Welcome to Hell! - Chapter 279: The Sky of Farewell

The morning after our farewell feast, we were back in our traveling clothes and ready for the journey ahead. Our supplies were fully replenished, and we had rested well. We were as full of energy as when we left the kingdom.

“Fufun! With me along, we’re as strong as a hundred men!”

“Hey, be careful!”

Woodsorrel was brimming with even more energy than the rest of us. Standing proudly on the roof of a large carriage, she puffed out her chest and said something proudly, only to be quickly brought back down to earth by Chris’ prosthetic hand grabbing her head.

Despite Woodsorrel’s protests of pain and discomfort, Chris’s actions were justified. Though the canopy of the carriage was made of a strong fabric, it was not designed to support weight. It would be foolish for Woodsorrel to injure herself by tearing it.

Meanwhile, Gardenia curled up on Chirik’s lap next to me. This was a common sight… but after hearing Button’s story yesterday, I had mixed feelings about it. The reason was that I had only seen them as good friends, but now that I knew what was going on, it seemed to me like Gardenia was letting everyone know that he belonged to her.

Perhaps sensing my mixed emotions, Chirik looked up at me with a puzzled expression on his face. I responded with a wry smile and gently patted his head in a comforting manner.

Chirik was smiling as if he felt ticklish, but his attention quickly shifted downward. The reason was a slight movement from Gardenia who was perched on his lap. Hey, hey, why are you reacting like you’re feeling jealous of me

“Ho-How mean…”

“That’s what you get for doing that. Seriously…”

After the incident on the canopy, Chris arrived while carrying Woodsorrel like a piece of luggage on her shoulders. There seemed to be no room for reservations between Chris and Woodsorrel, as Chris unceremoniously dumped Woodsorrel into the cargo bed.

A short yelp from Woodsorrel echoed from the cargo bed. There seemed to be no reservations between the two but in a good way. I would say they were the best of friends, transcending the boundaries of race.

Noticing that Chris and the others had boarded the carriage, Button approached us. I descended from the coachman’s seat to bid her farewell.

“Will you depart now, Antares?”

“We are deeply grateful for your hospitality. I will never forget this kindness.”

“Don’t worry about it…is what I want to say but I know you are a man of great honor. Therefore, when the seeds bestowed upon you by our lord bear fruit, bring those to us. That shall be considered as your repayment of our kindness.”

“I understand.”

To repay Button and the others, we must carefully cultivate the seeds we have received …. the three types of plants Lorentz named. Let’s harvest more than we need and share the surplus with them and the Mountain God.

This gave us a new purpose, and with a goal in sight, my motivation soared. I bowed once more in gratitude before jumping onto the cargo bed of the carriage drawn by Apao.

“Ah, one more thing. Once you leave here, continue straight ahead. You’ll find an open area. Wait there for a while.”

“Understood… Everyone, it’s time to set off!”

There must be someone waiting there, perhaps a guide of sorts. After memorizing the words of Button, I lightly move the reins and give instructions to Apao. The latter was a demon like us and so he understood my words and neighed as if to say, “Leave it to me,” before we started moving.

Excluding those who had left to protect the forest, all the inhabitants of the flower garden gathered near the exit to see us off. They expressed their farewells with cries, gestures, and for those who could speak the language of humans, with parting words.

Not a single one among those who could speak uttered the word “goodbye”. Instead, they all said “Let’s meet again”. It was probably Button’s idea, but hearing them say it was comforting. In response, we waved our hands as if to say goodbye without wanting to part.

Watching our exchange, Button smiled brightly. Was she too hoping for a reunion…? Yet, there seemed to be something different about her demeanor compared to the others. Was I overthinking it?

Although I felt a nagging sense of unease, we stepped out of the flower garden. Just as when we arrived, the forest opened up into a path in front of us. There was no need to worry about getting lost. We decided to move forward.

“Is this the place?”

“It’s smaller than I expected. Everyone can fit, but there’s not much room to spare.”

“Moreover, there’s no exit. It’s a dead end.”

Just like Button said, there was an open area ahead of the path. However, the clearing was smaller than anticipated and ended at a dead end without any exits. If we were ambushed here… it would likely mean the end for all of us.

Despite the unsettling thought, ever since the incident with Button, I’ve been extra vigilant about our surroundings. At the very least, there were no signs of life that could pose a threat to us within my range of detection.

Rustle, rustle, rustle… Thud!

We figured we should wait here for now. Just as we had decided to trust Button and wait, the trees around us began to sway, followed by a significant shaking underfoot. Just when I thought it was an earthquake or something, the entire clearing we were in slowly rose up along with the surrounding trees!

“…. So that’s what Button’s smile meant.”

The smile Button wore at our departure was that of someone who had successfully pulled off a prank and was watching the results unfold. She must be watching us from somewhere even now, surely enjoying the sight of us scrambling in confusion. The penchant for mischief in Woodosrrol and the others was undoubtedly inherited from Button.

