And so… Rest and the others finally reached the depths of the plains.
The Sabnock Plains, a demon realm — its center was covered in grass that grew as tall as an adult man.
Neither Rest nor Lubeth had ever been here before.
Faced with the abnormally proliferating vegetation, the group involuntarily held their breath.
"This isn't… a forest, right?"
"It's supposed to be plains. Doesn't look like it, though."
Lubeth answered Rest's mutterings. Looking closely at the tall grass growing thickly before them, it was the same species of ordinary weed they had seen along the way here. But… it was enormous, no matter how you looked at it.
Just how much rich nourishment had it absorbed to grow like this? It had grown to abnormal proportions and was so densely packed that visibility was blocked entirely — not even a meter ahead could be seen through.
"I see… so this is the center of the demon realm. Just as I'd heard — a strange place indeed."
Rest grabbed the grass before him and tore it with all his strength.
From the torn cross-section of the grass, golden granules like firefly light spilled out, scattering to the ground.
Mana so dense it was visible had been packed inside the grass. These plants had indeed grown by absorbing the mana from the dragon's lair.
"Whoa, amazing! This beautiful light is mana… I can see it too!"
"That's incredible… The mana is so thick it's suffocating…"
Yuri was cheerfully tearing at the grass before her, watching the mana granules spill out, while Isis turned pale and covered her mouth.
Lubeth wasn't as excited as Yuri, but he was gazing curiously at the light particles emanating from the grass.
Four young people, flushed with excitement over the strange demon realm scenery. Argil's sharp voice cut through them.
"Hey, enough already! This is the heart of the demon realm!"
Compared to the youngsters, Argil, a fully grown knight, maintained his composure. He doused them with a cold voice like a bucket of water.
"A monster enhanced by the demon realm's mana could attack at any moment! If you're still in picnic mode, turn back right now—"
"GRRRAAAAAAAA!"
"We should turn back… huh?"
From the thicket behind them, a black beast resembling a lion burst out and lunged at Argil's back.
The tall grass had delayed his reaction. The lion's fangs closed in on Argil's unprotected back.
"Hah!"
"[Fire Bolt]!"
Two people moved instantly.
Surprisingly… it was Yuri and Isis.
Yuri scooped up a stone from the ground and hurled it, while Isis fired a fire spell.
The stone and the flame struck the lion's forehead at the same time, stunning the monster.
"[Wind Blade], [Amplify], [Haste]!"
"GYAA—"
Then Rest unleashed his magic.
A triple-cast spell cleaved the immobilized lion in two.
"That was close! Are you okay?"
"Ugh…"
When Yuri called out with a smile, Argil's face twisted.
He had been about to scold the excited youngsters, only to end up being saved by one of them. He must have felt quite awkward.
"It seems we're already inside the monster's nest… We should keep our guard up at all times."
"Yeah, you're right…"
Lubeth gripped the hilt of his sword tightly while scanning the surroundings for threats.
Rest narrowed his eyes and glared at the grass around them.
([Presence Detection] isn't working well… The ambient mana is too dense…)
Rest was constantly keeping a[Presence Detection]spell active using his infinite mana. Under normal circumstances, no surprise attack should have succeeded… but the dense mana had interfered, preventing him from sensing the creature's presence.
(Presence Detection is a spell that senses the mana of living things, after all… All the surrounding grass is brimming with thick mana, so the monster's presence blended right in.)
On top of that, the grass was absurdly tall.
With vision obstructed as well, even greater caution was needed.
"All the same… you were truly impressive, Isis."
While keeping watch on their surroundings, Rest praised Isis.
"Even if it was a low-level spell, being able to cast at that speed is remarkable."
Isis had fired her spell before Rest had even launched his.
In terms of raw mana, Rest was far superior, but in terms of instantaneous casting speed, Isis had the edge.
"R-really? Being praised like that out of the blue is embarrassing…"
Receiving Rest's compliment, Isis flushed red with embarrassment.
For the leader of the student council enforcement — a strong-willed woman through and through — it was an unexpectedly adorable reaction.
"Hey, Rest, I moved too, you know!"
"Yeah, yeah. Great job, great job."
Yuri also stepped up to claim her share of credit.
Rest gave her a perfunctory praise.
"Honestly… your reflexes and physical strength are nothing you'd expect from a Magic Department student. You've got the physical ability of a gorilla."
"Mm-hmm. I don't really know what a gorilla is, and I'm not sure I'm being complimented exactly… but I'll take it!"
Yuri folded her arms proudly and puffed out her chest.
"Now then… let's continue the investigation. Argil, you're alright, aren't you?"
"…………I'm fine."
Argil nodded with a pained expression in response to Rest's question.