Welcome to Hell! - Chapter 270: Deep Into the Forest

After waiting for a while, Woodsorrel and the others arrived before us. Woodsorrel who was standing proudly on the back of a bear in a majestic pose was already employing her transformation technique from the start. She was properly wearing her coat this time, which meant she hadn’t forgotten to consider humans’ feelings.

Gardenia who was wrapped around Woodsorrel’s neck like a scarf was yawning widely. The relaxed demeanor of the two suggested that permission had most likely been granted. While we couldn’t let our guard down completely, it seemed safe to relax a bit.

“Fufufufu! Be grateful! It’s thanks to my persuasion that you got the permission!”

[Don’t take her too seriously. Big sister Woodsorrel got a scolding for being an idiot.]

Gardenia’s telepathic message revealed to us that Woodsorrel was boldly lying, albeit in a harmless and cute way. It was probably best to accept it quietly.

Woodsorrel’s expression didn’t change, perhaps because she didn’t receive Gardenia’s telepathy. She leaped from the bear’s back, performed a somersault in mid-air, and landed on the coachman’s bench where I was sitting.

“Uwaa?!”

“Let’s get going then!”

Because she jumped very high, the carriage shook violently when she landed and almost caused Chirik, who was seated next to me, to tumble off. I instinctively grabbed Chirik’s arm to prevent him from falling, while at the same time, Chris who was on the cargo bed grabbed his other arm.

It seemed that Tigar had succeeded in persuading Chris, as she was now riding in the carriage I was driving. Although we didn’t have a proper conversation yet, I felt we were a step closer to mending our relationship.

“Hey, hey, let’s avoid dangerous moves. My disciple doesn’t have very good eyesight.”

“Oh, is that so? I’m sorry, I didn’t know… Huh? Sniff, sniff…”

“Hey, what’s going on this time?!”

Instead of apologizing for the commotion, Woodsorrel leaned in to sniff Chirik, then came closer to me and sniffed around my neck. This was a problem! She might have realized the blood relation between Chirik and me by our scent!

I had no intention of telling Chirik that the person who was synthesized with me was his father. Learning this might drive him away from me. I had decided to wait until Chirik was mature enough to live on his own before I would tell him myself. I needed to find a way to keep Woodsorrel from spilling the beans!

“You, by any chaaaance?!”

“Enough of this nonsense! Behave yourself, you fox girl!”

It was Chris who prevented Woodsorrel from divulging anything unnecessary. She silenced Woodsorrel with a punch to the head and then dragged her into the cargo bed. Thinking it unfair to involve her further, I quickly retrieved Gardenia, who had been wrapped around Woodsorrel’s neck.

[Sorry about that. There’s a bit of a situation.]

[It’s big sister Woodsorrel’s fault for being too intrusive. Let’s set off again.]

Despite the ongoing situation of their comrade being kidnapped, the reactions from the others were subdued. The monkey seemed to be fed up with her and simply placed a hand on his forehead and looked up at the sky. It appeared that their concern for Woodsorrel was overshadowed by the trouble she was causing.

It seemed that as long as there was no undue violence, a rough handling of Woodsorrel was acceptable. I couldn’t help but feel relieved internally. Following Gardenia’s lead, her comrades began to walk ahead as scouts.

“Alright, then…”

[There’s no need for any more of this. Look.]

“What?!”

“Oh?!”

“This is…!”

When I attempted to create a path for the carriage using sand spiritual arts, Gardenia stopped me. As if waiting for her intervention, the trees in the forest made a rustling sound and split to the sides, revealing a path that resembled a well-trodden highway!

Not just the person seated on the coachman’s seats, but also those peering outside, all let out exclamations. It didn’t seem like Gardenia and her companions had done anything. There was definitely some trickery at play, but I had no intention of prying it out of them forcefully.

[See, it wasn’t needed, right?]

[You’re helping us big time. But…]

[What’s the matter?]

“Chirik, it seems you can’t train anymore like this. Do what you can while seated.”

“Yes, teacher!”

Although the creation of a path through the forest was helpful, generating paths with sand had been good training for him. From the front to the back of the line, sand was always prepared, and the sand at the rear, which was no longer needed, was brought to the front to use only the initially prepared sand for everything.

It was a simple task, but when repeated over a long period of time, it required concentration and energy. This training, which could also increase the total amount of spiritual power more than control techniques, was perfect for Chirik, who was already more skilled than me in control techniques.

However, this wasn’t the only training to increase the total amount of spiritual power. Chirik created ten sand balls in the air and began moving them in complex orbits above his head.

[Eh…? That young one over there is still a child, right? What’s with that spiritual art…?]

