“Um, Sylvie. There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

I said, looking into her eyes as she asked back.

“The Tower Battle… I’ll certainly participate in the attack, but I’ll primarily be in a support role.”

“……Support? Why?”

A reasonable question. She knows my skill, so of course she would be puzzled.

“Fighting normally isn’t an issue, but… I have a restriction. Are you aware of the Demon Race that built strongholds on the continent?”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“–You might not believe it, but we once trespassed into the stronghold of one of them.”

“……Now that you mention it, I heard something about that a while ago. I also heard that one of them was recently destroyed… Could it be that you’re the one who defeated it–“

I said nothing, but in this situation, silence implied affirmation. There was a chance she wouldn’t believe me… but her expression suggested she did.

“……You believe it?”

“You two don’t seem like the kind of humans who would lie, and I know you have the ability.”

Sylvie replied to Sofia’s question. Perhaps she sensed something during their training—anyway, I continued.

“……It seems there’s a reason they built strongholds. In fact, we fought the lord of a stronghold, but it wasn’t at full power. If they had possessed their true strength, we would have been annihilated… And when I trespassed into the stronghold, I became unable to fight properly.”

“Is there a reason?”

“According to the spirits Sofia contracted with, I have a constitution that’s vulnerable to powerful Demonic Miasma… I could provide support, and we managed thanks to Sofia and our other companions… Therefore, I usually stay in the rear and move to provide assistance as I observe the situation.”

“I see… I understand the situation. How will you explain this to the person named Radi who will be joining us this time?”

“Since he doesn’t know my abilities, I don’t think I need to tell him for now. If it comes to light in some way, I’ll tell him then.”

That concluded the conversation—I debated whether to talk about Sofia’s background, but she looked at me and shook her head for a moment. It seemed it wasn’t time yet. It’s probably best to leave this to Sofia’s judgment.

Sylvie has joined our party, but I don’t know if she’ll fight with us until the end… I thought it would be good to decide that during this battle.

The next day, we began our journey with Radi. It was a several-day trip one way, so there were no major obstacles whatsoever. Without a single incident along the way, we were nearing our destination, the Tower.

“Is that it?”

“It is.”

Radi responded to my words… Even though it’s called a Tower, it doesn’t stretch high into the sky. It’s true that it stands out, protruding from the surrounding Forest, but in terms of height, it’s probably equivalent to a five or six-story building.

The stone Tower is quite old, so plant vines and other vegetation grow freely on it. However, there’s no sign of it collapsing. It might be coated with Magic.

“Let’s go in. Be careful, there are definitely Monsters inside.”

Radi said—he’s the type who uses Magic while employing staff techniques, and can engage in close combat if necessary. However, his primary focus is Magic, and his intended role is to use Magic from the rear, leaving the Warrior-types to handle the front lines.

I glanced at his profile. He seemed somewhat nervous, but at the same time, there was an air of excitement. He appeared thrilled to step into an unexplored place. The fact that it was once a dwelling for Magic-users likely fueled that excitement.

With Nestor and Sylvie at the front, I used Light Magic and stepped inside—and immediately, I saw a Monster.

—ROOOOAAAR!

A roar erupted. A Monster with red skin, more than twice the size of a human—it was undoubtedly an Ogre. Its weapon matched its appearance: a spiked club. It charged straight at us, the intruders.

Its presence was overwhelming; at this point, an ordinary person would certainly lose their nerve.

Nestor was the first to move—clad in iron armor and wielding an iron shield, he stood directly in front of the Ogre, ready to confront it.

The Ogre swung its club. Nestor blocked it with his shield, but immediately tilted his body and deflected the blow. Just like in the game, his defensive abilities were top-notch.

Then Sofia unleashed “Aerial Sword.” The Ogre, struck by the Wind Blade, recoiled significantly—and without a moment’s delay, Radi used “Fire Lance,” adding to the attack.

In addition, Nestor and Sylvie, who sprinted from behind, readied their swords—I then cast an attack-boosting Magic on Sylvie—and both simultaneously swung their swords.

The Warriors seemed to be able to coordinate… The Ogre was sent flying by the combined slashes. It still retained some form, but as if to deliver the finishing blow, Radi unleashed “Thunderbolt,” and it vanished.

Our first encounter with an Ogre—our coordination was excellent, not bad at all. If this continues… Nestor led the way, and we advanced to the upper floors of the Tower. There, we found another Ogre. However, this time we also spotted a Great Serpent, larger than a king cobra.

Its name is “Blind Attacker,” and it’s a troublesome opponent due to its evasiveness and swiftness.

The Ogre charged. Just as Nestor was about to block its advance, I warned about the Great Serpent.

“Watch out for the Great Serpent!”

Simultaneously with those words, Radi made a move. A large Fireball suddenly appeared before his eyes. But its Magic Power was different from a typical “Fireball.”

This was “Flare Bomb,” an intermediate fire-attribute Magic… It targets a single entity and is considered to have low power among intermediate Magic—this is because it’s usually the first intermediate Magic learned by those who study at the Academia, and the creators seemingly intended for this Magic to be recognized as the gateway to intermediate Magic.

The Fireball’s target wasn’t the Ogre, but the Great Serpent. The moment Nestor and the Ogre clashed, Radi’s Magic exploded on the Great Serpent. It wasn’t an explosion upon impact, but an attack that delivered a Shockwave to the Monster. Even with a direct hit from the Magic, no smoke was generated, allowing them to clearly observe the Monster’s movements.

Nestor, who had blocked the Ogre’s advance, counterattacked. After landing one blow, Sofia then stepped forward, approaching the Ogre.

Just as they focused on the results of their training, the Ogre began to raise its club. But Sofia, unfazed, unleashed “Clear Stream Flash”.

With fluid movements, she struck a blow and moved behind it. This time, the Ogre stopped moving, and Sylvie launched a follow-up attack, successfully defeating it.

As for the remaining Great Serpent… just as it was about to approach Nestor and the others, I unleashed “Holy Shot” and successfully intercepted it.

“…These guys are like guardians, I suppose.”

Radi said, looking at the spot where the Ogre had been.

There are Monsters, but so far, no Demon Race. I don’t know why these Monsters are guarding the Tower, but… perhaps we’ll find out when we reach the Top Floor.

—I gathered information about the Magic-user who had resided in the Tower by the time we reached this point, but their name and other details seemed to change depending on who you asked, so I couldn’t find out anything about their profile.

The fact that they lived in the Tower was known at a rumor level, as Radi was aware, but information about the Magic-user as an individual remained unknown… This meant the Magic-user was intentionally hiding information.

And these Monsters… why would the Monsters target a Magic-user who was hiding their identity? A possible explanation could be a Demon Race member who betrayed the Demon King. If so, it would make sense for them to hide their identity and reside in the Tower, and it would also make sense for the Demon Race to target them as a traitor, but—

Thinking about various things, we continued further up. Another Ogre. And this time, there were three of them.

“…Let’s have the three vanguards each deal with one.”

Sylvie suggested. Then, Nestor and Sofia naturally confronted the Ogres. From my perspective, Nestor was in the middle, Sylvie on the left, and Sofia on the right.

Radi and I took up supporting positions—the Ogres, as if in sync, began their charge simultaneously. Nestor adopted a defensive stance, Sofia amplified her Magic Power, and Sylvie dashed towards an Ogre.

Three distinct movements. After casting “Protection” Magic on Sofia for a moment, the battle of the three began.