Chapter 217 - Chapter 21: Agreement
=== CHAPTER 217 ===
Upon hearing the story, it seemed the Dryad was also concerned about the movements of the monsters in Northern Nakanohara.
She said that things felt strange.
"In what way are they strange?"
"For a time, the number of monsters... mostly Orcs, increased considerably, but now they are conversely decreasing. Furthermore, until now, the monsters only fought among themselves in small groups on nights of the full moon, but recently they have become somewhat like humans. Each group has gradually grown larger."
"I have heard that there is even something like a fortress to the north of this lake. That is unthinkable for stray monsters. Is it not possible that subordinates of the Demon Lord's Army have infiltrated the area?"
Eleanor-sama pointed toward Nakanohara Lake. It lies to the east of the Dryad's Forest. Normally, it is watched by Robinson-san, the Goblins, and Kingdom Army scouts like Morgan-san.
"That may be so. Most likely, it is not just magical beasts and Orcs. There is a possibility that someone else is leading them."
"In the Northeastern Forest, Cait Siths have been spotted leading monsters. It is highly likely that some ill-omened plot against us humans is progressing around the northern part of this lake."
"Cait Siths?"
"Yes. Cait Siths are mercenaries. It would not be strange for them to be on either side, but if such things are occurring to the east of this forest, an all-out confrontation between the Demon Lord's Army and humans could break out across the mountain stream. That is not something you would desire either, is it?"
If an all-out confrontation occurred across the mountain stream, the forest along the stream would be devastated. This is a mountainous area, not a plain. If it were ruined, landslides would occur, and recovery would be a massive undertaking.
"So, what is it you wish to do? Will you attack before they attack you?"
"We would like to do so very much, but the same thing would happen if we attacked from the front. Therefore, we wish to infiltrate in a small group from the rear gate, so to speak, and slay the one who is leading the monsters."
"From the rear gate, you say?"
"From the west of the target—in other words, from your forest."
In short, they were asking the Dryad to side with the humans.
As expected, the Dryad's eyes narrowed.
Flora, who was holding my arm, tightened her grip.
"Dryad-dono," Henry-sama called out.
"Dryad-dono. Eleanor and I, along with five other companions over thirty years ago, slew the previous Demon Lord. At that time, we once wandered quite deep to the south inside the cave where the Demon Lord dwelt. Back then, we gave up, halted our exploration, and buried it, but thinking back on it now, had we continued south, we might have emerged on this side of the mountain range. If the north and south of the mountain range are connected, it is conceivable that an executive of the Demon Lord's Army, or perhaps the Demon Lord himself, might flee to this side."
The Dryad's eyes opened wide. No, everyone's eyes except for Henry-sama's and Eleanor-sama's flew open.
"Is that true?"
"Whether it is true or not, I do not know. Do you perhaps know of any deep caves on this side?"
The Dryad let out a deep sigh.
"There are several. One of them is said to be quite large and extends deep to the north. However, I am a tree spirit. My power does not reach deep into caves, so I cannot go there even if I wished to."
"We shall go in your stead. In about seven days, we humans will form a Demon Lord subjugation unit and charge into the cave where the Demon Lord dwells. At that time, we will infiltrate from this side. If there is nothing, then fine. However, if they are connected, we will temporarily seal it and fulfill our duty as the subjugation unit. Then, we will open the hole again and emerge into your forest. From there, we will head east. How does that sound?"
Wait? Beatrix and I looked at each other. When I looked at Eleanor-sama, she averted her eyes.
"Even if you do such a thing, I do not know what effect it will have on the monsters to the east, and eventually, you will be discovered."
Eleanor-sama grinned.
"Dryad-dono. When we came to meet your avatar, were you able to detect our approach?"
She slowly shook her head from side to side.
"In other words, at that time, we want you to allow us to pass through the sky above this forest without being noticed by you or the monsters."
"Come to think of it, previously, when that Jeanne who holds the pinecone came with the girl sitting next to her and one other, they were also flying in the sky."
"That is correct. We have obtained the art of flying through the sky. And now, we can fly while hiding our forms. It is even possible to launch a surprise attack from the sky on the one who seems to be the leader of the monsters to the east."
