The ribbon was a guidepost.
"Plus, the ribbon is a lifeline for adventurers. If you get lost and by some miracle you can find it, you'll be able to find your way home." (Marne)
"But is it really necessary to go that far into the forest?" (Yuna)
"That's not usually the case. But unknown places can be satisfying for a certain type of adventurer. To feel like they're alive. Those who want to see new things more than anyone else. Those who want to make a name for themselves by defeating powerful monsters. Those who want to find rare medicinal herbs like me. There are many different thoughts and feelings put into this ribbon." (Marne)
When you thought about it that way, it didn't seem like just a guidepost.
Up ahead, there were those who achieved their goal. Those who gave up and went home. And there might even be some who were not able to go home at all.
"So, no one will ever remove this ribbon." (Marne)
"..." (Yuna)
"Well, as I said before, we should remember that there are some people with evil intentions, so it's dangerous to just take ribbons at face value." (Marne)
I knew that not all people were good people.
It's hard to describe when you thought that among all the ribbons that hold all kinds of meaning, there was one that holds malice.
"So, I thought that any adventurer who ventures into the deep forest would know about ribbons." (Marne)
Marne-san narrowed her eyes at me.
"I didn't know. I don't need it." (Yuna)
"You don't need it?" (Marne)
"Because these kids are here." (Yuna)
I turned my attention to Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
"With Kumayuru and Kumakyu, they'll know where I've been, so I don't need landmarks." (Yuna)
Since I had the Bear Map skill, I knew where I had been. The same went for Kumayuru and Kumakyu. If they had been anywhere once, Kumayuru and Kumakyu knew it too.
So, if I had been somewhere before, Kumayuru and Kumakyu would take me to the destination even if I was sleeping on their backs.
"So that means you can come back here without getting lost?" (Marne)
"With Kumayuru and Kumakyu, it's possible." (Yuna)
Marne-san looked at Kumayuru and Kumakyu with wide eyes.
"They really are amazing bears. Not only can they grasp the location, they can also find the monsters' positions, they're strong, fast, can shrink, and soft." (Marne)
The last part, soft, didn't seem to have anything to do with amazing, but it seemed to be an amazing thing to Marne-san.
"I thought that Yuna might run out of ribbons, so I prepared some myself, but it seems that was a waste." (Marne)
It's a deep forest. I didn't know how many I'd use.
It seemed that yesterday she not only got work done, but also got ready to go out.
Well, it's no wonder she fell asleep as soon as we set off.
"I understand about the ribbon, but it's pointless if we don't know where the adventurer who saw the herb entered the forest, right?" (Yuna)
This meant that there were as many ribbons as there were adventurers who enter the forest.
"According to the adventurers I heard, they entered the forest from the Ribbon of Beginning." (Marne)
"The ribbon of beginnings?" (Yuna)
"The first thing you notice is this ribbon. It starts as a single ribbon and gradually branches out." (Marne)
A tournament bracket[1] popped into my mind.
It's like a tournament bracket turned upside down.
"So, there are an infinite number of destinations?" (Yuna)
"Some adventurers follow the same path, while others choose different paths. Only the path chosen by the adventurer has a destination. Whether that be to find medicinal herbs like us, to defeat monsters, or to explore the unknown, it varies." (Marne)
That's certainly true.
To be more specific, if the herb you're aiming for was different, your destination would be different. The same went for monsters; if the monster was different, the direction would be different too.
"So, should we just follow this ribbon?" (Yuna)
"Unfortunately, I only know part of the way there. I encountered a group of monsters during, and after taking a detour and moving around in various ways, I ended up here by chance. On the way back, I found a ribbon left behind by another adventurer and that's how I got back." (Marne)
"So, do we follow the ribbon that brought the adventurer back?" (Yuna)
If an adventurer could not retrace his steps, he could simply retrace the steps he took to return.
"You said you were back at the signpost where it all began, so either way, we'll be entering from here." (Yuna)
Apparently, it wouldn't be easy to reach our destination.
We entered the forest.
I rode on Kumayuru's back, and Marne-san rode on Kumakyu's back.
First, we proceeded in the direction indicated by the ribbon.
The path continued like an animal trail, as many adventurers had passed through it in the past.
When you stood on the backs of Kumayuru and Kumakyu, your line of sight was higher, making it easier to see far into the distance.
"It's very comfortable. I was a little worried when I heard we would be riding bears, but now that I experience how comfortable it is, I'll never ride a horse again." (Marne)
"Still, is that different?" (Yuna)
"No, it's not. First of all, the sense of stability is different. I didn't fall off even when I was sleeping, and the rhythm was so nice that I was able to sleep well. Above all, it's soft and comfortable." (Marne)
I was glad she was happy.
It's better than being told they didn't want to ride it.
"But we have to be careful from here on out. I think the chances of encountering monsters will increase, and some of them may be violent." (Marne)
"If there are monsters nearby, Kumayuru and Kumakyu will let us know, so we won't be attacked suddenly." (Yuna)
If the monster was extremely fast, it might be impossible to dodge and a fight might ensue.
"You're a really impressive bear. Yuna, I'll say it again. I'm weak, so I'm useless in combat." (Marne)
Well, that's what the guards were for.
Marne-san was half-elf, but apparently weak.
When we encountered Wolf a while ago, she asked me, "Do you think a reclusive researcher is strong?"
Well, it's certainly a prejudice to think that elves were good at magic and could fight monsters.
One would think that all elves would be good at wind magic.
