The vehicle carrying us sped through the uninhabited town at no less than ten times the speed of a horse-drawn carriage, and in no time at all we reached the foot of the great tree.

　However, without stopping there, the carriage continues to advance further and enters the structure that is intertwined with the big tree.

　I've been slowing down while running through the passageway decorated with magical lighting, and finally stopped in a large space that seems to be an elevation point.

　And as if to tell you to get off here, the doors of all the carriages are opened at once.

'...... What to do, White Wolf's,'
'Let's get down there for now. I can't deny that we're being led down, but that doesn't mean we can't stay in here.

　There was no particular objection from Hild, and the three of them all moved from the carriage to the elevation space.

　Immediately after that, the 'right eye' that was still activated caught a modest flow of magic power.

''Did you see anything?''
'I think it's a stream of magic ....... The smoke from the incense burner is so wispy that it's drifting in the wind. It's leading across this square to the top of the stairs over there. I think you're finally being blatantly invited, this one.

　A vehicle started moving by accident, and a meaningful flow of magic power was accidentally created where it ended up - the innocence of believing in such a chain of coincidences was discarded when I left my hometown fifteen years ago.

　There is no doubt that someone's intentions are involved in the series of events.

　The question is, what exactly are those intentions?

"One, they're trying to lure us in to do us harm. Two, they want to get rid of us because they want to help us or they don't want us here. Three, we just inadvertently fell for the inducement for someone else: ...... Which one do you prefer?
If I may say so, it's the second one!　Honestly, isn't it more likely to be the first?

　Hild is glaring at the stairs I indicated, also alertly.

　Then Garnett took the initiative to move forward and tried to head towards the destination of the flow of magic that she wouldn't be able to see.

'I'm going to check on them. You guys wait here.
Wait, no!

　He hurriedly grabbed its shoulders and held it back.

'You haven't been able to use your skills yet. I'm not going to let you go in that state.'
The technology isn't going to disappear even if the enhancements don't work. Even if there's a little risk involved, I can't just scout it out for you.
I know. That's why I'm going in. It's the best thing we can do right now.

　Garnett tried to argue while bared canine teeth and glared at me, but in the end, I reluctantly put away the contradiction without saying anything.

　I don't know the detailed logic of the soul or mental body, but in this situation where I can't use my skills and draw my magic power, I should be the one with the highest physical ability among the three of us.

　I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it.
　However, if you're thinking only of escaping in case of emergency, you're not beaten.

　Besides, even if you can't use your skills, the 'right eye' continues to function without any problems.
　If you're only going to be dedicated to scouting, I'm sure that my going is the best move in the current situation.

...... Don't do anything rash! Listen, I promise!　Get back here as soon as you feel like shit!　You understand!

　Garnett poked me repeatedly in the chest while repeating his careful advice and turned on his heel to shake off the backlash.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has been adventuring for a long time. I know when to back down.

　Aside from the evolution of the unexplained 【Restoration】 skill and this 【Right Eye】, the only abilities I can be proud of are the experience and intuition I've cultivated in my fifteen years as an adventurer.

　If I made a misjudgment in a phase where these things are being questioned, I wouldn't have a face to match with everyone else.

I'm going to go. Maybe the enemy will come back to chase you, so be prepared to respond immediately.

　Leaving Garnet and Hild on the side of the track (rail), I followed the flow of magic alone up the stairs.

　Like the cityscape outside, the walls and floor seem to be made of an unknown material.

　The surface is so smooth that it's hard to imagine it being made of mere stone, and there are hardly any areas that look like joints.

　I walked up the stairs carefully, listening only to the echo of my shoes.

　It, too, was an open space, like a large hall.

　Looking at the interior, I guessed it was a space to wait for the passengers who were going to board the train.

　In the front, there were what appeared to be chairs for resting, and in the back, there was a row of small shops that seemed to be selling some kind of merchandise.

　I stopped at the entrance of the stairs and slowly looked around the scene in front of me from right to left.

　I'm sure this place is uninhabited, too - and just when I thought that, I saw several figures lurking in the corner of the rest area.

............!

　I brace myself without even saying a word.

　This is the first time I've encountered people other than ourselves since being dragged into this space.

　But I soon realized that they were not living things.

　It's not that they are dead bodies.
　It's as if they are not moving like wax dolls, but are placed as objects like the plants and buildings in the town, as if they were human-shaped objects.

　Anyway, he (...) and others (...) were just part of the background of this static world.

'I was surprised ...... but why did you only find human-like objects here ......?'

　Are they special in some way?

　Feeling a sense of relief that they didn't seem to be dangerous, and at the same time feeling disappointed that they had missed out on a proper inhabitant, I looked closely at them from a bit of a distance.

　There are six of them. It seems that humans and demons are mixed together, and demons seem to be the majority.

　One of them is a dwarf. Although they are small in stature, they are muscular and richly bearded, with a typical dwarven appearance.

　One is a tree man (dryad). Like the dryads I know, they are semi-plant-like creatures with green hair and a hard-to-identify animal-like gender.

　One of them is a dark elf. Contrary to the slender image we receive from the concept of so-called elves, it is easy to see that he is an excellent warrior.
　Looking at the sword at his waist with his 'right eye', he could decipher that it was made of a rare metal called vajra iron (adamant).

　And facing the three demons, two girls flanked by one man.

　One of them is a young elf. Not only did she look like a girl, but she was also young as an elf.

　One of them is an Eastern girl who is barely over ten years old.
　She flutters her long hair, which appears to be both bright red and shimmering sunshine, and is wary of the elven girl standing on the other side.

　And the last one - a human man with an ornately crafted eye patch covering his right eye, the right half of his head of hair grey and the remaining half black - was a human man with a distinctive appearance that was burned into his memory with just one glance.

'No way ...... that's .......'

　My thought process almost stopped at the imagination that came to my brain.

　At that moment, a familiar female voice rang out from nowhere.

'Oh, thank God. I was wondering what I would have done if you hadn't noticed my guidance. Thank you for your wise decision, Luke of the White Wolf Forest.