I’m an Appraiser, But What the Heck is a [Divine Eye]? ~I Want to Live Freely as the World’s Best Beginner Class~ - Episode 74: A Life in Another World that is Far from Free 13

Episode 74: A Life in Another World that is Far from Free 13

Glenn departed the same day, accompanied by adventurers hired from the Adventurers Guild as his escorts. This small fact made me happy, as it showed that Alicia and the guild’s relationship had improved. However, I couldn’t help but feel irritated at the chamberlain who left without explaining anything.

With that out of the way, it became clear what we should focus on next.

“We should continue the development of the Forest of Demons.”

Now that Leyreina-san and her group had returned, I suggested moving forward with the development of the forest.

“But, Maki-san, you only just woke up.”

“That’s right! What if you collapse again? We can’t predict what might happen!”

“Nothing’s going to happen. Besides, without me, we can’t make significant progress in the development of the Forest of Demons, can we?”

Indeed, my Appraisal skill is essential for the forest’s development. What Vil-san and his group were doing was more like clearing out and thinning the beasts near the forest’s edge. But that hardly qualifies as development. Maintaining the status quo is important. But if we want to move forward, we need my Appraisal skill.

“Leyreina-san, can you tell us what you observed in the Forest of Demons?”

“…Very well.”

Reluctantly, Leyreina-san began her report. According to her, the beasts in the forest had territories, as expected.

“But isn’t that normal?”

“Yes, it is. However, there is something different about the territorial behavior of the beasts in the Forest of Demons.”

“Something different?”

“Yes. In the Forest of Demons, it seems that the beasts regularly move their territories. It’s as if they were patrolling to avoid conflict with one another.”

This was strange. Normally, a territory is something a beast establishes to assert dominance; moving it is almost unheard of. The only reason they might move would be if they were driven out by a stronger creature.

“Is it possible they’re being driven out by stronger beasts?”

“No, it doesn’t seem that way. It’s as if the beasts in the Forest of Demons are intentionally avoiding each other and rotating their territories.”

“That’s interesting… How did you figure that out in just one observation?”

My Appraisal skill is powerful, but its accuracy depends on how I use it. While I did appraise the method for developing the forest, I hadn’t noticed anything about the beasts’ territory shifts. It seems I’ll need to refine how I use Appraisal to get more detailed insights in the future.

“Is that thanks to your Erudite skill?”

“It might be. Ever since I gained that skill… I think it was after that, I’ve started questioning things more. Like, ‘Why is this like this?’ or ‘Isn’t that strange?’ These questions keep coming to me.”

“And from those questions, you arrive at answers… It’s true, without a foundation of knowledge, you wouldn’t even think to ask those questions. So in the end, your Erudite skill is a reflection of your own hard work.”

Even if I had the Erudite skill, I doubt I would reach the same conclusions. While my Appraisal skill might provide the answers, it would be purely mechanical, with no input from my own understanding. This makes me realize that gaining skills through hard work is far from easy.

“Now then, let’s consider how to approach the forest’s development, factoring in these territory shifts… Huh? Leyreina-san, what’s wrong?”

As I was speaking, I noticed Leyreina-san had gone silent, her head bowed. When I called out to her, she began trembling. And when she lifted her face, large tears were streaming down her cheeks.

“Wh-what!? Leyreina-san, what’s wrong!?”

“Waaaah! No one’s ever praised my hard work before! Bwaaaaah!”

“Wait… that’s why you’re crying?”

” ‘That’s all’!? This is really important to me, you know!”

“Oh, uh… I see.”

“You’re looking down on me, aren’t you!? That’s awful, Maki-sama!”

No, I wasn’t looking down on her. I just hadn’t expected her to cry over a compliment. Honestly, I wasn’t exasperated—it was more like I was taken aback by the situation.

“…Sebas-san, what do we do in a situation like this?”

“I’d suggest leaving her be.”

“Even you, Sebas-san!? That’s so cruel!”

It seemed like this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence with Leyreina-san.

“Alright, let’s take a break for now.”

“Is it because of me!?”

“No, no. I’m just hungry.”

After everything that had happened since I woke up, I had completely forgotten about eating. Alicia seemed to realize the same thing, and she hurried off to prepare a meal.

“I-I’ll help too!”

The maid also rushed off to assist her.

…Huh? Come to think of it, I don’t know the maid’s name. I should ask her later.