episode_0046

We finally got out of the damn wetlands.

Since it was a people-traveled road, it was open and bug-free. The road is not small either. When I had the opportunity to experience a new culture, I began to feel excited.

How huge are the honey mushrooms that make up Root Village? Is there a big mushroom like you see in games or movies, and is there a house built inside the mushroom?

Gradually, the trees became denser and greener, and the mushrooms around them also increased. On a rare occasion, I even saw a mushroom as tall as me.

“Can I eat this?”

“You can eat it.”

It rushed in and left teeth marks on the mushroom.

Unfortunately, it is tasteless and odorless. As he growled and bitten like a dog, Jules snorted.

“Come and try it.”

“That’s something you cook and eat.”

Somehow it didn’t taste anything.

Even though it is half mushroom and half tree, the trees are unusually tall and there are no dead trees in sight. Of course, not all mushrooms live on rotten trees. There is no withered tree and everything is green.

What I don’t understand here is that there are hardly any fallen leaves here. Anyone who knows anything about forests knows how abnormal it is to have no branches in the forest.

A sweet smell wafted throughout the forest.

It is much stronger and more refreshing than the smell of wet earth after rain.

“How long do we have to arrive at Puri Village?”

“Almost there.”

I looked around, but no matter where I looked, I couldn’t see any mushrooms big enough to build a village. Some mushrooms had a foul odor that stung my nose.

“Wow.”

When I turned my head, I saw Ramrat picking something up around him.

“Huh? There is someone…?”

“It turned out well.”

Ramrat, who was digging mushrooms, glanced in this direction and his eyes widened. To be exact, he is looking at me.

Ugh── my heart!

I have liked dogs and cats since I was young.

But now, a Ramrat, a cross between a dog and a cat, is standing before my eyes! The bright sky blue eyes with large pupils were like a cat. The fur is white, the nose and mouth are light pink, and the fur is abundant. The slightly dull black fur that stretched from the nose across the eyes seemed to extend all the way to the back. The white fur became more abundant on the chest and became thinner again as it went down. The overall appearance was that of a cat, but its tail was similar to that of a dog. Perhaps because it is a smaller Ramrat, the head protrudes and there are no recessed parts, making it round and cute. I want to bite you. Squeak!

“Sihyeon.”

“Yes, yes?”

“I got scared because you looked at me like I was a pervert.”

I looked at Juul and then back at Ramrat.

If you look closely, you can see that he is trembling.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Ha, really.”

Juul grabbed my wrist and strode towards Ramrat.

“Interpret.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, don’t come…!”

Ramrat stepped back in fear.

eww! Talking cat! My heart explodes!

“This human is my slave.”

How should I interpret it?

Straightforward? Or rotated slightly?

I think it would be a good idea to purify it a bit.

“I am this person’s slave and interpreter.”

Ramrat looked at me and Juul in turn with a perplexed expression.

“Where is the entrance to Root Village this year?”

“The owner is asking where the entrance to Root Village is this year.”

The question is really strange. Where is the entrance to Root Village?

Are they blocking the entrance? Ramrat, who was looking at Juul and me alternately, sniffed, got tired of it, and took a step back.

Is it because of the smell of deer blood?

“Mom…please save me…”

“I’m looking for my mom.”

“Kyaaaa!!”

Ramrat stuck out his teeth and glared at me as if he were going to kill me.

ah···! I made a mistake. I should have explained my abilities first. Even if I explain it to you now, you won’t understand.

Jules was just laughing.

“Tell mom to go find it alone.”

“Mother tells me to go find it alone.”

Ramrat was looking at Juul and me with a bewildered expression.

······When I came to interpret, it was a skill that was perfect for making Juul and I look like crazy people, let alone interpreting.

Jules must have sensed from the beginning that the situation was a mess, and he lost his cool and started walking down the path he was going.

I had no choice but to walk after him without a chance to explain my mistake. In the end, only Ramrat was left alone, looking in this direction with a confused look on his face.

“Ahahaha! Did you just see her face?!”

“No, what── Ugh…!”

It was so absurd that I burst out laughing along with Jules.

It must have seemed like he was teasing me rather than interpreting. If it were a really important event, there would have been an uproar by now.

From now on, let’s first introduce ourselves to the interpreter and then tell the story.

“Before interpreting from now on, I need to first reveal your abilities.”

“Yes. I guess so.”

Jules continued to sniffle.

Since they couldn’t find the entrance because of me, I think they are trying to find it themselves. It was a mistake I made because it was my first time seeing a demi-human who could not speak the Elvish language.

I have to be careful next time.

I glanced behind me and saw Ramrat, who was standing there in a daze, still looking at me. I waved at the cute Ramrat.

Ramrat eventually bursts into laughter and gives a small wave. I want to hug him and bite his cheeks.

“Is Ramrat really that cute?”

“Everything is cute when you’re young.”

I’ve heard that cuteness is also a survival strategy on Earth. When I first heard it, I thought it was a strange sound, but now that I’ve experienced it, I have to think about it again.

Would any animal show its teeth to such a cute creature?

Humans look like aliens when they are babies.

