After finishing their wagered bouts in the square, Roden and Shan spent time at the explorers' guild every day. They intended to use Shan's suddenly heightened reputation to recruit better companions.

While Roden met and interviewed various people through a guild member, Shan had a task of his own: mingling with the explorers he had beaten, soothing any hard feelings, and building friendships.

He lacked Roden's eloquence and knack for handling people, but the mere fact that a prodigious swordsman stronger than most knights was willing to mingle with them earned their goodwill. Of course, there was also the calculation that a friendship forged here might save their lives if they encountered him later in the Demonlands.

Even Shan's being Altoan worked somewhat in his favor when it came to getting along with them. Had an ordinary western boy possessed such swordsmanship, they would have suspected he came from some distinguished knightly house or noble family and felt unable to treat him casually.

Naturally, some still disliked the presence of an Altoan, but after seeing his skill, they dared not show it to his face.

"I'm telling you, just join our expedition! With you along, we could easily go deeper!"

"But you said Roden couldn't come."

"Of course he can't! One big warrior is plenty, and that's me!"

The drunken Pakan the Bear Hunter pounded the table, making the drinks in the cups slosh wildly. Since their fight, he had taken a liking to Shan and frequently invited him to join his companions for drinks.

Shan did not actually like alcohol, so he merely pretended to drink while devouring the food served alongside it. Pakan was an easygoing enough fellow to roar with laughter at that too, calling his childish behavior endearing.

"Then no, thank you. I'm going with Roden."

"Ha! The captain's been rejected again!"

"Give it some serious thought! I don't say things like this to just anyone!"

Amid the boisterous chatter, Shan noticed Roden waving from some distance away and rose from his seat.

"Huh? Leaving already?"

"My friend's calling me."

"Damn it! I feel like a pretty woman's just turned me down!"

Shan waved to the grumbling men and approached Roden, who was sitting at a table with three others. One was the guild member he had seen over the past few days, while the other two were strangers.

"Pakan again?"

"Yes. He keeps asking me to join his expedition."

"Honestly, the moment they hear someone's good, they'll try anything to poach them... This is Shan. You've heard the rumors, so I needn't explain, right? Shan, these two gentlemen are Vent and Zerpo. Say hello."

"Hello."

As Shan bowed his head, the two men exchanged glances and clicked their tongues softly.

"This young fellow really is...?"

"Looking at him, I can scarcely believe it. But with so many eyewitnesses, I suppose there's no reason to doubt it."

Vent was a middle-aged man a little over forty, while Zerpo looked about ten years younger. As the introductions continued, Shan learned that Vent was a priest from a New Faith monastery who worked as an explorer to resolve its financial difficulties. Zerpo, meanwhile, belonged to a small-to-midsized school of magic and explored to fund his research.

After hearing the explanation, Shan turned to Roden.

"What about a guide? You said you wanted one too."

"I haven't found anyone suitable yet. I think we'll have to look in one of the small towns near the Demonlands."

"Actually, Zerpo and I can fill that role to some extent. We're both quite experienced explorers."

"Hmm. Then shall we proceed with the four of us for now and recruit someone later if we need to...?"

The reason a priest and a mage who could both defend themselves, even if they were not first-rate warriors, did not already belong to an expedition was simpler than one might expect. Rather than work themselves to the bone until they could afford to retire, both treated exploring as a sideline, taking jobs only when they needed money.

That was also precisely why Roden had chosen them. Vent had roots in his monastery, and Zerpo in his school. Unlike drifters who could simply flee with the treasure, men with such ties could not readily betray their companions, if only for fear of retaliation. If they did betray Shan and Roden, it would be only when they could kill and bury the pair to prevent any reprisal.

"Then I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise!"

The distribution of anything recovered during their explorations and authority over their operations had already been discussed, so the two soon agreed to join Shan and Roden's expedition.

Beer spilled over the rims as their tankards clashed heartily.

* * *

The four-person Demonlands expedition was officially registered with Shedil's explorers' guild under the name Green Eyes. It came from a physical feature of Shan, the expedition's mainstay. Many expeditions chose their names just as simply.

They left Shedil and began heading east exactly two days after forming the group. That was time enough to purchase a few more necessities on their new companions' advice and for the mage and priest to say farewell to their acquaintances.

Travel was certainly easier with four people. With more eyes, each person needed to watch only one direction—front, back, left, or right—and the extra hands made dividing the work easier when they stopped to cook lunch.

Better still, Shan could watch magic being performed up close.

["Kaleisblanaiorga..."]

Murmuring in an incomprehensible language, the mage Zerpo extended a hand over the firewood. A tiny ember appeared and began to burn.

