Chapter 35. Forest Shelter V
Episode 35.
Forest Shelter V
Alto, who had been looking around, suddenly asked, "Do you know the name of that ore?"
"Moonstone."
"You know your stuff."
Alto nodded and explained, "There are a few means that can counter shadows. The most representative is silver, but what works even better than that is moonlight."
I already knew that.
I'd used moonlight reflected off a mirror to erase a shadow in the opening sequence myself.
Actually, I'd always wondered about it.
Why ordinary light didn't work, and only moonlight had any effect.
"All light creates shade. But moonlight is a little different. It can't drive away darkness, but it doesn't deepen shade, either. And darkness and shadow are entirely different concepts."
"Hmm...... Ah."
As I pieced together the information in my head, a new possibility suddenly occurred to me.
"Do you know that this place we're in now is called the Forest Shelter?"
"Forest Shelter?"
"You can think of it as a place that exists beneath the forest floor. Below the ground, a vast network of enormous ant tunnels is tangled like a spiderweb, and the people who live there are called Subterraneans, or <Pashu>. No light reaches this place at all. It's underground, so that's only natural."
Alto stared at me as if wondering what I was getting at, but like me, it seemed to hold its tongue for now.
I went on with what I had to say.
"And the only thing that can light this pitch-black space is Moonstone. If you produce light by any means other than that, you'll incur the wrath of the Pashu and never be allowed underground again."
So the strict prohibition on torches, light bulbs, or any other light source was the first iron rule of the shelter.
I'd never thought deeply about the reason.
I'd just vaguely understood it as: after living underground for so long, their eyesight had degenerated until they couldn't endure intense light.
But now, hearing Alto's explanation, a new possibility had occurred to me.
"Were the Pashu, by any chance, descendants of the Ash Moon clan?"
"Strictly speaking, they aren't descendants."
Alto replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"They were the lowliest of all in the once-glorious Moon Kingdom. Their bloodline was so faint that they escaped extermination by the Frost Sun and managed to survive to this day."
Alto called them lowly, but the words didn't sound contemptuous.
If anything, I sensed compassion—even a trace of guilt.
"It's shameful. We, who inherited a noble bloodline, should have protected those pitiful weaklings."
"Then this Moonstone......."
"They're merely obeying the old kingdom's precepts by instinct. They probably aren't consciously thinking about shadows. Though it has turned out to be an excellent defense."
"A defense......."
Come to think of it, the shelter had never once been attacked by shadows.
I'd assumed that was because it was a safety zone, but now that I understood the lore, it had been a place shadows couldn't invade from the very beginning.
'Ah.'
Lightning flashed through my mind.
As pieces of information intersected, the gamer in me immediately applied the new knowledge to strategy.
"Then if I use this Moonstone, can I see through a Shadow's disguise too?"
"Of course it's possible."
I nearly leapt to my feet. If the ceiling hadn't been so low, I would have.
If I could identify Shadows, my chances of clearing the game would skyrocket.
The biggest cause of my game overs in <FoS> had always been those shadow bastards, after all.
"But in this era, it would be impossible."
"What?"
Alto looked at the Moonstone embedded in the wall and said, "First of all, low-quality Moonstone like this is useless. The purity would have to be far higher. Likewise, you'd also need silver made through a special refining method......."
Alto shook its head.
"The problem is the existence of an artisan capable of performing that process. It's a forgotten ancient technique now. The odds that an artisan with that level of skill is still alive in this era seem slim. The Frost Sun bastards would have been especially obsessive about erasing all traces of artisans."
"......."
That sounded right.
At the same time, I understood why I'd never been able to obtain much information about the Ash Moon or Frost Sun in the game.
'The shadow bastards must have erased all the history.'
No wonder there was nothing worth finding even when my progress approached 70%.
While realizing this new fact, another question arose.
"Then where can I get high-purity Moonstone?"
"The old kingdom's former territory. By the forest's standards, it's nearly in the deep interior. But as I said, without refining, it's meaningless."
"I can find an artisan later. First, secure the mineral."
