I spent as much on Toya's sword and shield as our funds would allow.
　They will serve as a wall between me and Haruka. If I were to be pulled out, I probably wouldn't be able to support myself, so there was no reason to scrimp here.
　We spent a day training with the equipment, and the next day we ventured deep into the forest, a place we had never been before.

　Diora had already told us the location of the dindle tree, so there was no need to search for it. I was promised three Dindle berries as a reward, which was much better than searching through the unfamiliar forest.
　Compared to the outer edges of the forest, the deeper parts of the forest are much more difficult to walk through, probably because no one enters.
　With Toya in the lead, we trampled the undergrowth, cut away the branches, and made our way deeper into the forest.

However, I feel a little uncomfortable using the sword I bought for this purpose.
Give up on that. A machete costs a lot of money, and you'll be packing it. Besides, that broadsword doesn't have much of an edge, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?

　Basically, swords in this world are more of a blunt instrument than a cutting tool.
　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.
　Even in this world, daggers and demolition knives have solid blades, but for adventurers, where the ability to survive is important, a broadsword like this is more convenient. You can't wash and re-sharpen it every time you cut an enemy.

What about the enemies on the road, Haruka?　Hunt them down and bring them back?
Avoid them if you can. As for the boar, if there's room on the way back, we'll hunt it.
Understood.

　Perhaps because I'm getting used to my skills, I've recently become able to distinguish between targets recognized by [Searching for Enemies].
　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.

However, if the target looks like a demon, let's fight it. And that's one of the goals.

　This is one of the objectives that Haruka presented as a step up.
　One of the objectives that Haruka presented as a step up this time was to defeat the demon.
　To be precise, defeating humanoid monsters.
　This is the first step in dealing with human enemies such as bandits.
　Although there are few of them in this area, it seems that bandits appear quite often in some places, and the danger of being attacked by humans is higher than that of demons.

Bandits, huh? There are such things in this world, aren't there?

　In fact, it's just that the world around us was peaceful, and robbers are common in the original world.

Robberies are also common in the original world.　Even snatchers are a kind of bandits.

　It's just that it's not 'kill or steal'.
　In some parts of the world, people say, "Don't stop your car at a red light. In some parts of the world, it is common knowledge that you will be attacked if you stop, and even if you go to the police, they will tell you that it is your fault for stopping.

In Japan, even if the mugger is not a mugger, the mugger will be arrested.

　In Japan, if you kill someone, even if they are a robber, you will be charged with a crime.
　The requirements for self-defense are quite strict.

But humanoid... ...... can we do it?
Well, if a gorilla attacked you, could you kill it?
Gorillas have a very strong grip. ...... They throw shit at you. But I'm sure you could. I could kill a bear.

　The gorillas in the zoo are the ones who throw poop at you.
　No, I've never met a gorilla in the wild.

Goblins are fine. Gorillas are closer to humans than goblins.
Is that what you say?

　It's strange that I feel okay when I'm compared like that.

"First of all... I'm sure you're right.　Isn't it enough to treat them as "animals"?　It's just that they have a slightly human sounding cry.
Wow. ...... Haruka, you're right.
Yeah. I think thugs are the scourge of society. Pickpocketing, shoplifting, bicycle theft. "Don't say 'delinquent' half the time!
"Yeah, I agree with you about the bicycles and umbrellas!　I really want to kill them!

　I really want to kill him!" Toya nodded at Haruka's words, and I agreed with him.
　The amount of damage is more than the amount of money, but because of the inconvenience you will suffer in the immediate aftermath, you will feel even more hatred.
　With an umbrella, you get wet instead of the culprit, and with a bicycle, you have to walk a long distance or take a bus or train.
　When I got my umbrella stolen and went home wet, I looked at the river on the way and thought, "If the culprit was there, I would have thrown him into this muddy river! I thought to myself.

"Yes, yes!　It's all a crime, so why don't we just get rid of it?

　--He was so unhappy that he said even more bitterly.
　Well, as far as Haruka is concerned, there's no way around it.
　Haruka and her friends are quite cute, even without the favoritism of childhood friends, and they often get into trouble.

　When Toya and I go out together, it's not a problem, but when we go out with just the girls, we get into a lot of trouble with pickup artists. We even got into a bit of trouble with the police once.
　In addition, Haruka is a bit of a sissy, so I heard that she sometimes had to get involved to help younger students.

