Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN) - Volume 18 - Chapter 21

18-21. Hidden Village of Dwarfs

* This is a story shortly before "13-17. Visiting the Royal City, Shitamachi Edition (3)".

This is Satou. Speaking of cherry-blossom viewing, there is an image of laying a sheet from the morning to take up space, and gathering friends who can't help but enjoy delicious lunch and sake while enjoying the cherry blossoms. Sometimes, like my grandparents, I love the cherry blossoms while taking a walk with them. It may be good to enjoy the world.

◇

"Then, its a toast!" "" Cheers ""

In the park of the royal capital where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, Arisa cheerfully raised the glass and made a toast. Of course, for members other than me are not alcohol, but cherry-colored fruit water and sweet carbonated drinks.

The Zena corps, who always serves as an escort, has been called to the royal capital mansion of Count Saleu from the morning and is not here. Miss Karina wasn't able to get out of the social lessons to attend a large evening party to be held soon, so there are only regular members now.

"It's a beautiful cherry blossom." "It seems that the number of cherry blossoms in the royal capital has increased by grafting the branches of the royal cherry blossoms in the royal castle."

The cherry blossoms in the royal castle, which can be seen in the distance, have not yet bloomed, but the cherry blossoms in the park are in full bloom. A number of groups around me laid relaxed in their favorite places and held a cherry-blossom viewing party.

"Pochi goes for the fried chicken!"

"Pochi, Stop ~?"

Tama swiftly stopped Pochi from trying to squeeze the lemon on the fried chicken.

"Is it no good?" "Lemon is banned because it says 'Nyu!'" "But when you sprinkle lemon on it, it's refreshing and delicious, isn't it?"

Tama and Pochi are having a conversation like "how to season fried chicken" in an izakaya. It seems that Tama is not good with citrus in general.

"Pochi, fortunately there are a lot of lemons. Squeeze into the fried chicken on your plate." "Yes."

Pochi, who was advised by Liza, piles up the fried chicken on a plate and then squeezes the lemon. The moment the lemon was squeezed, Tama was evacuating to the shadow.

"Fried chicken is good, but rice balls are the best, isn't it?"

Arisa grabbed a large seaweed-wrapped rice ball and carried it to her mouth. Why choose it when there is a normal bite size?

"Simmered food, delicious"

"This shiitake mushroom is a definite work of art."

"Hmm, eat"

Took a spread of the simmered shiitake mushrooms using my chopsticks as Mia recommends. Lulu's simmered food is delicious.

"Master, I declare that sandwiches are also delicious." "There are various types, and I'm wondering which one to eat."

Nana is choosing a sandwich while holding a glass of fruit punch in her hand.

"Shrimp Barima ・ ・ ・~? "

" Ashpara ・ ・ ・ ・The meat rolls are also delicious! "

"No, the depth of yakitori is unrivaled."

"I declare that chicken wings and tulips are also delicious."

Nana's tulips are not flowers but fried chicken wings.

"I will to eat with the young organism, so I declare."

--E?

It was different when I thought that the children of other groups were mixed in.

"Dryad?" "Yaho"

A green little girl waves her hand over a branch of cherry blossoms.

It doesn't seem to be visible to the surrounding groups.

"Welcome. Would you like to eat with us?" "Hmm, I don't need human food"

A dryad that jumps from a branch is covered with an illusion to make her look like a normal child.

"More than that--"

Dryad hugged me and said "Mutchu", sticking out his lips like an octopus and approaching his face.

"Arisa-chan, guard using iron wall!"

"Guard"

A pair of iron walls from Arisa and Mia broke in and stopped the dryad attempt.

"I was blocked"

Dryad waved to Mia with "Yaho, Infant-chan".

"Larva I declare that my knees are free."

Nana pulled the dryad from me and let her sit on her lap.

"What happened suddenly today?" "I confirm that the party seemed to be fun." "Hmm, it's different"

Dryad shook his head in response to Arisa's question and Nana's expectation.

