It's been a little over a week since I returned to Rafaan.

　While we were spending our days repairing the war hammer and extracting yeast from the sake, we received word that the processing of the gemstones we had left with them had been completed.

　We immediately went to pick it up, sold half of it as it was, and came back with the other half.

　The ladies, who were discussing what accessories to make, didn't seem to be planning to work on it right away, and seemed to keep it as a gemstone for a while.

　The next day, when we were talking about going back to the dungeon, it started to snow.
　It wasn't a lot of snow, only a few centimeters.

　But it didn't snow last year, and according to Diora, it's rare for it not to snow.

　In a normal year, it rains a few times.
　In a normal year, it rains only a few times, and in a year with a lot of rain, it may rain more than ten times.
　It seems to have already fallen this year, while we were holed up in the dungeon.

　Based on this information, and considering the possibility of more snow and the need to get used to it, we decided to delay our departure for a few days and wait for the snow to disappear.

　There was too little snow for snow combat training, and there was no need to leave in a hurry.

　In the time available, Mitya and the others could play in the snow, we could observe the sake brewing, and Natsuki could work on improving the taste of miso and soy sauce.

　Three days later, when we were sure the snow had melted, we headed for the dungeon.


　Once in the dungeon, it was business as usual.

　The temperature was not too low, and the dungeon could be used not only as a summer retreat but also as a cold retreat.

　We went down slowly, slaying demons, collecting meat, and harvesting nuts, and we were well on our way to the second level.

Nao, do you think you can make the transition?
"Yeah, probably no problem. How far do we have to go?
I'd like to pick up where we left off, what do you think?

　To be honest, it's hard for me to figure out which transition point is where, because I've set up so many transition points last time, but I know that the farthest transition point is at the back of the boss room.

　I know that the farthest transfer point is behind the boss room.
　No, it's too hard with all of us.
　Should I rest ...... at the halfway point?
　It's a good idea to take a look at the website to see if there is anything you need to know.

But you can't catch fish when you're in transition.
I'm sure that's true.

　We nodded our heads at her plausible words.

　For safety reasons, it is best to avoid going down the cliff, but the number of fish that can be caught then is far more than a bite.

　Since we haven't been fishing lately, we want to keep the flying gar in order to conserve our stock of river fish and shrimp.



　The ago dashi soup was delicious.

　Because of this, many of the flying gars were dried, but Mitya, who likes to eat them grilled, was a little teary-eyed.

　When you think about it, .......
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what to make of that.　If there are no restrictions on transfer, it would be a waste to have so many transfer points set up.

"Right. In addition, I'm curious about what's going on inside the rock pile.

You mean the status of the golem's resurrection?

Yeah. You're wondering how long it will take for it to come back?　Like, do iron golems revive at the same pace as normal demons?

　If that's the case, it's understandable that the dungeon where the Iron Golem appears is of high value.

　If it hasn't been resurrected yet, its value as a mine is a bit delicate.
　It would be difficult to mine consistently without a larger dungeon.

That's true. But you know, even if there were no enemies, it would still take a long time to go down there on foot, right?

If you just follow the correct route, it won't take that long. ...... If you're going to go through the rocky mountains anyway, it seems a shame not to check and see if the treasure chest has been restored.

"Gems, you know.

Yeah, yeah. There were so many beautiful ones.

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

...... No, I understand how you feel, but it's not like they've come back in such a short time, is it?
I don't think so.　It's been over a month in some places.
If it was near the entrance, yes, but a ...... treasure chest?

　It's not going to come back that easily.
　It contains something valuable.

If you don't find any treasure chests in the first area, you can just follow the correct route.

That would be ......, wouldn't it?

I'll go with that.



"All I need is a fish.

　That's Mitya. That's Mitya.


　So we went down the cliff, catching flying gars and looking for the treasure chest, but as I expected, it was not so convenient to find it again.

　After a day or so in the cave, we gave up looking for the treasure chest, and continued onward through a series of transitions.

　Defeating the occasional golem was smoother than we expected.

　In addition to the fact that there were fewer of them than last time and we were more familiar with them, the biggest factor was the change in armament.

　Specifically, the weapon used by Toya.

　During the last vacation, I thought I heard some thumping noises coming from the corner of the garden, but it seems that Toya had made an original war hammer in his spare time.

　His skills as a blacksmith are probably not as good as Gantz's or Tommy's, but he made it as a hobby, using expensive materials without regard to profitability, and it definitely paid off.

　Furthermore, with the help of Mary who took the Impact Hammer instead of Toya, we were able to get through the rocky mountains and into the forest in less time than expected.

　　　　This is where Nao was talking about.

So this is the tricky forest that Nao was talking about.
It looks like a normal, peaceful forest.
It's a trap. If you're not careful, you'll get hit.　No kidding.

　I insisted with some effort to Yuki, who seemed somewhat fluent.
　Basically, they come at you from a hiding place.
　This is the characteristic of the demons that appear in this forest.
　There's no such thing as an enemy that responds to [Searching for Enemies] in an obvious way.

　Thanks to this forest, or should I say thanks to this forest, my [Spotting Enemies] had risen from level 5 to level 6 when I came back from here.

　If I were to walk around carelessly, I would be easily killed.

Trent's a pain in the ass, isn't he?
"Walking trees!　I want to see it!

　Mitya raised his hand in response to Toya's words.

　I'm sure that even the inhabitants of this world have never had the opportunity to see such a strange creature (?), although they listened with interest when I told them about this forest. I guess Mitya, a resident of this world, never had a chance to see such a strange creature.

I think it's safest to cut them down before they start moving,......, but I understand the feeling.



Yeah, ...... over there. You see those trees?　Three trees in a row, thin, thick, thin. That middle one is probably Trent.

　The distance is about 20 meters.

　Trent's [mimicry] skills are not to be underestimated, as even at that distance, if you're not paying attention, you won't notice him.

　--It doesn't need to mimic, it's just a tree if it doesn't move.

"What?　That tree?　That's the one, isn't it?

　Yuki raises her eyebrows and puts her head close to the side of my face to check the direction I'm pointing, but I don't think she can tell.　I don't think you can tell.

　Haruka also peeked her head above Yuki's head, but quickly shook her head as if she didn't understand.

Hmm, I don't really understand.
"Yes. I don't even smell it. ......

　When Haruka and the others avoided them, Mitya and the others were next.

　Mitya is quite a bit taller than me, so I crouched down next to her and showed her with my fingers, but she still didn't seem to understand.

　The only one who reacted differently was Toya, who had the second highest [spotting enemy] level after me.