---

“Ugh… I stepped in it again…”

Anne, who was walking ahead, stopped in her tracks and scrunched up her face. As she lifted her foot and scrubbed it against the bare ground, purple, gooey slime stuck to her shoe.

But no matter how hard she tried, Anne’s shoes were destined to get dirty again. The further we went, the more the decent ground would completely vanish, leaving nothing but that cursed purple slime.

This was proof that we had entered the Domain of the Four Heavenly King Glen.

Of course, this land wasn’t always like this. Before the Demon King’s resurrection, the demonic territory was cramped compared to what it is now. Just like this now, after the last Hero defeated the previously resurrected Demon King, the demonic races retreated to barren lands, avoiding the pursuers. Lands so extreme that no human could endure.

Naturally, the hunt to eliminate the demonic races had to be put on hold, allowing them to survive. They simply waited and waited for the Demon King to resurrect so they could once again set foot back on the prosperous continent.

Although I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, records indicated that the area we were standing in was once known for its vast orchards before being overrun by the demonic races. Now, of course, there wasn’t a single fruit left to taste.

Unlike other demonic races, Glen had a peculiar trait of spreading his domain over the land. If I had to quantify it, even that gooey slime Anne was stepping in could be considered part of his body. Kind of like how a person’s hair could drag along the ground.

In terms of yuckiness, he’s one of the top contenders among the Four Heavenly Kings… No, among the entire demonic races. He even infected his subordinates with his tentacles and slime, making them all particularly uncomfortable to deal with.

“Meow.”

By the way, even after coming down from the mountain, I was still holding the cat-like Frecia in my arms. I couldn’t dare let this filthy stuff touch the boss’s feet.

Coincidentally, Gomtaengi and Tokki had also turned into small plushies and were hanging on Anne and Luna’s shoulders. Quite a rational choice, satisfying for everyone involved.

“Speaking of which, if we consider Vulcan, Glen must have powered up too, right?”

I petted Frecia while talking to Selian, who was walking alongside me.

“It’s reasonable to think so. It’s better to be cautious than to let our guard down and be caught off guard.”

Vulcan, who had gobbled up artificially created high-ranking demons to gain explosive power. We had narrowly avoided danger because of Anne’s timely rampage. Of course, we’ll leave out the fact that we almost faced another crisis afterward as a minor incident.

If Vulcan had done that, there’s no way Glen, also one of the Four Heavenly Kings, wouldn’t have.

“Anyway, it’s too quiet here. The mountain range is a dragon’s domain, so it’s natural not to see any demonic races, but even here in his domain, the absence of an ambush feels unsettling, doesn’t it?”

Linne, who had sent a spirit to glance around our surroundings, expressed her doubts. It was true; although we had entered demonic territory, only a chilling and haunting silence welcomed us. No attacks from demonic monsters, demonic beings, or the demonic races at all.

But they couldn’t possibly be unaware of our presence. As mentioned earlier, the purple slime that tainted the surroundings was practically part of Glen’s body, so he must have already realized we set foot in his domain.

I had expected a welcoming committee of monsters or several assassins to react, but the complete lack of response was surprising.

“Do you happen to know anything about Glen?”

“Hmm… Not really? As you know, little master, I’ve always been hiding away… Even among the Four Heavenly Kings, I’ve had no interactions whatsoever.”

I asked Lilith, who was floating behind me, trying to avoid getting her feet dirty, but her response yielded no useful information.

Now that I think about it, Lilith… she was a total shut-in, wasn’t she? Lately, she had been hanging out with us, showing a somewhat normal demeanor, but any opportunity she got, she’d just curl up in a corner reading novels like your typical recluse.

“Well, let’s just keep moving forward. Even if there are traps, we can’t just turn back now.”

Without needing Selian to say it, Anne was already ahead, looking around curiously.

So, we kept moving forward, onward.

“By now, it seems reasonable to suspect this is a trap.”

Having walked deeper into the forest, we still hadn’t encountered anything unusual. At the very least, there should have been an attack from blind monsters, but all we heard were our footsteps echoing softly.

“Let’s walk a bit more for today and set up camp here. It’s getting close to sunset anyway.”

Being in a forest, there wasn’t much sunlight filtering through, and it was getting dark. Once the sun completely set and the moon rose, it was sure to get even darker. I’m not overly affected by darkness, but my friends might have some limitations on their movements.

