Chapter 106 – The Forest Hermit Speaks
Vi-Vi continued crying for a while. She must have been relieved.
We just waited until Vi-Vi finally composed herself.
「Moo moo」
「Gaa gaaao」「ryaaa」
While this was going on, Moofy introduced herself to Rai.
Shiggy also thought the whole thing interesting. It flew over to Rai’s back and flapped its wings.
It seemed that Shiggy also took to Rai’s huge mane. It poked its head in and out of Rai’s fur.
After a while, Vi-Vi finally stopped crying.
「I’m sorry…I just kind of lost it.」
「Don’t worry about it.」
Vi-Vi looked so sorry, I instinctively patted her head.
She suddenly blushed red.
「S…stop that!」
「Hah hah.」
I hadn’t heard Vi-Vi say that in quite a while.
I was glad she was feeling better.
While this was going on, Millet and Collette came in.
Millet and Collette were very excited to see Vi-Vi’s sister.
「You look like Sthub Bossthhh!」
「You do look alike.」
「「You low-lifes are making me blush!」」
Vi-Vi and Vallimie said at the same time. Just like close sisters.
Collette and Millet also took to Rai.
「Thso thsoooft!」
「It is a very cute kitty.」
「Gaw…meow?」
After being called a cat…it suddenly changed to a cat’s voice.
「thsooo thsooft!」
「Yes, it does have a big mane!」
Millet and Collette also really liked Rai’s large mane.
They were touching it all over. Cruz joined in with them as well.
Seems like Rai’s mane was the most popular thing in town.
Even I wanted to touch it, but I held back.
While this was going on, Yureena came in.
Yureena quickly joined the others in touching the mane.
Before dinner was served, Vallimie changed into more casual clothing.
After eating dinner, I decided to ask more about Vallimie. Vallimie began telling me her story with a serious face.
「A lot of things are happening in Lindobal Forest that are affecting the magical monsters there.」
「…Where…is Lindobal Forest?」
Cruz said with a questioning glance.
Honestly, I had no idea that forest had a name.
「It’s the name of the forest we live in.」
「So that’s why they call it Lindobal…」
I said to myself without thinking.
Vallimie lived in that large forest just outside the Demon Lord’s domain.
The humans really didn’t have a name for the forest.
「I see, so my forest’s name was Lindobal Forest…」
「Huh? Vi-Vi, you were raised there, right? You didn’t know its name?」
「Yeah, I didn’t. We just called it the forest.」
Vallimie smiled proudly.
「Lately it took that name. Because my name is Vallimie Lindobal, it’s called Lindobal Forest.」
「They named it recently?」
It seemed that Vallimie had named it that recently. I had no idea, but…oh well.
「I searched for these monsters that were affected in my forest. It was very hard to trace them down. When I thought I had found them, I discovered that they were all zombified.」
She looked very regretful about it. I bet she had to kill off all those zombified monsters herself.
「So, you started looking for the cause of all this zombification?」
「Yeah. I asked the guild as well, if there were more accounts of zombification happening.」
The other ones that occurred must have been the ones related to the events around Mulg. Vallimie and we probably had started investigating the reason for this zombification right about the same time.
So I asked, Vallimie,
「So…there are a lot of monsters in Lindobal Forest?」
「Yeah!」
Hearing this Vi-Vi looked puzzled and looked quite strange.
「I didn’t think there were so many, sis. I thought Mulg had way more than home.」
「There’s more than before. The forest raised some of them, and some of them came because of the downfall of the Demon Lord’s domain, and there are some that are running from others.」
「I had no idea…」
Vi-Vi said, while nodding.
When humans arrive, roads and towns are built. Because of that, monsters flee.
Of course they would run to a verdant forest where no man would enter.
Vallimie continued with her serious expression,
「As a result of my investigations, I found what was sweeping away my monsters and zombifying them…a demon.」
「Wow, good job.」
「It was by luck. You could call it an unlucky coincidence, actually.」
「Graww…」
Vallimie seemed to sink into a darker mood.
Rai also seemed to remember. It made a lonely sound.
