CH 134

Small Animal Exploration – i novels

()x9-11 minutes

As the initial forest rapidly improved, Dolly bore fruits on the trees. Although the seasonal feeling was absent, there was an abundance of fruits, so Silphy brought the group to the forest to catch small animals.

Inhaling the forest air deeply, I noticed a more complex scent compared to the forest near the Spring’s residence. This forest probably had a much larger number and variety of plants. It seems like my forest still has a long way to go.

“Now, let me explain our plans. First, Bell and the others will explore this forest. I want them to bring small herbivorous animals without causing harm. Can you do that?”

“We can do it!” “Kyuu!” “We’ll catch them!” “Kuuu!”

Bell and the others energetically raised their hands in response. It made me feel like a kindergarten teacher. Can we go now? Or is it still not allowed? They were fidgeting impatiently, so I gave them permission to go, and they rushed into the forest at full speed. I feel a little uneasy about it.

“Now, it’s Sara and the others’ turn. You will cooperate with your spirits and explore the forest just like in the labyrinth. You should also come up with a way to catch small animals without hurting them.”

“May I ask a question?”

“Sure, but remember to raise your hand when asking.”

Sara and the others looked extremely puzzled. Since they came after Bell and the others, it felt like being a primary school teacher was a bit too much for them.

“Um, may I ask a question?”

Sara hesitated and raised her right hand to give it another try. She’s such a good child.

“Yes, Sara, what is it?”

“W-Well, what should we do about monsters or dangerous animals?”

“That’s a good question, Sara. According to Silphy, this forest is home to goblins, orcs, crazy boars, and forest wolves. As long as you don’t let our guard down, you can defeat any of them. Dolly will accompany you just to be safe, but try to rely on your own abilities as much as possible.”

They are opponents we’ve never encountered before, but both crazy boars and forest wolves can be dealt with as long as we use magic and keep our distance. So, there shouldn’t be any problems for Sara and the others.

“Yes, Master, I have a question!”

Marco raised his hand to ask a question too. They are such good kids, eager to learn. It’s a teacher’s dream.

“Yes, Marco, what is it?”

“What should we do with the defeated monsters?”

“…Silphy, what is the value of monsters?”

“Well, I wonder? They are weak, so their value might not be that high. We have plenty of orc meat, and as long as we secure magic stones, it should be enough.”

…It’s a shame about the orc meat, but neither Sara nor I have ever dismantled a carcass. It would be a quick fix if I lent them the magic bags, but it might be good to let them experience a situation where they can’t carry the spoils.

“Our main objective this time is to capture small animals, so we’ll just take the magic stones from the monsters and bury the rest.”

“Even the orcs?”

Sara asked in surprise, forgetting to raise her hand. I suppose it’s easy to forget when you’re surprised.

“Yeah, it’s a shame, but Sara and the others won’t be able to carry it themselves. Sometimes, to achieve our goals, we have to let go of things we can’t take with us.”

Marco and Kikka had faces of disbelief, as if asking, “Are you serious?” Let’s remind them of the amount they can carry on their own and that their lives are more important than material things.

I explain the importance of gracefully accepting the situation as best as I can… They probably understood and agreed. But they had somewhat sad expressions. I hope they’re okay.

“So, as I said, our goal is to capture small animals. Be careful and do your best.”

“Understood.” “Got it.” “Okay.”

I’m a bit worried.

“Dolly, sorry, but I’ll leave Sara and the others in your care.”

“Hehe, I understand. I’ll watch over them closely, so don’t worry.”

Dolly smiled and reassured me, so everything should be fine. As long as the great forest Spirit is with them in the forest, most things should be okay. I wave goodbye to Sara and the others as they enter the forest.

“Yuta, what will we do?”

“Well, I also want to explore, but the children will come back here. What should we do?”

Just waiting here would be boring. What should we do…?

“It’s fine for Bell and the others to find you, Yuta. As for Sara and the others, I will guide them with the wind, so they’ll be okay.”

Silphy is truly reliable. If I ask her, she’ll probably catch small animals immediately, but that wouldn’t be enjoyable, so I’ll refrain from doing that.

“Thank you, Silphy. In that case, let’s explore and search for small animals.”

