Chapter 193 – The Great Grove
Under the guidance of Hild, the watchman of the beast tribe, the demon tribe delegation left the beast tribe village early in the morning.
Balter’s nephew, Hild, instead of guiding the way himself, gave the Demon Soldiers a few precautions.
First.
While on the march, unconditionally obey the word of his superior.
Second.
There may be pits dug by clever monsters, so keep an eye on the front and proceed.
Third.
If you meet the owner of the forest, never resist and lie flat on the ground.
“The owner of the forest?”
“He’s at the top of the Great Grove’s food chain. He’s a monster that even his uncle can’t claim victory for.”
‘Walter, the second-in-command of the Demon King’s army?’
To the extent that my nephew said this, it seems that he is truly incredibly strong.
Anyway, since it’s annoying, Hild said he wouldn’t say it twice, covered his mouth with a mask, and signaled to leave with a hand gesture.
Then the soldiers in front saw it and shouted loudly.
“Go out!!”
Master, who was watching the scene from inside the carriage, said, resting his chin on the window.
“These days, things sound good.”
“When you say that, it makes me feel like a very old person.”
“What? Man?”
Master’s intense eyes swearing with his eyes made me sick! Be hot! I turned my gaze.
In the meantime, the carriage slowly began to roll forward.
Dorothea, who was sitting across from him, frowned at the vibration he felt through his hip.
“Hey, cushion.”
It was just one word, but I quickly caught on to what she wanted.
It’s been more than 2 years since we’ve lived together, and now if you pretend, you’ll pretend.
Right!
When I snap my fingers, an air cushion forms under everyone’s buttocks.
Only then did Dorothea straighten her frown.
A person who sees her for the first time may feel that she is very picky, but to someone who has known her for a long time, it is like having one of her feral cats.
Even though she is usually brusque, she sticks around when she feels like it.
I liked the gap I felt there.
“If you go to Elven Wood, I’ll buy you everything you want to eat, so let’s work hard for the next four days.”
“What are you saying? Do you think I’m a kid who can do everything just by buying me something to eat?”
Even if she said that with her mouth, her twitching lips made it clear that she was delighted.
“Yes, yes. I was wrong.”
‘I can’t be honest.’
I smiled on the inside, but pretended not to be able to overcome her complaint.
***
Rattle! Rattle!
The road inside the Great Grove was incredibly rough.
It is basically unexplored, and because it has not been touched by civilization at all, the surface is uneven like a paved road.
Not to mention, there were trees that were two or three times taller than a person’s height, and bushes and vines were thick all around like a tropical rain forest, obstructing the view.
If you turn your head there, all sorts of magical creatures and pests roam around, a total mess itself.
“…Should I burn them all?”
“You have to be patient. Dorothea. If there is a fire in a place like this, everyone will die.”
“Haa… Why am I following you here?”
Dorothea’s red hair and red eyes are proof that she is loved by the fire spirit.
Naturally, she had a body that was hot enough to walk around in light clothes even in the middle of winter, and she was weak against the heat.
It’s a shame because I acted as an air conditioner next to them. If they had been exposed defenselessly to the high temperature and humidity of the Great Forest, they would have been angry by now.
Master, who had come from the side and looked at Dorothea’s conversation with wonder, said,
“You’re extremely devoted to a kid. Kaldrash.”
Then Dorothea, who was next to her, reacted.
“Haha? Who’s the kid. Grandma?”
“Hmm. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“You’re an old person, you seem to want to show off your age, right?”
“…I looked after him because he was the disciple’s wife, but it’s rude.”
“I’m still, you were the one who provoked me first?”
Teacher who raises the priority of school and Dorothea who puts sparks in both hands against him.
While watching the situation, I hurriedly intervened between the two who secretly acted like oil and water.
“Wait, wait. If you fight in such a small place, other people will be directly harmed, right? If you are going to fight, go outside and fight.”
As I said that, I pointed out the window, and both growls agreed it was a good idea.
The battle of pride between the two mages was established on the spot.
I gave up thinking about it any more, thinking that now that I’m eating lunch, I won’t be bored.
It will stop on its own when the order is properly set.