In particular, those who raped her should be castrated immediately. His genes are not worth keeping!

　Haruka's face distorted as if she was remembering something bad, and she became more and more heated.
　It's true that people who can't even control themselves to that degree are honestly evil.
　But that doesn't mean that we have to burden our children with it.
　There are also victims who give birth to such children without any intention.



"Oh, Haruka. I generally agree with you, but children don't get to choose their genes, do they?

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

So, yes. That was a bit too genetic. But considering the psychology of victims and the high recidivism rate of s*x crimes, I think physical sanctions are necessary. To be honest, it's pretty scary to think that the person who attacked you could be out there in a few years, and he could be anywhere.

　Even though he calmed down, it was still a bit extreme.
　I understand how you feel, but...

"Hey, Nao... Haruka, what's wrong?
"Oh, you don't know, do you? One of my junior girls was victimized before. Fortunately, I was able to save her just before ...... the junior girl was .......)
(That's definitely a traumatic experience.)

　Haruka was tense for a while at that time, and it was quite difficult.
　I remember that I had to take care of her and put her in a good mood even though I didn't do anything wrong.

"In the first place, before talking about the criminal's 'second chance,' isn't it more important to talk about the victim's 'life without a second chance,' who has been irreparably injured?

　Well, if a friend or family member of mine was victimized by a criminal's "second chance," I would definitely think, "If only he had been castrated" or "If only he had stayed in jail.
　I'd be wondering if her life was ruined by the opportunity she gave to a criminal.

"Well, we don't have that over here, so make sure you do, okay?　If I lose, you'll be killed and I'll be raped and then killed. Just keep that in mind and you'll probably be fine.
"Uh-huh. Now that I think about it, I feel like I can kill the bandits that are coming to kill us.
Yes, you're right. In a sense, humanity and human rights are the arrogance of the powerful. To put it another way.

　There is no way you can care for a criminal in a dying situation.
　However, whether you can make a decision if you suddenly find yourself in that situation is another matter.
　I think it was not a waste of time to discuss and prepare in advance.

　　　　We had such a conversation.

　Well, that's the conversation we had.
　In fact, fortunately or unfortunately, we did not encounter any goblins before we reached our destination today.
　There was a reaction that looked like a boar, but I was able to notice it in advance and avoided it.
　It took us about an hour from the time we entered the forest to this point.
　The reason why I was able to get there without getting lost, even though I had only asked for the general location, was because the dindle tree was much higher than the surrounding trees.

"...... Wow, this is ......, I've heard of it, but it's really tall, isn't it?
"How high is it?　It's taller than an apartment building, right?
Is it more than 50 meters?　I'm not sure.

　The three of us looked up at the tree, which was more than twice as tall as the other trees around it.
　The tree was more than twice as tall as the other trees around it, and when we looked at the tip with our eagle eyes, we could see a number of red berries.

　The trunk of the tree is quite thick, not as thin and tall as a cedar, but as thick and stout as a camphor tree.
　And yet, with its height, it has a tremendous presence.
　I've seen one of the biggest camphor trees in Japan before, but I think it was more than twice as tall and as big.

It's amazing. Are you two going to climb it?　I can't do it.

　Yeah. If I hadn't become an elf, I wouldn't have thought of climbing it either.
　It's true that it's high, but after climbing it so many times in the forest over the past week, it's strange that I think I can manage it.

I wondered, "But with so many berries growing, why doesn't anyone come and get them?　That's a good way to make money, right?
Have you considered how many dindle trees there are and how long it took you to get here in the first place?
Oh, I see.

　We've been in the forest for about an hour. If you take into account the time it took to get from the city to the forest, you'll probably be here for a couple of hours at most.
　After the second time, you don't have to pay the bills or check the path, but it's still a long way.
　However, if we stay here overnight, we can only carry so much.

Besides, there are only a few people who can climb this tree.

　That was one of the assumptions.
　The reward is rookie level, but the problem is that it's not a job that everyone can take.
　Elves seem to have an excellent sense of balance on trees as a characteristic of their race, so it's relatively easy, but for other races, it's difficult unless you're really good at climbing trees.

In addition, it's hard to bring down the fruit from the tree, isn't it?