「It took away the great dragons that I had fed myself. That great dragon had a magical ring that I had placed on it to track it.」
「So you found its position by magical item!」
It seems that she put a magical ring on the dragons to track them. It might have been because dragons have the tendency to roam and get lost.
「I found where the rings had gone, so I sped out to help my dragons. I encountered a demon there. That demon was stronger than hellfire.」
「…and you fought the demon?」
「It’s a shame to say, but the only thing we could do is run.」
「Gawgaww…」
Vallimie seemed quite ashamed by this. Rai also howled sadly.
Vallimie and Vi-Vi both seemed the type of magicians that love research. It must have been very hard to fight a demon that had stolen the ancient dragon’s egg.
「The great dragons chased us as we ran away. But we were able to attack them.」
「And that lead to the mountain of dead dragons?」
「After that, we used the dead bodies to form a trap for the demon. But…it turns out it was a meaningless trap.」
It was impossible to re-zombie a fallen zombie. That’s why the demon would never try to use those dragons over again.
Yureena, who had been listening silently, now asked,
「So why was it reported that you were collecting materials for zombification?」
「Materials for zombification? What do you mean?」
「Well, you were gathering them, right?」
Yureena listed one by one the materials purchased to zombify a creature.
As Vallimie listened carefully to the list, she suddenly said, AH!
「Those aren’t for a zombie. That’s to create a golem.」
「Materials for a golem…are they the same as zombies?」
I asked, and Vallimie looked confused.
「I don’t know what zombie materials are…」
「Well, I don’t know what materials for golems are.」
Yureena and Vallimie had no idea what the other person’s materials were. That must have been the misunderstanding. So I asked Vallimie.
「So why were you collecting materials for golems?」
「Well, I thought that if I got a lot of golems, they could protect the forest’s monsters.」
It must have been quite rough for Vallimie to see the monsters her forest swept away and turned to zombies.
Vallimie looked seriously at me again, while gently rubbing Rai’s mane.
「The only thing Rai and I haven’t been able to beat is that demon. However, with golems prepared, maybe we can beat him, right?」
「So did you get all the golem materials?」
「Not enough yet. There are items you can’t just buy at a store.」
「Tell me what you still need. Maybe we can help if it’s possible.」
「Are you serious? That would be a bit help.」
Vallimie smiled happily.
Then Luka asked to Vallimie,
「Why did you run from the tavern?」
「I could feel that I was being watched. Maybe the people watching me were agents of the demon. Or at least I thought.」
Vallimie had no idea that we were the ones tracking her.
Also, we had no idea that we were the ones she thought were the actual zombifiers.
She saw us and thought there was something strange for sure. She must have thought we were the demon’s agents.
「We chased after you, were attacked by unicorns, and then helped some adventurers that beset upon by a great dragon…did you notice?」
「Lots of unicorns lately. They don’t attack me, but they do attack Rai because he’s male. Also, those zombie great dragons also attack periodically.」
「Too dangerous.」
I said to myself, and Vallimie nodded.
「When I wasn’t searching for golem materials, I was watching that trap closely. I thought maybe the demon was also sending zombie dragons in at me.」
「That demon must be quite alert to your activities, Vallimie.」
「I was just thinking that the demon would want to reclaim those dead dragon zombie bodies…」
Since the demon had no use for already dead zombie dragons, he must have wanted to kill Vallimie.
So why was the demon so intent on killing Vallimie?
「So why do you think this demon is after you like this?」
「No idea.」
「If you had to say, there’s a reason though, right?」
「No…because I had found the position of the great dragons that were zombified by that ring I put on them, I found where the demon’s castle was. I think that’s.」
Vallimie said, and fell silent.
Then Yureena and Luka jumped up.
「Vallimie, you know where the castle is, right?!」
「That’s it!」
Vallimie seemed to shrink at the two girls jumping up like that.
「Oh, huh? Don’t you two know? Didn’t the guild and church try to find out, you said?」
「Even so, we couldn’t find it!」
「We don’t know! Not at all!」
「Oh…I see.」
Everyone seemed to be interested in her information about the castle.