Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria Vol 1 Chapter 6

Chapter 6 The Ruins in the Forest

 

Level 3 Woodrobin

 

After I took my first life, s.h.i.+on-san and I headed towards the ruins while fighting monsters.

 

"Hah!"

 

Inside the forest, the encounter rate was quite high.

I've already lost count.

s.h.i.+on-san lightly attacked to draw aggro and I was to finish off the monsters.

Drawing aggro means becoming the enemy's target of attack, but, well, if you think about it as the enemy basically going after the most threatening target, it's not too far off.

I mean, currently I cannot really fight.

And this opponent called Woodrobin?

It shoots freaking arrows!

It's a monster, so why does it carry weapons!?

Using branch arms it grew from its stump, this stump held bow and arrows of self-made(?) wood.

Frankly speaking, it's more scary than anything.

In my world, projectile weaponry is the strongest, you know?

Don't bring swords to gun fights.

 

However.

 

However!

My Onee-chan made absolutely no issue out of the projectile weapons.

Even now she was lightly twisting her upper body, dodging the arrows.

s.h.i.+on-san answered my question why she could do that so easily with:

 

"Eh? If you see their posture, you just have to see through where they're aiming and dodge, right?"

 

I have no idea what she's talking about.

For example, let's a.s.sume that in my world, someone from the mafia or the yakuza aims a gun at you.

It's a gun, so of course it can only shoot straight.

Well, I don't know about people like that guy with the thick eyebrows shooting in G-lines, but still.

Anyway, once you know where the gun is aimed, you only have to sidestep the bullet the moment the trigger is pulled.

That's her claim.

 

"Agility 5, huh."

 

I feel like I've caught a glimpse of something tremendous.

 

"Alice, don't s.p.a.ce out!"

"Y-yes!"

 

In a rush, I circled behind the stump and attacked it with the Lightning Rod.

In about one out of five hits, the lightning strike happens.

This time, I got the lightning strike on the first hit and successfully defeated the stump.

 

"Fuh..."

 

In all likelihood, I think a Lightning Rod of a better quality will cause lightning strikes with a higher probability.

Weapons are important.

For drop items, there was a medicinal plant, so I picked it up.

Then I diligently, warily turned around.

 

"Hoh~? You think I'd stab you in the back? Is that it what it says? Your att.i.tude?"

 

s.h.i.+on-san smoothly laid a hand on her Eastern Sword (high quality) and smiled darkly at me.

 

"C-come on! I'm just putting your teachings about adventuring to practice, right?"

 

Well, let's not mess around too much.

Even the best of friends need proper respect.

 

"Oh, well. It's time to go home for the day."

"Eh? But we haven't gone to the ruins yet?"

 

Seeing as we had just entered the forest with them, the ruins themselves were nowhere to be seen.

 

"It's fine. Besides, no reason to hurry, is there?"

"I can still go on."

"No, you can't."

"Why? The sun's not going down, either."

 

s.h.i.+on-san looked at me and sighed greatly.

 

"Anyone would agree with me if they so much as looked at you."

"..."

 

Actually, after my crying fit, s.h.i.+on-san tried to stop our outing and we only got this far because I had obstinately refused.

That made rejecting her concerns now all the harder.

 

"... alright."

 

Like this, s.h.i.+on-san's and my first day of adventuring came to an end.

The enemies we encountered on the meadow on the way back were wordlessly cut down by s.h.i.+on-san.

 

 

I came home, had dinner, took a bath and huddled on the bed in the room (my own one!) that Aunty had prepared for me.

To put it clearly, I was down.

I still couldn't forget the sensation in my hand.

 

"If only I could use magic, I wouldn't get this sensation..."

 

No, that's not quite right.

Without this sensation, it would feel like a game where pus.h.i.+ng one b.u.t.ton sends out missiles and ends the war.

I'm sure what I'm feeling right now is important.

As harsh as it is for someone from modern j.a.pan like me.

At that point, I noticed I hadn't checked the fruits of the day's efforts.

I looked at my Status.

 

Name: Alice
Race: Halfelf
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Cla.s.s: Apprentice Mage
Level: 4

 

Oh?

Level 4?

It went up that much?

I didn't notice at all.

 

Skill: None
Magic: Can choose initial magic

 

"...eh?"

 

Magic: Can choose initial magic

 

I reflexively did a double-take.

I... can use magic?

While reigning in my impatience, I selected the entry called Magic Settings.

 

Fire
Blizzard
Thunder

 

Looks like I have to choose one of the three.

