Monogatari no Naka no Hito Chapter 33

Deep, deep in the forest, there was a settlement of a race known as the people of the forest.

As the name implies, the people of the forest have lived in the forest since long ago, a race which had formed their own unique culture.

Similar enough that they can be mistaken with humans, with the exception of their actually green hair and eyes and the pointed ears characteristic of their race, it can be said there are no means to distinguish them.

They’re a race which interacts with humans, but it’s different only in this settlement.

That’s because it’s where their queen lives.

A barrier is set up, and trespa.s.sing isn’t permitted by anyone.

“So, does support seem to be coming?”

“It’s troublesome; if they can’t escape the northern forest then it’s the best if there’s enough time for the fast children to run away.

In the center of the queen’s forest, there’s a house inside a remarkably large tree where the queen of the forest people is having a talk with a single person.

“Really, for someone to make their home in such a remote place.”

“And a human came to such a remote place most likely only for magic, but let’s not say whom that is. Oh well, if there’s you and I they can be saved, though I don’t know if this place will survive.”

With a guest looking more self-important than the house owner, is a beautiful woman with a somewhat pessimistic expression.

A crisis is currently approaching the queen’s forest.

A large number of demons are approaching in the direction of the settlement.

It started when a young man from the forest people was adjusting the barrier in the north, but it was unusual in that a demon was encountered.

Because it was outside the barrier, he clashed with a monster race known as the blue wolf.

The young man shoots magic in a panic; the blue wolf avoids it and lets out a howl while attacking.

After several offense and defenses, the young man was driven into a predicament.

The blue wolf nimbly hunts the young man, chasing after him.

However, the blue wolf was exterminated all too quickly by a human who gallantly appeared.

“Hahaha, you’re alive, person of the forest.”

“A-ah. Thank you, I was saved.”

The person of the forest has some feelings of drawing back towards the human with strangely high tension, but since it doesn’t change that he is his savior, so his thanks was expressed.

“Yea yea. So where is your home!? Though I went through great trouble to be shown the so-called secret barrier magic I haven’t found it!”

“Eh, ah, …aah!? The barrier!”

The young man from the people of the forest was starting to be rolled up in the human’s high tension and stopped thinking about his words, but he recalled his job with the single word ‘barrier’, and the base of a tree is checked.

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

The young man carefully looks around the tree.

The human questions him while watching that conduct.

“Th-the barrier’s broken…”

“Hohou! That tree’s the barrier device!”

“Yes…”

Understanding a portion of the barrier, the human’s tension becomes such that he seems he could jump with joy, the young man feeling responsible for the barrier breaking, drops his shoulders.

The contrasting conversation between the two continues.

“So what effects does the barrier have?”

“Recognition obstruction, most living creatures are unable to reach the point of entering inside the barrier…”

“Hohou! That’s amazing, nice indeed! Oops, I got excited, excuse me. By the way, because the blue wolf howled a little while ago, a considerable number will gather in time, are you prepared?”

Blue wolves usually form small groups and don’t go out of their territory, they have strong wariness and avoid where people can be found, and they nevertheless have the habit of howling to call for their comrades if there’s something.

Only during the time of raising children would large groups be formed and they go out of their territory to hunt, they are still likely to avoid coming across people in this case.

They’re a fundamentally harmless monster when not harmed.

But the people of the forest who always live safely surrounded by the barrier have little of such knowledge; the young man who came across the blue wolf reflexively used magic.

“E-eh!?”

“Will you guys gather? Will you make a protective wall for your homes? Or can the barrier be repaired immediately?”

Due to the blue wolf making a noise during the middle of the child raising, the human expects a considerable number to gather.

“N-no, it’s a problem without the barrier. Besides, the barrier can’t be repaired in a day or two…”

“Hhmm. That’s bad, you’ll have to deal with quite a number if you’re unlucky.”

“E-err.”

“Yea, I don’t sense them yet for the time being, seems there’s a bit of time. So how about you guide me to your guys’ home at once?”

Calming down the impatient young man, the human walks on to his destination.

By the report of the young man who came back, measures were immediately elaborated on, the human who also knew a lot about monster also partic.i.p.ated.

But no agreeable plans came out, for the time being, those capable of fighting were gathered to strengthen the defenses, several people were sent to nearby settlements to request a.s.sistance, it was decided that those who can’t fight are to temporarily evacuate from the forest.

And for some reason, the human who stayed behind for defense was with the queen of the forest people.

The queen shook off her retainer who was recommending she take refuge, and nominated the human as a speech partner.

Why the queen did such a thing, it’s because the human’s out of the ordinary magic power was noticed.

As a last hope, the queen was requesting for the human do be added to the defense.

On the other hand, the human demands compensation.

The queen accepts, and the human will also remain in this place.

However, the queen is thinking.

If there is a human with this strong power, can their forest be defended?

The human is saying that demons twice the number of the people here might be coming.

If it turns out to not be incorrect, these people with meager fighting experience from the forest protected by the barrier might not be able to resist, driving the queen to pessimistic thoughts.

When she lets out her anxious thoughts, the human answers.

“Then I’ll help, otherwise I’ll lose the reason I came here.”

“A truly whimsical human.”

The queen has an amazed look on her face.

But contrary to that expression, the uneasiness in the queen’s heart fizzles out, and a sense of security spreads for dome reason.

Looking at the human who seems to be the cause, the queen’s interest is pulled in again.