Is it because it is so unique that there is no need to devise a survival strategy? As I walked along the sidewalk, I began to see a few Ramrats and elves around me.

Everyone has a bow or a spear… obsidian?

The arrowhead is obsidian. Obsidian is as brittle as glass, but at the same time it is as sharp as broken glass. Thanks to this, it can easily tear the skin. Ramrat’s spear was a spear made from the tip of a tree. Because obsidian cannot be used as a spear blade.

“I guess I really lack iron.”

“What should I do? Proper iron is monopolized by Drekkar.”

The story of being monopolized over iron is not a good thing. If Drekkar lowers the gate of the Great Wall and begins an invasion again, at worst he will have to face an opponent wearing plate armor.

Armored swordsmanship is completely different from plain clothes swordsmanship.

Swordsmen in uniform keep each other in check to prevent injuries, but knights have no such thing. Quickly grabs the opponent and stabs them. Moreover, the person inside is also a specialist in killing people.

One hundred per day. Because this dream-like nonsense is not nonsense to the knights. Fortunately, a century… half a century is long enough for human tension to be relieved.

Because Korea was like that, and the world was like that.

In fact, some Dverg trade with the south.

I don’t think there are demi-humans from the Drekkar side who do similar work to Dverg only in Ogre’s nest. There is probably still a black trade in iron ore or iron bars going on somewhere.

“Horus is a neutral country, so can’t we buy iron from there?”

“It’s not enough. If we combine the small and large tribes and villages in the south, the number of demi-humans may exceed 30 million, even if exaggerated. Among them, only about three million people can touch iron. Most of them can’t even make repairs.”

“···It’s not enough.”

It is also shocking that the South is so large.

“That’s right. It’s not enough.”

Without iron, trees classified as iron trees cannot be cut down.

Right now, that window pole was made by breaking off a branch from a strong tree, not by carving it out of a piece of wood.

I don’t know if the person I’m dealing with is Ramrat, but I think I can break him right away with just my arm and arm. When I set out, the idea of humans plundering didn’t really hit me.

Now I really feel that it was because I was next to Jules. A person who has nothing but bread has no choice but to have it taken away by a person holding a knife.

If you think about just a month ago, my father used a steel dagger and an iron arrowhead. He even got me a dagger to use in one day.

Iron has become popular among humans.

Of course, I can’t say I’m right based on what I experienced alone… but there are more than one or two things that make me suspicious.

Crucially, I once received a cask made of oak from a human village near the ogre’s nest. This is even more serious when you consider that the oak barrel was surrounded by an iron band.

This means that there is still iron left.

Wood is a commonly used material along with iron.

If you look at the Earth right now, trees are used in many places. However, you cannot cut down large logs without an iron axe.

To cut down a tree with a stone axe, it takes tens of thousands of hits. There are so many things that cannot be made without trees. The Southern Ain cannot develop a proper civilization simply because of their lack of iron.

“Somehow, iron…”

“Hello. It’s been a while since I saw you.”

It’s a surprise!

A male elf is standing in front of Juul, blocking the path ahead. He is tall like an elf. With hair neatly tied back—glasses? He is wearing glasses.

How are you wearing your glasses?

Additionally, he was wearing neat brown clothes and a white shirt. Strangely enough, it seems as if he has advanced ahead of civilization all by himself.

“Elvin, it’s been a while. They flew an eagle saying that humans were plundering this village.”

There was something strange in the elf’s eyes as he looked at me.

“You are still well prepared. Are you capturing humans to use as hostages?”

“You are my slave. Interpreter.”

Elvin looked at me with judgmental eyes.

That kind of gaze is familiar, but I can’t get used to it.

“Thank you for coming. Many other bailiffs were also gathered inside. We will guide you.”

Jules started walking after Alvin.

I also followed behind him.

“Did Elysia come too?”

“Yes. You are currently scouting. Since Elysia came, the marauders have been attacking only at night.”

Only at night? Is this person named Elysia a Siren?

If you shoot an arrow from the sky, no matter how human you are, you won’t be able to do much. I’ve only fired a few thousand rounds, but by my standards, it’s impossible to hit a siren flying from afar with a bow.

It was also strange.

Even people who say they are risking their lives to take a gamble will most likely give up once they actually risk their lives. When animals notice that armed people are flocking in, they run away like fish startled by a wave.

After all, he is human.

Why would you do something so unintelligent?

I stopped thinking and looked around.

Even as an outsider, this area looks like it would be advantageous for a surprise attack. This is because the recording is strangely dark. It must be because of Mother Earth’s blessing. If you spread mud all over your body and cover yourself with fallen leaves in the grass, you wouldn’t be able to tell unless you were a hunter.

The closer you get to the village, the deeper the greenery becomes.

······Why won’t the looting stop?

“What do humans plunder here?”

“Paper and musk mushrooms. And I cut some of the honey mushrooms.”

“It’s hard to think that he risked his life because of that.”

“That’s right. This is just my opinion.”

Elvin’s face gradually became more serious.

Juul couldn’t take his eyes off Elvin at that expression.

“What is it?”

“···It looks like they are targeting Elysia.”