I see. Interesting!

If I'm right, then Mages in this world are specialized.

So, which do I pick?

But while I ask myself that, actually I've already made my decision.

 

Thunder

 

That's the one.

Why?

Because I like it.

That's it.

Got a problem?

Anyhow, with this I've set my initial magic and can use Thunder now.

I should.

 

"I wanna try it out..."

 

I think I'm a very self-centered person.

A fire was lit inside my heart that was down until a moment ago.

At times like this, I'm the type that can't stay still.

I changed from my house clothes into my equipment and sneakily left my room.

Light leaked out of s.h.i.+on-san's room.

I quietly moved past it.

Uncle was in the living room.

 

"Mm? Alice-chan? ... what's with that getup?

 

Uncle was clearly suspicious of my outfit.

...nggg, so you're getting in my way, Uncle?

Like I'll let you!

 

"Nichol-san."

"Yes?"

"Please be silent and let me pa.s.s."

"Well, I can't do that, can I? I think as you are now, you shouldn't go outside. Besides, the sun's gone down."

 

Hey, now's not the time for disputes like this!

If s.h.i.+on-san finds me, it's all over!

I'm just no match for her!

 

"...please let me pa.s.s."

"I can't."

"...Dad."

 

Uncle. Twitched.

 

"Please let me pa.s.s, Dad. In silence, right now."

"..."

"Otherwise, I'll never think of you as Dad ever again."

"Please go."

 

Uncle was weirdly stiff about it, but he opened the way.

Too easy.

 

 

After getting out of the house, it had really gotten pitch dark.

There are kind of street lights, but regretfully not that many.

By the way, the illumination used in street lights and homes are not lamps, but special, magic crystals.

Anyhow, there are too few of them so they can't banish the darkness.

It's completely different from modern j.a.pan.

Well, on the other hand the stars and the moons (moons?) seem all the brighter for it.

 

"I can already cross the meadow... wonder if I can get to the ruins?"

 

I do think this is foolhardy.

Have I just made a normal decision, or have I not?

Only the people around me can answer that.

But I stealthily left the town.

I left the town, arbitrarily shook off the enemies I encountered on the meadow and reached the forest.

My night vision is surprisingly good.

Even with moonlight alone, it's rather bright... is the feeling I get.

No, I can see too well.

I'm seeing too well here.

 

"Elven eyes?"

 

Otherwise, the difference to the night vision I've had so far is too big.

Well, I'm only a halfelf though.

But like this, I can also guarantee my vision even inside the forest.

n.o.body should catch me unprepared and I'm also not going to flail around, no idea what I'm doing.

 

 

—————is what I thought at some point.

 

 

"Uhhhm, where am I?"

 

Shortly after entering the forest.

I lost my way.

I've taken the forest too lightly.

Being able to see, not being able to see, nothing of that matters.

Don't underestimate nature.

In the first place, I only heard that the ruins are in the forest, so how did I hope to actually find them?

If you act on an impulse, nothing good's gonna come of it.

In the first place, if you can see but lose your way, what's to stop you from going in circles in the same place?

From what I've heard, if you get lost in a deep forest, you can't walk straight for even twenty meters.

 

"Uhhhm."

 

Knowledge for when you're lost, number 1.

Method: Left Hand Rule.

If you stick with your left hand to the trees on the left side of the path and move forward, you'll eventually get out of the forest.

 

"But I refuse!"

 

I mean, what if I try to touch a tree in this darkness and my hand hits a hairy caterpillar or so?

It's impossible!

 

Number 2.

Method: Trémaux's Algorithm

Mark the ways you've gone, exploring all possibilities until you're out.

I can make marks in the ground with my rod.

However!

 

"I don't have the endurance for it!"

 

d.a.m.n my Endurance 1!

 

But this is a problem.

I don't run into many enemies, but it's a problem.

Oh, the urban legend that monsters grow more active at night is probably a lie.

They're sleeping. Look, the Woodrobin over there.

Now, let sleeping dogs lie, yes.

I randomly walked through the pitch dark, silent forest.

I've grown up in the boonies, so this darkness doesn't freak me out.

Furthermore, I have this night vision.

It's not that scary.

But I wonder how far I've walked.

By the time another fear, s.h.i.+on-san's gonna kill me come sunrise, started going through my head, I finally saw them.

 

"Ruins... found!"

 

In a place so open I thought I'd left the forest for a moment stood a worn-down structure.

... by the way, my first objective was coming to the ruins, was it?

Well, fine.