Chapter 134
Since snow has piled up and there's nothing to do, I decided to investigate the forest.
There might be a beastfolk village or settlement.
It would be better to find the children's parents sooner rather than later.
It's been a while since I used Drone Clairvoyance to investigate the forest.
I've confirmed there are no settlements as far as the barrier I made.
I want to investigate outside the barrier.
I can operate Drone Clairvoyance all the way to the barrier without sensing anything unusual in my magic power.
Before, whenever I tried to investigate outside the barrier, my magic power decreased so rapidly that I couldn't cope with it.
To be fair, I only realized my magic power was decreasing after my magic detection became more precise.
Until then, I was troubled by the phenomenon of my body suddenly becoming heavy.
This time... amazing!
Has my magic power increased?
I don't feel my magic power decreasing.
At this rate, I can investigate a wide area.
Even so, the black shadows in the forest have decreased considerably.
I hope the curse keeps disappearing until it's gone.
First, I want to find out whether anything besides the forest exists in this world.
Should I keep sending it in one direction as far as it can go?
A different landscape appears on the screen beyond the forest.
Yes, a field!
I can finally confirm what's outside the forest.
There was a time when I seriously worried this world might consist of nothing but forest, so I'm really happy.
Considering how long it took me to find a field, I'm once again amazed at how large the forest is.
I send Drone Clairvoyance outside the forest to see what's beyond it.
"Whoa!"
Something like electricity—or rather, something unpleasant—suddenly ran through my body.
The video feed from Drone Clairvoyance cuts out as well.
...What was that?
Again.
I tried three times, but something interfered and kept me from leaving the forest.
Thinking it might be a barrier, I tried sensing the flow of magic power, but I couldn't feel anything.
But I can't leave the forest.
Why?
Once again, I concentrated on sensing the flow of magic power, but still couldn't feel anything.
It's not magic, then. A curse...? Am I being sealed in?
Whew. Calm down.
For now, I'll start with what I can do.
I'm still only partway through searching for villages and settlements.
Yeah, I'll search the entire forest.
Maybe I'll find a place where I can leave the forest.
...Several lakes, large and small; a few waterfalls; two enormous mountains; a hole...? And maybe a river.
The river seems to be in the process of expanding.
Come to think of it, a river came near the field too.
So it extends throughout the entire forest? Amazing.
And as for settlements and villages... nothing.
I searched the forest for several days in a row, but found no trace of anything.
So those beastfolk children came from outside the forest?
How many days did they keep walking?
Amazing.
So entering the forest is possible.
But... you can't leave.
I found a road leading out of the forest and tried traveling along it, but I still couldn't leave.
Hmm... I don't know.
I let Drone Clairvoyance wander around aimlessly.
How am I supposed to leave the forest?
...Whoa!
That startled me.
A lizard suddenly appears in the Drone Clairvoyance footage.
A flying lizard?
...No, not that. That one has grown up, so it isn't this size anymore.
Fuwafuwa? Marshmallow?
I check outside... They're playing energetically in the square today, too.
Even if they're recklessly casting magic, that's still just playing.
I watch the footage.
...There it is.
Maybe it's a companion of Fuwafuwa and the others?
...Could it have come closer because it was interested in its shape?
Drone Clairvoyance changed into the shape of a drone I knew.
At first, it looked like a ball of light, but before I knew it, it had become a black drone I'd seen on Japanese television.
I was startled when I first saw it with my own eyes.
I'd always thought it was a ball of light.
Did it come to investigate something unfamiliar?
Ah... For now... what should I do?
I move Drone Clairvoyance toward the house... It's following me.
I'll try increasing its speed.
...This one's amazing.
Um, it really did follow me all the way to the house.