"Did you even listen to me? I said the odds that the old kingdom's artisans are still alive are slim."
"Who knows."
Alto looked up at me with a baffled expression, but I was certain.
The very existence of this information was as good as proof that an artisan existed.
Even if, by some chance, no artisan had survived, a secret manual containing the technique would remain somewhere.
'Because that's the <FoS> I know.'
Having thought that far, I realized the conversation had drifted considerably from the original topic.
"Wait, then what exactly are the Primordial Divine Beasts?"
"I don't know precisely."
"What?"
"I told you back then, didn't I? That they are beings who have existed in the forest for at least thousands of years....... When the kingdom was at the height of its prosperity, when the Frost Sun bastards began openly baring their fangs, when we staked the fate of our race on war—they still existed in the forest."
I let out a deflated sigh.
"You talked like you knew everything."
"I obviously know more than you. The being that has its eye on you is an owl called the 'First Clown' or the 'Midnight Wanderer.' Our ancestors also called it 'the One Who Opens Calamity.'"
"So it's incredibly dangerous."
"Is it? But in my opinion, that being doesn't directly cause calamities."
"Do you have a basis for that?"
Remembering its eerie aura and appearance, it looked like the kind of thing that would drag every disaster imaginable in its wake.
"For example, if migratory birds take flight before an earthquake occurs, does that mean the birds caused the earthquake?"
"......"
Maybe because it was an ancient being...... no, an animal.
This little bastard seemed to have a strong habit of speaking in metaphors. I roughly understood what it was trying to say, though.
"So you're saying it doesn't cause calamities, but has a heightened sense for detecting the signs of one."
"Right. To an abnormal degree, at that. Besides, to that being, a calamity wouldn't even be a calamity. It would just be an entertaining comedy."
"Hmm......."
"That's not all. The Divine Beasts are generally cruel beyond measure. They act solely according to their own moods. The expansion of the forest, the fate of the world—none of that matters to them. No matter who wins, it won't affect them in the slightest."
In other words, they were enjoying a war between races with the fate of the world at stake as if they were watching an arena match?
Even giving a little support to the side they wanted to win.
"Of course, some among them can be reasoned with to a degree. There were those friendly to the Frost Sun, and conversely, those friendly to the Ash Moon. Though their interest isn't necessarily a blessing."
"Then what about that owl bastard? Which side did it bet on—the Ash Moon or the Frost Sun?"
"Neither. If I had to say, it sides with whoever interests it. I've heard that when a being catches its interest, it follows them around and observes them for a long time."
Alto, who had been staring at me, let out a small laugh.
"Historically, there have been a few beings that it showed interest in. And every single one of them met a miserable end."
"......That owl bastard—doesn't it have a name or something?"
"Of course it does."
"What is it?"
Alto's eyes turned toward me.
"Nyx."
"......."
"Midnight Traveler, Nyx. That's how it was recorded in the old texts."
* * *
After the conversation ended, Alto said it was tired and returned to the Nest.
Honestly, I'd wanted to talk a little longer.
Because I had a feeling this guy was still hiding a lot from me.
But.......
"Mere mortal Kaindel. It just so happens that I've entered into something like a contract with you, but let me make one thing clear now. I am not your subordinate."
"What?"
"I mean don't summon me unless it's for something special. Yes...... unless it's related to those shadow bastards."
"......."
I couldn't exactly hit it for that.
I wanted to kick it out of the Nest, but I decided to hold back. There was still plenty to wring out of Alto.
'It's not urgent, anyway.'
Still, maybe because some long-awaited lore crumbs about the world had finally been revealed, I felt unusually buoyant.
If this were reality, I'd have shared this information with the For’ever bastards. And while I was at it, teased Chris—that smug, swaggering prick.
'Crazy bastard.'
A laugh escaped me. Just moments ago I'd been wandering the forest fighting for my life, and now that I had a little breathing room, this was how I acted.
......Get a grip.
It's fine to be interested, but that interest must not lead to carelessness.
I was cooling my somewhat overheated head with these thoughts when Haarim returned with perfect timing.
