Chapter 59

When I suddenly noticed, I could see Kumako's head, which was sleeping soundly with a silly expression.

"Huh?"

Looking around, I could see the brightness of morning light.

"Oh no!"

I hurriedly got up and went out of the tent to find Momoshin and Hagizawa on guard as if it were nothing.

"Oh, you're awake."

"Time to switch! I overslept!"

"Don't worry. There was no monster attack, and Kumako didn't react either."

"Just in case! The concentrated monster repellent holy water, Monster Repellent Plus, really worked!"

Hagizawa answered proudly.

That's what they were doing.

"Well, if the monsters around here were stronger than us, it wouldn't have mattered."

"But I—"

"No problem. You were sleeping so soundly that I didn't wake you. Did you sleep well?"

"...Yeah."

I had a nostalgic dream.

It was a good dream.

In the dream, I felt like I met Meguru-san.

"This is all thanks to Kumako."

"...Yeah."

I won't deny it.

I did feel relieved, after all.

In any case, we—on that day at noon—succeeded in getting out of the forest.

It felt like the forest's end was telling me something... Is that arrogant?

"Ah... It's the forest's exit!"

The dim forest gradually gave way to a bright meadow.

There seems to be something like a path... I'm curious about what lies ahead if we follow this path.

Did Taniizumi and the others stop here and return to the forest?

Or did they go a little further?

I'm not sure, but it's worth going.

"Yay! We made it out of the forest!"

"Yeah... Now we can finally get to a place with civilization, right?"

"There's a path! That's made by people, right!?"

"Just because the field has changed doesn't mean the monsters are weaker. Be careful."

"Still, it should be easier to see where the monsters come from compared to the forest."

"You're right. Let's go."

As we advanced through the meadow, monsters appeared.

They were Ecrumidolrats.

At first glance, they looked like Hornrats without horns.

Three of them attacked us.

"Don't let your guard down! Be careful!"

"Growl?"

For some reason, Kumako barked at the Ecrumidolrats.

The Ecrumidolrats flinched, looked at Kumako, and ran away.

"Hey, wait!"

I instinctively picked up a stone and threw it.

"Zhu!?"

The stone I casually threw hit the Ecrumidolrat.

Just that was enough to kill it.

"Growl!"

Kumako sent a wind punch in sync with my attack.

"Whoa!"

The Midolrat was sent flying by the punch.

"They seem to be weak monsters."

"That's good, but..."

As we continued along the path, the monsters that appeared were all weak.

It was good, but... then we saw a village.

"It's a village..."

A peaceful village with stone houses that looked like medieval Europe... right?

There's some mysterious object like a stove in the center of the village.

From a distance, it looks like there are people.

Some people in armor are walking in the back. What are they?

Maybe the village's guards?

"By the way, we were so focused on getting out of the forest that we didn't think about whether the language would work."

"Probably not."

We checked the residents of the other world.

Hmm... they don't seem to have black hair and black eyes like Japanese people.

If we go there casually, they might be scared.

"In any case, we can only explain the situation with gestures. I'll go."

When Momoshin volunteered to go, the class representative also raised his hand.

"This is the time for the class representative to step up."

"Then I'll go with you just in case."

I was worried about Momoshin and the class representative going alone.

When I raised my hand, the two agreed, and the others decided to wait and see.

"Growl?"

"Kumako might scare them if we bring her, so you'll stay with everyone."

"Growl growl!"

Kumako barked, as if saying she wanted to go, and playfully nuzzled me.

"However..."

"Growl!"

Then Kumako transformed into a glove.

Well, this should be fine, right?

"Are you that worried about Kousuke? Maybe you can entrust Kousuke to Kumako now."

"Momoshin, why are you getting teary-eyed?"

Kumako, you're jumping around so nimbly in your glove form!

"Hagizawa, isn't that good? With you and that kid, we can buy enough time for everyone to come to the rescue in an emergency. Someone else with combat skills will go with you."

"...Okay."

So, a few of us went to the village.

The combat-oriented people might intimidate the villagers, so it was decided that we would handle the negotiations.

While worrying about being perceived as hostile, we approached the villagers.

Yeah. I confirmed from a distance that they look like Western people.

They definitely don't look Japanese.

Their clothing is... different from modern clothes, with a fantasy atmosphere.

Isn't this kind of clothing called bryon?

"Oh? Are you travelers?"

The Western-looking person responded in Japanese with a slightly guarded but friendly smile.

Hmm, we can understand the language normally?

"Ah, yes... Could you please wait a moment?"

"Yes?"

The class representative looked at us for consultation.

He must have the same question as me.

"It seems the language is understood."

"True, it's strange to hear fluent Japanese from someone with a Western appearance..."

What kind of logic makes Japanese work here?

Well... in games or novels, the language works, so maybe it's a mysterious power like an ability?

"May I ask where we are? We got lost in the forest and finally managed to escape."

Everyone nodded, and Momoshin explained the situation.

The villager dropped the bucket they were holding.

"Um... the forest, the one you came from, is it the forest in that direction? Your hair color and eyes are not common here..."

"Um..."

The villager stared at us intently.

Is coming out of this forest a bad thing?

This feels like a dangerous situation.

I crouched down cautiously, and the villager shook their head and waved their hands to show they had no hostile intent.

"If you feel uncomfortable, perhaps it would be better to have the village chief explain the situation."

At that moment, an elderly man walked over to us.

Is this a welcoming atmosphere?

It seems they are trying to show no hostility, but maybe they are setting a trap for us.

In any case, there is a high possibility that we have some reason to make them wary.

"Welcome... I am the village chief. It seems you have a complicated situation. Could you please explain it to us in our village?"

We followed the village chief into the village.

Even if we bring everyone, it's not too late to talk a bit and check for danger.

As we entered the village, which looked similar to those in RPG games but had a different atmosphere, I noticed a larger training ground with armored people in the back.

After entering the village, the chief led us to a house.

There, we found a muscular knight in full armor.

"Welcome, I am the leader of the knights stationed here. I welcome you along with the village chief."

I instinctively went on guard at the sight of the fully armored knight but hesitated at their bright voice.

What kind of group are these people?

"Ah, yes..."

"So, I heard you came from that forest. May I hear your story?"

"We are willing to share our story, but may we also hear yours?"

Momoshin asked politely.

Yeah.

There is a guarded atmosphere.