"Such a thing is possible?"
"What do you think? Would you like to try flying in the sky once?"
At Eleanor-sama's words, the Dryad's eyes turned perfectly round, and it seemed the peak of the negotiations had been passed.
Together with the four spirits who were shouting with joy, we flew around the sky over Northern Nakanohara. This was already the fourth time. I thought they could just go on their own, but for some reason, Dune and the other spirits pulled my arms, making me experience ultra-high-speed acceleration, climbs, sharp turns, and loops. At first, we just went back and forth, calling it a reconnaissance of the fortress. After returning, Eleanor-sama started saying that just this wasn't interesting enough, and before I knew it, it had turned into aerobatics.
"I am sorry, but please let me rest soon. I cannot maintain the bowl any longer."
Eleanor-sama finally gave up. She was breathing heavily. She had been doing aerobatics for over an hour. Setting aside Wilson-san the Revenant, it seemed she had been flying at her absolute limit.
She sat down on a tree root, took a sip from the canteen handed to her by Henry-sama, and let out a sigh of relief. She had dark circles under her eyes; I wonder if she's okay?
"How was it? It was fun, right?"
"Yes. I was surprised. To think such things were possible."
"It's fun being with Jeanne and the others."
"We're even doing agriculture together."
Beside her, while being supported by Dune, the spirits were getting excited in their own way.
Beatrix, who was smirking, handed me a canteen with an "exhausted, aren't you?" and I finally managed to catch my breath.
The Chururi couple, perhaps worried, flew over together and perched on my shoulder.
Before I knew it, we were back at the pinecone tree again.
"If possible, it would be good if we could cooperate with each other..."
Eleanor-sama, who had recovered her energy with Recovery magic, said to the Dryad, who seemed to have completely opened up after her first flight experience. The combination with wine seemed effective.
"I am neutral. Protecting the forest is my duty. I cannot take sides with one party."
The Dryad also answered calmly without narrowing her eyes. Her melancholy air remained, but the attitude of cutting off our conversation had vanished.
When I looked at Flora, she had snuggled up to me, but it didn't feel like she was clinging.
"I understand. We wish to conclude a new agreement regarding the boundary line."
"Is the current one not sufficient?"
"No. The boundary line remains as it is. However, we wish to establish additional terms."
"Additional? Such as?"
Eleanor-sama spread out the map from earlier, which Wilson-san had been carrying rolled up.
She explained the planned reclamation sites and the communication route plans that the Kingdom of Sertoria is currently considering. Among them, the communication route we are undertaking, the reclamation of the Flatlands, and the hilltop and iron bar positions being built by the Higashinohara Jaegers in the western part of the Northeastern Forest were explained as ongoing projects. Then, she began to explain the likely main subject: the reclamation plan for the Northeastern Forest.
"Assuming the Demon Lord subjugation is successful, first, we will return the east of the Northeastern Forest to the Elves. In return, we will build a communication route with the Elven nation and begin trade. This has the consent of the Elves."
"Are you fighting alongside the Elves?"
Eleanor-sama nodded to the Dryad, who put a hand to her mouth.
When I looked at Beatrix, she looked composed. Apparently, the Jaegers had told us about it.
"To that end, we intend to construct a highway running north to south on this side of the river and build villages along its route. If it prospers, we might even turn them into towns."
When I looked at Beatrix, she gave me a wink. This would be the most important location for us as well.
"In that case, we will build fortresses in three locations: here, here, and here. We will build highways connecting each of them."
Eleanor-sama pointed to the west of the area where we had the duel with the cat, the mountain where we exterminated the Lindwurm, and finally, the point where the westernmost river flowing from the central mountain of the Northeastern Forest branches into the west and south. It is the final destination where the Higashinohara Corps is currently pushing toward, a corner surrounded by the river on two sides, north and east. If a fortress is built there, it will be a major obstacle for monsters crossing the river.
"And if we build a fortress here, we wish to make the area from the western mountains to your forest a monster territory. The boundary line around here has been ambiguous until now."
