Chapter 200 - 198 ~ Arrival at Carne
Great Forest of Tob.
A massive, dense forest located at the edge of the Re-Estize Kingdom, imdiately bordering the Baharuth Empire to its east, sat to the north of the small, yet developing village, of Carne.
There was a large clearing in the dense forest about 100 ters away from the village, made by the villagers cutting down trees under the protection of the goblins for lumber to make logs.
Previously, the villagers wouldn't even dare to think of taking lumber from trees so deep into the forest, due to the presence of monsters as well as it being within the territory of the legendary Wise King of the Forest.
However, with the protection they've gained from the goblins summoned by the "Horn of the Goblin General" Enri received from Momonga, they were able to venture slightly deeper to the inner edge of the forest.
As a result, new buildings and defensive structures were available to be built by the village.
But despite their success this ti, the villagers hadn't ventured deeper in fear of provoking the wrath of the more dangerous monsters within or the ire of the Wise King. Even the goblins had advised them not to venture deeper, at least for now, which Enri took.
On the brighter side, the part of the forest they will be entering now was part of the Wise King of the Forest's sphere of control. Thus, under normal circumstances, the chances of eting monsters are very low.
However, the group of ogres and goblins they encountered yesterday ca from a place near the Wise King of the Forest's territory, which may suggest that sothing had happened within the woods.
Thus, Nfirea implored his hired parties of adventurers to stay alert in case of danger.
Nfirea's gaze rested briefly on Yuuji, or rather, Alexander, Lilith, Momon, and Lupu after finishing his warning.
The Swords of Darkness similarly turned to look at the four as well.
"Well, with Alexander-san and everyone here, we should be fine."
Words of absolute confidence, to which every single mber of the Swords of Darkness shared, flowed out of Peter's lips easily.
He did not say it to shirk his and his party's responsibility towards their client, Nfirea's safety. Having led his life trying to uphold the virtue of honesty and fairness to the best of his abilities, Peter did not even think of such a thing.
Pure confidence and admiration he had in these incredible individuals that grew from what he had witnessed the day before was the reason why such words easily flowed out of him.
And Yuuji realized this fact, for with his Insight Proficiency, he knew as well that these young adventurers – though older than him – were the rare examples of people who held genuine kindness in their hearts within this world.
"I am glad that you rate my and my parties' abilities so highly. Then, in order to prevent the worst case scenario from coming to pass, my party and I shall delve first into the forest and make sure no threats are present within the area Nfirea would be in. We shall return promptly to inform you of the situation. But if we do encounter the Wise King of the Forest and engage in battle, we shall send you a signal for retreat.
At that ti, please retreat as soon as possible. If the Wise King of the Forest is strong, then we shall face it with our full power, and as we would not want for you to be caught up in it."
Nfirea nodded, and the Swords of Darkness similarly lowered their heads and nodded in agreent.
But soon after, Nfirea seed to be wavering between speech and silence. In the end, he made up his mind.
"Could you not kill the Wise King of the Forest, but send it away?"
A look of surprise imdiately colored the faces of the Swords of Darkness mbers as Nfirea's words left his mouth.
The sheer absurdity of such a thing...
Nfirea, who had never participated in life or death combat, may not be too familiar with the sheer absurdity of what he suggested. He may think that it would only be slightly more difficult, which seed to be true given his hesitation in bringing it up.
However, the Swords of Darkness knew full well. To fight a monster, much less the legendary Wise King of a Forest, who's fully intent to kill while not having the sa conviction was akin to fighting with their sword arm tied behind their back.
It was simply absurd. But to their shock, Yuuji answered simply.
"I understand."
"...Eh?"
"Wha-"
Even Nfirea was shocked at his response. They all looked at Yuuji with eyes widened in disbelief. And what's even more surprising, his party mbers also didn't seem surprised at his response.
"I-Is it truly alright?"
Yuuji nodded.
"From the information I've received about the Wise King of the Forest and its location in relation to the village, I can tell that the territory of the Wise King of the Forest acted as a natural barrier against other monsters. If it is slain, then monsters would no longer be prevented from coming to its previous territory, and perhaps even seek to expand it by invading the village."
"Y-Yes! That's exactly it!"
Nfirea's eyes shined in admiration at Yuuji's sheer intellect and ability to co to such a conclusion from just the tiny bits of information he heard and the one encounter they had the day before in the place he was unfamiliar with.
"Very well. We will face it with the intention of driving it away instead of subjugating it. Then, we shall be going ahead."
"A-Ah, yes! Please be careful!"
Yuuji nodded, and headed deep into the forest, followed by Aika, Momonga, and Lupu, as Nfirea and the Swords of Darkness watched their receding backs in shocked admiration. The very sight and his words filled not only with confidence, but the knowledge that they were fully capable of doing what they had said, raised goosebumps on the skin of their fellow adventurers.
"Even if your opponent is... a legendary monster that's lived for centuries..."
"Is this the sort of attitude that only the strong have..."
"Judging by Alexander-san's personality, he probably isn't exaggerating or bluffing..."
In that mont, they were reminded once more, the difference between regular adventurers, and true heroes.
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After passing the boundary of the forest area where trees had been felled by the villagers, the scenery before their eyes slowly transford into sothing like a green labyrinth.
There were no landmarks in the forest, and it was impossible to tell in which direction one was moving in. The thick canopy of the forest only allowed a sliver of sunlight to pass through, darkening everything under it.
As though being swallowed up, the massive, thick, sky-scraping trees only served to intensify the sense of unease in anyone who enter the forest
In addition, massive roots, soft grounds, and various small insects, animals, and monsters' traps also served as a natural obstacle to anyone who'd enter such dense forests.
However, Yuuji, Aika, Momonga, and Lupu felt no fear. The darkness did not impaired their visuals in the slightest. No sense of unease filled their strong hearts. And no amount of petty obstacles manage to stop them in their tracks.
They all calmly praised and admired the magnificent natural vista before them, especially Momonga.
Of course, compared to the Underground Lake on the fourth floor and the imnse jungle on the sixth floor within the great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, the sight before him was much inferior.
However, having lived in a concrete jungle filled with polluted air and water, the grand vista of nature in all its glory, untainted by the result of human "civilization
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