That human sits on the chair while being full of confidence.

“Fuhaha. Oh, seems they’ll be here soon.”

“You know?”

“If a group of monster is moving, the magic power trembles proportionally. So it can be understood if they’re near. Therefore, it’s time to get going.”

The human takes a staff out of nowhere and uses it to stand up from the chair.

Seeing that, the queen also stands up in a hurry.

“I’m also going!”

“Well, you can do as you like.”

Seeing the queen’s eyes burning with determination, the human answers casually.

Thus, the fight between the people of the forest and the innumerable monsters began.

When the human and the queen appear at the entrance to the forest, the people who were rapidly setting up the defenses stopped the working hands from surprise.

“Queen-sama!?”

“Why are you here!?”

Several people run up and ask what the queen came for.

“I’ve decided to fight here.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“We’ll deal with it, please wait inside.”

“Take shelter instead, please!”

When the queen replies, the people oppose it all at once.

That vigor attracts even the human who doesn’t have a relations.h.i.+p with them.

“Don’t be foolish. Is there anyone here whose power is more than me?”

“But…!”

“If the demons enter the village, then what place will be safe then?”

Further opposition is no longer heard to the queen’s words.

“Oh, they’ve come.”

The human’s voice enters into the ears of the forest people who were keeping silent with sad expressions.

The people are immediately vigilant.

The fear on their faces is unable to be concealed.

“Yeeah, the fences also aren’t complete. This is troublesome.”

Unable to make adjustments, the human is troubled on what is to be done.

Large magic can be used when there are too many monsters, but the forest might be blown off as well.

Small magic isn’t something useful now.

Since there’s no magic which is just right, after being worried a single magic was recalled.

“Let’s go with this.”

Hearing the mutter of the human who’s next to her, the queen with a somewhat scared complexion due to the monster’s imminent approaching, turns around.

Before the queen’s eyes, the human had all too quickly taken out a staff which wasn’t there before; a magic formation is drawn while uttering a spell incantation.

With waiting for it to be completed, the blue wolves attack the people of the forest.

The people of the forest keep their distance and resist using magic, but the numbers are too many and they grapple at once.

The moment the fangs of a blue wolf was going to stab into a throat, it notices a strange atmosphere and flees away, withdrawing.

Simultaneously from the magic formation the human had drawn, something blue had come out.

Momentarily wrapped in a blue light, the wounds the people of the forest had suffered, disappears, and the consumed magic power is now overflowing.

The events of that instant makes the people of the forest, as well as the blue wolves, stop their actions.

However, the queen who came back to her senses, falls back and fires magic at the blue wolves, the people follow up.

Though the queen didn’t quite understand what it was, it was understand that it was something done by the human next to her.

The blue wolves also begin to move in response to the magic of the people of the forest.

Torn by claws, and bitten by fangs from the blue wolves, the wounds received by the people of the forest are instantly recovered.

The phenomenon excessively disconnected from reality, the people of the forest including the queen suspend thinking about it, and merely devote themselves to shooting magic.

With such an effect, the blue wolves’ numbers are decreasing in a flash.

With the people of the forest’s wounds and magic power recovering infinitely, the result of the monster fight had been decided.

That strange spectacle continued until the blue wolves draws back.

At the end of that day, barely any damage was done by the blue wolves, and the people of the forest evaded a crisis.

“So, what was that blue thing?”

The day the people of the forest had safely repelled the monsters, that question is discourteously thrust to the human who is also their benefactor, the queen asking what everyone wishes to ask.

In the central building of the village, surrounded by the queen and va.s.sals who said they wish to express their grat.i.tude, the human is getting bored from hearing long introductions, his yawning face is instantly hardened by the queen’s sudden question.

The human felt awkward with the glances being concentrated on him and clears his throat to answer the queen’s question.

“That’s a water spirit. A considerably reasonable guy, I thought he’s good for that scene and won’t ask for details, so I summoned him.”

“That was a spirit? Isn’t that impossible? Even if water spirits excel at healing, there’s a limit to it. Recovering as soon as wounded, I didn’t think a spirit can even recover magic power.”

The queen is dumbfounded by the matter, words of denial are fired in rapid succession, shortly remembering that the human is the benefactor, she was about to apologize.

However, the human doesn’t show the appearance of minding the queen’s behavior; moreover he lets out the true ident.i.ty of the spirit.

“Well, that was the greatest amongst the water spirits! His capability and reputation is around that of the spirit king!”

“Water spirit, the greatest…?”

The surroundings begin to be noisy as the human opens his mouth.

“Yep. About that, I want my reward! You can’t possibly say you forgot!”

As grat.i.tude, the human’s mind was filled with thoughts about being taught barrier magic, when hearing boring discussions and questions, thoroughly irritated, a displeased aura began to be spread.

The panicking queen and va.s.sals immediately gave permission to for the human to witness the barrier’s restoration.

Afterwards, the barrier’s resilience being repaired, a considerable time was needed for it to be restored.

The human gleefully joins in with the barrier restoration and acquires that magic.

To the people of the forest, the human who learned this barrier magic, it was thought he wouldn’t be able to master it.

About that, there’s difficult and precise procedures required, and it’s magic which used a lot of magic power.

But contradictory to the expectations, later when the human moves to the depths of the forest, the barrier magic is used, it was greatly utilized.

And so, the fairy tale from the villages around the forest came to be.