As promised with Kumayuru, I switched from Kumakyu to Kumayuru and moved on.
"Even so, the rate of monster encounters has increased, huh?" (Marne)
Since then, we had encountered monsters a few times. Even though we did encounter them, they were low-level monsters such as wolves and goblins. To me, it's not a threat. That said, we still needed to be careful because a giant wolf like the giant Snake might appear. If there was a wolf like that, I'd like to see it.
"It's so unsettling not being able to hear anything, right?" (Lydia)
Lydia-san was holding back her mana at the behest of Marne-san. If she was not careful, her mana would leak out.
"In a situation like this, mana is a valuable, you know. Leave the monsters to the bears and you take care of your mana." (Marne)
"Ugh." (Lydia)
"It's still leaking, you know." (Marne)
"Ugh." (Lydia)
It's like being an adult being scolded by a child, isn't it?
"But you know that sort of thing, right?" (Lydia)
"Even though I'm a half-elf, I'm still an elf, so I'm sensitive to wind currents, you know." (Marne)
Elves had a strong image of wind, so just hearing the word elf made me think, "Oh, that's it."
"But that just shows how much wind magic loves you, you know." (Marne)
"I'll use wind magic..." (Lydia)
"Once you learn to use magic power properly, it will become a powerful weapon for you, you know." (Marne)
Lydia-san's expression became serious as she listened to Marne-san's words.
"But the technique to detect monsters is amazing, you know. I hope you can become good at both." (Marne)
Whether constant detection or occasional detection was better would depend on the situation, but being able to switch between them would help reduce the mana consumption.
"...Thank you, Marne-san." (Lydia)
"It is the role of the elders to guide the younger generation, you know." (Marne)
Marne-san looked away and said embarrassedly. Since she's sitting in front of me, I could clearly see that her ears were red.
"You were walking around feeling anxious like this, weren't you?" (Lydia)
"No, it wasn't because I trusted you, Lydia. You were able to grasp the monsters' locations and avoided the danger. And that wind magic? It wasn't just that. You were always paying attention to your surroundings and even visually confirmed the monsters' trail. That must be your skill." (Zect)
"...nii-san." (Lydia)
"So, I trusted you, so I had no worries." (Zect)
Lydia-san looked happy at Zect-san's words. It's good that siblings got along well. Fina and Shuri were also good, and Noa and Shia had a great sister relationship. I sometimes heard stories about siblings who didn't get along, but all the sisters around me got along well.
Although we encountered low level monsters a few times, we didn't encounter any huge monsters, and our progress went smoothly until the sun began to set.
"How much longer?" (Marne)
"Just a little while longer." (Zect)
"I mean, the distance." (Marne)
The two of them were thinking for a moment and then answered.
"Well, it's getting dark soon, so let's call it a day." (Marne)
Marne-san said, looking up at the sky. The sun was starting to set. There's no need to push ourselves.
"Well, I'll go find a place where I can camp out."
Lydia-san got off Kumakyu and tried to run.
"Wait!" (Marne)
Lydia-san, who was about to start running, turned around. I thought about taking out the bear house for a moment, but I knew Marne-san and this was a dangerous forest. Just in case, I thought it would be better to spend the night in the bear house.
"If it's a place to camp, it's fine." (Marne)
"......?" (Lydia)
"This child has a house in his item bag, you know." (Marne)
Marne-san spoke up before I could reply.
"House?" (Both siblings)
Zect-san and Lydia-san harmonized.
"Yeah, well. For now, let's move to a more open area." (Yuna)
There were no places to put the bear house here because of the trees. Cutting down trees was fine, but the sound of them falling might attract monsters. We should take no risk. After moving around for a while, we found a place where we could put out a bear house.
"Is it okay here?" (Yuna)
I got off from Kumayuru and took the Bear House out of the Bear Box. And Zect-san and Lydia-san had the same reaction as people seeing the Bear House for the first time. They were surprised and finally muttered, "Bear?"
"Is this, a house?"
"I was surprised to see it from the item bag. You really like bears, aren't you?"
"For now, come inside." (Yuna)
It would be troublesome if we made too much noise and attracted the monsters, so I took everyone inside the house. By the way, Kumayuru and Kumakyu were still big. It's too much hassle to explain, so maybe it's fine as it was.
"It really is home." (Lydia)
"And it's better than our house." (Zect)
Zect-san and Lydia-san looked around the house. I felt embarrassed when people stared around the house, so please stop looking at me so much.
"You'll be fine if it's a monster like a wolf in here, so don't worry. If a monster attacks us, Kumayuru and Kumakyu will let me know, so you can get some rest." (Yuna)
"Kyuu~n" (Both Kuma)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu made a noise as if to say "Leave it to us," and the two of them looked at Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
"I knew that Yuna-chan was amazing, but this is way beyond the norm." (Lydia)
"I agree with that too. If I knew about this girl, I wish I had been introduced by Ellelaura sooner." (Marne)
Marne-san agreed with Lydia-san.
"We were camping out and taking turns keeping watch..."
"What have happened to us these past 10 days..."
I don't care what you say, you know.
