The Eroded, the Demonic Realm's residents, were terrified.
Seeing Zoroslav's initial reaction, there hadn't been any such signs, but that was probably because he expected Enkrid and his party to all die.
Whatever the case, it wouldn't have been easy to predict that one day a stranger would suddenly appear and change everything about their entire way of life.
Probably all the residents until now had treated all wanderers or adventurers who stopped by kindly.
There was no reason to treat them badly, nor did they have the strength or will to do so.
There was even less reason to resist when a blade was thrust in their faces.
If things went wrong, wouldn't they swing their swords?
Moreover, these people knew that if left alone, the Janitor would come and kill those who stopped by.
But then the Janitor died, the Demon-Lord's symbol was severed, and the corpses of swarming monsters and Demon Beasts were buried and disposed of by these very people.
In this situation, it wasn't easy to hear the deep inner thoughts from the village residents.
Even the children were so frightened their faces turned pale.
Though since their faces were light purple to begin with, there was some room for debate whether that was turning pale or turning dark.
"Watch closely, this is when someone with a benevolent appearance must step forward."
Facing these residents, Rem showed confidence. He said smiling and coaxing them would be enough. This bordered on arrogance though.
Ting.
Hearing that, Ragna drew his sword about a finger joint's worth. The phrase "benevolent appearance" probably rubbed him the wrong way. It had for Enkrid too.
Ragna looked at Enkrid.
His eyes asked whether it wouldn't be permissible to cut down someone who said such things.
"The attempt isn't bad. Anyone can try."
Everyone here might not acknowledge it, but Rem was actually quite handsome. His features were bold and his atmosphere unique, but that made him all the more attractive.
But that didn't mean he had a benevolent appearance. Absolutely not.
"Spare, spare me, I have nowhere to go for food."
An emaciated woman said, bowing her head. She said this while holding her child in her arms.
Rem's mood soured thoroughly. Naturally his expression grew fierce. Instead of a smile, malevolence settled on his face.
"Cannibalism? My duty was to kill bastards like that and you're telling me to commit cannibalism?"
Rem got agitated and Enkrid stopped him. Ragna shook his head and Jaxen unusually smirked.
Seeing that, Rem had another fit, but Enkrid roughly stopped him and asked instead. Amusingly, they answered obediently.
In the process, several women's faces reddened, but Enkrid calmly asked and answered beside them.
It was obvious they were glancing at Enkrid's face while terrified.
Well, the reason wasn't just that. It was also the point when Zoroslav, presumed to be the village's leader, was gently soothing the people.
To be precise, Enkrid had stepped forward seeing that.
Meanwhile, the way they looked at Enkrid was strange, but the feeling wasn't bad. Rather, it was filled only with one-sided goodwill and respect.
Well, whatever the case, they were now ready to talk.
"Discrimination?"
But Rem, already in a foul mood, muttered seeing that.
"Difference in faces."
Jaxen corrected him.
Thud!
Sparks flew between them. Rem swung his axe at Jaxen, who stood three steps behind, and Jaxen drew his stiletto and deflected it diagonally, creating sparks.
Was it called the Sword of Chance? Jaxen naturally demonstrated the swordsmanship he learned from Enkrid.
To be honest, he'd learned the principle long ago and trained countless times.
It was training where he positioned first-rate assassins all around and told them to stab wildly, then responded to all those movements.
And now that had reached the realm of mastery.
Rem glared at Jaxen, who deflected his axe.
"Do you really want to die?"
"I won't be dying to you."
Jaxen corrected Rem's words again, and the two fought a bit more seriously.
Thud! Ting! Ta-ta-ta-tang!
Sparks flew between them. Anyone who got close would become minced meat. Pel and Lawford pulled nearby people away from them.
"This is normal. They're always like this."
Lawford spoke calmly to relieve their worries, but it was all too natural that some residents became even more frightened seeing that.
Well, even so, they answered Enkrid's questions faithfully.
Seeing that, Luagarne was impressed.
"Indeed, that epithet of Demonic Charm is not lacking."
Shinar received those words.
"That's right. A Demonic Charm that even enchants fairies."
Her tone was almost teasing.
Enkrid let their words go in one ear and out the other, and even amidst this pandemonium, he calmly gathered information and relayed it to everyone that evening.
"If you go close, lightning strikes."
"There's a sorcerer who wields black lightning."
"If you step inside carelessly, you'll be trapped in a crystal prison and even your soul will suffer forced labor for life. Even after death, unable to leave, forever."
These were the words the residents conveyed.
It was a series of strange and frightening stories. At least, that's what they were to the residents.
To Enkrid's ears, there were many clumsy parts.
