Chapter 814

Chapter 814

Bear-san Continued Exploring the Forest

We made steady progress through the forest.

However, Mane-san collected herbs, saying things like “That’s good against eye strain” and “That’s good against joint pain,” so our progress was slow.

“That one can be used as sunscreen. It’ll sell well to noble ladies. Swaying Bear, head over there.” (Mane)

Mane-san gave instructions to Swaying Bear.

Swaying Bear, looking resigned, started walking in the indicated direction.

Mane-san got off Swaying Bear and started collecting long-leafed grass.

To me they looked like weeds, but to an expert’s eye, they looked like useful medicinal herbs.

“Oh… sorry.” (Mane)

Mane-san noticed my gaze and apologized.

“We’re not in a hurry, so you can collect as many as you like.” (Yuna)

We didn’t have a time limit.

There was no problem if we took our time.

“Thank you.” (Mane)

The purpose was to collect growing herbs, but Mane-san seems to be enjoying collecting them.

“You look happy.” (Yuna)

“It’s been a while since I’ve been able to collect wild herbs, and it’s fun. I’ve been holed up in the royal capital for the past few years.” (Mane)

She seemed to really enjoy collecting the herbs.

“So, it’s been a while since you last collected stuff?” (Yuna)

“I only collect herbs from the herb garden in the castle. If there’s something I can’t find in the castle, I sometimes go to the shops in the castle town to buy it. But even then, I’ve been relying more on clerks to do it for me. When I think about it, that’s no good. If I don’t check the condition of the herbs with my own eyes before collecting them, my skills will get dull.” (Mane)

Considering that, she’s quite skilled at collecting herbs.

Maybe she was even more skilled in the past.

“Kuuun.”

Watching Mane-san collect from a little distance away, Hugging Bear cried softly.

Checking my detection skills, I saw a wolf approaching.

I didn’t want to interrupt Mane-san.

“Hugging Bear, please take care of Mane-san and Swaying Bear.” (Yuna)

I whispered to Hugging Bear and ran in the direction of the wolf.

… There it is.

It was walking in our direction.

The wolf noticed me and started growling.

But the wolf was no match for me.

I cast wind magic, quickly defeated it, and returned to Mane-san.

“Where did you go?” (Mane)

When I returned, Mane-san was waiting for me.

After she finished gathering, it seems she noticed I was gone.

“There was a wolf nearby, so I went to take care of it.” (Yuna)

“You should have said something before you left. I was surprised when I finished collecting herbs and looked back and you weren’t there. If you suddenly disappear, of course I’ll worry.” (Mane)

“I’m sorry.” (Yuna)

“But thank you. You didn’t want to make me feel uneasy, right?” (Mane)

“I just wanted Mane-san to collect herbs without worrying” (Yuna)

“Yuna, you’re popular, aren’t you?” (Mane)

“Popular, me?” (Yuna)

What was she saying all of a sudden?

There’s no way I could be popular.

“There aren’t many people who are so considerate. Your cooking was delicious too, and unlike my room, Yuna’s house was clean.” (Mane)

“I just killed the monsters before they could attack. The food is simple and pre-made. And the house is clean because it’s something I use for outings, not a place to live.” (Yuna)

I only make simple meals, and most of them are pre-made or made by Morin-san and Anzu-san.

I cleaned the bear house occasionally, but since it’s inside the bear box, dust doesn’t really accumulate.

Above all, it was only because of my bear box keeping things from being scattered around.

If I didn’t have my bear box, I think my room would be a mess or one of the rooms would have turned into a storage room.

“Well, I think the real reason I am not so popular is that I look like this.” (Yuna)

“Well, men really have no taste. They make fun of me, calling me short or say I look like a kid.” (Mane)

Well, if someone approached Mane-san with how she looked, I think that would be a problem in itself.

“Would anyone say something like that to Mane-san?” (Yuna)

“If it was our first time meeting, there’s a high chance they would. It used to happen a lot in the past. That’s why I want to grow up and get back at those who made fun of me.” (Mane)

That might be the real reason she wanted to grow up.

Her expression was serious.

We’ve finished collecting herbs, so we set off again.

Then, as we continued to gather herbs, we saw something red swaying in the distance.

It was a ribbon.

“I’m glad we found it safely.” (Mane)

Even if we went in the direction where the nail was pointing to, there was a chance that the ribbon would not be there.

The adventurer who had given her directions might have gone another way for some reason.

The adventurer might have thought he was going straight but got off track.

On the other hand, we could also have gotten off track.

So it was a relief when we found the ribbon safely.

After that, we managed to find several more ribbons.

“We’re progressing faster than expected. It’s all thanks to these guys.” (Mane)

Mane-san stroked Swaying Bear’s body.

Even though we stopped gathering herbs, we’re moving fast because we were riding on Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear.

If we walked, we would probably take more breaks, and we would have to check for danger around us, which would slow us down.

Because I have Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear, we didn’t need to take breaks, and they could tell me if there were monsters approaching outside my detection.

“If everything goes well, that’s a better result for everyone.” (Yuna)

“Though, after exploring with these guys, I might not be able to go back to normal exploration,” (Mane)

She looked longingly at Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear.

“I won’t give them to you” (Yuna)

“I know. I’m not asking you to hand over your precious family.” (Mane)

Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear were my family.

