Chapter 42
After finishing dinner, I stayed by the campfire.
"I'll keep watch tonight. Felicia-san, you should sleep."
Felicia, who had started toward the tent, turned around.
"All night by yourself?"
"I found out yesterday that Full Recovery can even get rid of the fatigue from lack of sleep."
"But it costs a hundred P, doesn't it?"
"It does. But tomorrow is the last day of the survey."
"Rather than have both of us be sleep-deprived, I think it would be better if you got a good night's rest, Felicia-san."
Felicia thought for a moment, then nodded.
"All right. Please wake me right away if anything happens."
"Of course."
"Just don't overdo it, okay?"
"I will."
Felicia went into the tent.
Before long, I couldn't hear any more sounds from inside.
I added some firewood to the campfire.
The forest at night was completely different from how it was during the day.
Beyond the trees, everything was dark, and I couldn't tell what might be lurking there.
Every so often, I heard an animal cry in the distance or the sound of a branch snapping somewhere in the forest.
Each time, I reached for the Flamefang Sword and looked toward the forest.
Fortunately, no monsters came near us.
I kept the fire going, adding more wood as needed, and stood watch until morning.
◇
By the time the sky began to brighten, my eyes had grown heavy.
Fatigue had built up in my body, too.
Felicia still seemed to be asleep.
I opened Membership.
【Balance: 205P】
I selected the recovery option.
【Half Recovery: 50P】
【Full Recovery: 100P】
I selected Full Recovery.
【You spent 100P】
【You have fully recovered】
【Balance: 105P】
My drowsiness disappeared.
My heavy eyelids and stiff shoulders suddenly felt much better, too.
"It's as convenient as ever."
It was hard to believe I had barely slept at all.
This would be very useful on expeditions where we needed to keep watch.
Still, spending a hundred P every time was expensive.
I would use it when I needed to, but otherwise I should get proper sleep. That seemed like the right balance.
After a while, the tent flap opened.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
Felicia came outside.
"Did anything happen?"
"I heard some noises in the distance a few times, but nothing came this way."
"I see. That's good."
Judging by her face, Felicia had gotten a good night's sleep.
That made spending a hundred P worthwhile.
The two of us ate breakfast.
We packed up far faster than we had the previous two days.
The tent, blankets, pot, food, and water.
We put them away in Storage one after another.
"This really is convenient."
Felicia looked at her shoulders, now free of any pack.
"Until yesterday, we had to carry everything after packing up."
Everything we needed was inside Storage.
Even just traveling was much easier now.
"Let's explore an area we haven't surveyed yet today."
"The west side of the river, right?"
"Yes. I think we'll have checked the whole area once we've seen that part."
We began the third day of our survey.
◇
We made our way to the river we had found yesterday.
We followed it until we found a shallow spot, then crossed to the other bank.
From there, we headed west.
The terrain here was relatively flat, too.
There were plenty of thick trees and shrubs.
However, there were no steep slopes or deep ravines in sight.
After walking for a while, the grass ahead of us rustled.
Four Thorn Plants rose up.
"Please take the two on the right."
"Understood."
I moved to the left while Felicia circled to the right.
We were no longer at a loss when fighting in the forest.
We moved while keeping track of the trees around us.
I dodged the vines and swung the Flamefang Sword in a short arc.
The first one.
【You acquired 20P】
I reversed my sword and cut through the stem of the second.
【You acquired 20P】
At almost the same time, Felicia's Magic Bullets took down the other two.
I put the fallen Thorn Plants into Storage.
Since acquiring Storage yesterday, we'd been putting away as many of the monsters we defeated as possible, not just the parts that seemed useful.
If we brought them back to the guild, they might buy parts whose value we hadn't realized.
We continued onward.
This time, two Vine Walkers appeared.
"One each, then."
"Yes."
The Vine Walkers reached out with their vines.
I dodged the first and cut the second with the Flamefang Sword.
I was getting much better at recognizing the signs of their attacks, too.
I stepped in and drove my blade into the thick stem at the center of one.
【You acquired 120P】
Looking to the side, I saw Felicia finish off her opponent with a compressed Magic Bullet.
We put them both into Storage.
"There are quite a few of them today, too."
Felicia looked around.
"I feel like there are more than there were yesterday."
"I thought so, too."
We hadn't gone very deep into the forest yet.
Even so, we were running into monsters more frequently.
A little farther on, another Thorn Plant appeared.
Beyond that was a Vine Walker.
We could even see another monster moving in the distance.
"Do you think they're gathering in this area?"
"It's possible."
We were here to investigate, not to fight.
If we defeated every monster we came across, we'd never finish the survey.
