Chapter 318 Part 1
Volff stops in his tracks.
Then he starts to growl lightly.
A warning.
But the forest still lies ahead.
Are there any abnormalities around us?
I can’t see anything.
But I guess I can feel something’s out there.
Obsidian, Kyokuya, and Aotsuki are all showing signs of caution.
Heather must have sensed something as well, since she just flew towards my back and is pretending to hide there.
What could it be at a time like this?
It’s a spell.
What if I use Sense Magic?
Although it’s faint, I can see the remnants of magical power.
Two spots?
No, I’m getting four spots.
「Stop right there!」
Somebody’s voice comes from ahead of me to the left.
That’s where Volff is.
But what appears next is a person wearing a robe.
They’re about the same size as a Human.
There’s a staff in their right hand.
However, 【Identify】 isn’t working because they’re hidden behind a robe.
Their marker isn’t visible.
Next, two people appear to my right.
Both of them have a bow and arrow at the ready.
They’re faces are hidden as well, and only their eyes are visible.
As expected, 【Identify】 isn’t working on them either.
And another one appeared from the rear left.
This one doesn’t seem to be using a bow and arrow, and instead is holding a staff.
So I’m surrounded, huh?
Who are these people?
「A Human?」
「Why would a Human be in a place like this? What if he’s a Majin?」
「No, I’m sure he’s a Human. At any rate, a Summoner, right?」
「It looks like he came from the east, not the west?」
「Maybe he got lost.」
Wait a minute.
Am I just out of this conversation?
What is this?
「Excuse me, Mr. Summoner. What is your destination?」
That’s a somewhat uncommon way of speaking, isn’t it?
Well, I don’t think I should be worrying about that now.
「I’m, uh, an adventurer. I’m just wandering around to see places I haven’t seen yet.」
「Even all the way here?」
「Yeah.」
「It ought to have been quite a difficult task. Did you encounter any monsters on your way here?」
「Well, yes.」
「Have you seen an old tree giant?」
「Umm, yes.」
「Did you engage in battle with it?」
「No. I did come across one, but it didn’t attack me, so I didn’t fight it.」
It now looks like the two people holding staves are whispering to each other.
What’s going on?
Volff and the other Summoned Monsters aren’t letting their guard down.
Let’s be patient here, guys.
Let’s be patient.
There are several things here telling me this is the area portal.
This black forest may look like a normal forest, but it might be hiding some kind of village.
Who are these guys in robes?
Maybe they’re here acting as some kind of gatekeepers?
It doesn’t necessarily mean I absolutely have to release the area portal.
Let’s keep things peaceful for now.
Let’s all calm down…
Kyokuya!
Don’t bare your fangs!
Perhaps reading the atmosphere, Volff stopped his deep growling.
「Forgive our rudeness. We shall allow you to stop by our village.」
「But if you start a fight, great punishment will befall you immediately.」
「You should avoid unnecessary disputes.」
Then they look at the Summoned Monsters that are currently following me.
That’s right.
They’re giving us a warning.
I recall Kyokuya.
The robed figures are still on alert.
I then recall Volff and Obsidian.
Still no good?
I recall Aotsuki.
Now it seems that they’re finally letting their guard down.
So having Heather with me is fine?
「Those associated with Fairies and Spirits can do no harm here.」
「Thank you for your thoughtfulness.」
「Sure.」
It is weird after all, isn’t it?
They talk in a funny, almost old-fashioned way.
Then, they finally pull their hoods backwards, revealing their faces.
All of them have long ears.
Sharp facial features.
They’re definitely Elves.
They look like Elves, but…
Their skin is colored a deep shade of brown
Maybe Dark Elves?
「Welcome to the Black Forest. It seems that you’ll be received well here.」
I’ve learned some things as we chatted while walking.
What is this place?
It’s the Black Forest.
Once I entered this area, I was promptly able to use the area portal menu.
I’m not disappointed.
Even though I was prepared for a battle.
The giant trees in this forest are black.
They are also said to be the guardians of this forest.
And what’s inside those trees?
All of them are the remains of the Dark Elves.
It is said that once Dark Elves grow old enough, they depart this world, leaving these trees behind and reincarnate as Fairies.
Therefore, it is taboo to lay hands on the trees in this forest with harmful intent.
That’s basically the gist of it.
Moreover, my Sense Magic, which had been effective until recently, isn’t working properly here.
Everything looks blurry.
【Identify】 seems to be working, though.
The Dark Elf who’s leading the way told me that there’s a powerful blessing protecting this place.
Perhaps this forest itself is a powerful barrier.
