Upon getting out of the accursed Earth Eater while carrying Luxia the entire time, I store Rexorem back into my Spatial Storage. I have used Rexorem to blast the Earth Eater's blocked back exit, and it has performed up to my satisfaction.

I can muse about how comfortable it is now handling Rexorem for as long as I want, but it is better to focus my attention on my current predicament. Putting Luxia down, I look up to the sky to look at the brightly shining moon.

"Oh, it's night," Luxia remarks.

"Yeah, it's night ... Don't you think there is something wrong?" I turn my head to Luxia, and pin her with my gaze. "How is it already night?"

"Huh?! Why do you look so angry? What have I done wrong?" Luxia is about to say more why she is not at fault, but immediately stops when she sees me about to high five her face. "... I am at fault. I am sorry."

Sighing helplessly to myself as I hold the urge to massage my forehead back, I say, "I am asking you seriously—what has just happened? How is it already night?"

"The time difference," Luxia mutters faintly. "The time rate inside Earth Eater's body is three times faster than the time rate outside."

"... How long have I spent inside your body?"

"Two hours maybe?"

"..."

Sighing in exasperation, I turn my gaze to the sky to curse how shit my luck is. Turning my gaze to Luxia while thinking I should do to her, I immediately decide to make her my guide—

"Can you do lap dance?"

—and possibly source of income.

"Huh? What is that? All I know to do is Dance of The Sun, but I can't do it now since I don't have enough power."

"... What the heck even Dance of The Sun?"

"Oh, it's a secret Art that every Senior Forest Spirit practices to give blessings."

I shake my head at that answer, and lament at the fact that I can't bring myself to sell the Forest Spirit for money. She is too pure for her own good—selling her will be the same as killing myself slowly with guilt.

"Wait... When you have recovered your power, can you bless me?" I ask curiously.

"Ah, are you sure you want to be blessed... By me?"

"Why not?"

"Although not much, I have Divinity, you know—I can kill you with my blessing."

"I am immune to it." I shrug lightly. "Anyway, do you know where Brontes Dukedom is? I am referring to the one on the outskirts of the Kingdom, not the one near the capital."

"Oh, are you Demons finally going to conquer that place?" Luxia's eyes light up—strangely.

"Yes, we are—that is why I am going there."

"Perfect!" She exclaims suddenly, slightly surprising me. "There is a Black Market in that place that sells Forest Spirits! You have to wipe them out completely!"

"Chill, girl. You can get excited only after we arrive there." I wave my hand slightly to calm her down. "Can you lead me to Brontes Dukedom now?"

"Of course, I can! But first, let's visit the human village nearby."

I quirk my eyebrow at the mention of human village. I can't recall there is a human village nearby, but it doesn't take me long to realize that I am not standing in the same place where I got sucked into the Earth Eater's mouth.

I unconsciously think that I am, because the surrounding looks similar. I am also in a green plain that is entirely covered with green grass.

Turning my gaze to the body of the Earth Eater that I have just got out of, I see it slowly melting to the ground like a clump of clay washed with water. The grasses around it are getting longer in each passing second—watching it is fascinating.

"Well, let us move."

Eventually though, I turn my gaze away from it. Motioning Luxia to lead the way, she surprises me by shrinking herself into a slightly smaller version of Smurfs.

"Pick me up!" She sounds the same, but it is way cuter than her usual dignified voice. "What are you waiting for? Pick me up—it's scary down here!"

Smirking to myself as I stomp the urge to kick the little Forest Spirit, I pick her up and put her on my head. I don't have a pocket on my coat, so my head is the only place where I can put her on.

"Let's head to the north!" Luxia points to my left.

"That's east for your information." I don't know what kind of face Luxia is making right now, but I am sure she is embarrassed. "Just tell me where to go without saying the direction."

"Fine... Go to your left," Luxia says quietly.

Without saying anything to not further embarrass the already embarrassed Forest Spirit, I turn to the left and dash. I don't know where we are going since I don't sense anything in front of me, but I believe her.

Forest Spirits can't lie even if they want to—Valeria says their lying ability is as good as that of children. Only old Forest Spirits can lie smoothly, and I am sure Luxia is not one.

Even if she was an old Forest Spirit, there would be nothing she could get from lying to me. Her heart is bound to me, so if she killed me, she would also risk killing herself since she would be extremely weakened at that time.

"Ah, I can finally sense some presences..."

After a couple of minutes running toward the east, my Mana Sense can finally pick up some presences. It is still very faint since I am still miles away from where presences are, but I can already something ahead.

"That is the human village! Thank goodness it's still there!"

"..."

"W-What? It's been a hundred years since I last roamed the outside world freely!"

I didn't even say anything when Luxia confessed that she was actually not sure if there was indeed a human village around here, but she feels the need to explain herself in spite of that.

I comment nothing as I keep dashing at the the village faster. I sense something, or rather, some creatures tailing behind me, and I believe it is not a good news.

Forest Spirits, from what I have been taught, supposed to be good at detecting malicious intent, but Luxia still doesn't say anything.

Considering how she has been behaving ever since she shrunk herself though, I don't think her sense is as sharp as it was before. Just like how stupid she has become as her brain shrunk, her sense has also not as sharp.historical

"Layland, don't panic—we are chased by a group of Golden Hounds!" Luxia exclaims frantically.

"You should have reminded yourself to not panic." I shake my head in slight amusement.

Golden Hounds are genetically modified Hounds that are bred to counter Hellhounds, one of our Summon Beasts. They possess Divinity, whereas our Hellhounds possess, well, Demonic Mana.

They are not as strong as our Summon Beasts—they are also smaller than Hellhounds that are two times as big, but there are many of them. The always travel in a pack, and they can take down two Hellhounds together.

Normally, they will never chase anyone with an intention to kill, but since I am a Demon, the group of golden furred, 8 feet tall dogs are eager to rip my head off. They are slightly hesitating though, and I believe it's because of Luxia.

They definitely can sense her, and that confuses them greatly. It's not everyday a Forest Spirit can be a good friend with a Demon after all.

Using that to my advantage, I sneakily cast [Ignatio] to reduce their number. I don't even need to chant anything since I am already familiar with it, and due to my abundant Mana the Spell is ready in a second.

Burst! Burst!

Five fireballs, which is more than I have initially intended, are conjured in the air, alarming the Golden Hounds. I immediately sense their intention to attack me, but before they jump on me, my fireballs attack them.

Boom! Boom!

I can't actually see how many of them I have managed to kill, but Judging from the whine, I have, at least, killed three of them. My [Ignatio] has suddenly become that potent due to my improved control over my Mana.

At this point, I am already just a few hundred feet away from the human village, and because I am being chased by a pack of Golden Hounds, the humans will definitely figure out my identity as a Demon.

A troublesome fight may occur soon, so I immediately take Rexorem out to prepare for battle. I will use every human in the village to distract the Golden Hounds that can't kill humans, while I am killing them.

"Yo... What the heck is that loud—Layland?!"

... At least, that is my plan until I see Velucan get out of one of the houses there.