Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Lumber Camp Lumberjacks
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Rattle, rattle-.
It was something I always noticed, but the carriages in this world had terribly poor ride comfort.
They were called carriages, but they were no different from cargo carts, with nothing but a bare cargo hold. That was part of it.
To pinpoint the real issue, the so-called roads were horribly uneven and completely unpaved.
Rattle.
Whenever the wheels hit a protruding rock with a creak, my butt slammed against the hard wooden floor, causing real pain.
I'd heard that nobles and high-ranking adventurers in this world bought their own custom carriages.
Someday, I wanted to buy one with good cushioning and ride around everywhere.
For now, though, I had no choice but to squirm around, trying to find a comfortable position to get used to this uncomfortable ride.
After half a day like this, we'd arrive at the lumber camp west of the city of Small Mora.
"So, pointy-ears, how many have you killed?"
As I silently watched the scenery shift from fields to woods, organizing my gear, the Bronze Tier female warrior Rene, who was wiping oil off her sword, spoke first.
The bald elf, who had been muttering prayers to himself, answered.
"Ascetics do not take lives. The natural world thrives through mutual harmony, not by seizing or taking."
"Elves really do spout bullshit in fancy ways. Worshipping giant trees as gods doesn't even make sense to begin with. Gods should be strong and cool, like Lord Mars."
"Faith takes many forms."
"Fine, say you don't kill. Then you don't eat meat either?"
"I do not. Eating is merely to fill the belly."
The bald fairy Kalidur was as quirky as he looked. In a world where roasted meat was pretty much the only tasty food, what did he live on without it?
Did fairies vary that much individually? Elfriede wouldn't touch her food without meat.
Luna, taking an interest in the conversation, finally spoke up after a while.
"If you don't eat meat, do you just eat grass?"
"Indeed. We elves of Alfheim mainly eat vegetables and fruits. That's more than enough for us. How sad it is to torment other lives just to fill your stomach?"
Like isekai vegetarians. Well, not eating meat was often a basic tenet in religious discussions.
It aligned with prohibitions on killing. A non-violent faith in this barbaric world? Unexpected.
My own Mars Guild's motto was basically "kill a lot, fight a lot." This was worlds apart from the fairy Elfriede.
Luna spoke up then.
"But grass and trees feel pain too. Do you ask their permission first?"
Rattle, rattle-.
The carriage fell silent at Luna's question. Soon, the bald Kalidur burst into laughter, flashing white teeth through his brown beard.
"Ha ha, the sister from foreign lands says amusing things. I've never heard that grass and trees feel pain."
He laughed heartily as if he'd heard a great joke. Rene furrowed her brow, looking like he'd said something ridiculous.
I recalled an internet news article I'd seen while browsing. Some experiment proved plants feel fear and pain.
In a way, Luna's view was visionary, centuries or even a millennium ahead.
"I-It's true. Grass and trees feel pain too…!"
"Quiet. Enough about what we eat. Anyway, don't cause trouble at the lumber camp. Mars's warriors cut down anything."
With that, Rene sheathed her sword with a *shing*. The carriage filled with awkward silence, broken only by the rattling.
I asked Luna, who was staring at the clouds.
"What do we do at the lumber camp?"
Luna had more adventurer experience than me. She seemed clueless sometimes but quietly knew a lot.
"Lumber camp? All sorts of stuff. Chop trees, pull weeds, chase off monsters and beasts nearby. I don't know the details either. It's Bronze Tier work, so first time for me too."
Just manual labor wherever there were lots of trees? I'd know more when we got there.
* * *
The lumber camp was exactly as I'd imagined. A forest of tall, straight trees, stumps scattered everywhere. Rusty axes embedded here and there—cozy in a rustic way, menacing in another.
What exceeded my expectations was the trees' size.
Fuck, trees dozens of meters tall. So thick they dwarfed Luna's barn.
Holes were hollowed in some trunks, used as rest areas and offices for the lumberjacks. Houses built in trees felt unreal, making me frown.
Inside, though, furniture, wall-mounted candelabras, even tablecloths made it feel quaint, like stepping into a fairy tale.
The problem was the size—too small, so big as I was, I had to hunch over. Obviously sized for him.
"Ah, you've arrived! I commissioned the guild and waited neck-deep for adventurers!"
The lumber camp owner, Joseph, was much shorter than Luna. Stocky, with bulging muscles, like a living boulder—a dwarf.
I'd seen the race before, but still amazing. What kind of creature was this?
Anyway, he shook his stylishly braided red beard and shouted.