Anyway, that’s it.
So I take it these Dark Elves aren’t hostile?
Lula Rue Lv.5
Ranger In Conversation
Dark Elf Male
Lula Sie ???
Elemental Mage 『Fire』 In Conversation
??? ???
I tried to identify the two Dark Elves who were talking on both sides of me.
【Identify】 seems to be working.
So, an Elemental Mage?
And they are the second only to the Dark Elf Guild Leader here?
They must be quite talented.
So, are they hostile after all?
It seems that those fears were unfounded.
What do we find once we arrive at the village?
Under the light of Flashlight, there is a normal village.
Naturally, there are a lot of Dark Elves.
But there are also Humans.
There are also some Dwarves.
And I see a few regular Elves, too.
What’s the deal here?
「Here is the center of our village.」
「Traveler, feel free to pass your time at leisure here.」
After saying that, the four Dark Elves leave.
This was too easy.
No, I think they’ve surveyed me from top to bottom while they walked with me.
Though it was just casual chatting while walking.
A trap?
I wonder…
I guess all of this is a little suspicious.
After all, Dark Elves do tend to have a bad reputation.
But still…
Those from races other than Dark Elf in this village appear to be fine.
I’m not particularly concerned about them.
That’s right.
There seem to be some food carts and street stalls, so how about I go try and gather some information?
Though that was my original plan…
A problem suddenly occurred.
It’s regarding currency.
No one accepts Dyne here.
『What’s that?』
That was the reaction of the Dwarf shopkeeper at the stall.
However, once I showed him a Magic Stone, his face suddenly changed.
It’s like his entire face was trying to say 『Can I buy that off you?』…
But I don’t know how much this is worth here!
Looks like this isn’t the time to be gathering information.
Let’s take a look around some other stores.
This next one seems to be the direct sales store from a Woodworking shop.
Well, it’s more like a stall that is part of the Woodworking shop itself.
A Dark Elf shopkeeper was making a presentation of his woodwork.
「Would you like to buy something? Or perhaps you have some wood to sell?」
「Hmm…」
After thinking about it for a while, I decided to take out my wood scraps.
What did I take out from my Item Box?
It’s my Hell’s Latches.
Although I now have quite a lot less than I used to have.
「Huh, you have something quite rare, don’t you?」
「I also have some kaya and cedar logs.」
「Logs? They aren’t sawn?」
「Yeah. But they’re not of the greatest quality.」
That’s right.
The logs that the Trolls use as a weapon.
It still counts as raw timber, but they are of low quality.
The highest quality among them is C+, but most are C-, and there were some that were even as bad as D+.
I have many types of logs, including kaya, cedar, oak, ginkgo, and hemlock, but kaya and cedar are the most common.
Even if it’s a mix of broadleaves and conifers.
This Dark Elf seems more interested in the logs than the Hell’s Latches.
「Would you like to buy these logs?」
「They might sell… But I think I’ll pass for now.」
「Hmm? Oh, I see…」
Hmph.
This Dark Elf has a calm demeanor, but he seems to be quite unaware, doesn’t he?
He doesn’t come off as a businessman to me…
Lily Zue Lv.7
Woodworker At Work
Dark Elf Male
This is what I got when using 【Identify】 on the Dark Elf manning the store.
Considering his level and occupation, he seems to be a young Dark Elf.
This Dark Elf is now talking to an Elf who seems to be in charge of the workshop and is cleaning up the place.
Garu Bau ???
Woodwork Mentor ???
Elf ???
I tried using 【Identify】 on them, but it doesn’t reveal much.
If anything, this person is shorter and looks more like a girl.
They’re a regular Elf
The other Dark Elves around them were fearfully following their instructions.
Even I can see that they must be some kind of important person.
After all, there are many things about them that I cannot see.
I’m also afraid about talking to them.
However…
They started talking to us all of a sudden!
How scary!
「I hear you have some raw timber?」
「Yes. They’re log-sized, though…」
「It’s hard to get timber in the form of raw logs around here. How did you do it?」
「The Trolls carry these on them.」
Hearing that, the Elf’s facial expression changed.
A bitter smile.
No, rather, they seem dumbfounded.
「Those are monsters not even us can deal with without the protection of our Spirits. I suppose Humans can be absurdly surprising sometimes.」
「Y-Yeah…」
I take out logs one after another from my Item Box.
They’re all spoils from the Trolls.
Although I can’t actually feel their weight, not having them on me makes me feel much lighter.
There was so much stuff in there?
Looking at it again, it really is a huge number of logs.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
Summoner is Going
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 Hours
Thanks for the treat.