Chapter 164: Small Voice
It is said that the daughter of the Istraze family, who ran away from home, left on a horse.
It was fortunate that it rained early in the morning.
On the bare dirt road, we could see a few horse's hooves.
We followed the hooves and found the horse tied up at the entrance to the forest.
"Has she gone into the forest?"
"My Lord, I'm afraid that might not be a good idea."
"Why?"
Etwald's expression becomes stern
"Even from the entrance, I can see it. The forest is deep and the trees are tall. The sun will soon set, and it will be quite dark in the forest."
"Eh? But you can see the sky, so there's nothing to worry about, right?"
Corus, on the other hand, is optimistic.
"Cornales-dono, you don't understand the terror of the forest."
"That much?"
"That's right. The clouds are so thick you won't be able to see the stars or the moon. The rain will lower your body temperature and rob you of your strength. The beasts could attack you from your blind spots, and even us would be in danger."
We can't afford to be victims ourselves
"...Yeah! It's just a little bit more until the sun goes down. Let's search until we're sure we'll be able to return. Corus, prepare to camp here."
"Eh? I'm not going?"
“Just like Etwald said, you don’t understand how scary the forest can be.”
“I see. Then I'll make a fire and stay here with the horses."
"Knight-san, Etwald and I will explore"
"What should I do?"
Yep, I forgot about Giran.
"Stay here with Corus"
If something happened to the prince of a country, it wouldn't even be funny
Even if something attacks him, he and Corus will be able to escape in the worst case.
"Ah, Knight-san. I'll give you this."
"Is this... a seed?"
I pass a few grains about the size of a pinky fingernail
"They are a tool to let you know by sound. Crush them with both hands as hard as you can and throw them right up. It will make a loud sound."
"I see. What should I do when it makes a sound?"
"Try to come back here."
"I understand"
I gave the same to Etwald
----------
"Hey! Can anyone hear me!"
It's been a while since we entered the forest.
It was getting too dark to see anything.
"It's not good, it would have been better if I brought a torch."
All we had brought for the campfire was charcoal, which was easy to use for cooking.
For light, I brought only a luminous stone attached to the wagon.
I have cloth but no oil
"Etwald, how is it?"
"I don't see any sign of her."
I don't hear any human voices.
Only the sounds of animals.
"It's raining too..."
The sound is drowned out by the sound of the rain
"My lord, any more than this is dangerous for us too."
"I see."
Ignoring such words, the knight proceeds to the depths of the forest.
"Wait! We can't go any longer."
"I know it's impossible! But I can't give up!"
The knight yells with a ghastly expression
"It's like going to your death."
"Then are you telling me to leave Harper-sama to death!"
Etwald and the knight are arguing
The forest is enveloped by the sound of rain, yelling, and the voice of animals.
And then...
-Over here-
I thought I heard a voice I shouldn't have heard.
"Be quiet, both of you!"
-This way, hurry up-
It's not what one hears in one's head
It's small.
But I can hear the voice clearly
"Did you hear that?"
"What is it?"
"You didn't hear anything?"
-Over here-
I run toward the voice.
"My Lord!"
There's a little light in front of me.
"A fairy!"
-There is a child crying-
"Guide me!"
-Here-
I chased the little light
-Stop-
"Whoa!"
There was a cliff in front of me
-Below-
"Under here?"
-Yes-
"Hey! Is someone there!"
Something moved in response to my voice
"I'm coming! Step back a little!"
"My lord!"
Etwald and the knight have caught up
"Rope!"
"Yes!"
I grabbed the rope and jumped down
And there, at the bottom of the cliff
A girl in a dress covered in mud and rain.
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