It May Sound Like Something Small, But—
“Here’s the main point.”
Out of the two felt fabrics, I picked up the thicker one, brought it closer in front of me, and pressed it with my hand to show how it slightly dented under pressure.
“Do you know what this could be used for?”
Marcus picked up the other felt fabric and started thinking.
“Could it be… shoe insoles?”
“Correct. Well done understanding. However, it’s still in the research stage, so it’ll be some time before it becomes a product.”
“The moment I saw the felt, I thought it might work as insoles. But we don’t have nearly enough of Guush’s wool. That’s why you’d like to raise them, like sheep, so you can obtain it regularly. And also, for their protection, correct?”
He’s quick to understand—this helps a lot.
“It’s as you said, there are trees here that Guush particularly like to eat. I heard they eat both the leaves and the bark. If we plant more saplings of this shrub, pasturing should be possible.”
“But if we approach them, won’t they attack? Isn’t it dangerous to raise them like livestock?”
“When Guush have full stomachs, they won’t attack unless provoked. So, in a place with plenty of food, it should be fine.”
“You mean it’s safe to get close to them?”
“We’ll have to find a method for that going forward.”
We went outside toward the forest to see the trees Guush prefer, as well as the lake.
“Still, Fenrir and a White Dragon, huh. It’s an honor to be able to see them in person.”
Marcus glanced at Atre, walking by my side, and Lucas perched on my shoulder as he said that.
“I get the dragon, but how did you recognize Fenrir right away?”
“No, I heard from patrolling knights that Young Master Reinhardt had formed a familiar contract.”
“I see. By the way, I heard there’s a lake around here, but I don’t see it.”
“It’s actually inside the forest.”
“Isn’t that dangerous? I heard this village makes its living through farming and fishing.”
“The monsters in this part of the forest are only up to rank E, so it’s safe.”
He says that like it’s nothing, but rank E is tough, you know. That’s the same as Silver Wolves.
Once we entered the forest, we quickly encountered Guush. But since we didn’t approach, they just kept eating leaves.
“That shrub over there is one they particularly like. But be careful when touching it—if the sap from its trunk gets on your hands, it won’t come off unless you wash it with hot water.”
“The sap dissolves in hot water?”
“No, it crumbles into little clumps and falls off.”
Could this be why Guush’s wool is so stiff? On humans the sap falls off, but on their wool it seems to stick instead.
“What happens to this shrub in winter?”
“The number of leaves decreases, but it doesn’t wither. During the winter, I often see them eating the bark.”
We moved away from the Guush and had Meyer cut off a branch of one of their favorite shrubs with wind magic, then stored it in a magic bag.
As we went further, we encountered seven Silver Wolves and defeated them. Marcus himself killed three with ice magic.
A pack of Silver Wolves is rank D—that’s above rank E. Marcus said there are other retired knights in this village, so there must be many strong people here.
Even after that, we kept coming across Guush, but they didn’t seem too concerned about us. After about 30 minutes of walking, we arrived at the lake.
As we drew near, I saw it was very clear water, with sunlight sparkling on the surface. Running around it would take about ten minutes; it looked to be two to three kilometers around.
On the far side, I could see three boats fishing with nets out on the lake.
“What kind of fish do you catch here?”
“Rainbow Fish, whose scales shine in rainbow colors, a smaller fish called Char, and shrimp.”
“Do you fish every day?” I asked.
He explained that they fished before selling in Eminira or when there were many guests staying over, but for the most part, monster hunts in the forest were their main source of livelihood.
Apparently, monster hunting is more profitable.
What do you think about this chapter?
