Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 192: One Day in the Forest
The next morning.
After having breakfast in the private dining area, they conducted the final preparations for the full-scale search for Avalushi’s hiding place, which would begin today.
“In yesterday’s preliminary search, we didn’t find any significant clues, did we?”
“Indeed, it seems unlikely that they’d make a mistake as obvious as leaving traces near the highway.”
“There aren’t many of them, so they’ve probably entered the forest from a more remote location.”
As they spread a simple map out on the table, Isamu, Felix, and Samuel exchanged their thoughts.
“Shall we start by searching the areas we were told about as potential locations?”
“Yes… Searching aimlessly would be a waste of time, so it’s best to start there.”
“And we also need to figure out how far Avalushi’s golems have spread… Greg-san, does Avalushi have any scouting units?”
With the plan coming together, Samuel turned to confirm with Greg.
If scouts are posted near the highway, there’s a chance we might get spotted or even attacked since our magic vehicles are quite conspicuous.
“No, they don’t have anything like that. They may have a few who can do a bit of scouting, but that’s about it.”
Greg answered.
Although Greg’s clan had lived in hiding, concealing both their identities and their magic giant golems, they were not a clan of ninjas, so this wasn’t surprising.
“Hmm… So, how many people could they spare for watch duty?”
“Well, it depends on how many of Zun’s men are with them. Given that their plan relies on the speed of their magic giant golems, I doubt there are many.”
“If they’re using 30 golems for transportation, then I’d estimate they have a maximum of 15 personnel, including engineers for repairs.”
“Fifteen, huh… Even if they’re working in shifts, that means about seven or eight people on guard at any given time. If that’s the case, they probably haven’t spread too far beyond Meraja. We should drive to a spot a little distance from the candidate location, then enter the forest on foot.”
“That sounds like a good plan. The nearest candidate site is about three hours away by vehicle, so we can enter the forest after about two hours of driving.”
“Understood.”
With that, the plan was set. They prepared and headed west along the highway.
As expected, there were a lot of monsters, as they encountered small groups of about ten orcs twice along the way.
The first encounter…
“Hmm, considering future coordination, it would be best if you all witnessed my combat abilities.”
Samuel stepped up alone and, within less than a minute, dispatched the orcs by hurling more than ten massive ice spears, each over a meter long and about 20 centimeters in diameter.
The group, hearing rumors of Samuel being the kingdom’s most powerful mage, were all wide-eyed at witnessing his power firsthand for the first time.
Franboise, the only one familiar with his abilities, looked at him with heart-shaped eyes.
Isamu, on the other hand, didn’t miss the fact that Samuel had used wind magic alongside his ice spears.
The unusual speed at which the spears flew was likely due to some wind magic assistance.
With the size and number of those ice spears, the amount of magic power consumed must have been significant. The fact that he still appeared unfazed indicated that Samuel had plenty of magic reserves left.
(Whoa, this guy’s a real cheat… Probably on the same level as Eleonora-san—an actual human weapon.)
Isamu was secretly relieved that Samuel wasn’t their enemy after seeing him perform combined magic, a feat usually requiring two people, all by himself.
The second encounter involved the use of magic giant golems in combat.
This was to provide the crew with some real battle experience beyond training exercises.
First, Drexler, the leader, took the lead and quickly routed the orcs. As a knight of the Klaufeldt family, well-versed in monster subjugation, it didn’t take long.
When asked for his thoughts afterward, he commented.
“With these, even ogres wouldn’t be much of a challenge.”
Clearly, the combat abilities of the magic giant golems were extraordinary.
After wiping out about half of the enemies, they rewrote the golem’s operator registration, allowing Julius to step up next.
Though Julius had faced goblins in hand-to-hand combat a few times, he had almost no real battle experience against monsters. They wanted him to gain that experience here.
Due to the overwhelming difference in individual power, Julius easily won, though there were moments where he took a few hits, as he lacked experience in fighting multiple enemies simultaneously.
Felix and Drexler offered guidance afterward, which Julius listened to intently.
Despite these battles, they finished in a short time and arrived near their destination after driving for about two hours as planned.
So far, there were no signs of an ambush by other humans.
“Ah, there it is. We’ve found the marker from Liliene-san. It looks like the initial rendezvous point is southwest from here.”
Since the forest held no man-made structures, Liliene had discreetly left markers at the base of trees when possible. Isamu spotted one of these, prompting the caravan to halt.
“It seems there’s a small clearing deeper in the forest. That’s where we plan to set up camp.”
“First, we need to identify that exact location.”
“Agreed. We’ll hide the magic vehicles some distance away, leave a lookout, and proceed into the forest on foot.”
“Understood. Shall we take about ten people into the forest?”
With over twenty people in their group, all of them entering the forest together would be far too conspicuous. Additionally, some members, such as Eto, were not suited for such activities, so they decided to split into two groups: those staying behind and those going into the forest.
