Knowledge of "installation" tells me that the city is two hours in the forest and an hour on the road from there.
　That means a six-hour round trip, and during this time, the forest and the city streets, which is not a very safe place to go, you're taking some money with you, so don't be too cautious.

　I'm not alone and I'm with a beastman who is probably more physically capable than a normal human being (this is analogous to what we talked about during the meal), and this is just for the intimidating effect on anyone who is thinking of doing something wrong.

　As Samija herself has said before, you probably shouldn't do any strenuous exercise for another week or so. For now, I want you to move your body slowly to regain your senses little by little.

　Thinking about this, I continue to walk through the forest. There are still a lot of trees here, so it's even darker than in the early morning. It's too dark on a rainy day to go into town if you're planning a day trip. And then Samija snapped to a halt.

What's there?

"There's a hint of a presence and a bit of a smell. I don't think it's a big black bear or anything like that: ......

　Samija said and proceeded to walk along with solori. That's the tiger beast, there's hardly any sound in the woods. When you reach a tree a short distance away, you peer over there.

Ah, that's the tree-deer. ....... That's why they don't smell much.
　That one is a pain in the ass when it's angry. If you want to hunt for meat, but let's just ignore him today.

"Oh, the goal today is to get to the city.

　We skirted the area around the tree deer. We glanced back and saw the big deer with antlers that looked just like the branches of the trees around here that gave it its name, eating grass slowly.

How could its antlers catch on with a figure like that?

No, the big one is sometimes snagged and broken.

"Oh, really?

I'll show you when I've learned to hunt and catch you.
　The big ones have broken off once or twice. Theirs is a camouflage that you don't use to poke and prod, unlike the antler deer's, so it doesn't matter if it breaks off.

I see. ......

　I have no background in biology and what is being "installed" is not academic, so it's interesting to see and hear this kind of thing. It's like watching an old-world TV show.

"Instead, they kick and head-butt you, and they're big and strong, so they're a lot trickier in close combat.

Yeah. If I'm going to hunt, I'll be careful.

　We bypassed the tree stag and continued on for a while without incident, so we took a break. We've gone quite a distance, but the location of that house is familiar to both me and Samija. We talk about it over a light meal.
　Apparently, the beastmen who live in the woods remember little differences in smell and such. I'm "installed" with the knowledge and experience to live in the woods, so I'm a cheat.
　Of course, I won't tell anyone, not even Samija. Maybe even to our future family who might be able to.

　We'll pause and get going again soon. It's basically no more rest between here and the city. We did come across some forest dwellers along the way, but they were basically docile and we didn't see any carnivorous ones.
　Maybe they detected Samias' scent or something. I'm not sure of the beastman's age, but I didn't tell the lady that I wasn't so much of an old man as I was of a woman who said, "Your scent keeps the beasts away.

　Soon, the trees began to dwindle and I could see the road that passed by the forest. That's where I should be able to get to the city.
　However, because of the large forest, there are no fields or anything else on this side of the road, so there aren't many people around here. ...... and Samija said.

And yet it's not crowded. Aren't there all the thieves out there?

But it's still the road, so the guards come around every now and then.

How do you know?

Sometimes I go to the city to buy things, too.

Oh, that's right.

　No matter how beastly the forest dweller, however, there are a lot of things that can not be helped. For example, salt. Or even clothes (though they are covered in fur), if they need them, they will buy fabric and tailor them. That's the price of the animals they hunt.

The guards aren't stupid, so they don't come around at regular intervals, but rather at intervals.
　So it's a gamble to attack a human being who passes through here. I don't know what's going to come out of the woods ...... and they usually seem to think it's going to come out.

　These guards seem to be hard at work. That's impressive.
　If a wolf came out of the woods while the thieves were attacking their prey, it would be a game changer! I guess that's the question of whether you should take that gamble, even if it's unlikely.

　While you were chatting about such things, you could see the city's outer wall in the distance.
　Come on, we're close. Saamir and I regained our spirits a little and walked toward the city with a slightly elevated tension.