After leaving the red flower girl's house, we decided to head to the first place I encountered to meet Barbayaga. It's Barbayaga who is most likely to know what's going on. I got on Hicks and the three of us got on Stra to move.

Then we immediately found Barbayaga.

"Oh?　You're that little boy from earlier. Are you here to get beaten up again?

No, I'm here to ask about Prince Finist.

Then Barbayaga laughs.

'I don't know such a prince!

Barbayaga said and sent a Fire Arrow flying. Hicks and Strah ducked.

'Hey!　I'm not. Tact!　They're attacking us!

"...yes. Then we can fight back...

I take out my scarlet ring. The barbayaga is surprised to see it.

'...You have something quite unusual. Boy.

I'm a work in progress, so I'll have to use it.

Mmm-hmm. This is interesting. This is going to be a fancy magic battle!

Me and Barbayaga will be shooting magic at each other. We started out with weak magic to gradually become strong magic. I decided to use mainly wind magic since it was a good opportunity.

Then the barbayaga moves into the forest.

We chase after it. After a while, we come to an open area in the forest. A building that looks like a warehouse on stilts appears in front of us. We've identified it.

Barber House?
?　?　?

This is the home of the Barbayaga in Barbayaga folklore. The problem is that they treat it like a monster.

But we've come too far to turn back. I'm getting out of Hicks. Arleigh comes to me and asks, "Hey...

"Hey... tact. You're not going in there, are you?

'You've come this far and you have the option of not going in?

That's true, but... this is turning into a monster, isn't it?

'And I don't have a good image of the Barbayaga house...'

Well, you're quite right. But I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

It's as if they're showing someone that they're serious about fighting us. The only reason why the Barbayaga would put on a show like that is because of the devil.

'If you don't go, I'll go on my own,'

'Yes!　I got it!

You're the one who...

"Wow, I'm coming with you!

Chiffon said and they all went into the barber house. Arleigh was resisting, but when he said it was a chance to get a lot of points, she easily palmed it off.

''Sorry to bother you,''

Mmm-hmm. I'm glad you're here without fear... well, don't sit down.

We sit down in our chairs.

'Would you like to hear about Prince Finist?

'Of course...Prince Finist is in the hands of a demon under Demon King Bael. He's now sleeping in a prison in a cave unreachable by humans.

Well, that's what it comes down to.

Did he do that just to have fun with us?

That's a bonus. First of all, the devil loves bad feelings among people. You know who's caught up in the vice of missing Prince Finistern?

You mean the girl with the red flower.

And she's also a hostage to us. That's how we ended up with demons watching us and messing with the humans.

So the setting is that Barbayaga is related to Prince Finist or something.

''Um~ That's not a good idea to be talking about here.

That's what Chiffon said, but I think I'm talking to you because it's okay.

"I built this house myself. Even the devil can't see into the house. It's a lady's right to privacy.

Well, I guess surveillance is out all the time.

'Sure, but won't the demons really find out?'

Originally, this house was a magical house that would absorb all human life and magic once it was entered. It's what we use when we kill people. The demons will think you're dead when you enter.

Scary. But if that's the case, I'm going to have to put on a monologue.

I'm sure you're not the only one who has a real magic sword. You have a real magic sword, right? Now that you've heard this far, you'll help me, won't you?

Yes. How can I help?

I'll give you this to start with.

The key was given to me by Barbayaga. Appraisal.

Unlocking wooden key: important item.
A magical key that changes to match the keyhole. It can be unlocked without the need for unlocking skills.

What? This key? I want it badly.

If I had that key, I could unlock Prince Finist's cell.

Jesus. Well, that's easy.

Arleigh... did this guy listen to what I just said?

You... you wouldn't know how to get there, would you?

Oh... yeah, right!

Yeah, right. You're right, little girl. I'm going to need you to meet my other two barbayagas. And of course, you'll have to act like you did before.

That's where I'm supposed to be.

'Let's see, what are the items that will tell us where Prince Finist is and what's one more thing?

I'm sure they'll give you some sort of distraction device to keep you from being discovered by the demons.

That's an invisibility cloak! I want this too!

All right, well, take a return trip back to the village. You don't want me to chase you, do you?

Sorry about that, I'm covered. We return to the inn in return and the info comes.

'Your wind magic level has reached 30. We have acquired wind magic [Dust Devil] and [Fly].'
'Your wind magic level has reached 30. You can now obtain wind magic.

Hmm. I did the math. Then, it's been a while since I've spent 6 points to learn a new magic.

You've acquired the Gale Magic Technique and your wind magic has evolved. The wind magic you acquired will be inherited.
[Sonic Boom] and [Supercell] have been acquired.

Now I have 61 skill points left. Since it's a good time, I'll try my magic against the Frog.

First of all, the fly I had longed for. It was literally a flying magic. It seems to be controlled by the wand. I'm sure it's not the same as Lily and her friends who fly freely. But this feeling, which you can't experience in real life, will become a habit.

The advantage is that once you use it, you can fly for a while. It also seems to be able to use other magic as well. The disadvantage is still the lack of mobility. It's the control of the staff, so the movement is obvious. It's not a good idea to have a new spell every time it runs out of time.

Next up is the Dust Devil. At first glance, it looks like a tornado, but according to Arleigh, it has a blinding effect. The downside is that it only works in a designated area. It has a decent range, so it could be a pretty useful spell.

Sonic Boom. Magic that sends shockwaves in a specified direction with the wand. It differs from Fire Blast in that it is fast. It's not as fast as the Blitz, but it's probably pretty difficult to duck. It's a shockwave, so it's highly doubtful that it can be cut by magic cutting. The only drawback I can think of is the casting time.