She was pointing to the west of the place where we fought the cat. It was the place we went during the first training session, where the Orcs were armed but seemed relaxed. If you go west through that forest, there is a river flowing north. Beyond that river, it connects to the northern mountains of the Flatlands, which is where the stray Orcs have their scuffles every full moon. Eleanor-sama's argument was to use the river as a guide for the boundary up to the mountains, meaning we would not interfere with the long east-west basin in Northern Nakanohara—in other words, the territory of the stray Orcs.
"In short, you only wish to eliminate the Demon Lord's Army?"
"That is correct. However, if we build a fortress here, there is a possibility they will cross the mountains and attack the southern part, and the Demon Lord's Army, having lost their place to go, might invade your forest. Before that happens, we wish to defeat the leader who has established a fortress to the east of your forest and turn them into uncoordinated groups. And to ensure the same thing does not happen again, we wish to place it under our joint surveillance."
This shouldn't be a bad deal for the Dryad. If it's only stray Orcs, there will be no more fellows who cut down trees to build fortresses.
"I have two concerns."
The first was whether the stray Orcs would really become that quiet just because they were the only ones left.
Eleanor-sama explained the movements of the stray Orcs since the Goblin rescue operation. They haven't attacked the fortress north of the Flatlands since then; on the contrary, they apparently have friendly tug-of-war matches over the places humans used as temporary camps every full moon, without many casualties.
"As long as humans do not show interest in the north, it should be fine," Eleanor-sama said, and the Dryad nodded with a "hmmm."
The other concern was the possibility that humans might come attacking. Even if the monsters lose coordination, humans have not. They might change their minds and attack eventually.
Well, that's true. Human hearts are as fickle as the autumn sky. Even the Church, which is supposed to preach co-existence and co-prosperity, has a dark history.
"There are Elves to the east and Dwarves to the west. And right here, there are spirits of water, wind, wood, and flowers. I do not think we can get away with violating a covenant made against this many spirits for free."
"But have you not already abdicated your thrones?"
In response to the Dryad's words, Henry-sama took a parchment from his breast pocket. It contained words granting full diplomatic negotiation powers to both Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama, along with the King's signature.
The discussion with the Dryad seemed to have ended successfully, but the discussion with us had not.
"Hey. When was it decided that we'd go from this side?"
"I never said we would go from the other side. I only said we would charge into the hole where the Demon Lord dwells as a feint."
Eleanor-sama answered Beatrix's question.
I've had a similar exchange once before.
"The blue sky is beautiful, isn't it?" she said, gazing at the pinecone tree.
Apparently, the three heroes had plotted this.
Of course, since it wouldn't happen without the Dryad's consent, it must have been hard to bring up.
"We couldn't exactly talk on the premise that negotiations with the Dryad would go well from the start, could we?"
She made excuses as Beatrix and I stared intently at her face.
"Don't tell me the King doesn't know either?"
"That's right. He does not know. However, since we have already formed a contract with the spirit, His Majesty will surely give his consent."
Henry-sama showed us the parchment with the King's signature. He seemed to want to say that since it was a full delegation of authority, it was absolute.
"We wish to proceed in secret. If it becomes known to others that there is a route from this side, opinions will arise from various countries that we should invade from here as well, and it could develop into a situation where armies are dispatched. If that happens, it would violate the ancestral instructions of the First King and break our promise to the Dryad. To prevent that, we intend to infiltrate secretly by ourselves and eventually bury it."
When put that way, we couldn't complain anymore.
"Furthermore, we would have abandoned the idea if your strength had remained low. This side is, so to speak, unexplored, so we don't know what might be there. However, you have now grown to the point where everyone can use multiple intermediate spells, starting with the advanced mages. I judged that it would be fine."
It seemed they weren't worried about the vanguard because their armor and helmets were solid.
Um, I'm only at the beginner level, though...
"Since you can use amplification magic, the effect of any spell is at the intermediate level, right?"
"Well, I mean, yes, but..."
I feel like I'm being talked into this.
"Even if we enter from here, we will likely run into the route from the other side midway. We'll just emerge from the entrance over there, so it'll be fine."
"If we go in from here, isn't there a chance that, at worst, an executive or the Demon Lord might be there?"
"Is that not the same as entering from the other side?"
"Why don't we enter from the other side and come out here?"