"Hey, I want the boy to help me."

Dryad said with a laid-back face, like its someone else problem. Depending on the content, I may have to interrupt the cherry blossom viewing.

◇

"Hidden village is in danger of perishing?" "It seems to be the story over there."

Dryad entwines his fingers in my hand and absorbs the magical power while rubbing against my thigh. I was able to resist, but because I have to go to Hidden Village by means of Fairy way Road which needs magical power to make ", I provided magical power obediently.

"Because it's from a different world with thin mana, I didn't get a lot of details." "Hmm, is it a different world? Is it a place like Tono's youkai village?"

Arisa, who heard the story of Dryad, looked back with a curious face. It seems that the latter half of the line was a new word for me.

"What are you going to do, master?"

"I'll go"

Dryad has helped me many times.

"Tama, Pochi, hurry and finish eating." "Wow?" "Yes, nanodesu. Look at the gi, the sei is meat!" [TR: No idea what the idiom was.]

Beast girls stand up with enthusiastic faces. Pochi's words were strange on the way, but it was a usual thing, so I passed through. I'll tell you the correct wording later.

"I declare that food security is important." "Ufufu, I'll save the rest of the lunch." "Hmm, will help"

Prompted by Nana, Lulu and Mia put the lunch in the fairy bag.

"Then, can I open it?" "Wait, it's bad here"

Here, you can see the whole view from the surroundings, so after entering the back of the grove a little, you can say " Fairy way Road open”. Mushrooms grow from the ground to form a circle with a momentum that seems to make a popping sound, and glittering particles of light gather.

"Tell me when you want to be on your way home."

We were sent off by the dryad waving. Fairy way Road. I passed through and moved to the Hidden Village.

◇

"It's a little chilly"

The temperature at the entrance of the Hidden Village was like that of a late autumn morning. It seems that this is a basin, and you can see a series of mountains and cliffs in either direction.

" butterbur, Japanese butterbur" [TR: Petasites] "Happa?" "Pochi knows! You can eat the stems, nanodesu!"

Mia points to the butterbur that grows in clusters, and Pochi reveals her knowledge of as glutton.

"Ufufu, butterbur leaves. can eaten "

Boiled with miso or tsukudani is a good companion to rice.

"--master"

Liza, who was wary of the surrounding area, called me.

"It's okay, we are being welcomed."

I stop Liza from trying to ready her spear.

"●●, ●●●! 』\

> Acquired "Ancient Chapter" skill.

As soon as I heard a voice from the other side of the bush, I gained the skill. After allocating skill points, I found out that the previous statement was "Where are the guests!".

The one that appeared after breaking the bush of butterbur was as tall as a fist. It was child Dwarf. They are taller than the wing fairies, but they have a slightly chunkier body shape.

"Young organism!"

"Wait"

The moment she noticed the voice of their Leader, Mia stopped Nana from running away.

"Welcome, guest! I'm a warrior of the Chapter Clan, Chipita Chopeta "Nice to meet you, Warrior Chipita Chopeta. I'm Satu ”

Chipita Chopeta was just calling himself a warrior, wearing leather armor and carrying a spear with some thorns. The soldiers behind him are equipped similar to him.

"Lets go to the village. Follow me "

Perhaps Chipita Chopeta was impatient, he started walking before introducing his friends.

Walking behind them makes me feel like a giant.

"Somehow, people like Koropokuru." [TR: singular Korpokkur]

Arisa named the dwarf who appears in the fairy tales of Hokkaido. I remember seeing a statue of butterbur leaf as an umbrella somewhere.

For a while, it was exciting to talk with Arisa about Koropokuru, but the warriors other than Chipita Chopeta looked up at us with anxious faces, so we checked ourselves. It would be scary if the giants who could trample them were speaking something in a language they didn't know.

"I heard that you are in a difficult situation, but what happened? 』\

It seemed like it was still going to reach the village, so I called out to Chipita Chopeta.