Finally, Supercell. A spell that creates huge cumulus clouds in the sky. It seems to be a magic that strengthens wind and lightning magic. The biggest feature is that it makes you unable to fly. Well, it's not normal to fly where a super cell is being generated.

I finished checking the magic and logged out for dinner for once.

While I was making dinner, Kaito was gathering information on the message board. It seems that he has quite a handful of barbayaga.

'It seems that if you attack that house, it will suck you inside and kill you. It seems that even if you don't attack it, you need to have a quest flag up.''

Have you found out where the Barbayaga is?

Yeah. I found it in the posts. And by the way, I haven't seen the quest flag story on there yet.

Is that right? That's what I found with a little research. But I'm sure others can find it as well, but...

Well, I guess they're keeping it under wraps. It's a common occurrence at early bird events.

That's just the way it is. Voila! Cooking is done. It's a hamburger.

Jeez. How'd you come up with this delicious hamburger... you couldn't have cut corners on it, could you?

Yours is lazy because it's made of frog meat.

Huh...

Kaito stops.

'Jeez, you're kidding, right?

Thank you, sir.

Hey!　Just reassure me!　You're too scared to eat!

It's a regular hamburger, in case you were wondering. There's no way I'd go to the trouble of separating the meat. There's no way they would buy frog meat in the first place.

At night, I contacted the two barbayaga using Kaito's information. This time I decided to use earth magic. And they each received an item. Here it is.

The Tracking Weathercock: an important item.
A magical weather vane that points to the whereabouts of those who have registered.

A witch's cloak: an important item.
A magic cloak to mimic the surrounding landscape created by the Barbayaga.

Oh, yeah... it's not a cloak because you said it was clothes... too bad. Well, it's a tasteful one.

And the last barbayaga added some new information.

'If we don't rescue Prince Finist by noon tomorrow, it might be too late... we're heading out with the girl with the red flower.

'What?　Do we have to take that girl with us too?

Of course. It's a given that the woman you love wakes up the sleepyhead. That's all you need to know.

Arleigh is rough. I'm not surprised, because I know the content from folk tales. Then we head over to the girl's house and tell her what happened. That's where the quest was cleared.

'Such a thing... but to put my daughter in harm's way.

Father I'm going to go. I met my prince and he saved me... and now I want to save him!

'...Huh...okay. Adventurers, please take care of my daughter.

A new quest will occur when your father asks you to do so.

''An event quest, 'Rescue Prince Finist,' has occurred.

Event Quest to Rescue the Prince of Finest: Difficulty Level D+
Time Limit: Next day at noon
Failure conditions: death of the red flower girl, death of Prince Finist
Description:Rescue Prince Finist, who is being held in prison.

There's a time limit and there's a possibility of two people dying... For now, the rescue was called the next morning and we logged out. After talking with Kaito, we agreed that the mid-boss would come out. Bael is a frog demon king, so he will come as a frog monster. If that was the case, countermeasures against the rain would be the key to victory. After finishing planning the plan with Kaito, we decided to go to bed.

Name Takuto, Summoner of Love Lv8

Vitality 74
Magical power 156
Strength 60
Defensive Strength 40
Agility 60
Dexterity value 110

skill

Fighting lv10 Kicking lv16 Staff lv24 One-handed sword lv27 Spear lv17 -> lv18 Sword lv12　
Throwing Lv 8 High speed chanting Lv 33 -> Lv 34 Summoning magic Lv 33 Sealing magic Lv 16 Rider Lv 29 -> Lv 30　
Alchemy lv20 Mining lv24 Logging lv33 Dismantling lv39 Appraisal lv28　
Discrimination Lv 32 Wind magic Lv 30 -> Rapid Magic Lv 1 Flame magic Lv 3 Earth magic Lv 26 -> Lv 28 Sea magic Lv 2　
Dark magic Lv 26, Sacred magic Lv 9, Lightning magic Lv 30, Explosive magic Lv 27, Wood magic Lv 25.　
Ice magic lv 26, space-time magic lv 40, underwater action lv 8, reading lv 13, cooking lv 36.　
Feeding Lv 8 Fishing Lv 18 Synchronization Lv 16 Synchronization Lv 5

Name Hicks, Lesser Gryphon Lv 12

Vitality 76
Magic power 82
Strength 114.
Defensive power 50
Agility 120
Dexterity value 66

skill
Flying lv23 -> lv25 Claws lv8 Riding lv16 -> lv18 Whirlwind lv14 Windproof lv5　
Wind Blade Lv 6 Gale Lv 15 Afterimage Lv 10 -> Lv 12 Wind Magic Lv 9 Lightning Magic Lv 10　
Lightning Breath Lv 7, Majesty Lv 4, Rider Enhancement Lv 13 -> Lv 15

Name Strahm Lv 10.

Vitality 90
Magical power 86
Strength 96
Defensive Strength 62
Agility 82
Dexterity value 72

skill
Flying Lv 11 -> Lv 14 Biting Lv 6 Biting Lv 6 Coiled Lv 7 Poisonous Armor Lv 6 Assault Lv 7　
Poisonous Lv 10 Deadly Breath Lv 10 Corrosive Breath Lv 10 Corrosive Breath Lv 10 Heat Detection Lv 3　
Wind Blade Lv 5 Wind Magic Lv 5 Wind Magic Lv 3 Intimidation Lv 3 Riding Lv 3 -> Lv 7