"Oh, that's a good point."
The coachman came to his senses under the emotionless gaze of several guards and hurriedly said.
"But since that's the case, you should also know that they almost never appear now, sightings are extremely rare.
"Although these sightings are indeed concentrated in this area, finding one would take an indeterminate amount of time, in my opinion—"
The coachman looked at her as if she was a naive girl engrossed in fairy tales, trying to dissuade her.
"No, just being sure it's this area is good enough, I have a way," Hero interrupted him.
She looked at her luggage.
She hurriedly ran over, pulled out her backpack, and started rummaging through it; soon she took out a crystal bottle filled with a splendid Magic Potion.
This was a gift she had received from a kind-hearted person she met by chance.
[Special Item: Monster Attraction Potion R5 Treasure Level]
"If it's used all at once... as long as it's nearby, it's guaranteed to attract them." Hero's gaze was firm.
This legend was told to Hero when she was a child by [Extreme Failure].
1. The Fair Trade Demon
2. A girl who looks just like the Hero
3. The writhing darkness in the hollow of a tree♛
4. The gentle big brother(?)
5. The decaying old tree
9. The passing Spiritual Dark Mage(?)
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
After getting confirmation from the coachman, Hero revealed her plan.
Use the potion that attracts Magic Creatures to cause a disturbance in the forest, then strike at the Elf Rabbit that comes, and use the gemstones that drop to treat the Little Girl's illness.
And they could also gather some emergency herbs from the forest.
Hero's strategy was very clear and suited the taste of guards as well.
They were originally soldiers from the Border and had been raised as officers since they were young.
They might not be skilled in other areas, but in dealing with Magic Creatures and carrying out tasks, the guards' experience could be considered extensive.
Once they confirmed the authenticity of the legends and the Magic Potion, they brought out their decisiveness as soldiers and started to discuss the specifics of the plan.
Hero looked somewhat guiltily at the potion swaying inside the bottle.
The legend of the Elf Rabbit itself had no issues, and the response of the coachman confirmed its veracity.
But she didn't hear this legend from any 'person.'
When she was a child, her family returned to their hometown, and around that time, due to [] reasons, she would often run around the village.
1. Being neglected since childhood
2. There were no peers in the village
3. Pure chance and curiosity♛
4. Mysterious guidance
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
To Hero who grew up in the city, the village might seem quite boring now, but to her younger self back then, it was filled with novelties.
Places she was warned not to go, paths she was told to avoid, or even paths that no one knew about.
Driven by curiosity, Hero explored the entire village, and during one wandering episode, she stumbled upon "that thing" in the forest.
A mass of nameless dark, writhing within a tree hollow.
It could still speak.
Perhaps it wasn't language, but Hero at that time could understand the whispers of that dark mass.
Looking back now, it was a very bizarre and eerie encounter.
But at the time, she regarded the dark mass simply as yet another novelty of the village.
And it was the most novel existence she discovered.
That existence occupied the hollow of a large tree, and at first glance, it appeared no different from other tree hollows, but upon closer inspection, one could see it wasn't simply a shadow, but a substantial dark mass, actively moving.
Hero wasn't sure if it could be called a friend, but when in the countryside, she would often go and chat with the dark mass.
It knew many strange and eerie pieces of lore and stories not known to others, and every time Hero went to chat, it would generously share them with her.
This legend was heard during those times.
And until leaving the countryside and recalling it now, she never learned the true nature of that dark mass.
The stories she heard from it had been regarded only as a kind of wild tale by Hero, long forgotten with the passing of her childhood.
But as she found herself in trouble now, its words, the knowledge it shared, seemed to have their own life force, surfacing from the depths of her mind, reminding her.
"...not sure if it is still there, but I should visit it when I have the chance."
But the current pressing matter was helping with the treatment of the Little Girl.
[Special Event: Unknown Whispers, The Wriggling Darkness in the Tree Hollow LV??]