I walk through the forest with Silphy and Dyne. …To be rational, I’ve never searched for animals when I was in Japan, nor can I sense the presence of living creatures. …Wait, isn’t this quite difficult?

I searched diligently, looking into bushes and peering into tree hollows, but I only find insects. There were some aggressive and cool-looking insects that I thought about taking back with me, but since our goal this time is small herbivorous animals, I gave up.

Even though I told Sara and the others to leave the monsters behind, it wouldn’t feel right if I brought back things other than our objective. However, there were stag beetles with horns like swords and rhinoceros beetles with jagged, metallic-shining pincers. They looked menacing but super cool. I’ll definitely get them next time.

“Yuta, they’re here.”

As I climb up a tree and peek into a hollow, Silphy casually speaks in a relaxed tone. Who’s here? I look around, but I don’t see anything. Puzzled, a wolf emerges from the thicket. It’s probably a forest wolf.

About the size of a large dog, it wears dark green fur, probably for camouflage. Once one appears, more than ten wolves show up from behind, completely surrounding the tree I’m climbing and barking incessantly.

“They’re definitely targeting me. Don’t they understand the difference in strength?”

Even though I’m a novice in martial arts, my level has increased, and those kinds of monsters shouldn’t be a problem.

“Well, Yuta, in your case, you don’t emit any killing intent, intimidation, or wariness, so they probably just think you’re a tasty prey.”

How rude of those monsters. I can defeat an Assault Dragon, you know? I want them to sense more things. For now, should I try emitting some killing intent?

I fix my gaze on the lone forest wolf, trying to emanate a sense of killing intent. …Huh? It just keeps barking loudly. Normally, they would tremble in fear at my killing intent and whimper as they run away.

“Silphy, Dyne, is my killing intent weak?”

“Rather than weak, it’s nonexistent.”

“Yeah, Yuta-chan just looks a bit serious. But clinging to a tree and making a serious face doesn’t suit you at all.”

…So it seems that even if my level has increased, I can’t emit killing intent at will. Perhaps I need some training for that. Well, I have no choice but to defeat them. I take out my magic saw, jump down from the tree, and the forest wolves immediately pounce on me.

Swiftly dodging their attacks, I accurately sever their necks. They feel slow and I’ve become quite strong. After beheading about half of them, one forest wolf barks, and then quickly disappears into the forest, remaining cautious of me.

For now, I store the defeated forest wolves and change locations. The small animals probably ran away or hid due to the commotion. It feels even more difficult to find them now, and I start to feel anxious.

“Yuta, you’ve become strong. Onee-chan is impressed!”

Dyne praises me while patting my head. It seems she’s impressed.

“I think I could do this much for a while now.”

“Really? …Come to think of it, Onee-chan realizes she hasn’t seen Yuta fighting much.”

I feel shocked, and Dyne’s hand, which was stroking me, stops. It’s true that I haven’t fought much in front of Dyne. With Silphy around, most things can be taken care of, so Dyne doesn’t have many opportunities to join in. Maybe it would be good to rely on Dyne if we encounter a battle near water.

“Yuta, Turu and Tamamo are coming this way.”

Oh, did they catch something? Silphy is also smiling happily, so it seems there’s no problem. I move Dyne’s frozen hand aside and wait for Turu and Tamamo to arrive.

After a short while, Turu and Tamamo float back gently. Turu is holding a round, brown object in both hands. Is that a small animal?

“We caught it, fluffy!” “Kukuu!”

Turu presents the round object they caught to me. It’s about the size of a bowling ball, covered in brown fur. Other than its short legs, long ears poking out, and a perfectly round tail, it’s almost completely spherical.

It’s incredibly cute, but the perfectly round small animal is trembling badly, seemingly terrified. It’s understandable since it can’t see Turu and Tamamo and suddenly got caught and brought before a human. I feel tremendous guilt.

“Um, Turu, Tamamo, thank you for bringing it. It’s really cute, but do you know what kind of animal it is?”

Turu nods and answers, “Tama-usagi.” …A ball rabbit, huh. I had a faint suspicion from insects and such, but this world truly has unique creatures. But it’s adorable.

When I try to stroke it, it looks at me with despairing eyes. It hurts my heart. Well, from the animal’s perspective, what I’m doing is basically kidnapping. It can’t be helped.