Chapter 95: Blessed Side Quest 5
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The Blessed Forest was true to its name.
"If this is called a forest, then what's inside the tower might as well be called a cave."
"This is the grace of the Goddess..."
The forest was dense with trees, but not to the extent that it hindered passage, allowing us to stroll along the forest trail.
The rich canopy of branches obscured the sky, but sunlight warmed us through gaps in the leaves.
This place felt like a well-maintained park.
With each breath, refreshing air filled the lungs, and chirping from birds of unknown species filled the ears, boasting a beauty incomparable to any other monster-filled forest.
"Look at those fruits, they're all edible... but they're much larger than normal. Can we pick them?"
"My, even this strawberry bush is giving off divine energy."
Small birds pecking at fruits on the trees, bushes laden with gem-like strawberries, and small animals like squirrels darting up and down tree branches.
It felt like we were in a forest out of a Disney princess movie.
If only a fawn or something would come close to our party of beautiful ladies.
-Squirrel? Acorn? Will you get experience from killing it?
-The forest in the tower was cool, but it's no comparison to here.
-Damn it, my brain has been so wired by games that I first think of hunting when I see an animal.
-This is so healing.
-Do you get a buff from staying in this forest?
"Seriously, who looks at this beautiful scenery and thinks about killing squirrels? Are your brains made up of just 0s and 1s?"
But viewers were merely curious about hunting outside the tower.Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
After all, quite a few players started the game outside the tower given the game's open-world realism.
Some players enlisted as soldiers to learn basic combat skills, and some players joined mercenary groups and headed to war zones.
Due to this, the minds of the viewers watching Han Se-ah's broadcast for information were gruesomely curious.
But still...
To be looking at a forest more beautiful than any movie CG and ask if killing a squirrel gives experience points...
Really....
"Judging by how the small animals aren't scared of humans, I don't think there are any orcs around here."
"You can tell through that?"
"Yes, well, animals learn too. They remember things like where hunters usually pass by or where traps and snares are. If they're not afraid of humans, it means they haven't seen any two-legged hunters."
While the chat was filled with heated discussions, Grace and Irene chatted amongst themselves.
Indeed, if orcs had been around, bushes would have been trampled, and small animals like rabbits and squirrels would have been hiding.
Those unintelligent brutes wouldn't even think of covering their tracks.
The party, perhaps soothed by the serene forest, looked more like they were on a picnic than on an adventurer request.
They chatted quietly amongst themselves, showing no signs of feeling threatened or being on alert.
Even if it seemed like they were off guard, there was nothing to worry about. Grace would detect the orcs before they could detect us.
Even if they make a living by hunting monsters, at heart, they're delicate young women.
Just as they would enjoy eating sweet macarons, chatting, and shopping, they also loved observing cute little animals amidst beautiful nature.
Right now, a few curious squirrels were fearlessly approaching Irene.
It was probably because of the scent of the beans and grain flour for the stew.
One squirrel, with twitching whiskers, confidently climbed up to Irene's shoulder.
"Oh my, these little ones aren't just fearless; they seem quite familiar with humans."
"Hmm, maybe some noble ladies came here to recover once took care of them?"
Irene, laughing softly, let the squirrel nibble on a bean from her shoulder.
Everyone was relaxing amidst this peaceful scene until Grace abruptly stood, changing the mood.
Someone is coming through the bushes.
I'm not sure if it's unfortunate that someone came just as we started eating or if it was fortunate that we can meet them in a nice open clearing.
As Grace took hold of her bow, staring at the bush where the sounds were coming from, the group naturally fell into formation.
I also picked up my gear and stepped forward, ready.
I could tell that it wasn't an orc approaching, but that didn't lessen my guard.
Logically, the only non-orc beings in this forest would be knights on a mission or high-ranking nobles visiting for relaxation.
However, considering this was an actual quest, anything out of the ordinary could happen.
After all, an Orc Chieftain opening a dimensional gate with a pyramid to invade the blessed forest of the kingdom isn't exactly ordinary.
What if there were orcs that communicated eloquently or other orcs that used dimensional gates?
It sounded strange just thinking of it.
"... We are a group of adventurers carrying out a request from the Knights Division. Please identify yourself before you approach further."
"."
Unless there are other adventurers in this forest, if the approaching party is human, they are likely of higher status than us.
I called out to the rustling bushes, and the noise grew louder.
Considering the lack of subtlety, they didn't seem intent on surprising us.
If anything, it seemed like they were caught off guard by our call.
Who could it be, really?
"Hmm, ahem... Excuse me for a moment. I was wandering the forest and seem to have lost my way.
Emerging from the bushes was a man with a stature as massive as a bear's.
He stood a head taller than me, probably reaching around 2 meters.
Due to his size, his expensive leather coat was covered with leaves.
And his short silver hair was disheveled, probably from forcing his way through the forest.
From his intimidating face, a scar ran down his cheek, stretching all the way to his neck, giving him a fierce appearance.
"No way, why is the Northern Duke appearing here of all places...?"
Han Se-ah, reading his information, murmured in surprise.
Even after living in this kingdom for ten years, I have never heard of this Northern Duke, and now he was standing right before our eyes.
Even when I traveled to the North at Kaiden's request, I never heard any stories about a Northern Duke.
...Did such a person exist in our kingdom?
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