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A large troop movement occurred at the rear forward base. The remaining forces left behind were to maintain the scouts’ base and execute emergency operations, while the rest moved towards the inner stronghold.

The situation seemed to be going poorly, but the silver lining was that this time we could travel not on horseback but in a carriage. Additionally, Shione and I were able to ride together in a carriage loaded with military supplies, allowing us to act without pretenses.

Sure, the cannon barrels and cold weapons were trampled underfoot, but that was nothing to worry about. Lying down on the long bench and resting a bit would get us there in no time. It was way less jarring than riding a horse, so this was a luxury by comparison.

‘Diolia is probably too busy taking care of our knights.’

I could only respect Diolia’s passion for everything except for romantic pursuits.

Even though we had settled into a decent spot, I was too awake to sleep, so Shione and I began to chat comfortably.

“What if another war breaks out? I really don’t want to shoot arrows from the castle walls anymore.”

“…I don’t want to either. I have no idea why they’re making such a fuss after catching that demon that kept spreading poison.”

Shione stretched her arms and said contentedly.

“I just want to go home and lie around all day. I really miss my stacked books and the view of our garden outside the window.”

“And snack on the cookies I brought too?”

“Of course! It’d be even better if you could make and bring some sandwiches occasionally.”

“If you eat like that and don’t move, you’ll get fat.”

“Shut up.”

Shione, who had been laughing lightly, squinted her eyes at me.

At that moment, the carriage jolted, making a noise, but that fool thought I hadn’t heard it and just stared at me with the same look as if nothing had changed.

Why can’t she just say what she wants? Staring like that won’t change anything. It seemed like she wanted me to ask first again.

“What’s bothering you now?”

“By the way, Ray, why isn’t the seat next to me occupied?”

“Come on, how could a slave like me sit next to my lord?”

“Look who’s talking! You said you wanted to stop being a slave, yet you’re still selling yourself off like one. And shouldn’t a slave be sitting quietly on the floor instead of in the opposite chair?”

What on earth is this friend talking about?

The pure Shione was dead. Or maybe she never existed in the first place.

I had ripped off her mask.

“You’re not even trying to hide your sinister intentions anymore?”

“I’m just expressing my thoughts confidently as a noble.”

“That’s rather refreshing.”

“What…?”

“But let’s keep the sitting-on-the-floor idea for your side.”

“…You’re so annoying.”

Oh my god.

I thought I’d scored a point, but she’s instead gotten thoughtful and even agreed.

I could feel in real-time that it was getting harder to keep up with this friend’s train of thought.

As I pondered whether I had created a hero or a monster, Shione suddenly patted her lap invitingly.

“Anyway, hurry and sit next to me, I’m getting dizzy.”

“Is this really a dizzying situation? It was going fine before.”

“…”

Shione’s playful mood suddenly shifted.

The cute puppy-like Shione widened her eyes. Her bright turquoise eyes held my flustered self within them. The shimmering silver bangs slightly obscured her eyes as they pressed down on me.

The funniest part was how painfully obvious it was that her bangs were irritating her eyes, yet she didn’t even consider closing them, displaying that insane attitude.

“Doesn’t your eyes hurt? You’re almost crying.”

“Aren’t you going to come over?”

“I’ll sit down right now.”

I raised the white flag and sat beside her.

Shione, as if she had been waiting for this moment, crossed her arms and began to hum a tune.

I don’t know how long it had been, but as we were nearing the territory, my eyes caught an unbelievable message.

“An energy of illusion and deception is spreading.”

“Remove the energy of illusion and deception.”

Success or failure were of no concern.

The real problem was this energy of illusion and deception.

‘This is maddening, is this energy coming from here?’

The fact that the Status Window, which had emerged after a long time, mentioned the worst enemy was significant.

‘Damn that fourth demon.’

The demon of illusion and deception.

With a look that could crack a leg when kicked, it toyed with our strike force using its worst tricks.