Dwarves were often thought of as blacksmiths, but not all of them were blacksmiths. There were also dwarven merchants and cooks.
"I'll protect you no matter what." (Yuna)
At worst, there was an escape technique called Bear's Transfer Gate.
"That's encouraging. But when you say that while dressed as a bear, it's hard to say." (Marne)
Marne-san's tension seemed to ease as she laughed, and she now seemed to have time to look around her.
After walking for a while, Marne-san spoke up.
"Wait a minute" (Marne)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu stopped.
"What happened?" (Yuna)
There was no reaction from any monsters nearby.
"Kumakyu, put me down." (Marne)
When Kumakyu sat down, Marne-san got off Kumakyu.
Then she moved to a nearby patch of grass and crouched down.
I also got off at Kumayuru and went to Marne-san.
Marne-san was gathering the leaves that grew there.
"What is it?" (Yuna)
"It's a medicinal herb needed to make an intermediate level stamina recovery potion." (Marne)
"Is it rare?" (Yuna)
"It's true that they are hard to obtain. I wonder, is it the power of the surrounding soil that they grow from? There was a researcher who looked into this. It is said that when a monster dies, it grows from that power. In fact, someone buried a monster and raised it there, and the book said that the experiment was a success." (Marne)
In other words, there's a chance that the monster died here.
"In the end, we found out that it was the magic stones that were affecting it. Therefore, it is not suitable for cultivation, and it would be costly to try to cultivate it." (Marne)
It depended on the number of magic stones, but depending on how many were needed it might be costly and impossible to cultivate.
"I want to collect some for now, so can I have a minute?" (Marne)
"It's fine. I'll keep an eye on the surrounding area." (Yuna)
"Thank you" (Marne)
Marne-san put the collected leaves into a small cloth bag.
And so, the herb gathering finished without being attacked by any monsters.
"I'm done." (Marne)
Marne-san seemed happy to have been able to pick the medicinal herbs.
We started moving again.
As we move forward, the scenery didn't change.
The trees went on and on.
Without bear's mapping skills, we would certainly have been lost.
If we wanted to move forward, we needed markers like ribbons.
Then, after about an hour of walking, we saw ribbons.
I was glad we made it to the next ribbon.
"There are more ribbons now." (Yuna)
There were three red ribbons on the tree branches.
Suddenly we come to a crossroads.
"Which way should we go? By the way, there are monsters over there." (Yuna)
There were six wolves reacting in the direction of my bear puppet was pointing.
"I'd rather not encounter any monsters if possible. Kumakyu, please approach the ribbon." (Marne)
Kumakyu followed Marne-san's instructions and approached the ribbon.
Marne-san stood on top of Kumakyu and checked the ribbon.
"But if there are so many ribbons, won't even the people who tied them get confused?" (Yuna)
If there were 100 ribbons here, I wouldn't know which one was mine.
"Yuna, you really don't know, huh?" (Marne)
Marne-san got back on Kumakyu and took out a ribbon from her item bag.
"There's a magic circle sewn into the end of this ribbon. Once you pass mana through it, it will only react to that person." (Marne)
When Marne-san touched the end of the ribbon, a magic circle appeared and glowed.
"Now we'll know if it's our ribbon." (Marne)
I understood that, but if there were 100 of them, the process of checking them seemed like it would be a lot of work.
"By the way, these are also made by the Ministry of Magic. They are more expensive than regular ribbons, but they sell well." (Marne)
Research alone did not bring in money.
Hiring researchers like Marne-san also required money.
Maybe they're making money by selling useful things to the general public.
"But then, you won't be able to check on the other adventurers, so won't that be a problem?" (Marne)
"If you can't buy this ribbon, why don't you just not go deep into the forest?" (Yuna)
Marne-san answers simply.
"If you don't have enough money to buy this ribbon, then you're not making a living as an adventurer. For an adventurer like you to go deep into the forest is like going to your death." (Marne)
Indeed, in the original world, it would be like going into the forest without a map or compass.
Nowadays, you could find someone's location using cell phone or GPS.
Marne-san chose one ribbon and decided to move in that direction.
Apparently, she had heard from adventurers that she had encountered monsters a few miles away.
Author's Note
First, get the herbs needed to make a stamina recovery potion.
* I am very sorry.
Volume 11 of the paperback edition, volume 12 of the comic adaptation, and volume 21 of the original work are all being reviewed,
I will be posting only on Sundays for a while.
The 12th volume of the comic is scheduled for release on August 2, 2024.
* Posting dates are Wednesday and Sunday at midnight.
If I will be taking a break, I will announce this in the postscript, and if I am suddenly unable to post, I will let you know in an activity report or on X (the former Twitter).
[Book release schedule]
Book volume 20.5 was released on May 2, 2024. (The next volume, volume 21, is planned and in the works.)
The 11th volume of the comic was released on December 1, 2023. (The 12th volume is scheduled for release on August 2, and is currently in preparation.)
The second volume of the comic spin-off was released on March 5, 2024.
The paperback version of volume 10 was released on May 2, 2024. (The deadline for the campaign to win a big acrylic stand featuring Yuna and Sanya on the cover is August 20, 2024. 20 lucky winners will receive a prize.) (The next volume, volume 11, is currently in the works.)
Thank you to everyone who reports typos.
Some of the kanji have been corrected to match the book, so please understand that there are some parts that have not been corrected.
Translator's Note
[1] If it was me, it would be "binary tree"