Chapter 192 – Before Departure
The next morning.
I woke up at dawn and, as usual, sat on the floor and meditated.
Oh oh oh ─
‘What?’
And I was surprised.
This was because the total amount of mana absorbed into the body was much higher than usual.
Of course, I didn’t wake up when I was startled, because if I stopped meditating halfway, I would have to do it again from the beginning.
“Whoa-“
After 30 minutes of meditation, I was surprised by the amount of mana in my body.
Compared to meditating in other places, it feels like the efficiency has risen dramatically.
‘Is it because the surrounding environment has changed?’
When I came out to the yard to wash away the wastes that flowed out of my body due to meditation, greenery unfolded in front of my eyes.
“Wow.”
An exclamation that comes out of your mouth.
I didn’t know because it was dark last night, but when I woke up in the morning, I realized that I was in the great forest.
Sup- Haa-
Taking in the fresh air unique to the forest deep into my lungs, I took off my jacket to wash at the well in front of the yard.
It must have raised the groundwater, but seeing the vivid mana felt even in the water, I could understand why there were so many magical creatures in this forest.
Squash!
As I was wiping away the sweat and waste from sleeping the night before by lightly wearing my back, I felt a presence above my head.
“You woke up early. Patrasche.”
Hearing that voice, he looked up and saw Balter’s nephew, Heald, whom he had met last night, standing cross-legged in front of him.
“Are you taking a walk?”
Unlike yesterday, when she was wearing her armor, seeing her in a lighter suit, I asked while wiping her face with a towel, and Heald nodded her head and answered.
“I was walking lightly. Basic physical strength is important.”
“What are you here for?”
“I just came here because I wanted to ask you something. Do you have a minute?”
I took a pocket watch out of my pocket and checked the time.
Current time 6 am.
We’ll have breakfast and leave around 9:00, so there’s still plenty of time.
“I don’t think it’s going to be long in terms of time for each other, but it’s possible in a short time.”
Hearing my answer, Hild nodded her head and pointed in the other direction.
“Then we’ll move places. Beasts have good ears.”
Are you saying that birds hear daytime words and mice listen to nighttime words?
I put on her jacket again and told her.
“You take the lead.”
“Follow.”
***
She took me to a hut surrounded by thick vines.
Awesome!
Perhaps the age is old, but when I opened the door that made a rusty sound from the hinges and went inside, a simple house structure with a bed, a table, and a closet came into view.
“Where are you?”
“This is my house. As a watchman, I spend more time in the Great Forest than in the village, so I rarely use it.”
Indeed, that’s why it has accumulated so much dust.
The landlord didn’t seem to pay much attention to whether this was familiar, but I, the guest, snapped my fingers.
Wheein!
A whirlwind blows in an instant, gathering all the dust in the house into one place.
Seeing that, Heald asked curiously.
“What kind of magic did you do?”
“It’s a simple life magic.”
After replying, I threw the ball-sized lump of dust out the window.
A look inside the house that has been cleaned in an instant.
As if he liked that, Heald’s tail, which had been still, began to move with a rustle.
“I’ll serve you something to drink. What do you like?”
“Oh, there’s nothing special about it.”
“Then let’s serve the specialties of the Great Forest.”
Saying that, Hild took something from her bottle and poured it into two glasses.
At first glance, it looked like water, but it was distinctly different in that it felt sticky.
“What is this?”
“It’s Gorosoesap. It’s easy to get around, so beastmen drink a lot of it as a substitute for beverages.”
Oh, is it a piece of junk?
I had drank it several times in my previous life, but this was the first time I drank it in another world.
After saying that I would drink well, I gulped down the water from the glass.
It was not refrigerated separately, but it was quite cool, so it was good to quench my thirst.
Seeing that I emptied the glass in an instant, Hild asked.
“Would you like another drink?”
“I will not decline.”
The cup is filled once more.
This time, I took one sip and put down my glass to eat at my leisure, then sat down on a chair and asked.
“So what are we going to talk about now?”
Heild, who didn’t answer right away and paused for a while, asked while wagging her tail.
“How did Ozma and Gabriel meet?”
“Uh… Is that what you were curious about?”
“That’s right. They’re my childhood friends.”
I replied scratching my head.
“I first met Ozma at the Demon Castle, and I first met Gabriel at Yongsan…No, Dragon Mountain.”