"Let's look for a higher spot. We might learn something from above."
"That's a good idea."
We searched the area and found a gentle slope between the trees.
The two of us climbed it.
We stopped near the top.
"...There."
Felicia's voice grew quiet.
A short distance ahead, a number of enormous old trees stood clustered together.
Several Thorn Plants and Vine Walkers had gathered around them.
Farther away, we could even see what looked like Forest Boars.
"There are a lot of them."
"Yes."
We looked more closely.
Several large footprints marked the soft ground.
They looked similar to the ones we'd seen yesterday.
They were Tyrant Bear tracks.
And there was more than one set.
"So yesterday's wasn't the only one."
"It seems likely."
There were long claw marks high up on the nearby trees, too.
We should assume that there were several large monsters in this area.
"What should we do?"
Felicia tightened her grip on her staff.
"Let's leave them alone."
"I think that's best, too."
There was no need for us to find out how many monsters the two of us could defeat.
This quest was a survey of the forest.
Just learning that so many monsters had gathered in this area was a good enough result.
"I'll mark it on the map."
We noted our current location and the area where we'd seen a large number of monsters.
"If they want to develop this area, they'll have to deal with this first."
"It looks like they'd need a large group to hunt them down."
"Yes. And there may be more than one monster as strong as a Tyrant Bear."
That didn't mean we could assume the monsters were coming from this place.
They might simply have gathered here.
We needed to report what we'd actually seen.
There were many monsters in this area, along with traces of several large ones. Even that was important information for anyone considering developing the land.
"That covers most of the places we needed to investigate, doesn't it?"
"Let's check the surrounding area on our way back."
We retraced our steps.
◇
We encountered monsters several times on the way back, too.
I defeated five Thorn Plants, while Felicia took care of the Vine Walkers and the remaining monsters.
【You acquired 100P】
【Balance: 365P】
【Total P Acquired: 42,475P】
We put the monsters we defeated into Storage one by one.
Forest Boars.
Vine Walkers.
Thorn Plants.
We'd gathered quite a few since yesterday.
"The guild will be surprised if we bring all of these out at once."
Felicia said.
"We can't bring them out in front of the reception desk."
"There's no way we can."
"Let's ask if they have a large space farther inside."
The forest entrance came into view.
We stopped and went over the results of our three-day survey.
"I think the land could be developed."
"I think so, too."
It was close to Belgrant.
There was a stretch of flat land, and a river ran through it.
It had decent conditions for expanding the city.
On the other hand, there were problems: the number of monsters, the presence of large monsters, and the need to cut down a great many trees and level the land afterward.
"It won't be easy to develop."
"They'll need a lot of people. They can't send in the lumberjacks until they've reduced the number of monsters."
"And then there's the logging and leveling the land afterward."
"Yes. But I don't think it's impossible to develop."
That was my conclusion after three days of investigation.
"Let's head back."
"Yes."
We made our way back to Belgrant.
◇
By the time we reached the south gate, it was evening.
We passed through the city walls.
Even though we'd only been away for three days, the sound of people's voices and wagons somehow felt nostalgic.
"We're back."
"Everything feels even livelier after spending so long in the forest."
We headed straight to the Adventurers' Guild.
When we opened the door, the guild was full of adventurers at this time of day.
People returning from quests.
People presenting proof of their kills at the reception desks.
People heading to the tavern.
The receptionist we'd seen before noticed us.
"Welcome back."
"We're back."
"You were surveying the forest, weren't you? Thank you for your hard work over the past three days."
"We were able to investigate quite a lot."
"Then could you give me your report?"
"Of course. Before that, though, I have a question about the materials."
"The materials?"
"We have quite a lot."
The receptionist looked at us.
Neither Felicia nor I was carrying a large pack.
"...Where are they?"
"They're in Storage."
"Storage?"
"I don't think we can take them out here. Is there somewhere with more room?"
The receptionist looked puzzled for a moment, then glanced toward the back of the guild.
"The butchering area should be fine. This way, please."
She left another staff member in charge of the desk and led us to the back of the guild.
She opened a large door at the end of the hallway.
Inside was a spacious work area.
Sturdy worktables.
Knives for butchering.
A water station.
Several staff members were carving up monsters.
"This should be big enough for even large monsters."
"Thank you."
A man stopped working.
"What did you bring back?"
"Monsters we defeated in the forest."
"Not just proof of your kills?"
"We've brought most of them back whole."
The man tilted his head.
I moved to a place where I wouldn't get in the way of their work.
"Is it all right if I take them out here?"
"Sure."
"Then I'll start with this."
I used Storage.
