Chapter 11

The knowledge installed in me told me that the town is located two hours into the forest and one hour down the road from there.

In other words, it’s a six-hour round trip. During this time, we would be traveling through the forest and the road, which are not exactly safe places, and since we would be carrying valuable items, it wouldn’t hurt to be extra cautious.

Sermia is with me, but the main reason is to have someone with me who, while not a human, has higher physical abilities than an average person (I inferred this from our conversations during meals). This is to create a deterrent effect against anyone with ill intentions.

Sermia herself had mentioned before that it’s probably best not to engage in intense physical activity for about another week. I hope she can slowly start moving her body and gradually regain her original senses.

While thinking about these things, we proceeded through the forest. There are still quite a few trees here, so it’s even darker than usual in the early morning. On a rainy day, it would be too dark to make a day trip to the town. Just as I was thinking this, Sermia suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Is something there?"

"I can sense something and smell a bit. I don’t think it’s a giant black bear, though…"

Sermia said this and then slowly advanced. As expected of a tiger beast, she makes almost no sound even in the forest. When she reached a tree a little distance away, she cautiously peered around it.

"Oh, it’s a tree deer… That explains the lack of smell.

If we were hunting for meat, it would be different, but let’s ignore it today."

"Right, our goal today is to reach the town."

We detoured around the area where the tree deer was. Glancing back, I saw a large deer with antlers that resembled the branches of the trees in this area, slowly grazing.

"Those antlers don’t get caught on anything with such a big body?"

"No, the big ones sometimes get caught and break."

"Really?"

"If you can hunt, I’ll show you when we catch one.

The big ones usually have one or two broken marks. Unlike the antlers of regular deer, theirs are for camouflage and not for fighting, so it’s not a big deal if they break."

"Wow, that’s well-designed…"

I don’t have much knowledge about biology, and the knowledge installed in me is not academic, so it’s interesting to see and hear about these things. It feels like watching a nature show from my previous world.

"However, they are quite troublesome in close combat because they can kick and headbutt, and they have a large body and a lot of stamina."

"Got it. I’ll be careful if I ever hunt one."

We detoured around the tree deer and continued without any issues for a while, so we decided to take a break. We had covered a considerable distance, but both Sermia and I remembered the location of that house. While having a light meal, we talked about such things.

Beast people living in the forest seem to remember scents and subtle differences. The knowledge and experience installed in me for living in the forest are truly a "cheat."

Of course, I have no intention of telling anyone, including Sermia, or even potential future family members.

After a short break, we resumed our journey. From here to the town, we would basically not take any more breaks. We encountered some forest animals along the way, but they were mostly docile and we didn’t run into any carnivores.

Perhaps they sensed Sermia’s scent or something. I’m not old enough to be a "gentleman" for the ladies, so I kept that to myself.

Eventually, the trees began to thin out, and the road that runs alongside the forest came into view. If we follow this road, we should reach the town soon.

However, due to the large forest, there are no fields or other developments on this side, so there isn’t much foot traffic, as Sermia had mentioned.

"Still, there’s hardly anyone around. Wouldn’t bandits have a field day?"

"Still, it’s a road, so the guard patrols come by occasionally."

"Why do you know that?"

"Because I sometimes go to the town to buy things."

"Oh, that’s right."

Even beast people living in the forest need many things. For example, salt. Or clothing (they are covered in fur, but sometimes they need to buy fabric and tailor it). The payment for these items is the animals they hunt.

"The guards aren’t stupid, so they don’t come at regular intervals. They vary their timing and routes.

So, attacking people passing through here is quite a gamble. Most people think, ‘Who knows what might come out of the forest…’"

The local guard seems to be quite diligent. It’s impressive.

If bandits are attacking prey and a pack of wolves comes out of the forest, the situation could quickly change. Even though it rarely happens, it’s a gamble whether to take that risk or not.

While chatting about these things, we could see the outer wall of the town in the distance.

Come on, just a little more. Sermia and I rekindled our determination and walked towards the town with a slightly higher spirit.