My Glasses Will Be Able to Conquer the Whole World, I Suppose

243 – Glasses Boy Goes Out to Investigate Again

“Please give your report.”

Once Lisse and the Trawllul team returned, we gathered to organize the information they’d collected.

Geodine, who was in command, me, the vice-leader, and Lisse were the three sharing what we saw and noticed.

Incidentally, the others were just passing time nearby.

Florentine and Trawllul were still flirting as usual, Harriatan was polishing his throwing knives with a cloth, Belge was making something, and Chace was running around for some reason. Everyone seems to be having a good time.

Using a convenient rock as a makeshift table, the three of us gathered around a simple hand-drawn map, likely drawn by Geodine, and we began adding the information we’d collected.

“I think there were about forty of them within visible range. It was in the forest, so I couldn’t get an exact count from a distance.”

Lisse said.

I added that I had seen pretty much the same thing.

“I see. We saw something similar as well.”

I see.

To put it bluntly, there seem to be zombies spread across the entire forest.

“They’re spread out over a wide area. There’s no clear direction to their movement, right?”

Yeah.

It doesn’t seem like the zombies are there for any particular purpose; it’s more like they’re multiplying just because the necromancer, Sanongor, is present.

Monsters have their own distinct ecosystems.

They’re said to be evolved from animals, but the details aren’t well understood.

However, there are cases where they simply appear out of nowhere.

It’s rumored that the magic power in the land accidentally activates summoning magic or something along those lines.

But even that may not be the right explanation.

This time, it’s believed that the sudden appearance of the necromancer, Sanongor, is the cause.

Because if there was some other intention or plan, they would have already moved or taken action by now.

If you walk for half a day, you’ll reach a human settlement… the village we’ve been using as our base is nearby.

If they had any desire to harm people, they would have attacked by now.

The reason they’re staying in the forest is likely because there are plenty of animals and monsters living there.

I think the animals didn’t flee the forest in large numbers. There were a few zombies outside the forest, but not many.

—Such disorganized statements are still valuable pieces of information.

Geodine writes down “There are few zombies outside the forest,” even though it doesn’t seem very useful.

“We’ve decided on the operation’s location.”

There were no objections.

According to what Lisse saw, the side of the forest opposite the village is a swamp… a fairly shallow one, stretching across a wide area.

Maybe the soil doesn’t drain well, or perhaps there used to be a large pond there in the past.

Regardless, the wide, open space without obstacles is perfect for our upcoming operation.

I also think there’s no other option but to carry it out there.

Lisse’s testimony is trustworthy.

Although we’ll need to confirm it with our own eyes later, it’s likely correct.

However, there is one concern.

“Won’t it be hard to burn… in that area? Are we sure it’ll be okay?”

At that one point, I thought the plan might have a flaw, but Geodine dismissed it calmly.

“Since it’s magic, it won’t matter.”

Oh, that’s reassuring. In that case, there’s no issue with the location.

“That should cover it. Eil, can I leave the rest to you?”

“Got it.”

With that, the first half of the investigation was over.

The second half would involve going deeper to gather more detailed information.

“And also—”

Geodine lowered his voice and looked at me.

“—Forgive them sooner rather than later, okay? I don’t know what happened, but dragging it out until the operation isn’t a good idea.”

“You’re right.”

As far as I’m concerned, it’s already over, but it seems like they don’t feel the same way. It’s uncomfortable having unnecessary attention over it.

“Did something happen?”

Lisse asked.

“The usual idiot tried to do something stupid.”

“Ah, I see.”

The fact that Lisse gets it immediately… it’s like everyone knows about it already. Am I that much of a trouble magnet?

“They do mess up from time to time, huh? There was something similar in my group too.”

Lisse said.

It seems something happened on her side as well—probably Trawllul caused some trouble during their expedition.

“As long as it’s just minor issues, it’s fine. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the operation.”

She added.

In my case, it did affect the operation.

If the zombies had acted strangely, it could’ve messed with the entire plan.

If we made the wrong move, it could easily turn into an all-out war.

With that many enemies, going in without a plan is no joke. We could end up with not just injuries, but casualties.

“Well… yeah, it’s just that Ulul started whining that she doesn’t want to get any closer to the zombies, meowing and everything. So, in the end, it was just me who ended up doing the scouting.”

I see.

“That’s fine. As long as she’s not getting in the way.”

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

If someone says from the start that they can’t or don’t want to do something, we can plan around it. If we know in advance, we can always adjust and cover for them.

What’s absolutely unacceptable is when someone insists they can handle it, only to say, “Actually, I can’t do it” at the last moment. That kind of irresponsible behavior is a real nuisance.

It’s something I’ll never tolerate.

Everyone else is working around that person’s claim, after all.

“Why didn’t Ulul want to get closer?”

Geodine asked.

Lisse answered plainly.

