Chapter 71

71st Episode

The Loggers at the Lumberyard

Creak, creak—

As always, the carriages in this world leave much to be desired in terms of ride quality. It’s called a carriage, but it’s barely more than a cart with a box attached; there’s nothing luxurious about it.

If I had to point out the main issue: the roads we call streets or highways here are anything but smooth, filled with bumps that are hardly organized.

Creak.

Every time the carriage wheels meet a protruding rock, they groan, and my rear suffers a hard collision with the wooden floor—it’s excruciating.

I’ve heard that nobles and high-ranking adventurers in this world purchase their own carriages for personal use. I hope someday I can afford a carriage with good cushioning to drag around.

For the time being, I have no choice but to keep adjusting my position, trying to find a more comfortable way to sit.

Traveling like this for half a day will get us to the lumberyard located west of the city of Sodomora, right?

“So, pointy ears, how many have you killed?”

After spending some time silently watching the changing scenery of the plains and trees, arranging his equipment, Bronze Tier warrior René broke the silence while cleaning the oil off his sword.

In response, the bald elf who had been muttering prayers under his breath answered:

“I do not take life. The natural world is not about taking or destroying; it’s about mutual coexistence.”

“Elves really do spout nonsense convincingly. To begin with, worshipping big trees as gods doesn’t even make sense. A god should be strong and cool, like Lord Mars.”

“Faith comes in many forms,” Giras, the bald elf, said.

“Alright, let’s assume you don’t take life. Does that mean you don’t eat meat?”

“I do not. Eating is just about filling the stomach.”

Giras, the bald elf, seemed to have a peculiar streak, for sure. In a world where roasted meat is the only remotely delicious food, not eating meat begs the question—what does he eat instead?

Do elves differ individually, or was this guy some sort of exception? Elpride, for instance, wouldn’t go near a meal without meat.

Luna, seemingly interested in the conversation, finally spoke up after a long while of silence:

“If you don’t eat meat, you must be eating grass, right?”

“That’s correct. We mainly eat vegetables and fruits. For the elves of Albrheim, that is quite sufficient. Isn’t it a sad thing to harm other beings just to fill your stomach?”

So he’s some kind of otherworldly vegetarian, I guess. True, abstaining from meat is often a basic tenet when discussing religion, like the prohibition of killing, and so on. Unexpectedly, there exists a non-violent religion in this violent world. It doesn’t fit with the Mars Guild’s motto of “k*ll and fight more,” and is quite a contrast from Giras’ fellow elf Elpride.

“Still, plants feel pain too, right? Do you ask for their permission before eating them?”

Creak, creak—

Luna’s question threw the carriage into a brief silence. Giras, the bald elf, laughed heartily, his white teeth visible beneath his brown beard.

“Ha ha! My good sister from a foreign land asks an interesting question. This is the first time I’ve heard anyone suggest that plants feel pain.”

He laughed again, as though enjoying an amusing tale, while René frowned with an expression of incredulity.

I recalled a news article I’d come across online in the past—about some experiment showing that plants feel fear and pain. Luna’s opinion, in some ways, foresaw scientific findings hundreds, if not thousands, of years ahead.

“Gee, it’s true! Plants feel pain!”

“Quiet. Let’s stop talking about what we eat. Anyway, don’t cause unnecessary trouble at the lumberyard. Mars warriors will cut down anything.”

After saying that, René smoothly returned her sword to its scabbard with a swish. The carriage fell silent again, filled only with the creaking sound of the carriage as the strange awkwardness enveloped us.

I asked Luna, who was looking up at the clouds in the sky:

“What do we exactly do when we get to the lumberyard?”

Luna has more adventure experience than me. So even if she didn’t know everything, she had at least some knowledge under her belt.

“The lumberyard? Once we’re there, we’ll do all sorts of things. Cut down trees, clear weeds, and drive away any monsters or beasts nearby. Actually, I don’t know much about it either. This is my first time going since it’s a Bronze Tier task.”

