Chapter 97 - Exploration at a Standstill
We arrived at Pontis just before midnight.
The moon hung large in the sky. Around the waterfall, there were no giant trees to block the view, leaving the heavens wide open. There was even a makeshift “runway”—a broad clearing where the Wyvern that the Estarian girl rode could land with ease. For a forest, the sky here felt unusually vast. Another reason was that the place had been expanded from a simple Hut into a full-fledged Pontis stronghold. Bathed in the bright moonlight, we returned to our safe roost.
(TL/N: I keep changing my mind, sorry. I changed watch post to Hut)
The expedition had drained us to the core. Continuing along this path would weigh heavily on the soldiers’ morale. It was like having the loss of so many lives—the price of our actions—hurled straight into our faces. Anyone could see that the troops’ spirits had plummeted.
At this rate, continuing the forest exploration was impossible. Following the Imperial Army’s invasion route in reverse... I decided it was better to abandon the idea.
―――
Pontis had a bath—a simple one, but still a bath. We took turns washing and changing into fresh clothes. To the uninitiated, this place—standing at the entrance to the Middle Forest—might seem like an extremely dangerous location, but we had eliminated most of the threats. Insect-repelling incense burned nearby.
We had also set up an Echo, allowing us to detect powerful monsters or magical beasts at a distance should they appear in the vicinity. Most of the Pontis itself had been carved into the heart of a massive boulder, essentially making it a cavern.
Even a burrowing monster like a Rockworm would have trouble making headway through such stone. On top of that, earth magic users had reinforced the walls until they were as hard as steel. It could serve as a shelter in an emergency—strong enough to endure a siege. That was why, inside the Pontis, the soldiers could relax almost as if they were in the training yard.
The ability to wash up and eat a hot meal made the experience worlds apart from camping in the wilderness or the Demonic Forest. In a mission where tension was constant, having this base was invaluable. If it did not exist, and we had to start from the forest’s edge each time, the farther we ventured, the more the exhaustion would pile up, inevitably hindering our exploration capacity. Anticipating this, we had prepared a place where we could rest properly.
―――
The Middle Forest was a place that demanded constant vigilance—something I had learned all too well on this first expedition. The remnants of the Imperial Army were not our only concern. Again and again, the scouting magitech device lit up with strong readings. Judging from their intensity and brightness, they were likely mid-sized monsters. Such readings were so rare in the Shallow Forest that you might see them only once or twice a year—the kind of monsters or magical beasts that would mobilize the entire main force of a knightly household to deal with.
And yet here, they appeared with the frequency of Horned Rabbits. It was exceedingly dangerous. Every time an alarm was raised, we had to move to avoid being spotted. Even veterans would tire quickly after so many encounters. Fatigue dulled the senses, and sooner or later, someone would overlook a threat and get caught off guard...
It was nothing but a vicious cycle.
That was why our plan from the start was to return while we still had strength to spare. The only reason we had pushed a bit farther was the pain of seeing the devastation before us. But in exploration, a resolve to advance must be matched by a commitment to safety—otherwise, needless losses would follow. And “losses” meant lives. That was something I could never allow.
Past midnight, when all but the sentries had gone to sleep—
I sat in the small office, the glow of a magic lamp casting light over my desk, pondering the next day’s route. It was true that retracing the Imperial Army’s advance was faster than forging through untouched forest. But could that really be called exploring the Middle Forest?
Those soldiers were not fools. They would never choose a route that lacked sufficient safety, much less one that went through truly dangerous terrain. They had committed two elite brigades—their most prized troops—and so they must have taken the safest path available. Which meant that their route was likely through the parts of the Middle Forest where monsters and magical beasts were least active.
Traveling along the river also meant that the ambient mana in the air would be thin. Naturally, if one wanted to avoid dangerous routes, then crossing the Middle Forest in as short a distance as possible was ideal. In other words, if we kept following that path, we would most likely reach the watershed quickly and drop from the Middle Forest straight into the Imperial Territory’s Shallow Forest... making the entire expedition meaningless.
I mulled over such thoughts while staring at the map marked with the day’s survey results. The starting point was Pontis. It charted the river flowing from the north, covering roughly two hundred yalds on either side. It showed landmarks, places where monster and magical beast sightings had been reported along with their directions, the presence or absence of edible plant-type magical beasts... All of it condensed into a single sheet.
“This route... isn’t really worth exploring.”
The words slipped out in a murmur. Normally, I was not the type to talk to myself—a trait I had carried over from my previous life. I kept all thoughts in my head, never letting them escape into speech. Yet this time, perhaps from exhaustion, the words came unbidden.
“Captain... is something troubling you?”
“Hm? Oh, it’s you, squad leader. What’s wrong? Can’t sleep? You should be tired.”
“Yes. Well... no. I woke up and was going to the latrine, but then I saw light coming from here...”
“I see. My apologies.”
“No, not at all. Um! Would you... like some tea?”
So she had noticed. A commander showing signs of worry could plant needless anxiety in the troops. The instructors at the Knight Department of the Magic Academy had drilled that into us over and over. And yet here I was... once again reminded of my own shortcomings. I still had far to go.
“That would be good. A cup might help me gather my thoughts.”
“Yes, sir!”
The shooter began preparing the tea with what looked like genuine delight. I was used to seeing her only in her uniform and reinforced armor, but in the resting hours, she wore only her under-armor garb. Perhaps it was the security of being inside the well-fortified Pontis. She looked different from how she did on the Fortress grounds. Soon, a cup of tea with a warm, gentle aroma was placed before me.
“I learned this from the communications matron. Since it’s already late, I thought you might like this. She said, ‘It’ll help you sleep well,’ and gave me the leaves.”
“You brought this to Pontis?”
“Yes. Expeditions are nothing but tension, so the matrons insisted I take something to help us rest.”
“I see. You’ve been continuing your studies at the Fortress as well?”
“Yes. I had no education before, but I learned to read and write at the training grounds, and the matrons have been teaching me at the Fortress too.”
“Good. Finding worthy teachers broadens your own knowledge. That’s a fine thing to hear.”
“I’m grateful for the kindness the knightly house has shown us soldiers.”
“Soldiers must have the proper education to understand their commander’s intent. A man who cannot read orders can stumble into danger easily. Even if a lesson from battle is explained, without the foundation to understand it, it’s like a priest preaching to a non-believer—the words don’t reach, and the important truths are wasted. Learn well, train well, and become someone who can guard the peace of your homeland.”
“Yes, as you command.”
I took a sip of the tea. Its refreshing fragrance and gentle flavor tickled my senses before sliding smoothly down my throat. For a brief moment, the fog clouding my mind cleared, and in that instant, a fragment of insight about our future route surfaced in my thoughts. The spark had come from something I had let slip amid the busyness of our days—a personal point of interest—and it had been brought back to mind by the face of the shooter squad leader as she poured my tea.
And somehow… that small moment lightened the weight on my heart.
Next Chapter >>
Comments
Post a Comment