A being that appears flapping its wings.

An owl that you can’t help but remember because of its unusual appearance.

It was Toby.

“Toby said he would go with you.”

“Is that so?”

“I’ve traveled to many places in this Pandemonium, so I won’t get in the way.”

“Uncle Toby is well versed in magic, and he has a lot of knowledge, so it will be helpful.”

Harold and Erina spoke from the side.

Of course, I knew Toby’s abilities well without having to listen to the explanation.

Because when I met you before, you helped me a lot.

the problem is.

‘It’s that I still don’t know what he’s hiding.’

Toby was hiding his powers, and from Harold’s reaction now, he didn’t seem to notice Toby’s true face either.

I was a little worried about whether we could go out together with the worst possible possibility that he might be a spy.

‘Of course, if Harold is with me, I’ll be able to keep him in check to some extent.’

However, it was also true that they would be reluctant if they were not perfectly prepared.

However, it is difficult to refuse his joining.

In any case, Toby was a scholar with a wide variety of talents, and he was a helpful being to anyone.

“I think having Toby with you will be more helpful than taking a few of my men with you.”

“All right.”

I couldn’t help it when Harold said that.

‘I guess I have no choice but to pay as much attention as possible.’

Worst of all, even if Toby is indeed a spy, he’s unlikely to make any moves right away.

There is some insurance, so I think it will be okay if you are careful.

“Heh heh, then has the decision been made? Please take good care of me.”

“I really wish you well.”

“By the way, where did you say your destination was?”

“Ah, I’m thinking of going to the village of the blue brown bear.”

“The blue brown bear clan… I remember visiting once in the past.”

“May I ask for guidance?”

“Of course. If you can’t help me that much, there’s no reason to go with you.”

“I hear it’s quite a distance from here. Do you know how long it will take? I think we need to move as quickly as possible.”

At my words, Toby tilted his head.

The same goes for Erina and Harold.

Toby said with a smile on his lips.

“Generally, it would take a week. But if you use space movement magic, it’ll be quick, so why worry about that?”

oh

For a moment, I forgot about magic.

A field that can produce as much effect as science, no, more than that, depending on how you use it.

I was a little embarrassed because I felt like I was the only one who became an idiot.

“Wow! There was magic.”

Jetty exclaims and opens her eyes wide.

There was someone worse than me.

… Aren’t you the one learning magic?

Jetty, whose specialty is magic, reacted like that, so it was a little comforting.

“Since I know the coordinates, I think we can go there first.”

“All right.”

As Toby lightly waved his hand, a magic circle was quickly drawn on the floor.

The magic circle, which represents a very complex pattern, began to emit light in response to Toby’s gestures.

“Okay, everyone just needs to come up here.”

We moved to the center of the magic circle, and Toby spewed demonic energy around the completed magic circle.

pah ah

Magi and Light are getting stronger.

At the same time, I could see the space around me shimmering.

“Okay, then let’s go.”

At Toby’s words, light engulfed everyone.

* * *

strange sensation.

The feeling that the space around you is twisted and at the same time your body is being sucked somewhere.

But it wasn’t as annoying as I thought.

‘Is this space movement magic?’

It was my first time experiencing it, but it felt strangely familiar.

Kyler Diablick, the original owner of the body, would have experienced a lot, so he might have adapted.

“It has arrived.”

A landscape that emerges after the light disappears.

The surroundings had changed from Daemonic’s wide clearing to a forest full of tall trees and rocks.

“Is this where the blue brown bears live?”

“You can accurately say that it is nearby. They live in villages in the forest.”

Certainly, if it was a bear, it seemed that it would be close to the forest.

Of course, it was hard to see them as normal animals who spoke and were intelligent.

“The scenery is great.”

“That’s right. It was hard to see this kind of scenery because the demon castle where I lived was cold and icy all around.”

Jetty and Erina looked a little excited to see the scenery outside for the first time in a while.

“But something is a little strange.”

“What do you mean?”

Of the group, Toby is the only one who has ever visited this place.

Therefore, it is impossible to feel strange except for Toby.

Instead of answering, Toby took another look around.

After a while.

“The blue brown bears tend not to let uninvited people into their village. It is said that unless you have special qualifications, it is difficult to visit easily.”

Toby pointed to a large tree.

Branches stretching out in all directions were intertwined here and there, creating a strange picture.

“When I came before, there were friends standing guard nearby. And the barriers were also installed. But now I can’t see anything.”

When I heard it, it was a little strange.

Even the smallest villages have their own guards.

I don’t know how big the blue bear clan is, but like Toby said, it’s normal to have guards.

If it hadn’t existed from the beginning, it might have existed before, but if it wasn’t there now, there must have been some problem.

Even more so if the barrier had disappeared.

“Rather than waiting here, I think it’s better to go in first.”

As Toby said, it is unlikely that a solution will come out just by staying still here.

