Chapter 194 – Master of the Forest
After taking care of the fainting Dorothea, we returned to our original seats and had a late lunch.
Today’s lunch menu was thick soup made with biscuits, beef jerky, and potatoes and cheese.
It looks pretty tasty for something I made in a hurry because I didn’t have time.
“I made a lot, so please eat as much as you like.”
I took the plate Camilla handed to me and glanced around.
“It’s a little noticeable because we’re the only ones eating.”
“But you can’t make a white portion with two people.”
I shut my mouth at Sophia’s one word, which was the argument itself.
Well, it’s not something I’ll do for you, but talking about it is a bit like that.
Scoop out the soup with a wooden spoon and take a bite.
I felt a strange flavor with the unique smell of old cheese mixed with the savory potato scent.
“It’s delicious.”
When I said that and nodded, Camilla, with a relieved expression, began serving everyone else’s portion of soup.
It was time to sit around the campfire and eat.
“Something smells delicious.”
Hild, the beast of a tiger, appeared like a ghost and took a seat.
“Would you like to have a bowl too, Hild-nim?”
“I will not refuse a favor.”
Saying that, Hild shrugged her shoulders and asked me while accepting the bowl of soup Sofia had prepared for her.
“Rather than that, there’s something I want to discuss while eating.”
“What if you want to consult?”
“Are there any gifts that are relatively less important to the Elven Wood side?”
“Why?”
“If you keep going like this, you’ll almost certainly end up in the domain of the master of the forest, and then you need a gift to give as a sign of friendship.”
I asked as I put the thick soup in my mouth.
“What is the owner of the forest doing?”
Hild answered my question with a spoon in his mouth.
“It’s a giant monkey. What makes it different from the other guys is that it has a snake tail, but it also has intelligence, so it’s much more intelligent than normal monsters.”
‘It’s a giant monkey…’
Come to think of it, I have never seen a monkey since I was reincarnated in this world.
Probably because the habitat is far from where humans live.
“Have you ever met him in person?”
In response to my question, Hild nodded and said,
“The shortcut to the Elven Woods requires passing through the territory of the giant monkeys. I see them once or twice a year, if not often.”
I feel like I’m curious about what’s new because I’ve only heard about something.
At that time, Master, who was quietly listening to the story, added a word.
“Let’s listen quietly, so it seems that a spiritual being who has lived for a long time and gained magical powers is acting as the head. If you catch it, it won’t be strange if Naedan comes out.”
“Naedan? What is it?”
When Hild tilted his head and asked, Master smiled and said,
“Eating it is good for the body. The dragon heart with concentrated mana is also a kind of naedan.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of it. Did you say that eating a dragon’s heart gives you dragon’s power?”
“It’s a mixture of exaggeration, but it’s not wrong. In-law is the same as the crystal of mana. Even if it’s not a special power, you can get a huge amount of mana.”
“Huh-“
Hild nodded in interest.
Master ate her portion of the soup and said,
“Well, it’s a story about killing the owner of the forest.”
In a word, is it a meaningless assumption?
Blowing in a lot of wind and ending the story in vain is the same as it was then and now.
I had my ears perked up subtly, and when Master started eating again, I slurped down the remaining soup.
***
After a short lunch break, the delegation, after resting for about an hour, began their arduous march again.
“Hot…”
Basically, the vegetation of the Great Forest was not very different from that of the tropical rainforest.
Extreme high temperature and high humidity environment.
Literally just standing still makes me sweat, and my limbs feel heavy as if I were in water, so it’s a structure that I can’t help but get tired easily.
My party and I were fine because we were still exposed to the cold wind, but the Demon Soldiers on the march were drying up and dying in real time under the scorching heat.
Thanks to this, the marching speed was extremely sluggish than usual.
“If you go a little further, I’ll give you a break, so cheer up!”
The soldiers pretended to hear Hild’s cry as they walked in front of them.
Hild frowned at that appearance, but he did not point out the attitude of his soldiers because it was difficult and not disobeying orders.
Anyway, about 5 hours to move forward while repeating rest and marching.
It was around the time when it dawned on me that I had to find a place to camp before the sun went down.
Gigg! Squeak!
An unpleasant cry was heard overhead.
“What?”
Lifting my head up, I found it.
