Chapter 813

Bear-san Enters the Forest

The ribbon was a guidepost.

“Also, the ribbon is a lifeline for adventurers. If you get lost, and by some miracle you find it, you’ll know the way home.” (Mane)

“But is it really necessary to go that far and go deep into the forest?” (Yuna)

“Not usually. But unknown places are also satisfying for some adventurers to explore. To feel alive. For those who want to see new things more than anyone else. For those who want to defeat strong monsters and make a name for themselves. And for those who want to find rare medicinal herbs like me. There are many sentiments contained in this ribbon.” (Mane)

When you think about it like that, it didn’t seem like just a guidepost anymore.

Ahead of us, there were those who achieved their goal. Those who gave up and went home. And maybe some of them never made it back at all.

“That’s why no one takes off this ribbon.” (Mane)

“…” (Yuna)

“Well, as I said earlier, there are some people with bad intentions too, so don’t forget that it can also be dangerous, so follow the ribbons with certain caution.” (Mane)

I knew that not everyone was a good person.

It was hard to describe when you think that among all the ribbons that hold various feelings, there would be one that held malice.

“That’s why I thought that adventurers who go into the deep forest would know about ribbons.” (Mane)

Mane-san narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

“I didn’t know that. Since I don’t need them.” (Yuna)

“Don’t need them?” (Mane)

“Because I have these guys.” (Yuna)

I turned my attention to Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear.

“With Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear, they remember the places we’ve passed through, so we don’t need landmarks.” (Yuna)

Because of my Bear Map skill, I knew every place we’d traveled through. The same was true for Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear—once they’d gone somewhere, they remembered it. If we have ever been to a place before, Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear would map it as well.

So as long as it’s a place I’d been to before, they could take me there even if I was sleeping on their backs.

“Does that mean you can come back here without getting lost?” (Mane)

“It’s possible with Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear.” (Yuna)

Mane-san looked at Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear with wide eyes.

“They really are amazing bears. Not only does they know where you are, they can also detect monsters, they’re strong, fast, can shrink, and are soft.” (Mane)

The last part, “soft,” doesn’t seem to have anything to do with being amazing, but it seems to be amazing to Mane-san.

“I had prepared some ribbons too, just in case Yuna ran out of them, but it seems to be unnecessary.” (Mane)

It was a deep forest, after all, and we don’t know how many we might need.

It seemed like she had not only finished her work yesterday, but also prepared for this trip.

Well, that explained why she’d fallen asleep so quickly after setting off.

“I understand about the ribbons, but won’t it not be difficult for us if we don’t know where the adventurer who saw the herb entered the forest from?” (Yuna)

There were as many ribbons as there were adventurers who entered the forest.

“From what I heard from that adventurer, they entered the forest starting from the ribbon of beginning.” (Mane)

“The ribbon of beginning?” (Yuna)

“It’s this ribbon, the first thing you notice. It starts with a single ribbon, and then it branches out.” (Mane)

A tournament bracket popped into my mind.

It was like a tournament bracket turned but upside down.

“So there are countless destinations?” (Yuna)

“Some adventurers follow the same path, while others choose different paths. There’s a destination for every path an adventurer chooses. Whether it was for medicinal herbs like us, or to hunt monsters, Or is it an unexplored territory? It varies.” (Mane)

That’s certainly true.

To go into more detail, if the medicinal herbs you’re searching for are different, the destination would be different. The same went for monsters. If they’re different monsters, the direction will be different.

“So should I just follow this ribbon?” (Yuna)

“Unfortunately, I was informed only part of the way. They encountered a group of monsters during their exploration, and ended up here by chance after taking a detour and moving around in various ways. On their way back, they happened to find a ribbon left by another adventurer and were able to return home.” (Mane)

“So, should I follow the ribbon that the adventurers followed when they returned?” (Yuna)

If I couldn’t follow the path the adventurers took when they entered, I could just follow the path where they returned from.

“They said they returned to the signpost where it all started, so either way, we’ll start from here.” (Mane)

It seemed like it would not be easy to reach our destination.

And so we entered the forest.

I was on Swaying Bear’s back, and Mane-san was on Hugging Bear’s back.

First, we went in the direction the ribbon was pointed at.

The path was like an animal trail, as many adventurers have passed by it before.

From the backs of Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear, our line of sight was higher, so it was easier to see far away.

“It’s comfortable. I was a little worried when I heard that we would be riding on bears. But now that I know how comfortable it is, I’ll never ride a horse again.” (Mane)

“Really?” (Yuna)

“Well, first, it’s more stable. I didn’t fall off even when I was sleeping, and it also had a nice rhythm to their movement, so I slept well. Above all, they are soft and comfortable.” (Mane)

I was glad that she liked it.

It was better than not wanting to ride the bears.

“But we have to be careful from here on. I think we’ll encounter more monsters, and some of them might be aggressive.” (Mane)

“If there are monsters nearby, Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear will let you know, so you won’t be attacked suddenly.” (Yuna)

If it was a monster with a very high speed, we wouldn’t be able to avoid it, and I might have to fight.