After a short discussion, the team heading into the forest included Isamu, Samuel, Franboise, Felix, Marcella, Elis, Greg, Laurel, and Gable, making nine in total.
Since the magic giant golems were not yet able to move freely through the forest, they were left behind.
After selecting their team and hiding the magic vehicles just off the road, Isamu called out to the others as they prepared to enter the forest.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Hm.”
“Understood!”
“Nyao.”
“Maa.”
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“Nii.”
“Myah.”
“Huh?”
As those entering the forest responded in their own ways, four adorable voices joined in from Isamu’s feet.
“…It’s not unusual for the princess to come along, but are Shadow, Kiki, and Leo coming too?”
Surprised, Isamu looked down to see four cats lined up, led by Orihime, all looking up at him.
It seemed the only cat staying behind was Sarah’s beloved Lucy.
“Nyan-nuff.”
As if saying “of course,” Orihime answered Isamu and promptly led the three other cats into the forest.
“S-Sorry! We need to follow them! Orihime, wait!!”
“Hahaha! This has become quite the amusing situation. Let’s go, Franboise!”
“Yes, sir!”
Isamu hurried after Orihime, while Samuel followed, delighted by the turn of events. The other members, taken aback, quickly rushed after them into the forest.
Three hours passed as they trailed behind Orihime, who moved effortlessly through the forest, sometimes trotting, sometimes hopping.
By this time, the highway had long since disappeared from view, and the thick green scent of the forest filled their lungs.
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“Phew, those cats are impressively nimble and seem to have incredible stamina as well.”
Samuel remarked to Isamu, wiping sweat from his brow.
Despite his age, Samuel was holding up well, though his breathing had become a little labored.
“Yes… They were always agile… but it seems they’ve built up quite a bit of endurance since we got here… haa, haa.”
Isamu replied, even more out of breath. Greg, the oldest member, also looked fatigued.
Though they had taken a few short breaks, they had essentially been walking non-stop, so it was no wonder they were getting tired.
The rest of the group, all active knights, were unfazed and showed no signs of weariness.
Just as Isamu was about to call for a longer break, the cats suddenly stopped in their tracks.
“Haa, haa, Orihime, are we taking a break?”
Isamu, slightly relieved, walked over to Orihime, who had stopped, and asked.
“Nyaff.”
Orihime responded as if to say, “How pathetic,” before hopping onto Isamu’s head and curling up comfortably.
Then…
“Nyaooooooooooooooon.”
Orihime let out a long, melodic meow from atop Isamu’s head.
It wasn’t particularly loud, but it carried beautifully, resonating through the forest. Even Isamu, who had lived with her for years, had never heard such a sound before.
“Hime?”
Surprised, Isamu called out to Orihime atop his head.
“Nyaooooooooooon,” came the same long cry from the other three cats following them.
“Matsumoto-dono, what on earth is this?”
Samuel, who had been startled initially, composed himself and turned to Isamu with a question.
“I… I don’t know… They’ve never meowed like this before. They only do it when they’re calling someone or trying to communicate something important.”
Although cats sometimes meow during mating season, this meowing was different, so Isamu dismissed that possibility.
“Nafuu.”
Unfazed by the humans’ confusion, Orihime let out a long meow, then curled up comfortably on Isamu’s head, fully settling in. The other cats also started relaxing, with some perching on shoulders or lying down where they were.
“Hmm… looks like they won’t be moving anytime soon.”
Isamu said with a wry smile, watching the cats. Until now, he and the group had followed the cats without stopping. But now that the cats had made a point of meowing and pausing, Isamu and the others had little choice but to stop as well.
Deciding to take a break, they waited.
However, unlike on Earth, it was not exactly comforting to stay still in the dense forests of this world, Ethersia. There was always the possibility of monsters or even enemies nearby. And as thirty minutes passed in this slight tension, Orihime, curled up on Isamu’s lap as he sat on a large fallen tree, suddenly twitched her ears, catching a sound. She kept her ears moving minutely for a while, then slowly rose and gazed intently into the depths of the forest.
“Hime, what is it—?”
Isamu noticed her behavior and was about to speak when—
“Nyaa-oo.”
“Huh?”
From the thicket Orihime was watching, a black cat emerged, meowing as it approached. It walked right up to Orihime, touched noses with her, and rubbed its cheek affectionately against hers.
“…Could it be Max?”
Recognizing the cat, Isamu instinctively asked.
“Maa-ow.”
Instead of replying, the black cat now turned and went over to Greg’s beloved cat, Shadow, rubbing up against him.
“It’s indeed Max,”
Greg confirmed as he petted Max, but that wasn’t the end.
“Nyaa!”
“Crrrl.”
“Unyaa.”
“Nyaa-nyaa!”
“Miii!”
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From beyond the bushes, cats of various patterns began emerging one by one.