We found the child Servitaurus caught in a trap.
“Perhaps the child has returned to the village. If so, we should be able to find the village by following the tracks.”
“Everyone, this way.”
“Wait, what about the wagon?”
That’s right, it’s helpful to have someone pull the wagon, but it’s a problem in situations like this. However, it is necessary.
“Let’s carry it together.”
“Haa? And why do we need to go to a nearby village?”
“The spring must be deep in the forest. It’s better to approach it by stopping at places to rest along the way.”
Nina followed me with a displeased expression. It’s better to know safe places as much as possible. In terms of games, it’s like increasing the number of safe zones on the field. The longer the distance to the next town, the more dangerous the journey in between. If you run out of items, you can’t buy them, and you can’t rest or save.
Also, when it gets dark, it’s the worst if there’s nowhere to stay. Camping here is too risky. We don’t know what kind of animals might be lurking.
So, we decided to chase after the child Servitaurus, with Elana leading the way. The fog that had settled in grew thicker. It was as if it were rejecting intruders.
Suddenly, Elana stopped.
“Be careful, there’s another one there.”
I hadn’t noticed. Another trap. Have they even reached this far? It’s quite elaborate for a prank. I seem to recall the giants saying they hunt using traps because they are not good at hunting. Could it be practice? But if so, there should be marks for others to see.
“Shh, they’re close.”
“Really?” I was about to say, but quickly shut my mouth. It seems we’ve caught up. I crouched down and followed Elana. Peeking out gently from behind a tree, I saw the child from before caught in another trap. This time, it was made using a thick branch. The light child had been lifted by the bending branch and was left hanging in the air.
“Are you okay? I’ll get you down.”
The child then took out a knife and began to cut the branch. So calm. Visually, he looked no older than five, but as expected of someone raised in the mountains. But would someone raised in the mountains get caught in a trap so easily?
“You’re going to fall, be careful.”
Before I could get down, he escaped and fell to the ground. Then, as if nothing had happened, he ran away at full speed.
“What an amazing guy.”
“Yes, he doesn’t seem like just a child. He’s already like an adult, even though he’s so small.”
Like an adult; perhaps that child is also a small race, like the Yukidango Tribe? If so, it makes sense.
“It might be as Elana said. Owl said he was like a small deer, maybe he really is small.”
“I did some research, and it seems that race is classified as a dwarf. To be more precise, the Yukidango Tribe is a classification of demi-beastmen, Harpy-type, belonging to the Yukidango Tribe.”
Oh, I see. So there was such a classification. Well, I’m not sure if they really match Harpies. While talking about it, we searched for that dwarf, but couldn’t find him at all due to the dense fog and overgrown grass.
“Shouldn’t we give up?”
“I think so, but I feel like I have to find that small deer.”
If I could find him, at least I could talk to him. He’s too wary and keeps running away.
“Hello! Please, just one word is enough!”
Naturally, there was no response to my call. What’s more, I found large claw marks on the tree I had just touched. This is bad. Animals like bears are lurking around here. The claw marks are a sign of their territory.
“Ah, I found him. This way.”
It seems Elana found the hidden child. Our low line of sight was an advantage here. From above, it’s impossible to miss things hidden in the shadows of trees or in small holes. The child was sitting still in the bushes. The rope biting into his leg was already tearing through his fur, and blood was seeping out.
“Uh, I won’t get any closer from here. So, could you talk to me for a moment?”
He twitched his ears. There was no verbal response, but he seemed to be listening.
“I came to meet the fairies who live here. I’ve also met the giants. I want you to tell me what’s happening in this forest.”
“…”
The child glanced back at me. I tried to approach him slowly, shuffling my feet. For the time being, I need to remove the vines tangled around his legs. The thorns must be digging in and painful.
“I’ll take that off for you.”
I wrapped my cloak around my hand and gently touched the vine. The child remained still, without changing his expression. As if struggling would be meaningless. Unfortunately, he seems to have gotten his leg caught twice in the same way. He probably couldn’t move it properly.
“There, it’s off. Are you okay?”
Even though I removed the vine for him, the child didn’t try to move. Could his leg be broken? If so, that’s serious. For a quadruped, losing even one leg can be life-threatening.
I reached under his body and lifted him. Unlike before, he was very docile this time. I’ll have him guide me to his village like this.