Shan exclaimed in wonder. Gathering flint and tinder, striking sparks with steel, blowing gently to coax the flame to life—all those steps, bypassed so easily!

"Wow...!"

Though he had even visited the Magic Society in the capital, he had rarely had the chance to witness such conspicuous magic there. It was, after all, a place for selling and demonstrating finished magical tools and arranging private commissions.

At Shan's reaction, Zerpo made no attempt to hide his gratification and gave an arrogant smile. He spoke formally not only to Roden but even to Shan, yet his manner was so conceited that, oddly enough, it never quite sounded respectful.

"Hmm. Are you interested in magic?"

"Yes. Though I know I can't learn it."

"Well, those who awaken spirit have their spiritual forms fixed in place, with the flesh as their vessel. Nothing can be done about that."

Magic was the art of drawing out the power of one's soul with the aid of meditation, incantations, catalysts, and other elements to distort reality. It was therefore incompatible with spirit users, who refined their souls through harsh training and layered them over their bodies. Unlike a liquid or gas, a solid could not readily change its shape.

Until now, Shan had possessed only the superficial knowledge that awakening spirit made it impossible to use magic. Fascinated by Zerpo's explanation, he nodded repeatedly. In truth, he understood less than half of it properly, but perhaps because the subject interested him, merely listening was enjoyable.

The mage reminded him of Selina. They were particularly alike in their fondness for showing off by pouring out their knowledge to the ignorant. As before, Shan was exactly the sort of listener such people adored, and the two soon became close.

By contrast, although Priest Vent always wore an amiable smile, he was strangely difficult to grow close to. It was as though he kept an emotional wall between himself and others. Still, he did not seem a bad person.

Green Eyes saw its first real action exactly a day and a half after leaving Shedil. As the lush forests and plains began giving way to desolate terrain bordering on wasteland, Priest Vent, who was watching their left flank, spotted the approaching enemy first.

"Something's coming over there."

The first things they saw were five or six people, presumably explorers, who were visibly wounded and exhausted. They ran as though fleeing pursuers, while behind them, monsters with wolflike faces ran on two legs, howling as they closed in.

There were about ten of the creatures, armed with everything from crude clubs and stone axes to fairly well-made iron weapons.

Recalling his lessons with Sir Darkal and Roden, Shan voiced the name that came to mind.

"Werewolves?"

"Those are bigger and don't use weapons. These are gnolls."

"Aha."

Zerpo, beside him, corrected his mistake. Though both had wolf faces and walked on two legs, gnolls were much smaller and weaker, but more intelligent—enough to make simple clubs or arm themselves with weapons taken from humans they killed.

The fleeing explorers spotted Shan's party and frantically waved for help. Priest Vent gave a low groan and looked at Shan.

"It seems we ought to help them."

"I'll go ahead. Take your time following me."

Having made that announcement, Shan immediately mounted his black horse and rode forward. He moderated its pace; a full gallop from here would leave it tired by the time they arrived.

The explorers' joy at being rescued was short-lived. Once they realized that their approaching rescuer was a lone boy on horseback, despair settled over their faces. Three grown men who looked far more capable of fighting were simply standing back there. What on earth were they doing?

Ignoring their reactions, Shan raised the lance fastened to his horse and leveled it. Though his body bounced with the horse's stride, the tip remained uncannily still.

"To the sides!"

He shouted once he was close enough, and the explorers flung themselves left and right despite their doubts. If the boy failed to stop the gnolls, their lost momentum would soon make them prey. But they could hardly collide with an oncoming horseman either. All they could do was hope he would at least halt the creatures' advance.

Riding through the opening they had made, Shan sought to repay their trust. He thrust his lance with all his might at the gnolls, who faltered at the sudden cavalry charge. Just like the knights he had once seen on the battlefield, he poured powerful spirit into its tip.

'Not piercing. Pushing back.'

Piercing with a lance was suitable only for attacking the single enemy at the front. Even skewering several foes on its long shaft would catch no more than two or three at most.

But the moment the intent became impact rather than penetration, that force passed undiminished through the first target into those behind it. With sufficient speed, a spirit-infused lance charge converted into striking force had enough destructive power to knock down more than ten heavily armored infantrymen.

BOOM!

Shan thrust his lance. With a thunderous crash, the foremost gnoll's body crumpled and flew backward, bowling over six or seven of its fellows. They looked as though an enormous wagon had struck them—a sight every bit as impressive as the knights he had seen charging into soldiers on the battlefield.

Having dealt a devastating blow with a single charge, Shan immediately wheeled his horse and attacked the creatures still standing. With their tight formation already broken, he shortened his grip on the lance and thrust repeatedly, piercing the monsters' thick hides and muscles to strike their vital points and take their lives.

