There are monsters, but perhaps because they aren’t heavily affected by the Miasma, they are, frankly, weak. I wondered if this place was truly suitable for the Book, but Garuku, in his youthful form, said, “No problem.”

“There’s no doubt a considerable amount of magic power hidden here. It’s said that monsters have difficulty benefiting from it.”

“……Garuku.”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I just thought I’m not used to it.”

I sighed at Garuku, who had changed his appearance to a boy and his tone of voice.

I understand Feus and Azua, but… my association with Leader and Young Garuku has completely solidified that image.

“So, once we reach the back, Feus will take care of various things?”

“That’s how it will be.”

“By the way, what will Azua do?”

“Do I have to do something?”

“……Could it be that you simply came here out of curiosity?”

“So what?”

No… it’s nothing. In this case, I’ll interpret it as a significant place, the Angel Ruins, which even the Spirit God finds interesting.

According to them, it’s a place imbued with inexplicable power… I stepped in here to confirm that, but… I haven’t directly touched or investigated what kind of power it is, so some kind of verification will be necessary.

As I advanced, defeating monsters, I indeed started to feel a mysterious power, just as Garuku and the others had said. The Divine Spirits seemed constantly concerned about it, but… not long after, we reached the innermost part.

It was a very deep room, so vast that the light couldn’t illuminate the entire space.

“……Hmm.”

At that moment, Azua let out a sound. Just as I was about to ask what was wrong, Feus and Garuku also fell silent.

“Is there a strong monster?”

When I posed that question, the Divine Spirits maintained serious expressions. It seemed I had hit the mark.

“Besides, it’s strange for this group to be wary of a monster.”

“Even if the opponent isn’t significant in terms of magic power, we’re being cautious because we haven’t verified the inexplicable magic power.”

Feus said. Her face was stern, but her voice quality remained unchanged.

“I think it’s unnecessary worry, though.”

“I see… So, what should I do?”

“Well, what should we do?”

“We’ll handle this–“

Just as Azua started to say that, a roar-like sound came from directly ahead. The monster seemed to have become wary as well.

I couldn’t see its form yet, but I could feel magic power seeping out. It seemed to be a monster that had absorbed the Mysterious Magical Power Garuku and the others spoke of.

Hmm, in that case–

“Leave this to me. There’s something I want to try.”

I declared my intention to fight. After the Divine Spirits fixed their gaze on me, Garuku spoke.

“It possesses a special power. Are you sure?”

“Considering the possibility that the Magic Barrier might not work, I’ll try to avoid its attacks. Garuku and the others, please watch out for other monsters.”

With those words, I drew my sword. As I took a step forward, a murderous intent emanated from the front.

I try to increase the amount of light to illuminate further into the depths. But I still can’t see it. At that moment, the Monster also seemed to become very wary, and its Magic Power grew even denser.

“By the way, Garuku, there were no Monsters that absorbed incomprehensible Magic Power other than the one in this hall, but…”

“I think it’s safe to interpret that only the depths of these Ancient Ruins are a special place. Most of the Monsters in other places weren’t affected much, but only here were they significantly affected… It’s even possible that the Angels intentionally created them.”

“So, Angels created it?”

“That possibility cannot be denied—”

While Garuku was speaking, the Monster finally revealed itself.

In a word, it felt like a composite of various Monsters. Its face had bared fangs like a Demon, a body like a lion, and it possessed gray wings. Its size was about twice that of a tiger. Its appearance made it hard to believe Angels created it.

Should I call it a grotesque fusion of various creatures? It was the kind of existence that would make my companions feel disgusted if they saw it.

“How ugly,”

Azua said. The one who reacted to that was Feus.

“It’s hard to believe an Angel created such an entity. It’s more plausible to interpret it as a spontaneous generation, influenced by Mysterious Magical Power.”

As I listened to her words, the Monster launched a charge. It was a straightforward movement, but considering its massive body, it had an overwhelming momentum that felt like it could crush us—

But I reacted immediately and swung my sword. It was a Wind Blade, a technique with no specific name. If this didn’t work, I’d have no choice but to dodge—but the Monster couldn’t avoid it, took the Wind to its head, and was blown away.

“As expected.”

Garuku praised me with his voice. The Monster lost its balance and fell to the floor as if slammed down, but it quickly recovered its posture.

There was a clear wound on its head. There was no doubt that it was effective. The previous attack was a feint, so I hadn’t put much power into it. If I put some effort into it, defeating it shouldn’t be difficult.

“Shall we finish it quickly?”

I spoke and ran towards the Monster. The Monster seemed to bare its fangs in defiance—but I paid no mind and cut it down.

A downward swing from above. The Monster remained in a posture of intimidation. It seemed unable to keep up with my movements—the Monster, which received a sword strike to its head with surprising ease, disappeared without a trace.

“…Compared to Monsters affected by Demonic Miasma, its defensive capabilities are just a bit higher, I suppose.”

I assessed it while sheathing my sword.

“Garuku, we’ve defeated the Monster in the hall for now, but…”

“I’m going to start preparations, so please wait a moment.”

“Understood… By the way, will the Mysterious Magical Power that you and the others mentioned be incorporated when creating Spirits this time?”

“We’ll exclude that. We can sort it out.”

Garuku, who said that, met my gaze.

“So, it seems you’re thinking about various things… Won’t you tell me what you know?”

“Well, for now… Ah, I have one request.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to analyze the Mysterious Magical Power.”

“That’s fine, but will you use it in the War with the Demon Lord?”

I shook my head from side to side at the question.

“It’s not like that… When the time comes for me to explain the situation, I’ll tell you again.”

“You’re being mysterious. Well, if it’s Ruon’s instruction, I’ll follow it.”

I said, “Please,” and looked around the hall. There was nothing on the floor within the illuminated area. It was just an empty space.

It’s as if the Angels took everything with them when they withdrew from the Ancient Ruins. Moreover, there are no Artifacts here either.

There’s too little information, so I wouldn’t have any idea why these Ancient Ruins exist in the first place—

“…Ah.”

At that moment, something came to mind.

“Hey, Garuku.”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“Just to confirm, we don’t know the purpose of the Demon King attacking this Continent, do we?”

“How would I know? What about you, Ruon?”

“It wasn’t explicitly stated in the Story…”

I remember there were opinions that this aspect was unsatisfying. Even the Demon Race that appeared had a fair amount of lore, so I don’t think the Demon King’s purpose, which could be called a key to the Story, was neglected.

Well, the Demon King only appears in the latter half of the scenario, so there’s a non-zero chance that they couldn’t include a scene discussing their purpose—

“Are you thinking, Ruon, that this has something to do with these Ancient Ruins, or rather, the Mysterious Magical Power?”

Garuku asked. After a moment of silence, I spoke.