Searching for the Ghost in the Demon Forest
Let me summarize Graham-san's story.
A week ago, Graham-san's party and his supporters went out to hunt orcs for meat. At that time, they apparently witnessed a green-haired woman in the [Demon Forest].
Graham-san and the others became suspicious that there was a woman deep in the [Demon Forest] and called out to her, but as soon as they called out to her, she disappeared.
For the time being, Graham-san reported the matter to the Adventurer's Guild and that was the end of the story.
However, yesterday, it was reported to the guild that other adventurers came into contact with imperial soldiers in the forest and got into trouble, so Graham-san's story became a hot topic again.
If the woman Graham-san and the others witnessed was a demon, there was a risk that she would be captured by the Imperial soldiers if they found her. That could lead to unnecessary conflicts with the demons. If that's not the case, there is a suspicion that it is a spirit based on Graham-san's testimony, and if the imperial soldiers mess with the spirit, there is a possibility that RockQueen, and by extension, the kingdom, will be harmed.
This time's search is to find the woman and confirm whether she is a demon or a spirit. For this reason, the Graham-san's party, which was the first to discover it, was chosen. And in order to confirm if it was a spirit, Graham-san invited our party which encountered the spirit.
It is certain that he asked us to cooperate not only as a witness but also as a rear guard and an excellent supporter.
"By the way... Light. Fe, will Fenrir-sama come with us this time?"
Graham-san asked with a strangely nervous look on his face. To be honest, the beastmen know that Ginko is Fenrir. The guild's familiar registration lists her as a wolf, but Ginko can't appear the size of a wolf anymore, so she hasn't been brought to the guild recently. I'm thinking about registering the human form Ginko as an adventurer, but... well, I'm putting it off until later, wondering if it's a good idea.
"Hmm... for now, I think I'll let her go ahead and investigate the situation in the forest. So I think she'll be acting separately from us."
"I-I see. I understand."
Graham-san replied with a slightly relieved and slightly disappointed expression. From the beastman's point of view, they are very careful about Ginko and make him nervous. I knew this, so I purposely told him that he would not be able to meet Ginko face-to-face.
In this way, Graham-san's party and I discussed the details, reported to the guild our plans for exploring the [Demon Forest], and then disbanded.
Three days later, our party and Graham-san's party met up and began exploring the [Demon Forest].
"Hey, hey! Light-kun! What kind of spirit is it?"
Marie-san asked me that, so I answered.
"It was just a humanoid mass of mana that didn't seem to be a woman or a man. Did you feel any mana from the women you saw?"
"Well... we beastmen are not good at detecting mana, so I can't say for sure, but I guess I didn't feel any mana..."
Hmm... If it's a spirit, I think even a beastman with poor senses would be able to sense it... but it's too mysterious that a woman disappeared without them feeling any mana...
We proceeded to the back while exchanging information with Graham-san. For the time being, it will take about two days to get to the place where the woman was seen, and we will explore the surrounding area before returning.
Along the way, I received Ginko's report and shared it with everyone.
According to Ginko's report, there are two adventurer parties ahead of us. All of them seem to be hunting orcs. There was no such woman at the location reported by the eyewitness, and no Imperial soldiers had been found either.
After completing the first day, we arrived at the location of the witness testimony in the afternoon of the second day.
"What are we going to do? Shall we split up and explore from here?"
When I asked Graham-san, he rejected my proposal.
"No, that's dangerous. We might be able to handle the orcs, but we don't want to be at a disadvantage in numbers if the woman is a demon or a spirit, or if we meet up with the imperial soldiers. It would be less efficient, but it would be better for everyone to search together."
I withdrew when he gave me a reason that convinced me that he was indeed a veteran.
But...
Actually, there was a reason why I suggested to Graham-san that we split into two groups and explore.
It is……
Because I had an idea of the woman's true identity.
Honestly, I'm worried about what to do. Will I go back without finding anything... or will I find the woman and protect her...?
(Hey, Master-san. Why did you suddenly appear?)
It is the one we are searching now. I called out to the spirit's master, the female ghost who appeared in the [Demon Forest].
(Fumu. That's because thanks to you, I was finally able to materialize. I materialized as a test and was seen by them.)
Eh... Because of that simple mistake, we ended up exploring...
(Sorry.)
(What should I do for now? I might have to search through the forest several times if we don't find you...)
(I see. That's a lot of work. How about this scenario?)
I listened to Master-san's story and agreed with the scenario.
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