The next day, we left the Capital City of the Alastin Kingdom and set off north again. Perhaps because I had explained the situation, the atmosphere during our travel had changed somewhat.

—So, Ruon. What about the Southern Invasion?

Actually, Kuuza is asking a lot of questions. I think it’s out of curiosity, but it’s very troublesome for me.

…I don’t know if we’ll encounter any Story events, and the situation of the Southern Invasion hasn’t been decided yet. I think it’s bad to have preconceived notions.

When I stated my opinion, Kuuza let out a small sigh.

Well, that’s true… But knowing the situation is a considerable advantage.

I agree with that, but we shouldn’t rely on it.

That opinion came from Sylvie.

Just because Ruon knows, if we keep relying on him, we won’t get stronger.

Ah, that’s true… Well, never mind. Let’s stop talking about this.

It seems like it’s over… but,

“So, Ruon. How about you release your Book Aura and fight?”

“……What’s with the sudden change?”

“Since Lefin and Divine Spirit Garuku have testified, I no longer have any doubts. However, I’d like to see your abilities once.”

…Well, that’s definitely the part he’s most interested in.

“Just so you know, ordinary monsters won’t be a match for me, and I don’t think it would mean anything.”

“You wouldn’t even need to release your Book Aura?”

“No.”

“I see…”

Kuuza looks disappointed. I can only give a wry smile at his slumped shoulders.

“I’m interested too, you know.”

Sylvie says. Sofia, on the other hand, just glances at me without speaking… but like Kuuza, she seems interested.

“By the way, Ruon,”

This time, Sylvie begins to speak.

“Actually, I’ve been developing a skill for a while now…”

“A skill? Oh, what about it?”

“It’s not complete yet, but I’d like you to take an attack from it once and tell me what you think about how powerful it is.”

“Hey.”

When I involuntarily call out, Sylvie shrugs.

“If nothing works on you, then aren’t you the best person to test the flow of a skill on?”

…I mean, the atmosphere with my companions has changed, but isn’t it for the worse?

Well, I guess Sylvie and Kuuza probably have some teasing in mind… Or rather, could the skill Sylvie is developing be the unique technique ‘One Instant’? If so, it feels a bit early for her to have acquired it.

Sofia is smiling a little, listening to our exchange… Just as I was thinking of saying something if things continued like this, Kuuza spoke again.

“Ruon, which do you plan to head to, Salamander’s Lair or Academia?”

“……Going to the Capital City would require a bit of a detour… Sofia, what do you think?”

“I don’t mind going directly to my dwelling.”

Well, that’s how it would be… And then Kuuza spoke.

“So, you’ll be fighting Divine Spirit Pheus, right?”

“I don’t know if we’ll fight… but yes.”

“And that dwelling and the place where the Spirit God is are close?”

“According to Lefin, it seems so–“

I said this much and realized what Kuuza wanted to say.

“Kuuza, that means–“

“No, look. Divine Spirit Garuku is a duplicate, and we haven’t seen the Spirit God itself yet. I wanted to see what kind of being it is up close… and while we’re at it, I thought I’d observe your abilities, Ruon.”

“Hey.”

When I raise my voice, Kuuza says, displeased.

“But, you know, you’re strong enough to command a Spirit God, right? It’s fine to hide that for now because of the Demon King, but it’s natural to want to know in detail how much power you possess, isn’t it?”

…If I were in Kuuza’s position, I’d think the same, and I guess it’s unavoidable to be interested… By the way, Sylvie is keeping silent, but she’s showing signs of agreeing with Kuuza’s proposal.

And Sofia seems flustered by Kuuza’s proposal, but seeing as she doesn’t interrupt him, she must be interested.

“……But, I can’t decide that on my own.”

“What do you mean?”

“For example, Water King Azua’s dwelling was in the Seabed Cave. You naturally wouldn’t be able to follow me to a place like that, would you?”

Yeah, well, I guess so.

And if it’s near Feus’s home, the Salamander’s Lair, wouldn’t it be a volcano or something? See, there was an active volcano near his home.

Doesn’t Lord Garuku know? If it’s safe, shouldn’t we go?

It seems he intends to follow me wherever I go.

…Garuku.

Indeed.

Young Garuku appears on my right shoulder and begins to speak to Kuuza.

I’m sure that, according to the knowledge I possess, there should be no monsters around Feus.

Is there a reason for that?

Who knows. Maybe he just wants to avoid the presence of monsters.

Anyway, there are no monsters… so it seems there won’t be a problem if we go?

Probably not.

Alright, let’s go.

You’re deciding too quickly.

I couldn’t help but interject. But Kuuza showed no signs of being bothered.

What are you saying? Don’t you think it’s important to understand the strength of your companions?

He’s full of ulterior motives… and he doesn’t even try to hide it.

Sigh… It’s probably useless to tell you not to come, isn’t it? However, if it turns out to be dangerous, I’ll have you leave immediately.

Alright.

Kuuza snaps his fingers. I ended up watching him do so with a sigh.

That day, we smoothly completed our schedule and reached the Post Town. We got a room, and decided to eat at the tavern, so we all took our seats, but—

…It feels a bit gloomy, doesn’t it?

Sofia says. Kuuza and Sylvie also seem to agree, looking around the interior of the shop.

As she said, there are a few humans drinking sake, but their expressions are uniformly dark. There shouldn’t have been any talk of monsters appearing around here, so it feels out of place, but—

Shall I ask?

I spoke up and called out to a female clerk who was passing by.

Excuse me… do you have a moment?

Yes.

Here, I lowered my voice,

…Has there perhaps been any trouble around this town?

At my question, the woman’s body trembled slightly. Hmm, it seems I was right.

I pull out my game memory here. Considering my current location and the timing of the scenario, the trouble in this area would be—

It might be presumptuous of me, but I think you should leave here tomorrow.

The woman stated. Then Sofia asked a question.

What’s going on?

At those words, the woman initially seemed hesitant to speak, but eventually began.

Bandits. They appear out of nowhere and injure people. There have been no casualties yet, but everyone says that damage will occur before long.

Bandits, huh.

Sylvie scratched her head and then addressed the woman.

Are there any bandit groups nearby?

No, there’s no talk of anything like that.

—Hearing that much, a possibility came to my mind. There should have been a Guild quest like that in the game.

If it were just this, it would simply be that an opportunity to get involved in such an event arose. But I was surprised inside. Because–

“……Is there something on my face?”

Before I knew it, I was looking at Sylvie. I replied, “It’s nothing,” and looked away.

Yes, this is related to her… This Guild quest is also an event where I can get information on Sylvie’s revenge target, and I was quite surprised by this coincidence.