"Here. Food. Eat."
A tone like someone tossing feed to livestock. Even worse, the dish was filled with a murky, dark stew that smelled absolutely foul.
"Ugh....... Y-you expect us to eat this?"
Seigrena, who had just come to her senses, made a disgusted face, but what choice was there?
To recover strength, we had to eat.
Besides, this wasn't ordinary food.
Pashu Special★Recovery★Stew
Made with unidentified ingredients. You're better off not knowing, so just eat it gratefully. Good for restoring vitality and highly effective at relieving stress.
Food that could actually reduce your stress level.
'This is why the shelter is great.'
Exploring the forest inevitably builds up stress, and the usual way to relieve it was to return to the royal capital.
The shelter's food was one of those exceptions.
"It's 10,000 seed per bowl, so don't leave any."
"......What if I just give you the money and don't eat it?"
"Eat."
"Ugh."
After confirming that Seigrena had picked up her spoon, I ate the stew without complaint.
Thankfully, the taste wasn't as awful as the smell.
"Guests. Thirty minutes remaining now."
Haarim announced in a voice mixed with a yawn.
I called Kria and Seigrena over and gave them a rough explanation of this place.
"I never knew a place like this existed in the forest."
Kria, whose complexion had improved considerably, murmured.
"How did you know about this place, Kaindel?"
"I read about it in a book."
"Aha."
Seigrena, who had barely emptied her plate, gulped down water and wiped her mouth before asking, "Phew....... So? What are we going to do after we leave here?"
"First, about Laurent and Kazen."
"......."
Both of their expressions darkened rapidly.
Those names were landmines for both of them right now, though for opposite reasons.
"Tracking them right now is impossible. The forest is vast, and we don't have any tracking skills."
"Will they be okay?"
I looked at Seigrena with a dumbfounded expression.
"You're worried about them now?"
"It's not exactly that, but Kria's brother is with them too."
"......There's no need to worry. That party's level is far higher than ours. Like I said before, we can barely look after ourselves right now."
At least in this area, there was nothing that could threaten the White Knight Laurent.
Unless he got caught up in some absurd event like <Wood Revenge>.
"They'll return to the royal capital soon enough anyway. So for now, let's focus on raising our Exploration Progress."
Once we returned to the royal capital, I'd naturally be able to meet Laurent again. I could settle old scores then, but.......
Honestly, I wasn't sure about that either.
'What can I even do with my current reputation?'
For example, if I went to the public security office in my current state and poured out my grievances, it wouldn't do a damn thing.
Even though FoS was a world with advanced science and civilization, it was savage in strange ways.
It was an era where crimes could be buried with reputation and money.
"What about your Exploration Crystals? How much longer will they function?"
"About twenty days left. There's still plenty of time."
Besides, thanks to that mysterious fruit, our Exploration Progress had jumped sharply.
Actually, even without that, filling the remaining exploration progress with our current strength wouldn't have been too difficult.
'The problem is that the ecosystem of the <Woodman Habitat> has changed.'
The information I'd previously known might have become useless because of that...... Depending on the situation, we might have to move on to the <Spore Kingdom>.
I was making various plans when Haarim approached and asked me, "Hey. Guest."
Was the time already up?
"Let's start getting ready to leave. It's a hard place to come back to, so make sure you haven't missed anything......."
"No, no. There's still ten minutes left."
Then why was she rushing us?
When I looked at her that way, Haarim scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"If it's all right, I wanted to ask a favor."
"A favor?"
"Yeah."
A favor from an NPC—so, a quest?
'The Pashu give quests?'
This was a development I'd never experienced before.......
"Ah."
What came to mind at that moment was another line written in the <Friend of Magical Beasts> Trait.
▶ Now, most Beast-Type creatures will not be hostile toward you, and occasionally, you may receive special tasks from them.
I asked in a voice mixed with curiosity and interest, "What kind of favor?"
"Hmm. It's nothing much. Just some simple cleaning, I guess."
The moment Haarim spoke—
Ding—!
A cheerful sound rang out, and a quest window appeared before my eyes.