Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 179
179. Mari-nee and Unexpected News
After seeing the king off as he returned to the castle through the hidden door, we decided to test our growth by fighting some monsters.
However, we hadn’t decided where to go yet, and were about to settle on a nearby location… when it happened.
“Maria-san, Maria-san!”
There was a frantic knock on the door, accompanied by someone calling my name.
The voice, which sounded serious, belonged to a man, if I wasn’t mistaken…
I double-checked with the others before opening the door, and as expected, there stood Bart-san, a member of the church.
“What on earth happened for you to be in such a state…!?”
I meant to ask, but the sight of Bart-san left me speechless.
His gear was battered, and he himself was covered in injuries.
“Let’s heal you first before anything else!”
Mareus-san quickly had Bart-san sit in a chair, while Kanna-san cast a healing spell.
Roulette-san gave him an MP potion, and I handed him a teriyaki sandwich.
Although the magic quickly healed his wounds, it would take time for him to eat, so we waited.
He seemed to be in such a hurry that he was gulping down the teriyaki sandwich with the refreshing MP potion.
Honestly, the combination didn’t seem to taste good.
But more than that, it seemed like time was of the essence.
His demeanor made us all feel uneasy.
“Sorry for barging in so suddenly and needing your help.”
As soon as he finished eating, Bart-san apologized.
“That’s fine, but what happened?”
For Bart-san to be in such a state, it had to be something serious.
Even in the battle with Legios, he had skillfully avoided most attacks with his quick movements.
As we anxiously waited for Bart-san to speak, he uttered something completely unexpected.
“The large monsters in the depths of the ‘Great Magic Forest’ have disappeared.”
The words “large monsters” put us on guard, and “disappeared” left us puzzled.
Sure, something strange must be happening, right?
But from his injured state, I assumed a bunch of large monsters had appeared.
Yet the reality was the opposite—they were nowhere to be seen.
So then, where did he get those injuries?
It seemed I wasn’t the only one with this question, as Roulette-san and the others were also tilting their heads in confusion.
When we asked about it, we received yet another surprising answer.
“These injuries were from a snow march after the battle with Legios, they have nothing to do with the current situation.”
What should I do? There are too many things to point out, I don’t even know where to start.
“Why did you do a snow march after the battle with Legios?”
Ignoring my confusion, Kanna-san cut straight to the point.
She can be really dependable in times like these… though sometimes she can go overboard.
“It was the captain’s idea. After returning to Caldia, the church decided to retrain in Legios. Thanks to the king’s connections, we were accepted without any issues, but the training was hell…”
Bart-san’s distant gaze revealed just how grueling it was, leaving us all speechless.
“…And the final training was the snow march. Specifically, we had to cross the snowy mountains, pass through the forest, and return to the royal capital. The snowy mountains are infested with monsters as vicious as those in the forest, and we barely survived multiple near-death encounters, but somehow, we all made it. However, because we avoided the blizzard, we ended up deeper in the forest than planned. Just when we thought we were done for…”
“You noticed that the large monsters were gone?”
“Yes. We carefully scouted the area, but there wasn’t a trace of them. So I returned to the capital to report, while the rest of the team continued investigating.”
“I understand the situation. It seems urgent that we head out to support them. If you’re in this condition, the others must be in a similar state.”
“Honestly, that would be a huge help. We’re almost out of supplies and strength.”
“Then let’s divide the tasks. We’ll gather the potions, so Maria-san, could you handle the food?”
“Of course, leave it to me.”
I patted my chest confidently and took on the task.
If I reduced the amount of food served in the dining hall tomorrow, I could prepare everything immediately.
I can cook the rest after we get back.
In this flurry of activity, we prepared to head for the “Great Magic Forest.”