93 – Forest (4)
The second day dawned.
After rising from their spots, the group packed up the tent and campsite, had a quick meal, and set off on their journey again.
El looked healthy thanks to a good night’s sleep, and the others, not visibly fatigued enough to show it on their faces, seemed fine.
Thanks to that, the group moved through the forest at a speed almost the same as yesterday’s… No, perhaps even faster than yesterday, as if they had become slightly more accustomed to the forest.
Charlie’s leadership of the group was impeccable at this point, with no room for criticism, and it seemed luck was on their side as no accidents had occurred.
And so, we gradually ventured deeper into the forest.
Without any particular incidents, the second day in the forest came to an end, and the third day passed smoothly as well.
“It seems like nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Are we just lucky?”
El asked, her eyes showing a hint of boredom, as if she felt a bit bored with the uneventful journey.
“hahahaha. It seems like the lady is getting bored.”
Whether Charlie noticed her mood or not, he turned his head with a smile.
“It’s because we haven’t ventured far from the entrance yet. It’s a relatively safe section.”
“Hmm….”
El didn’t say anything in response to Charlie’s explanation, but a slight hint of dissatisfaction appeared on her face.
“Lady, we didn’t come here to play.”
Dorothy chided her.
“….”
El’s expression naturally turned stern, as it had been so far.
“Sigh….”
Dorothy sighed softly as she looked at El in that state.
Such incidents had happened a few times even up to this point.
Perhaps this was a common occurrence when they were together.
Dorothy, who couldn’t resist her curiosity, creating such scenes with El.
Looking at it this way, they both seemed quite different from the impressions their appearances gave.
El, with an air of elegance, was close to being a lady of leisure, while Dorothy, with an innocent appearance, surprisingly had a straightforward personality.
Well, that’s not to say El would act recklessly, though.
Although she couldn’t hide her boredom at the moment, she didn’t go around causing trouble because of it.
It speaks to her ability to exercise judgment.
Dorothy seemed to know that but didn’t strongly object.
“Still, if we go a little further, something interesting might appear. Whether you’ll enjoy it or not, I can’t say, Miss.”
Charlie’s words flew towards El, who still wore a discontented expression.
At that, El blinked and raised her head.
“Really? What is it?”
With a momentum in her voice that could be felt.
“Why don’t you see for yourself?”
Charlie left a cryptic response.
Upon that response, El once again wore a displeased expression, but fortunately, it didn’t take long for that expression to fade.
It didn’t take too long for what Charlie mentioned to appear before their eyes.
“Wow…!”
El’s eyes widened as she saw ‘it,’ her face lighting up.
“I’m glad you seem to like it.”
El simply listened to Charlie’s words and walked forward.
Finally, what she reached and looked up at was a building.
No, to be precise, it should be described as a ‘building that was.’
Time, rain, wind, someone, or some kind of organism had significantly altered it from its original form, which was the remains of an empire that had once existed in this place long ago.
“This is from the empire…!”
El exclaimed, her eyes shining as she started to examine the buildings in front of her.
“It is presumed to be a place where one of the cities in the empire existed.”
Charlie added.
“Buildings from the empire…! I’ve seen them in pictures, but seeing them in reality is a first for me…!”
With a newfound enthusiasm, El’s eyes sparkled.
And Dorothy, looking at El in such a state, had a pleased expression on her face.
Even if she tried to hide it, Dorothy’s expression revealed that she cherished El.
I, too, looked at El with a slightly content gaze.
The current appearance of El had an innocence like that of a child receiving a birthday present.
“Since I know of a fairly intact building here, it would be nice to stay there tonight.”
“Really?!”
In response to Charlie’s words, El turned her head with a determined look.
“Yes. Since it’s a safe place to stay overnight.”
Saying so, Charlie pointed with his finger to the remains behind them.
Among the remains was another set of ruins.
