Drawn Mochi Volume 6 Chapter 6: Forest, Village, And Wall*5

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　Then I flew in the sky on a Pegasus, looked down at the forest, and drew a rough sketch.

　It was a blueprint of the entire forest. I drew a final picture of what the forest would look like in the future. Of course, the purpose of the drawing was not to materialize it, but to organize my thoughts.

　…The forest will be surrounded by a wall. It makes the atmosphere a bit stuffy, but that can’t be helped. If there are more people around the forest… the mystique of the forest, or rather the sense that the forest is inviolable, will diminish. Therefore, the wall is to protect the forest, the forest creatures, and the “mystique” from the increasing number of people.

　The wall is made of weathered stone. The stone material should be similar to that used to build the ruins of the boundary, so as not to spoil the landscape of the forest. The walls will be old and carefully constructed, with patterns dug into them.

　And the walls will be mostly hidden by plants. I plan to make the bottom 3 meters of the wall look like a little hedge by letting vines crawl along the wall. I had a bit of a hard time deciding which plants to use, but I decided on wild rose and raspberry vines for now. The thorns will block intruders, and above all… the flowers are beautiful, and the berries are delicious.

　I don’t want the wall to be just a wall to hold people back. I want walls to be pleasing to the eye with delicious food to eat.

　I decided to make the wall look like this, and I built four gates by hollowing them out.

　The gates face the north, south, east, and west of the forest… The view from each gate is not of the other side of the wall the gate is attached to… but of the inside of a room.

“The point is that when you enter through the gates on all four sides, you should exit into a building that will be set up in the middle of the forest.” (Tougo)

　I explain to everyone based on the pictures I have drawn. Fay was listening to me very seriously, probably because I had told him, “I might sleep for more than three days.”

“From inside the building, you can go out to the gate of your choice. That way, we can not only go through the forest at once, but also go through to the side, which I think is very convenient.” (Tougo)

　When I explain, everyone nods their head in agreement or tilts their head while pondering.

“The intersection of the gates… well, I think if you make it one-way inside the building where all the gates are connected and go round and round towards the gate you’re looking for, the carriages won’t run into each other.” (Tougo)

　Next, I show a sketch of the inside of the building. There are gates on four sides of a large circular room, each connected to the four sides of the forest. The visitors are then led around the inside of the room in a circle along the perimeter. Like a roundabout intersection.

“However, since we have to decide on the size of the gate, there will be a limit to the size of things that can pass through… For now, I’m planning on using the Red Dragon as the upper limit…. What do you think?” (Tougo)

　When I explained what I wanted to create, everyone gave me an indescribable response.

“I-I see… it suddenly became a ridiculous plan.” (Fay)

“…I now realize that you are a forest spirit.” (Laocles)

“That’s a rather inhuman idea. That’s right. You’re a spirit.” (Croix)

　…In short, they seemed a little surprised. Yep. It’s fine because they aren’t opposed to it, but it seems like the scale of the project is too large to casually accept it.

“…So, this is a recreation of ancient magic, right?” (Fay)

“Yeah. I heard from Lian that there was a magic that allows you to travel to different places in an instant.” (Tougo)

　When I looked at Lian, he asked, “Me?” I looked back with an expression saying, that’s right. It’s you.

“So, Tougo, are you going to revive the ancient magic?” (Fay)

“Well, maybe that’s what’s going to happen.” (Tougo)

　Even with the Red Dragon, I was able to bring back an extinct creature, so maybe I can bring magic back from the past. Surely.

“Well, the fairies said it would be nice to have the forest covered by a wall, and the horses said it would be nice, too. They said they don’t want to go outside.” (Ange)

“Yeah… Well, I’ve already gotten permission from the other forest creatures. There’s no need to make the forest bigger than it is now, and if the current forest can be preserved, it would be better to build a wall. That’s good, isn’t it?” (Tougo)

　This forest, when seen from above, has an area equivalent to three or four royal capitals, which is more than enough space. So, rather than expanding the forest any further, it would be better to enclose it at its current size, or so it seems.

　…Incidentally, it was the bird that was particularly pleased with the establishment of the wall. The reason is that the wall has nothing to do with a bird that can fly, and it will be a wall to protect the forest. …They like the wall because it looks like a castle wall. Well, this forest is like a castle for this bird. …Oh, so the town that will be built outside the walls of the forest will be a castle town…? A bird…? A bird castle town…?

