved forward with confidence, not

stopping even once to confirm their direction.

After walking for some time, we found ourselves standing before an immense tree,

much larger than the surrounding ones.

"The trail leads up the tree."

I squinted up, searching for any signs of life. As I stood there staring, Ponta seemed to

pick up on something and started mewing excitedly.

"Kyii! Kyii!"

A familiar gray-furred face peered over a large branch at us. It was a wolf man with a

pair of large triangular ears atop his head—Gin.

He seemed to recognize us as well and started waving his arms, beckoning us to come

closer, then shouting down to us, his voice booming.

"Climb up here, quick! There's a dangerous beast down there!"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the underbrush began to rustle

angrily, as if attracted by the sound. The fur on Ponta's tail puffed out as whatever it

was drew closer.

"Kyii! Kyii!" Something about the way Ponta called made it sound like the cottontailed

fox already knew what was on the other side.

Chiyome was the second to cry out. "Something's coming!"

Ariane drew her sword and held it at the ready while I tossed my rucksack to the side,

lifted my shield, and unsheathed my own sword. I scanned the tree line for movement.

An immense creature with a large, glowing shell emerged from the underbrush.

It stood about waist-high, but it was an impressive five meters in length with four

massive legs on each side. The front two sported gigantic pincers that could easily

have cut a person in two. A large stinger-tipped tail rose up into the air behind the

creature, giving it the appearance of an oversized scorpion.

Ariane's face darkened. "A morse seperis?! No way!"

The thing looked like it would be rather slow to maneuver, but it moved toward Ariane

at alarming speed, using its pincers to cut down any trees or bushes in the way before

lunging in for the kill.

Ariane dodged easily, letting the momentum carry her back, rather than coming in for

a counterattack of her own.

The black scorpion recovered, repositioned itself, and dashed forward again.

Seeing an opening, Chiyome drew her dagger, but Ariane called out to stop her.

"Stay back! Blades can't cut its carapace!"

"Hmph. Right!"

Chiyome flipped backward through the air and landed next to Ariane.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some bushes shaking. I turned to see a second morse

seperis crawl out into the open… its massive tail raised to strike me.

I heard a loud whoosh of air as the stinger shot toward me like a bullet. It was all I

could do to heft my shield up in front of my face.

CLAAAAANG!

It felt like a hunk of metal slammed into my shield as the stinger made contact. The

sound of the impact echoed through the forest as I flew backward, crashing into a tree

trunk.

"Hnngwah!"

"Arc?!"

"Arc!"

"Kyii!"

Fortunately, the damage to my body was minimal. But the attack was a lot more

powerful than I'd expected. It felt like I'd taken a cannonball head-on.

For once, I was grateful that Ponta hadn't been riding on my helmet.

"N-no worries. I'm just a bit rattled is all."

I shook my head a few times to try to get the world to stop spinning. Ariane and

Chiyome looked relieved to see my quick recovery.

Turning my attention back to the second morse seperis, I noticed that the stinger at

the tip of its tail was now missing.

So… it hadn't just swung its tail at me. It was able to shoot its stinger out at an

unbelievable speed. But for a scorpion to exhaust its only means of attack… Wouldn't

that leave it vulnerable to other monsters? As I pondered this, I witnessed something

that nearly blew my mind. A new stinger slowly emerged from the hole in its tail.

Its rate of regeneration was unlike anything I'd ever seen.

"These monsters really are in a class of their own."

I didn't want to take more than one of those blows, so I lifted my Holy Thunder Sword

of Caladbolg and teleported away.

"Dimensional Step!"

I used my short-distance teleportation spell to instantaneously close the distance

between me and the giant scorpion, bringing my blade down on its head.

KA-KIIIIIIIIIN!

The sword bounced right off the hardened shell with a loud, metallic clang. The morse

seperis took advantage of my disorientation and swung its pincers toward me.

"How hard is this stuff that it can just knock my sword back?!"

I dove away and scrambled to my feet, momentarily dumbfounded.

My sword was a mythical-class weapon—the top tier in the entire game—and was

capable of damaging the scales of the Dragon Lords. And yet somehow it had bounced

right off the morse seperis's shell.

"How about this?! Sword of Judgment!"

Hoping to get my next attack in before the scorpion could react, I lifted my sword high

into the air and swung it down as I unleashed the Paladin skill.

A magical rune appeared beneath the morse seperis, and a sword of blue light shot

straight up out of the ground. Though its shell could repel attacks from above, I figured

its soft belly would be no match for a blow from below.

Unfortunately, it was just as Ariane had said. Even magical blades were of no use

against this thing. This same attack that had so easily slain a giant basilisk was only

able to knock the scorpion into the air, without leaving so much as a scratch.