"But it helps to be able to sleep in peace." (Lydia)
"I haven't been sleeping properly." (Zect)
It's hard to get a good night's sleep if you're sleeping outside where it's dangerous. You never knew when you'd be attacked by a monster. Maybe there were some monsters that were nocturnal, but since I basically slept in the bear house at night, I didn't know much about what monsters do at night.
"I'll prepare dinner, so you three can rest." (Yuna)
"Well, I want to process some medicinal herbs, so I'll borrow the dismantling space, okay?" (Marne)
Marne-san headed to the dismantling arena. Zect-san and Lydia-san were wondering what to do.
"You two come too. I'll teach you how to process the herbs you've collected. You'll need to maintain the quality even if you're going to take them home. It looks like you guys have been doing as much as you can. Also, I'll also teach Lydia how to make sunscreen." (Marne)
Lydia-san looks at me with a confirming look.
"I'm fine on my own, so please help Marne-san." (Yuna)
Upon hearing my words, the two of them moved to the dismantling area together with Marne-san. After making sure the three of them headed to the dismantling area, I started preparing dinner.
Bread is fine, right. The bread baked by Morin-san and Karin-san is delicious.
I fried the eggs and sausages, added some vegetables, then prepared the soup that Anzu had made, and had milk and fruit juice to drink.
Yep, the simple dish is complete.
I went to the dismantling room to call them.
"Everyone, dinner is ready." (Yuna)
When I entered the dismantling room, they were processing the medicinal herbs that had been collected.
"It's not over yet?" (Yuna)
"Yuna? Well, it's been a while already, isn't it? Let's leave the rest after dinner." (Marne)
"Is that okay?"
"Since Yuna made it for us, let's eat it while it's still warm." (Marne)
The three of them returned to the room where food was laid out.
"Looks delicious" (Lydia)
"That must be a lie. There are even eggs in this forest." (Zect)
"You should stop asking this kid for her common sense, you know. It's just tiring." (Marne)
Somehow, Marne-san was saying something terrible.
"Make sure you wash your hands, okay?" (Yuna)
"Ah"
"Yeah"
The three of them washed their hands and then sat down.
"Yuna-chan, are you sure you want us to eat this?" (Lydia)
"If you want more, there's plenty left. Feel free to have more, you know." (Yuna)
The two of them look at each other and start eating.
"It's delicious"
"I can't believe I can eat something this delicious in a forest like this."
"That's an exaggeration, you know." (Yuna)
"What are you talking about? Since I came into this forest, I've only been eating dried meat and hard bread, you know. But now I have this delicious bread and sausages. Also, the salad is fresh, and this fruit juice is delicious." (Lydia)
"It makes me want to drink alcohol." (Zect)
"Sorry, but I don't have any alcohol." (Yuna)
I was underage and I didn't drink. That's why I didn't think about serving alcohol. Oh, by the way, I did have cooking sake. I didn't plan on serving it though.
"Oh, I'm so full." (Zect)
"It's painful." (Lydia)
The two of them ate well. I replenished my stock of bread and grilled some more eggs and sausages. I also had several refills of soup.
"Thank you, Yuna-chan. It's been a long time since I've had such a delicious meal." (Lydia)
"That would be great." (Zect)
"But we ate a lot, are the ingredients okay?" (Lydia)
"It's okay" (Yuna)
There was a lot of bread baked by Morin-san and plenty of ingredients as well. If necessary, I had plenty of wolf meat and had already purchased a lot of rice from the Land of Harmoni. I bought a lot of rice by the sack, so I probably had enough for the rest of my lives.
As I began to clear away the dishes, Marne-san took Lydia-san and her brother to the dismantling room to continue processing the herbs. After I had finished clearing away the dishes, I was relaxing with Kumayuru and Kumakyu when Marne-san and the others returned.
"Done?" (Yuna)
"Yeah, it's done."
"Well then, let's take a bath and go to bed." (Yuna)
"Bath?" (The siblings)
"Zect-san, please come in by yourself later, okay?" (Yuna)
"Wait, a bath? Is there a bath?" (Lydia)
"Lydia, you need to forget your common sense when it comes to Yuna." (Marne)
Marne-san said something like a warning. I knew that my actions were abnormal according to the common sense of this world, but it's just terrible.
Author's Note
Sorry. From now on, I will post every 4 days[1].
If I post on a Wednesday, I only have three days, and it's a lot of work to come up with a story, write 10 pages of manuscript paper, and check for typos, so I will be posting every four days.
I think people who write multiple works are truly amazing.
※We are currently accepting reservations for the paperback version of volume 11. The release date is October 4th. We will also continue to hold a lottery for acrylic stands, so thank you for your cooperation.
Posting will occur every 4 days.
If I will be taking a break, this will be announced in the postscript, and if I am suddenly unable to post, I will let you know in an activity report or on X (formerly 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 12th volume of the comic was released on August 3, 2024. (The release date for the next volume, 13, has not yet been decided.)
The second volume of the comic spin-off was released on March 5, 2024.
The paperback version, 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 scheduled to be released on October 4.)
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.