Chapter 60 – Friends, Allies, and Enemies (6)

Friends, Allies, and Enemies (6)

After wandering around with Mind’s Eye for a while, I found Cecilia.
She was wiping Valkvogel’s body with a towel.
It seemed to have become routine for her to tend to her every morning. But if there’s no sign of her waking up, I wonder if it’s okay to just leave her be.

I sat down next to Cecilia.
And then I turn off Mind’s Eye with my finger.

There’s no particular reaction, but still, Valkvogel’s naked body is uncomfortable to look at.

“How’s Valkvogel doing, any signs of waking up?”

“…She’s a dragon. It wouldn’t be strange for her to survive even after we’re dead.”

“So, you mean there’s no sign.”

The sound of her wiping doesn’t stop.

“It would be inconvenient to move her around like this. She needs to wake up soon.”

Carrying Valkvogel through the streets of Myluman would certainly raise suspicions.
If she doesn’t wake up soon, I might really leave her at the inn.
Since she’s a dragon, it wouldn’t be strange if she got kidnapped and left in some mediocre lodging. There’s a belief that drinking ground dragon horn grants longevity. One wrong look and she could be dragged off to the black market.

“She can take your time waking up. More importantly, why are you here? You can’t see anything, so why not just lie down, what brought you all the way here?”

When I was lying down, she spoke kindly, but now that I’m up, she’s got something to say again.

I’ve realized something over the past month. Cecilia probably wants me to stop delivering letters. It feels like she wants me to stay at the inn.

“It’s none of your business where I wander.”

After all, I’m the master of this journey. If I want to depart, we depart.

“…As you wish.”

The atmosphere seems to have lightened up a bit.
Let’s get to the point.

“Besides, it’s time to—”

I, a pleasant nice guy, don’t beat around the bush. If there’s something to say, it should always be direct. Beating around the bush just leads to frustration.

“We’re leaving for Myluman.”

“…”

The sound of wiping stopped.
At the same time, a towel hit my face. Cecilia must have thrown it.
I can’t stand filth.

“…You can’t even block a towel I casually threw. Just rest here.”

“I know my body well. There’s no problem, so I’m proceeding.”

“I know your body better.”

Tch.
If only she wasn’t a saint.

“Well, it doesn’t matter who knows it better.”

What’s important is that I’ve decided to depart.
If I don’t move, I’ll just die here. Dying in an inn might be quite a romantic story, but… I still have to deliver all the letters to die without regrets.

“Even with ruined eyes, I can see enough with Mind’s Eye, so there’s no problem.”

“I’m fine, so if you want to check, go ahead,”

I said as I opened Mind’s Eye and looked at Cecilia.
She spread her fingers towards me with a puzzled look.

Thumb and index finger.
Right hand.

I spread the same fingers.
Right hand.
Thumb and index finger.

I couldn’t see her expression, but I could guess. She must be surprised.

“As you can see, I can see in front of me.”

Mind’s Eye is advantageous for identifying living beings.
That’s why I used it while moving through The Great Forest. As long as I have Mind’s Eye, there shouldn’t be a big problem moving through The Great Forest.

“…Sigh, when are you planning to leave?”

Cecilia placed her hand on her forehead. It seemed she realized that she couldn’t change my mind. Even the faint groan mixed with resentment didn’t bother me. It would have been nice to see her expression. It’s a pity.

“Right now.”

“And what about El…!”

Why is she bringing up El here?
She’s not even worried about me.

Well, I do feel at ease when I’m with El. Anyone, no matter how insensitive, would know why.
But that’s as far as it goes.
Chasing after echoes of the past is… foolish.

“…It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving now. So get ready quickly.”

I’ll send El a gift later.

As for the lodging fee, I’ll just leave it on the bed.

My eyes feel tingly, probably because of Mind’s Eye. Well, it’s a sensation I’ll have to get used to now. I’ll have to keep Mind’s Eye open even after arriving in Myluman.

The room has become silent.
Only the fierce sound of rain, plop, plop, fills the quiet space. I’m organizing various scrolls necessary for battle. Cecilia is packing food and medical supplies into her bag. Valkvogel is… right, still sleeping soundly.

…Right. With the rain pouring, I should make sure the luggage doesn’t get wet.
I wrapped the bundle in a waterproof cloth.
I remember during my days in the hero party when all our food got soaked and we starved for months. I thought I was going to die then….