“So, what do you think? Can I do this?” (Tougo)

　When I asked him about it… Fay looked a little glum.

“As the son of the lord of Redgarde, I’m very welcome. If this thing works properly, travel will be incredibly efficient. Not only will we be able to cut through the forest, but we will be able to move east and left as much as we want, right? That would be a great help to us, considering that we are going to expand the town around the forest.” (Fay)

　Yep. I’m happy if you think that. …However, Fay’s face shows that he’s not plain happy.

“…It’s just… I’m a little worried as it’s not a ‘Fay Bullard Redgarde’ but just ‘Fay’.” (Fay)

“I see.” (Tougo)

“This is amazing. The price for this is your magical power running out, right?” (Fay)

　Yep. Well, maybe.

“…I don’t want you to do anything that would put your life in danger.” (Fay)

　…I see.

　I understand why you would think so… Yep. I understand. Now I understand.

　However, I still feel like giving it a try.

“I think we need a wall around the forest now that we have the fields and the town. Most of the farmers here are in awe of the forest, but not all of the people who will come in the future will be.” (Tougo)

“That’s right…” (Fay)

“So, for now, can I just try the walls? I’ll do the gates later. Then, I’ll do some experiments with the gates as well.” (Tougo)

　When I offered that, he looked at me like, “Well, if it’s a wall for now, you can try…” So, I decided to paint the wall for now.

　…However, there is still some opposition regarding the gate. Especially from Fay.

“…Why would you go so far as to try to do that? Even if you create a gate with ancient magic, it won’t be particularly good for you or the forest, right? That’s right. It won’t be good for the forest itself either. …And you have magical power. Are you going to create a gate even until you are completely out of magic?” (Fay)

“Yep.” (Tougo)

　I nod firmly in response to Fay’s question. To let him know that my feelings are made.

“I want to give back to this forest as well.” (Tougo)

“This forest has always been protected by the Redgarde family. Even if it was called a Spirit Forest, I don’t think it would have benefited me, in fact, it has been a hindrance. Still, the Redgarde family has been protecting it for a long time…” (Tougo)

　That’s it. This forest has been protected for a veryu long time.

　When the Redgarde family came, and the king of the time entrusted this territory to them, half harassing them, it had an inviolable forest in the middle of it, but they never did anything to open up this forest at all. The Redgardes have cherished this forest for generations.

　 They protected the forest along with their territory. When their territory was attacked, they did not abandon the forest, but fought with ridiculous formations, and when there was talk of exchanging it for another territory, they refused. They prevented the development of this forest by saying, “There are spirits in this forest.” They never tried to develop the forest, even though it would be inconvenient.

　Sometimes they fought poachers to protect the forest creatures, even at the risk of their own lives. This forest has been saved for a long time.

　When I talk about that, Fay… looked confused.

“…Hmm? Tougo, you know a lot about that past, don’t you? Even I don’t know about that. Did you hear it from my father or brother?” (Fay)

　Eh…? Oh, yep. Is true. If someone asks me, I feel like I know some stories I’ve never heard before. What?

　I think it’s strange, but those stories are in my head. I wondered why, and then I thought about it more and more. …and the forest is rustling in my head. Oh, is this it?

“Well… maybe, somehow, I understand. The forest is saying that in my head, or rather, I remember it in my head, or rather, I’m saying it… Huh? I… I am the forest…?” (Tougo)

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, you’re Tougo! You’re Tougo! Tougo! Come back!” (Fay)

Oh, yep. I came back. I am me. The forest is the forest. But I am the forest, and the forest is me. Yep. It’s okay. I’m back. [T/N: So Tougo has truly become the Spirit of the Forest.]

“Well… so I’d like to return the favor. First of all, as the spirit of this forest, to the descendants of Redgarde. Thank you for, you know, protecting the forest all these years. From now on, I will protect the forest myself, and I will return the favor I received from the Redgarde family.” (Tougo)

　I have to properly convey this to the current generation of the Redgarde family.