However, this didn’t mean that Button had set a trap for us. Considering the elaborate nature of this setup, it made no sense that she would want to harm us… Especially since Gardenia who was resting calmly on Chirik’s lap seemed completely unfazed.

“The ground itself is moving…”

“What in the world is going on?!”

Tigar and the others were unaware of Gardenia’s calm demeanor and so they seemed unable to contain their agitation. They jumped from the coachman’s seat and the bed of the carriage and looked around frantically. Chris had also jumped from our carriage… Did Lappy sleep through all this? She really is something else.

Even though I understood there was no issue, I wanted to grasp the current situation accurately. It would help calm my comrades. So, I turned to someone who knew what was happening.

“Do you know what’s happening? Can you tell us?”

[It’s just that we’re being carried. By a god.]

“The ‘Mountain God’?”

[No, not him. It’s a lesser god who has served the ‘Mountain God’ for ages, the ‘Forest God’.]

I recalled the history of the “Mountain God”. I had heard that he fled from the continent controlled by the Khan race, along with a guardian. That guardian might have been a god as well.

However, the fact that I was dealing with a god did not alleviate my confusion. The reason was that I didn’t sense any powerful presence around. In fact, I couldn’t feel the presence of anyone besides my comrades.

As if noticing my question, Gardenia let out a proud snort through telepathy and was about to reveal the true nature of the situation. But before she could spill the secrets through telepathy, someone spoke out loud.

“The ‘Forest God’ is the forest that surrounds the mountain itself. Think of it as the will of the forest.”

The one who enlightened me was Woodsorrel who was abruptly tossed into the cargo bed earlier. According to her, the “Forest God” wasn’t an entity with a single body like the “Mountain God” or the descendants of gods. She claimed that every plant making up this forest was a fragment of the “Forest God”.

In essence, the entire forest was the body of the “Forest God”. The term “the forest itself” that Woodsorrel used wasn’t an exaggeration at all. The reason paths through the forest became easily accessible and the abundance of edible plants near the flower garden was due to the consideration of the “Forest God”. We were literally receiving the blessings of the forest.

It made sense why I didn’t feel a powerful presence. Even for the “Forest God” who had served the “Mountain God” for ages, spreading its power evenly throughout the entire forest would naturally make it weaker.

During our time in the forest, saying we were inside the “belly of the Forest God” wouldn’t be an overstatement. Had the “Mountain God” chosen to oppose us, there would have been no chance of victory. I couldn’t help but feel incredibly fortunate when I realized this

[Bis sister Woodsorrel…]

“Being escorted by the ‘Forest God’ is an honor! You should be grateful!”

Gardenia looked up at Woodsorrel with a touch of resentment, but the latter seemed oblivious to her gaze. Once again, Woodsorrel puffed out her chest with pride.

As soon as Woodsorrel shared the truth with me, the surroundings began to transform. The trees encircling the clearing stretched upward with a creaking sound and their tips converged to form the shape of a giant bird.

The giant bird made of tree branches flapped its wings and the area we were in began to move slowly. It seemed that the “Forest God” was about to take us on a journey through the sky. I had never imagined that we would physically jump over the Shumie Mountain range in one go.

“It certainly is an honor. No amount of gratitude could suffice.”

“Hmm… Big brother? Where are we?”

Lappy, who had been sound asleep until now, seemed to have finally awakened. After I explained the situation to her with a wry smile, Lappy jumped off the carriage while hugging Chirik and Gardenia.

“Big sister Lappy?!”

[Wait?!]

“Big brother, I want to go outside with everyone. We’ll be right back.”

With those words, Lappy dashed toward the edge of the circle of trees with the two in tow. I exchanged a quick glance with Chris and we hurriedly followed after them.

The trees that had risen with the clearing were few, so even through the gaps between them there was a clear view of the landscape outside. Leaning against the trees, Lappy gazed intently at the exterior.

“Wow~…”

The view from this height was nothing short of spectacular. What met our eyes was not just the forest we had inhabited until moments ago, but also the plains stretching beyond and the villages where people dwelled… In other words, it was the scenery of the northern part of Enzo’s continent.

We were set to head towards the southern part of the Enzo continent next. Once we moved on, it would be difficult to enjoy this view again until we settled down. To be honest, the place held more unpleasant memories than not, yet the fond recollections of times spent with our comrades made it impossible not to feel sentimental.

Following our lead, our comrades too were taking in the outside view. While some enjoyed the scenery, others were paralyzed by the height and their bodies shrunk back in fear. Everyone is different.

“This is the best farewell gift, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Chris, agreeing with my murmur, snuggled up to me and gently rested her head on my shoulder. I did not resist and instead quietly continued to watch the northern continent bathe in the morning sun. This landscape, I knew, would forever remain etched in my memory.