Chapter 68: Misty Forest
ㅤThe next morning, after having a strange dream.
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ㅤ”Fuah…”
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ㅤI woke up with a big yawn.
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ㅤLooking at the sooty walls of what could be called a log house… I remembered where I was.
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ㅤLast night, I took temporary shelter in a hut along the highway.
ㅤI had planned to reach the next village yesterday, but due to the thick fog that rolled in from the evening, I was forced to stop.
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ㅤ（Well, I could have made it if I relied on the minimap.）
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ㅤI actually tried to do that, but I quickly realized it was a bad idea.
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ㅤThe fog had made my clothes soaking wet.
ㅤI wished I had the Tree Frog Coat, a drop item… but unlike rain, the fog particles were fine and seeped in through even the smallest gaps.
ㅤEven with Difficulty Change and the Grandmaster’s Blessing, I would freeze to death if I stayed in these clothes after the sun had completely set, let alone during the day.
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ㅤSince I wasn’t in a hurry, I decided to take shelter in the hut, grateful that I had come across it.
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ㅤThere was already someone else in that “shelter.”
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ㅤ”Oh, looks like the little lady’s awake.”
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ㅤA woodcutter, about thirty years old, said to me.
ㅤHe had a beard and sharp eyes, giving him a tough appearance, but he was a friendly person once you talked to him.
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ㅤ”Ah, good morning, Hamuto-san.”
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ㅤ”Yeah. My wife’s soup will be ready soon.”
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ㅤ”Eh, is that alright?”
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ㅤ”In this fog, you need to warm yourself up, right?”
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ㅤThat’s… probably true.
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ㅤJust then, a plump woman came from the back of the hut, carrying a tray.
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ㅤ”You’re awake, little lady. You seemed to be sleeping soundly. Are you tired?”
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ㅤ”Ahaha, no, I just had a bad dream.”
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ㅤ”And the weather’s like this too. You won’t wake up until the sun comes up.”
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ㅤ”I’m tired of hearing that from you. This forest is always like this, isn’t it?”
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ㅤDismissing Hamuto-san’s words, the woman – Toruta-san – placed a bowl of soup on the table in the hut.
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ㅤ”Here, eat it before it gets cold.”
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ㅤ”Ahaha, thank you very much.”
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ㅤIt would be rude to refuse here.
ㅤI scooped up the soup with a wooden spoon and brought it to my mouth.
ㅤIt was a simple soup with mushrooms, vegetables, and a small amount of dried meat.
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ㅤ”Ah, it’s delicious.”
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ㅤ”I’m glad to hear that.”
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ㅤToruta-san nodded with a smile.
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ㅤI was quite hungry after waking up, and I finished the soup in no time.
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ㅤ”Thank you for the meal.”
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ㅤ”My, you’re a very polite child. Are you a noble or something?”
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ㅤ”N-no, I’m just a humble Thief.”
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ㅤ”Toruta, don’t ask too much about an adventurer’s background.
ㅤSorry about that, Minato. She makes a first-class soup, but she’s got a bad habit of gossiping about other people.”
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ㅤ”Ahaha, it’s nothing, I don’t have any particular background.”
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ㅤThe woodcutter couple nodded in understanding as I spoke vaguely.
ㅤ…No, I was really born into an ordinary family. Well, in another world, but still.
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ㅤ”Um, is it always like this around here?”
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ㅤ”Oh, you mean the fog? The fog is especially thick this time of year. Fortunately, there are no dungeons nearby, so there are hardly any monsters.”
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ㅤ”Sometimes, bandits try to make this area their territory, but we’ve been cutting trees in the Mist Forest for generations. We sneak up on them through the fog and strike them from behind with our axes.”
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ㅤ”I-is that so…”
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ㅤI responded to Hamuto-san, who made a gesture of swinging his axe down with a snap.
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ㅤ”I think it must be tough with it always being like this. Don’t you ever think about moving?”
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ㅤ”The logs cut from this Mist Forest are full of moisture, making them ideal for bending and crafting. Even when used as ordinary building materials, the moisture evaporates after construction, making them incredibly strong. In other words, it’s an excellent source of lumber.”
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ㅤ”The bottom line is, it’s a good living. There are several small villages of woodcutters scattered around here.”
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ㅤ”The lumber and processed goods from the Mist Forest are valuable exports for the Mistradia Tree Country.
ㅤIn fact, the Zamzaria Kingdom to the north, where Minato came from, has tried to invade and control this Mist Forest several times in the past.
ㅤAnd who do you think stopped them? It was us woodcutters.”
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ㅤ”Eh, the woodcutters?”
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ㅤ”Those Zamzaria guys come into the deep fog-covered forest with their noisy heavy equipment, and they always want to light a fire when they get cold, so their campsites are easy to spot.
ㅤThere are countless animal trails running through the forest that only woodcutters know. We divide and conquer those guys who are lost and panicking in the fog. It’s a piece of cake.”
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ㅤ”Well, it wasn’t you, it was your father’s generation. It was almost twenty years ago, so it’s no wonder you don’t know, Minato.”
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ㅤ”Even I could take down a knight or two with my trusty axe if I had to…”
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ㅤListening to the couple’s banter, I thought.
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ㅤ（Uh… so, they’re like forest guerrillas?）
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ㅤWoodcutters in peacetime, guerrilla soldiers in times of emergency.
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ㅤ（They seem to be a bad match for Zamzaria.）
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ㅤThe soldiers of the Zamzaria Kingdom are knights like those led by the Special Envoy Knight, Cre-something, Cretias-san, who are clad in full plate mail from head to toe, and whose minds are as hard as their helmets.
ㅤAfter all, they even went into the dungeon with the same equipment and suffered casualties.
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ㅤThen, these flexible guerrilla soldiers attack them.
ㅤMoreover, it’s in a fog-covered forest where you could easily lose sight of your allies if you’re not careful.
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ㅤ”By the way, where are you going, little lady?”
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ㅤHamuto-san interrupted their comedic routine and asked me.
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ㅤ”I haven’t decided yet. Anywhere but north is fine.”
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ㅤ”Whoa, whoa, did you do something?”
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ㅤ”Th-that’s not it…”
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ㅤCertainly, my answer was careless.
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ㅤ”What are you talking about? This little lady couldn’t hurt a fly, let alone be a wanted criminal…
ㅤBut, if you’re not in a hurry, how about coming to our village?”
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ㅤ”Eh, to Toruta-san and Hamuto-san’s village?”
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ㅤ”It’s not much of a place, but that’s why we’re starved for news from the outside.
ㅤI’ll prepare our village’s special wild plant dishes. So, what do you say? Two, three days?”
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ㅤHamuto-san added to Toruta-san’s words.
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ㅤ”The fog’s been thicker than usual lately. Even if you’re a Thief, you could still get lost. I think you should wait until it clears up.”
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ㅤWell, I think I could manage…
ㅤBut, there’s no reason to rush ahead.
ㅤ…And I’d like to try Toruta-san’s wild plant dishes.
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ㅤ”Hmm… alright. Then, I’ll gratefully accept your offer.”
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ㅤAnd so, I ended up visiting the village of the woodcutters （who are also forest guerrillas）.