The next day, we gradually expanded our search deeper into the forest.

　The Bind Viper had been a bit of a challenge at first, but after Natsuki got Tommy to make him a custom-made cleaver, it was a piece of cake.

　We were surprised to see that Natsuki was able to cut off the head of the Bind Viper that was growing so fast.

　To our surprise, Natsuki simply said, "I'm better with a naginata than a small sword.

　In fact, Yuki and I could have used our magic to kill it, but Natsuki seemed a little frustrated that she didn't have any effective means of attack.

　As for the scarp-apes, they weren't much of a problem once you got used to them.
　Each one is weak, so if you cover each other and kill them in turn, there is little danger.

　The only one that was a bit of a nuisance was the one that occasionally tried to throw rocks at us, but if the members who could attack from a distance were on the lookout for it, it was easy to destroy it first.

　It's not an enemy I'd like to encounter too often, though, as it's still a pain to clean up and not much money to be made.

　The deer that I had been wondering what to do with - the brown auk - I had hunted quite a few of them, since each one was almost as profitable as an orc, and they were relatively abundant near the mountains.

　Dismantling them was a hassle, but if I had prepared a pulley and a stepladder in advance, I could dismantle them in the forest without much trouble.

　Thanks to these efforts, we continued to earn as much as before, despite the fact that we tend to earn less in the winter.

　To be honest, we were very grateful for this, since our savings had been greatly reduced by the purchase of the house.


　After a week of going deeper into the forest, we finally reached the area where the famous tree was growing.

　If we had pushed ourselves a little, we could have gotten there faster, but our goal was to cut down the tree here. It was not the end of the road.

　Of course, the sound of the axe would be loud, and if there were many demons in the area, it would attract them.

　That's why I've been searching a bit cautiously, like I'm trying to get rid of some demons.

"Well, any tree around here can be sold for a good price, right?
Simon said he wanted walnuts, but ...... he also said thicker ones were better, right?

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　Hmm, so that's a walnut. It's hard to tell just by looking at it unless there are fruits growing on it.
　If you use the help function, you can tell.

But many of the trees are pretty big, aren't they?　It's not uncommon to find trees about 50 centimeters tall, and even over a meter.

　Toya is referring to the diameter of the trunk.

　Some of the trees are so big that I couldn't even reach half of them even if I hugged them, so I guess you could say there are a lot of huge trees.

　In Japan, where forestry has been flourishing, there are not many places where trees of this size grow.

　In some places, such as sacred forests and sacred mountains, there are still some huge trees, but in other places, they have been turned into lumber.

It's a shame to cut down such a big tree, isn't it?
"I agree. I wonder how many years it took for it to grow to this size?
Many times longer than our lives, I guess.

　We look up at the huge tree and think about the passage of time.
　But it was Toya who crushed our sentimentality.

But you're going to cut it down, right?
"...... Well, yeah, but...

　You've come this far, and there's no option but to leave without cutting.
　There is no option but ...... to leave without cutting.

You're right, Toya is right. Let's at least cut at intervals so as not to cut too much.
That's right. If we thin out the larger trees, it will give room for the smaller ones to grow.

　It's like thinning.
　Fortunately, there is no one else coming to cut the trees but us, so we don't have to worry about depletion of resources.

But there used to be logging in this area, right?　I don't see any traces of it, do you?
Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing any stumps.

　I heard that there was a lot of logging going on, but I didn't see anything when I was walking around.
　I don't think they were digging up the stumps every time they cut down the trees.
　It was Toya who answered my question.

It was there, you know.　It's pretty decayed, but there's not much left. I'm pretty sure there's another ...... around there.

　Toya pushed through the underbrush and showed him the remains of a stump.
　It was less than a meter in diameter, but still quite large.

　There was little left of the stump above the ground, and the part that was buried in the ground was also quite decayed, and would probably be assimilated into the ground in a little while.