Thud!
The body of a large Forest Boar appeared on the floor.
"...Huh?"
The man froze.
The nearby staff members all turned to look at us, too.
"I'll take out the next one."
"Wait a minute."
"There's more."
A Vine Walker.
A Thorn Plant.
The monsters we'd defeated yesterday.
The monsters we'd defeated today.
I took out everything we'd brought back since acquiring Storage, one after another.
The corner of the work area gradually filled with monster corpses.
"There are more?"
Even the receptionist had her eyes wide open.
"Just a few more."
"And you call this 'a few'?"
I took out the last monster.
The man who seemed to be in charge of butchering looked back and forth between the monsters laid out and me.
"What kind of Skill was that just now?"
"Storage."
"Storage?"
The man's expression changed.
The receptionist looked at me in surprise, too.
"Allen-san, you can use Storage?"
"Yes."
The man in charge of butchering looked over the monsters.
"Storage-type Skills are among the rarest of the rare."
"They're that unusual?"
"That's putting it mildly. I knew they existed, but you're the first person I've ever seen actually use one."
The receptionist nodded, too.
"This is my first time seeing one as well. If an adventurer can use a storage-type Skill, it changes the very way they can go on expeditions."
"So it really is that convenient."
"Being able to bring back an entire large monster is already unbelievably useful."
The man in charge of butchering looked at the Forest Boar.
"Can it hold living monsters, too?"
"It doesn't seem to work on living things. But it worked after I killed them."
"That's more than enough."
The man looked over the monsters laid out before him.
"Normally, with something this big, you'd cut off only the valuable parts and take those back."
"If you can carry the whole thing, even the parts people used to leave behind can be sold."
"That was what I had in mind."
"It's not just useful for adventurers..."
Another staff member came over, inspecting the monsters.
"Are you going to appraise all of these?"
"Please do."
Several staff members exchanged glances.
The man in charge of butchering gave a wry smile.
"We won't be able to do it all today."
"There's no rush, so that's fine."
"It'll have to wait until tomorrow or later. We'll butcher them, separate the usable parts, and then appraise them."
"Please do."
The man looked at the monsters filling the work area.
"Still, are more people going to start bringing back whole monsters like this? We'll have to think about where to put them, too."
It seemed Storage was even rarer than I'd thought.
I knew it was useful to us, but judging by the guild's reaction, there was more to it than that.
It seemed like a Skill that could change what adventurers were capable of doing altogether.
We left the materials with the staff and returned to the reception desk.
◇
I explained what we'd learned over the three days to the receptionist.
The forest's terrain.
The river.
The types and number of monsters.
The Tyrant Bear.
The area where many monsters had gathered.
The fact that there were several traces of large monsters.
And that the land would be relatively flat once the trees were cut down.
The receptionist recorded each detail on a form.
"You were able to investigate the area in quite a bit of detail."
"I think it can be developed. But they'll need to hunt down a considerable number of monsters first."
"Understood. I'll report this to the count's household."
Once the receptionist had gathered the papers, she looked up as if she had just remembered something.
"There's also a message for the two of you."
"A message?"
"It's from Count Belgrant."
Felicia and I looked at each other.
"He'd like to hear directly from you and Felicia-san once the survey is over, Allen-san."
"In person?"
"Yes. He'd like you to come to the count's estate tomorrow."
The count was the one who would decide whether to develop the forest.
He probably wanted to hear the details from the two of us who had spent three days walking through it.
"Understood."
"Would tomorrow morning work for you?"
"That works for me."
"It works for me, too."
"Then I'll let the count's household know."
The quest itself was more or less finished.
All that remained was tomorrow's report.
By the time we left the guild, the sun was already starting to set.
◇
We returned to the Silver Wheat Inn.
It had been three days since we'd last seen our room.
When I opened the door, the familiar bed came into view.
"...I can finally sleep."
Since all our belongings were in Storage, there was nothing to unpack.
I put the Flamefang Sword in its usual place.
I changed into comfortable clothes and lay down on the bed.
My body sank into the soft bedding.
"...This is it."
The words slipped out before I knew it.
Full Recovery could even get rid of the fatigue from lack of sleep.
Even if I stayed up all night, I could still function normally in the morning.
There was no doubt it was convenient.
Even so, getting rid of fatigue and taking the time to rest properly weren't the same thing.
"Sleeping in a bed really is the most restful."
And it didn't cost a hundred P.
I didn't need to keep watch tonight, either.
I closed my eyes.
Tomorrow, we'd report to Count Belgrant.
I thought about it for only a little while.
Soon, sleep overtook me.
【Total P Acquired: 42,475P】