I Was Deemed a Worthless Saint Without a Level-Up Blessing and Was Sent Off to Marry a Neighboring Country, but It Turns Out My Blessing Was Actually Level Cap Removal - Episode 47

“The forest…! The forest is moving…!”

One of the members who had gone out on reconnaissance returned in a panic the next morning, just as Ferulina and the others were preparing to break camp.

“The forest is moving!? What on earth are you talking about!? You’re supposed to be on reconnaissance, so do your job properly!”

It was Robes who scolded the flustered members. However, the members, not caring about being reprimanded, continued to complain even more.

“Y-Yes, but… the forest is really moving…! I can hear the sound of trees cracking and breaking…!”

“Hey! I can definitely hear it!”

Before the member could finish speaking, another member interjected.

Ferulina, who had been listening intently, also faintly caught the sound the team member was making. At the same time, she felt a slight tremor in the ground.

“Could it be… a dragon…!?”

A murmur that someone let slip caused a ripple of agitation among the knights.

What held it back was the powerful voice of Alvent standing next to Ferulina.

“Calm down! What have you been gaining experience for these past three years!? Even if it’s a dragon, I’m here! This time, I’ll take it down for sure!”

The members, who were on the verge of getting flustered by the reassuring declaration, regained their composure.

Then, the scout who had gone out pointed in the direction he had come from.

“Ah! There it is! The forest…!”

At that voice, everyone turned to the direction where they were all pointing.

As autumn deepens, many of the trees in the forest, except for the evergreens, are changing color and shedding their leaves.

However, the thing that swayed beyond the colorful branches and leaves was clearly different in color from the others.

The branches and leaves, towering well over a horse’s height above the treetops of the forest, rustle even though there is no wind.

It’s not just that. The color of the leaves is a ghastly green that could easily be mistaken for black. The branches and leaves sway as if beckoning, making it look as if a ghost from the night is lingering there, even though it’s morning.

However, the rustling sound of the leaves reaching my ears and the vibrations coming from the soles of my shoes are undoubtedly real.

“Who would have thought that even Trent would come out of the demon realm…”

“Huh…!?”

Startled by Alvent’s low murmur coming from next door, Ferulina stared at the rustling leaves once more.

Is that a trent? I’ve encountered trents in the Klein Kingdom as well, but at most, they were about the height of an ordinary tree.

I’ve never seen a trent larger than those in the deep forests of the Gobules Kingdom.

I wonder just how thick the trunk is.

“Moreover, that color is probably Poison Trent…”

On the opposite side of Ferulina, separated by Alvent, Robes lets out a bitter voice.

At those words, yesterday’s events flash through my mind.

“Could it be that I encountered Poison Squirrel yesterday…!?”

Alvent nods at Ferulina’s guess.

“Ah, probably, the Trent that was nesting must have started moving, so it was on its way to find a new den. I remember hearing that Poison Squirrels use Poison Trents as their nests to avoid being targeted by other magical beasts, but to actually come across a Poison Trent itself… who would have thought…”

“However, if it’s a Poison Trent, it’s much easier to handle than a dragon. The poison is troublesome, but Lady Ferulina is here. We need to be careful not to let the fire spread to the forest, but if we use fire magic from a distance…”

“Pl-please wait!”

Ferulina involuntarily stops Robes, who had begun devising a plan without taking his eyes off the slowly approaching Poison Trent.

“Um…! If it’s a Poison Trent, then there must be poisonous fruits growing, right…!?”

“Ah, probably in this season. But so what?”

To Ferulina’s question, who leaned forward, Alvent responded with a puzzled expression.

“Is there any way we can somehow get our hands on that poisonous fruit…!?”

“Poisoned fruit?”

I nod vigorously at Alvent, who raised his eyebrows in suspicion.

“That’s right! If it’s the Poison Trent’s poison fruit, it should be quite a strong poison…! If we use that, can’t we make poison traps or poison arrows that can counter the dragon…!?”

Trents are known for bearing rare fruits with high medicinal properties. So much so that there are times when they are defeated without using fire magic just to obtain them.

Ordinary poison won’t work on a dragon.

But, if it’s the poison from Poison Torrent, maybe.

To the proposal made with a glimmer of hope, however, what came back from Alvent was a stern expression.

“Indeed, if it’s the Poison Trent’s toxic fruit, it might work on dragons too. However, I can’t put the members of the group in danger for that.”

“However, isn’t it ultimately more dangerous to confront the dragon head-on…!?”

Forgetting that Alvent is the opponent, he charges at him.

The one who bears the most dangerous role when fighting a dragon is undoubtedly Alvent.

If the danger can be somewhat mitigated by the poison fruit, then encountering the Poison Trent now could be considered a stroke of luck.

It was Robes who approved Ferulina’s proposal.

“As Lady Ferulina says, it is self-evident that dragons are a greater threat than Poison Trents. If there are means to resist dragons, we should actively prepare for them.”

At the vice-captain’s suggestion, Alvent frowned even more.

“However, there is no certain information on whether the dragon has left the magic realm. The disturbances until yesterday were more likely caused by the movement of the Poison Trent. Even if we obtain the poison fruit, its effects won’t last for years, right? We can’t put our members in danger for something whose effectiveness we can’t guarantee, especially when there is a relatively safe way to defeat it…”

“Well then, I’ll climb the Trent and get the poisonous fruit!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

As soon as I interrupted Alvent’s words with a declaration, I was immediately yelled at.

At the loud voice, my body involuntarily trembled, and the members around turned to Ferulina and the others, wondering what was happening.

“There’s no way I’m going to let you do something so dangerous! If you’re going, then I’m going!”

“Well, um, but Lord Alvent’s command is――”

“Leave that to Robes! If it means putting you in danger, I’d much rather do it myself! Robes, bring out the leather armor. I can’t climb trees in metal armor!”

“Alvent-sama!?”

It’s true that I want to obtain the poisonous fruit, but I have no intention of making Alvent climb the tree.

The voices of Nanette and Chelsea could be heard from behind Ferulina, who had raised a flustered voice and instinctively clung to Alvent.