Chapter 82

As Pocota leads the way through the forest, I, Muu, and Uga follow closely behind.

"The trees have really grown dense... Well, we did help them grow this much, after all."

"I've never been this deep into the forest before..."

We avoid the branches, making sure not to lose sight of Pocota as we venture deeper and deeper.

"Ponpoco! Ponpoco!"

Following the occasional calls (or chirps?) from Pocota, we push through the foliage. Eventually—

"Huh? What's this smell...?"

A scent that we hadn't noticed until now begins to waft through the air.

It's a bit peculiar, but not unpleasant.

In fact, it feels nostalgic.

(Could this be...?)

In an instant, the greenery disappears from my view.

"Huh?"

The trees are gone, and we've reached an open area.

And there—

"Is that a hot spring?"

"Ponpoco!"

In front of me, there's a depression in the ground filled with milky white water.

Steam rises, and the heat can be felt from here.

And that sulfur smell.

No doubt about it, it's a hot spring.

(We talked about how it would be nice if there were a hot spring here, even in the car on the way here...)

I never thought it would actually be here.

The hot spring is a natural one, with water bubbling up from the ground, and it's about the size of a small pond.

But that's not the only surprising thing.

Wild animals are soaking in the hot spring.

"Ponpoco! Ponpoco!"

Pocota, who had been hopping around, jumps into the water.

Not just Pocota, but there are also many large raccoon dogs.

There are also fawns and pigs.

Why are wild pigs in the forest?

Well, pigs are known to be clean animals...

"Wow... This is amazing..."

"What is this?"

Muu and Uga, who had caught up, are also surprised by the scene.

I approach the hot spring and reach out to a raccoon dog that's swimming nearby.

Earlier, Pocota seemed to be talking to this raccoon dog.

The raccoon dog doesn't run away as I approach, showing no signs of being wary.

Pocota must have explained things to it.

Thinking this, I gently touch the raccoon dog's head and activate the "Communication" ability.

"Hello."

When I speak, the raccoon dog doesn't seem surprised and bows its head politely.

"Where are you from, Poco?"

What a polite tone!

"We come from a nearby village called 'Berserk,' a settlement of bear people."

"Ah, I see, Poco."

The raccoon dog nods and looks back at me.

"If you'd like, you're welcome to join us, Poco. This hot spring is open to everyone, regardless of who they are, Poco. Even wild animals with aggressive tendencies become calm and relaxed after soaking in this water, Poco."

The raccoon dog then introduces us to the other animals in the hot spring.

The animals are all calm and don't seem wary of me, a human, allowing me to touch them easily.

"It must have been a long journey for you, Poco."

"Thank you for taking care of this one, Poco."

"Even though it's a bit crowded, please feel free to join us, Poco."

The raccoon dogs, of which there are several, all speak in a polite tone, making me feel a bit embarrassed.

"Kyun!"

A mother and fawn are also in the hot spring. The fawn, Bambi, is more active and jumps around in the water.

And the pigs.

According to the raccoon dog, they escaped from human settlements.

"Pu"

The piglet is calm and enjoys the hot spring leisurely.

"Korya!"

Then, the little one, unable to hold back, jumps into the hot spring with a splash, swimming with the other young animals.

"Korya! Korya!"

"Ponpoco!"

"Kyun! Kyun!"

"Pu"

Cute.

It's a traffic jam of cuteness.

"O? What's this?"

At that moment, the bushes behind us rustle, and Entia and Kuro appear.

"Entia, Kuro, you were following us?"

"I saw you running off, ma'am."

"There are a lot of animals here. Even some young ones."

Entia and Kuro seem interested in the young animals.

"Really, they are cute, aren't they?"

"Hmm? Hehe, they are cute, but my children were even cuter, ma'am."

Entia raises her nose and says this.

Are they competing?

"What are you talking about? When I was a child, I was hundreds of times cuter than you."

Kuro joins in.

"If I had met you when you were a child, I would have been smitten, no doubt."

"Huh!? Your baby self was probably just a scrub brush, indistinguishable from anything else!"

"Haaaaa!? Your baby self was probably just a puff of white powder!"

"Have you seen it!?"

"No, I haven't!"

"Stop fighting already."

Leaving the bickering duo aside, I decide to talk to the raccoon dog again.

"Has this hot spring been here for a long time?"

"Yes. Despite the forest being home to many aggressive animals and toxic plants, the area around this hot spring is lush and the animals are calm, so we've been living quietly nearby, Poco."

Perhaps it's the effect of the hot spring?

It seems that the hot water, which gushes out abundantly, has seeped into the surrounding soil, making the nearby forest healthy.

"Actually, Mr. Raccoon Dog, we are working on the reconstruction of the nearby 'Berserk' village and the regeneration of this forest."

"That's very kind of you, Poco. By the way, I noticed the trees in the forest growing healthier just now—"

"Yes, that was our doing."

—Maybe we can use this hot spring.

Thinking this, I start negotiating with the raccoon dogs and the other animals gathered there.

