162 – 162 – Is this the mainland? # 2
162 – Is this the mainland? # 2
Unlike the story of the coachman who said that thieves and robbers are infested.
We were able to reach the City of Flowers before sunset without any problems.
Arrived really quickly
I thought I would have to ride a carriage for a few days.
It’s because Ludens is close to the western part of the mainland.
Enio said.
“It is for this reason that the dukes set their eyes on the lands of the West. The land of the West is close to Ludens. It is the place that receives the most grace from the gods.”
is it.
If it was Enio, that would be it.
Actually the City of Flowers was a very wonderful place.
Even in the evening as the sun went down, the music of the bands and the performances of the clowns did not stop near the fountain.
In each store, the items on display beyond the sparkling glass windows caught my eye.
In addition.
Every street was so full of flowers that anyone could understand why it was called the ‘City of Flowers’.
Even at night, the bees and butterflies flying around make it crazy.
It was a wonderful place.
The narrow river flowing through the center is very friendly.
“This is Venice, the city of flowers.”
I never thought I would arrive at famous places on the mainland.
It feels like the fatigue accumulated while riding the wagon is alleviated.
“It is a very nymph-friendly city… ! Someday, if it’s time for the nymph sisters to advance to the mainland, it might be a good idea to implement the nymph quota system in this city… !”
Arnoi seemed to like this city too.
Domina, who was looking at the booklet, also smiled and said, “It’s evening, right? In the morning and during the day, there are a lot of colorful sights. It seems that the “Flower Palace” is also open to civilians here.”
For reference, the Palace of Flowers seems to be a building that looks like a royal castle over there.
In fact, in the old days, the ‘king’ used it like a summer villa and lived there.
It seems to be the home of the ‘De Winter’ family, who now rule as the administrators of the West.
By any chance, did Nike ever live there?
“… … .”
Nike, who was expected to be most happy upon arriving in her hometown, was somehow exceptionally quiet.
These days, Pom, who looked around after putting on the ridiculous cone-shaped hat that was hanging on his back, was sure to steal bad food from the stationery and there was no other girl with a dirty spoon on the lookout.
Then, all of a sudden, I had a thought.
The fact that Nike lived in this city a long time ago and was treated like a princess in her own way.
That is, someone might recognize Nike.
you might be anxious
I said to straighten out the situation.
“The departure for Rashgard Forest is tomorrow, so I will rest for now. It would be better to catch a rest at a nearby inn.”
So, which inn is the best?
Domina seemed to have something to say about this.
“According to the booklet, there is an [Imp Tail Inn] nearby. This seems to have the best rating. It’s a bit expensive though. It doesn’t matter because it’s a trip that I received a subsidy anyway, right?”
Are you trying to spend it out of your own money?
As I frowned, Domina added a few words.
“If you don’t use all of this budget, the next time something like this happens, the subsidy will be reduced, right? So, you should spend as much money as you can.”
That’s right.
* * *
“Welcome.”
When we entered the inn, the innkeeper who looked like Poseidon, the god of the sea, greeted us.
The beard is long and the hair is full, so the appearance is like a god.
By the way.
In this city of flowers, there were many people who took care of their appearance like this.
Venice, the city of flowers, is also called the city of fashion and luxury.
Maybe that’s why the inn was luxurious.
It feels more like a small private hotel than an inn.
The floor is marble.
Above it was a red carpet, and the paintings and pottery hanging on the walls looked quite expensive.
A brazier burning in the center of the tables.
The men and women gathered at the center were wearing light armor, and they seemed to be adventurers.
“Look at that. It’s a school uniform.”
“Are you Ludens students?”
“Hey Donatello, you said you were also a Ludens student? What do you think of them?”
People’s eyes turned to us.
Apparently, Ludens’ school uniform and the presence of nymphs and imps had a corner that caught people’s attention.
Thinking that we might get caught up in something bothersome, we sat in the corner.
Both Nike and Enio seemed to like that side.
“Then Arnoi, since you came to the city of flowers, you should eat this flower fillet… !”
What does the city of flowers have to do with ribs?
By the way.
Traveling extravagantly with other people’s money.
I thought it would be nice to eat expensive meat.
So we ordered a total of 500,000 gold of flower sirloin, salad, grilled salmon steak, and pasta with spicy chili sauce.
Its taste…
“It’s just meat.”
Enio evaluated it calmly.
Other dishes are only evaluated with boredom, saying “It’s just salad” or “It’s just pasta.”
Domina also grumbled.
“Eating Viktor’s cooking every day, my appetite has improved. I was really looking forward to it because it was an inn with three petals. The taste is very bland. Is it because you’re tired?”
It was like blaming me.
is this my fault
To be honest, the taste was a little boring.
I have to say that I feel once again how stimulating and intense the taste of the ingredients grown and grown at Ludens is.
Well, how can ordinary ingredients from the mainland beat the crops and meat that grow in the land blessed by the gods?
Thinking like that, I thought that my taste was also ‘advanced’.
In the past, there were many times when I ate only ramen and endured, but when did I start to evaluate food so harshly?
It was kind of funny.
“Ah, Viktor laughed!”