“How are you both doing?”
“It’s not… Bad, is it?”
“Is it…”
A strange silence fell over the cabin.
To be honest, since it was our first time meeting her and I, there weren’t many topics to talk about.
At most, the only common theme was the two of them, Ozma and Gabriel, who seemed to be typical warriors and didn’t seem to speak well of themselves.
Looking at her, I opened my mouth first.
“I know you’re worried about your friends. But you don’t have to treat them like too much outcasts. Both of them are taking good care of me.”
Then, perhaps because she had revealed her thoughts, Hild stuttered her words as her face blushed.
“Muh, what! When did I say that!”
This person is dishonest.
When I put on a benevolent expression as if I understood everything, Heald felt even more nervous, bang! She said as she slammed her table.
“So it’s a misunderstanding!”
***
After the short interview with Hild, when I returned to the lodging, Master, who was brushing her hair with a comb, raised one hand and asked her.
“Hey, where have you been?”
“I’ve been looking for some business for a while.”
“Really? If you have nothing else to do, brush my hair.”
Master said that and pushed her long hair towards me.
“Can’t you just brush it yourself?”
“You can’t reach the back.”
Having said that, I had nothing more to say.
In fact, Master’s hair was long enough to reach her waist.
“Give me this.”
After letting out a small sigh, I obediently handed over the comb Master was holding.
Shut- Shut-
“Huh-Huh-“
Master shaking her legs and calmly accepting my brushing.
Looking at it this way, she is a very beautiful woman, but on the inside, she is an old woman who has lived for over 100 years.
As she was brushing her hair blankly, Master opened his mouth.
“Doing this reminds me of the old days.”
“Is it a thing of the past?”
“When you just came in as a disciple. You combed your hair like this at that time too.”
“When was that?”
That was almost 15 years ago.
“Whoops, that’s also a memory to me.”
It had been such a long time since we were spending time together with Master as a teacher and teacher.
“Uh, what is it? Do it for me too.”
Dorothea, who had just woken up from the second floor, said so.
“What? You too?”
“Why are you making that face all of a sudden? Am I bothering you?”
“Oh, no. Of course I have to.”
I averted my gaze at her questioning.
To be honest, it was annoying because Camilla usually does it instead of me.
But showing it off is itself sewage.
As this is the life wisdom I learned from living in the same house with five women, I told Dorothea to wait a moment and finished brushing Master’s hair.
“Um. That’s good.”
After stroking her glossy black hair with satisfaction, Master looked at Dorothea, who was waiting next to her, and asked,
“Little boy, would you like me to comb for you?”
“Who’s the kid!”
Upon hearing that, Dorothea was furious, but in her teacher’s eyes, even that seemed cute. Huhuhu, she laughed and waved her hand.
“It’s a joke. It’s a joke. I’d rather have your husband’s touch than mine.”
Master calmly moved away and looked at me and Dorothea, then she said, covering her mouth with the fan she always carried.
“It’s a good time.”
***
Unlike yesterday, which was a meat party, breakfast was simple.
To be precise, it was a fruit party in the Great Forest.
‘It’s delicious, but.’
It’s awkward to eat fruit instead of rice.
Isn’t there a saying that Koreans originally have a heart for rice?
As I was munching on an apple with an expressionless expression in my hand, Walter asked curiously.
“Doesn’t the rice suit your taste?”
“Yes?”
Stunned, I hurriedly shook my hand and made an excuse.
“It’s because I don’t usually eat breakfast. Fruits are incredibly delicious.”
“Then I’m glad.”
I let out a sigh of relief and said something else to change the subject.
“Rather than that, how many days will it take to get to Elven Wood through the Great Grove?”
“Usually it takes about a week to get there safely. The terrain in the forest is rough and there are dangers lurking everywhere in the Great Forest. But-“
“But?”
“If we use the short cut that the Beasts use, it will take four days. There’s a road I’ve made to use when trading with the Elves.”
“That’s good.”
The schedule is much shorter than expected.
It was good to reduce the homeless life on the street if possible.
Because I’m not that young anymore.
“Then, get up with only this. Shouldn’t we start soon before it’s too late?”
“Ah, yes.”
At Walter’s pick, I started munching the remaining fruit on my plate.