Finally, he drove his lance into the back of the last fleeing creature's head. When he pulled it free and turned, the surviving explorers bowed low.

"Th-thank you, Sir Knight!"

"You saved our lives!"

The people of Leaf Village in Libert had called him that too, but hearing it from these men felt newly gratifying. Perhaps that was because he knew what he had just accomplished truly required the ability of a knight.

His companions arrived afterward and administered basic first aid to the survivors. Priest Vent laid his hand over a wound and prayed to the Goddess. A sacred radiance shone, and the injury visibly began closing.

"Ohh, ugh..."

"How did you come to be hurt so badly?"

Gnolls were intelligent enough to use weapons, but their physical abilities were not especially formidable. They were stronger and more agile than humans of similar size, yet a properly organized formation could readily repel them. Anyone too weak to manage that would not have been fit to travel through monster-infested Pendia in the first place.

At the priest's question, the surviving explorers hesitantly told their story. They had come down from Count Pales's domain in northeastern Pendia. Confident in their fighting skills, they had banded together to explore the Demonlands.

With more than ten men who knew how to handle weapons and fight, they had enjoyed respectable results and were riding high—until they had the misfortune to encounter a banshee.

"Ah, a banshee... Those are incorporeal monsters, aren't they?"

"Commonly classed as ghosts."

Against an enemy no sword or spear could defeat, the banshee's wail had driven them to fight among themselves, leaving several dead or gravely wounded. Barely escaping the Demonlands alive, they had then been attacked by gnolls drawn by the smell of blood.

They could have easily repelled the creatures in good health, but wounded and exhausted, they were unable to hold their own. Several more died before they fled and were rescued. The weapons the gnolls carried had belonged to those who died first.

"Good grief..."

Roden could not suppress a sigh as he listened. Preventing situations like this was one reason expeditions tried to include at least one priest or mage. An expedition made up entirely of warriors might have considerable fighting strength, but often found itself in danger when it could not handle circumstances like these.

After collecting a modest fee from the people they had rescued and sending them on their way, Shan looked at Roden.

"Shall we go hunt it?"

"What?"

"The banshee. I heard the crystals they leave sell for quite a lot."

"They do. What do you two think?"

The priest and mage both agreed. Creatures like banshees were dangerous only to ignorant folk who knew nothing but swinging weapons. Elites like them had little reason to fear one. Above all, having now witnessed Shan's rumored prowess firsthand, they could hardly help feeling greater confidence.

While they headed toward the location given by the explorers they had rescued, Priest Vent addressed Shan quietly.

"Shan."

"Yes?"

"That charge just now was truly splendid."

"Oh, thank you."

Shan chuckled at the unexpected praise, and the priest nodded with a gentle smile.

"But next time, I'd like you to coordinate with us a little before charging. Roden is here too, and above all, I could at least bestow a blessing on you."

"Oh..."

"A blessing of vitality, if nothing else, would be a great help. Even if you misjudge your spirit use and exhaust yourself, it will help you recover quickly."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Apparently that really was all Vent wished to ask. Once Shan nodded, he turned away as though he had nothing more to say.

Listening from a short distance away, Roden looked sheepish. The real reason Shan had charged off without warning was that the gnolls were armed. Had he tried to take Roden along, his friend's fear of blades would surely have been exposed.

They had not yet revealed his secret because it was such a fatal weakness. They had chosen companions unlikely to betray them, of course, but if either man leaked that information, any enemy targeting them would gain a powerful weapon.

Shan sidled up to Roden and whispered.

"When are you going to tell them?"

"Hmm. After watching them a little longer..."

"For now, I'll cover for you as much as I can. Monsters that use weapons aren't that common, anyway."

"Sorry."

Shan answered Roden's apology with a broad grin. It really was an unnecessary apology.

* * *

They traveled for three days after changing course. Once they had passed two small settlements, the color of the land before them finally began to change.

Instead of cracked reddish-brown wasteland, they were greeted by earth stained pitch-black. It bore no resemblance to fertile black soil; it looked as though it consisted of ashes left after a fire.

Clouds shrouded the sky, blocking the sunlight that was the Goddess's grace, and a stale, unpleasant smell hung in the air. This was one reason the region was called the Demonlands and considered unfit for human habitation.

'How on earth did the ancient Altoans live here?'

However he looked at it, this hardly seemed a place where a magical empire could have flourished in the distant past. Perhaps the Demonlands had looked different back then, before the Goddess's curse.

While Shan was lost in thought, Zerpo surveyed their surroundings and gave a derisive snort.

"Now we're properly in the Demonlands."

At his words, Shan and Roden unconsciously tensed their shoulders. Priest Vent chuckled at the two first-time visitors beside him.

