After about 10 minutes, Illtimina finally seemed to have calmed down.

　She stopped rubbing her cheeks and looked around.

''The fog has lifted a bit, hasn't it?''
Yes.

Perhaps because we had defeated the Grudge Tree, the white darkness around us had faded.

　There was still some fog, but it wasn't the kind of fog that you couldn't see from a distance of 5 meters away like before.

(Did the 'Grudge Tree' create the fog as well?)

　With that in mind, we begin to move.

　Our hands stay together as we walk.

　........er....

Should we still be holding hands?

　I ask.

"Yes,

　Illtimina nodded strongly.

''Perhaps there is more than one 'Grudge Tree' in this forest. Because I believe that there are still multiple 'Grudge Trees' in this 'Forest of Mist'.

　Oh, I see.

That's the way it's gotta be, yeah.

　Safety first.

　As she does so, Illtimina-san looks at the ground under her feet as she walks.

　She narrows her crimson eyes and nods.

We've left a trail. Let's track these and meet up with Sol and the others first.
Yes.

　I nodded.

　There was no sign of Solstice at the place I was at earlier.

　That means she was invited to another 'Grudge Tree'.

　We have to hurry if we want to meet up with her.

(Please, Poe.)　

　We followed the footprints left on the ground as we followed the girl into the depths of the forest.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　We followed our own footsteps and returned to our original location, and now we follow Solstice and Poe's footsteps.

(...running.)

　Solstice's tracks were very disorganized.

　The footprints conveyed the desperation to keep running despite being caught on the unevenness of the forest.

　Smaller than that, Poe's footprints were chasing the girl with a firm stride.

　We followed, too.

　The fading fog made it easier to spot the footprints.

　After twenty minutes of following, we found them.

　Out of the corner of our eye, the purple-haired girl's back was sitting on the ground as if she had let go.

　Next to her, a young blonde girl stood next to her.　

　In front of the two of them, about fifteen meters away, a dead gray tree with a thick, shattered trunk had fallen.

(Did Poe do this?)

　It seemed that the Grudge Tree here had already been defeated.

　We walked closer.

　Po-chan noticed first and turned around.

''.........''

　bang-bang

　Those little fingers poked the girl's shoulder to let her know.

　The girl looked up.

(!)

　She was severely emaciated and her eyes were red as if she was crying and swollen.

　Illtimina-san let go of my hand and approached her sister.

''Sol.''

　Calling out to her.

　Solstice stood up bouncily and hugged her sister as she bumped into her stomach.

'Yi, yi, sister Irna!　Father and Mother.........　The two of them.........!

　Tears spill out in tatters.

'There you are!　There!　.... and yet... and yet...!　Ugh, wow!
"...Sol.

　She gently stroked her sister's hair as she sobbed.

　Laughing bitterly, then, without saying anything, Illtimina-san hugged Solstice's body.

''Uhhhh, uhhhh...!

　The girl's wailing echoes.

The "Grudge Tree" shows what people subconsciously want to show - how cruel it is.

　The sisters embraced each other and comforted each other's wounded hearts.

　Po-chan watched them in silence.

　I move closer to Po-chan.

You're done. Thank you for protecting Solstice.
No problem.

　Poe replied with his usual blank expression.

　I stared at her.

　Then I ask.

'Didn't Poe get affected by the illusion?'

　For a few seconds, Poe didn't answer.

　Then she took a breath.

I saw my former friends from the god world.

　I said.

　Poe continued.

'But that friend died three hundred years ago, and his soul is the light and wind of the divine world. It can't be here.
..........
Once I understood that, I understood that it wasn't real.

　Such an answer.

　An answer that is typical of Poe, who has few emotional inflections.

　But that doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings.

"I see.

　I muttered and patted Poe's head.

　She looked unusually surprised.

　Immediately, she lowered her light blue eyes and accepted my hand comfortingly.

　In the foggy forest, the only sound is the girl's crying.

　Then.

　sploosh

　From a short distance away, I heard a metallic sound.

(!)

　Reflexively, I turned around and put my hand on the hilt of the 'fairy sword'.

　Poe, too, holds his fist in the air.

　Iltimina-san also held her sister in her arms, pointing her white spear in that direction, but then she noticed the person there and lowered her spear.

'Are you safe too?'

　And there was Mr. Quilt.

"Mr. Quilt.

　I run over to him.

　Mr. Kilt looked around at the situation, his eyes narrowed at the sight of Solstice, who was crying in particular, and exhaled heavily.