Suffering forced labor for life? For people who feared such things, the lives of the villagers here didn't seem easy at all.
This place was an independent village too, so wasn't it the same thing? In terms of forced labor, that is. Life here also couldn't be maintained without labor.
They had to cultivate land where crops didn't grow abundantly, and meanwhile if weeds containing demonic energy grew in those fields, they'd steal the nutrients from what few crops there were, so they had to pull them out one by one.
But would those weeds just be pulled obediently? If you managed them even slightly wrong, flowers that sucked human blood would bloom. Having to find and kill these beforehand wouldn't be ordinarily difficult.
A few skilled hunters might occasionally catch normal animals or Demon Beasts, but there were no regularly established trading partners.
In other words, they were self-sufficient, and self-sufficiency demanded greater labor than one might think.
From cultivating the land to occasionally going hunting, fixing and making new things, building houses and preserving food—labor was required in various areas and skills were also necessary.
Without skills, they'd have to make up for it with body and time.
Producing what you need yourself meant you had to move your body directly.
'There must be skills that developed in the process though.'
From that perspective, one thing stood out. The leather draped over their bodies was uniformly clean and in an extraordinary state of care.
They used leather from various sizes of tough Demon Beasts and monsters very well, depending on how they treated it.
Though there were many in Border Guard or villages on the Demonic Realm's boundary who utilized Demon Beast leather in such forms, he'd never seen it used as cleanly as clothing like this.
Some wore it like vests and others made wide skirts. Seeing how it fluttered in the wind, it was thin, but it clearly looked sturdy enough that a shoddy blade wouldn't even leave a mark.
Though not as much as a merchant, Enkrid could also assess the condition of fabric or leather. How many years had he worked as a merchant's escort without knowing that?
Moreover, such clearly excellent items were easy to recognize.
Quality products showed their quality even to inexperienced eyes.
'They caught Demon Beasts and skinned them for use.'
Handling Demon Beast leather wouldn't have been easy. He figured there was long research and practice of tanning.
That would have made their leather-working skills advance dramatically.
'They probably occasionally sold some of that leather to those who came here after losing their way.'
Though they had no regular trading partners, they probably occasionally met courageous and adventurous peddlers.
Anyway, from this perspective, whether you lived here or there, you'd suffer from labor for life just the same.
Many had blunt fingertips but thin, sharply blue-tinted nails. Hands that were dyed separately from their skin color. It was the price of using special fruits and herbs that grew in the Demonic Realm.
Of course, Enkrid couldn't know all the details of their lives. He was just inferring based on some visible information.
There was no need to say it out loud either.
And the residents' final story was this:
"If you die inside, you must wear a shroud of thorns."
This was roughly the entirety of the orally transmitted story. Everything else was stories derived from this.
"To summarize, it seems to be black lightning, being trapped in a crystal prison, and lastly the shroud of thorns."
Lawford organized what Enkrid had rambled about. Luagarne's cheeks lightly inflated and deflated repeatedly.
Mystery called the unknown always made Frogs' hearts pound.
Of course, those who would pursue the unknown while obviously knowing they'd die were just flea-like things unable to control their own desires.
Rem, who'd calmed down after mixing it up with Jaxen during the day, asked.
"So what is this anyway?"
Just hearing this, it was hard to know anything. Was there really a sorcerer? There might be or there might not be.
To Rem's eyes, everything the residents conveyed was just patchwork of floating rumors.
And when gaps appeared between stories, they probably filled them with imagination.
What the Demonic Realm's residents knew for certain was that no one who entered inside had ever returned.
"Do you know what it is?"
Pel looked at Enkrid and asked.
They'd taken up a moderately spacious area in a corner of the city and were sitting casually. Though they hadn't even lit a campfire, it was a bright night with moonlight.
The light scattered by two moons created shadows on Enkrid's face. Between them, his two blue eyes seemed to reveal their color even at night.
Pel thought he showed such eyes because he had certainty.
Soon everyone's gazes gathered on Enkrid. Were they all thinking similarly? Had the Commander noticed something?
Enkrid was quietly raising his gaze and looking toward the Demonic Realm.
Something different from what he saw would be visible in that gaze. Lawford had similar thoughts to Pel.
'The Commander is different after all.'
Upon hearing they'd enter the Demonic Realm, he'd felt immediate rejection, but watching Enkrid's back, that rejection became hazy. And Enkrid answered.
"No."
It was the answer to whether he knew something. Moonlight carried the brief silence.
"...You don't know?"
Pel asked back. Whether infected by Jaxen, Pel had developed the habit of speaking curtly when flustered.
"Yeah, I don't know."
Enkrid was calm.