The variety of petty illusions it showed us, leaving us in chaos, was still fresh in my memory. There was even a time chaos erupted within the party, and we nearly all died without attacking once.

For that fourth demon’s energy to be spreading within this territory could only mean one thing.

‘Allen Kalia, that bastard believed in the fourth demon.’

He was the one responsible for us being crippled and unable to return home in agony. There was no one else but Allen Kalia who would do such a thing.

I would have never imagined I’d get entangled with that lunatic.

Looking back, it seemed that he had lured key figures from the Marquis Family using his knightly title. If he had borrowed the powers of the demon of deception to do so, that would easily make sense. Otherwise, sane knights wouldn’t fall for such pathetic seductions from a scumbag like him.

‘Still, is it just the energy spreading around for now?’

That was at least a small blessing.

The energy of that guy induces illusions and voices that are hard for even priests to detect, but it doesn’t act severely enough to compromise one’s sanity.

As long as I could bolster my mind with the help of alchemists, it was something that could easily be overcome.

‘We need to dispel this energy before the demon sets up its scheme.’

However, the denser the energy became, the greater the potential influence it could exert, so it was urgent to cleanse it quickly.

If the situation escalated to a serious extent, it would truly be a good decision to carry Shione and flee to another location.

While immersed in such thoughts, Shione, who had been leaning on my shoulder, pressed closer to me.

Surely, having bloodline related to slaying a demon, Shione must have sensed the energy. I waited in anticipation for what she would say.

Thump.

Shione simply placed my hand, which had been idle, on top of her head.

“I want to sleep a bit, so I’d appreciate it.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“…Why, what? Your hand was just free. And you like petting my head anyway.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“You’re pretending to dislike it while you’ll do it anyway.”

Shione lightly betrayed my expectations and soon fell into a deep sleep.

In the end, as I got lost in my own thoughts, it would be unreasonable to say nothing to her. As I thought I’d inform her once she woke up, before I knew it, the carriage had entered the territory, nearing the inner stronghold.

Suddenly, Shione straightened up and frowned.

“…Ray, there’s something off about the inner stronghold area.”

Shione was serious.

Activating her other senses to detect magic, she began radiating a tense aura.

“An unpleasant energy is spreading in the inner stronghold area. This is—”

With her eyes slightly opened, she spoke as if she had just recalled something.

“It’s the same energy I sensed from Allen Kalia. Unpleasant… that kind of energy. Yes, it’s definitely the case.”

Of course Shione wouldn’t miss this.

As I was about to applaud her ghost-like sense for hitting the mark again, Shione seemed to perceive something else and pulled out a pendant from her possession.

“That pendant…”

“Right, it’s the trial left by my ancestors.”

An item crafted by the World Tree to enable the recipient to undergo the trials of their ancestors once more.

The pendant had a stone that glowed with a faint moonlight. But now, that stone radiated a soft crimson light and appeared to be sensing something.

“My ancestors said this trial was left to face the demon of illusion and deception. Seeing that this pendant is issuing a warning…”

The Status Window, which carried the will of the very existence of the world itself.

Though Shione lacked such a useful device, she was calmly approaching the truth of Allen’s motives.

With a deep-seated hatred too.

“It seems Allen Kalia has borrowed powers from the evil demon that my ancestors warned about.”

Shione’s words mirrored my thoughts clearly. Thus, there was no need to say anything further.

“I need to quickly inform my sister so we can drive this energy away together. Whether through a name or the influence of illusion and deception, nothing good will come from just waiting it out.”

“Indeed, any sort of energy, regardless of which demon it comes from, will have a negative effect on us.”

“Exactly. Oh, and…”

Shione suddenly remembered something crucial, her eyes sparkling.

“Ray, your hand has stopped.”

“Huh?”

Shione once more placed my hand back on top of her head.

“…The carriage hasn’t stopped yet.”

What was most important to her was the slightest bit of complaining.

 

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