Chapter 76

"Mongrel, would you help with the escort mission for the logging?"

One day, as soon as I visited the guild, Balgar, who was at the reception, invited me like that.

"Sure, I'll go."

I agreed right away. I was looking for some kind of casual mission, so it was convenient.

"...Mongrel, can you check the detailed conditions of the mission before accepting it? It's a rule, you know."

"Elena, you're so serious."

"Hey, if you keep being like that, no one will want to marry you! Hahaha."

"Be quiet, you guys!"

"No, I don't think that way... don't drag me into it..."

M-o-n-g-r-e-l, there. Signature done. It's been a while since we had a joint mission.

"Mongrel, can you write a bit neater!?"

"Don't start on me when you're angry... I can't help it if my handwriting is like this."

"Hahaha, this guy can write the content properly, but his handwriting is terrible."

I'm actually putting in effort to make it look messy. I wish you could understand my struggle a bit more.

"Wow, the road has really extended."

"Mongrel, haven't you been on this road recently? The construction has been going strong since the snow melted."

"I've been more on the northern side lately. I didn't expect it to change so much while I wasn't looking."

We rode in an open wagon with the guild members, heading into the eastern part of Baroa from the Charles Road. The tracks that used to stop near the forest have now extended into the forest. I had heard that the logging work was progressing rapidly, but this pace is quite surprising. The root removal must be quite challenging too.

"Shortage of building materials, shortage of fuel, but the country has money. So, this is what happens. If the Count Regor's territory were richer, the entire forest might be wiped out!"

"Hahaha, that would be inconvenient without any wood."

Honestly, if this town were to get into the iron industry, it wouldn't be impossible.

The moment they tried to run a factory with charcoal, the forest resources would be depleted instantly. Baroa wood grows quickly and has a high heat output, making it the best material, but it's still a fragile prey in the face of human demand. No matter how many monsters there are, the forest will definitely be stripped bare. I don't want that to happen.

And then there's this. Even if the railway is invented, the forest will still be stripped bare.

While it would improve the transportation of materials and benefit the whole of Halperia, if I were to spread the railway to the country and it leaked to Sangreal, that would be a problem.

If the railway were to spread to a country rich in iron resources and focused on mining, Halperia would probably lose. That's why I'm keeping everything about the railway a secret, even if it's just a part of it.

"Hey, Silver and Bronze. This is reassuring. We try to stay together as much as possible, but there are many tasks that require us to split up. When we're separated, we're vulnerable to attacks... so please, don't abandon us."

"Sure, leave it to me. I'm the 'Sword of Harvest,' and this Mongrel here, though his equipment looks weak, is a skilled fighter. You can relax."

"Are you making fun of my bastard sword?"

"I'm more worried about your light armor. At least bring a small shield, or the client will be worried."

"Shut up, I'm fine with this."

"Hahaha... Well, if you can protect us, that's fine. I'll leave it to you."

Today's mission is to escort the workers involved in the logging.

The logging we did before winter was a quantity-over-quality job, cutting trees aggressively from the outer edge of the forest. This time, it's about quality. We're guarding the workers who select the trees to be cut and tie colored ribbons around them.

We select the fully grown Baroa trees, tie the ribbons, and the loggers cut them down later. That's the process.

It might sound easy to just tie ribbons, but the areas we're surveying are places where human hands haven't reached, so the field conditions are terrible.

We're just guards, but we'll have to swing our swords frequently to clear the brush and branches.

Well, the branches we cut will eventually dry and become firewood, so it's not a bad thing... but it's quite tiring to do.

"! Sorry, it's a goblin. Can you handle it?"

"Got it, leave it to me. Can you fall back slowly?"

"Understood."

In the forest with poor visibility, you might not notice the presence of a monster until you're almost on top of it.

Especially with short goblins, they can hide in small bushes, so you can't be careless. They can be in really surprising places.

"Please be quiet, as it will interfere with the work."

"Kya... Kya... Kya..."

I thrust my bastard sword like a rapier, quickly piercing the goblin's eye.

The goblin, with its brain pierced, died instantly. ...Ugh, brain matter... but I'll cut the nose too, so it's fine...

"Goblins here too!"

While I was cutting the nose, I heard Balgar's voice.

"Strong enemy, need backup?"

"Nope."

Glancing over, Balgar had skewered the goblin's heart with a spear without using a shield. With a long spear, goblins are no match.

"I appreciate it. I have a lot of gear and things to think about, so dealing with goblins is a hassle..."

"Ah, then can I take a few of the ribbons? They must be heavy."

"Is that okay? That would be a big help..."

"I have strength, so feel free to use me during the mission."

"Then... I'll take you up on that. Thanks. I've been having knee pain lately..."

This guy is probably more experienced in walking through the forest than I am, but even he can't beat the aches and pains that come with age.

It's a common human problem. Knees and backs...

We encountered a few more goblins and dealt with them lightly with Balgar.

We also played with the petals of the evening primrose blooming in the forest and picked some useful herbs. It's nice to find wild herbs in areas that haven't been touched by human hands.

"Ugh..."

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"...It's an Evilfly."

"Really? Wow, it is."

Ahead, there was an Evilfly shimmering with a sinister silver glow.

...The wind direction is okay for now, but if it notices us, it might start flapping its wings. If that happens, the workers will be covered in the scales. If we lose our memory in such a deep part of the forest, we'll have trouble finding our way back. Most importantly, I don't remember the path we've taken so far. I want to capture the Evilfly without involving the workers in the scales and deactivate the memory-erasing effect.

"Balgar"

"Yeah. ...Right, I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure? You won't mess up, right? If you're not confident, I'll do it."

"No, I'll do it. If I get hit by the scales... my memory will revert to when the mission started. But I won't forget the job, so I'll be fine. Mongrel, guard the two workers. And explain the situation after my memory is erased."

"...I wanted you to leave it to me because it's a hassle."

"Idiot. Can I trust such an important job to you?"

Balgar grinned and nudged my shoulder, then approached the Evilfly with his spear.

"Alright, I'll take those compound eyes."

The Evilfly, noticing the approaching threat, flapped its wings and scattered the scales.

There's no way to defend against the magical scales that work whether inhaled or touched. At this point, it was certain that Balgar's memory would be erased.

"Here I come!"

But he was aware of that. Balgar quickly closed in on the Evilfly and sliced its soft belly with the sharp tip of his spear.

He finished off the falling butterfly and quickly cut out the compound eyes. After brushing off the scales from his body, he returned to us.

"It's done."

"Good job. I'm glad we didn't lose it."

"I wouldn't make such a mistake."

Balgar laughed and put the compound eyes in his bag.

...In a little while, his memory will be erased. That means the thoughts he had at that moment will be lost. It's a kind of loss of continuity, and in a sense, it might be close to a death experience.

In such situations, inexperienced parties might say things they shouldn't or reveal their hidden feelings.

I think the pattern of parties breaking up due to Evilflies is often due to such reckless psychological states.

"Alright, let's do some training! Huh! Huh!"

"Hey, Balgar, we're on a mission!"

"If I do the tough training I usually avoid, I can get the benefits without remembering the pain!"

"But doing strength training during a mission is a bad idea. You'll be exhausted and unable to fight monsters. We're supposed to be guards."

"...Huh!?"

"Ah, my memory's gone."

"When I realize it, I'm really tired... This must be the effect of the Evilfly!"

"...Balgar, I don't think that's a good habit..."

But today, we didn't encounter any more monsters, and the mission ended without incident.

I wondered if he would have been able to function properly if we had run into a deer or a boar... Maybe that's part of the veteran's luck. Or maybe not.