Published: January 12, 2026
Swaying gently, I squinted at the sunlight streaming through the deep forest and the gaps between the trees, then took a deep breath.
“What a beautiful view.”
“Yes, the air is thick and refreshing too,” Til replied.
“The rocking is bothering me... ugh...” Kamushin muttered.
Each of us was enjoying our own version of forest bathing as we made our way right along the edge of a cliff.
Is this a forest, a gorge, a cliff, or the Bride River Canyon? I wish it would just make up its mind. The scenery had the grandeur of a scene from a movie.
No, the scenery has changed way too much in just one hour of walking through the forest.
And amid all this, the surroundings were noisy with wild shouts, and after a few minutes, the scent of blood and the bodies of demonic beasts became part of the landscape.
“...I never thought it would come to this...”
I muttered this, but nobody sympathized. Even Til just gave a wry smile that said, “What took you so long?”
“B-because Lord Van said it... that we were going to a dungeon...”
“Are you alright, Lord Van...?” Kamushin’s tone was unusually harsh, probably due to motion sickness. Sorry about that. So please don’t look at me like that.
Still, being carried like a palanquin by six sturdy adventurers was pretty rough.
Well, the adventurers carrying me had it even harder. The rough path caused a lot of shaking.
Kamushin suggested a few times that I get off and walk, but I was scolded to stay on because I wasn’t that heavy and would just be in the way.
As a result, a pale, blue-faced Kamushin stood by the window, looking deeply troubled.
By the way, the small palanquin-like box I made, kind of like a carriage body, is quite light. But when four of us ride it, it still gets heavy. The adventurers took turns every thirty minutes, swapping in groups of six to carry us.
The vertical shaking was intense, but the sideways swaying was just as bad. Looking out the window, I felt like I might be thrown out if I let my guard down even for a moment.
Still, the women were strong in that environment. They seemed to enjoy the scenery as if on a trip.
“Lady Arte, this cliff is amazing.”
“It’s deep. But the scenery is so magnificent. The mountains in the distance are beautiful too.”
“They’re bigger than the clouds. Oh, there’s a flying demonic beast... look.”
“Wow, incredible.”
Scary.
What if we get attacked? We’d turn into sacrifices from the palanquin in no time. Well, I do have the crossbow I made just in case, so I think we’re okay, but you never know if we get caught off guard.
Looking around from the window, some of the adventurers were patrolling in circles, staying alert for demonic beasts.
Apparently, because Ort and the others talked, our escort grew to fifty people on its own. They probably all wanted to check out the dungeon too, but that’s way too large a group.
Ten of them bought weapons I made in the village, so our fighting strength was quite notable.
“Yahaha! It's a forest giant (giant troll)!”
“I’m going to hunt it!”
“No way, the troll’s been cut in half!? What’s with that sword!?”
It was quite noisy, but thanks to the commotion, the women didn’t seem too scared.
Then, just as Kamushin’s complexion went from blue to white, we finally arrived at the dungeon.
Along the way, we passed through a section with a path clearly only wide enough for one person. Somehow, we managed to get through while still in palanquin form.
Even when I stuck my head out the window, I couldn’t see the ground—it felt like we were floating over the cliff. I decided that on the way back, we absolutely wouldn’t proceed until the path was widened.
“Lord Van! We’ve arrived!”
I heard someone call and poked my head out the window.
Ahead of us was a cliff.
“Stop! Stop right here!”
I shouted instinctively.
“Huh? It’s just up ahead.”
The man carrying the palanquin looked puzzled as he said this.
Idiot. Such an idiot.
“Put me down somewhere a little wider! Hurry!”
I complained loudly, and though the adventurers looked confused, they obeyed the order.