[He’s my disciple. isn’t he impressive?]

[To put it mildly, he’s a genius. But, are you sure he’s just a disciple? Couldn’t he be your son?]

[So, it was obvious after all.]

Gardenia’s telepathy question proved that Chris’s approach was correct. It seemed Woodsorrel had also noticed that there was a blood relation between Chirik and me. The way she discovered it was probably through her sense of smell, as she had been moving her nose.

However, Gardenia did not make the careless mistake of speaking it out loud. She probably sensed from my earlier interaction with Woodsorrel that it was a topic best left untouched. Gardenia might be younger than Woodsorrel, but she seemed more considerate.

[There are some circumstances. I believe it’s still too early to discuss them.]

[Hmm, is that so?]

Gardenia didn’t seem particularly interested, which likely meant she wouldn’t pry further. However, she seemed quite interested in Chirik himself and curled up on my lap before crossing over to sit on his knees.

“Wha-?! Oh, I’m Chirik. Nice to meet you.”

“…. Just think of this as part of your training.”

Chirik looked to me for help, but Gardenia was glaring sternly in my direction as if threatening to reveal my secret if I made any unnecessary moves. Regrettably, I had no choice but to suggest that he just go along with it.

Although he was slightly bewildered, Chirik soon began to talk with Gardenia. Meanwhile, Chris came to sit beside me, taking the place Chirik had just vacated. As for Woodsorrel who was previously dragged away… she seemed to be playing with Lappy in the cargo bed.

“Thank you. That was a big help.”

“Yeah. Um… sorry for sulking. Antares didn’t do anything wrong…”

“No, it’s my fault for forgetting. I’m sorry if I hurt you, Chris.”

“…Hehe.”

“…Haha.”

The situation, where we both apologized, insisting it was our own fault, struck us as funny, and we found ourselves laughing without either of us starting it. After a good laugh, I asked her about what happened inside.

“Did you manage to persuade her?”

“Yes, I told them she’d fall out of favor with Antares if she said anything unnecessary, and that seemed to calm her down. It looks like she’s reflecting on it… but she might slip up and say something anyway.”

“It seems we’ve got a new problem on our hands now.”

Just then, Lappy burst energetically from the cargo area and clung to my back. However, on Lappy’s back was Woodsorrel, who had reverted to her demon fox form.

[Fufuun! Telepathy should be fine, right?]

“…Is that really true? Gardenia had previously mistakenly targeted someone else in her haste with telepathy.”

[Ahaha! She made such a mistake? I would never do that!]

Woodsorrel laughed heartily through telepathy, but not just me, even Chris and Lappy looked at her with dubious eyes. This scene seemed to prove that trust was difficult to gain and easy to lose.

It seemed that all we could do was be cautious around Woodsorrel. It felt too harsh to tell her not to speak to anyone, which might have made my headache seem worse. Was it just my imagination?

“Putting that aside… can you control the release of your transformation technique at will?”

[That’s right! Once applied, it won’t be undone unless I do it myself! That means even if I fall asleep, I’ll stay in whatever form I was in!]

“It’s an impressive technique, but why does such a transformation exist in the first place? Isn’t this forest fundamentally rejecting humans?”

[It’s obviously to avoid detection in human settlements.]

“””?!”””

Hearing the answer to Chris’s question, even Lappy, who had been quietly prodding at my neck, was taken aback. It made sense, as Woodsorrel had just casually confessed that they descend into human territories.

“Do you guys actually go into human settlements?”

[We do. We disguise ourselves as merchants and engage in various trades. Human tools are quite handy.]

“I can’t believe it. Are you saying that the goods from beyond the mountain…”

[Ah, that’s different. We don’t bother going that far. It’s too much trouble.]

Far from just descending into human settlements, they were even engaging in trade. It seemed they exchanged the harvest of the forest for convenient tools. Although it was a hassle, it seemed like this was the reason why they knew about clothes and how to wear them.

[But we do know about the cave beneath the mountain and its exit on the southern side. We’re aware of the humans who come and go through there.]

“You don’t interfere with them?”

[No, we don’t. The underground has its own rules, and more importantly, the entrance on the northern side is outside the forest.]

Woodsorrel concluded that they couldn’t be bothered with what happened beyond the forest. It appeared that the rumored underground cave did exist and was indeed frequented by some. Woodsorrel and her kin were aware but chose not to get involved.

As long as these activities didn’t encroach upon the forest, they seemed indifferent. They were, after all, guardians of the forest. I feel like I understand their stance. As soon as we set off, we were in for a series of surprises. With this in mind, we slowly moved forward.