"The lotus of life has stopped growing" "Is that a plant disease?"

Arisa, equipped with an elf translation ring, broke in.

"Wrong. Wu Kannagi says it's a curse. "

Is the shrine a person more like a tribal shaman than a shrine maiden?

"What about the dryad?" "Dryad? Who is it? 』\

At Mia's question, Chipita Chopeta gave a suspicious look.

--WHAT?

"We were called by Dryad, but who told you to meet us up? 』\ " Wu Kannagi. That's right. It seems that the "unchanged maiden" who lives in Shinboku said so. "

A new word has come out.

That "unchanging maiden" would be the local dryad.

"Is the" unchanged maiden "a girl with green skin? 』\ "Wrong. "The unchanging maiden" looks like a woman who emerged from the sacred tree. " "Pattern is different" "The maiden is a great man watching over us"

At the moment Chipita Chopeta said "pattern", some of the other dwarf warriors disagreed. For some reason, the dwarfs are just a word. Perhaps there is a different language for everyday use, and the "ancient chapter" used by Chipita Chopeta may be a special language used by the rulers.

As evidence, it was logged that he had acquired the skill "Dechapta".

"Okay, shut up. Sacred people like Wu Kannagi says "the unchanging maiden" is the guardian deity of the village. "

It's unavoidable that there are people who don't seem to be guardian deities when they see a messy dryad.

After that, I asked a few questions, but did Chipita Chopeta hate long talk? He said "Listen to me" and the conversation was cut off.

The village I arrived at was behind a large tree, and was a place where large mushrooms that seemed to be knee-length were growing at the base of the tree. Something like bamboo shoots were growing, but according to the AR display, that is also a kind of mushroom.

"full" "Mushrooms dominate?" "Bamboo shoots are not defeated!"

Mia had a shine in her eyes when she saw the mushroom herd, and Tama and Pochi started to say something like a proxy war for chocolate sweets, but I was more concerned about it, so I will pay attention to it.

"Master, do you see windows or doors on the mushrooms?"

As Lulu says, there are things that look like windows and doors in the mushrooms that grow in clusters. Maybe that mushroom is the dwelling of the dwarfs.

"Master! I tell you that there are many larvae of larvae."

At the point where Nana looked with her hands aside, there were dwarf children looking at us from behind the grass.

One of them wanders around here. It's a girl who feels sick. Although the body is round.

"Did you see our Topto, Mr. Chipita Chopeta? 』\ "Dunno"

Pushing the female away, Chipita Chopeta keeps walking.

"I declare that violence against the weak is prohibited."

Even if Nana protested, Chipita Chopeta didn't fight, and before we helped, the dwarfs, who looked like subordinates, returned to the crowd with the girl.

"Coward's Topto Tapeta" "disappearance" "Another month ago" "I'm sure I'll die in the wild"

Hearing the soldiers whispering, the ear skills picked up. There seem to be various things in the laid-back dwarf village.

"Come. This is it "

Chipita Chopeta calls us who have stopped. When Nana tried to run up to the dwarfs and chased after her, she arrived at a place where mushrooms growing from the trunk of a large tree were layered.

Here is Wu Kannagi of Company Palm it seems.

"Satu"

Mia is in a pose for a hug, so I'll pick her up as requested.

"Ah! It's just Mia! I want master to hold Pochi too, nanodesu!"

"Tama too"

Pochi jumped up and down, and Tama sat on the shoulder opposite Mia with a slick movement. Liza collected the Pochi who was about to climb, while she saying, "Wait your turn," and listened to Mia's story.

"that" "Is it the trunk?" "so"

When I stared at it for a while, the unevenness of the bark appeared to be a woman.

"Maybe dryad?" "Hmm"

Mia nods with her eyes turn silver. When I also activated the spiritual vision, I could see the dryad sleeping more clearly than the naked eye.

"Are you sleeping?" "Hmm"

Mia nods to Arisa's words.

