Aiming for a Cozy Life in a Dangerous Forest in Another World! - Chapter 7
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- Chapter 7 - Gathering Food 2
Chapter 7: Gathering Food 2
When we reached the cave entrance, I dispelled about a third of the earthen wall and checked outside.
The area in front of the cave appeared clear.
I dispelled the rest of the wall, and the three of us stepped out.
Kaito and Pola stared at the vast forest before them in stunned silence.
“See that over there to the right, what looks like a river? I found you two while I was heading towards it.”
“…Does that mean, that river is where we were swept down…”
“Probably. And if we go to the other side, to the left, a bit further ahead, there’s a place where a lot of Amaju trees grow. Let’s head there for now.”
“Okay.”
“Okaay!”
I created a set of stairs down the cliff and started descending, taking the lead.
Kaito took Pola’s hand and followed behind at a slower pace. Kaito was such a good older brother.
Once at the bottom, I dispelled the stairs and found the trail I had made by tilling the soil. We followed it.
As we walked, Kaito asked,
“Are you good at magic, Onee-chan? That 『Fire Wall』 you used to save us was huge, and you can create stairs and walls with Earth Magic. And you can even use 『Appraisal』, right?”
“Fire Wall,” huh. It did sound cooler than “wall of fire.”
It’s not like the words I spoke mattered, as long as I could imagine it clearly. I’ll use that from now on.
Now that he mentioned it, why was I able to understand Kaito and Pola? It was almost impossible that they spoke Japanese. This had to be some other magical phenomenon…
Well, it wasn’t like I could do anything about it now, so I decided not to dwell on it.
I felt like I was putting off a lot of things I didn’t understand, but what else could I do?
Lost in thought, I replied,
“…I guess? I can use magic, but I have no idea how other people use it…”
“Hmm… Not many humans are good at magic. I learned that nobles from military families and knights are usually skilled, but most ordinary people can’t use it. No one in Canaan Village could use magic. I heard elves and demons are good at it, though.”
…Ah, right. I wasn’t human, was I?
Maybe it was because I was a “Dragon Demon.”
And there really were elves and demons in this world…
“Since you were a noble, can you use magic too, Kaito?”
I asked him discreetly so Pola wouldn’t hear.
“I don’t know. My father could use it, but I never got to practice magic before we were taken to Canaan Village…”
“I see… And Appraisal, is that rare?”
“Yes… It’s a rare skill. I heard only a handful of people in large trading companies possess it.”
“I see…”
As expected of someone from a noble family, Kaito was knowledgeable about the ways of this world.
I was hesitant, but I knew I couldn’t keep it a secret forever. I decided to just ask him.
“… So, have you ever heard of a race called the ‘Dragon Demon Tribe’?”
“…’Dragon Demon Tribe’? Not ‘Demon Tribe’?”
“No, Dragon Demon Tribe.”
“…Onee-chan, are you… a Dragon Demon?”
“…Yes. The truth is, I am. Though I think I look like a normal human…”
Kaito made his umpteenth surprised face of the day.
“I’ve never heard of a Dragon Demon Tribe. Are they related to demons? That would explain why you’re so good at magic…
But you don’t look anything like a dragon, Onee-chan.”
He said with a chuckle.
“Dragon… as in, like, real dragons?”
“Yeah, they exist. I’ve never seen one, though. They say they live in places humans can’t easily reach, like rugged mountains and the deepest parts of the ocean…”
“Do they live in the Great Forest of Chrys?”
“I don’t know. No one who has entered the Great Forest of Chrys in the last few centuries has ever returned. It’s not just humans who avoid this forest, even elves and demons steer clear of it…”
“…This place really is dangerous…”
Even if the Great Forest of Chrys was as dangerous as they said, it’s not like we had anywhere else to go, surrounded by nothing but forest as far as the eye could see.
And after that encounter with the tiger, maybe I needed to learn how to fight…
♢ ♢ ♢
After walking for about ten minutes, we arrived at the spot where the Amaju trees grew.
“See? There are so many, right?”
I said to Kaito, but he simply stared in shock and muttered,
“…You’re right. Legendary fruits, and yet…”
“Kotoha-nee-chan! This is amazing! Are these all those delicious fruits from before?!”
Pola, looking up at the fruit-laden branches, jumped up and down excitedly.
So cute.
“Looks like it. There are plenty, so let’s pick some and head back. I’ll create a platform first.”
As I spoke, I started creating a stairway with 『Earth Magic』. I had gotten so used to creating stairs that I could now do it effortlessly.
The moment the stairs were complete, Pola dashed up them. Seeing this, Kaito panicked and shouted,
“Pola!! Don’t run! What if you fall?!”
“It’s okay!” Pola shouted back but slowed down her pace and walked up the stairs carefully. She seemed to listen to her brother most of the time.
♢ ♢ ♢
We harvested about 30 『Amaju Fruits』 and decided to head back to the cave.
Kaito was still looking at the fruits like they were something out of this world, muttering “So many Amaju Fruits…” but he would just have to get used to it.
As we were making our way back to the cave, we spotted a rabbit-like creature digging at the base of a tree with its front paws.
I used 『Appraisal』.
♢ ♢ ♢
『Fangrabbit』
A rabbit-type magical beast that inhabits the Great Forest of Chrys. Possesses sharp fangs and is incredibly agile.
♢ ♢ ♢
Okay, so it’s a rabbit. But a rabbit-type magical beast, which means… this rabbit wasn’t an animal, but a magical beast?
Anyway, it’s huge.
It looked like a rabbit, but not the kind you’d find at a petting zoo. This one was the size of a large dog.
Come to think of it, that tiger from before was also a “tiger-type magical beast”.
…Right, I still didn’t understand this world.
But we couldn’t live on fruits alone. We needed protein, we needed meat.
I wasn’t sure how much of my common sense regarding a balanced diet applied here, but I wanted meat.
Alright! This rabbit was going to be my prey.
…But how should I do it?
According to Appraisal, this rabbit was very agile.
Well, it was a rabbit after all, albeit a large one.
A creature of that size, moving quickly… that’s scary…
If that was the case, then I had to catch it without being noticed.
But if I tried to catch it off guard, it might fight back.
I couldn’t see them, but apparently, it had sharp fangs.
After thinking for a moment, I decided to try hitting it on the head with a rock.
But even if I threw a rock at it, with my weak arms, it wouldn’t be enough to kill it.
…So, I decided to use 『Earth Magic』 to create a rock above the rabbit’s head and drop it on it.
If I made the rock big enough, it should be more effective than throwing one!
I gestured for Kaito and Pola to come closer and then had them hide behind me.