The group left the outpost swiftly, with the help of the Empress, but Erunda and Arinea''s gazes appeared apprehensive to Asmodeus. He watched Erunda''s eyes each time they landed on him and noticed how his face scrunched up. Erunda would turn away quickly.

    ''It seems the big guy hasn''t approved of me.''

    "Asmodeus! Is this guy really joining us?" Simon called out from the nearby forest, his eyes flicking over to Baku, the tall male with slightly tanned skin, white and black hair and a fur style of armour revealing his upper body.

    "Yeah, he''s a close friend of mine."

    "Who is your friend?!" Baku called out, pointing at Asmodeus before pulling back when he glared at him in response.

    In the distance, the bushes rustled before a thin thread of silk fluttered in the air.

    Asmodeus noticed the silk falling before curling his lips into a smirk—then he examined the treetops and found the large white spider peeking at him with her beautiful eight eyes.

    Lumina''s large body stopped her from appearing in some places. She couldn''t show herself in the elven kingdom, so she tried to hide among the trees while following him.

    "Well if you insist, how about you get alone with the guys here?" Asmodeus didn''t care if Baku acted this way. He knew the old man just wanted to enjoy his retirement.

    ''Though I hope he and Erunda can make friends...''

    His plan for the old men was to have them befriend each other and become a bridge between them.

    "Shall we move on, Erunda, stop being unsocial." Arinea''s sharp tone echoed before she lifted her arm and slapped Erunda''s back.

    —Thud!

    "But Arinea..."

    "Don''t But me! Do it, this trip will be dangerous if you keep doubting him!" It appeared to Asmodeus from the side that Erunda truly respected his lover and noticed that her goal probably aligned with his and for the same reason when she suddenly winked at him with a half smile.

    ''For Ciela''s benefit.''

    "Tsk... If you say so, but don''t blame me when nothing happens."

    Although he seemed reluctant, Erunda gazed at Ciela before adjusting his pace. With his long legs, he walked faster and stood beside Baku. After all, because they looked similar, maybe Erunda could become friends with the old tiger.

    ''I wonder where the ape went...''

    Because the spirit beasts were slightly different from normal people, even Asmodeus couldn''t predict their actions and just ignored them.

    "Shall we get moving then... the path is treacherous and long." Arinea''s voice, projected with magic, echoed through the forest.

    The group headed north from the outpost, bypassing the passage to the capital using the forest of silence. Two hours into the journey, they met nothing dangerous, but a few monsters and beasts fled in terror when they encountered Baku and Erunda.

    "Hey... husband." Ciela''s hand touched Asmodeus slightly, brushing along his elbow.

    Asmodeus gazed down, his pace slowing slightly to meet her pace, reaching out and grasping her palm and squeezing it tight.

    "What''s the matter?"

    Arinea giggled, and the sound of the chuckle spread far, the only sound in the silence. It appeared the beasts and monsters nearby were scared and fled.

    "It''s more of an urban tale than rule, but most people who disturbed the forest, ended up dead or wiped out by a mysterious force." Arinea''s smirk deepened.

    "..." The entire group looked around, their faces turning grim as they looked at the trees. The surrounding forest became deathly quiet and ominous.

    "Let''s continue... Arinea~ don''t make them nervous!" Ciela pouted, her eyes narrowed, while grasping Asmodeus''s hand, dragging him ahead and increasing her pace slightly.

    However, for Asmodeus, the tales and myths were building up in his mind, and somehow, something felt wrong.

    He tightened his fits while walking along with Ciela, wondering whether it would be the canyon or the sleeping forest that would cause him the most trouble to reach the trial grounds.

    ''If normal though, the protection for the world tree is quite extensive.''

    The group travelled in focused silence for several hours, Ciela pouting when she exchanged places with Erika and Levia.

    Meanwhile, in the distance, Lumina seemed happy just to remain close to him.

    "There are about five more hours travel to reach the canyon." Erunda finally spoke up, and the party slowed to a halt. His keen eyes pierced through the trees and dense foliage of the forest.

    A lumbering monster lingered in the distance, its body a dark colour with massive eyes.

    The creature seemed to stare at them, its face stretching into a sinister grin while revealing large, twisted fangs. A large tail swished around the forest floor, snapping a tree in half, which fell with a thud.

    In a hushed voice, Baku whispered. "It''s been following us for quite some time..."

    "Should we fight it?" Simon asked while grasping his dual swords.

    "Human, I would avoid clashing with that beast, even if there were a hundred of you, the beast would win." Erunda snorted, but his body stepped ahead of Simon as if to protect him.

    ''Is that big guy just shy with new people?''

    "What''s the plan, Princess? Do you want to fight, or avoid it?" Arinea asked Ciela instead of moving first, though Asmodeus watched her gathering mana in her right hand, the same as Paul, who seemed to have grasped three magic runes, ready to fight or flee at any moment.

    "We can avoid that thing... but the path we need is the one directly behind the creature, so fighting might be best," Arinea answered while narrowing her gaze.

    ''She''s right; the beast is blocking the path.''

    Asmodeus was about to step forward, but Ciela grasped his palm and looked up.

    With a sharp look, her hands reaching for her bow, Ciela moved with beautiful elegance, her body shifting between the group and drawing three silver arrows.

    "Everyone, get behind me," she ordered before taking a breath and releasing her grip.

    Ciela slipped the three arrows between her fingers, lumbering her body while pulling her bowstring several times before taking a deep breath. Then, a swirling magic flowed from her feet like a spiral of three elements: wind, water and earth.

    The tips of each arrow changed to suit those elements as she drew her bow to its limits, knocking the earth-tipped arrow first.

    "Let''s fight."