“The location is… a building to the west of here.”

I tilted my head at Garuku’s statement.

“A building? To the west of Town, there’s only forest and mountains, isn’t there?”

“Beyond that mountain, and beyond another forest and mountain, there’s a building. Should I call it a fortress?”

A fortress… I don’t really know, but that means the familiar’s master is there, right?

“So it was surprisingly close… Alright. Let’s go there right away.”

“Indeed.”

I left the Town and began my journey. The west side of the Town was like my backyard, and I used magic to quickly climb the mountain and go to the other side.

The view from the mountaintop was nothing but forest. Beyond that, there was another mountain, but—

“Beyond that mountain?”

“Precisely.”

When the reply came, I didn’t hesitate to use magic to dash through the forest. There was another mountain, but its elevation was lower compared to the previous one.

Beyond that, another forest… but indeed, I saw a building.

“A fortress… it’s made of wood. Rather than being built by a nation, it’s more like a fortress that bandits used as their stronghold, perhaps?”

While speculating, I observed the building from afar. Its exterior was an ordinary fortress.

“Garuku, just to confirm, are they really in that location?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

I proceeded further. I wondered what kind of person would be there… When I quickly reached near the fortress entrance, I noticed something.

“It’s a monster.”

An Ogre… just like the Tower where I saw Richard’s name before. It was acting as the gatekeeper of the fortress. By the way, the gate was broken or left open. It didn’t seem difficult to enter. The monster in front of me was undoubtedly no different from what the Demon Race would create. So, does that mean the Demon Race is here after all?

The monster in front of me was undoubtedly no different from what the Demon Race would create. So, does that mean the Demon Race is here after all?

But if that’s the case, why were they monitoring Richard… My questions are endless, but if I go inside and investigate their true identity, I might find something out.

I hesitated a bit on how to proceed, but I decided to hide my presence and pass through.

I activated the Presence Erasure and Soundproofing Magic I had been using while secretly watching Sofia. I moved without being noticed by the Monsters.

I easily entered through the entrance and looked around. I could see Monsters inside the Fortress too. The center of them was, as expected, Ogres. I ignored them and entered the building.

Now, inside… The path from the entrance split into three. And there were Monsters inside the building too… How vigilant are they?

I was puzzled by the excessive Guard. I didn’t think it was necessary to go this far…

“Lord Ruon.”

Then, suddenly, Garuku’s voice.

“I feel the Magic Power I sensed earlier from the back of the path straight ahead.”

“Then, he’s there.”

“Yes. And one more thing.”

“What is it?”

When I asked, Garuku answered after a slight pause.

“I sense an unsettling presence.”

“Unsettling?”

“It’s not from this building. If I had to say, it’s not on the ground, but in the sky.”

The sky…? Just as I tilted my head and was about to ask, something like a howl came from outside.

Could it be, I was noticed? Immediately after thinking that, the surrounding Ogres suddenly began to move.

But the Monsters didn’t seem to recognize my presence and passed by… What is this—

“It’s the Demon Race.”

Lefin stated definitively.

“The Demon Race… and I sense the presence of Demons.”

“From the sky, as Garuku said?”

“It seems so.”

Was the reason for having the Monsters on Guard this much to protect themselves from an attack by the Demon Race? But why would the master of the Familiar in this Fortress be targeted by the Demon Race and Demons?

Although the situation was full of questions, I decided I needed to investigate the master of this Fortress for now, and proceeded further in.

Eventually, I reached the innermost, large room. There, I saw a single man, who had detected the arrival of the Demons, standing with a grim expression.

The person in front of me—a man—could be described in one word, rather than listing his features.

He was probably in his mid-twenties… Aside from being a bit older and having some stubble, he looked exactly like Richard, whom I met in Town.

What does this mean…? I almost let out a sound, but quickly stopped myself. Making a sound here would definitely be bad.

But my questions grew. Is this resemblance related to Richard in Town? But Humans shouldn’t be able to create Monsters that the Demon Race inherently creates—

“Oh, how interesting.”

Suddenly, Garuku’s voice echoed in my head.

“I see… I’m starting to vaguely understand the situation.”

Is that true—just after I thought that, Lefin’s voice echoed in my head this time.

“Lord Ruon, why don’t we start by confirming the situation for now?”

…You’re right, I agreed in my mind. Immediately after, the man—let’s call him Richard for convenience—began to walk with a grim expression.

“Is it bad if I don’t fight too?”

I spoke right after his figure disappeared… but as Lefin said, I should understand the situation before thinking about how to act.

I started walking, following Richard. As soon as I spotted his back at the Fortress Entrance,

“Now, prepare yourself.”

I heard a young voice from a Young Man. I watched from a slight distance. Facing Richard was a man cloaked in Black—a Demon Race member who made no attempt to hide his presence.

He was dressed entirely in black from head to toe. His appearance was handsome, but his face wore a smile so distorted it was in bad taste, more than enough to arouse caution. The Demons around and above him further amplified that atmosphere.

Oh, but before that, I should introduce myself. My name is Teres. I am a Demon Race sent to kill you.

Teres, a Demon Race who didn’t even show courtesy, said.

Normally, I’d just kill you without a second thought… but there’s something I need to ask you. How did you get hold of our technology? Why can you create such monsters?

—At those words, I turned my head to Richard. He remained silent, but… the technology to create monsters seems to be undeniably the same as that of the Demon Race.

I don’t know the circumstances, but he knew the method the Demon Race used to create monsters and used it to create ogres. The Demon Race in front of me is probably someone the Demon Lord’s Side dispatched to subjugate Richard after learning of his existence.

Richard was in this fortress, perhaps to intercept Demon Race like Teres… He might have foreseen such a battle, which is why he created and commanded such a large number of monsters.

Now, what I can do in this situation—of course, I want to help Richard and ask him what happened, but I have to figure out how to deal with Teres.

Since he’s just a dispatched Demon Race, it seems like there wouldn’t be a problem if I showed up and defeated him here. But if Teres himself is a high-ranking Demon Race… there’s a possibility he’s connected to the Demon King or close executives. If I make a mistake, I might end up being marked along with Richard.

The ideal scenario is to act without Teres noticing my presence. In the game, when the protagonists fought Demon Race other than the Five Great Demons, they were definitely getting a lot of attention. It’s no doubt the same this time, which is why it’s better not to be found.

However, as long as I use Stealth Magic, I can still use other magic, but its power will drop significantly. If I go all out, that’s not the case, but then magic power would leak, leading to utter failure. But I don’t think I can defeat him while holding back. So—

Lefin.

Yes.

Can you fight without being seen by the Demon Race?

In my case, I can’t attack or defend unless I’m outside.

Understood. Then wait until Richard is in danger… Garuku.

What is it?

It’s difficult to attack while using Presence Concealing Magic… That Demon Race must be quite strong, commanding demons alone… Is there any way to support Richard?

After a brief silence, an answer came.

I can temporarily use your magic. It’s impossible for Lefin, who isn’t contracted, but I can do it.

Really?

Yes. But it’s only temporary. I will temporarily take over your magic via my vessel. However, the time will be less than a few minutes. And if it exceeds the limit, the vessel will disappear.

Can it be used continuously?

It will probably take a day for the vessel’s magic power to return… so this will likely be a one-time cooperation.

I see… Understood. Let’s go with that.

Having made a decision—I began to rethink my strategy while keeping an eye on Richard and the others.