“They are really amazing bears. Yuna, I’ll tell you again. I’m weak, so I’m useless in combat.” (Mane)

Well, that was what a guard was for.

Mane-san was a half-elf, but she seemed to be weak.

When I encountered Wolf a while ago, she asked me, “Do you think a reclusive researcher is strong?”

Well, it was true that it was a prejudice to think that elves were good at magic and could fight monsters just because they were elves.

I did think that all elves were good at wind magic.

I have the image that dwarves are blacksmiths, but not all of them were blacksmiths. There were dwarf merchants and cooks as well.

“I’ll protect you no matter what.” (Yuna)

At worst, I also had an escape skill called Bear Transfer Gate.

“That’s reassuring. But hearing you say that while dressed as a bear makes it hard to take it seriously.” (Mane)

Mane-san seemed to have relaxed and smiled, and had time to look around.

After going for a while, Mane-san called out.

“Wait a minute.” (Mane)

Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear stopped.

“What’s wrong?” (Yuna)

There were no signs of monsters nearby.

“Hugging Bear, put me down.” (Mane)

When Hugging Bear sat down, Mane-san got off Hugging Bear.

Then, she moved to a nearby grass area and crouched down.

I also got off Swaying Bear as well and went over to Mane-san.

Mane-san was collecting leaves.

“What is that?” (Yuna)

“It’s a medicinal herb needed to make a medium-level stamina recovery potion.” (Mane)

“Is it rare?” (Yuna)

“It’s definitely hard to get hold of. I wonder if it’s the difference of the surrounding soil? It grows by absorbing the energy from the soil. There was a researcher who studied this. It’s said that if a monster dies, this plant will grow using that monster’s mana. In fact, someone buried a monster and the plant raised up, and according to the book, the experiment was successful.” (Mane)

In other words, it’s possible that a monster died here.

“In the end, we found out that it was actually the magic stones that were affecting its growth. Therefore, it has been considered not a suitable way for cultivation, and it would be costly.” (Mane)

It might depend on the number of magic stones needed to grow it, and would likely be costly if it needed a lot, making it not possible to cultivate economically.

“For now, I would like to collect some, so can I harvest a few?” (Mane)

“Sure. I’ll keep an eye on the surroundings.” (Yuna)

“Thanks.” (Mane)

Mane-san puts the leaves she picked into a small cloth bag.

And without being attacked by any monsters, she finished collecting the herbs.

“I’m done.” (Mane)

Mane-san seemed happy to have collected the herbs.

We started moving again.

The scenery didn’t change much, even as we moved deeper in.

The scenery of trees continued endlessly.

If I didn’t have my Bear Map skill, I would definitely have gotten lost.

Moving forward would certainly need a marker like the ribbon.

And after about an hour of walking, we found a ribbon.

I was glad that we were able to reach the next ribbon properly.

“There are more ribbons this time.” (Yuna)

There were three red ribbons tied on the tree branch.

This could be considered a fork in the road.

“Which way should we go? By the way, if we go that way, there will be monsters.” (Yuna)

There were signs of six wolves in the direction I pointed my bear puppet.

“I hope we don’t encounter any monsters. Hugging Bear, could you move us closer to the ribbons?” (Mane)

Hugging Bear followed Mane-san’s instructions and approached the ribbons.

Mane-san stood on Hugging Bear’s back and checked them.

“But if there are this many ribbons, won’t the people who didn’t tie them get confused?” (Yuna)

If there were 100 ribbons around, one wouldn’t know which one was theirs.

“Yuna, you really don’t know, do you?” (Mane)

Mane-san got back on Hugging Bear and took out a ribbon from her item bag.

“There is a magic circle sewn into the end of this ribbon. Once you run your magic through it, only that ribbon will react.” (Mane)

When Mane-san touched the end of the ribbon, a magic circle appeared and glowed.

“With this, you can tell whether it’s your ribbon or not.” (Mane)

I got that, but still, if there were so many of them then it would be a lot of work to check which one to follow.

“By the way, these were also made by the Ministry of Magic. They are  more expensive than normal ribbons, but they sell well.” (Mane)

Research alone didn’t bring in money, after all.

Money was also needed to employ researchers like Mane-san.

So it’s likely that they made money by selling useful items to the public.

“But then other adventurers wouldn’t be able to check them, so won’t that be a problem?” (Yuna)

“If you can’t buy this ribbon, you don’t have to go deep into the forest, right?” (Mane)

Mane-san answered simply.

“If you don’t have enough money to buy this ribbon, then you’re not making enough money as an adventurer. For an adventurer like that, going deep into the forest is like going to their deaths.” (Mane)

Indeed, in my previous world, it would be like going into the forest without a map and a compass.

Nowadays, you could use a phone or GPS to know your location.

Mane-san chose one of the ribbons and decided to head in that direction.

Apparently, she had chosen the ribbon where we would encounter monsters a few ribbons away.

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