Given that the elves made their home here in the Great Canada Forest, I figured they

must have found some way to deal with this scorpion-like creature. If not, Ariane

would have given the order to run away.

It'd be a lot more productive to simply ask Ariane for some guidance than to continue

flailing around in the dark like I was.

"How do you stop these things?!" I called out to Ariane as she faced off against the

other morse seperis.

Her pointed ear twitched slightly in response as she easily dodged one of the scorpion's

strikes. She flipped backward through the air, stabbing her sword into a tree trunk and

hanging off of it. The image reminded me of a ninja dangling from a roof.

"You can't kill them head-on. You need to lead them into some kind of trap and then

use a powerful fire spell to incinerate them."

"Got it. Good thing we can both use fire magic, huh?"

"Wait, you idiot! If you use a fire attack without first luring the morse seperis into a

trap, you risk burning down the whole forest!"

"Hmm. Then what should we do?"

I understood that if I wanted to use any type of fire spells out here in the forest, I'd

need to do so in an area surrounded by rocks or in a basin. This trap that Ariane was

referring to would have to be some place that could be filled with fuel, like oil or dry

leaves. But we didn't exactly have time to get all that stuff ready.

The morse seperis had fully regenerated its stinger and was raising its tail for another

strike.

"Dimensional Step!"

I used my teleportation magic to move to the scorpion's side, watching as the large

stinger slammed into the ground where I'd been standing moments earlier.

"Teleporting might be overkill, but hey, it works."

The morse seperis actually wasn't so dangerous once you understood its attack

pattern, though I still risked having one of those shots miss me and hit Ariane or

Chiyome. I decided it was best to lure the morse seperis away from my companions to

make sure that didn't happen.

I noticed they were both keeping trees behind them as they dodged to avoid this very

thing. It spoke to their sheer talent on the field of battle.

Of course, we'd never win this fight just by dodging attacks.

I glance at Ariane again. "Well?"

She shook her head. "The shell on these things is too strong for normal attacks. Which

means that we need to somehow destroy them from within."

Ariane turned to Chiyome. The young ninja nodded and immediately launched into a

series of head-on attacks against the morse seperis. Obviously, none of her blows

actually caused any damage, but they did distract the thing.

The morse seperis thrust its pincers toward Chiyome in rapid succession, though she

dodged them with little effort. The sight of it almost seemed laughable.

While Chiyome dodged the monster's attacks with the grace of a ballerina, Ariane

silently moved into its blind spot, her golden gaze focused intently on its long body.

The next moment, Chiyome bounded into the air to dodge another pincer strike right

as Ariane swung down with a flash of silver toward a small gap in its armor.

I heard a loud squelching noise followed almost immediately by the morse seperis's

right claw dropping to the ground with a thud. Ariane had severed it at the point where

the limb connected to its body.

Whether out of anger or pain, I couldn't say, but the morse seperis started swinging

its remaining pincer wildly, smashing everything within range.

Ariane had focused her attack on the point where one piece of shell overlapped with

the next and had been able to strike the exposed muscle between the gaps. It was all

so fast that I hadn't been able to get a good look, but I could tell that it was no normal

sword strike.

The flesh beneath the scorpion's armor was obviously a far better target than its

impenetrable shell, but this called for precision, which meant my usual methods

would be useless.

Once the morse seperis started to calm down, possibly out of exhaustion, Chiyome

darted in again from the right side, where it could no longer easily defend.

She performed several gestures in the air, and a cone of water formed in her left hand.

She launched it toward the creature's wound.

"Body to water, bloodstream hell spear!"

The morse seperis began to convulse as thin spears of water shot out of its skin from

the gaps in its armor. A moment later, it slumped to the ground, motionless.

That was one monster down, but I had serious doubts about my ability to replicate the

delicate dance they'd just performed, given my absolute lack of grace or finesse.

However, thinking back on what Ariane had said about needing to destroy it from the

inside, I felt confident that there was at least something I could do. I'd just gotten

overwhelmed earlier and hadn't thought things through.

"Heh. I'll find my own way to deal with this one."

I lifted my shield and slid my sword back into its sheath as I eyed my target.

"Dimensional Step!"

As soon as the scorpion returned my gaze, I teleported behind it and grabbed its

immense tail.

"Hnng!"

With a bit of effort, I yanked the creature back and started to slowly spin it around

until it lifted off the ground. I wondered if this was the first time in history that a knight

had swung a scorpion by its tail.

Its body smashed through shrubs and rocks and anything that got in its way.

"We're doing this in one shot!"

I slammed the morse seperis into the trunk of a massive tree.

FWOOOOMF!

The dull thud resonated up through the tree. Leaves came showering down around

me, and I felt a tingle run up my arms from the force of the blow.

The morse seperis immediately raised both of its pincers.

