Departure to the Great Forest
Two days had passed since I announced the change of plans.
Everyone had completed their preparations for departure, I informed the Knight Commander that we would be away for a long time, I disciplined Fana for exhibiting a bad habit I hadn’t seen in a while, and I discussed and considered the events happening with Stella and the Elves.
Then, on the morning of the third day.
Stella, who had reserved a carriage in advance, brought it to us. We had the gates opened a little earlier than usual, and we set off towards the Great Forest.
Our positions were as follows: Fon on top of the carriage, Stella and Rio on the driver’s seat, Fana and I at the rear of the cargo bed, and Lulu in the space connecting to the front driver’s seat. The driver’s duty would rotate, starting with Stella, then Lulu, then Fon, and then back to Stella.
Rio, who didn’t know how to drive, was currently sitting next to Stella, learning. Maybe by the time we returned to the mansion, she would be sitting on the driver’s seat.
As for Fana and I, due to the pressure, or rather, the instinctive feeling that animals could sense, the horses would cower just by seeing us and feeling our presence, so we couldn’t sit on the driver’s seat.
Therefore, Fana and I ended up sitting at the very back of the cargo bed except in emergencies. We couldn’t resist; the moment the horses pulling the carriage saw us, their legs trembled, and their breathing became erratic.
It took some time to calm them down, so we couldn’t resist or argue. We quietly climbed into the back of the cargo bed and sat down.
“…Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve ridden in one of these,” I said.
“Now that you mention it, it has. It was faster not to ride, and we didn’t have much luggage, so we didn’t bother getting one,” Fana replied.
“Yeah. How long has it been since we traveled this leisurely?”
“…A year or two? Since that time when that ego maniac almost destroyed a town by picking a fight,” I said.
“Ah, it’s been that long,” Fana said.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“…By the way, I wonder what those guys are doing now?” I asked.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Fana asked.
“No, you didn’t. Or do you know?” I asked.
“I only heard it second-hand, so I can’t say for sure, but they seem to have died, cleanly and easily,” Fana said.
“…They really died?” I asked.
“Witnesses saw their dead bodies and them burning,” Fana replied.
“…Can they really die that easily?” I asked.
“They’re still human, after all. Well, there’s a possibility that their souls escaped somewhere and are doing something weird,” Fana said.
I told Stella about the deaths of the Saint and the Sage, which I hadn’t told her before. In response to her questioning the deaths, I couldn’t give a clear denial.
Their personalities were terrible, and their abilities were low, but they were undoubtedly transcendent beings. It wouldn’t be strange if they had made preparations to revive somewhere in case they died, or even if they had become Wraiths and were wandering around.
I didn’t want to think about it… the internal strife I heard about from the fanatics. It was clear that neither side was united, and I expected them to collapse eventually, so it wasn’t surprising.
What’s more troublesome is that if you consider the people who were originally in the place where the Saint and the Sage belonged, it wouldn’t be strange if they were trying to secure their souls and reincarnate them.
Well, it’s just a possibility, so let’s leave it at that.
It’s a bad habit of mine, but I tend to immediately think of the worst possibilities, come up with countermeasures, and then try to eliminate them first. There’s no need to keep worrying about things I’m not sure about, so let’s just leave it alone.
Instead, I should tell Fana about the sub-plan that will replace the main plan for this subjugation. It would be best if we didn’t have to use it, but considering the information we’ve gathered, we need to prepare it and share it.
“Well, we can think about that when we actually suffer the consequences,” I said.
“That’s right,” Fana replied.
“Right. More importantly, there’s something I want to tell you,” I said.
“…Is it really necessary to go that far this time? Can’t we just solve it easily if Ferno deals with it like usual, with enough force to blow away the entire forest?” Fana asked.
“If you’re asking if it’s possible, it’s more than possible,” I replied.
“Then, that should be fine, right?” Fana asked.
“…I think that would be fine, but I want to make that the last resort,” I said.
“Why?” Fana asked.
