Several points were chosen by Ars and Loki as resting places.
　It was, so to speak, a rocky area that deviated from the animal pathways that animals come and go. The ecology of demons, most of which is not understood, but if you have long experience in the field, you will naturally notice it.

　Demons don't like to kill animals and often divide their habitat into separate areas. This is not the case at night, and there is no end to the number of exceptions such as excitement.
　In any case, there are a few places that are usually difficult for demons to enter.

　One of them is the territory where many animals live and rest. They are probably hibernating, considering the season, but animals and demons live and work in this part of the wilderness. To put it plainly, the nesting area may be a good example of this.
　Since demons don't see animals as predators, they usually don't raid their homes. The opposite is also true.

　After searching for such points on the map, Ars and Loki had set their sights on the safe zones necessary to carry out their mission.

　One of them was this sheer rocky canyon. There was even a stream nearby. As long as they could find a tributary stream that served as a watering hole, there was somewhere to rest.
　As expected, we found a place where the rock had been naturally scoured into a cave, and we made it our resting place.

　The gurgling of a nearby stream sounded somewhat dull from the cold.
　The interior of the cave was not very deep. On the contrary, it was in full view from the outside. Even so, it was better than the ceiling, and it was spacious enough. It was an arched cave, or perhaps it should be called a depression.


　There were rotting leaves, branches, and even dampness, but it was a relief to be able to secure it.
　I've been laying Alice's pouch on her head, using it as a pillow, and laying her on her side, but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her. It was thought that she would wake up soon.

　On the road to this point, Ars had crushed and scattered the crystals that scattered the magic residue in the pouch, so it was unlikely that the location would be identified too soon. Still, there is no word more incomplete than perfect in the outside world. There is no place in the outside world where one can stay for long periods of time, for there is no place in the outside world where one can stay for long periods of time.

　The interior of the cave was still pooled with the gloom of the twilight as the sun set. The darkness eats the light from this world, and the gloom that will eventually dissolve into thin air into the ground will unknowingly steal your body heat.

''There's a little distance between us. In terms of time, it's time to head to the predicted land of the [Night Meeting]. Currently, it seems that the total number of demons themselves, let alone the high rate, is low.

　Loki, who had lit a small campfire and spread out a map near the fire, told him with a difficult look on his face.

'I guess waiting here won't get us anywhere. We'll just have to survey the whole area around here.''
Al, then....
Yeah, I'm going alone. If I don't come back, do as I instructed. I'll meet you at the rendezvous point.

　Of course, this is a case of assuming a situation where Ars can't return home. This time, since the goal of the mission was to investigate the phenomenon known as 【Night Meeting】, a battle might be avoided.
　But at the same time, it also meant that it was a situation where he couldn't move.

　The outside world at night is always the usual way to hide, killing your breath and hiding. No, in a sense, it is even said that it is the only way to do it.

　Even though the sun goes down early in the season, Ars won't set out until a little more time has passed. That's right, after the darkness completely encroaches, it will be time for the demons to start moving actively.

　The suffocating silence that descended naturally.
　Ars, who was leaning against the wall, sighed and gently closed his eyes.
　In the meantime, Tesfia is snuggled up beside him, taking care of Alice's condition.

　It was rare for the morale of the troops to be this low. This wouldn't allow them to rest from the uncomfortable feeling.

　At that moment, as if to break the silence, Ars called out her name in a faint voice sound, "Fear".

　Showing obvious agitation with a tremor in her shoulders, Tesfia rose to her feet as she sat up heavily. She was probably just trying to drown herself in the care of Alice. She also understood that her mistakes had created the situation she was in now.
　She also knew that even her mission was starting to get in the way. But she didn't know what to say at a time like this.

　Even then........she couldn't turn away from the demon, enlist Loki's help, and even escape afterwards. I knew I was dragging my feet, so I was so frustrated that I fought to the death to recover.

　But surely, no amount of Tesfia could tell from Ars's reaction that it wasn't right.

　It was just that he didn't know at the time what he had done wrong. Only later did I know that I made a mistake. The fact that I had overestimated myself like that made my heart ache tightly now.

　Tesfia stood in front of Ars with a downcast look on her face. He didn't know if it was the right thing to do to spit out an easy apology, and he still didn't even know what caused it.

'You will not fight the demons until you return.
'Wait!　I.........I'll do it right. I won't fail this time........

　Tesfia raised her voice as if desperately trying to make a case for something. Desperately, desperately, she wanted to prove that she could do it.
　Maybe she wanted to respond to Ars, who had taken a hand in watching her so far.
　Maybe he didn't want her to think it was pointless.
　Or maybe he didn't want to deny his dream of becoming a mage.

　It was probably all of those things. I should have been able to do better than that.
　So if only I could get another chance....

'What?'
What's the...

　When Tesfia was at a loss for words, Ars simply continued in an explanatory tone. His eyes were as cold and uninterested as those of a spoiled child.

'What do you do. What you failed to do. If you don't understand that, do you think there will be a next time? You'll do the same thing and make the same mistakes over and over again.
Let me do it. This time I will slay the monster!

　Turning her powerful eyes straight to Ars, Tesfia put her hand on her chest and demanded that he reconsider his worth. The plea in her eyes loses the sincere purity she has inherently and is nothing more than daredevil courage.

　Ars looks back at Tesfia, who could only be desperate. Her fatigue was not something that could be recovered by resting for an hour or so. Of course, the consumption of magic power is significant, and this will not be fully recovered either. Tomorrow, she would reach her limit earlier than today - that much was certain. She didn't understand the reality that she couldn't do anything about it with her energy and bluster alone, and she begged to fight.

'No. I'm not going to let you do anything now. That's an order.
Whose. Al's?　Or as a captain?　Then all the more reason to fight--!


　◇ ◇ ◇


　My head throbbed. The sound of drums echoed in my head.
　The hurt that had cut off her consciousness gradually turned into a noise and headache that woke her up.

　Alice slowly opened her eyes, letting out a moan, "Ugh...." from the sudden signs of awakening that jumped in, as she tried to open her eyes.
　I could tell that she was lying down, and I could vaguely understand that she was asleep. The hardness of the floor lets me know that I'm not on my usual bed, but in the outside world.

'Alice, are you okay?'
Ummm... but what the hell happened to me... what's wrong with me?

　He ran his hand over the headache-inducing area, but there was a bandage wrapped around it, and the hurt that ran through it the moment he touched it caused Alice's eyes to reflexively close.

'You shouldn't move just yet,'
Thank you.........!

　With that said, Loki supported Alice's back as she got up for the first time. It happened right after that. A dry sound that echoed in Alice's ears, who didn't know where she was except that she was in the outside world, reached her ears.

　When Alice turned her head towards the sound.
　There was Tesfia, holding one cheek, turning away, and on the other side, Ars had just swept his hand away.

　Even though the black shadows prevented her from clearly seeing Ars's face, Alice could see the somber look on Ars's face as she looked at her hand that would have slapped her cheek, a somber one that endured the strange hurt.

Go take a breath, okay?

　At those words, Tesfia didn't even turn her head and ran out, shaking her hair out of her head.
　A white tooth filled with frustration can be seen from her drawn-up mouth, and a drop of resentment and incomprehensible misery at herself drops down in the air.