Instead of dragging this out, it’d be better to ease our fatigue from climbing the mountains and then start searching in earnest tomorrow.

“At least I’m glad I don’t have to worry about gathering firewood. There’s plenty lying around.”

Without needing to solidify, Linne, who had been walking alongside me, suddenly plopped down on a tree stump as if she had been waiting for my remark.

At the same time, the Ghost Friends began to materialize next to Yuli subtly, without being asked, and started scouring the area for branches diligently.

“Let’s set up only two tents, and the night watch will rotate as always.”

When camping, having a night watch is essential. Especially since we are currently in the Domain of the Four Heavenly Kings; even if we hadn’t been attacked yet, we couldn’t let our guard down.

“Two tents might be a bit cramped, right? If we’re setting them up anyway, I’d rather have one more so we can sleep more comfortably…”

“What’s crammed about it? Aside from the two people who have to stay awake in shifts, two four-person tents will be sufficient.”

Of course, under normal circumstances, adding another tent wouldn’t be a big deal, but since we had walked deep into the forest, everywhere was already covered with the sticky purple slime. Picking the right spot to set up one more tent would be a huge hassle.

“Anne!”

Before I could say anything more, Yuli pulled Anne aside and was giving her some instructions from a distance. Watching Anne get scolded for miscalculating made me feel a bit sorry for her, but at the same time, it was true; at her age, it was her fault for not being able to count.

“Haha… I miscalculated. Right! There’s no need for all of us to cram into just one tent unnecessarily!”

Anne returned, scratching her head with an awkward smile after being chided.

“Since we’re on the subject, how about deciding on the night watch in advance? It’ll be nice to assign roles and make plans…”

“Oh, we’ll handle that part ourselves. You don’t need to worry about it, El.”

I chuckled at Anne’s words as I started building a fire with the branches and firewood brought by the Ghost Friends, and Selian chimed in as if he had been waiting for it.

“Hmm? Don’t worry about it?”

“Our party has nine members, after all. If we split into pairs for the night watch, one person will be left out, so El, you should just sleep soundly without taking a turn.”

“Ah, come on. Everyone is working hard; how can I not join in? Besides, with Linne included, there’s ten of us; what difference does it make?”

As I pointed to Linne, she glanced at Yuli and then faded out of sight, dispersing her form.

The number of ten was suddenly reduced to nine.

“Hehe… Linne’s feeling tired after walking all day for the first time in a while.”

Yuli explained on behalf of the now-invisible Linne. I felt a bit annoyed, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t understand.

“Alright, that leaves us with one less. The condition of our party’s heart and hero El is the most important, so please take it easy and get a good rest. Sleep so soundly you won’t even notice if someone carries you away…”

“…I’m starting to feel guilty for no reason.”

Selian said this as if it were obvious, but the opinions of the other friends might differ. It’s one thing to stand watch all night, while someone else gets to comfortably drift away in dreamland; jealousy would inevitably arise in such a situation.

I subtly turned my head to see the expressions of the other friends. But thankfully, or maybe it’s just how it is, everyone looked agreeable. In fact, they wore expressions as if it were only natural.

“As no one’s complaining, feel free to rest easy. El, you absolutely can. No, we all ask this of you.”

“Well, if you put it that way… please don’t hold any grudges or talk behind my back when it’s your turn to stand watch.”

“There’s no way we’d do something like that. Rather than harboring resentment, we’d be grateful instead.”

I thought it should be me thanking them for being excluded from the night watch, but seeing Selian trying hard to ease my burden like that made me feel guilty instead.

“Okay. Then, since I’m excluded from the night watch, I’ll help with dinner tonight! You can all look forward to it!”

Filled with gratitude for my friends, I promised to repay them with delicious food.

*

Beyond the realm of sleeping consciousness, faint rustling sounds broke through. It must be the noise of someone coming into the tent after finishing their watch.

“Already time…”

“…It’s our turn…”

The bustling sounds and murmured voices were barely audible. Excited voices mixed with those sounding disappointed—most likely the difference between those who had just completed their shift and those who were sleepily waking up to take over.

But since everyone had united to have me excluded from the night watch, it was irrelevant to me.

Thus, I drifted back into a deep slumber, trusting my utterly reliable friends who were covering for me.

As Selian said, so deeply that I wouldn’t notice even if someone carried me away…