Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Butterfly Forest
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Our team used a total of 35 points.
First, a bottle of water each for four points.
A bag of jerky to share for one point.
And a bottle of potion, just in case.
Aside from our purchases, we also received a small hourglass and a map.
“The map is obviously of the forest… but what's the hourglass for?”
“A time limit, I'd guess.”
“Ah.”
Anyway, when I showed them what I'd bought, Charle freaked out.
“Why did you buy a potion!”
“We might need it.”
“Ugh…!”
Charle cried out, her face crestfallen.
“After spending so recklessly, what if we don't rank in this test! Or what if the reward points are less than the first test…!”
“You have a tendency to see everything too negatively.”
“I'm just preparing for the worst-case scenario!”
“But you take it too far. Here, let's think of a more hopeful scenario.”
I said, tapping the potion.
“There's no rule that says we have to use this ourselves. What if we run into another team in the forest, and they're seriously injured?”
“Hmm…? Ah!”
Charle clapped her hands and said.
“We could sell the potion?”
“Exactly. We could get at least double, maybe even triple the price.”
Points are valuable, but are they more valuable than your life?
In that situation, they'd probably be willing to give up all their points to get it.
Only then did Charle's expression brighten a little.
“W-wait…”
Just then, another team passed by us.
Three of them were walking ahead, with someone else trailing behind them...
The one burdened with so much luggage that his frail frame looked even more pathetic was Skull.
“Hey! Hurry up!”
“Can't you even do your job as a porter properly?”
Skull mumbled in response to his teammates' rebukes.
“B-but… I'm carrying way too much on my own…”
“So what? Can't you carry it?”
“A guy with no points has to be useful somehow.”
Skull couldn't even open his mouth in the face of his teammates' cynical voices.
It wasn't particularly strange.
And it wasn't just happening to Skull.
Most of the kids who'd eagerly sold off their points were getting similar treatment in their teams.
“…”
Evan must have seen the scene too, as he wore a bitter expression.
But there was nothing we could do.
“Let's get going.”
I quickened my pace, not knowing what this needlessly kind guy might do if I left him to his own devices.
Evan nodded…
With tense expressions, we finally stepped into the Butterfly Forest.
* * *
The Butterfly Forest surrounding the Bednicker main estate was vast enough to be called a massive jungle.
If one were to view the Bednicker territory from a peak in the Jewel Mountains—a range quite far from here—they would see the Butterfly Forest stretching densely beyond the horizon.
In a place this vast, the chances of running into Young-do were probably low.
‘Besides, each team entered from a different direction at the start.’
Still, the probability wasn't zero, so we couldn't let our guard down.
“What kind of monsters appear in the Butterfly Forest?”
Charle asked, glancing at me.
“I don't know.”
How would I know?
In the first place, the Butterfly Forest is a forbidden area, even for the Bednickers.
Forget the types of monsters; I only know as much about this forest's characteristics as anyone else.
“…Sigh.”
Charle let out an audible sigh.
I felt like my points were dropping fast in her book.
She'd been testing me, probably because of the 'Bednicker' name, but I hadn't shown any particular brilliance each time.
From my perspective, she was the one who got her hopes up and then got disappointed on her own.
“…Should we decide on a formation first?”
“Formation?”
“The arrangement we'll take when a battle breaks out.”
Charle said, looking at us.
“Let's start by stating our Blessings.”
“Ah… yeah. My Blessing is…”
Just as a dazed-looking Evan was about to answer reflexively, I cut in.
“You reveal your Blessing first. Then we'll reveal ours.”
“…”
Evan's face showed that he'd just realized his mistake.
It seemed he finally understood what he had been about to do.
It's an unwritten rule to keep your Blessing a secret.
A Blessing is a hero's identity, their most guarded secret, and their trump card...
That's why a cautious person would even hide it from members of their own family.
“Hmph… Well, it's not like we absolutely need to know each other's Blessings to form a strategy.”
When I just stared blankly, she shrugged and said that.
I let out a dry laugh.
It's not that such things are bad.
Just insidious.
…Come to think of it, wasn't the Rubietta family one of politicians?
Although Charle seems to be an aspiring hero, she must have seen and heard things.
‘Still, I don't think I need to be overly wary of her.’
You can tell just by watching her bicker with Mir. Her schemes are still very clumsy.
Anyway, we roughly decided on a formation as Charle suggested. Since all four of us are primarily close-combat fighters, it ended up being a simple one.
“…The forest is really dark. I feel like I'm losing my sense of time.”
Evan muttered, looking around.
He was right.
The Butterfly Forest was filled with giant trees, and the undergrowth was so dense that walking beneath it felt almost like walking in the middle of the night.
Surprisingly, though, we could still distinguish our surroundings.
“There are butterflies here, too!”
“They're everywhere.”
“Aha…! So that's why it's called the [Butterfly Forest]! I didn't know since I was only at the camp.”
It was because butterflies were flying all around us.
These very butterflies were the reason this place was called the 'Butterfly Forest'.
They had a natural bioluminescence, casting a gentle glow throughout the entire forest.
It also contributed to the dreamlike atmosphere.
It felt more like a place where fairies would live, rather than monsters.
In fact, it was once a forest where dark elves lived.
