During the journey, I used my Familiar to gather information about the Knights. There were five of them. Since they were all wearing full armor, I assumed they belonged to the same order as the Knights we first encountered.

Next, I looked at Romilda. The hesitation had completely vanished from her expression, replaced by a fighting spirit. She had agreed to accompany us after my strong words earlier… She might be aware of her strength and believe she can fight, but she likely has no combat experience. I might need to keep an eye on her. As for what triggered this change… I can ask her later.

Eventually, the Knights entered the Forest. We also entered the Forest from a different spot and proceeded.

Well, at this point, I should explain my plan.

“The Knights we encountered previously were stealing Magic Power from the Angel Ruins.”

As soon as I said that, all eyes briefly turned to me.

“If the Knights are targeting similar Ancient Ruins this time, they will undoubtedly try to seize its power. First, I want to know how they are doing it. I’ll let them go ahead initially.”

“What should we do?”

Sofia’s question.

“There will likely be Monsters inside the Ancient Ruins… The Knights will probably withdraw immediately after achieving their goal in the Ancient Ruins. From what I observed with my Familiar, their opponent is a Dragonkin Knight… an opponent Sofia can definitely defeat with her power. If they try to escape, I’ll ask you to pursue them.”

“You mean, an opponent Lord Ruon missed?”

“You can think of it that way.”

“We’ll do the same, right?”

Yusuka asked for confirmation. I nodded in response.

Meanwhile, we continued to advance slowly through the Forest. Everyone had a determined expression to achieve their objective. It seemed clear that morale was high.

As we approached our destination, I had everyone stop for a moment.

“According to information from my Familiar, if we get any closer, they’ll hear us. Let’s observe from a distance first.”

Then, a brief silence fell… and the sound of rustling bushes could be heard.

I suppressed my presence and watched. Checking through my Familiar, the heavily armored Knights were advancing, unfazed by the bushes.

Suddenly, I noticed their equipment. They were going to acquire the Magic Power existing in the Angel Ruins, but they hadn’t brought any devices. If they had something like that, we could have taken it and used it ourselves, but—

Perhaps Nefmeiza taught the Knights magic, and they’re using it to collect Magic Power. As I pondered, the Knights continued to advance.

Ideally, I’d want to approach while concealing my presence, but in the Forest, no matter what I do, footsteps will make noise. Even if they notice us and a battle ensues, there’s no reason we’d lose, but they would likely abandon their plan. Therefore, we wait.

At this point, the Knights made a move. They suddenly stopped and started talking about something. However, I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

It’s highly probable that they’re doing something to enter the Angel Ruins, which are isolated by magic.

“What do we do?”

Sofia asked for confirmation. I thought for a moment… then spoke.

“I’ll try to get closer using Presence Concealment Magic. If there are no problems, I’ll call Sofia and the others. If something happens… then we’ll just have to adapt.”

Sofia accepted this answer, saying, “Understood.” At that moment, I looked at the Knights, and they were enveloped in light.

They probably generated a Magic Circle or something similar on the ground, and through it, infiltrated the Ancient Ruins.

“So, while the location of the Angel Ruins is known, it seems they aren’t simply accessible.”

Garuku’s voice echoed in my mind.

“Nefmeiza, who repeats the same time, knows that Ancient Ruins are here, but as for the crucial entry method, she handles it by using magic, it seems.”

“Unlike the Shelzia Continent, it seems many Angel Ruins are still hidden.”

After muttering to myself, I reiterated the plan.

“I’ll check first. Sofia and the others, please watch.”

With that, I began to move. I used Presence Concealment Magic and gradually approached the entrance to the Ancient Ruins.

A little later, the Knights also started walking. Their figures disappeared as if through an invisible door… and I slowly approached that spot.

The magic’s effect was still active. It felt like they were forcibly prying open a path to the Ancient Ruins, and they probably had to maintain the magic constantly. Otherwise, the Knights wouldn’t be able to get out either.

“If we step in and they notice us, the plan will fail.”

“In that case, we won’t be able to find out how the enemy obtains Magic Power, but at least we can thwart Nefmeiza’s scheme.”

“That’s true. Let’s settle for that.”

I replied to Garuku, waited a moment, then took a step forward. I tried sending a familiar that had been observing the Knights into the space, but it couldn’t pass through. It seems to be exclusively for humans.

What would happen—the moment I stepped in, I felt a slight sensation of floating, and then, without any issues, I was able to enter the Heterophase Space where the Angel Ruins exist.

I spotted a Knight ahead. I thought they probably wouldn’t notice me if I didn’t make a sound, so I slowly approached.

Eventually, the Ancient Ruins came into view. Being made of stone, it wasn’t much different from other Ancient Ruins I’d seen, but what was distinctive was its temple-like appearance. Its tall, pointed roof, reaching high into the sky, strongly conveyed that it was distinct from other Ancient Ruins.

“What was the purpose of building something like this…?”

I murmured softly as I watched the Knight enter. I followed him in, and a large hall-like area greeted me.

Sunlight streamed in from the many windows, making the interior surprisingly bright. However, the inside was empty, with nothing much to look at except rubble.

Perhaps it served as an Assembly Hall…? While I was thinking that, the Knights began to move.

First, they drew their swords. Then they moved across the hall and stood in a circle.

“Let’s begin.”

When one person spoke, they all simultaneously plunged their swords into the floor. Instantly, the swords began to glow, and the Magic Power dormant in the ground gradually started to be absorbed into the swords.

“So, the swords themselves are devices, then?”

“Even if that’s the case, I have a question. The swords of the Knights I encountered before didn’t seem to have any power.”

“They’re absorbing power like this, but aren’t they sealing power by other means?”

Immediately after Garuku made that prediction, a new change occurred. The absorbed power flowed into one of the Knights.

“Alright.”

The Knight who spoke—upon closer inspection, only his sword had a crystal sphere about the size of a palm on its pommel, faintly glowing.

Just as I thought the power would converge there, it was rapidly drawn in. At the same time, the power gathered in the sword all at once and was eventually absorbed into the sphere.

Observing this much, I was convinced. Their movements were highly practiced. It’s clear they’re gathering power in various locations.

“It’s over.”

Said the Knight who had converged the power. After pulling his sword from the ground, he reached for the Crystal Sphere and detached it from the hilt.

“Prepare the familiar.”

“Yes, sir.”

He ordered one of the Knights. That person immediately turned on his heel and went outside. A familiar… are they using it to transport the Crystal Sphere to the Castle?

I could feel a definite Magic Power emanating from the Crystal Sphere held by the Knight Captain. From this, it seems that the Knights I first encountered had already transported the Crystal Sphere.

“What will you do?”

Garuku asked. If the Crystal Sphere is transported, it would be according to the enemy’s plan, but—

“No, they’re not transporting the absorbed power yet. It seems there’s still more to do, so let’s wait a little longer.”

“—Captain, we have confirmed the structure of the Ancient Ruins.”

At that moment, someone other than the Knight who had gone outside spoke up.