Volume 6, Chapter 51 – Investigating the Forest

“Saint-sama, we have been expecting you.”

When we arrived at the plaza in front of the garrison, Alois-san and about thirty knights were already waiting for us, along with someone in mage-like robes and the two members of the Shield of Airoll.

“Good morning. Alois-san, did we keep you waiting?”

“No. We simply arrived early to make preparations.”

“I see. And the two over there… let me see, were you Dion-san and Greg-san?”

“Yes! Thank you so much for treating Greg the other day!”

Dion-san and Greg-san gave their thanks with a Jumping Dogeza from Boon.

Hmm, the sharpness was there and the power was there, but they weren’t in sync and they didn’t pay enough attention to their fingertips, so I’ll give them a 6.

“Not at all. It is my job. I am glad to see you are doing well.”

I said that with my usual business smile, and for some reason, they both blushed.

Alois-san gave a small cough to get their attention and began his explanation.

“Now, our mission for today is to investigate the mysterious altar that Saint-sama discovered.”

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“Yes.”

“Since this is the first outing, our primary objective is to confirm the path to the altar. Detailed investigation will be left to the scholars of the Royal Capital and the royal mages, but if possible, we would like to confirm whether or not there are any dangers.”

“That makes sense.”

I gave a small nod to Alois-san, who was speaking with a serious expression.

“Regarding the path to the altar, since these two from the Shield of Airoll are knowledgeable about the forest, I believe we can reach a nearby location if they can provide us with the characteristics of the area.”

“Yes! Leave it to us! This forest is like our own backyard!”

“Yeah. Just leave it to us!”

Dion-san and Greg-san suddenly started making an enthusiastic pitch for themselves.

I found myself thinking, So this is what people mean when they say someone’s practically snorting with enthusiasm, but just as I was about to describe the place, something occurred to me.

“Um, Lu-chan. Could you just take us to the place where that altar was—the one where we fought the Evil Treant?”

“Eh? Sure, I can.”

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When I asked Lu-chan, she answered as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“She says she can, so let’s head out.”

“””Huh?”””

Alois-san, along with Dion-san and Greg-san—whose roles had just been rendered completely pointless—let out a collective, rather vacant,

Huh? They aren’t following?

“Are you coming?”

When I looked back and called out, Alois-san and the others followed after me as if they had been snapped into action.

◇ ◇ ◇

“We’re here!”

Guided by Lu-chan, we arrived at the clearing where the altar was located—the place where we first encountered the Evil Treant—without getting lost once.

“That’s the altar. And over there, where the trees are withered, is where the Evil Treant and the Treant were.”

As I explained, Alois-san and the people dressed like mages began inspecting the area.

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“I’ve come here to gather things around the beginning of summer, but there was nothing like this back then,” Dion-san told me with a puzzled expression as he looked at the altar.

“It does indeed look like the remains of a ritual, does it not?”

“The undergrowth has been properly cleared. However, I don’t feel any Mana like the one at Suicide Rock in Otae Fuchi.”

“What’s Otae Fuchi?” Greg-san interrupted our conversation.

“In a country far to the east, there’s a place like that with a cursed rock.”

“Haa—there’s actually a place like that? That’s wild.”

He sounded impressed, but it didn’t look like Greg-san was going to be much help with the investigation.

We continued the investigation for a while, but in the end, the only thing we learned was that someone had set up this altar sometime after the summer.

Unfortunately, the crucial points—who set up it, for what purpose, and whether it had anything to do with the current Monster Stampede—remained unknown.

“Hmm, since an Evil Treant appeared here, should I perform a Purification just in case?”

I suggested this to Alois-san as a precaution, and since he agreed, I decided to call Riche for the first time in a while to perform the Purification.

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The sight of the Purification, with petals dancing and seeds being planted, is truly beautiful, and my Riche is truly cute.

The reason I have the luxury of thinking such things is that there wasn’t much to purify this time, so I barely had to use any Mana.

Because of that, I got to enjoy a perfect view of my adorable Riche in all her adorable glory.

It’s important, okay? That’s why I said it twice.

“Saint-sama, thank you for your hard work. I believe there is nothing more we can do here, so we shall leave it to the experts of the investigation team from the Royal Capital. Until then, we of the Knights will secure the site.”

“I see.”

I wonder if it was really okay to purify it when they were planning to preserve the site…

No, but that’s not something I need to worry about.

Thus, we finished our investigation in the forest and returned to the town of Airoll.

We were hardly attacked by monsters on the way back, and the few that did attack were all defeated by the knights and the two from the Shield of Airoll.

By the following day, the monsters had been completely driven away from the outskirts of the town, and peace returned to Airoll.