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The Great Forest and the Demonic Realm.

The two shared a rather gloomy atmosphere that was surprisingly similar. However, the reasons behind this shadowy vibe were entirely different.

The Great Forest was a refreshing sanctuary shaded by towering trees that pierced the sky, hiding the sun away.

Meanwhile, the Demonic Realm lacked such tall trees, allowing sunlight to shine freely. Yet, with creatures living both beneath the ground and flying in the sky, one could sense an ominous gloom brought by the gathering storm clouds.

As Diolia spread her senses to examine the surroundings, she gently stroked the mane of her horse and spoke.

“So far, the magic doesn’t seem particularly dense. But for a land recorded as the Demonic Realm, this forest is eerily quiet. Deputy Commander, do you feel anything unusual?”

“I haven’t noticed anything yet… but it seems Princess Shione has sensed something.”

At my words, Shione nodded softly. Then, she turned her gaze toward the Special Mission Team following behind her.

Despite the serene atmosphere that felt almost cozy, the knights and wizards unleashed their mana. Rangers and priests keenly relied on their sharp senses and divine power to gather information about their surroundings.

“From here onward, the magic will thicken. Everyone, prepare to resist the magic with mana and divine power.”

With Shione’s command, they channeled their mana and moved forward once again.

After a while, they finally began to see an area befitting the Demonic Realm. The dry, crumbling earth appeared lifeless, as if infected by decay. Trees had taken on bizarre shapes while the weeds nearby looked pitiful, as though their tenacious life forces were dwindling.

Even the sturdy steeds they had been riding seemed to sense something amiss, refusing to advance any further.

“Let’s take a moment to rest before we explore ahead!”

After a long day of riding, even these superhuman beings needed a short break to relieve the accumulated tension and fatigue.

During the break, I casually checked on the condition of the knights alongside Shione, and soon we found ourselves engaged in conversation.

“I think it will be difficult to lead the horses further from here.”

“That’s true. Horses tend to struggle against magic… they must be sensing it instinctively.”

Shione closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the breeze against her skin. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was fixed deeper into the forest.

“With this dense mana right at the entrance, if we delve too deep, we might end up getting poisoned by it. Especially here, it feels like the place insidiously infects you without you even realizing it.”

The aura possessed by the Demonic Realm was unlike the oppressive magic exuded by demons.

The energy that had accumulated over countless years was not one that sought to conquer or crush like a demon; it was one that gradually devoured life, leading to slow destruction.

Shione clenched her fists tightly. Although she appeared calm, her sharp senses were undoubtedly more bewildered than anyone else’s at this very moment.

To ease her tension, I casually asked her about her uncanny ability to perceive the nature of magic.

“By the way, Princess Shione, how are you able to sense the magic so quickly?”

“It’s just… a feeling that comes from the sensation on my skin and the images that pop into my head. It’s somewhat different, but that’s basically it.”

“So, are you currently seeing any images?”

“Yeah.”

It was amusing to think that she perceived the world in a different way, seeing images unfold before her eyes.

“What about the images ahead?”

“Hmm… well…”

As she focused on the images, Shione’s lips curled into a frown.

“It feels like living with cockroaches that just won’t die no matter how many times you squash them.”

“Excuse me? Cockroaches?”

“I see an image of being trapped in a room filled with cockroaches that keep breeding.”

“Ah…”

Just as I was hit with an eerie chill from her description, I realized I wasn’t the only one shocked.

“…That’s definitely a bit frightening.”

Even Diolia, who had arrived leading several members including a priest, shook her head in disbelief. Whether or not Shione’s description was effective, the expressions of the team members who had momentarily visited the imagined world seemed quite grim.

“Oh, Lady Diolia. And what about the priest and knights?”

“Before we make an official exploration of the Demonic Realm, I thought it would be prudent to verify how much of the magic Princess Shione’s spells and the priests’ divine power can purify the magic here.”

Diolia gestured toward the resting steeds.

“If we succeed, we might even be able to ride through the Demonic Realm, allowing us to finish our exploration more swiftly.”

Just as she said, the task at hand was to confirm whether Shione’s magic could operate effectively within this environment.

We left the main body of our group behind, taking with us escort troops and priests to venture inside the Demonic Realm. Despite channeling our mana, we were on the edge of feeling the throbbing influence of magic. It was time to begin our tests.

First, we turned to the priests. I spoke to one who was awaiting orders.

“Can you purify the magic here?”

“I will give it a try!”

As the priest closed her eyes and began to pray, divine power radiated from her. As expected, Ainel had chosen a competent individual for the Special Mission Team, as her substantial divine power began to cleanse the surrounding magic.

However, as soon as she ceased her prayers, the magic quickly returned to the area.

“I can purify a small area with ease, but… if the scope widens too much, it consumes too much divine power. Plus… the magic comes rushing back as soon as we stop the purification.”

“It seems better to use the priests’ purification at the entrance of the Demonic Realm where the magic is weak,”

Even trying with multiple priests led to the same conclusion. Although they managed to purify a broader area, complete purification remained unattainable. The surroundings were already saturated with magic.

After checking on the priests, it was now Shione’s turn to demonstrate her magic. She gathered her magic in both hands and cast it, but rather than the ground, she applied it to her own armor.