I couldn’t imagine life without them.

We took a short break under the ribbon and started moving forward.

“Kuun~”

“Could it be a monster?” (Mane)

Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear cried a few times and warned me about monsters. It seemed Mane-san understood too.

“It looks like there’s a monster up ahead” (Yuna)

The response was a Gator.

It was a crocodile-like monster that appeared when Fina participated in the Royal Capital dismantling event.

I saw a Gator at the dismantling event, but I’ve never seen one alive.

“I want to make a detour, but it looks like there’s a small lake ahead.” (Mane)

That explains why there were Gators.

Mane-san understood that there were monsters ahead, but I didn’t tell her that I knew the species.

Because I couldn’t explain to her how I knew.

I couldn’t just explain it as part of my bear’s blessing.

“Maybe the monster these kids noticed is a Gator. It’s most likely living in the lake.” (Mane)

As expected, she had a wide range of knowledge.

Mane-san was worried.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t we going?” (Yuna)

“I’m thinking which way to make a detour.” (Mane)

So going towards the lake wasn’t an option?

“But don’t we really need to pass by the lake.” (Yuna)

“Yeah, but there’s no need to deliberately head toward a place we know has monsters and put ourselves in danger.” (Mane)

Mane-san was right.

There was no need to take the risk.

This was the general way of thinking.

This was also because of the Bear Cheat equipment, so my sense of things was different from that of an ordinary person.

“Thanks to these guys, I don’t have to walk, so I don’t waste my stamina. But there’s no need to waste magic or stamina fighting monsters.” (Mane)

If it weren’t for Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear, we would have to walk all this way.

Walking on an unpaved road takes focus and drains stamina.

I’ve never gone mountain climbing, but it might be something like that.

“I think I could deal with the Gator.” (Yuna)

I’ve never fought one, but I think I could easily defeat a crocodile.

“I know Yuna is strong. But magic power is not infinite. If you know where the monsters are, you should avoid them. That’s a principle of exploration.” (Mane)

“You’re acting more like an adventurer than me” (Yuna)

“You’re the crazy one. You didn’t even prepare ribbons.” (Mane)

“I have Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear” (Yuna)

“You’re lightly equipped” (Mane)

“I am wearing clothes with the bear’s blessing.” (Yuna)

“You’re carrying a strange house” (Mane)

“It’s convenient, right?” (Yuna)

“I’ve made a lot of preparations. I feel stupid.” (Mane)

And after discussing it, we decided to go near the lake and make a decision there since it would be possible to escape quickly since we’re riding on Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear.

“We’re almost there” (Yuna)

After passing through some bushes, we reached the lake.

And there were crocodiles around the lake.

“There are gators, as expected. And quite a few of them…” (Yuna)

Apparently, six were visible. There were reactions coming from inside the lake too. The reactions overlap, so I don’t know the exact number.

“That’s…” (Mane)

“What’s wrong?” (Yuna)

“Nothing.” (Mane)

Despite what she said, she clearly reacted to something.

If Mane-san reacted to something, it must be related to a medicinal herb.

I’ve seen that reaction a few times by now, so I knew.

“Did you find some rare herbs?” (Yuna)

“I found some, but it’s unrelated to what is currently happening, and it’s dangerous” (Mane)

That’s hardly a reason now. She had already collected herbs many times.

It won’t be a problem if she adds more.

“Where? As long as the method of collection isn’t special, I’ll go and get it.” (Yuna)

“It’s on the gator’s back” (Mane)

“On its back?” (Yuna)

I looked closely at the gator.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything…” (Yuna)

“There’s moss on it” (Mane)

Now that she mentioned it, there was something that looked like moss stuck on its back.

“That moss is a precious ingredient used to make special eye drops.” (Mane)

“Eye drops?” (Yuna)

“You will be able to see people on the other side of a wall.” (Mane)

“So that means…” (Yuna)

“Yes, you can use it when infiltrating enemy hideouts.” (Mane)

“You can see people naked.” (Yuna)

“…” (Mane)

“…” (Yuna)

A quiet moment passed between us.

“Sorry, my mind was dirty.” (Yuna)

Feeling uncomfortable, I apologized.

“Unfortunately, you can only see people faintly.” (Mane)

“Is that so?” (Yuna)

Was it similar to thermography?

Or something close to that?

“Moreover, the effect only lasts for about 1–2 seconds after applying the eye drops and closing your eyes and opening them.” (Mane)

“That so short?” (Yuna)

“It’s enough if you just want to check where people are positioned when breaking into a room full of thieves or criminals.” (Mane)

Indeed, if you knew where enemies are positioned, you could attack them the moment you enter the room without searching for them.

It could reduce danger.

“Did Mane-san develop it?” (Yuna)

“No, my mom developed it. One of her acquaintances was trying to catch a scammer, but he didn’t notice the enemy behind the door and was seriously injured. She made it thinking it’d be good if you could know where enemies are.” (Mane)

“She sounds impressive.” (Yuna)

“Yes, she was.” (Mane)

“The only problem is that it causes itchy eyes as a side effect after use. Mom tried to fix that, but she couldn’t.” (Yuna)

Useful things always come with drawbacks.

Even my strongest equipment, the bear costume, also had a weakness.

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