91 – The Forest (2)
“I think it’s best to camp here for the night.”
As the day began to darken, Charlie suggested.
“Agreed.”
The group immediately nodded in agreement.
Soon, it was completely dark.
Using magic to create light or torches might have allowed them to move forward, but it wasn’t a wise choice to do so in this night, in this place, as a light shining alone in the darkness would make them a target.
There wasn’t a rush to go on; they could move forward while conserving their energy.
“Then, let’s set up the campsite.”
After confirming El and Dorothy’s reactions, Charlie promptly began setting up the campsite.
First, he chose a suitable location and allocated positions for each tent at the center.
El and Dorothy would share one tent, while Charlie and I would each have our own.
Originally, it would have been more appropriate for Charlie and me to share a tent, but Charlie expressed his distaste for it, opting for a personal tent, leading to this decision.
Of course, I didn’t object since I was more comfortable with this arrangement.
Since the tents were adjacent to each other, using individual tents didn’t pose any significant issue.
Once the locations were decided, the group started setting up their tents.
El’s group had a tent that looked quite expensive at first glance, with numerous magical effects imbued in it, while Charlie had a tent that was slightly inferior but still of decent quality.
As for my tent, it appeared rather shabby on the outside.
However, looks could be deceiving, as the material was not ordinary fabric.
I wasn’t sure, but it seemed to be some kind of special creature’s skin.
Feeling a faint magical essence from it, it was likely magically treated.
To acquire such an item, one would need a good amount of gold coins, perhaps even more.
Naturally, this tent wasn’t mine.
It was borrowed, from none other than Anton.
Originally, I was thinking of buying a new tent, but Anton insisted there was no need for that and lent me one of the tents he used during his active duty.
Since saving money was also good for me, I nodded in agreement to his suggestion.
…It seemed like he was originally planning to lend me a suitable item, but Anton probably didn’t expect that he would end up giving me one of the best items, swayed by Nina’s eyes.
Recalling the gaze of Anton staring at me at that moment, I began to set up the tent.
As time passed, all the tents were set up, and Charlie approached me to speak.
“I’m going to set up a perimeter now. I’ll set the alarm, and you sprinkle the scent. You can handle that, right?”
“Yes.”
Nodding lightly, I took out a pouch from my bag.
“I marked it. Sprinkle along there.”
Following Charlie’s instructions, I started sprinkling the contents of the pouch around the campsite.
The contents were similar to the powder Charlie had sprinkled during the day.
A scent that forest creatures despise.
It’s known as powder invented by an adventurer in the past.
However, due to years of research, the contents of the powder have all been revealed, and now, regardless of where you go in Daville, you can find the exact same item.
Anyway, considering its long-standing popularity, the powder itself is undoubtedly effective.
Even the small forest creatures or those not highly aggressive immediately flee at the mere scent of it.
Of course, it’s not effective against all creatures, but at least for now, no creature would approach even after catching a whiff of this scent.
Just sprinkling this much is practically sufficient preparation against monsters.
Yet, Charlie’s preparations did not end there.
Charlie took out several uniform sticks of a certain size and shape from his bag, then began walking around the campsite, sticking them into the ground as if hiding them behind trees or in crevices.
After inserting the last stick into the ground, Charlie returned to the vicinity of the tent.
“Is it all done?”
At that moment, Elle approached and asked.
“Yes. Preparations are all done.”
Charlie replied with a smile.
“I’ve prevented monsters from approaching through the scent, and as a precaution for any unforeseen events, I’ve set up a magical alarm. You can now rest assured and go to sleep.”
“Oh…”
El looked at the sticks with eyes full of curiosity.
As Charlie said, at this point, it can be considered sufficient preparation.
At least, for monsters.
No, as mentioned earlier, just sprinkling the scent is already enough preparation against monsters.
Yet, Charlie’s reason for such additional preparations is probably not simply because he is a worrisome person.
If the only danger in this forest were monsters, there would be a high probability that he wouldn’t go to such lengths with these preparations.
However, those who enter this forest should be cautious not only of monsters.
…Well, for now, there’s probably no need to worry about that.
***
After finishing the camping preparations, Charlie made a small campfire in the center of the tents.
