The mother and child, who were happily talking, leave, and we return to our seats at the banquet.

　A man in the village claps me on the back, but I don't mind and accept his hospitality.

　For the next few hours, the men in the village drank heavily with me as a snack.
　As night falls, the crowd gradually dwindles.
　The least drunk people seem to be returning home.

There may be no more hunting tomorrow.

　But everyone who went home in a tipsy mood seemed to be happy.
　As they remained at the banquet with these thoughts until the end, the village headman announced that the party was over.

Will is on his journey back home. Tomorrow you will have a good rest, but the day after tomorrow I will have you depart.

　And he took care of me.
　I went to the chief's house to find clean sheets and a fluffy futon at the ready.

　Tired from the long trip and the revelry, Lunamaría and I fell asleep and continued to sleep until nearly noon the next day. It was unusual for me, but even Lunamaria, who was regular as a chicken, overslept. She lamented that she was late in her morning prayers, saying she felt sorry for not being able to apologize to the Mother of Earth, but I thought it was good to be a human being who overslept once in a while.

　Then I spent the rest of the day doing nothing.

　I hadn't had time to relax since I left the city of Northwoods, so it was a very comfortable time. Life is not so bad after all. We spent the whole day resting and recharging our batteries, and the next day we thanked the village chief.

Thank you for the great entertainment and for the warm bed.

What do you mean. You saved my zinga. Of course.

That's right. I owe my life to Baba, who saved my life.

　Bullshit Zinga. Master Baba was not dumbfounded and said, "Well, that's about it. Farewell. See you in the not-too-distant future.

We'll see each other again in the not-so-distant future. I'll come back when I'm in the neighborhood.

Hurry or Master Baba will be in the grave. I'm too old for that.

　Zinga was rude, but Master Baba laughed and said, "Well, you have a point. I shook Zinga's hand and said, "Again," and he shook it firmly. Zinga's handshake was also strong.

　We are then seen off to the edge of the village and resume our journey.

　The villagers offer to take us to the edge of the forest, but as expected, we decline their offer. I thought I could handle it myself if I asked for directions.

　In fact, the path to the Mountain of the Gods was a complicated one, but it was not difficult. If you took the proper route, you could head for the exit. But it would still take two whole days for a layman's foot.

　We walked in the order the villagers told us to follow so that we wouldn't get lost. We continue walking, chatting casually with each other.

It's a pretty rough road.

"You can see why there are more women and children with strong legs in Barca Village.

"Yes.

　It is a pleasant forest by the way, and Lunamaria basks in the sunshine with her whole body. Her figure is as beautiful as a dryad tree fairy. I stare at her as I walk along, as if I were entranced.

　Then the landscape, which has been the same until now, changes. The dense woods have been replaced by a sunlit one. You were getting closer to the edge of the forest.

After all, the woods are the woodsmen. If you take shortcuts, you'll get lost. Haste makes perfect timing.

Yeah. If we keep going, we're going to reach the foot of Table Mountain.

　Letting out a sigh of relief, the sun goes down.
　As the sun is setting, a distant sound of explosions can be heard.
　We looked in the direction we heard it, but smoke was rising from deep in the forest.

...... That's the village of Barka. I wonder what's going on there.

The explosion was away from the village. It was an explosion, so it is likely that the gunpowder for the arrow exploded.

"That's a lot of Lunamaria.

　When I admire her hearing and reasoning, I show off my powers of observation.

"It seems that Jinga was the only person in that village who used explosive arrows. It's a tradition that hates the use of things that are contrary to nature.

Then by process of elimination, Mr. Zinga is fighting.

If you're just hunting, fine, but probably not . Mr. Zinga is a professional, so he's not quick to use explosive arrows that hurt his hunted prey.

So you're in a situation where you're going to have to use explosive arrows.

Your answer. Now, let's go back the way we came.

"I don't want to say that we are so close to the exit. There's no way Mr. Will would leave his friend in danger.

　And Lunamaria smiles. It's true, so I return the kibisu without excuse.

　It took me two whole days to get here, but it won't take long to get back. Just go straight ahead and don't expect to get lost. Besides, the occasional explosion that you hear will help guide you.



