From the next day onwards, we headed for the Nateria Kingdom, where the Academia is located. There were no more obstacles to speak of, and our travel schedule proceeded smoothly.

During that time, we gathered more information. Our Familiar reported that King Kanan of the Alastin Kingdom had achieved great success in the War with Demons.

“By helping the Generals, it seems they’re dealing with the Demon Race quite quickly.”

In a Post Town before the Nateria Kingdom’s Capital City, I told my companions over dinner.

“Achieving results isn’t bad, and above all, it means the Human Side is gaining the upper hand… but if they’re too aggressive, I’m worried about what the Demon King might do.”

“What are the Demon Race’s movements so far?”

Kuuza asked. I pondered for a moment before answering.

“There are no abnormalities within the confirmed range… That said, the Demon Race rarely makes flashy moves. Even if there’s no movement, vigilance is necessary.”

“Will it affect the Southern Invasion and so on?”

This time, Sylvie asked. I could only respond with “I don’t know.”

“I suppose it’s as the story says… I’ll report immediately if I find anything unusual.”

“Lord Ruon, what about Eina and the others’ movements?”

Sofia asked. I prefaced it with “It’s fine” before answering.

“It seems they’re focusing their efforts on eradicating Monsters. The other Protagonists are also taking on job requests, so it doesn’t seem like they’ll have a chance to get involved in the Five Great Demon Races Event.”

“That’s quite leisurely, Leader.”

Sylvie’s comment. But Kuuza opened his mouth to refute it.

“With the appearance of King Kanan, the Human Side has started to recover… The King is apparently calling on Adventurers and Knights to eradicate Monsters, so isn’t this a response to that?”

“But leaving the Five Great Demons alone…”

“No, I think it’s unavoidable in this case.”

This time, I answered Sylvie’s words.

“To fight two of the remaining three Five Great Demons, you need to complete prerequisite events… But those two won’t move unless the event is triggered. So, they’re probably monitoring them while putting them off until later.”

“Is it okay to leave them be?”

They are preparing Continent-Shattering Magic at the Demon King’s command… but I’ve left the counter-strategies for those to Garuku and the others.

“No matter how much magic power is buried underground, we have methods to deal with it. Don’t worry so much.”

Garuku suddenly appeared at the table and said. Sylvie also understood.

“While they focus on the Monsters, we’ll accomplish our objective.”

“Yes… but this time it might take a while. There’s a good chance we might not achieve anything. We should be prepared for that.”

Everyone nodded at my words… and we decided to rest for the day.

And so, our journey continued, and we finally arrived at the Nateria Kingdom Capital—Kurena, the Capital City where Kuuza’s Academia was located.

For me, it was a Capital City I had visited several times during my training. It had solid city walls and gave off an image of robustness, but from this Capital City, I sensed a calm atmosphere and a noble impression.

In addition, perhaps because it houses the largest Academia in the Eastern Region, many students wearing indigo robes, signifying their student status, can be seen. The Academia seems to be functioning properly even after the Demon King’s invasion, as many robed figures came into view immediately after entering the Town.

“It feels like a town of academics.”

Sylvie expressed her thoughts… it might be a town at the opposite end of the spectrum from Ganaize, which has many rough warriors. The climate is also mild, a comfortable temperature that makes you sleepy. In such a setting, we made our way to the Academia.

“So, Kuuza. I can leave it to you once we enter the Academia, right?”

I asked for confirmation. He replied, “Of course.”

“I’ll handle that well, so trust me.”

“I don’t know any Humans at the Academia, so I’m relying solely on you, Kuuza… Oh, speaking of which, Sofia. Are there any Humans who know your true identity?”

“I don’t have any acquaintances at the Nateria Kingdom Academy, so I think it’s fine.”

“I see. If anything happens, tell me immediately.”

“Understood.”

We proceeded without even looking at the shops… The Academia itself exists both inside and outside the Town; the part within the City Walls is mainly focused on research. The part outside, by the way, is where many Magic-users aiming to become officers are, a place for learning things closer to practical combat, so to speak. We are going to the one inside the Town. That’s where the person Kuuza studied under is, and where research on Spirits is conducted.

“…Kuuza, how were your grades at the Academia?”

Suddenly, Sylvie posed a question to him, who was walking ahead.

“We haven’t talked about that, have we?”

“We never had the chance… In my case, I was told I was more suited for practical combat.”

I don’t know if the Humans at the Academia understood his ability to use Magic similar to No-Chant Casting, but given how he fights, being suited for practical combat is undoubtedly true.

“I was torn between research and fighting like this… and since the threat of Monsters was increasing, I chose the path of fighting.”

“You didn’t choose to become an officer?”

“That was one option, but… well, I just thought it wouldn’t suit my personality.”

“Personality…?”

“I’ve always been bad at group activities.”

Kuuza spoke while scratching his head… Well, he was alone until he became our companion, so I could somewhat understand.

“There are other reasons too… For example, almost all my friends joined the court. I somehow felt it would be difficult, so I avoided it.”

“All your friends? They must have been very talented individuals.”

“I was also considered among the smart ones, so most of my friends were those kinds of Humans.”

“Is that sarcasm?”

“I didn’t mean it that way.”

Kuuza gave a wry smile. Now that I think about it, not much was said about him in the game either.

There’s a Magic-user who becomes a companion in this Nateria Kingdom, but I wonder if he’s related to that person? In the game, even if you recruited that person and Kuuza simultaneously, there wasn’t a single conversation event, so maybe it’s better to assume there’s no connection.

The name of that friend was—just as I was about to ask, the Academia appeared before our eyes. Stone walls, similar to the City Walls, seemed to cover the grounds, but they weren’t so high that we couldn’t see the buildings.

“There it is… The Academia within the Capital City might be a bit small in terms of grounds since there’s no training area… but it’s pretty good, isn’t it?”

The exterior of the building was red—no, perhaps it would be better to say crimson. The buildings, unified in that color, had a decent amount of dignity, and the gate connecting the inside and outside of the grounds seemed to be blocking us, the Adventurers.

“…Is it okay to go in?”

When I voiced my question, Kuuza pointed to a building near the entrance. It was like a guardhouse, likely checking the Humans passing through.

I’ll talk first. Please wait a moment.

After saying that, he heads to the building alone. We decide to follow instructions and wait.

When Kuuza talks to the guard, a person who looks like a Soldier comes out of the building and enters the large building in front of us. They probably went to make contact.

What will you do if they turn you away at the gate?

Sylvie suddenly asks. I think it will be fine since Kuuza is here, but I guess there’s always a slim chance of that happening.

We’ll just have to give up on working here. It’s a shame, but…

…It seems there’s no need to worry.

As Sofia says this, a man wearing the same crimson robe as the building appears from the building,

Kuuza!

He shouts his name—it seems the person who arrived was an acquaintance of Kuuza’s.