Black-furred monkeys, almost human in size, were sitting on the branches and looking down at us.
The inorganic black eyes and abnormally large arms told us that the monkey on top of its head was not an ordinary creature.
“Everyone stay still!”
Amidst the chatter of the soldiers, Heald was the first to step forward after saying that.
She gave the monkeys an incomprehensible hand signal.
Then the monkeys jumped up excitedly and, without looking back, went deeper into the forest.
I, who was watching the process from the side, asked cautiously.
“What happened?”
Then Hild gave her a small sigh and explained.
“They’re the family of the owner of the forest. Originally, I thought we’d only be able to contact them when they were about sand, but I think that time will come a little sooner. Knowing that we had a lot of goods, I went to report them excitedly.”
After hearing her words, Master, who was chattering at Hakwooseon, asked.
“By the way, do monkeys like gold? It seems a little different from what I used to know.”
Then Hild said with her wry smile.
“Mask monkeys are monsters with child-level intelligence. As smart as they are, they understand the concept of luxury. Not only do they use treasures to adorn themselves, but they also use them to barter with other races. “
“In other words, you understand the concept of currency.”
I could understand why the beastmen valued the owner of the forest so highly.
For the monkeys, if they had the advantage of a forest as their home ground, intelligence enough to hunt in groups and set up traps, and physical abilities comparable to beastmen, even I would not want to make them enemies.
“Then what do we do now?”
“There is no change in the schedule. After finding a suitable campsite and having a good night’s sleep, we will move again.”
Wouldn’t it be strange if a riot broke out if we went on a night march in this state?
I listened to Hild’s words and glanced at the soldiers.
It was definitely an unfamiliar environment, so a lot of people looked tired.
It would be right to let go for the first day or so.
After reconciling our opinions, we walked another 30 minutes, found a good place to camp, and started unpacking.
***
Second night in the Great Forest.
On the first day, I still slept on the bed, so there was no discomfort, but from today, I slept on a mattress on the bare floor, so I had trouble sleeping.
In particular, the cold air rising from the tent floor was a chronic problem, and apart from blocking the wind, this could not be easily blocked.
“Dorotea, please.”
So, we brought in an expert who can solve this problem.
“Hey, you’re bothering me.”
Right!
A tent that warms the air as soon as she snaps her fingers.
It can also be called a walking boiler.
“It’s not a boiler, it’s a disaster!”
“Okay okay.”
I smiled moderately and lay down on the sleeping bag, then spread his arms wide. Dorothea, who had been sneaking a peek to see if others were coming, quietly dug into my arms.
Her body was warm like a stove.
It’s the perfect temperature for sleeping in your arms at night.
“Just stay like this until dinner.”
As I said that and hugged her small body tightly, Dorothea hugged me without saying a word.
Had it been about 10 minutes since I had spent so much time lying in the tent like that?
I could feel the presence outside the tent.
“Master, dinner is ready.”
It’s Sophia’s voice.
“Shall we go to eat?”
When I asked that, Dorothea wriggled while holding me, probably not wanting to get out of her arms, but she soon yawned and said,
“Great.”
Having escaped the temptation of sleeping like that, we decided to follow Sophia for dinner.
***
Squeak! Laugh!
“Ohh… I guess there was a mountain of treasure.”
At the report of the subordinate who had gone out to reconnaissance far away, the owner of the forest smiled, revealing white dry teeth.
Since the leader said that he was a handful, some of them would be a gift to himself.
Even if you sit still, wealth will roll in, but from his point of view, there was no reason to dislike it.
Hororok!
The owner of the forest, drinking fruit wine from a bag sack and holding his chin, thought.
What really happened, did the demons who were hostile to the elves pack presents?
The answer came soon.
‘It looks like the war is not far away.’
Perhaps the dwarves are already on the move.
It is not that he has the power to sit and look outside a thousand miles, but it was a fact that could be inferred from the information given so far.
Then there was only one thing he could do.
‘I should sit still, watch an exorcism, and eat rice cakes.’
There is no force that wants to lose Cheok to the owner of the forest.
Then, while maintaining a neutral position, you can pick up and eat the beans that fall from the conflict between the two forces.
The owner of the forest, whose brain works quite well for a monster, smiled as he imagined his golden future.
Of course, it was only a matter of waiting a little longer to see if that imagination would actually come true.