“I will take the lead.”

Harold stepped forward, and we followed him slowly into the woods.

The more you go deeper into the forest, the more you feel the strange atmosphere.

A feeling shared by everyone in the group.

‘It’s too quiet.’

It was as quiet as a dead rat.

There were no animals or insects to be seen, as is usually the case in a forest, and there was no sound of wind or anything else.

A situation where only the sound of footsteps and breathing of the walking party fills the forest.

A little further in, a large pit caught my eye.

“This… .”

Harold, who was inspecting the pit, looked around and said.

“It looks like there was a battle.”

Large pits were located here and there in the forest, along with scorched and broken trees.

“It looks like a trace of magic, but it feels a little different.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s definitely a bit different from normal magic.”

Of the group, Toby is the only one with deep knowledge of magic.

If he said that, it must have been something special.

“What the hell happened here?”

“I don’t know for now. Once you go a little further, you will see the village, so let’s go inside.”

We moved further in and after a while.

“Well… .”

The main gate of the village came into sight in the distance.

And there was someone familiar.

* * *

“Albion!”

Jetty flapped her wings and quickly flew to Albion.

“what? Isn’t it Jetty? How are you? furthermore… .”

Albion’s gaze turned to me.

“Until Kyler?”

“I came because I was worried because he hadn’t been seen for several days without contact.”

“this. I was so distracted that I worried my friends.”

“Are you okay?”

“Well… I am OK.”

Albion looked a little tired, but he didn’t look like there was anything wrong with his body.

However, Albion’s face, which always had a pleasant smile, had a dark shadow.

“What the hell happened?”

“It’s going to take a while to explain, but let’s go inside first.”

We entered the village along Albion.

* * *

The size of the village was not as large as expected.

But at least a few hundred villages enough to stay.

But strangely, it was hard to see people walking around the village.

“Looks like there aren’t many people.”

Albion smiled bitterly as if he had noticed my question.

“There was some work. In fact, when a guest visits, the chief or the elders of the village have to come out to meet him… Because everyone is lying down.”

Albion’s mouth spilled what had happened so far.

“This forest area was the territory of our blue brown bear clan. There were no other tribes to bump into. It was always a peaceful day. By the way… .”

One day, an unknown being suddenly appeared on the outskirts of town.

“At first it looked like a black flame. Then it was red lightning. The last time I saw it, they said it was a blue mist.”

It is expressed in various forms, but there is one thing in common.

“Are you saying it’s not a living thing?”

“okay. No, it would be correct to say that we do not know exactly.”

“What the hell did that unknown being do?”

“I defeated all the village guards. And you destroyed the barrier.”

“You mean you lost your life?”

Albion shook his head slowly.

“It is not. I was just unconscious, but not seriously injured.”

“You seem to be a very strong being.”

“I do not know.”

“You don’t know?”

Albion said with a very ambiguous expression.

“I said that the power I felt was not very strong. Besides, there are many strong warriors in our village, and if we unite, we are confident that we can defeat quite a few enemies. But he was a little different.”

“different?”

“They say he just passed out without even seeing a battle worthy of a battle. Suddenly sparks and explosions occurred and in an instant had an impact on the surroundings.”

“Have you never met?”

“Because I am not yet recognized as a warrior. When the adults go to battle, they can only do so much to protect the village.”

“Hmm… .”

It was difficult to grasp what was going on just by hearing the story so far.

“He created his own territory without leaving a certain area. But the problem is that that area is our clan’s biggest hunting ground. Besides, it is also a way to come and go outside, so if you leave it as it is, it will be a difficult situation in many ways.”

“You mean the village elders didn’t solve the problem?”

“Yes. Several groups of warriors challenged each other, but the result was the same each time. No one was seriously harmed, though.”

If you listen to the story, it certainly doesn’t seem like a vicious opponent.

To end it to the point of defeating it even though it had sufficient ability to harm the opponent meant that the purpose was somewhere else.

I turned and looked at Harold.

“What do you think?”

“Hmm… It’s hard to say anything just by hearing the story. I think it would be more accurate to see it with your own eyes first.”

“I think the same. Originally, experiencing all phenomena is the most accurate.”

As Toby said, it was certainly the best way to experience it firsthand.

If you listen to Albion’s words, it doesn’t seem to do much harm.

Albion’s face brightened as he listened to the conversation.

“Are you saying that Harold-sama will help you?”

“Haha, if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have followed you all the way here.”

“Thank you very much.”

Albion was also at the grand banquet hall on the day Harold visited Demonic, so he was well aware of his reputation, and seemed to have high expectations.

Besides, since Toby was also with him, it seemed like it wouldn’t be difficult to deal with any decent opponent.

“Since there is no need to waste time, how about going right away?”

“I will.”

“Let me guide you.”

We followed Albion to the place where the unidentified being settled.