“She probably doesn’t want to see rotting corpses.”

“More specifically, I think she said, ‘Nyaa, it’s gross, I don’t wanna~.'”

Wait, what? Seriously?

“Lisse, that doesn’t sound cute when you say it.”

I commented.

“Huh?”

“You’re not even remotely cat-like. Honestly, I think it’s an insult to Trawllul.”

“An insult…? Wait a minute. I’m gonna say it for real this time. Give me a second.”

Apparently, my reaction wasn’t what Lisse had hoped for. She took a few deep breaths, steeling herself before opening her mouth—

“Nyaa—”

“Did something bother you?”

“Hey! You were supposed to ask that! I was just about to do it! You called it an insult, so I was trying again!”

I have no idea what she’s talking about.

Besides, this isn’t the time to be messing around. What is she doing?

As I stared at her in silence, showing clear disdain, Lisse suddenly began radiating a quiet, murderous intent. Maybe I should just drop it—I don’t want to get killed.

“You two get along well, huh?”

Geodine remarked.

“No, we don’t! Did you see that look just now!? He looked at me like I was a slug crawling on a window!”

No, no, the slug has way more… never mind. It’s pointless to argue. This really isn’t the time for games.

So, Trawllul is not good with zombies, huh?

“Hey…”

Geodine looked around at the others and quietly said,

“How many people here are actually okay with zombies? Like, don’t have any resistance to them? I’m a bit uncomfortable with them myself.”

Now that I think about it, Geodine did mention feeling uneasy about them before.

I get it.

It’s not like I like zombies either.

“Really? Well, I’m not exactly a fan either, but it’s not the first time I’ve run into them. How about you, Eil? …Eil?”

………

Ah, so that’s it.

Now I understand why Geodine was concerned.

“Do you think those who aren’t good with zombies can still move according to the plan?”

Geodine’s question made me pause to think.

It’s common for people to freeze up in fear or fail to act as they normally would.

Not everyone here is an adventurer or hunter. Many aren’t used to fighting monsters.

If regular monsters already cause hesitation, how many of them will be able to face zombies without resistance?

When dealing with monsters, it’s usually good to be a little cautious.

But if you’re too scared, your feet won’t move. You slow down. You lose your will to fight.

There’s a chance someone might not be able to act according to the plan—

“Well, we can adjust the timing. I noticed it from a distance too, and seeing them in the light is pretty rough. Let’s avoid doing this during the day.”

……

I see.

As expected of Geodine, he quickly came up with a solution.

We’ll carry out the operation at a time when the zombies won’t be as clearly visible.

…Am I just overthinking this?

With the discussion wrapped up, Geodine folded the hand-drawn map and handed it to me.

The second half of the notes is my responsibility.

“Alright, we’ll be waiting over here then.”

From here on, it’s just me, Lisse, and Trawllul continuing the investigation.

“Nyaa! I don’t wanna! Nooo!”

Trawllul, who had been designated as part of the second half of the investigation team, was visibly reluctant, but I decided to leave the task of convincing her to Lisse.

The rest of the group would remain on standby.

They would stay in a state of readiness so that they could rush to assist us if anything went wrong during our investigation.

Since we’d need to circle around the entire perimeter of the forest, it was going to take some time. But it was necessary, so there was no way around it.

I especially wanted to check out the muddy swamp while it was still light outside.

The scale of it was important, as was the thickness of the mud. I wouldn’t know if it was usable until I tried running through it myself.

“—Eil.”

Just as I was about to set out for the investigation, Belge, who had been fidgeting since the meeting, called out to me.

“Lunch… And about earlier, just let it go, okay?”

He handed me a freshly made, hot sandwich stuffed with thick slices of bacon, just how I like it.

It seemed he was worried about what had happened during the earlier investigation, just like Geodine had mentioned. As for me? I wasn’t bothered at all.

“Thanks. I’m heading out now.”

Taking the sandwich from him was my way of saying that I had forgiven him and didn’t care about the earlier incident.

Since I genuinely wasn’t upset, there was no reason not to accept it. Besides, dragging things out until the mission didn’t sit right with me. And the sandwich looked delicious.

Belge, relieved, left with a contented expression after I accepted it.

“Eil.”

This time, it was Chace who approached me.

“Hey… I’ve got something for you.”

……

It seems like Chace put some thought into this, and I appreciate the effort. He probably gathered it from around here.

But this is a poisonous mushroom.

It won’t be fatal, but it will make your stomach hurt a lot.

It looks very similar to edible mushrooms, but it’s definitely not the same.

He probably mistook it for something safe.

……

“Thanks.”

Since I’m not bothered and it wouldn’t be productive to refuse it here, I decided to accept it.

I’ll give it to Caroferon; I’m sure she’ll be pleased with it.

Now, it’s time to head out for the second half of the investigation.