With that thought, I moved, and before I knew it, all preparations were complete.
Everything was ready in a shorter time than expected.

Now, it’s time to depart.

* * *

Forest Keeper.
A group that manages The Great Forest near Myluman.
Individually, they are not very strong, but if they engage in combat within The Great Forest, they are familiar enough with the forest to hold back the feet of the Demon King’s subordinates.

Since The Great Forest is like a homeland to the elves, there is an abundance of people who wish to become Forest Keepers.
They are guaranteed honor and wealth, after all.

Of course, there are exceptions.

The treatment of the outer Forest Keepers differs from those active near Myluman. The outer is typically assigned to those who are subpar or have been demoted.

And Chloe is one of these outer Forest Keepers.
One of the few.

Living as an outer Forest Keeper is tough. They are often called the disgrace of their race. Had it not been for Chloe, who didn’t care about the stares of others at all, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had taken her own life long ago.
But she was someone who didn’t care as long as she had friends, and thanks to that, she was still working to this day.

Then one day,

A letter was delivered to her.
It was from Myluman.
Since she was not on good terms with the higher-ups, at first, she wanted to tear up the letter. But she was in an unusually good mood that day, so after much deliberation, she opened it.

Of course, after reading the contents, she regretted not tearing it up.

It’s a cliché letter.
The energy of the demon race has been detected, so all Forest Keepers must return to Myluman.
The Demon King is dead, what’s so important about the demon race?

Without the Demon King, the demon race weakens significantly. She thought there was no reason for all the Forest Keepers to gather in Myluman.
Yet, she didn’t stop packing her things.

The destination is Myluman.

If she climbs through the trees, she’ll arrive quickly.
She doesn’t bother telling her friends.
She’ll be back soon after a quick visit. If they give her annoying tasks, she’ll ignore them all and return.

She doesn’t really need to depart, but her position as an outer Forest Keeper is precarious. It’s better to at least pretend to follow orders. She needs to maintain a decent job to keep playing with her friends.

She wanted to tell the truth about the hero.
Because the praise for that vile human was too irritating.

This time, she was determined to inform the elders of that fact.

With that thought, she moved on.

* * *

If some of the five senses are lost, the remaining senses become amplified.
It’s because the energy that would have gone to the unusable parts are redirected elsewhere.
I think I’ve heard something like that before.

Based on my own experience, surprisingly, it’s true.

After losing my sight, my overall physical sensations have heightened.
It’s not a congenital disability but an acquired one… Anyway, I can’t deny that my senses have become more sensitive.
Since this isn’t even the real world but another world, I might be an unusual case.
And the fact that I can see ahead with Mind’s Eye is strange in itself.

Well, in The Great Forest, not being able to see wasn’t too bad.
The view is limited anyway because of the trees. Without Mind’s Eye, being able to see would be the same as not seeing.
Moreover, as I went deeper into The Great Forest, the rainfall decreased, and there were more paved roads, so I could move faster than expected. Naturally, there were fewer threats like demonic beasts, so the presence or absence of sight wasn’t that important.

Except for the fact that I almost went insane because Cecilia kept asking if I had any plans to fix my eyes, there weren’t particularly any annoying incidents.
Although carrying Valkvogel was a hassle.

Anyway, it’s already been a week on the way to Myluman.
Signs of civilization were becoming more evident, and people were seen more frequently. In other words, it was time to prepare to enter the city.

Even if The Great Forest is a space isolated from the outside, information spreads somehow in a metropolis like Myluman.
For example, stories about how the Demon King fell to the hero’s blade, or information about the scarred man who kidnapped the Tower of Magic’s master from the Country of Magic and the saint from the Holy Imperial Court.

So, it was impossible to enter Myluman boldly.

Even if I had the holy and demonic swords, it’s hard to guarantee victory in a fight in the forest.
A fight in the forest with my disastrous combat sense?
It’s a tough job.
A very tough job indeed.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to get into Myluman.

The method is to use the hidden pathways of the Forest Keepers.

There shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve been told about the location by Troka before. Plus, with Mind’s Eye, finding it isn’t too difficult.
And since the Forest Keepers’ pathways are loosely guarded, and no lazy, stupid Forest Keeper would use them after the rainy season, I thought there wouldn’t be any problems.

Until I ran into someone.

Damn it.