The materials were the branches of the numerous trees around.
Then, with familiar skill, he took out utensils and started preparing food.
“If you go a little further, it will be difficult to cook food. So, it’s better to eat a lot at this point.”
With a satisfied smile and a side of explanation, the dish created was surprisingly edible.
Having spent several years as a mercenary, was it a skill that naturally became ingrained in my body, or was there a different purpose for mastering it?
Contemplating the answer as a pastime, I properly consumed the given food.
Setting aside attitudes and personality, Charlie was mostly right in what he said.
It was the same this time as well.
As we move deeper in, we won’t be able to cook such food.
Most of our meals will have to be preserved rations.
The first reason is fire.
As we venture further into the forest, the danger increases, and if we were to light a fire in such a forest at night, it would inevitably attract attention.
Therefore, once we reach a certain point in the forest, unless we are a significantly large group or in a completely secure area, we refrain from lighting fires.
However, it’s not entirely impossible.
If we choose the location carefully, we can create a suitable environment for a fire.
Of course, finding such a place is not an easy task.
The real issue is the second one.
That is, the smell.
Even in a bustling city where people are everywhere, one can occasionally experience a strong smell of food piercing the nose.
In a similar overcrowded city, what about in the forest?
It would stand out even more.
Moreover, most inhabitants of this forest have a sense of smell far superior to humans.
To a degree that is incomparable.
Monsters that appear at the edge of the forest either catch the scent and shy away without approaching, or, for the sake of defense, they catch the scent of the bait laid out and flee. However, creatures that appear after advancing to a certain point are different.
The moment they detect the scent of a human, they ignore everything and swiftly head towards the source of the smell.
And they promptly attack the human.
That is why, after passing a certain part of the forest, we refrain from activities like cooking.
Of course, using magic to block out smells and light is easy.
Magic tools with the same effect can be obtained at a relatively affordable price.
Blocking out smells and light outside is an easy task.
However, inside this forest, the situation is a bit different.
Throughout this forest, there is a unique flow of magic, and this special magical flow interferes with magic.
Not to the extent of being completely unusable, but it only disrupts the flow to some extent, making spatial magic extremely delicate.
Even a slight disturbance can cause the magic to collapse entirely.
In other words, to maintain this magic within the forest, one must constantly adjust the structure of the magic according to the changing flow.
Implementing this through magic tools is extremely difficult, and there is no way around the heavy expenditure of magical power and resources for a mage.
While the task itself may be easy, the mage won’t be able to rest properly while doing it.
There may be a way to block the flow from the outside, but such a method could likely lead to a significant depletion of magical power.
To sustain it throughout the day, the mage must reach a level not unworthy of the title of Archmage, and alternatively, using magical stones would probably be necessary.
In simpler terms, neither option is realistic.
In that case, it’s better to just give up on regular meals and stick to preserved rations.
In reality, most of those who venture into the forest do just that.
People evolve to solve discomfort.
Every day, as mercenaries and adventurers explored while eating tasteless preserved rations, their complaints piled up. Now, even with preserved rations, there were many improved items in terms of taste and nutrition. So, one could say that the food situation was quite decent compared to what was expected.
Well, it still couldn’t compare to actual homemade food.
I had known about the magical properties of the forest even before coming here.
It was a fairly well-known fact, and I also knew of places with similar characteristics.
From Noble mtl dot com
Namely, the Academy.
The Academy, like this place, had a unique magical flow.
That’s why spatial magic or permanent spells couldn’t last long.
While the parts where students lived were fine, the phenomenon worsened as you got closer to the center.
By the time you reached the mountain at the center of the Academy, it became impossible to install barrier-type magic.
In a vast continent with various peculiar places, there weren’t many places with such characteristics.
You could count them on your fingers.
There is a cause for everything, and if there’s a result, there must be a reason; that’s the way of the world.
Surely, there must be a reason why the Academy and the forest have such characteristics.
However, the reason was not known to the public.
Perhaps, since they share similar characteristics, there might be a similar cause.
With that thought in mind, I subtly erased the nostalgia that came to mind when thinking about the Academy and focused back on my meal.