“Fortunately, as a current generation spirit, we have the power to create things. If we just maintain it, later generation spirits will also be able to protect the forest, so we don’t think there will be any problems. If we can help the people who live there, we want to do it. We don’t want to be a hindrance to you, and we want to be helpful to you.” (Tougo)

　…When I told Fay that, he looked a little confused.

“You… you look kind of like a spirit. Are you sure you are okay? Is there something wrong?” (Fayt)

　Well, I wonder why.

　…Ah, maybe it’s because the border between the forest and the outside is becoming clearer?

　With the creation of the fields, the border between the forest and the outside became clear. So, is there a change in my thought? Hmm… well, that’s okay. I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. Yep.

“Well, you’re starting to look like a spirit, but is that really your intention? I know now that the forest is not against it, but Tougo Uezora himself, do you want to do it even if you run out of magic?” (Fay)

“Hmm… yep.” (Tougo)

　When Fay asked me, I changed my mind. I’m human. I’m human. Also, I’m a painter, and I’m a person who loves drawing!

“Personally, I’ve been helped by Fay, your father, your brother, and everyone else. So, I want to return the favor. If there is anything I can do to help, I want to help.” (Tougo)

　When I first express my feelings as my reasons, Fay looks a little embarrassed.

“Also… um, I want to paint. I want to try it. I want to see if I can create magic with my paintings.” (Tougo)

　If I can’t create things that can’t be painted, then I want to find everything that can be painted.

　I want to see how far I can go with my painting skills.

“I want to see if I can revive the ancient magic that has been lost. Because I’m a person who loves painting.” (Tougo)

“…I see. Well, if you say so, I can’t stop you now.” (Fay)

　Fay said that, looking a little lost… then he smiled and held out his hand to me.

“Then, please help me. Please create an amazing magical gate for us. Tougo, the Spirit of the Forest and my best friend!” (Fay)

“…Yes. Thank you, Fay, descendant of Redgardes and my best friend!” (Tougo)

　I firmly gasped the hand that was offered to me… I felt really motivated.

　Let’s draw, let’s paint. I was going to paint it anyway!

　…So, I’ll build a wall.

　Sketching, priming, and drawing in the details… all of this work was done from the air.

　I can’t see the forest in its entirety unless I’m looking at it from above. I wanted to paint while looking at it, so I rode the Alicorn with Laocles and looked down at the forest from above while painting. Well, you see, the people in the village would be surprised if the Ryuu appeared too high up in the sky. But with an alicorn, it’s still a horse, so they’re not that surprised.

　It’s just.

“…It’s time to go down. Let’s take a break.” (Laocles)

“Ah, ah, just a little longer… Oh, Alicorn! Please, a little longer!” (Tougo)

　This Alicorn has the same timer as Laocles, so there is a time limit. …I was forced to come down to the ground and have to take a break… so it’s not very efficient…

　But Alicorn stable. They are much, much more stable than the Pegasi, and they stay perfectly still in the air, so if I want to paint, I should paint riding an alicorn…

　Once I have finished sketching the wall, convey it to the creatures as the Forest Spirit. “I’m going to start growing a wall now, so don’t stay too close to the edge of the forest.”

　After confirming that the creatures had taken refuge a little closer to the center of the forest, I painted the final strokes.

　…Then, the picture trembled on the drawing paper, spread out, grew bigger, bigger, and something like a colored mist surrounded the forest…

　The mist solidified and took the shape of a wall.

　Although it is old, it is still a sturdy stone. Wild roses and raspberries intertwine. Flowers blooming everywhere.

　A tall wall about 20 meters in height was created, surrounding the forest.

　…Thus, the forest was equipped with a castle wall.

　No, it is not a wall, but a forest wall, right? The wall of the bird’s castle, so is it a castle wall? …Oh, if we really build a castle too, should we call it a castle wall? Then, let’s build a castle, a castle in the forest…

　As I was thinking about this, my consciousness suddenly drifted away.

　Sleepy.

　…I tried to resist a bit, but it didn’t seem to work, so I gave up and decided to go to sleep. Good night.

T/N: The previous generation spirit must have started changing Tougo since the moment he was fed the “Spirit’s Favor”. He’s more spirit than human. The core and outside might be Tougo but everything else is his spirit part. Detached and carefree, no wonder he barely felt any fear during his abductions. Since his feelings have been dulled after bottling everything for years, he barely felt the change in his psyche.