What could he figure out just from hearing such stories?
Black lightning? If it's real lightning, how could you block that? No, could you even react?
He'd have to rely half on instinct but.
'Could I block even lightning?'
The question he asked inwardly was directed at Dawnforge. The sword didn't answer. Natural, since it wasn't a sword with a self-aware spirit. But Dawnforge was also a weapon engraved with Enkrid's Will. Receiving its master's intent, the sword trembled faintly.
Woom—
That answer was affirmative.
It was a quiet night.
Everyone heard the sword's trembling. Along with the trembling. Enkrid looked at his companions and smiled like a boy who'd fallen into his first love. More precisely, like a boy on his way to meet that first love.
Enkrid's voice was full of even more anticipation than anyone here, including Luagarne.
"I know one thing. There will be several Colonies inside."
"Inside?"
Ragna received the trailing words and asked back.
How many roaming monsters were there around here that could easily devour one or several Colonies?
There would be more inside.
"And that destroying them will reduce the Demonic Realm's territory."
Whatever was inside, they would fight. It was a tone and attitude that clearly showed anticipation because he didn't know what would pop out from that fight.
It could be called a manifestation of fighting spirit rivaling his desire for improvement.
Or you could say he was half-crazed and have nothing to say in response.
But in the first place, he'd also taken up the sword to fight such unknown opponents. Training was enjoyable, but the moment of drawing it out and using it was more enjoyable.
"Indeed."
Only then did Pel express admiration.
"The name Madman Knight Company isn't shameful."
Teresa also added words while nodding her head a couple times. Inside her flowed the blood of a giant called a Demon Beast with red blood. In other words, fighting instinct was inherent in her blood.
Must she necessarily suppress it? Was suppression the only answer?
"It will be fun."
Teresa nodded once more in affirmation.
There was no one sane among those gathered here. Even if there had been, they were now stained by madmen.
Everyone nodded in agreement with Teresa's words.
Hooooo—
A hoot-owl cried in the distance. It wasn't an ordinary hoot-owl. Upon hearing its cry, instinctive rejection arose from within.
What if they enjoyed even that unpleasant sensation?
Enkrid said as much with his smile.
Even Roman was intoxicated by that atmosphere. To the point where it was regrettable he couldn't join among them right away.
The next day, the entire party entered the Demonic Realm.
[ * * * ]
Between densely packed reddish-brown trees that didn't look like they belonged to this world, a path wide enough for three or four people to walk appeared.
That was the entrance to the Demonic Realm.
More precisely, it was the only entrance the Demonic Realm's residents knew.
The party woke up in the morning, watched the sun rise, and walked inside.
"The air is murky. Far too murky."
Shinar said. Everyone agreed, but it didn't become a problem.
As they walked the moderately curved Demonic Realm's trail, the rear became invisible and only reddish-brown trees were visible front, back, left and right.
No, looking closely, a faint red light seemed to swirl in those trees. Red so deep it looked reddish-brown.
How long had they walked?
Was there a boundary line? No.
There was nothing particularly blocking them.
Yet from the start it was different from when they entered the Gray Forest.
With each step Enkrid took toward the Demonic Realm, it felt like something was grabbing and pulling at his ankles.
Then the moment he stepped forward again, Enkrid knew he'd crossed some boundary line.
He could feel it without anyone telling him. The air was so heavy and unfamiliar that he could call the air until now warm and pleasant.
It was as if someone had mixed iron filings into the air, making even breathing uncomfortable.
For ordinary people—more precisely, for humans who hadn't reached the knight level—it seemed like their breath would choke the moment they entered.
"This is really unpleasant."
Shinar said. She showed twice the displeasure as before.
Enkrid only gazed ahead indifferently.
Then the moment he looked ahead, he saw a black dot. The moment he recognized it, his thoughts stretched out.
Intuition and instinct warned him. If he couldn't dodge, he'd die. A small black dot flew toward him and he heard a sound from far away.
Shhhaaaang!
The incoming something and the sound separated. It was a phenomenon that occurred because the projectile was too fast.
Compared to lightning striking, it was a small noise, but his keen hearing caught even the separated sound.
Then the dot approached, stretched long, extended straight, and transformed into black lightning that struck down.
'Undulating lightning.'
It wasn't a straight line but undulated in a wave pattern. His thoughts split and captured its form in his eyes. It was a long arrow.
'The target?'
It was lightning aimed precisely at his forehead.
In the gap where time was split, his accelerated thoughts drew out the fastest line and trajectory. Enkrid moved along that line. His body rotated centered on his waist. With the sudden movement, the dark green cloak wrapped around his body wound around him as Dawnforge shot up toward the sky.