After relaying the situation to Donovan and Adele, I went shopping in town before returning to the tower.
Since Mitsuki and I were the only ones here this time, we weren’t using a wagon to transport our luggage but rather Mitsuki’s Item Box.
Even after arriving at the 70th Layer using the Teleport Gate, we were still unburdened and reached the temple without encountering any monsters.
Upon arriving at the temple, Kousuke was called over by Shurein.
“Oh, you’re back. Can I have a moment?”
“Hm? Sure, but is something urgent?”
“No, it’s not urgent, but the investigation results are mostly compiled, so I wanted to report them.”
Recently, Shurein and Floria had been investigating the environment around the temple.
They were particularly examining medicinal herbs and wild herbs in detail to see if they had any connection to the temple’s spring.
“Ah, I see. …Wait, though? Perhaps I should report this when everyone is present. It would be redundant otherwise.”
When it comes to medicinal herbs, Sylvia should be present too. Kousuke proposed reporting everything together when everyone was gathered.
“Hmm, I see. Let’s do that then.”
Shurein had no reason to oppose, so he nodded at Kousuke’s proposal.
Later that evening, after dinner, Shurein made his report.
“…And that’s the situation. What do you think?”
Shurein, with a proud expression, gestured towards a map detailing the surrounding environment of the temple that he had meticulously investigated. Kousuke, looking at the map, could understand why Shurein was so pleased. It was incredibly detailed.
“Wow, this is amazing. You managed to research this much in such a short time.”
The map created by Shurein and Floria depicted the vegetation in minute detail.
“It truly is.”
Neither Kousuke nor Sylvia had imagined such a detailed investigation would be conducted in such a short time. Shurein and Floria exchanged small smiles at their impressed reactions.
“Of course. Or rather, that’s what I’d like to say, but being able to accomplish this much in this short time is thanks to Wanri.”
“Ehh!?”
Suddenly brought into the conversation, Wanri, who had been listening nearby, let out a cute sound.
Floria smiled at Wanri again and continued her explanation.
“When Wanri transformed into her fox form, her sense of smell was invaluable. She found even the smallest things.”
“Even after returning to her human form, she still retained the memories from her fox days. So, we could ask her for supplementary details later. It was incredibly easy to create this map thanks to her!”
Overwhelmed by the praise, Wanri flapped her hands back and forth.
“N-no, that’s not true! Nana-chan is much better at this sort of thing!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Y-yes. Nana-chan has a better sense of smell.”
“I see. Well, that doesn’t change the fact that Wanri was helpful, so you don’t need to be shy about it, you know?”
Hearing Kousuke say that, Wanri blushed and replied, “Thank you.”
Sylvia watched the two of them with a smile before turning her gaze to Shurein and Floria.
“So, what do we do from here?”
Currently, they had thoroughly investigated the central part of the temple, but not the entire floor. The current floor was the 70th Layer, and the monsters appearing were of the upper class. It wasn’t easy to expand their survey area.
“That’s the thing. We’ve finished investigating the areas within immediate reach. We wanted to discuss what to do next.”
“Even though we’ve investigated the distribution of medicinal herbs and such, we’re still amateurs. We have no way of knowing how these connect.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
Nodding, Kousuke turned his gaze towards Sylvia, hoping she might know something.
However, Sylvia, meeting Kousuke’s gaze, shook her head.
“Honestly, I don’t know about these things either. It would be best to ask Colette.”
Sylvia knew which medicinal herbs had what effects, but she wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about vegetation itself. It was only natural to ask Colette, an elf, about such matters.
“Hmm. I suppose so. …However, it would be a hassle to have Colette come all the way here.”
It had been some time since her child’s birth, so her physical condition wasn’t an issue, but it would be difficult to bring an infant all the way here. If they only showed her the map, Colette being Colette, she would surely want to come here herself. Kousuke spoke with this expectation in mind.
Sylvia, vividly picturing the situation, nodded deeply.
“It’s definitely better to stop Colette. But, do we really need to limit ourselves to Colette?”
“Besides Colette… Ah, that’s right. There are many elves.”
It was a natural realization: the elves lived around the World Tree. They didn’t need to bother Colette; there were many other elves. Furthermore, if Kousuke asked, those elves would surely lend a hand. It was at this point that Kousuke suddenly thought of a particular person.
“Yeah. In that case, maybe I should ask Sheryl.”
“Yes. She would be reliable.”
Sylvia, having the same person in mind as Kousuke, nodded in agreement.
“Hmm. So, is it decided? Then, who will go to the tower to meet them?”
“Ah, I’ll go.”
“Kousuke? Well, it’s fine, but why?”
“It’s simple. With Yuri’s ability, we can return in an instant. And coming here also took mere moments with Kouhi’s or Mitsuki’s magic. Also, while I’m there, I want to see the twins.”
Since coming to Seichun’s town, he hadn’t seen the twins at all. He wanted to give them a chance to see their father. Considering Towa and the others, this was understandable, but Kousuke would be sad if they forgot his face. Reading Kousuke’s feelings, Sylvia and the others exchanged glances and nodded.
“If that’s the case, you should go then.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. We just need to stay holed up in this temple.”
In addition to the temple’s inherent defenses, Kousuke’s magic tools were also active, so as long as they remained in the temple, there wouldn’t be any major trouble. Still, Kousuke decided to leave Kouhi behind as a precaution and immediately returned to Amamiya Tower.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
“I see. And you want to borrow my power?”
“Yes. Can you help me?”
After returning to Amamiya Tower, Kousuke used a Teleport Gate to head to the Elf Village. He briefly explained the current situation to Colette and the twins before immediately going to Sheryl. Upon meeting Sheryl, Kousuke explained the situation regarding the temple’s spring and its surroundings in Gazenran Tower and earnestly asked for her cooperation.
“If that’s the case, I’d be happy to help, but is it really alright for it to be me?”
Sheryl understood that Kousuke was choosing her as a substitute for Colette. The question was whether she was truly the right choice.
“Yes. Rather, with anyone other than Sheryl, it’s a bit…”
Kousuke’s true feelings were that he wanted to avoid other elves because they were overly deferential towards him. While Sheryl’s tone was polite, he knew it was her natural demeanor, and she wasn’t being unduly subservient. Reading Kousuke’s feelings, Sheryl showed a slight smile, nodded, and replied,
“Understood. In that case, I will accompany you.”
“Great! That’s wonderful. Shall we go right away then?”
“Of course.”
Sheryl readily agreed, and Kousuke smiled back at her with the same expression.
Elf Summon! (※Not Colette!)
Thus, Sheryl was called upon. While Esena might have been an option, she was quite busy.