"Those ten brats are ravaging my lumber camp! Do something about them!"
His outburst left our party stunned. What had gotten him so riled up?
Party leader Rene spoke calmly.
"Calm down. What's the problem?"
"Calm? Demon spawn are eating my livelihood! Pluto's minions. True ten brats from hell!"
Silence fell at "Pluto's minions." Everyone frowned seriously, so I crossed my arms and mimicked them.
"Has a Pluto ruin surfaced nearby? If it's beasts or monsters from there, we can't handle it."
Unlike her usual confidence, Rene sounded hesitant.
Reasonable—Pluto ruins were heavy tasks for Silver Tier adventurers.
Not for new Bronze Tiers like me and Luna.
"No ruins. Just trees. But fucking horrific trees!"
Joseph spoke like he was trying to scare us. Shit, I thought it'd be weeding and chopping, but it sounded serious.
As I tensed, Luna asked.
"Trees are horrific? What do you mean? Tree disease?"
"Something like that. Listen up—."
*Crack, snap.*
As Joseph started explaining, loud breaking sounds came from outside the tree house.
"Th-those ten brats! They've come here too!"
He grabbed an axe from against the wall, furious, and charged out.
Caught off guard, me, Luna, and the party followed.
*Grooo… Grooo…*
*Groooo…*
Outside, trees were moving. Trees my size, walking on roots!
Fuck, trees walking? Hallucinating? No, this was real.
"Fuckers, I'll turn you all into tables!"
Joseph swung his body-sized axe at the moving trees.
*Crunch-.*
*Groooooh…!*
The tree spewed pumpkin-colored sap like blood and crashed down, shaking the ground.
"What are you doing? Chop 'em down quick! Don't let those ten brats take root! They suck up all the soil nutrients!"
*Shing, shing.*
At Joseph's urgent shout, Rene and I finally drew our swords. But fuck, could swords cut trees? As I pondered seriously, Rene charged, raising her sword high.
"Araraight-!"
She jammed it into the writhing tree's thick trunk.
*Thud-.*
*Groooooh…!*
The blade sank deep with a sound, and the tree screamed. Fuck, screaming trees—odd even describing it, but true.
"Wh-what? It won't come out! How?!"
Rene panicked, struggling to pull her deeply embedded blade.
*Groooonk!*
Then the sap-spewing tree whipped a branch at Rene's cheek full force.
"Gah-!"
She flew back like a death rattle, convulsing pitifully on the ground.
*Grooo…*
*Groooo…*
*Crack, snap.*
But the real problem wasn't fallen Rene. The trees, enraged, surrounded us.
*Creak, crack.*
The living forest closed in, draining the blood from my body.
They didn't seem badly hurt, just spewing sap from Rene's slash.
"Hey, Luna, any ideas?"
"Stomps fall easy to fire. Their sap burns well!"
Stomps—those tree monsters? Fire made sense for trees. Most problems here solved by burning.
"No fire! Want to see the whole camp burn!? I'd have done it already!"
But Joseph forbade fire. Burning his livelihood trees was worse than death.
Fuck, then what?
As Luna and I trembled in fear, the bald elf, who'd been watching, stepped forward.
"Ascetics of Alfheim befriend nature per the World Tree's teachings. Stomps are part of nature. Let me handle it—."
*Slither-.*
Before he finished, roots and branches coiled around his ankles.
Like yanking a snared rabbit, he floated up, twigs and roots invading between his clothes and body!
"Friends! Release me!"
"L-let go! What's this!? Wh-where are you going!? Aaaah!"
Not just the bald one—roots invaded Rene's armor joints too, as she lay on the ground.
If we stayed, Luna and I might end up tentacle hentai victims. Desperate, I swung my twin swords.
*Whoosh, thud-thud!*
They embedded in the huge trunk, pinning it. Fuck, swords can't chop trees!
*Hup!*
Straining fully, I yanked them out. The blood-sap-spewing Stomp staggered back.
Manageable one at a time? I swung again.
*Clang-!*
This time, it bounced off without sticking.
What? Sticky sap coated the blade, dulling its edge.
*Stick, stick-.*
Fuck, can't chop like this. What now!?
"You, big guy! Use this!"
Then *whoosh-* something flew at me, thudding into a tree trunk attacking me. The Stomp crashed down.
It was a huge axe—more like a massive iron lump or battle axe than lumber tool.
"Shit!"
No time to picky, I gripped the thick handle, yanked it free, and smashed a Stomp's trunk.
*Shing, crunch-!*
It split vertically with a loud crack.