I heard about the Servitaurus who live in the forest from the village chief’s son.
I almost got crushed by a Centaur’s rear, but that’s another story. It’s time to depart.
“Alright, is everyone ready?”
“Not yet! I slept in a weird place again, and my hair is all messed up.”
Nina is still complaining, but I’ll ignore her. The sun sets early here, and we can’t waste precious daylight.
I forced Nina, who was still grumbling, out of the hut. As a courtesy, I greeted the village chief’s wife, who had taken care of us. Being generous, she packed us a lunch.
Next, I thanked the village chief himself, who was working in the forest.
“So you’re leaving after all.”
“Yes, this is why we came all this way.”
“I see. No, I should be the one thanking you. We know this forest is being consumed by darkness. Yet, we do nothing, even though our own lives are threatened.”
“That’s right, why isn’t anyone doing anything?”
“Shhh, Nina, please be quiet. It’s because you all are the guardians of this forest. You cannot leave, it’s a mission bestowed by the forest.”
So, please let us pass as your proxies. Perhaps sensing my sincerity, he bowed his head slightly.
“I’m counting on you, Hiroaki. It’s a little strange that you’re all women. And your races are so varied. No, perhaps that’s why you are the ones to succeed,”
The village chief glanced at Philiana, who was pulling the cart.
“The path ahead is narrow. Be careful. If it gets dangerous, come back. We are the Heavy Class Centaurs, the Gigastaura.”
He sent us off with those final words. We had successfully passed the gatekeepers. This forest is like one large living organism. It has a grand will and controls everything. We must not go against it.
Dark Elves are like cancer cells that threaten this peace. If so, the cells begin to attack to destroy it. But when you can no longer do anything on your own, you rely on medicine. That’s where we come in.
The morning forest is quiet. Occasionally, the calls of small birds can be heard. But it always feels like we’re being watched. It’s as if we’re being tested. To see if the medicine we took is effective.
I relayed to everyone the story I heard from Owl this morning.
“Indeed, then we need to find the Servitaurus living in the vicinity,”
Sharin replied, looking at her feet. I forgot to thank her, but it’s probably fine. It was an old magazine, so I should have just given it to her entirely.
“Ah, I can’t get my hair to stay put.”
“It’s okay, Nina. It looks the same as always.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Philiana is flustered after being glared at by a snake. I’d probably get scolded if I said I looked the same as always, too.
We continued deeper into the forest, being careful not to get the cart caught on tree roots. Since large trees had been felled, it was easy to walk even for a large group. They were likely cut down to make it easier for giants to pass. That would mean they have come this far. Therefore, it’s still safe.
It must have been around noon when we decided to take a short break. We had traveled for two or three hours, but there were still traces of felled trees, so it was within a safe range. Even though they are gatekeepers, they must have been given a considerable area.
As I sat on a stump to rest, Sharin seemed to have found something on the ground.
“What is it?”
“No, I found a small trap here. Look.”
Where Sharin pointed, a small handmade trap was set on the ground. The giants probably made it to catch small animals. Seeing it made of wood and branches, it looks like a child’s prank. Vines with thorns are used as thread. What a cruel prank.
“It must hurt to get pricked by thorns.”
“Ah, it does. More importantly, the prey seems to have escaped from here.”
Escaped? Come to think of it, the trap shows signs of activation, but there’s no animal caught. It must have chewed through and escaped. Sharin picked up a vine and examined it closely.
“The cut is like a sharp blade.”
“I think there are animals like wild boars here. Wild boar tusks are quite sharp.”
I imagined them only charging, but they apparently have incredibly sharp tusks. Their upper and lower teeth meet and are naturally ground to become like natural swords.
“Wild boar, hmm. But look at these footprints.”
Footprints? I bent down and looked at the ground. There were faint traces of grass being trampled. And they led to the nearby bushes.
“It looks like they ran that way. We need to be careful as they might still be around here.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Even a small wounded beast can be unpredictable. It would be troublesome if it came towards us.
