I returned to Town and spent that day gathering information at the Guild. I thought about accepting any quests for the place I was heading to, so I wouldn’t be unnecessarily interfered with, but there weren’t any… so I gathered some information about the event location and rested for the day.

The next morning, I checked on the Protagonists’ situation. Especially Alto’s… good, it seems like they’re heading towards the event. At the same time, I received information that people involved in the event were also starting to move.

In that case—I made up my mind internally and brought up the topic to Sofia and the others during breakfast.

Though it’s a bit of a distance, there’s a Foggy Forest to the northwest from here… apparently, the number of Monsters there has greatly increased since the Demon King’s invasion.

Haven’t they been exterminated?

Sofia asked while sipping her soup.

“Currently, it seems they haven’t left the Forest, so they’re trying to avoid it… Also, I got information about a monster. I think Sofia and the others can definitely fight it.”

“So we’re going there?”

“Yes. But as I said at the beginning, it’s far, so ‘Bird Soar’ is essential.”

It also serves as a test to see if Sofia can use magic properly… She had some control over it during previous training, so it should be fine.

“Understood. I think it’s a good idea, as it also means we’ll be exterminating a monster.”

“I’m worried about the lack of reward, though.”

Kyarun grumbled. Indeed, if it were a request from somewhere to invade the Forest, there would be a reward, and her motivation would increase, but—

“There’s no point in asking for something that isn’t there… Besides, if a request arises, it means someone has been injured or killed. If we come across it, we should deal with it before that happens.”

“That’s true. Well, it’s not like there’s no way to go get a reward later.”

“Don’t do it just for the reward!”

“I know.”

Kyarun shrugged. Does she really understand?

“So, I can go there too, right?”

Kyarun confirmed… Sofia seemed interested too, so for now, let’s go together.

“Yes. You fought with Sofia against the demons before, right? It would be good if you could move around in a similar way.”

“Understood.”

Kyarun replied cheerfully.

After that, as we continued eating, I reconsidered the future arrangements… This event involves Alto and his companions… and his sister.

Regarding the details of the event, Alto originally heard that there were Angel Ruins in the Foggy Forest and ventured there. But it was a monster den… He continued searching regardless and encountered a giant plant-type monster deep inside.

Defeating it ends the event… The flow is simple, but the problem is the plant-type monster boss.

Before her brother Alto arrived, his sister Stella would be devoured by that plant.

In the game, the moment she is swallowed is clearly shown… The worst part of this event is that there is no way to avoid it.

I made Alto the protagonist in my second playthrough, and I tried various ways to avoid it. As a result, I concluded that it was impossible. In fact, if the game progresses slowly, you might even fight the boss with her already swallowed, and the story might continue with Alto never knowing his sister was eaten.

His scenario shifts to the war with the demon race from here… The motivation for that would be the fact that his sister was eaten, if he knew it. But if he didn’t know, he would sense the approaching threat of the demon race and begin investigating… In other words, no matter what, it doesn’t affect the scenario, so in that respect, it’s a relief.

This is the end of the events I wanted to deal with early on… From now on, I’ll finally need to worry about the Five Great Wars with Demons. There are dimensional distortions where the Five Great Demons are located, making it impossible to enter. In the game, an event occurs, and you can enter with it… But when will that event happen?

Currently, the protagonists haven’t encountered such things yet. I can’t confirm any signs that the event is starting… Perhaps the Five Great Wars with Demons are still some time away.

Well, fine. Anyway, for now, it’s the event right in front of us… I finished my meal, thinking that. Sofia and the others also finished eating, and we began preparing to move.

As a result, Sofia’s ‘Bird Soar’ was fairly usable, and she managed to keep up with my and Kyarun’s movements. There were still some parts where she struggled a bit, but it seemed we could travel together like this.

With Kyarun occasionally giving advice, we arrived at our destination, the Forest.

The Foggy Forest—its name is the Forest of Latras. If you push through this forest, you’ll hit a large valley. It’s originally a place with dense magic power and many monsters, making it a dangerous place with very few animals.

That would be a terrible advantage for the Demon Lord’s side… As a result, this place became a good monster den for the Demon Kings.

“It’s ominous.”

Kyarun muttered her impression at the entrance of the Forest. Indeed, as she said, the Forest before us felt like it was repelling intruders with the miasma it emitted.

For example, children sometimes deliberately step into places adults warn them not to go… but in the case of this Forest, the atmosphere it gives off would make children run away. Given this, it’s understandable why people don’t approach it.

“…Well, I should give you some advice about fighting monsters.”

I spoke to Sofia and Kyarun.

“This forest seems quite deep, and we’ll have to be prepared for a long battle… I think you both understand that, having fought monsters before.”

“That’s right.”

Sofia nodded in agreement. I gave a small nod and continued speaking.

“According to the information, the Demon King attacked the place where monsters originally existed, and their numbers increased… In such cases, the monsters that originally lived there and the new monsters compete. Depending on what kind of monsters they are, we can somewhat gauge what this forest is like.”

“What happens if we know that?”

Kyarun asked. I looked back at her and said,

“I can tell how much of this forest is dominated by the Demon Races. If there are many monsters from the Demon Lord’s Side, it might be a bit troublesome.”

—The number of monsters in this forest increased due to the intervention of Executive Class Demon Races, other than the Five Great Demons. The objective and nature of these Demon Races were not directly mentioned in the game, but the lore described in strategy guides indicated that the Executive Class was moving in such a way.

I don’t know if the Demon Races are watching the upcoming event, but it’s probably best to be careful. After all, it would be bad if the Executive Class discovered my abilities. I’ll make use of the Ribbon I received from Garuku and act accordingly.

As for Sofia… the Demon Races that know her would be the ones who attacked Barx Kingdom. Since it’s quite far from the King Nation, I don’t think even an Executive Class Demon Race would know Sofia… but she’s wearing an artifact that changes the quality of her magic power, so it should probably be fine.

If she’s still discovered despite that, I’ll have to respond according to the situation… Nothing is ever absolute. I’ll just prepare myself.

After reaching a conclusion in my mind, I spoke further to Sofia and the others.

“If there are many monsters related to the Demon Race, it’s highly likely that powerful monsters are living here to dominate this place.”

“Is that like the plant monster we encountered deep in the forest when we received a request before?”

Sofia’s question. I nodded and said,

“That’s right… Let’s consider fighting that one after seeing the strength of the monsters we encounter. Also, this time it’s also training while I’m contracted with a Gnome, so I’ll be taking a conservative approach… please handle that part.”

“Understood.”

“Well, I’ll do my best to be praised.”

Sofia spoke with a smile, and Kyarun spoke jokingly. I nodded back to both of them and—stepped into the forest.