So basically, we’ll be doing any odd jobs around a place full of trees, right? We’ll figure out the details when we get there.

*

The lumberyard was exactly what I had pictured. Lofty, towering trees stretching endlessly across the forest, stumps lying around everywhere, rusty axes embedded here and there—a sight that felt either cozy or menacing depending on how you looked at it.

One thing, though, went way beyond my expectations: the size of the trees.

What the? These trees were several dozen meters tall, with trunks so thick they surpassed even the size of Luna’s barn.

Apparently, there were holes drilled into these massive trees that were being used as the lumberjacks’ resting places and offices. Tree houses! The realism of it all made me furrow my brow in disbelief—this wasn’t something you’d expect.

However, stepping inside revealed all sorts of furniture, wall-hung candles, a tablecloth spread neatly—it felt quaint, like stepping into a fairytale.

Of course, the issue here was the size: as a tall man, I was forced to bend down constantly. Naturally, this was all due to that man over there.

“Ah, you made it! We’ve been anxiously awaiting guild adventurers since we posted the request!”

Joseph, the owner of the lumberyard, was a male dwarf, significantly shorter than even Luna. Stocky and heavily muscled, the race of dwarves appeared more like solid boulders with their robust physiques.

I’d seen quite a few dwarves before, but they were still quite fascinating to behold. What a strange lot they were!

Joseph excitedly shook his finely braided red beard, exclaiming:

“Monsters are rampaging through my lumberyard! You’ve got to do something!”

Joseph’s outburst left our party momentarily stunned. Just what was causing such a stir in him?

At this point, René spoke calmly as the party leader:

“Calm down. What’s the problem exactly?”

“How can I calm down? Those devil brats are devouring my livelihood! They’re Pluto’s minions—true spawn from Hell!”

At the mention of Pluto’s minions, a brief silence fell over the lumberyard. Everyone wore grave expressions, furrowing their brows as they took the situation seriously. So, I played along, crossing my arms to maintain the solemn atmosphere.

“Has a nearby Pluto relic appeared? If it’s an escaped demonic entity or monster from there, this might be beyond what we can handle.”

Unlike her usually confident demeanor, René’s voice trembled slightly, a rare display of uncertainty. However, her words were rational. Matters involving Pluto’s relics typically require Silver Tier adventurers to handle—serious tasks that aren’t relevant to us newcomers at the Bronze Tier.

“No relics have emerged. There’s only the forest, just trees, nothing else. But these trees are horribly corrupted—absolutely terrifying!”

Joseph, the lumberyard owner, described the situation in a way that seemed to exaggerate for dramatic effect. d*mn, I thought we were just here to cut down some trees and clear out weeds. Was this going to be more complicated than expected?

Just as I was beginning to feel the slight tension, Luna asked:

“Are you saying the trees are corrupted? Are the trees diseased?”

“Yes, more or less. Just listen—”

CRASH! THUD!

As Joseph was about to explain, a loud crashing sound came from outside the tree house where we were standing.

“Oh, those bastards! They’ve finally made their way here!”

Joseph, the lumberman, grabbed a hatchet from the wall with a violent grip, storming outside like a man possessed.

With that sudden motion, the rest of us were left with no choice but to follow him outside.

Nmuu… Muu…

Ni-Muuuummm…

Outside, we saw trees moving unnaturally. The trees, about my size, were using their roots to walk as if alive!

What? Trees are supposed to be alive, but moving trees? I began to question if I was hallucinating, but this situation seemed all too real.

“d*mn bastards, you’re gonna become firewood for me!”

Joseph swung his axe, the size of his torso, into one of the trees.

WHOOSH!

Nmuuughhh…!

The tree responded by oozing a golden sap like bl**d, collapsing with a thunderous crash against the ground.

“What are you doing? Cut them down fast! These bastards mustn’t be allowed to root again! They’re sucking up all the soil’s nutrients!”

SWISH… SWISH…

At Joseph’s urgent plea, René and I drew our swords. But as I pondered whether my sword could actually cut through a tree, René charged forward with her blade raised high, plunging it directly into the thick trunk of one of the moving trees.