"Don't be so nervous. The Demonlands are dangerous, certainly, but our strength is nothing to scoff at either. There aren't any major hazards in the terrain near the edge, at least."

Besides, if the explorers' account was accurate, this area was the banshee's territory. That made it likely there were no other threatening monsters nearby. A banshee would be an unwelcome presence to most monsters, which specialized in physical attacks.

Not long after a light meal, they managed to find their quarry—or, more precisely, the banshee came looking for prey. Something pale came sweeping through the dark sky.

'So that's a banshee.'

At first glance, the banshee resembled a noblewoman dressed in antiquated clothing. Or it would have, had its body not been translucent, its eyes not streamed tears of blood, and it not been flying.

"Father?"

"Of course."

The priest immediately bestowed the blessing of vitality he had mentioned earlier upon Shan. Shan felt his blood grow warm as vigor spread through his body.

Perhaps repelled by the sacred light, the banshee narrowed its blood-weeping eyes and plunged swiftly from the sky. At a height of roughly four meters, it opened its mouth wide and unleashed a tremendous shriek.

[KIEEEEE—!]

The spiritual creature's cry swept outward in waves, disrupting the minds of every living thing. It was a powerful curse that covering one's ears could not stop.

Yet none of them fainted or grew confused and attacked their allies. The priest had already bestowed mind-protecting wards on the others and the horses. Shan, who had received the blessing of vitality instead of a ward, was protected by his mighty spirit.

This was another reason expeditions could not afford to grow too large. Though it varied with their ability, there was a limit to how many people a priest could protect at once.

'Shall we?'

Shan bent his knees, then straightened them forcefully and sprang upward. With the aid of spirit, he soared more than four meters into the air, his sword cleaving the banshee neatly in two from top to bottom in an instant. Its body, which let all physical attacks pass through like water, was helplessly torn apart by his spirit-infused blade.

Unlike his leap, his landing required no spirit. Curling his body to distribute the impact through a breakfall, Shan landed as softly as a cat.

Then he checked his condition and felt the vitality spent on the leap and the slash rapidly returning.

'This really is good.'

If knights could receive this blessing of vitality continuously on the battlefield, they would accomplish far more. But that was impossible, as both the Old Faith and New Faith of the faith of the Goddess strictly forbade using her grace in war. Perhaps only the outbreak of a second Great Religious War would allow such a sight to be seen again.

Before long, Zerpo's incantation transformed the banshee's spiritual body into ectoplasm, an alchemical ingredient. Without a mage, they would have had to abandon this precious material despite having gone to the trouble of hunting it.

"That was really simple."

"And yet, under the right conditions, one of these can repel an army of thousands. That's why kings don't send armies into the Demonlands."

Zerpo answered Shan's somewhat deflated remark with a boastful air.

Having secured their first spoils more smoothly than expected, they surveyed the area and made camp beneath a cliff. After eating, Shan was lounging about when he noticed Roden scribbling something on paper beside him.

"What are you doing?"

"A map. We'll be coming here plenty of times, so I should keep a proper record. They say the terrain changes, but at least the broad outlines seem to stay the same."

Here near the edge, Vent and Zerpo's help alone was enough to find their way. But there was no guarantee the two would remain with the expedition, so Roden needed to pay attention to such matters himself.

Watching him draw, Shan voiced a thought that suddenly occurred to him.

"Come to think of it, do you know how big the Demonlands are, Roden? Master only said they were enormous."

"I don't. I doubt anyone does... Do you happen to know, Master Mage?"

"I do not."

Seated opposite them, Zerpo answered Roden with complete confidence. As expected, he followed this by displaying his knowledge.

"However, the current view is that the Demonlands are larger than all the Arman Alliance's territories combined. They are even said to connect to the Republic of Selim in the south."

"That's news to me."

"Naturally. It only became known a few months ago. Some explorers who headed south reportedly encountered people from the republic. From what I hear, they too had traveled overland."

The Republic of Selim ruled the southern continent, which Selina had sometimes mentioned: a land of elephants, deserts, and spices.

Until now, Shan and the others had thought the southern continent where Selim lay was separate from their own. Hearing that the two continents were actually joined through the Demonlands was quite astonishing.

"If they weren't so vast, Asiluv would have been found long ago."

Shan had heard that name during his lessons too. The capital of the ancient Alto Empire. According to followers of the Old Faith, it was the location of the entrance to the pit of hell from which the monsters had poured.

"According to the documents discovered thus far, the Alto Empire began as a city-state. That city was the cradle in which all the knowledge and culture of the age blossomed."

As the mage explained that finding it was the dearest wish of every explorer and mage, his voice lacked its usual boastfulness. It sounded more like longing for a homeland he had never visited.

Considering that even Shan, an actual Altoan, did not feel this land was his home, it was rather amusing.