　There is grass growing from the stump, which I would not have noticed if you had not told me.

"How did you notice that, Toya?　I thought stumps were supposed to stay up for a long time. ...... No, I don't know what time the stump is.

　I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure it's been more than 10 years since any trees were cut out of this forest.
　Is this normal?

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's been more than ten years since the trees were cut down from this forest.

"There are some strange things here and there, in this world. You know, like inspirational sauce.

...... It's definitely a degradation threat.

Honestly, I'm surprised it's not bioterrorism.

　I mean, if you think about it, how fast does a tree stump decompose, that's no big deal?


Well. Let's cut the tree. Toya, do you know how to cut a tree?

Simple enough. First you cut a catch on the trunk in the direction you want to fall. Then you cut from the other side, a little above the catch. Finally, drive a wedge into the tree to fell it. Before knocking it down, shout, 'It's going to fall! Something like that.

"Yes, it's more important than you think, the shouting. A tree this size can kill you if you get trapped under it.

It sure looks heavy as hell.



　If you think of a sumo wrestler doing a body press from dozens of meters above the ground, you can understand the threat. ...... No, it's worse than that because it's so hard.

　Broken bones at best, death at worst.
　I don't want to test its strength, no matter how much our physical abilities have improved.

But it's difficult for an amateur to knock it down in the right direction, so I think it's better to pull it with a rope. ...... It's dangerous for the person pulling it.

You can use a pulley for that.　We have a long rope.

　The pulley I bought to dismantle the deer and the long rope I bought to climb the dingle tree . You don't need to be in the direction of the fall to pull the rope.

　I left it at the inn after the dindle collecting season was over, but since I got the magic bag, I have been carrying it with me.

　The rope seems to be important in case of an accident.

　You might say that I should have carried it before, but a strong and long rope is very heavy.

　More specifically, tens of kilos or more.
　I don't know what it's made of, but it's some kind of natural fiber.

　There are probably synthetic fibers that are a little lighter and stronger, but as long as there are none, there's nothing we can do.

That's a good idea. It's unlikely that a fallen tree will accidentally hit the pulley.
...... That's a flag, isn't it?　Haruka.

　This is a dynamic pulley, so it cost a pretty good deal.

　It's a little more complicated than that, but if a fallen tree hits it and breaks it, your wallet will suffer.

　We can't be sure that it won't hit the tree, since it will be placed in the direction of the fall.
　However, it is better for the pulley to break than for it to hit us.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

You're right. --But isn't the biggest problem the thickness of the tree?　Is this thick enough for an axe?

　The axe we bought had a blade length of about 20 centimeters.
　On the other hand, the tree we're trying to cut is a huge tree with a diameter of over a meter.
　Rather than chopping, it was more like grinding.

　Considering the space for the axe, it would have to be cut into a very large wedge shape, which would be quite difficult.

　We all looked at the axe that Toya had taken out and compared it to the tree, and twisted our heads.

How do you cut a tree of this size in the modern world?
The one I saw before was using a huge chainsaw that was about my height.

　Yuki's question reminded me of a scene I had seen in the past where a huge tree was being cut down.
　At that time, I was using a crane as well, so I can't refer to it at all.

"Chainsaw .......
Can't Haruka make one?
You mean with a magic tool?　I'm not saying it's impossible with research, but I'm not too keen on the idea.

So it's a giant, joke of a saw. The one with the weirdly large blade.
You mean the big saw?　It's got big jagged edges, but the blade is only on the tip, right?

　I heard that the large jagged edge is for easy discharge of sawdust.
　In the first place, it's a saw for lumbering, not for felling.

If it's a saw, it's a double-pull saw, right?　Two men pulling from both sides.
I didn't buy that, did I?
No, you didn't. I thought I could get by with an axe. ......

　When I actually arrived, I found that there were more giant trees than I had imagined.
　If it's just a few trees, but if you have to chop down a lot of huge trees of this size, you'll honestly feel faint with your current axe.