THWACK!

Muuuuuuuuugh!

The sound of the blade embedding itself deep, combined with a scream, filled the air. d*mn, trees are screaming now? It sounds absurd, but it’s true.

“What? Why isn’t it coming out? What do I do!?”

René, who had stabbed the tree, panicked as the blade got stuck much deeper than expected, frantically flailing around.

Muuuuuuuuggggh!

At that moment, the tree, distressed by the attack, struck René across the cheek with a branch.

“Gyaahhh!”

René was flung far away, landing with what sounded like her final breaths. She began trembling uncontrollably in what looked like convulsions, a pitiable sight.

Muuuuum…

Ni-Muuuumm…

But the bigger problem wasn’t René on the ground; it was the trees, now seemingly angered, encircling us in a tight circle.

CRACKLE CRUNCH…

The forest, alive and moving, began tightening its perimeter around us—a nerve-wracking sensation. Moreover, unlike normal, these trees didn’t seem significantly injured by René’s blade—they were only spurting sap, a disquieting sign.

“Hey, Luna, any ideas?”

“We can burn stumps if they’re attacked by fire! Their sap is highly flammable!”

Did she mean “stumps” referred to these tree-monsters? Makes sense—few things beat fire when dealing with trees. After all, nearly all problems in this world could be solved with fire, in some capacity.

“No fire! Do you want the entire lumberyard to burn? If I could handle it with fire, I would’ve done it by now!”

Joseph, the lumberman, firmly warned against fire, naturally concerned for the livelihood that depended on these trees.

sh*t, what do we do then?

As Luna and I trembled under the creeping menace, the bald elf, who had been observing from a distance, suddenly stepped forward:

“The Albrheim monks live in harmony with the great World Tree, always viewing nature as a friend. These Stump creatures are also part of nature. Allow me to intervene and resolve this—”

Before the monk finished his sentence, roots and branches suddenly entangled his ankles. They lifted him off the ground like a trapped rabbit pulled into the forest. Next thing we knew, thin roots and branches had begun infiltrating his clothes and body!

“Friends! Let me go!”

“Let go! What is this?! Stop! What are you doing? Aaaah!”

Not only had the roots ensnared our bald monk, but they also began creeping into the joints of René’s armor as she lay on the ground.

I was beginning to fear that if we stayed here, Luna and I might also become the victims of these horrific tentacles. Desperate to avoid being overtaken, I swung my twin swords wildly.

WHOOSH! THWACK! THWACK!

Both blades embedded themselves in a massive tree trunk, rendering them immobile. d*mn, cutting down a tree with a sword is beyond tough!

GULP!

Nevertheless, through a tremendous effort, I managed to wrench the swords free. The Stump retaliated by releasing sap like bl**d, retreating slightly.

Maybe, with some effort, I could handle one or two at a time—until just as I was about to swing my sword again…

THUNK!

The same sound followed as the sword, swung forcefully, bounced off without much impact. The sap had coated and dulled the blades’ edges, rendering them less effective.

d*mn, this makes cutting through these things impossible. What do I do?!

“Hey, big guy! Use this!”

Just then, something whizzed past me and embedded itself with a solid thud into a tree trunk. The impact caused the Stump that was about to attack me to collapse to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, it was a huge axe—much more suited to be called a giant piece of metal or a battle axe than something for cutting trees.

“sh*t!”

Though it was far from ideal, I seized the thick handle and yanked the axe free from the tree it was stuck in. Without hesitation, I swung the massive weapon with all my strength down onto the Stump’s trunk.

WHOOSH! CRACK!

With a loud and deafening sound, the thick body of the Stump split cleanly in half vertically.

[Author’s Note]

A big thank you to Kadeom and Vurgil for sending in support coupons! And to all the readers who contributed with manuscript coupons, thank you so much!! Thanks to you all, May has been such a fulfilling month for me…

By the June calculation day, I’ll definitely add new illustrations through a vote…!

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