The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
The fog was thick, which allowed us to land on the Western Continent without being spotted by any monsters or demons.
First, we headed into a forest where we could hide.
There, we dried our wet clothes…
After that, we stayed alert while observing the surroundings of the Western Continent.
"So this is the Western Continent…"
The Demon Territory.
Countless monsters and demons roam here, and very few who set foot in this land ever return alive.
It’s said to be a demonic wasteland—a terrifying place that even seasoned warriors would tremble at…
"How should I put it… It looks normal."
"Yes, quite ordinary."
Luna and Sora said that.
Agreeing with them, Tania and Iris spoke casually.
"I’ve never been to the Demon Territory myself, but I’ve heard stories. I imagined it would look much more ominous and sinister."
"But compared to the Central Continent where we live, it doesn’t seem all that different, does it?"
And they were right.
Since it’s called the Demon Territory, I expected dead trees, strange ferocious beasts, poisonous swamps…
That was the image in my head, but it was completely wrong.
A solid and fertile land.
A clear blue sky.
Trees covered in vibrant green leaves.
Birds perched on the branches looked like any ordinary birds you’d see anywhere else.
They chirped cheerfully, creating an oddly peaceful atmosphere.
"It feels… peaceful."
"It really does…"
The reality was so different from what we imagined that we didn’t know how to react.
As a result, even Yuki and I ended up relaxing without meaning to.
"Wait, this isn’t the time to be spacing out. We need to move quickly."
"But what now? We managed to cross over to the Western Continent, but we still have zero intel on the enemy, right?"
Just as Grey said, the locations of the Four Heavenly Kings’ strongholds were still unknown.
Even the demons we captured before refused to talk, so we had no leads on that.
"First, we need to find a demon city."
"How? Even if we split up, it’ll take time, and more importantly, we’ll stand out."
"You don’t need to worry about that."
"Indeed. If we leave it to Rain and his absurd taming skills, finding one or two cities will be a breeze."
Please, stop calling it “absurd taming.”
Well… I’ve gotten used to it lately, and I do understand my ability is unusual…
But every time they say it, it still feels a little awkward.
"When it comes to the enemy, we’ll just ask them directly. Once we find a demon city, we’ll gather intel there."
"But if we just walk in normally, won’t we end up captured or killed? That’s not going to end well."
Yuki had a point.
So we needed a countermeasure, and everyone started thinking.
"If possible, I’d like to disguise ourselves."
"Would disguises really work?"
"Demons often don’t look that different from us, but their aura and the magic they carry are completely different."
"They’d probably sniff us out anyway."
"They’re not dogs, you know…"
We all groaned in thought.
"Well, there is a way."
Luna said this with a smug expression, clearly having a secret plan.
When she’s like this, she’s really reliable.
"We, the Spirit Tribe, are magic experts. Specialists. Technicians of the arcane!"
That last part… doesn’t sound quite right.
"Anyway, we can use transformation magic."
"Really?"
"Well, it’s not like it actually changes your physical form. It interferes with and rewrites others’ perception, making you appear to be a completely different being."
"Uh… in other words?"
"Think of it like wearing a costume."
Ah, that’s an easy way to explain it.
"But, it’s a pretty difficult spell. Only I and one other can use it."
"So, basically, Luna and Sora, plus two more people?"
"Right. If we infiltrate a city, it’ll be Luna, Sora, and two others."
When I looked around, wondering who it should be…
Everyone’s eyes focused on me.
"Lord Rain is confirmed."
"Obviously."
"Wait, why so fast?!"
"We don’t know what kind of unforeseen circumstances we’ll face. So it’s best to have someone who can handle any situation."
"Rain can deal with almost anything, right?"
"…I guess?"
I was happy to think that they trusted me…
But it also felt like they were overestimating me, and that made me a little uneasy.
"I’d like to volunteer to be the other person. Is that okay?"
Yuki stepped forward.
"If we’re talking about ability, maybe it’d be better to leave it to Iris or Tania… But as a member of the royal family, I can’t just leave everything to you and Rain. That wouldn’t feel right. Well, it’s more of a pride thing than a practical matter, so if you think about efficiency, it might not make sense… but still."
"No, I don’t think that’s a bad idea."
This might sound rude, but…
Compared to Tania and Iris, Yuki’s combat power was lower.
However, Yuki was clever and quick-witted.
If he came with us, he might notice things we wouldn’t and even sense unexpected dangers before they happened.
Maybe everyone else thought the same, because no one voiced any objections.
Only Grey wore a bitter expression.
"Are you sure about this, young master? You’re royalty. I’d rather you didn’t do anything reckless…"
"There are demons targeting our people. And there are people who’ve been kidnapped. If I don’t take risks now, then when should I?"
"That’s not what I meant! I don’t want you taking risks at all, no matter when… Haah, not that you’d listen anyway."
Grey let out a long, heavy sigh.
I always thought Yuki was the one keeping Grey in check…
But maybe it was the other way around.
It seemed more like Yuki was the reckless one, and Grey was the one being dragged along.
"All right, I understand. Just promise me you won’t do anything reckless. No matter what happens, put your life first."
"Yeah, don’t worry. I’m still royalty, you know. I know where to draw the line and make the right judgment calls."
"If you really did, I wouldn’t be worried in the first place… Well, I guess all I can do now is trust you."
He really seemed to have it tough.
I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.
"All right then, it’ll be me, Yuki, Sora, and Luna who infiltrate the city. The rest of you…"
"We’ll take a separate route and gather intel on our end. Let’s see… How about we regroup here in twenty-four hours?"
"Got it, that works. Tania, Iris, be careful."
"Fufu, don’t worry. Even if demons show up, they’re no match for me."
"I would never do anything that would cause Lord Rain grief."
They were both reliable… but they also had a tendency to act recklessly, which worried me.
Maybe this was the same feeling Grey had?
I found myself imagining how he felt and couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.
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