Compared to the surrounding ruins, it was in quite a decent condition to call it ruins.
Predicted to have been a building of about four floors, the remains had a missing part where the rooftop used to be.
Except for that, the rest seemed relatively intact.
“Wow…!”
El exclaimed once again.
Then she immediately started running towards the building, with Dorothy following behind her.
Although she probably confirmed that there was nothing around, there was always a chance, so Dorothy probably didn’t want to be separated from El.
Finally, Charlie followed suit, and I also set off towards the building.
It seemed like that would be our camping spot for today.
***
We settled in the building and, as usual, prepared for camping.
However, the preparations were somewhat simplified compared to before.
If it had just been a building with a decent structure, it might have needed some tidying up, but since the building was quite well-known among mercenaries and adventurers entering the forest, the interior was better organized than expected.
There was no need to pitch tents, really.
However, since women tend to be more particular, we decided to set up tents for them while Charlie and I would sleep as is.
As a precaution, we sprayed scents around the building and installed alarms, marking the end of our camping preparations.
Then, the group proceeded to have their meal.
A more elaborate meal than usual.
It was due to Charlie’s suggestion that as cooking might become more difficult soon, it would be nice to have a proper meal for the last time.
After the rather luxurious mealtime passed.
Once I finished eating, I went outside to look around for safety.
And not long after I stepped outside, El dashed out of the building as if being chased.
He wandered around busily, examining the surrounding buildings.
I watched him from a distance.
“…”
It was good to see El so happy, but it was somewhat… no, quite unexpected.
I never thought she would show such interest in the ancient imperial buildings.
Among those who seek Darville and this forest, many are drawn to such things.
Archaeologists and historians go crazy over them.
But El, I never expected that from her.
Moreover, it wasn’t just a matter of showing interest.
She didn’t just stop at admiring them with shining eyes; she thoroughly observed, analyzed, and researched the buildings.
It wasn’t a superficial imitation.
What she had written in the notebook she held in her hands now were things that could never be known without delving deep into archaeology.
In other words, it meant that she had seriously studied archaeology.
Honestly, archaeology gives off a boring and dull impression.
Archaeologists might get angry hearing this, but the general perception probably isn’t much different.
Yet El seemed to have studied archaeology professionally.
She, who was presumed to be a noblewoman.
It’s not that there aren’t those among the nobility who study archaeology.
However, it’s quite rare to find those who pursue it seriously.
There are hardly any nobles who, born into privilege, choose the path of an archaeologist.
“…”
Along with the unexpected thought, a faint sense of anticipation arose.
Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations.
I had followed her out of frustration, not because I was convinced that her actions were related to the “task” the old woman had mentioned.
Neither what was visible nor the destination she had set seemed particularly special.
Except for the fact that the place El designated as the destination of our quest was quite deep into the forest beyond its early stretch, it was not a remarkable location.
Even in this endlessly dangerous forest, there are places widely known to the outside world.
For example, places where ancient imperial buildings are well preserved, or archaeological sites.
Places that outside archaeologists often target.
However, El had chosen a destination that was not one of these well-known places but a very unfamiliar one.
At first, I thought it was just a curious noblewoman choosing a destination without any plan or thought, but seeing her in that light changes my mind.
El, who showed such a keen interest in archaeology, had chosen a different destination rather than the sanctuaries of archaeologists.
And she showed no regret or hesitation about it.
As if she was convinced that there was something there.
That fact fueled my sense of anticipation.
Of course, we won’t know until we see it for ourselves.
But is it not okay to have some expectations?
With that thought in mind, I continued to watch El wandering around here and there.
El wandered around the city for a while longer, and her exploration only came to an end when she was on the brink of falling asleep.
El returned to the building, and I, too, returned to the building.
Next, as always, we set up the night watch, signaling the end of another day in the forest.
The following day unfolded smoothly without any major issues during our journey.
Until Charlie raised his hand, signaling us to halt.