‘Last time, she infused it into her arrows.’

After using magic once, she had learned to imbue it into her armor as well.

Thanks to that, an extensive area of magic was completely swept away around her.

Perhaps feeling joy from the scene, Shione beamed a sincere smile before regaining her composure as the knights’ gazes fell upon her.

“Perfect!”

“Right? I’m glad it all worked out.”

Still, she couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice.

Though it wouldn’t be strange for her magic, which could even repel those bizarre demon apparitions, to not work here.

As Shione’s prolonged magic proved effective across a much wider area, the exploration by the Special Mission Team began in earnest. They advanced, probing deeper, checking the terrain to prepare for the next search.

Soon enough, a signal from a ranger cut through the boundaries between the entrance and middle of the Demonic Realm where approaching without Shione’s magic would be quite a challenge.

“The ranger has found ruins!”

“What? There are ruins?”

One ranger had successfully discovered remnants of a past civilization.

The entire Special Mission Team was led by the ranger’s voice, gathering before her as she called out to them in front of the ruins. Up until now, they had found no signs of human presence here. Perhaps it wasn’t too deep, and they had entertained suspicions of a demon’s temporary dwelling.

However, soon we could dismiss that suspicion.

‘No idea what purpose it served, but it seems to be a large building made of stone.’

While all other parts were crumbled and debris lay scattered, only one side remained standing, hinting at the height of the ancient structure. Judging by how the top part was still intact, it appeared to be about three stories high.

What reason would a demon have for gathering enough time to bring rocks here and build?

Especially noticeable were the massive claw marks engraved on the wall of the remaining structure.

“…It looks like it’s been clawed by a beast.”

“I thought exactly the same, Deputy Commander. However… the size of the claws seems too large to be that of a mere beast.”

Could it be that a dragon came and left its marks?

With the insight gathered from confirming the traces left by possible monsters, we gained further knowledge regarding the hazards that lay within the Demonic Realm.

“Knights, maintain vigilance in the surroundings, and wizards and priests, investigate the building. Rangers, conduct a swift once-over of this area.”

There were no more buildings to investigate around.

Nevertheless, the structure yielded several types of books and maps. Shione cautiously opened one of the books she took into her hands.

As I hovered beside her, reading the contents, it became clear that it was filled with an unknown language. Yet even so, Shione nodded skillfully and glanced back at the text.

“This is definitely the language of the ancient kingdom.”

“Princess Shione, do you understand the language of the ancient kingdom too?”

Well, even if she seemed to be glued to flower language dictionaries, she was undeniably a bookworm reading various texts.

Although mostly light novels, I had occasionally seen her bookshelf contain some informative reads.

As I looked at her with a somewhat impressed expression, Shione shrugged her shoulders and answered brightly.

“No? It’s only been a little while since the common tongue of the continent was adopted. Moreover, it’s not even the modern kingdom’s language… the ancient kingdom’s language was used much before the kingdom was properly established. I don’t know much beyond a few famous words.”

If that’s the case, then why had she been reading so much?

“Once we return to the Count’s House, we can commission linguists and historians. Based on what seems like a church, we might even receive support from the Church if needed.”

“A church, you say?”

“I saw quite a few words related to gods in the book. Without a doubt, it would make no sense to find such a book if it weren’t from the church—”

Shione pointed out a specific word and showed it to me.

“This word, in ancient kingdom language, is Shianella. With such fruitful results, we can take a breather from our exploration now.”

That’s true.

With Shione’s magical verification and finding remnants of a past building, not to mention acquiring an intact old book, the justification for the reality of the buildings mapped out by Ainel increased significantly.

After all, solving the enemy’s eradication was not even the primary goal of this particular Special Mission Team. As such, simply gathering this amount of information counted as nothing short of abundant gains.

Just as I contemplated this, believing that things were going too smoothly and needed a twist, a commotion erupted in the woods.

───!!!

A high-pitched roar, one hard to convey with a human voice, shook the forest. With a strong pressure felt from deep within the center, the Special Mission Team fell into formation, as they had trained.

Boom─!!

A powerful explosion resonated from afar.

As if being chased by something, I felt the vibrations in the ground caused by numerous beings racing towards this location.

“Everyone, prepare for battle! Draw your swords, ready your magic!”

I too strung an arrow to the bow and spoke.

“Princess Shione, do you feel anything?”

She had already loaded her arrow, focusing through the underbrush ahead with keen concentration.

Finding that there was still quite a distance confirmed my decision to cease my questions and shout to the team members.

“Be on guard for the direction of Princess Shione’s arrow!”

Whoosh──!!

Shione released her magic arrow.

All eyes turned toward the shadows hidden in the thick forest, and suddenly, monsters began to emerge.

‘That’s—’

Orcs, symbols of tough vitality, followed by even mightier ogres, possessing incredible regeneration and strength.

Unlike typical creatures, they bore larger frames, and on their heads were formidable horns, as if thinking themselves majestic stags.

One ogre, pierced by Shione’s arrow, began to roar, locking its gaze on both me and Shione, realizing who had inflicted the blow.

“Commence battle!”

The ogre, already demolishing nearby trees with its colossal weapon, approached us, blowing out huffs of anger as it charged forward.

 

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