***
After departing at 9:00 in the morning, it was about 4 hours later that the endless marching delegation stopped for the first time.
Current time is 1:00 PM.
No matter how far to go, long-distance marching is what you have to do while feeding yourself.
Having only served in the military twice, we know how fucked up the superiors are for not guaranteeing breaks, so after finding a safe zone, we immediately decided to undress and have a late lunch.
“Rest everyone!”
As soon as Hild’s voice resonated in the clearing, about 100 demon soldiers sat down on the floor and began to relax.
“Euuuuu!”
Dorothea stretches her back like a cat.
Since he was sitting in one position in the carriage, it was an unavoidable problem.
Since he is nominally the representative of the delegation, he rides in a carriage, but to be honest, I feel that he is worse than just walking.
The road must be so rough.
“Shall we prepare the meal right away?”
“Oh, please.”
As usual, Camilla, who is like a knife, started preparing the food as soon as she got off the carriage.
That’s the same for Sophia, a former hero and current maid.
While the two were skillfully collaborating and making lunch, Dorothea and his teacher, who had been arguing earlier, headed to the corner of the clearing.
Although I laid the plate, it looks like they will fight for real.
Concerned, I followed the two of them, saw mana rising like a haze all over my body, and hurriedly intervened.
“Sto oh oh!”
“Yes?”
“What?”
Two people looking back at the same time.
I said with a firm expression.
“It doesn’t matter if the two of you fight, but we only fight in taijutsu.”
Then, Dorothea makes a puzzled expression.
“Why do wizards fight with taijutsu over magic? Everyone thinks you’re muscular like Kaldrash?”
However, Master nodded without hesitation at my suggestion.
“That’s good. When the two mages begin to exert their power in earnest, the surrounding terrain will change.”
I looked at Dorothea as I watched the two of them disagree.
“Is that so?”
“…Okay. I’ll make sure you don’t call me kid again.”
In the end, Dorothea accepted my offer and threw off the coat she always wore.
Seeing this, Master smiled and said,
“You have a really poor body.”
“Namsa!”
Dorothea, moved by Master’s remarks, shouted that, but Master confidently threw off the long robe she was wearing.
“I’m sorry, but I have a constitution that makes me look skinny when I wear it.”
“!”
Dorothea’s face is stained with bewilderment at the unexpected twist.
It seems that Master always wore a baggy long robe, so he didn’t notice at all.
“Keuugh! You’re proud of being big!”
It was Dorothea who ran in first, unable to win in her own way.
It’s a fact that I know well because I’ve already fought dozens of times, but Dorothea is a fighter like me.
It is not a fixed battery that simply fires magic in one place, but a type that strengthens its limbs with magic and destroys enemies directly.
“Die!”
A leg that swings in a splendid trajectory.
In contrast, Master did not move an inch from where he was standing.
To someone who doesn’t know it well, it may seem like they haven’t responded yet, but the reality is different.
Master simply didn’t move because she “Didn’t need to.”
“You have a bad mouth.”
Widely!
After his body weight was loaded, Master blocked the spinning kick with one finger.
“What!”
Dorothea is shocked.
However, he soon comes to his senses and begins pouring terrifying combo attacks.
With a nonchalant expression, Master dodged or brushed away the arms and legs that were being swung at such a speed that even I could not follow them with my eyes.
Also, I am a Moorim.
Despite not using magic power at all, she is lightly suppressing Dorothea, who is using it.
After lightly blocking Dorothea’s 30 consecutive attacks, Master looked down at Dorothea, who was exhausted and out of breath, and said,
“Is it over? Then it’s my turn this time.”
Immediately after saying that, Master lowered his body slightly and thrust a clenched fist into Dorothea’s abdomen.
A very short distance, at most one degree.
It would be normal if the destructive power decreased, but Dorothea’s body flew backwards like a cannonball, as if mocking such an expectation.
“Kuhak!”
Dorothea, who had floated about 3m high and flew away, vomited clearing her cough as she fell to the floor.
Needless to say, it was Master’s victory.
Master said while holding one hand behind his back and gently caressing Hakwoon with the other hand.
“It’s nothing compared to the momentum.”
It was Dorothea’s complete defeat.