Apparently, I hadn't caused quite enough damage yet.

Grabbing it by the tail once more, I spun it around and slammed it into another tree.

"Take that!"

FWOOOOMF!

This time I could feel my teeth vibrate from the blow.

I looked at the morse seperis again, but it seemed to have survived just fine and was

struggling to break free of the tree. However, it was moving a lot slower than it had

been before. Evidently, these attacks were doing some kind of damage inside that

shell.

With humans, it didn't matter how strong your armor was. A powerful-enough blow

could still scramble your insides. The same held true for an oversized bug.

I belted out a triumphant laugh. "Here we go again!"

I was really getting into it now, and I swung the morse seperis into another nearby

tree. Then another. And another.

After the tenth impact, I heard a cracking sound, and the entire tail tore loose. The

morse seperis flew a short distance before crashing into the ground.

I tossed the tail aside and looked at the main body. The tailless creature was still

breathing, though weakly.

I drew my sword and plunged it firmly in the morse seperis's stomach. It twitched

once before slumping to the ground.

"Damn, that was exhausting." I allowed myself a moment to catch my breath.

"Kyii! Kyii!"

Ponta hopped down from its hiding place up in the trees and took up its usual perch

atop my helmet. Ariane looked unimpressed as she walked over toward me.

"Arc, you really need to think about your surroundings more. I mean, look at what

you've done."

She gazed at the surrounding trees and let out a dramatic sigh.

I had to admit that the damage was pretty extreme compared to the graceful combat

she and Chiyome had engaged in earlier. It looked like a tornado had passed through

the forest.

Pieces of rock littered the area, while the trees all sported various scars. Even the

ground was bare from having the underbrush ripped up—a swath of destruction in a

once-tranquil forest scene.

I wouldn't admit it to her, of course, but I'd actually had a bit of fun. Although, if there

were any environmentalists in this world, I was sure they'd be on their way to lodge a

complaint with me right away.

I scratched the side of my head in embarrassment. "Sorry. I guess I got a little too into

it."

I yanked my sword out of the corpse, slid it back into my sheath, and joined Chiyome

as she made her way over to Gin and the other lost mountain people.

"Th-thank you so much! You guys are really amazing!"

Gin bowed to each of us in turn before stopping to smile at me.

Ariane let out an annoyed sigh. "Well, it looks like we found everyone, so we should

head back to the village. Is that wound on your shoulder okay?"

She gestured toward Gin. I noticed a red-stained piece of cloth wrapped around his

shoulder. That must have been the source of the blood we'd found by the river.

He chuckled weakly. "Y-yeah. I probably won't be able to use a weapon for a while, but

given that this is all I've suffered after being attacked by those things, I count myself

lucky."

"Can I see it?"

I stepped forward and put my hand over his shoulder, then cast Heal. A gentle glow

appeared around his wound before fading away.

"How's that? Does it still hurt?"

Gin was at a loss for words. He rotated his shoulder a few times before looking back

at me with wide eyes.

"Th-thank you, Arc! It's like I was never even injured in the first place!"

Gin's companions seemed reassured at the sight.

A thought struck me. I turned my attention back to the trees I'd smashed in the battle

and put my hand near one of them.

"Heal!"

Light poured from my hand and into the damaged tree trunk, spreading out and filling

in the chipped and splintered wood. A few moments later, all of the battle scars were

gone and the tree looked as healthy as ever.

"Hunh. So, healing magic works on trees too. I guess I can put the forest back to the

way I found it, then!"

"Kyii! Kyii!" Ponta let out a cheerful cry from atop my helmet as I moved from tree to

tree to undo the damage.

Ariane watched with a mixture of shock and amazement. "I've never seen anyone use

curative magic on trees before…"

Chiyome nodded in agreement. "Me either, but I guess it makes sense that it would

work."

Considering that plants were a form of life, it made sense that curative magic should

work on them, though apparently few people had actually tried it. Then again, given

how few people in this world could use curative spells, it must have seemed crazy to

waste such a talent on anything other than sentient life.

Maybe I should try my magic on a variety of things.

"Hmm. I think that's about it."

Once I was done fixing all of the damage I'd done, I turned back toward Ariane and my

small audience. Gin was watching me with great fascination.

"So… why did you guys decide to come here without telling anyone in the village what

you were doing?" I asked. "Why didn't you turn back?"

Ariane's ears perked up. Apparently, she was interested in hearing the answer as well.

But Gin just stayed quiet, a gloomy look washing over his face.

Chiyome chimed in instead. "You were looking for a path from the village to the outside

world, weren't you?"

The three wolf people looked surprised at this and exchanged hurried glances. It

seemed like she'd hit the nail on the head.

But that still left a very important question unanswered.