I want to expand the hot spring and make it enjoyable for humans as well.

Of course, everyone should still be free to come and enjoy it, and we plan to bring the water to other areas to create more baths.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, Poco. If we can share the benefits of this hot spring with as many people and animals as possible, we would be very happy, Poco."

The raccoon dog is a really nice person (or raccoon?).

The other animals also agree happily.

Maybe it's the effect of the hot spring, but everyone is so kind...

"However, expanding it further, is that even possible, Poco?"

"Leave it to us!"

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

To expand the hot spring, we need to widen the hole in the ground and increase the amount of water gushing out.

This requires manpower.

So, we call everyone from the village to dig at the bottom of the hot spring.

"Who would have thought there was such a place deep in the forest..."

"We rarely come this far in."

The Berserks, including the Bussis, are also surprised by the scene.

"But how do we dig?"

"We can synthesize a 'Bachi-zuru.'"

When asked by Garai, I suggest it, but upon further thought, it's quite a heavy task.

Digging a hole in the water might take a lot of time.

By the way, a "Bachi-zuru" is a farming tool with one end shaped like a spade and the other like a pickaxe.

"What a hassle."

Then, Delphi speaks up.

"I'll do it quickly."

"Huh?"

Without waiting for a response, Delphi creates a bomb in his hand and throws it into the hot spring.

"Wait, Delphi—"

Before we can stop him, the explosion occurs.

"Korya!"

"Ponpoco!"

Water and soil fly up.

Delphi continues to make and throw bombs.

"Hey, that's way too reckless!"

Reyle, covering her ears, shouts, which is understandable.

But now that it's come to this, we have no choice but to push through.

"Delphi! Make sure you don't hit the hot spring's water source!"

With repeated explosions, the hole in the ground expands.

The small hot spring that was there at first has completely disappeared, and the animals look anxious.

But then—

"Huh?"

Delphi stops making bombs.

The ground is shaking.

The explosions have dug into the ground, and the vibrations and impacts have shaken the foundation.

The shaking grows stronger—

—And with a burst, hot water sprays up from the bottom of the ground.

"Whoa! It's hot! So hot!"

"It's a hot spring!"

The hot water, rising like a fountain, surprises the Beowulfs and Berserks.

Indeed, it's hot!

Considering it's hot water gushing directly from the ground, it's only natural that it's hot!

"Anyway, we've got a hot spring!"

The ground, now a much larger depression, fills with water.

In terms of size, it's not quite a public pool, but it's close.

"Thank you, Delphi!"

"Hehe, it seems my artistic explosions have created a new tourist attraction."

"Try to be a bit more careful, you idiot!"

"Why are you hitting me!"

Leaving the bickering Delphi aside, I think about the future plans.

First, we need to build baths.

Once the baths are ready, we can build a structure to make it a proper hot spring inn.

"The wood for the baths... I think we can use the trees from this forest without any problems."

When we were building houses in the village, we learned that the trees in this forest are likely water-resistant.

When I smelled the wood, I thought of cypress.

Cypress and pine have been prized as building materials in Japan for centuries.

Pine, in particular, is rich in resin, which means it has excellent weather and water resistance.

Pine is also highly regarded as a building material in other countries.

On the other hand, conifers like cypress and pine are said to be too strong-smelling for use as smoking chips.

But when we used them for smoking, they added a good flavor.

The trees in this forest might be a hybrid, versatile for construction, food, and processing.

"This is a significant tourist resource we've acquired."

Looking at the large bath that has been created, where the little ones and Pocota are playing, I murmur.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

We've managed to cultivate vegetables, regenerate the forest, and, fortunately, discover a hot spring deep in the forest.

This is a significant step towards turning the Berserk village into a tourist destination.

I've asked Garai and the others to work on the hot spring area and have returned to the village for now.

"Regarding food, we can cultivate and harvest vegetables that are highly regarded even in the capital, but... we need something else, something unique to this land."

"Right."

I nod in agreement with Iksa's statement.

Indeed, something—something unique to this land, something we can use to our advantage...

"Of course, the specialty would be seafood."

The Berserks nod in agreement.

Seafood... it does feel like a unique product of this land.

It would also enhance the hot spring town vibe.

"So, we could ask everyone to go fishing and bring back a lot of seafood."

"No, Mako... I'm sorry, but we were also exiled from human society. As I mentioned before, we can only secretly collect a few clams from the beach. Fishing in the sea is almost certainly out of the question."

"Then, we could fish near my villa's beach."

The Berserks, who were in a dilemma, are surprised by Iksa's suggestion.

"Huh?"

"I have a villa on a cliff near the sea. That area is my private beach, so you can use it as you like."

Wow!

True to the royal family! The scale is different!

"Can you provide boats?"

"Small boats should be fine."

"No, that's enough. It's been a while since we've gone fishing... I can feel my skills itching."

The Berserks look at each other and smile.

They are fully motivated.

So, we've decided to have the Berserks go fishing in the sea near Iksa's property.

The plan is steadily moving forward towards success.