"Hmm, Haruka, can't you use magic like a water cutter to cut it?
I thought I told you before that it was impossible.

　I thought I told you before that it was impossible." Haruka gave a curious look at Toya's question.

　Water cutters are a magic that was once discussed about a month ago and concluded to be impossible.

That's what it is, isn't it?　You can only cut nearby objects because the high pressure of the water hits the air and diffuses.

"Yes. That's why when you cut a tree, it's better if you can cut an inch or two around the trunk.　It's not really suitable for cutting large trees.

"Yeah, so I figured it out. So I thought, if I make a thin pipe with magic power and pass it through it, it will reach farther without spreading.

Oh, my!　Toya, you're a genius!　--What do you mean?　I don't know how hard it would be to make a thin pipe that can withstand such high pressure with magic power. ....... It might be hard to understand since you don't use magic, but it's quite difficult to use magic in this world, you know?

　I'm not sure what to make of that.
　And I agree with her.

　The customization of magic is quite difficult and requires a lot of practice, especially if you want to use it quickly.

　That's why I like to use the Fire Arrow.

　However, it seems that Toya did not understand the feelings of these wizards.

It's not like Haruka to give up without even trying!　You can do it!　I'm sure Haruka can do it!

"...... Your irresponsible expectations are heavy. I'm not sure what to do with it.　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you.



"What?　Me?

　When Haruka suddenly spoke up, Yuki pointed at her and rolled her eyes.

How high are you now?
I've got to level 2, but I don't use ...... much.

　I'm not sure what to make of that.

　Fire magic is sufficiently powerful, and fortunately, there are no fire-resistant demons, so there is no reason to use other magic, and there are few opportunities to use it.

　My space-time magic is also rarely used in battle these days, and since I've made a magic bag, I don't have a chance to use it except during training.

　Rather, magic in general is very active in my daily life.

　I can bathe easily, stay clean, not have to worry about the cold, and not get wet in the rain, all thanks to magic.

　It's not flashy, but it plays a very important role.

The water jet is a level 1 spell, isn't it?　Why don't you just try it?

"Water jet" is not as good as a high pressure washer as it is. ....... Don't expect too much, okay?　I'll try to make the pressure as high as I can.

　I'll try to get the pressure as high as I can," Yuki said, bringing her index finger close to the tree trunk.

"Mmmm ...... 'Water Jet'!

　A thin stream of water shoots out from Yuki's fingertip and gouges the tree trunk.
　Yuki continued to shift her fingers little by little, but .......

Yuki continued to shift his fingers little by little, but ...... would come in handy for peeling the bark off the tree, wouldn't it?

　If you look closely, you can see that only the bark has been gouged.
　The trunk itself is unscathed.

I heard that sometimes a high-pressure washer is used to remove the bark from wood.

The bark is indeed clean. And the trunk is still clean.

Yuki, can't you try a little harder?　Keep the amount of water the same, but squeeze it thinner.

I can't, I can't!　I can't do it, I'm at my limit!　It's over!

　The water stops flowing out of his fingers, and Yuki exhales, "F~~~.
　The width of the shaved bark was about forty centimeters along the circumference of the trunk.

　This is not very efficient in terms of magic power ......, but the bark can easily be cut with a saw, so it is meaningless.

If you can at least cut the trunk, it's worth a little more. ......

If you think so, maybe you should try it too.　You can use it even if you don't have any qualities, because you're an elf!

I've never practiced water magic.

　It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if there is anything you can do to help.

　On the other hand, she had never used water magic before.

　However, Haruka has dabbled in three systems of magic and alchemy, and Yuki has dabbled in four systems of magic and alchemy plus pharmacy. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

I'll do my best to be positive.
"I look forward to your diligent efforts!

　In response to my vague answer, Yuki pointed at me and said sternly.

　Yes, I'll do my best. As long as time permits.