* * *

Crunch, crunch, crunch...

When I stepped on the glowing grass on the forest floor, that light sound echoed.

And the stepped-on grass breaks and stops glowing.

After walking for a bit, I looked back, and the path I walked was dark, clearly marking the way.

Interesting!

<With this, we don't have to worry about getting lost!>

Omake-sama and I, feeling somewhat cheerful, stepped on the grass, jumped over small streams... and advanced deeper into the Spirit Forest.

Then suddenly, the view before us opened up, and a large spring appeared.

Its quiet surface shimmered, reflecting the star-filled sky.

<Shall we go around?>

No... wait a minute.

"Ugh... RAAAAH!!"

I got a bit of a running start, barked, and jumped towards the spring!

This is the technique my master taught me when I was little... 【Grasshopper】!

My body soars higher and higher.

The beautiful, shining Spirit Forest spreading before my eyes is nothing short of spectacular.

<It's beautiful...>

As Omake-sama and I watched the scene in a daze, I fell to the ground, following gravity.

"Rah..."

The place where I landed safely was right on the other side of the spring.

It's faster to jump over it than to go around.

Then, anyone would do that, right?

<Not many people can do that, except for you. You moved about 50 meters in a single jump.>

It's a gift from my master's training.

I'm grateful for it.

◇ ◇ ◇

<Look, Emi! That's an Amber Maple!>

Now, after walking for a while after jumping over the spring, Omake-sama said that and drew my attention to a tree with bark shining like a yellow jewel.

Since it's called an Amber Maple, it must be a type of maple.

I feel like I've seen that jagged leaf shape somewhere before!

<The sap of the Amber Maple is said to have an extremely high sugar content, and its taste is like that of the finest juice.>

Hee, if you say so, I can't not try it!

I swung a hand chop at the large Amber Maple's trunk, making a small cut... and oh, the sap came gushing out with great force!

I hurriedly put my mouth to the wound.

...It's sweet!

But it's light and easy to drink... and delicious!

And... it's carbonated!?

I can chug it!

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp!

I became engrossed and continued to drink the Amber Maple's sap!

For about a minute!

When I came to, the yellow shine of the Amber Maple's bark had turned blackish, and all its leaves had fallen, leaving it bare.

Eh... did it wither...?

<By the way, because the sap's magic power concentration is too high, if an ordinary person drinks it as it is, they will become intoxicated for a while, and then die.>

"Cough!?"

I reflexively choked.

Tell me before I start drinking!?

<You're fine, Emi!>

No, that might be true, but...

<Also, not just the Amber Maple, but all the trees in the Spirit Forest contain a large amount of magical power. The reason they shine at night is because of that magical power. They're natural magic lamps!>

Haa, I see.

I casually extended several 【Black Tentacles】 from my shoulders and pierced them into the trunks of the surrounding trees.

And I sucked up the magical power.

The mana absorption that Sensei taught me in the Great Prison.

<A land with a large amount of magical power, the plants that absorb it, and the spirits that consume the magical power from those plants... that's the unique ecosystem that has formed in this forest.>

Omake-sama is continuing her explanation of the forest, but I was only half-listening.

Mana absorption is difficult.

If I suck it up too quickly, I'll literally spit up blood.

I'm getting better at it, and my absorption speed is increasing, but... I still need to concentrate to absorb mana.

It's not something I can do casually.

The trees that were shining like jewels quickly withered and twisted, turning black...

Because I'm absorbing their magical power.

But in return, my soul is a little more satisfied.

<Is it delicious? Emi?>

Omake-sama sounds somewhat happy.

If you ask if it's delicious, since I'm not eating it, it's not delicious.

The fact that it's tasteless is a mixed blessing.

With this method, I can absorb magical power without eating anything bad.

But even with delicious things, it's tasteless...

<No, in this case, 'delicious' is a metaphorical expression.>

Yeah, I know what you mean.

Even if it's tasteless, mana absorption is accompanied by pleasure.

In other words, 'Are you satisfied?' or 'Does it feel good?', that's what you mean, right?

But if I get lost in that pleasure... then physical pain and a state of rampage await.

Self-control is important.

Mana absorption is difficult, isn't it?

While thinking about such things, I unconsciously continued to absorb magical power from the trees and flowers of the Spirit ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Forest.

When I came to, the trees around me had withered and it was pitch black.

"Fuuu..."

I exhaled deeply.

And I stroked my stomach.

...It's still not satisfied.

<Want to absorb more?>

No, I'll stop.

Because the trees in this forest are the spirits' food, right?

<Ah, were you listening?>

I don't want to actively start trouble with the local residents.

I'll hold back for now. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

<The Spirit Forest is vast. Even if more trees wither, it won't affect the spirits.>

Even so.

I cut off my conversation with Omake-sama here and looked around again.

A corner of the Spirit Forest, which was so beautiful that it didn't seem of this world, shining like jewels.

Now it's completely withered, a pitch-black world of death.

Because I came here.

"Haaa..."

It's kind of sad, isn't it?

<To live is to take. That goes for everyone.>

"............Guess I'll go back."

The adventurous feeling I had earlier had completely withered away.

Having lost my motivation, I turned around and started heading back the way I came.

At the edge of the cliff where I made the campfire, I'll just go to sleep for the night.

Thinking that.

But it was then.

<<<Kyahaha!>>>

<<<Byuuun! Byuun!>>>

<<<Wait, wait!>>>

That.

A sound like the voice of children playing innocently came from behind me.

Wondering what it was, what I saw when I looked back deep into the forest.

It was.

Multicolored spheres of light, flying towards me through the shining trees.

<...Lesser spirits.>

Omake-sama, seeing them, muttered that, just a little.