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Chapter 16 – Outside the Hermitage
Thus ended Clare’s first visit to the capital, and a new day began with Selena.
Selena was a little unsure about her financial situation, but she had somewhere to stay from the next day. For now, she was able to use the money she had saved to stay at the same inn as Clare and the others. Since all three of them had already finished what they needed to do in the capital, they decided to leave the next day.
After leaving the capital, they walked a short distance down the road to the outskirts when Rona stopped in her tracks.
“Well, I think we should start riding from here. Selena can ride behind you, right?”
“Leave it to me. On the way back, we’ll ride the broom to the Great Sea of Trees.”
“A broom, you say?”
“It’s a broom. If you have the aptitude, I think you’ll be able to ride it by yourself, but I feel like you won’t know until you try it.”
As he said this, the doll took out two old brooms from his bag and handed one to Rona.
Selena was wide-eyed at the sight of the broom, which was obviously longer than the bag.
“Stand on the broom behind me and hold on tightly to my waist. I’ll put on a safety rope, so don’t worry.”
“Um… like this?”
“Yes.”
As Clare spoke, a glowing belt wrapped around Selena’s body. If someone who knew what it was, they would describe it as having a structure similar to the safety belts worn by modern Japanese workers working at heights. The sash wrapped around Clare and the broom.
“Selena, are you ready to fly?”
“A-a-sky? Fly? I-I get it.”
Selena answered nervously, swallowing her saliva.
“Well, let’s go then. There are some beginners here, so let’s fly slowly and at a low altitude at first.”
After watching this, Rona said, and the broom she was straddling floated up. Before she could be surprised, Clare said, “Let’s go,” and Selena’s body was enveloped in a strange floating sensation.
“Eh, eh, eh…!?”
Their toes were not touching the ground. They rose a little higher while still floating, and the broom carrying them glided ahead, following Rona, who was ahead of them.
“Are you okay, Selena?”
After going a little further, the doll on Clare’s shoulder looked at Selena behind her and asked.
“I-It’s okay… I-I wonder if I’ve been taught by some fantastic people?”
“Rona, I’m just an apprentice.”
While talking like that, Clare and the others headed towards Rona’s hermitage.
When they flew over the Great Sea of Trees, the lord of the domain came to hunt. Therefore, they could only go as far as the Great Sea of Trees by broom. Selena was nervous when she heard that they would have to walk from there, but her first impression after entering the Great Sea of Trees was that it was okay to go so easily.
They avoided the trees and bushes in their path, and although they could see ominous, thick magical energy remnants here and there, they didn’t encounter any monsters.
From Rona and Clare’s movements, it was clear that they were sensing and avoiding monsters. Small ripples like things flew around Clare and the others from outside.
The light compass in Clare’s palm reacted to the ripples, and the two of them changed their movements accordingly. It was an interesting sight for Selena, who could visually perceive the effects of magic.
However, the monsters’ reactions came from all over the place… Selena realized that if she went forward normally, she would soon encounter a monster.
She knew it was a very dangerous area and was prepared for it. However, even the places that seemed shallow were beyond Selena’s imagination. She realized that her estimate was quite low.
“I was overly optimistic. It’s just as Lady Clare warned me.”
“If you go forward normally, you’ll find a dense forest. Do you see any detection reactions?”
“Yes. Something like that.”
“Normal adventurers don’t explore such uncharted areas, so you should take that into account.”
Rona replies to Selena who agrees.
“It seems that the adventurers are exploring along the Great Sea of Trees, a path that their predecessors had carved out. Normally, I think it’s relatively safer than where they’re walking now. Monsters also avoid attacking in places that are used by many experienced adventurers.”
However, in that case, the adventurers will have more competitors, so there will be fewer opportunities and resources. In a safe place, even those with less skill will be able to gather, so the pie will be smaller.
If you want more, you need to push your way through the trees, using magic or cutting through the bushes, and accept a certain amount of risk. That’s what the adventurers were doing.
That’s why… Selena was shocked by the two of them as they smoothly advanced through the Great Sea of Trees, collecting materials with one hand and avoiding monsters with the other.
They went deeper and deeper into the forest at such a speed that it seemed like they were really going through the forest — and suddenly the view opened up.
“This is–”
When Selena saw the scene, she was speechless.
A bright and pastoral scene unfolded inside the fence. A small, thatched-roofed building. Surrounding it were a well, crops, and fruit trees, as well as a detached building and what appeared to be a livestock shed.
In front of the main house, there were bright and pale-colored flowers planted, creating a peaceful atmosphere. However, one step beyond the fence, they were surrounded by a dense forest that was the same as the Demon Realm they had walked through in all directions.
There were several figures, but they looked like golems made from compacted earth.
A dome-shaped sparkle could be seen at the border of the fence. This was a barrier to ward off monsters. However, the sparkle was more beautiful than any barrier Selena had seen before, and the sparkle itself left an impression of being orderly.
“You’ve arrived. Welcome, Selena.”
The doll on Clare’s shoulder spread its arms in welcome.
“For now, you will be living here while you train. It may be cramped inside the fence, but it should be fine for now. Actually, if you go out by yourself, you will die, so be careful.”
“I, I understand.”
Selena’s expression twitches at the serious warning, which was spoken in a casual tone. If it were obvious, it would be obvious that she would die. Those were the words she was sure of.
“Okay, then Clare. You tell Selena what is inside the fence and what you usually do there. After that, you can take a short break, and then you two can clean out the things in the storeroom and use that as Selena’s room.”
“What will you do with the things you take out?”
“Let’s make a storage shed. I’ll expand that area a bit, so you can do the shed over there.”
“Okay.”
After confirming the direction Rona was pointing, Clare answered lightly with the doll.
Selena was then taught by Clare one by one about the things on the property.
They keep goats and chickens in the livestock shed, and get milk and eggs every morning. Although they still need to feed them and clean the sheds, they enrich their daily meals. They also make their own cheese and yogurt.
The toilet in the annex connected to the house by a corridor was made of shiny stone tiles and was extremely hygienic. It was as if there were magic in it. That’s probably what keeps it so clean.
The scent of flowers was in the air, making Selena wonder if this is what toilets in the royal palace must be like.
And – to Selena’s surprise – next to the toilet was a bathroom. Here too, the washing area and bathtub were spacious, bright, and hygienic.
“…The facilities are very complete. I think I’ll feel a lack of space when I go to a village or town.”
“It’s something we use every day, and it’s better to have it comfortable because we’re far from human settlements. Rona told me I was going too far at first, but now she likes it.”
“Oh. Did you make it, Lady Clare?”
“No, it was a renovation. I came up with an idea, and if it looked good, she adopted it, and then we continued to do more.”
The toilet and the bath were renovated little by little like this. There was a tank behind the detached house, and it seems that they store not only groundwater, but also purified filtered rainwater. Aside from the well, they have water, but even in the Great Sea of Trees, it was completely unexpected for Selena that they could use hot water freely to a certain extent.
So Clare carefully explained the things on the premises, how to use them, and the work they do every day.
Finally, we headed to the back of the hermitage – the edge of the premises. It was a sunny place. There were several stone grave markers there.
Clare must have picked them somewhere in the Great Sea of Trees. She offers the flowers, closes her eyes and offers a silent prayer. It’s probably someone related to Rona or Clare, but she doesn’t know whose grave it is, and it’s a delicate topic, so it’s not a good idea to ask casually.
Selena follows Clare’s example and offers a silent prayer, thinking to herself, “I hope you’ll all be well from today onwards.”
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