The next day.
　The next day, we finished our preparations and immediately set out to capture the lost forest.

"So this is the forest of wanderlust.
It's a dank place. I'm afraid my tail is going to get all huffy.
I don't like this part of the game. It's going to be so much trouble to capture it... hey, can I burn the whole forest down?
No way!
Ow!

　With a pop, he lightly poked Tania in the head.

What kind of person burns down a forest just because it's a hassle?
I'm here!
'Don't be so proud. It's not something to be proud of.
So what do you do?　Somewhere in here is a demon with a shield of truth, right?
There's a map Arios and his team made. In the meantime, let's use that as a guide to move forward.
What's that brave man's...?
It's kind of annoying to have to rely on those guys.
The forest of wanderlust is said to be such a troublesome place that it's called a natural fortress. Regardless of the source, if you have a map, there's no way you can't use it. Well, this map isn't exactly accurate either. Still, it's better than nothing.

　Natalie told me that.....

　The Forest of Lostness has existed for a long time and covers an area the size of three cities.
　The interior is so intricately maze-like that no one has ever been able to accurately map it.
　The forest itself seems to be growing and continues to expand every day.
　So, it seems that the internal structure changes over time, and mapping it often ends up being futile.

　Natural mazes are more tricky than anything else.
　They're not designed to be cleared by people.
　If I have a clue, I want one or more.

Let's go.
'Oh!'
'Oh....'

　With the two symmetrical shouts, they proceeded through the lost forest.



----------



　Has it been about half an hour since we started exploring the Lost Forest?
　Kanade tugs at my clothes, snapping them off.

"Hey, hey, Rain.
Yeah?
Didn't you come through here in the past?
What, really?
I can't say for sure because I've vaguely seen it before, but...
Kanade is right. Here.

　Tania pointed to the grass on the side of the road.
　Some of it was charred.

'You fought a few demons along the way, didn't you?　These are the marks of that battle.

　I remembered it well.
　A large number of fine little fish had appeared, and an irritated Tania had suddenly shot out a fireball.
　It's a good thing we put out the fire in a hurry, but if we hadn't done it so well, we would have been on fire.

'Aren't we all going in circles in the same place?
Yeah, you're right.
This map isn't very useful.

　I heard that Arios tried to attack the Lost Forest a few days ago.
　And yet, I can't believe the map is no longer useful...
　Maybe it's a trickier place than I thought.

Let's switch gears. I'll check the terrain around us. We'll assimilate with the wild birds like last time, so in the meantime, I need you to be vigilant.
La-la-la!
We'll take care of it.
Okay. Well, let's get on with it...

　I found an affordable wild bird and assimilated its consciousness.
　I took control of the wild bird's body and flapped my wings into the sky as it was.

　I look around at the lost forest from above.
　Hidden by the thick foliage of the trees, it's hard to find my way.
　Still, with careful and persistent exploration, we found a route that led to the deepest part of the forest.

　I return to Kanade and Tania and unassimilate them.

'I'm home.'
Welcome home.　Did you find your way?
Yeah, it's perfect.
Then let's get out of here. I hate this place. There are so many bugs. I hate it.
If it's too tight, Tania doesn't mind waiting in town, do you?
'What?　No, no, that's not....
'Just kidding. I want you to stay with me if you can, because it's more reassuring to have Tania around. Will you stay with me?
....

　For some reason, Tania turns red.

'What's wrong?'
I don't know, you idiot!
Ow!
Lane, you're a natural codfish.

　Swallowing, Kanade explained.



----------



Funny....

　We start walking towards the deepest part.
　The scenery around me has not changed at all.
　It's as if we're going in circles in the same place.

'Lane, look at this.
This is....

　Tania pointed to a patch of grass with scorch marks on it.

'You're back where you were earlier?　No, but.....
Lane, you found the right path, didn't you?
Yeah.
"Did you take a wrong turn on the road?
No, that's not possible.

　When I was in the brave party, I was made to scout and explore over and over again.
　If I took a wrong turn, I was shouted at and cursed at, and when it was bad, fists flew at me.
　Now that I think about it, I was treated like a hell of a lot...

　And that's fine.

　Because I've been treated like that, I've learned to be very careful not to make elementary mistakes.
　It shouldn't be like I'm loosening up because I left the brave party.
　It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the fate of my friends depended on my actions.
　Handling information is such an important thing.

　And yet, we've taken a wrong turn?
　It's not possible.
　I can say with confidence.

'Meow?　But we're back where we started, and I knew we were going the wrong way!
I don't think I'm going the wrong way.

　The backup came from an unexpected source.

'Why?'
We may take a few turns to the left and right, but basically, we've been walking in a straight line, haven't we?　And yet, it's strange to go back to where you were. Besides, you can get lost, but you wouldn't go back to where you came from this conveniently.
Oh, come to think of it,

　That's right.
　The path leading to the deepest point is basically a straight line.
　There is no such thing as a 180-degree change of direction, so there is no such thing as going back to where you came from.

Then what does that mean?　I was walking straight, and before I knew it, I was back where I started... nyah?　I don't know....
Can I handle this?

　Tania took a step forward.
　She closes her eyes and concentrates.
　Then she spins one word, a powerful word.

'Material Search.'

　A blue-white light dotted Tania's fingertips.
　It blinked like a firefly and danced softly around her.
　The particles of light drifted through the air for a while... and then disappeared as if they were sucked into the trunk of a single large tree.

'I found it.'
What's the meaning of this?
We were in a hallucination trap.
Yeah?　Hallucinogenic Maho?
"A magic force field is formed over a wide area in advance, and then it penetrates the target's brain. By irradiating the part of the brain responsible for vision.
'Unyaah...'

　When Tania rattled off the jargon, she couldn't keep up with it, and Kanade turned his eyes around in a circle.
　She seemed to have developed an intellectual fever.

'Well I mean, I can only walk around this place in circles.......I was under such a spell. No, it's more of a ward than a spell?　They've put up such wards that no matter how you walk, you'll never get to the right path.
Oh, nyah!
Kanade. Break this tree.
Cat?　Outbursts?
No. What are you looking at me like that for?
My eyes.
Yay!
Meow!

　Tania poked Kanade in the eye with her hand in the shape of a choki.

'What are you doing?　What are you doing?!
I'm just annoyed.
Well Lane, I'm afraid of Tania.
We don't want any fights.
'It's not a fight. Anyway, this tree is forming a ward. Remove it and we can move on.
I wish you'd say that, then.

　Kanade stands in front of a large tree.
　He spins his arms around and delivers a powerful blow...

"...and go away.

　I was just about to tap into it when a voice came out of nowhere.