　He puts his hand on my head.

I'm sorry it took so long.

　I apologized.

　I shook my head, "Nope.

'Was Mr. Kilt okay?'

　I asked.

'Well, sort of.'

　His answering voice was heavy and his smile was very painful.

　.............

　With that expression, I could tell that the demon's malice had touched the wounds in her heart as well.

(Kilt-san.........)

　She exhaled.

''It's been a long time since I've encountered the 'Grudge Tree,' but after all, this attack on my spirit is still very bearable. It took me a little while to get over it.
Yes.

　I had to nod.

　In my case, it was still bearable because it was the heartbreak of the arcane in me.

　But everyone else was different.

　Just like Solstice is crying, I'm sure everyone else must really feel like crying too.

　Kirt-san notices the worried look in my eyes.

'I'll be fine,'

　She laughs softly at that and pats me on the head with a pat on the head.

　Then she looks at Solstice.

　Solstice is still hunching her face against her sister's chest, hunching up.

　Iltimina's crimson eyes look at Kilt.

　Kilt-san nodded.

'Shall we rest here for a while? I'll keep an eye on the strawberry, so everyone should keep your minds at ease.

　Such a declaration of rest.

　Ms. Illtimina gives her sister a grateful look as she hugs her sister.

　Poe let out a long breath, looking up at the top of her head.

　--And so the five of us who had joined up with them took a short rest in the "Forest of Fog".


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　About half an hour later, we started walking through the 'Foggy Forest' again.

　The fog was still lingering, but it wasn't dense, so our vision was clearer there.

　As for the illusion of the Grudge Tree, which would still exist in the forest.

'Get rid of the phantom stain!　--Clear Seal Do!

　Solstice decided to deal with this by using a magic that would make him more resistant to mental attacks.

　He said that this will make it harder for him to be affected by the illusion.

'That's great, Solstice.'

　I laugh.

　But Solstice, hiding her face with her arms.

Shut up and don't look at me!

　He turned his head away from me.

I'll never forgive myself for letting Merle see my face as I cry. The Grudge Tree, forgive me. When I find it, I'll burn it all to the ground........

　I say that while gritting my teeth.

　I mean, what the.........

　As I become distant-eyed with my fussy sister, Illtimina-san is giggling as if annoyed.

　Kilt-san also laughs and

It's all well and good, but you will do as your straw man tells you, won't you?

　And he nailed it.

　Only Poe is the same as before.

　And so our search for the Foggy Forest continued.

　The fog never clears, either in the daytime or at night.

　Occasionally, when the fog thickened, there was often a Grudge Tree nearby.

　Thanks to Solstice's magic, they never fell victim to the illusion, and whenever they encountered them, they repeatedly defeated them.

''Burn, burn!''

　Solstice was also properly burning with fire magic........

　By the way, the 'Grudge Tree' isn't a tree demon, it's an evil spirit demon that possesses a tree.

(Is that how much of a 'human death' there was in this forest?

Near the "Grudge Tree" or on its branches, there were often white-boned corpses hanging in the vicinity of the "Grudge Tree" or on its branches.

　After checking their identities.

I see here in your armor is the national coat of arms of Shumuria.

　That was also the case.

　In other words, the bodies of people from the past 'Third Frontier'.

　We buried their bones in the ground and held their hands - it was the least we could do now.

　We have to be careful not to do the same to these people.

　--and so we walked through the "Foggy Forest" for about three days.

　Today, we've been walking for five hours in the morning.

It's time for lunch.

　Mr. Kilt declares.

　Yup.

　We were quite tired, so there was no one to oppose us, and we were about to sit down in a corner of the forest - that's when.

(Hmm...?)

　There was something in the forest beyond my gaze.

　Beyond the foggy trees, I could see a large, black shadow.

'What is that?'

　I muttered.

　Everyone else said, "What? I look in that direction.

　It's not moving, so I don't think it's some kind of creature.

　Maybe it's a structure.

A ruin... maybe?

　Solstice murmured.

　The girl's eyes are beginning to sparkle with curiosity.

(As usual.........)

　Ms. Illtimina looks at Mr. Kilt as if to confirm her decision.

'What do you want to do?'
Hmm. It's certainly not something that can be left unattended.

　Mr. Kilt stood up his newly seated body.

'Lunch is off. Let's head to those ruins first.

　I declared that.

　Lunch, I wanted to eat ... no, no, no, that can wait.

　We all stood up and walked towards the mysterious structure that stood behind the white fog and trees.