"That wouldn't be intere—it would be meaningless if it wasn't connected to this side, wouldn't it? The point is to prevent monsters from fleeing to this side in the confusion of the Demon Lord subjugation."
"We're also going to defeat the leader on this side, right?"
"Let's leave that to Roberts and the others. Our role is the feint."
In that case, I suppose it's fine.
If it's this side, we can come and go in the bowl, and there's no worry of being attacked from behind.
There was one more thing.
Flora. If it's the Dryad's Forest, there might be Alraunes here too.
"There are several colonies. Nearby, there is a colony of about thirty of them by the pond just ahead."
When Beatrix and I hugged Flora, she wept with joy. Dune and Mel joined in, forming a circle.
"Isn't that great?"
"Yeah. Thank you. It's thanks to Jeanne helping me. I could never have come this far alone."
She might have been caught by Orcs on the way.
"There is still time."
"Shall we guide you?"
Since Eleanor-sama and the Dryad both offered, we all decided to go meet them.
Once we entered the hollow of the pinecone tree and stepped out again, we were in the middle of an oak forest.
The ground was covered in moist moss that could be described as a green carpet. Since it was still April, the soft, yellow-green young leaves were prominent, making the entire forest look bright. Sunlight filtered through the tree trunks like curtains of light.
When I took a deep breath, the scent of moist vegetation filled me, and that alone healed my body.
Just from Mel sending a little breeze, the smell of green leaves was carried to us.
"This is another beautiful forest."
"Yes. I had heard stories, but to think it was this much."
It seemed Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama were also visiting the central part of the Dryad's Forest for the first time. There is one near the cave where the Demon Lord dwells, but normally, if you enter, it becomes covered in mist, and they were too afraid of losing their way to ever enter.
"It has been since Guillaume that a human has entered here."
I understood well why the First King wanted to protect it. It is a treasure that humans could never create.
Jumping over mossy roots, we followed the Dryad through the forest.
Deer and squirrels watched us curiously.
The Chururi couple also flew overhead, chirping.
On the way, there was a small, trickling stream. Dune pointed with her right index finger and gave it a flick; many water orbs formed around us, and we were surrounded by the small forest reflected in them.
When we reached the shore of a small pond filled with clear water, red and purple flowers were blooming. Alraunes.
As Flora ran toward them, humanoid figures emerged one after another from the flowers and surrounded her. Those with short, purplish hair were likely the male flowers.
After watching them embrace for a while from a distance, they formed a circle and began to consult. Flora was giving some kind of speech.
Before long, we were called over.
Led by the Dryad, I pulled Beatrix, Dune, and Mel along, and someone who looked like the leader came forward.
"I heard you saved our companion. Thank you. I give you my thanks."
He must be a male flower. He was short but quite a handsome man. Looking closely, they all had similar faces. The only difference was that you could tell the male and female flowers apart.
Well, Goblins are like that too, and it might be difficult for humans seeing them for the first time.
"I heard you're participating in the Demon Lord subjugation unit. I'll give you this."
Saying that, he gave me a purple stone. If I recall, it charms the opponent?
"If you have this, you'll be popular with males. You should choose a male you like and have lots of children."
Um, I'm a priest, though... And it has nothing to do with the Demon Lord subjugation... Does he mean I should leave descendants before I die?
"Hey, Jeanne can receive it, and it's fine if another trustworthy person uses it, right? Right now, Jeanne is in a position where she cannot be fertilized."
Flora came to my rescue.
"That's fine, but humans are complicated, aren't they?"
He tilted his head, but I suppose it's what you'd call a cultural difference. Since I'll take what I can get, I thanked him.
"Hey, Jeanne. After the Demon Lord subjugation is over, can I come back to be pollinated?"
She looked up at me with an upturned gaze, her cheeks flushed red.
"Of course you can, but what will you do after that? Will you live here?"
"I would be grateful if you'd let me stay with you for a while longer..."
"You don't want to live with your companions?"
"If it's okay, I want to start a new colony near Jeanne."
Apparently, there are companions who are willing to come along. That said, since living with humans all of a sudden would be a bit much, they'll live with the Goblins first.
In that case, Dune is there too, so it'll be safe.
"It's going to be fun," Dune said, and the Dryad narrowed her eyes.