I want to touch the trunk and give it magical power, but even if I stretch, I can't reach it. Mushrooms that grow in the foreground are in the way.

"Mole! Mole came out" "" Mole ?! "" "Let's go, people! Mole hunting!"

When Chipita Chopeta issued the command, the soldiers rushed up. Tama and Pochi also seem to be worried about hunting, and they are restless.

"Men are like children to leave guests behind."

Looking back towards the voice, Company Palm A dwarf woman wearing a shaman-like shrine maiden dress of thin cloth was about to come out from the back.

"Nice to meet you, a big person. I am Wu Kannagi Tsurirururi. The one who delivers the voice of "the unchanging maiden". "

A beautiful little girl, Turil Fururi, bows gracefully. Perhaps, because the collar is loose, the emphasized cleavage is eye catching.

"The" Unchanged Maiden "has said that he will bring in someone who can break the curse of the" Lotus of Life. " I will leave the fate of the village to you. "

I have been entrusted.

"It's okay to entrust it, but I want a little more explanation."

Arisa comes forward as the face of a negotiator. Perhaps he was pretending to be a tough negotiator, he looked up at the company with a chin-chucking expression and pose.

"Is it really a curse?"

"Yes, the" unchanged maiden "also said so."

"Who curse it?"

"I do not know"

"How is it cursed?"

"The "lotus of life "has darkened and has stopped growing."

"Did you find out that it wasn't a lotus disease?"

"What do you mean? Illness is also caused by a curse, right? 』\

Mr. Turilfururi asks a question. It seems that "illness" and "curse" are equalized between them.

"Lets start over"

"Let's go to the origin for the time being"

"Yeah, before that-when did the curse begin?"

"The first sign was in early summer, about a month ago. When the "lotus bosses" were worried about their poor growth, the lotus leaves Rash Mottled started to darken. "

After getting the necessary information, we were taken to the lotus pond by an old man named "Lotus Lord".

"black" "

Mia tells me it's jet black."

"Black Lotus. I think I can get a lot of black mana."

Arisa shook the story of the super-famous rare card of the popular card game, but it wasn't a playful situation, so she passed through.

"For the time being, do you try to see if the magic drug works, and then investigate whether there are any abnormalities in space magic?" "No Arisa. I argue that the first thing to do is take a sample and check for anomalies."

Arisa and Nana are having a serious meeting. Nana is as always expressionless.

"Satu"

Mia pulls on my sleeve.

"Miasma"

"--Is true"

When the miasma was activated, the "lotus of life" was dyed black with miasma. Apparently, its not really sick. No, are there any lines that are sick due to miasma?

"Become beautiful"

As requested by Mia, the spirit light that is normally suppressed is fully opened.

"Wandaho ~?"

"It's Torebianda Furu!"

The miasma bathed in the spirit light fades away, and the "lotus of life" returns to its original green color. It's a pretty fantasy reaction.

"Oh, really!"

"I declare it's a dramatic change."

Arisa and Nana are shocked.

"Lotus! The lotus of life is coming back! 』\ "Maiden! Maiden's messenger! Dedicate our gratitude ”

The old men get to their knees on the shore of the pond and shed flood of tears. It's nice to be impressed, but I'm afraid I'm going to be overwhelmed. Be moderate.

Well, it seems to be easier than I expected, and above all.

"As expected, that it’s master."

"Yes, yes, it's awesome. It's still cheat, isn't it?"

Arisa is terrible.

◇

"Nyu?"

"Master, something is strange."

Tama and Lulu look around the lotus floating in the pond.

"Master, in that direction, reporting that the innermost lotus is strange."

The lotus, which should have returned to green, turns black again like water with ink.

"That ... lotus ..."

Pochi and Tama who rushed to support the old men who were about to fall down with their hands.

"Muu"

"It looks like you have to find the cause first."

Apparently, the "Lotus of Life" quest will continue a little longer.