　With her good hearing, Lunamaria knew exactly where the blasts were coming from. Occasionally she would stop to listen, but she was able to return to Zinga without hesitation.

　A few miles back through the forest, I find Zinga drawing his bow and confronting Berser Bull.

　His first words are, "You're going to wonder if it's Belsel Bull again.

I'm more concerned about 'here' again. Mr. Zinga, can't you give up on your mother yet? After all the danger you've put her in?

I'm not that old to miss my mother that much.

Then why are you here?　I'm looking for the gates of the other world.

"No. I'm looking for a unicorn horn. I need to cool my fever.

Don't tell me you've gotten sick again?

"Unfortunately, I'm not such a sickly character. I'll admit that I'm a beautiful, unhappy young man with a thin line.

"............

"Don't look at me like I don't know where to start. I'm looking for a unicorn horn for a mile.

"Miles?

Village boy. Mile's got green fever.

"What?

"You'll need a unicorn horn to save a mile. That's why I came to get it.

"Okay. I'll help you.

Two words.

"Of course.

If you get caught at the gates of the other world, even you wouldn't come back.

"I'm aware of that.

"You're still a man full of justice, man. Okay. There's no point in stalling him, so I'll ask you. Please, I beg you to join me in capturing the unicorn.

Yes, sir. In the meantime, I'll take care of that berserk bull.

"Hey, hey, don't say that lightly, like you're smashing a cockroach in the kitchen.

"Cockroaches are more troublesome. They're quicker.

　Then I let the fire burn in my hands.

"The Berserker Bull from the other day was so huge. He was powerful, like a monster with two names. But this one is not. This one was just an ordinary one.

　That means you are not my enemy, who learned magic from the god of magic.
　Scornfully declaring it in your heart, you unleash the magic you've collected in your hands.
　It's a composite spell made up of "flame storm" and "flame storm". It's called Hellfire.

　This spell, as the name implies, reproduces the flames of the Abyss on earth. It brings super-hot flames into this world, but the one I use is different from ordinary flames. The flames are small.

　This was done to keep the forest from spreading.

　It was designed to keep the beautiful trees on Table Mountain from being damaged, but that doesn't make it any less powerful.

　No, in fact, my Hellfire was much hotter than normal.
　It's so powerful that even Vandal's father would be stunned.
　Even the witchcraft god would be amazed to see it strike Berserker Bull!
　The bull demon bursts into flames.
　In no time at all, the meat is seared and the air is filled with the aroma of deliciousness.
　As Zinga watches, he whistles in praise of me.

You're a great swordsman, but you're also a skilled mage.

But you're no match for Zinga's archery skills.

Yeah. If I'm losing my bow skills, I'm out of a job, and I'm out of a job.

　With that statement, Zinga quickly pulls out an arrow from the quiver on his back and fires a rapid shot.

　The arrow shoots out and hits the second bersel bull between the eyes as it comes out of the trees.

　As expected, Zinga is a first-rate hunter. It seems he has killed many berserk bulls with his bow.

　--But deep in the woods I can hear the roar of the excited beasts. Apparently, there are still a number of them. It's not enough.

Is this forest a berserk bull's paradise?

Once every 20 years.

"I mean?

The last time they reproduced, I had green fever. That means when there's an outbreak of green fever in this forest, they'll be plentiful.

Will Berserker Bull carry the germs?

Look, I don't know what the cause and effect is, but I can tell you that 20 years ago, my mother was hunting unicorns while knocking down Belser Bull. What I can tell you is that 20 years ago, my mother knocked down Belsel Bull and went deep into the woods to hunt for unicorns.

Does that mean I have to recreate it?

"I know. Are you scared?　You're not involved, no one will complain if you run away.



"No way . I had to thank you for the banquet. Mile's mother cooked up a nice thick slice of bacon for us. I owe you a meal.

　I replied and threw a fireball spell at a third berserk bull that emerged from the trees. The bull's bristles burst into flames.

　Zinga's lips quirked up at the sight of it.

This is what the gods have raised. I'm lucky to meet a man like this for the first time in 20 years.