“yes? Who is Victor? I haven’t seen it.”
* * *
The food at the inn was just so-so.
Other than that, the service was great enough to receive ‘three petals’.
There was an open-air hot spring near the inn, but it is said to be effective for bath treatment.
I wanted to wash up after sweating in the steamer-like carriage all day, so I headed straight to the hot springs after eating.
There were many men there, but when they saw me, they all turned their eyes with a very solemn feeling.
“You look young too.”
“Uhm… .”
what is the problem.
Is it because I have so many scars on my body?
Is there a rule that says people with scars can’t enter the bath?
I didn’t think it was like that, so I washed it moderately and got it.
“Good.”
It’s good to support your body with hot water.
The feeling that the body that suffered from the stomach and the carriage is literally melting away.
this is healing
I also cracked open the cold yogurt I bought at the inn and drank it.
The taste of the food was so-so, but the yogurt in the hot bath was another delicacy.
with a splash.
Read at noblemtl.com
Just then, someone came up to me and sat down next to me.
No, isn’t it a national rule to sit widely apart when there are many seats in a men’s bath?
The bigger problem is that he has been pretending to know me.
“Isn’t this a great giant? As soon as Chuck came in, I knew. Are you a huge figure in Ludens as well?”
“… … .”
“Don’t be so vigilant. I am also a graduate of Ludens. Have you ever heard of Donatello of Ganggak? I was a giant too.”
“I haven’t heard of it.”
If I, who remembers all the entries, don’t know, I really don’t know.
The man with wet hair like seaweed scratched his forehead.
“is it. Well, I used to take classes in class A. Well, it’s been over 4 years since I graduated. Your legs are like this too.”
Shuk.
The guy lifted up his legs that had been soaked in the bath.
It was only then that I realized that his left leg was missing below the knee.
“anyway. It’s nice to meet you from Ludens. As you can see, there were a lot of cute kids. What families are the noble ladies from?”
“Don’t even think about thinking about it.”
“I don’t mean to float. I’m trying to give advice to people from the same school. I hear you’re going to Rashgard Forest? I’ll tell you, but don’t go there.”
“Why?”
“There are monsters. My leg was also cut off in that forest. The guys who boasted about being from Ludens were all smashed in that forest.”
“is it.”
“You really intend to go there. There must be some reason. Then just keep this one thing in mind. That there is a monster that eats people in that forest.”
“person?”
“There is a monster that lures and eats people. Are you sure. Perhaps you have already been lured into entering the forest.”
The man advised me over and over again.
I’ve been thinking, ‘Did Nike trick us?’… .
“… … .”
No, it will never happen.
I washed up properly and went back to my room to sleep.
It was an ancient sleep without dreams, like sinking into the deep sea.
When I woke up, it was already morning.
After filling our stomachs with bland-tasting oatmeal at the inn, we boarded a carriage heading for Leshgard Forest.
Hee hee hee-.
Rash Guard Forest arrived when the horses ran around noon.
Facing the forest, I couldn’t help but be quite surprised.
The height of the trees was like a building!
Perhaps because of this, even in broad daylight in summer, the forest looked dark.
Isn’t this a forest where a ‘witch’, which often appears in horror movies, lives, or a forest with modifiers such as ‘if you go in, you can’t come out’?
“I am back… !”
Of course, Nike liked this dark forest.
Hue eu eu eu eu eu – enough to take a deep breath.
“The smell of wood! good! So, before leaving… , Dad, I’m here!”
Nike shouted loudly into the forest.
Whether it was a response to Nike’s voice or a mere coincidence, the wind that blew violently shakes the trees.
“Then everyone follow me!”
Shuk.
Nike rushes into the forest.
However, we could not easily move our steps into the forest.
Even Enio said “… Is this a forest that I can really enter?”
Of course, there was no other way to get here, so we entered the forest.
Usu-su: I could feel the nape of my neck standing up.
Suddenly, the advice of the Ludens alumni I met yesterday came to mind.
Did I tell you not to enter this forest?
My body must instinctively sense that there is something terrifying and dangerous. Nymph imps such as Arnoi, Ariol, and Puipoi also trembled.
“Oh, that’s scary… .”
“I want to run away… .”
A forest that has already entered deep.
It was a time when I thought I shouldn’t let go of Nike’s back and moved hard without stopping.
Whoa-.
I saw a fairly large lake and a hut built near it.
A lake illuminated by the sun.
And a hut with an ax stuck in a stump.
It’s like a piece of a painting, so I wonder if it’s the forest we’ve been nervous about.
“Dad, I’m here! Everyone! Nike Mokey Mokey is back!”
Nike shouted in all directions.
Soon the cabin door opens and someone appears.
“… … … .”
It was a human with a strange brown beard.
No, can we call it human?
He had cracked skin like a tree, was over two meters tall, and had a beard like fine ginseng roots.
His brown, hairy hair is made of tree branches and even something resembling a bird’s nest is built.
─Beep beep.
It’s a real nest.
To put it mildly, a savage in the wilderness.
Is this the owner of Rash Guard Forest, “Forest Keeper – Lesh”?