Third Outer World Story Series: Pumpkin Sorcerer - Chapter 121

Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter

“Phewwww…”

A month has passed since Pumpkin returned from Kruika. Every now and then he received word from Uriko and Majik that life at the Institute was progressing unhindered. His cheeks loosened as he repeated the release and convergence of magic power in accordance with his breathing on the outskirts of the Samsara Egg village, and at the same time moved the vine to ensure that basic movements could be carried out smoothly.

“Patriarch.”

“Gorky. What’s up?”

“I got a report.”

“Alright. Let me hear it.”

Gorky, who has recently developed a more heavily armed appearance and put on full body armor, came from the village at this point.

His helmet obscured his expression, but the presence of magic power suggested that a critical report was on its way.

“Recently, several adventurers have been surveying the forest, and have reported some irregularities.”

“Irregularities?”

“They say they saw a naked human girl running around alone in the forest. Her identity is unknown.”

“Hmm…”

A naked girl running around in Lean Forest… I can sense danger in all its forms, but I know it’s not just my imagination.

“Could they have been deceived by some kind of hallucinogenic magic or magic that transforms them into human beings?”

“No, I don’t think so. Adventurers with high magic-resistance abilities, although not as high as yours, have experienced the same thing.”

“I see.”

So, he confirmed it with Gorky, but hallucination was unlikely.

If so, is it most likely a magical beast that possesses the magic to transform itself into a human girl? Lean Forest… is not a place where an ordinary human can live without any equipment.

“What to do?”

“Right… We don’t know how they achieve it, but the fact that they choose to assume a human shape could be a sign that they want to negotiate with us; as a result, we shouldn’t react aggressively against them. However, it cannot be ruled out if the human form is a ruse to more efficiently attack us, so vigilance should not be neglected.”

“In short?”

“Send someone who is capable and intelligent to negotiate and do reconnaissance. At the moment, it’s too early to say.”

“I understand. I’ll let Crave and the others know that.”

“Yeah.”

Having settled on a line of action, Gorky returned to the village… that was what Pumpkin thought he was going to do but Gorky was searching through the pouch attached to his full body armor as if he had something else to discuss.

After searching for a while, Gorky pulled out a piece of parchment from the pouch.

“Oh, and I have another report.”

“What is it?”

“An unbelievably tall tree lies nearly a week’s travel east of the village.”

“A tree?”

Gorky handed Pumpkin a piece of parchment.

As before, there was a drawing on the parchment that seemed to have been done by Renaldo.

The picture depicted a huge tree in the center that was several times… no, or even more than a dozen times gigantic than the surrounding trees, with a note stating that an abundance of magic power could be felt near the top of the tree.

Besides, looking at the picture closely, the tree was apparently a plant that grew with something else as its core, like mistletoe, and some kind of building was slightly visible through the gaps in the trunk and branches.

“Hmm… did you go by to check it out?”

“I didn’t. So I don’t know what’s at the root.”

“Mmm…”

From what Gorky said, it was reported a large tree was found at any rate, but the details remained elusive.

Even so, a tree of this size and a large amount of magic power reaction around the top… might be something worth investigating.

Mainly for the Black Mystium staff.

Well, a tree this enormous would mean that it took many years to grow, and since plants tend to possess more magic power in their bodies as they age, the amount of magic power they contain is likely to be an order of magnitude greater if the size of the tree is this gigantic.

The branches and trunks of trees that hold that degree of magic power are also likely to be perfect for use as material for the Black Mystium staff.

“The location is about a week east of Samsara Egg Village, right?”

“Yeah. It’s really large, so I think it would be easy for you, who can fly over the forest, to recognize it.”

“Hmm.”

“Patriatch?”

And so Pumpkin was pondering in his head about what he was going to do next.

The rainy season was approaching, and to be truthful, it was his second least busy time of the year next to winter.

However, summer will follow if the current season passed, which would result in no time to venture outside the village due to the summer harvest season, but more than that, the autumn harvest season, tax payments, and preparations for countermeasures against the forest magical beasts that were becoming more ferocious will begin, and there will be no time to be active outside the village until winter.

After that, when winter set in, research on resonance spells will be necessary… Pumpkin will have to go during this time of the year.

“Gorky.”

“Yes?”

“Tell Mizuki and the others I’ll be absent for a while.”

“…Why?”

“I am planning to visit that tree. The internal affairs of Samsara Egg Village can be managed without me, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“…”

After uttering these words, Gorky must have realized that it would be futile to argue with him to dissuade him, so a sigh escaped his lips, followed by a silent walk towards the village.

Now, Gorky will probably tell Mizuki and the others, and I will head for the tree once preparations are done.