“I have a feeling that simply solving the problem with my power alone isn’t the right answer for the abnormalities happening to the Elves, or rather, the Other Races,” I said.
“…Like with that slime?” Fana asked.
“Yeah. It’s the same as that time. I have a bad feeling about continuing to wipe everything out with full force until the moment we crush the source,” I said.
If it were just about solving the problem, I could probably handle everything by myself.
I could erase the entire Great Forest from the outside, and I could erase the volcano along with the eruption, so it wouldn’t affect the surroundings. As for the Great Canyon, I could easily kill everything, including the rebirth phenomenon, if I borrowed a few of the swords Fana had stockpiled.
But that wouldn’t be a perfect result.
I don’t particularly care about that, and I’d be happy with half the score, fifty points. In fact, my battles are usually fifty points out of a hundred, so I don’t mind.
I don’t mind, but for this particular case, my intuition tells me that if I compromise with fifty points, I’ll lose my right to participate later.
That’s why I want to aim for a perfect score as much as possible, and I want to do everything I can to achieve that.
“…I see. Well, I don’t have the brains to create a battle or think, so I’ll leave it to you as usual. So, what did you want to tell me?” Fana asked.
“After we arrive at the Great Forest, depending on the situation with the Elves, we’ll split up. You and the additional personnel from the Knights Order will openly head to the Elves’ location and gather information from within and find the enemy,” I said.
“What about you?” Fana asked.
“I’ll pretend to be an Adventurer who got caught up in a different request inside the Great Forest. If there’s a difference in how they respond depending on whether they’re people with clear ties to the country or people who wouldn’t be missed if they disappeared… I should be able to get closer to the source,” I said.
“I see. So that means,” Fana said.
“Yeah, I’ll leave the command when we split up to you,” I said.
“…Understood, but I can’t give specific instructions, you know?” Fana asked.
“There’s no need to create a specific plan. Just act like the Elves know more about the inside and fight the Monsters according to the Elves’ requests. I’ll give more detailed instructions when we gather the additional personnel from the Knights Order and clearly state the guidelines for action,” I said.
“I see. Understood, leave it to me,” Fana said.
“Yeah,” I replied.
There’s one reason why I came up with this plan, or rather, sub-plan.
The reports from the Knights Order that were sent to the Knight Commander. They sent a minimum number of people with decent abilities, but the reports keep coming in with no deaths or serious injuries.
And among the Adventurers in the surrounding villages and towns, the return rate of Adventurers who accepted requests inside the Great Forest has decreased, and many of them have been declared dead after their belongings were found.
Even though there’s a difference in ability, it’s abnormal that the Knights Order hasn’t suffered much damage in that situation. That’s why the Knight Commander said he would send a unit that’s good at gathering information as additional personnel.
We’ll take advantage of that and infiltrate, showing that we’re people with the country’s backing. It’s abnormal that there’s clearly no danger, and it’s enough to judge that, but if we can investigate whether there’s a difference after changing the condition of our position, I want to investigate it.
The reason I’m going alone is because I’m the strongest. Considering the Elves’ attacks, the Demon Race’s infiltration, and the offensive by the mastermind behind the abnormalities, I’m the only one who can handle them alone and kill them in retaliation, or Fana. Considering the forest environment, I judged that it would be better for me to move alone.
Of course, if it’s just unnecessary worry, that’s fine.
If I hear on the way that the Elves are impatient, I’ll decide immediately. If they seem strange, I’ll decide immediately. If they haven’t stopped by any villages or towns, I’ll decide immediately.
If I choose not to use the sub-plan, it will be when I directly confirm that the Elves who came from outside are staying there, or when the Elves are calm and wasting time in villages and towns.
“…It looks like it’s going to be a bone-breaking battle for the first time in a month,” I said.
“Yeah. We might die,” Fana replied.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you even if you die,” I said.
“Me too. I’ll kill them even if I die,” I said.
“Fuh, just like always,” Fana said.
“Kuh, yeah, just like always,” I replied.