"Hunh." Ariane looked just as suspicious as I felt. "Does that mean you wanted to get

away from the village? Did you have some problem with the new settlement?"

"No, no," Gin said, while the others vigorously shook their heads. "It's nothing like that!

Thanks to everyone's hard work, we're finally able to live in peace without fear of

persecution from the humans!"

"So…?" I prompted.

Gin only looked up at the sky. After a few moments, his shoulders slumped. "I know

we need to grow the settlement, but I can't help but feel that as the population

increases, it'll become cramped again, like in Calcut."

I remembered the hidden village nestled within the Calcut Mountains back in the

Rhoden Kingdom. It was incredibly small. The whole reason for building this new

settlement was because Calcut had become overpopulated after the influx of formerly

enslaved mountain people. The village had already been cramped due the rugged

landscape, and there was simply no space to accommodate a bunch of newcomers.

The settlement under construction, however, was located on a vast, unexplored plain

with no such limitations. It would be a long time before the population ever reached

such density.

When I reminded Gin about this, he shook his head.

"I'm not talking about space. I mean that I don't think this will ever become a place

where we can actually relax and not have to worry about the humans tracking us

down. If they find a way to cross the mountains, we'll have no choice but to run again."

Ariane and I exchanged a confused glance. I understood what he was saying, but I had

no idea what that had to do with finding a path to the outside world.

"Right now," Gin continued, "I think living on the run is unavoidable. I've heard stories

that the humans, elves, and mountain people have recently entered into a treaty, but I

don't think I'm alone in noticing that no one is breathing any easier."

I finally understood completely.

Even though the three parties had signed a treaty that should guarantee their

respective rights, it meant little to the people who'd lived under a different system up

until now.

It would still be some time before the humans stopped calling the mountain people

"beasts," let alone before the mountain people learned to trust humans.

What's more, the treaty didn't even encompass all humans. There were still the two

dueling empires up north insisting that humans were the superior species. The

mountain people's safety couldn't be assured until these countries were also on board.

"That's why we need to continue growing the settlement until we're strong enough to

fight back against the humans. If we can find a route to the outside world, to the elves,

then we can exchange goods and information. We just happened to stumble across the

cave while we were fishing."

It all came together for me. Even if they did manage to find a place to escape from the

humans, there was no assurance that this safety would last. As technological

innovations increased, so would the humans' territory. What would happen when the

humans and mountain people crossed paths again?

"I understand that it's far from ideal to be locked up in a large valley. Even if you're out

of sight of the outside world, that doesn't mean the outside world doesn't exist. As you

say, it's best to prepare yourselves for the worst."

Gin and the others nodded eagerly at my assessment.

Here I'd thought that their sense of adventure had gotten the best of them, but in

reality, they were worried about the future of the village and were trying to plan

accordingly.

These people had lived through harsh times while simply trying to exist. It wouldn't

have been like them to go off on a little jaunt for curiosity's sake. I felt guilty that I was

lucky enough to go off on adventures whenever I pleased.

On the other hand, I had put in a fair bit of work toppling the Holy Hilk Kingdom. And

I'd built up my power so that I could help more people. Didn't that mean I was allowed

to have a little fun now and then?

Ariane put a hand to her chin. "I see. Even with the treaty signed, it would still expand

your choices immensely if you were to have some sort of physical route between your

village and the Great Canada Forest. Given how much land you have available, you'll

almost certainly be able to build a country of your own, and it couldn't hurt to have

the elves as neighbors."

Gin brightened at this. Ariane seemed to understand where he was coming from.

However, Chiyome quickly put a damper on things. "Be that as it may, it was a horrible

idea for you to go off on your own without talking to Pittah and the others. You're

going to have to be punished."

The three wolf people went visibly pale.

I decided to change the subject. "Before we head back, is there anything from these

scorpion things we can use, Ariane?" I lifted the morse seperis tail.

"I've been told to bring back the shell whenever we kill one of these things, so they

must be useful for something."

"All right, then. We'll bring them back with us. Can Gin and the others give the one I

killed to the village?"

Since the morse seperis lived in the Great Canada Forest, I felt like I should ask Ariane,

in case they claimed some sort of ownership over these creatures.

But she didn't really seem to care. "I don't see why not. You killed it, after all. Chiyome

and I killed the other one, so why don't we just give that to the village too?"

The wolf people let out a collective gasp. "Not only did you save us, but you're also

giving us these gifts? I don't believe it!"

"Even if I kept the thing, I wouldn't know what to do with it. Anyway, we'd best report

back to the village. I'm sure Pittah will have more than a few words for you. We can

talk about all this after that's done with."

I dragged the morse seperis carcass with me as we headed back toward the boats,

imagining Pittah's reaction and thinking about how to minimize the punishment

coming to the wolf people.