Chapter 189: The Perverted Old Man Goes into the Forest

* * *

"Geez, the Adventurer's Guild is so cruel! Sending a grandpa like me to an unexplored region is as good as elder abuse!"

A few days after being released from the Topuringon prison.

Earthcell, the former director of the Topuringon branch and newly appointed New Branch Establishment Official, was seen crossing a log bridge leading to the Zamago Forest while grumbling and complaining.

Wearing the adventurer outfit he used to favor, which he pulled out from the back of his dresser, and walking with his mustache swaying, his figure exuded the dignity of a once special-rank adventurer, even if he had fallen.

"......Now, from here on, it's the unexplored region. It's a dangerous zone, so I better get fired up and go!"

After crossing the log bridge and looking up at the densely growing large nishakasha trees, Earthcell muttered to himself.

And then he casually......took out women's underwear from his pocket......and put it on his head......!

At this point, the once dignified special-rank adventurer had degraded into just a perverted old geezer.

However, this act had now become an indispensable ritual for him.

Earthcell was not overconfident in his abilities.

Compared to his prime, his body had completely deteriorated, and his snap judgment had probably declined as well.

It wouldn't be surprising if he died at any time in the unexplored region.

He understood that.

That's why Earthcell put on the panties.

To become one in both body and soul (?) with his favorite thing, so he would have no regrets whenever he died.

In other words, the panties were a manifestation of his resolve to die......!

By the way, please rest assured that the panties he is currently wearing are brand new, purchased from a store.

The collection he had acquired through criminal acts was all burned by Taiche in front of Earthcell's eyes, with the consent of the original owners.

Left with no choice, Earthcell decided to buy and wear new panties.

(These panties......maybe someday they will end up being worn by a beautiful girl. These panties are possibilities. I am now wearing the future on my body......!)

What is this person saying? It's a bit scary.

* * *

"'Earth, become countless hard pebbles and pierce the enemy! [Soil Bullets]!'"

"""Migyaaaa!!?"""

"'Rock, become sharp spears and impale the enemy! [Rock Spear]!'"

"Chiwawaaaa!!?"

"Argh! There's still more!? 'Mud, become bullets and shoot the enemy! [Mud Shot]!'"

"Poporoppeporopero!!?"

Now then, this was a few hours later.

Earthcell was under attack by a group of monsters for the umpteenth time that day.

"............Hah~! This is tough! The density is too high! It's really taking a toll on this old body!"

After exterminating the surrounding monsters with his specialty earth magic, the origin of his former nickname "Earth Sage," Earthcell sat down on the spot, breathing heavily.

"There are too many monsters. That's why adventurers don't come in. And the monsters increase even more......ah~, geez! It's a vicious cycle!"

And he scratched his head in irritation.

"......Fuu~............"

Then his hand touched the panties he was wearing on his head.

His feelings calmed down.

Vitality and courage welled up......!

Earthcell immediately stood up and resumed exploring the forest.

"But fortunately, there are many creatures like Forest Topopolocks and Zamago Toads that sell for a decent price. Once we establish a base, the situation should change significantly. It all depends on my efforts!"

Earthcell, who had become positive, pushed through the thicket and advanced deeper into the forest.

What he was currently searching for was a suitable place to build an Adventurer's Guild branch.

The conditions were, first of all, a relatively open area in the forest would be good.

In such a place, Earthcell could easily create buildings using his specialty earth magic.

And if there was a water source nearby, even better.

Securing drinking water was essential for people to continuously live there.

Furthermore, it would be better to be some distance away from the log bridge at the entrance of the forest.

The reason for this was that, in fact, this Zamago Forest, as was common in unexplored regions, did not clearly belong to any country.

In other words, even if he built a branch in this forest, no legal application was necessary, and there would be no taxes.

That's why the Adventurer's Guild ordered Earthcell to establish a branch in this forest (although it was also true that it was a punitive personnel decision).

For those reasons and the ease of gathering materials, there were actually many Adventurer's Guild branches built within unexplored regions, and some even formed towns and governed themselves.

However, if such branch building was done in plain sight, naturally, the neighboring country Pokkeroce would not be amused.