　Haruka said, pointing to the top of the tree.
　In a way, this seems to be the most difficult part.
　It's impossible to throw them down from the top because it's too high.
　The branches of the tree would get in the way, and it would be impossible to catch more than 100 apples dropped from the top of the apartment building.
　Even if you try to drop the apples by attaching a string to the bag, there are branches in the way, so you cannot drop them all at once, and you will have to relay the string several times.
　Then it would take longer to collect, and the result would be less fruit.

So, we have backpacks.

　The advantage of a backpack is that you can use both hands, and since it is close to your body, it is difficult to lose your balance.
　The advantage of a backpack is that you can use both hands and keep your balance.

So, do I just wait downstairs?
No, it's probably not safe for you to be alone, so you might as well be up on the lowest branch.

　By the way, if we go up, Toya will be alone, right?
　Although Toya is now able to kill a boar by herself, it seems dangerous for her to be alone in a place where goblins might appear for the first time.



The branch at the bottom of the ...... tree?

　The branch that Toya looked up at was about five meters from the base - about the height of the roof of a two-story house.

That's pretty high.
I mean, how are we going to get up there?　We can't reach it, no matter how hard we try.

　No matter how much my physical ability has improved, I am still not strong enough to jump up a five-meter branch.
　Near the base of the branch, it was relatively straight and uneven, making it difficult to climb by hand.
　If I could reach the lowest branch, I could climb up from there because there are many branches, but that would be a difficult task.

"Of course I'm thinking about that. Information gathering, of course.

　He looked up at me and nodded his head.
　...... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was just relieved to hear the location.

I've got the tools ready for you.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
　--That's it?
　That's all you've got?　Because Haruka told me to.

So, I'll throw this!

　I've got a weight on the end of the rope.
　Haruka threw the rope, and it fell over the target branch to the ground.

If you hold both ends of the rope and pull it like this and then like this, ......

　The rope was pulled tight and tied to the base of the branch.

Now all you have to do is use it as a support to climb up.

　Haruka is quick to say, using the slight unevenness of the tree trunk as a foothold, he climbs upward using the rope as well.

It's so easy to climb, man. Nao, can you do it?
"Hmm... Maybe?

　In the original world, it would have been impossible, but now I feel like I can do it.

Here we go!

　Oh, I got there. In one breath, I'm next to Haruka.
　Looks like this is no problem.

I can't do that. I can't do that!" "Well, if you have a rope, you can make it work.

　Toya grabbed the rope and gave it a few tugs, then grabbed it tightly and climbed up.
　That's what this is. A rope rappelling ascent.
　Unlike us, who use tree trunks as footholds, he is lifting his weight and his load with only the strength of his arms, which is quite muscular.

"......, what should I do from here?

　After smoothly reaching the top of the rope, Toya looked up at us as if in a bit of trouble.
　If it was a thin branch, we could probably grab it and climb up, but the branch we were standing on was over 50 centimeters thick.
　There was a rope hanging from the bottom of the branch, making it difficult to move to the top.
　We used the unevenness of the trunk to move upward: .......
　We should have retied the rope to a higher branch before he climbed.

"It's no use. Here, hold on.
I'm sorry.

　I reach out to Toya and pull him up.
　I'm not very strong, but I can hold a man, and with my animal strength, I can do this.

Are you okay?　Okay, we'll go upstairs. ......

　Toya stayed here.
　Waiting on this branch for the next few hours will be hard and boring, but it will be easier than us climbing up, harvesting, and coming down again, so please be patient.

"Oh, Haruka, can I borrow your bow?　And Nao's spear.
But you can't use it, can you, Toya?
Well, yeah, but we can kill him safely from here, right?
Arrows aren't cheap, and I don't want you to waste too many of them. ......

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do it.
　It's a good idea to use a bow that's not too strong, as it's designed for Halka. ......?

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

　As Haruka told him, Toya fixed the bow, and after a few times, it took shape.
　I don't know if I can shoot the arrow well.

If you can, don't waste too many arrows, okay?
Of course I'm not going to waste them.
And don't do anything rash just because you're free.
"Okay, okay.

　Toya replied lightly, but I had a feeling that she was not trustworthy.
　I guess Haruka feels the same way. He raises his eyebrows, but then, perhaps giving up, he breathes and turns to face you.

I'm worried about something,......, but that's okay. Nao, let's go.
Yeah.
Be careful, you two!　I'm more worried about you two than me, okay?

　You're right.
　If you fall, you die.
　But I'm not so scared.
　I waved lightly to Toya and started climbing.