Chapter 320 - Eighth Story: Searching for Dryads in Northern Gram
Since Eowyn-sama came to pick us up, we parted with the Lord of the Border and the others, entered the southern village, and went through the entry procedures for Northern Gram. Finis was Finis, but Northern Gram was Northern Gram; even a signature wasn't needed.
"She is my guest."
Just by Eowyn-sama saying that, the person in charge took a step back, and Eleanor-sama immediately stepped forward and handed over a souvenir.
"We are the Henry Party from Sertoria. We look forward to working with you."
"T-This is... I will make it a family heirloom!"
He shouted and held it up with both hands. Naturally, the people around looked this way.
"Henry of Sertoria? You mean that Henry-sama, the former hero?"
"No, surely not."
"But look, I've seen him in a portrait. He came from the side where the Queen of the border is, and he's Eowyn-sama's guest. There's no mistake."
To the crowd watching from a distance, the two former heroes, who love to stand out, raised their hands, saying, "Yeah, yeah."
"Indeed, I am that Henry who came from Sertoria, and..."
"I am Eleanor."
A stir arose, and more and more people gathered. Come to think of it, I've never been to the southern village. I've only passed over it in the air. After all, it's a rural village in the mountains. Even if the era has changed, a visit from super-famous people shouldn't happen even once in a lifetime. The village head was hurriedly called, and everyone knelt as if surrounding them. It seems Eowyn-sama stopped them from contacting the lord.
"Today is incognito, so please keep it quiet."
The two of them opened all the boxes of Highway Cookies Deluxe they had and started handing them to everyone. Everyone was holding the Highway Cookies and prostrating themselves. After revealing their identities, what part of this is incognito?
"As you all know, the northern border has become a place to commemorate the friendship with Finis and a training ground for the priests of both countries. As a result, this village is also developing. This is also thanks to the help of these two and Jeanne-sama. You should be grateful."
Eowyn-sama. Please don't involve me.
We departed with a grand send-off and were able to join Saxburg at the villa around lunchtime. She's wearing something like a light green cloak, perhaps for a Wyvern. On her head, she's wearing a triangular headpiece. When she spreads her hands, the cloth at the armpits spreads out like wings, and from behind, it looks like an inverted triangle. The way she runs while spreading her wings and fluttering them feels more like a moth than a Wyvern, but I suppose I shouldn't say that.
"Let me introduce him. He's my business partner."
When she turned around and raised her right hand... her right wing, another moth spreading its wings ran out from the shadow of the building. His face is bright red. He must be being forced to do it.
"Let me introduce him. Although he has just succeeded the title, he is Duke Hexham. He is from a prestigious family that has served our royal family with loyalty since before the founding of the country, and he is currently working on trade and agriculture. The one handling the scrolls Jeanne-sama made through Mary is also the Duke."
Introduced by Eowyn-sama, we said our first greetings in order. Perhaps because he's timid, he immediately looks down when our eyes meet.
Eowyn-sama's eyes are sharp.
"Priest Jeanne is a user of the magic water that cures diseases. Also, it's a secret, but she has various friends. I was introduced to them too."
For some reason, there are many introductions only for my turn. Duke Hexham suddenly looked up at Saxburg's words.
"I've heard the story from Saxburg-sama. Please, I ask for a blessing."
Eowyn-sama smiled. That's a nice follow-up from Saxburg.
When we went to the medicinal herb garden of the isolation facility, the Bishop was waiting. He was surprised to see Alex and surprised to see Renata's clone.
"When I heard the story, I was half-doubting, but you really have ties with dwarves and Dryads."
"Call me Alexander the Great."
"What! The King of the Dwarves! This is, this is... It is a great honor to meet you."
He bowed deeply.
"Ah, no, it's just a nickname. Usually, Alex is fine."
See, look. I told you so.
That night, we had a banquet with the patients of the facility, and the next morning, we decided to depart. Eowyn-sama is with us. Saxburg seemed to want to come along, but at worst, there will be combat with monsters. We decided to have her stay behind.
The destination is near the mountains where the former borders of Former Septanaquila, Finis, and Northern Gram meet. Those mountains were once the only point in Septanaquila where the Demon Lord was resurrected, and they are currently under the surveillance of Northern Gram. The surrounding area is a vast forest, and it's said in legends that the Dryad's Forest is in a corner of that forest. However, the forest itself is in a place with a reasonably high altitude, with low areas like basins here and there. One of the many basins is the Dryad's Forest. Because of the terrain, it's not easily accessible from the ground. And according to Henry-sama and the others, if someone who is not permitted to enter the forest tries to intrude, they will be enveloped in a thick mist. It's apparently so thick that you can't even see the tips of your own fingers on your extended hand. Then, there are places where the mist is thin. If you choose those and walk, before you know it, you're outside the forest.
In Sertoria, Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama fly over Serena's Forest and Renata's Forest, but they couldn't find the Dryad's Forest from the air. So, the plan is to have Renata's clone find it from above. We put the pot with the sprout that serves as the clone's base on a medium-sized bowl that has been hidden and high-speeded, and go up all at once. Since it's still early for autumn colors, the leaves are all green. The search area is wide. I mean, it's too wide. From the air, it looks to be about a third of the size of the entire Nakanohara.
"Won't we not find it?"