We walked for about an hour, taking in the scenery.
By the time the tension we'd felt upon first entering the forest had largely faded…
Charle frowned as she looked around.
“Isn't everyone getting a little too relaxed? A monster could appear at any moment—”
“Stop.”
“Ha! Are you daring to order me around?”
Then by all means, keep going.
Charle, who had taken another step, suddenly sank.
“Agh!”
What a peculiar scream.
“W-what is this!”
“A swamp.”
“Who doesn't know that!”
“Your tone is a bit disrespectful. You'll have a hard time getting out of there on your own.”
“...!”
Charle's body was slowly sinking.
I crouched down in front of her and tilted my head.
“Need some help?”
“…Ha!”
At that, Charle's expression changed in an instant, and she suddenly stretched out her arm.
In that moment, something whitish flowed out of her palm and shot into a tree.
‘A Blessing.’
I couldn't tell what kind of Blessing it was just by looking.
It seemed to be related to souls, maybe...
Anyway, the whitish substance contracted, and Charle, who had been sinking into the swamp, pulled herself out without much difficulty.
I clapped at the unexpected trick.
“…Hmph!”
Charle just glared at me and scoffed.
* * *
About three hours had passed since we entered the forest.
We had been moving forward without encountering a single monster.
No matter how notorious this forbidden place was, with this little action, our tension was bound to ease.
Mir was even yawning widely, which was understandable since he hadn't slept well.
I hadn't let my guard down either, but I couldn't help feeling bored.
“By the way, what should we take back with us?”
I muttered to myself while looking around, and surprisingly, Charle responded.
“The rarest thing should be fine.”
“Can we even determine that?”
Appraising the value of an item is no simple task.
If it were, a profession like 'appraiser' wouldn't exist.
“Couldn't we just hunt a strong monster? The higher the level of the creature, the better the materials we can get.”
“Hmph. What a foolish thing to say.”
“…Huh?”
The same words can have a different impact depending on who says them.
Charle's jaw dropped, as if she was deeply shocked to be called foolish by none other than Mir.
“This pea-sized giant… who are you calling foolish?”
“You know nothing about hunting, so you are foolish! A strong monster doesn't necessarily yield useful materials! Besides, to obtain high-quality materials, you need to be careful from the very moment you start the hunt, which is impossible for novices like us!”
He's right.
For a simple example, to get high-quality animal fur, it's best to avoid using bladed weapons.
Anyway, judging by his tone, Mir seemed to have hunting experience.
“It doesn't have to be a monster. Although the Butterfly Forest is Bednicker territory, most of it is still uncharted. If we're lucky, we might be able to gather ingredients for elixirs...”
I stopped talking.
“Why did you stop all of a sudden?”
“Monster.”
“What?”
Charle looked around and said.
“I don't see anything.”
“Not from here, you wouldn't.”
“…Not from here?”
“Just kill your presence and follow me slowly.”
Charle didn't seem to believe me, but she followed my instructions, perhaps preparing for a 'just in case' scenario.
Though her lower lip was sticking out in a pout.
Anyway, after we advanced for a few minutes in the direction I indicated, we found a stream and a monster there.
It was a spider.
At least, it looked like one.
Even if it was the size of a bear.
“…What should we do?”
I first asked for my teammates' opinions.
“It doesn't seem to have noticed us, so we can just pass by. It doesn't look like it would give any valuable materials.”
Charle said after a moment of thought.
“…There don't seem to be any other monsters around, so let's fight. It's a chance to practice our coordination.”
That's what I wanted to hear.
With our skills, killing one spider wouldn't be particularly difficult.
“Alright. So, the formation we decided on earlier?”
“Let's do that.”
The formation we came up with was simple.
Mir would stand at the front to draw the enemy's attention, while the other three would look for an opportunity to attack.
Frankly, we weren't a well-balanced team, which is why we ended up with such an extreme formation.
The most important role here was, of course, Mir's...
“…”
I looked at Mir, who was gripping his weapon with a tense face.
“Mir, you can do this, right?”
“…Yeah. I'll try.”
“I'm not expecting much, so just try to draw its attention well.”
Mir didn't respond to Charle's sarcastic remark and stood up.
And…
“Uwaaaaaaah—!”
He let out a yell and charged at the spider.
…Well.
If it could be overcome that easily, it wouldn't be trauma.
Still, he faithfully carried out his role of drawing its attention.
The spider also clacked its chelicerae and let out a shriek of its own.
“Let's go.”
“Ah, right.”
“Sigh…”
And so, we joined the battle.
However, I didn't actively engage in the fight.
I only feigned attacks with the Seven Sins Sword while observing the others.
First, Mir.
He was swinging his axe recklessly, an extreme offense that paid no mind to his opponent or even himself.
The only reason he could withstand it without any fatal injuries was probably because he was a giant.
Charle fought impeccably. She was using a mace, showing considerable proficiency, and seemed to have experience fighting monsters.
And Evan was also—
‘…Huh?’
I was surprised to see that Evan was struggling more than I expected.
He was the one I trusted the most, so this was unexpected.
Is he lacking in real combat experience?
‘No, it's something else.’
Observing Evan carefully, I soon realized the reason.
This guy… he wasn't using Raven at all.