“If you’d like, would you fight with us?”

At my invitation, Kuuza looked back at me and fell silent.

Before I knew it, we were standing in the middle of the highway. Sylvie and Sofia seemed to be waiting for Kuuza’s answer, and there was an atmosphere of watching over him.

“…Just to confirm, your goal is to defeat the Demon Race—and by extension, the Demon King, right?”

“I don’t know how far we can go, though.”

I shrugged and responded to Kuuza.

“Besides, to fight the Demon King, we need to gather the power of the people of the Continent… First, I think our immediate goal is to defeat the Demon Race rampaging in various parts of the continent.”

“I see, I understand… My goal aligns with that as well. Nice to meet you.”

–And so, Kuuza became our comrade. I came to the Southern Region for various reasons, but I hadn’t expected to meet him… In any case, he will surely be active in future battles.

We started walking again and headed towards the town. On the way, Sylvie asked Kuuza a question.

“Kuuza, why were you wandering alone and defeating Monsters and such? Did you have a grudge against the Demon Race or something?”

“There’s no deep reason… I started traveling for Magic training, but then, of course, I ended up fighting Monsters. And after solving various troubles… including those Sylvie was involved in, I somehow came to be called a ‘Wandering Mage.'”

–It probably means he doesn’t have feelings of deep hatred towards the Demon Race.

“However, I originally became a Magic-user because I wanted to help people. It’s true that it suited my nature.”

“…That’s quite a reason, but the battles ahead will be even more intense. Are you prepared?”

“Of course.”

He answered immediately. Regardless of the reason, there was no doubt that he himself was prepared to fight to the end.

“Now… changing the subject, you two came all the way here to get a sword, right?”

Kuuza asked Sofia and Sylvie. They both nodded slightly.

“The problem is what happens after that…”

“We need to gather information and decide how to act based on the situation of the Continent.”

I opened my mouth, as if to interrupt his words.

“But there are still things left to do.”

“What is it?”

I glanced at Sofia, then announced.

“Spirit Contract… I’ll go to the last remaining Salamander and make a contract.”

Salamanders inhabit the Central Continent, specifically in a slightly northern region. It is also said that the Divine Spirit Pheus is in a nearby location. I must go there.

“I see, with the Salamander… In that case, I have a suggestion.”

“A suggestion?”

“Sofia uses both Sword Technique and Magic, right? If she’s contracted with Spirits, she must also use Magic Sword Technique.”

“That’s right.”

Sofia nodded. Then Kuuza smiled.

“I’m from the Nateria Kingdom Academy, where the Salamander’s Lair is located… There are also people who research methods to efficiently draw out Spirit’s Power. If you’d like, why don’t we stop by there too?”

—The Nateria Kingdom is a nation located in the Eastern Region of the Continent. While many nations have academies, this nation’s academy boasts one of the largest scales on the Continent. As proof, the number of Magic-users belonging to the court is the highest on the Continent, and perhaps because of this, it is one of the nations that has repeatedly repelled the Demon Race’s invasions and continues to exist without being conquered by them.

The Demon Race also understands that it is a powerful nation, so they invest considerable resources. As a result, the nation itself is fine for now, but it doesn’t have the余裕 to help other nations… That was the setting in the game, and it’s still the situation now that it’s reality.

“Is the nation alright?”

Sofia asked. Kuuza nodded slightly in response,

“It seems they’ve been able to repel the Demon Race for now. There’s no information about towns being conquered or anything…”

“We might have to go there and confirm that as well.”

“Perhaps.”

Kuuza, who agreed with Sofia’s words, asked us, “What do you think?”

Hmm, I see… Sofia is currently fighting primarily with Sword Technique. Since she won’t be focusing on Magic now, I hadn’t really considered going to the Academy to train Magic, but… given that she’s contracting with Spirits, is there room to enhance that aspect?

“Indeed, if we can effectively draw out the Spirits’ power… the potency of our techniques might increase even further.”

Sofia also seemed convinced by Kuuza’s explanation. Sylvie also seemed to agree—that’s when I started to speak.

“Indeed, that approach seems good.”

“Then it’s settled, I suppose.”

“However, I have one question. Why are you so eager to suggest it?”

“Her skill level is quite high, isn’t it? I want to see firsthand what happens when someone like that draws out Spirit’s Power.”

So, it’s curiosity. This is probably a thought only a Magic-user who was enrolled in an Academy would have.

“I see… Sofia, is that alright with you?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s settled. Our next destinations are the Salamander’s Lair and the Nateria Kingdom Academy.”

—There’s also the question of when to tell Kuuza about Sofia’s background, but it’s not an urgent matter. We can tell her at an appropriate time during our journey.

After the sword is completed, we’ll leave the Southern Region and head north… Currently, no events involving fighting the Five Great Demons have been triggered, and Phili and Eina don’t seem to be making any moves. The atmosphere seems safe for the time being.

If something happens on the way to the Salamander’s Lair, we can deal with it from the Capital City—but there are other events. Among them, there are some I want to intervene in, so I need to make sure I don’t miss the timing when an event is triggered.

Anyway, the future course of action has been decided. However, there’s still time until the sword is completed, so we’ll be staying in the Southern Region for a while… During that time, there’s something I must do.

The final battle with Water King Azua.

That night, after conquering the Cave, I slipped out of the inn just like on the first day of our stay and went to the Port. Then, I received information from Amaria that “his whereabouts have been found”—and the next day, I told my companions I would gather information and headed to Azua’s dwelling.

“I’ll try to talk to him, but… don’t get your hopes up.”

Garuku’s voice echoed in my head. I agreed with an “Alright” and then, using Movement Magic, arrived at the location in about a few hours.

It was a coast with a beautiful beach… a place that seemed suitable for a resort, but because of the presence of aquatic monsters, people apparently didn’t approach it much.

However, I could still see people fishing… and then Garuku’s voice came.

“According to Amaria, there’s a Seabed Cave a little offshore from this Coast.”

I can go there with magic, but… under the water, I wonder if I’ll be okay?

Fighting underwater would be tough… As I was thinking, Garuku responded.

“It should be fine. The Water King Azua controls Water and Darkness… The Darkness Trait should prioritize activities on land, and the cave should be filled with air.”

“I’ll hope for that… By the way, Garuku. Have you ever seen Azua?”

“Only once. You know that among the beings called Spirit Gods, he is particularly reclusive, don’t you?”

Indeed, there’s a lot of information, including rumors, about Garuku and Feus, but almost none about Azua. It might be partly because he’s in the Southern Region, where information is hard to transmit, but it’s also likely due to his infrequent activity.

“Are you ready?”

Garuku asked. I nodded deeply and said,

“Yes, let’s go.”

With those words, I used magic and entered the sea.