Sofia and I began defeating the Monsters rampaging due to the Five Great Demons Gudis’s experiment. Sofia alone would be sufficient, but with my support, we demonstrated an unshakeable battle.

“—Lord Ruon, one confirmation, please.”

After repelling the Monsters we found on the Highway, Sofia spoke.

“After we meet up with Alto, will Lord Ruon take a rear-guard position?”

“…I told Alto and his group before, when we teamed up, that they had a bad compatibility with the Miasma in the Stronghold. Anyway, if I say I’ve overcome it or I’m dealing with it with a device, there won’t be any problem, so what should I do? I’ve also become better at fighting without revealing my full power more than before… Well, it’s not too late to decide after meeting up with Alto’s group and the Knight Order.”

My most powerful Magic, ‘Durandal,’ can now unleash its full power. Judging by the types of Monsters we’re encountering, there seems to be no problem with the current situation.

“Incidentally, this Ribbon had another hidden effect.”

“An effect, you say?”

“It might not be that grand, but… as a result of trial and error using the Ribbon, I’ve become much better at handling various types of Magic.”

“That means, in other words…”

“The power of magic and such has increased compared to before… but then again, what would we do if it became even more powerful?”

I’ve also gotten better at adjusting my power than before, so I’d say this area has been a good harvest.

While having that conversation, we hurried to meet up with Alto and the others. It seems Eina and her group want to stabilize the surrounding situation first, rather than immediately engaging in the Great War with Demons, so they haven’t headed to Gudis’ stronghold yet.

“Lord Alto must have become stronger too, right?”

“Yes, there’s no doubt about that… However, it seems his younger sister, Stella, is in a different location.”

“Does that mean she won’t be participating in this battle?”

“It seems so.”

There’s no doubt that the members who fought Redras have been fighting monsters and leveling up. It’s understandable that Alto, as the game’s protagonist, has high leadership abilities, but his companions, the priests Ignos and Kyarun, have also become quite strong. Even just with them and us, we might be able to conquer Gudis’ stronghold.

Making that judgment, we hunted monsters. There were quite a lot of them, and Sofia muttered as she swung her sword.

“There’s truly no end to them.”

“Indeed. And unless we cut off their roots, their sphere of influence will continue to expand… Once we meet up with Alto and the others, let’s meet with Eina and her group right away.”

“Understood.”

We continued, exchanging information with the familiar observing Alto. Just as we were about to finally meet up, a new report came in.

“Enemies again…”

I thought it was a troublesome event even in the game, but in reality, it’s even more troublesome… No, considering they’re indiscriminately scattering enemies, it’s a natural outcome, I suppose.

However, it wouldn’t be good to get discouraged here… So, Sofia and I continued to defeat the enemies calmly. At that moment,

“Hey, are you alright!?”

It was a familiar voice. Sofia and I exchanged glances while defeating monsters—and turned around simultaneously.

“—It’s Ruon and Sofia!”

It was Alto. His appearance hadn’t changed from before, but the greatsword he held had changed to something a bit more expensive.

“It’s been a while… Are you two also hunting monsters after hearing the rumors?”

“Yes, that’s right. What about Stella and the others?”

“Stella has other business, so she’s not with us this time. With me now are Ignos and—”

“Ruon!?”

It was Kyarun’s voice. I turned my gaze and saw her figure, holding a dagger, emerging from the bushes nearby.

Her outfit was entirely black, unlike before. Sofia stared intently, perhaps surprised by it. Kyarun then shrugged.

“Oh, this outfit? It’s some nice armor I got from an acquaintance. Don’t worry too much about the appearance.”

“…I’m glad you’re doing well. By the way, have you completed your training?”

“Well, yes. I’d really like to say, ‘Behold my power,’ but this isn’t the time for that, is it?”

Before I knew it, there were even more monsters. I let out a small sigh and said,

“Let’s talk later. For now, let’s repel these monsters.”

“Right. Kyarun.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Lord Ruon, there are monsters other than those present here, aren’t there? Shall we split up for now?”

“Alright… Alto, is that okay with you?”

“That’s fine. Let’s talk again once we’ve defeated the surrounding monsters.”

With that conversation, we began to fight again.

After that, we defeated the monsters and regrouped once things had calmed down. Everyone rejoiced at the reunion and began to talk on the monster-free plains. Alto was the first to speak.

“It seems monsters are appearing without end… And they’re monsters we haven’t seen in this area before.”

“This is the information I obtained.”

I say, after a preamble.

“It seems the cause is a Demon Race that has established a Stronghold, like Redras.”

“Are you serious? So, it won’t end unless we defeat it?”

“That’s right. And I heard that a group of Knight Orders from various Nations are fighting, so we’re heading there. What will you, Alto, and the others do?”

“……Are the Knight Orders planning to fight the Demon Race that has established a Stronghold?”

“I don’t know that much, but if they realize it’s the cause of the endlessly spawning Monsters, I don’t think they’ll stay silent.”

Alto agrees with my words, saying, “That’s true.”

“Then we’ll come along too.”

“Are you sure? Or rather, do you have any other plans?”

“No. In the first place, we were just about to do something about these Monsters. If it’s a Demon Race that has established a Stronghold… we’ll take them on.”

Strong words. If that’s the case, things will move quickly—but there’s something I need to say.

Alto and the others don’t know Sofia’s true identity. It would be quicker to explain that now for future discussions. I can’t talk about myself, of course.

“……Sofia.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

She agrees readily. It seems she understood what I was trying to say.

“Well then, shall we go?”

“Ah, but before that.”

At my words, Alto and the others turn their gaze towards me.

“There’s something I need to tell you. Now that I think about it, it might have been good to talk about it when Redras was defeated.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about Sofia.”

–And after I explained, including her own words, everyone was uniformly stunned.

My companion Kuuza accepted it quite easily, but Alto and the others are different… or rather, this is the expected reaction.

Then, Alto stares at us and lets out a voice of astonishment.

“……Uh, seriously?”

“It’s understandable that you can’t believe it… but among the Knight Order members we’re heading to, there’s also her cousin, a Knight. If you actually go there, you’ll see if it’s true or not.”

Alto and the others glance at Sofia and fall silent as I casually speak. Yes, it seems they believe me from their reaction.

“Well then, once again, shall we go?”

Alto responds to my words with “Oh, alright,” and starts walking stiffly. Was it really that shocking?

Kyarun, perhaps because they had traveled together for quite some time, seemed somewhat intimidated. It was to the extent that Sofia gave a wry smile, making me wonder if it would have been better not to explain yet.

Well, thinking that they’ll get used to it in a bit, we head towards the Knight Order. While defeating Monsters along the way is only natural, it would also be good to constantly check on Sylvie and the others who are with Phili.

And what I think is, if Alto and the others react like this, what will happen when they reunite with Eina… I don’t think she’s the type to make a big fuss, though.

While imagining what her reaction might be like… we headed to our destination with Alto and the others.