Alex has already given up. It's no wonder. After this, we have to go to the island where the Wyverns live. Around the full moon, we have to regenerate the Northeastern Forest and show the Firefly to the Black Dragon child. Next month, we have to go to Primordia. There's less than a week for the search.
"From the start, I don't expect to find it in this search. I think it's fine if we can narrow down the range even a little."
Eleanor-sama apparently intends to start by making a detailed map of the target forest. She said she would give the map she made to Northern Gram to prepare for the case where the Demon Lord is resurrected.
"First, from the whole. Let's color-code the high-altitude places with mountains and the places that are basins. Clone, please tell us if you find it."
With just this color-coding, two days ended. The map is detailed with the Demon Lord's resurrection point, the forest spreading from there, and the highways, fortresses, towns, and villages in the southern plains. Looking at that map, Eleanor-sama had Renata's clone predict the placement of the clones on the periphery guarding the Dryad's Forest.
"They should be in a place where they can monitor humans."
A place overlooking the southern plains. And a place at a somewhat high position. And considering the Demon Lord's resurrection point, it's apparently a place where the Demon Lord's army wouldn't likely invade. Come to think of it, when I first looked for a Dryad, I met a clone on the slope across the mountain from Renata's forest, exactly in a place where the plains could be seen.
"If you go straight south from where the Demon Lord resurrects, it's closest to the plains where humans live. Since there are high mountains of Finis to the north, we don't have to think about it. To the west, half is mountains and half is sparse forest. The fortresses outside the forests to the south and west were built to prepare for the places where the Demon Lord's army has advanced until now, right?"
When the clone asked Eowyn-sama, he nodded, "Yes."
"Then, we can exclude the south and west too. The rest is the east."
"Then, let's hit the east."
Eleanor-sama decided immediately, and the policy was set.
On the third day, we hit the eastern part of the forest. We decided to go over the basins from the east in order and look around each one carefully. While we were scouting with [Sight] on everyone at a lower speed, the clone reacted at the third basin.
"Over there. The place surrounded by those three mountains is it."
In the direction she's pointing, there is indeed a forest. One river is also flowing. However, it's completely indistinguishable from other forests.
"How is it different from other forests?"
Eleanor-sama also doesn't seem to be able to distinguish it. "Hmm. It's the atmosphere. I can just tell somehow." When I asked Alex, he said he didn't know. Maybe only Dryads can tell.
"If we suddenly go to the Dryad's Forest, we'll just be guarded against. Let's look for a clone tree guarding the surrounding area."
As proposed, we temporarily move away. The clone for scouting would be on the slope across one mountain. Probably a place where there are no ridges of other mountains and the plains can be seen...
"Maybe that tree. But it's quite blatant and easy to stand out..."
There is one tree that is lanky and tall. If it were a pine tree, the pine cones would be large, but the ones growing around are oaks, not pines. I thought the acorns would be large, but that wasn't the case.
"It was okay just to approach. Let's go."
Eleanor-sama said, and we approached in the bowl as we were. To avoid surprising the other party, we've already canceled the camouflage. It was the same with Serena. We went to the base of the tree and had Flora talk to it.
"Ah! Wait a minute!"
Was it at the same time as the clone's words, or a bit later? A large amount of ivy stretched out from the tall tree.
"Everyone, duck!"
At Henry-sama's words, thick vines wrapped around us at the same time. I immediately cast [Defend] to harden everyone's bodies. The clone stretched out vines from both hands and wove them like a net, creating places to hold on. The two super-high-level mages are operating the bowl, so they can't use magic. We desperately try to escape, but the taut vines don't seem like they'll break. On the contrary, they keep wrapping around us, and we've been completely ensnared. Eleanor-sama is trying to escape, repeating ascending and descending, but it's like a dog on a leash. Since the ascent range is getting smaller each time we descend, we must be being pulled toward the forest.
"We can't move."
Apparently, it's become uncontrollable. Since it has a lid, as long as a hole isn't made, we won't suffer direct harm. However, when the time comes, the effect of the magic will expire and the bowl will disassemble. It's not a height where we'll be safe.
"Can't you thrust a sword through a gap?"
Eowyn-sama said, but Henry-sama stopped him, saying, "Let's not."
"If they intended to kill us, they would have swatted us down. Even now, they don't seem to have any intention of slamming us into the ground. It's better to wait and see like this and have Renata do something about it."
It's already wrapped in vines, and the other side of the bowl is barely visible. Since it became dark inside, I produced a Firefly and attached it to the ceiling like a light.
"The Dryads around here are quite rough."
The clone is also tilting her head.
"Weren't they just surprised by the bowl they saw for the first time?"
Alex's argument is also reasonable. From the other party's perspective, an object about the size of a hut suddenly appeared overhead. Moreover, humans are riding inside. It would be stranger not to be surprised.
"Can we make a gap? If I touch the vines directly, I think I can communicate."
We were about to agree on that, but...
Wait? Hold on a second.
"Um, could it be they think we kidnapped Renata?"
If that's the case, no matter what we say, won't they think she's being threatened into saying it?
Hmm, Eleanor-sama thought about it.
"Then, let's surrender for now. Renata, first tell them we won't resist. Depending on the situation, only you might be released, but please try to persuade them somehow."
"I understand. I'll try."