They would definitely find some fault with it.

Therefore, they wanted to wait until the surrounding effective control was complete before the matter came to light.

They wanted to proceed with the development in secret.

Hence, they wanted to establish a base fairly deep in the forest.

"That said, I can't be too picky~"

Earthcell muttered to himself while pushing through the thicket.

So far, no land had caught his eye that met his criteria while walking around the forest.

He couldn't find a good spot.

Time passed without achieving his goal, and the day grew dark as the forest gradually became darker.

"""Migyaaaa!!!"""

"Wha- Again!!"

Here, the Forest Topopolocks attacked again.

These three-eyed monsters were weak, easy to hunt, and their meat was delicious, but they had the troublesome trait of making noisy cries that attracted other monsters.

In other words, monster attacks would continue for a while after this.

Earthcell sighed, created bullets out of earth with magic, levitated them in the air, and began shooting them at the Forest Topopolocks.

* * *

"Aah~! Geez, I've had a rough time!"

It was already midnight.

Earthcell, who had finally endured the monster attacks, was still wandering in the forest in a tattered state, holding a portable magic lamp and searching for a campsite.

"But I'm still pretty capable, even at my age!"

Earthcell fiddled with his mustache and grinned as he said that.

In fact, there weren't many adventurers who could explore the unexplored region for such a long time alone, even if it was still the periphery.

As expected of a former special-rank adventurer.

He wasn't just a perverted old geezer.

"......It's all thanks to this. It's because I have this that I can keep going......"

Saying that, Earthcell gently stroked the panties equipped on his head.

Yep, he's definitely a pervert.

He may not be just a perverted old geezer, but he is undoubtedly a perverted old geezer.

"......Hm? Hmm!?"

And that's when it happened.

The thicket that had been obstructing Earthcell's forward progress suddenly disappeared.

Looking up at the sky, the star-filled sky that had been obscured by the branches and leaves of the large trees gently illuminated him.

In other words.

"Ooh! An open area!"

In other words, Earthcell had finally found a candidate site that might be suitable for establishing a branch, which he had been searching for.

"What about water?......It's too dark to tell~"

Even when he tried to illuminate the surroundings with the magic lamp, he couldn't grasp anything other than the fact that this was an open area.

If he had been a little more level-headed at this time, he might have noticed the strange, overwhelming presence drifting in this land......the mysterious tranquility often found in the territory of a powerful monster.

However, he couldn't notice it.

He lacked concentration due to the fatigue from exploration and the joy of finding a candidate site.

"Well, I'll check the details tomorrow after the sun rises! Foooh~! I'm really tired today!"

Saying that and stretching with all his might, he began to chant a spell.

"'Earth, become a wall and protect me! [Wall]!'"

And what he activated was a defensive magic that created a protective wall.

This magic normally only created an earth wall in front of the caster, but as expected of the "Earth Sage," he was a cut above the rest.

By pouring a strong image into the magic while using it, he could manipulate the shape of the wall he created quite freely!

A few seconds later, his body was enveloped in something like a large eggshell made of earth.

This shell was quite sturdy, and most monsters couldn't break it.

There were also air holes, so breathing was not a problem.

It was a bit humid in the summer, but he could endure it somehow.

"Foooh~~~......sleepy, so sleepy!"

Earthcell was a grandpa.

Basically, he got sleepy when the sun went down and woke up before the sun rose.

He was pushing himself quite hard now.

After quickly gulping down portable food into his stomach and taking off his upper body clothing, he leaned his back against the egg-shaped wall he had created and closed his eyes.

And in no more than a few minutes, he began to snore.

......The above is the sequence of events that led to Earthcell arriving at Emi and the others' base.

The "magic-use assistance system" created by the God of Magic is such that 'when a chant is performed, a magic of a certain predetermined standard is activated,' but the point is this 'to a certain extent' part.

There is room left in chanted magic for the caster to arrange the magic with their imagination, and when it comes to earth magic, Earthcell is very good at that arrangement.

That's why he became a successful adventurer and even earned the nickname "Earth Sage."