Chapter 215

“Wow! You’ve collected a lot of ‘Lalice Sprouts’! Since this was a relatively new request, I think there are still many people waiting for it. That completes three requests right there.”

Deep in the forest, Melt was busily gathering young tree sprouts, I was collecting fairly easy-to-find nuts, and Sheele had gone off on her own to hunt the birds assigned in a hunting request.

We had split up to tackle the forest requests, and looking around like this, I was once again struck by the richness of the forest.

There was so much food. If it’s like this in spring, by autumn even more fruits and mushrooms would grow—enough that the villagers probably couldn’t eat it all. Perhaps, in addition to forestry, some of the forest’s bounty might even be exported.

But if that’s the case… wild animals and monsters would be more active. In a village rarely visited by explorers or adventurers, even gathering could be a matter of life and death.

“By the way, those wild vegetables… I think they existed in my world too. They were spring vegetables, sold in stores, or relatives would gather and send them to us.” 

I said.

The vegetables Melt was collecting seemed familiar. Though I couldn’t remember all the details, I think they were called ‘Tara no Me,’ or “Tara buds.” They were supposedly so popular that they were called the “king of wild vegetables.”

“Really! How did you eat them back in your world? I roasted them or boiled them in soup.”

Melt asked.

“In my world, tempura… we’d coat them like karaage and fry them in oil.” 

I replied.

“Oh! I’d love to try that! Maybe we could ask the inn to make it tonight?”

“Shall we give it a try?”

She looked delighted, planning the possible addition to tonight’s menu. I’d love to eat tempura of Tara buds again after so long.

“Did you collect any other types of wild vegetables?”

“Yes, I got them all! They’re concentrated in areas that get some sunlight. Plants won’t grow without sun. This forest really did grow so rapidly that other plants have been pushed further into the depths.” 

Melt said.

“I see… so overgrown trees can cause such side effects. Let’s meet up with Sheele,” 

I suggested.

“Yeah… but we should be careful. She might be aiming at prey with her bow right now.” 

Melt warned.

“Got it. Let’s wait at the spot we separated at for Sheele to return.”

We had split at a slightly less dense part of the forest, and there we waited for her to come back. Occasionally, we could hear a flock of birds taking off or the agonized cries of prey, suggesting that Sheele was progressing well with her hunt.

“Sheele will probably bring back a lot of prey! If there’s a stream nearby, she could bleed them out, but I wonder if that’s a problem.” 

Melt said.

“She should be able to carry them with her storage. I don’t think freshness will degrade… probably. Can’t say for sure, though.” 

I replied.

I recalled the time she had Sheele carry the massive wings of a giant bird monster without using storage and had Viaas of the Thirteen Knights help. I wondered why she hadn’t stored them then… Ah, maybe she didn’t want anyone thinking she could store two giant wings at once.

After a while, Sheele returned from the forest empty-handed. This time, she seemed to have used her storage. When I asked her about it—

“From what I’ve heard, there are overwhelmingly many people who make dungeon exploration their profession on this continent, and there are quite a few dungeons. I figured the magic storage items are probably widespread, so there’s no need to hide it.” 

Sheele explained.

“I see. That makes sense. But Melt says the time-stopping function is very valuable, so we should be careful about that.” 

I said.

“Right. Looks like you’ve finished gathering the wild vegetables… I’ve completed my hunting request. Investigation and extermination of monsters will take some time, so we should call it a day here.” 

Sheele said.

For today, we had basically finished all requests except for monster extermination and nest investigation. I expected more interference or attacks from monsters, but perhaps we were just lucky today.

When I asked Sheele about it—

“I think there was likely a conflict between monsters. There was a water source in the forest that was slightly bloodied, and the ground showed traces of a fight. It’s highly likely that some monsters will return. Then we can identify the nest and exterminate them… but for now, we wait.” 

Sheele explained.

“Wow, you already found the traces. Amazing, Sheele.” 

I said.

“Hehe, I’m a hunter.” 

She replied confidently.

She was reliable. Our big sister handled everything flawlessly. She had already investigated traces for the next request.

We returned to the village before dusk and headed straight to the guild.

“Goodness! Seven gathering requests and eight hunting requests! Requests that had been piling up for two months—completed in one day! You’re incredible explorers! Silver and Red Copper indeed!”

It was the expected reaction. We had collected two baskets of Tara buds along with more than the required amount of various wild vegetables. Everything we didn’t need to submit was stored in our item boxes.

Normally, taking more than necessary might be considered rude. But this forest wasn’t like that—it was overwhelmingly fertile. Melt even said, “I can’t believe there’s so much! If we sold it to peddlers, we’d make a fortune.”

“Seven Demicokka birds as well… that must have been tough. They can’t fly but live on high branches, making them difficult to hunt. This forest’s branches and leaves grow incredibly dense.” 

Melt noted.

“Yes, it was quite difficult. They probably originally lived in flatlands. They must have adapted to avoid being attacked by monsters.” 

Sheele added.

“Oh, is that so? Did any of you get attacked? Recently, screams and growls have been heard from the forest at night… these days, the night watch stands at the gates. In the past, adventurers were hired from outside. People in this country say adventurers are ‘cowards who can’t face dungeons,’ but that’s nonsense. They prioritize helping those in need over their own profit. They’re truly kind people.” 

