Chapter 32 – From Cake to Bow and Arrow
We might already be numb to it, but the ‘Void Forest’ is an incredibly dangerous magic place, nearly unmatched across the continent.
Even the part of the forest facing Sidera—just the very surface—requires qualifications to step foot in. Adventurer rank must be at least Level 6. According to the kingdom’s standards, that’s a class granted to seasoned veterans or young hopefuls who are recognized by those around them.
The rookie adventurer party that caused Berde-san and the others to get lost was at Level 4, but that rank is still seen as quite inexperienced in Sidera, while it would be considered a significant strength in the royal capital. I wonder if they’ve managed to bounce back since then. I’ll have to ask Berde-san next time. …But I digress.
The issue is that my family, as well as everyone in Sidera, has a bit of an inflated perception of these standards. The Ejetia twins, who showed up out of the blue, were completely unaware of this inflation, which is unfortunate.
「Honestly, Rick and Noemi aren’t as weak. I was just being harsh to make my point when they got too overconfident.」
It was the day after the commotion in Sidera, and we were baking pizza in the stone oven set up in our garden for lunch.
As she spread cheese, mini tomatoes, and thinly sliced sausage on the circular dough, she continued defending her kin,
「It’s true they have considerable skill. You can’t earn the title of ‘Witch’ if you’re a weak mage.」
「How many witches are there on the continent, anyway?」
「I’m not sure. Do you know, Viole-sama?」
「I think there are about twenty now? Even mother doesn’t know everyone’s names.」
Mother said so while carefully arranging fruits on another dough for a fruit pizza.
「Then at the very least, that means the twins are among the top twenty spellcasters.」
「That’s not right, Sui. Your presence automatically lowers the rank by one.」
「No, leave me out of it.」
At times like this, Karen always praises me. It’s more embarrassing than it is gratifying. Besides, my magical abilities aren’t something I’ve earned through training or practice, so when the topic of rankings comes up, I feel more apologetic than proud.
「Anyway, I really hope Rick and Noemi will learn survival skills from Berde-san and Schnei-san. It would be too unfortunate for them to die because they got careless despite being strong.」
Just because someone has powerful magic doesn’t guarantee they’ll survive in the forest.
The forest—regardless of whether it’s the ‘Void Forest’ or not—is not a place where humans are meant to live.
Even on Earth, human history has been one of clearing forests. This is especially true in regions like Europe. In this world, which has magic, the stakes are even higher.
In a forest where beasts lurk and the law of the jungle reigns supreme, the leadership and judgment of someone like Berde-san, along with the scouting abilities of someone like Schnei-san, become crucial.
「That’s right. Both Berde-san and Schnei-san are remarkable… It’s a bit hard to believe how much Berde-san has grown since I knew him back in the day.」
Even they can only reach the mid-levels of the forest at best. It’s a precarious balance, where encountering mutated creatures could spell the end of you.
「Where is the elven… Athenak settlement located?」
「It should be in the mid-levels, closer to the outer. In terms of depth, it’s about where you went to help Berde-san and the others. The coordinates are entirely different, of course.」
「Have you been there before?」
「I’ve only peeked in a little. Athenak doesn’t particularly like interacting with their kin. They’re a clan of hermits among hermits.」
「I see.」
I recalled the face of one of the people from Four Seasons-san’s past, a dream I once had.
Athenak—likely the transformed name of ‘Watanuki’.
「So, the twin ‘witches’ will be training in Sidera for a while?」
「Yeah. Once they’ve made some progress, they’ll contact us. Then we’ll go help them out. I might be away from home for a bit, though…」
「While you are gone, I might stay at the Dragon village.」
「That sounds good. It’ll be great exercise for Pochi, and Mint can play with the little dragons.」
As we talked, the preparations were finished.
I placed the topped pizza dough into the oven. The stone oven, preheated, reached over 400°C. It wouldn’t take more than two minutes to bake.
「Mint! Dinner will be ready soon!」
I called out toward the garden.
Mint was playing with the cubs of the Smilodon, alongside Chocola and Pochi. Nearby, by the field, the mother cat watched over them all.
She had just brought some meat a little while ago.
「Uu! Kay!」
「Bark!」
「Kyuuru…?」
Each of my family members responded, with a kitten perched on their heads.
The little ones had grown quite a bit in this short time. They were no longer clinging to their mother for milk; their running had shifted from a wobbly trot to a more confident scamper.
「It’s fine for now, but once winter comes, you don’t have to bring food here anymore. It’ll be tough on you too.」
I spoke to the mother cat. Although she wouldn’t understand my words, she seemed to grasp the nuance, letting out a soft purr from her throat.
「If things get tough, just come here. I can spare some food.」
The Smilodon family occasionally visits but isn’t kept as pets.
They are supposed to be incredibly powerful beasts, but this is the depths of the ‘Void Forest’ and there are stronger monsters above them. If they were to encounter mutated creatures like the flying horned rabbit, Wolpertinger, again, their chances of survival would be slim.
It’s not always good to get too involved, but at the same time, I convince myself this is part of being good neighbors. The kittens get along well with Mint and Chocola, so I don’t want to see any sad outcomes.
Especially in winter, when prey becomes scarce… Perhaps I should ask the fairies to check in on them regularly.
「Hey, Sui, I think it’s done baking. Let’s take a look.」
「Yeah, looks good. Let’s take it out and have lunch.」
「Pizza ready? Mint wants sweet!」
「Bark!」
「Right, Chocola and Pochi want to play more with Mii-chan and the others!」
「Bark!」
「Kyuuru!」
Mint ran over, her cheeks relaxing at the sweet aroma.
Even in a magical wilderness, our home remained peaceful.
With gratitude for that, I began cutting the baked pizza for my family.
—Speaking of which, how about trying fruit pizza as a new dessert?
I should have Tomoe-san taste it next time.
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AN: 綿貫 (Watanuki) →Watanuki →Atanuk → アテナク (Athenak) .
It changed like that.
What about Ejetia and Quioy?
TN: Ejetia→Agata
Silkiya→Shirakawa
Fatima→Wajima
Aquano→Nakano
Quioy→Kinoue – the fairy queen’s oniisan
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