212-194 Request and picnic (2) (1/2)

East side of the pinning.

I walked out of the gate, enduring the heat for about half an hour.

I could see the forest ahead of me.

The forest looks more like the south forest than the north forest in Laffan, and it seems to be more or less inhabited.

In front of the forest, there was a simple fence.

It was quite poor, about waist high. It was quite old and some parts were rotten and crumbling.

It is useful in the sense that it marks the boundary, but as a fence, it is completely useless.

It looks like the land in question from here. There's a fence.

I can usually get over it.

Yuki said as she jumped over the fence.

”Me too!　Me too! Me too!

Me, me!

Mitya follows Yuki and jumps over, followed by Mary.

The fence is a little high for Mitya, but he can easily jump over it, so he is very athletic.

The rest of us also climbed over the fence and entered the forest.

This entire forest is the private property of the brewery. ....... It's pretty big.

”Including the mountain behind it, to be exact. And it's not private land, it's land that's been granted exclusive use.

It seems that the land itself is owned by Viscount Nenus, and the brewery in question has only been issued a permit by him.

But that, on the contrary, seems to be a factor that makes people hesitant to enter.

Needless to say, the psychological hurdle between breaking into a private home of a commoner and breaking into the home of a nobleman is naturally higher in the latter case.

In a place like this, there would be no one to blame, but without our entry permit, we could not legally complain even if we were suddenly beaten to a pulp.

Most people wouldn't think of going in.

Phew, it's pretty cool. In the woods.

”Yes. It's like bathing in the forest.

Once we entered the forest, the surrounding temperature became noticeably cooler.

The tall trees blocked the sunlight, and as we walked through them, a cool breeze blew through from time to time.

As a matter of course, the locations of the roads marked on the map were well maintained, and the rest of the area did not look dense.

This looks like it could be used as a tourist spot.

”Yes. It looks like a well-maintained hiking trail.

Not if you consider the purpose.

Originally, this forest and its hinterland were protected in order to obtain good water.

The forest and its hinterland were originally protected to obtain good water. I don't know what they're doing to maintain it.

Even the path we are walking on was built to carry water, not to be a walking path.

From my point of view, it seems wasteful to set aside so much land just to get water, but this is a world where there is a surplus of land. But in this world where there is a surplus of land, there is not much of a problem in that respect.

However, the cost of maintenance is also putting pressure on the brewery's finances, as it requires manpower.

How could they be so particular?

”Anyway, if we walk down this road, we can get to the water intake ...... pond, right?

”According to the map, yes. It's a little bit uphill. ...... Shall we walk there?

It's been a while since I've had this kind of leisure time.

In the event that you've got a lot of time to spare, you'll be able to take advantage of it.

Of course, I've been keeping an eye out with my [enemy search], but so far there has been no reaction from the demons.

It may seem strange, but this is normal.

It seems that the area around Raffan is unique, and there are actually fewer demons in the forest.

However, it seems that one out of every three forests is inhabited by demons, and there are dangerous creatures like Weipu Bear even if they are classified as animals, so it's hard to say that most forests are safe.

”Well, we're only half playing today. Just take your time and walk around.

”Yes!

Mary and Mitya replied happily, looking around as they walked.

For these two, who have almost no experience of going out of town, it must be an interesting experience to be able to walk leisurely through the forest.

Following them, we walked along the path leading from the forest to the mountain.

We walked along the path from the forest to the mountain.

About an hour's walk from the foot of the mountain, we came to a mortar-shaped hole, about 200 meters in diameter.

Looking down from the edge of the hole, we saw a pond with a diameter of about 30 meters at the bottom, and the water was a deep shining blue.

The water was very transparent and clear, but still so deep that I could not see the bottom clearly.

...... beautiful.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It seems to me that there's something wrong with the water, but since they've been using it to make ale for so long, it's probably not a problem.

It looks really bad, though, with its sapphire blue color.

”Wow!　It's a beautiful blue!

”It's so blue!

Mitya and Mary are running down the path that leads to the pond.

Toya followed them on foot.

If it was in the forest, I would have rushed to stop them, but there is no response to the [search enemy], the vegetation in the mortar is slightly different, the trees are sparse, and the visibility is good.

If you fall down, you might get hurt, but there is no need to worry about demons or anything like that.

This hole could possibly be a crater?

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

It looks like the mountainside was blown away by the eruption. Like the Hōei crater on Mt.

Though on a much smaller scale.

Wouldn't that mean that the pond is a volcanic crater with water gushing out of it?

Do you think that's possible?　I don't know much about geology, but...

I don't know much about geology, but...” Haruka answered my question while twisting her neck.

I don't know much about geology either, but I do know that lakes can form in craters.

But if you think of it as volcanic, the blue color makes a little more sense.

Is that so?

Yeah. Water without microorganisms can become that color. It happens on Earth, too.　But that's because it's hotter. ......

That looks like normal water, doesn't it?

At least it's not steamy.

Other causes, such as high acidity or high alkalinity, might make the water uninhabitable for organisms or plants and clean (only in appearance), but I don't think you can use such water to make ale.

On the other hand, if the water is poisoned with something we don't understand, that would be even worse.

”Let's just go down there. We're here to investigate.

Right.

The four of us followed Toya and the others down to the side of the pond, where Mary and Mitya were playing in the water, with Toya standing behind them watching.

Seeing them together, we relaxed a little.

It's a good thing we brought her, isn't it?

”Yeah.

Mary hadn't shown any signs of crying since she met us, but her expression was often stiff.

It was only natural.

She had suddenly lost her father, who was her protector, and was left alone with her sister, whom she was supposed to protect.

No matter how much we said we would protect her, her anxiety would not disappear.