The guild receptionist said.

“I see… we’ve completed a lot of requests, so may we get permission for her dungeon exploration?” 

I asked.

“Oh, right. I’ll call the branch chief. Since you completed so much, if he refuses permission, I’ll personally give him a slap on the head.” 

She said, going to the back of the building.

I realized… adventurers were said things like that behind the scenes.

Not interested in profits from the dungeon… yet choosing to help the villagers first—that’s admirable.

Thinking back, the middle-aged adventurer I met when I was transported to this continent… he probably had the role of taking precautions, riding the bus just in case. Despite facing an irregularly powerful “Boundary Breaker,” he jumped off without hesitation, acting as a decoy.

Perhaps adventurers on this continent… have a deeper meaning. They sacrifice themselves for others, responding to cries for help.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! Here’s our branch chief. Come on, chief, give them permission to explore the dungeon!”

“Hmm? What’s this pile of request forms?”

“These are all the requests these two completed today. If you don’t allow dungeon exploration after this, I won’t stay quiet either!”

A little while later, the receptionist emerged from the back of the guild, pulling along a somewhat timid-looking middle-aged man.

The woman proudly explained just how many requests had been completed today. Then—

“This is certainly impressive! But… according to regulations, we still need to confirm whether you have the ability to handle combat in a dungeon. Completing lots of hunting and gathering alone isn’t enough to grant permission. At the very least, you need to complete extermination requests.” 

The man said.

“What?! What a stingy thing to say! These people accomplished so much—they must be highly skilled!”

“No, this regulation should have been clearly communicated to you. Look, here’s the manual, isn’t it?”

…The woman froze, staring at part of her desk.

Seriously… all the work we did today was basically for nothing…

“I’m sorry… this place rarely sees outside explorers. Forgetting the rules isn’t… exactly praiseworthy, but I’ll make sure she receives some form of penalty. However, she still can’t attempt a dungeon yet.” 

He continued.

“Oh… no need to give her a penalty. We were going to explore the forest anyway. As for the extermination requests, if we complete both ‘find the monster nest’ and ‘exterminate the monster group,’ that should satisfy the conditions, right?”

“Of course. I truly apologize… now, you should apologize too. You’ve been given extra work for such kind people.” 

The man said.

“I-I’m sorry. Really… I completely forgot… it used to be all extermination requests, so I assumed the conditions were automatically met… I truly apologize…” 

The woman said.

“Don’t apologize so much. It’s true the villagers were in trouble, and if completing a lot makes them happy, that’s enough. Right, you two?”

Trying to encourage the overly apologetic pair, I sought Melt and Sheele’s agreement. As expected, both responded—

“I collected plenty of wild vegetables myself, so it’s fine.”

“Same here. As for the monsters, the investigation has already begun. In a couple of days, we’ll be able to pinpoint their nest.” 

Sheele added.

“Oh… that’s reassuring. But please, don’t overdo it. I heard from the woodcutters that a monster let out a huge scream, I think it was two days ago.”

“If that’s the case, it’s about time the monsters return to their territory. We’re prepared, so don’t worry.” 

Sheele said confidently.

“Wonderful! That’s a relief! Our village is surrounded by deep forest, and monster groups regularly inhabit it, causing problems. Last time we called outside adventurers was six months ago, and this time, arrangements couldn’t be made in time.” 

The man said.

“Has this forest always been this vast, with such large trees?”

“No, not when I first arrived. It started growing faster than the villagers could cut down, and since high-quality lumber could be obtained, the country deliberately chose not to intervene…”

“I see… understood. As for extermination, give us two or three more days, but we’ll handle it,” I said.

“Thank you. It was also good that we could stop woodcutters from recklessly going deep into the forest to gather requested ingredients. There have been many incidents where they were attacked by monsters.” 

The man explained.

“I understand… If additional ingredients are needed, please submit a request. While we’re here, we can gather them. Exterminating the monsters would be ideal, of course.” 

I see—so it’s clear now. This guild was established naturally after dungeons began appearing. When the branch chief first arrived, right after dungeon emergence, this wasn’t such a vast forest.

Now, it’s clear that the forest’s abnormal growth is also an effect of the dungeon.

“All right. Let’s go to the communal bath to relieve our fatigue, then return to the inn.” 

I suggested.

“Yay! A big bath, it’s been a while! I get to go with Sheele!” 

Melt said excitedly.

“Hehe, yes. I’ll wash your tail for you.” 

Sheele added.

“Please! Sheele’s so gentle when washing tails, I’m glad!” 

Melt said.

Leaving the guild, I felt warmth in my chest seeing them so happy.

Our adventures as a trio… were progressing more smoothly than expected.

Melt and I are just eighteen-year-olds. Even with skill, people might underestimate us.

But with Sheele, that concern disappears, making it easier to earn trust.

If a major problem arises on this continent, we might need to forcefully resolve it with Sheele’s presence or some other method. But with this, things could proceed peacefully.

I felt truly glad that Sheele was the first to be sent out independently.

Seeing the two of them happily holding hands like sisters, I couldn’t help but smile.

Now… the extermination mission remains. It probably won’t be too difficult, but I need to stay sharp.