Billy had planned to take at least one month off, but the last battle made him and his friends speed things up. They only rested for two weeks and only three days after the previous battle. Soon, they began to travel North. They stopped for a short while to greet aura, and then they moved to the next state.
"What do we know about Aura's northern neighbor?" Alexander asked.
"There isn't much to know," Billy replied. "They are a small state that, despite being pretty close to the summoner's homeland, have been ignored because they don't have a strong military and only have a single dungeon. They are pretty much like our southern neighbor."
"Aura sent some of her soldiers to spread the knowledge of magic over the years, but they didn't make much progress," Kate added. "They have a small number of adventurers, so it seems that most people just want to live their lives peacefully."
It seemed like a state that wouldn't be hard to deal with, but Billy felt that they lacked motivation. It would be nice if they had some sort of technique to teach him, but Billy wasn't expecting much… Regardless, on the third day of their travel, they reached Breilis state and saw that it was a land that had a lot of green. Many grasslands, forests, groves… they didn't cultivate more fields than they had to.
"This place passes me a vibe like the Monaris state…" Billy thought. "Maybe I can find some spirits here."
In any case, aside from a few villages, Billy and the others didn't see the scenery changing that much. The only big city that they had was the capital which was half of the size of the capital of the Hiloh state. What was really surprising was the number of people that came to learn from them and were camping outside… only around two hundred.
"... It is a pretty small number," Alexander said while frowning. "I guess they really dislike conflict."
"Or they are just lazy and never felt like doing much since they haven't been threatened until now," Billy said.
"That is a bit harsh, Billy," Kate said. "We were born and raised among warriors, so our way of thinking differs from theirs. That doesn't mean that they are wrong."
"Then they won't be wrong if they are exterminated to the last man when Uvish attacks this place in the future," Billy said.
"Well… it will be the result of their choice," Kate said while showing a complicated expression. "Still, as long as they don't get in the way of others because of that… no one can complain."
Billy couldn't deny that, but it still pissed him off, knowing that some people were being so laidback when he was working so hard to prevent another generation from being destroyed by Uvish. Regardless, it would be better to focus on his own things instead of thinking about them. Finishing things there in a week should be possible, and he would use that time to improve the armor and then investigate the forests for spirits.
In any case, just as Billy had expected, the leaders of the state were as tamed as they could be and offered all the help that they could. However, Billy didn't feel any sense of urgency coming from them… At that point in time, he decided to stop caring about it.
So, when the others began to train the soldiers, Billy began to work on his armor. When night came, he left the camp behind and went to investigate the forests alone.
"Where are you going?" Natalie suddenly asked.
"Just to investigate a few forests. Are you lonely?" Billy asked. "Do you want to sleep with me hugging you from behind?"
"Stop joking around. I just want to make sure that you won't leave to fight some crazy enemy," Natalie said. "Anyway, I can understand why you are so pissed, but you don't have to act like this and leave them alone."
"That isn't the case. I am just looking for something," Billy said. "You see, I managed to learn a little about the powers of those tribesmen, and while I can't teach you then yet, I can improve my skills. They communicate with spirits to enhance their powers, and I feel like I can find the elementals here."
"Hmm… I can see your point. The nature here gives the same vibe as the areas there," Natalie said. "I am going with you just to be sure."
"It isn't like I am going to fight, but I guess it is fine," Billy said and then shrugged.
Billy looked around, trying to find vestiges of spirits. Still, it looked like they would have to venture inside forests instead of just their surroundings. The spirits' traces disappear after a day, after all. In any case, it didn't seem like Natalie could sense anything, so Billy couldn't count on her to save his problems.
Regardless, after investigating the nearest forest, Billy frowned because he didn't feel the same thing as before when he was with the tribesmen. When he looked around, he found traces that some trees had been knocked down, and he understood that was the case.
"What is wrong?" Natalie asked.
"I heard from the tribesmen that spirits don't stay in forests that have been damaged by human hands," Billy said.
"They chop trees now and then…" Natalie frowned.
"Yes, they do, but they also plant a lot more than they destroy," Billy explained. "They have a sense of responsibility toward the place they live."
"You should learn from them since you make so many holes and tunnels," Natalie said.
"I am not doing that for profit, but for convenience… Wait, isn't that worse?" Billy asked. "Anyway, without doing that, we would waste a lot more time dealing with enemies, so this is something that saves lives in the end. Regardless, I will lol for more distant forests because I think I can find rare spirits here. Do you want to return?"
"No way, I want to see the spirits," Natalie said.
"Only those that have the tribesmen skills can see them, but… I guess it is fine," Billy thought after considering some possibilities.
