This is bad.

We cut down the thousand-eyed beast in a difficult battle, and should have been rewarded with a chance to challenge the champion of the arena. Instead, we were pulled into a stream of light and came out in the middle of an open steppe. Luckily, our group was not separated in the process and we arrived together and unharmed. I have reason to believe that this is considerably far away from the Kingdom of Lares, because the climate of this place, as well as the plant life that fill it, is completely different from what I have ever seen before.

The demon used a transportation spell in its death throes and brought us here.

"Can you tell where we are, Sigurd?" I turn to scan my surroundings, sword at the ready in case this is the Demon Continent - which is a real possibility.

"The map of the kingdom does not show our location, but I am fairly certain that we are no longer within its borders. I have no world map... and I cannot work off the sun alone..." He responds and tries to find any landmarks that could aid him in determining where we ended up in. The landscape is practically a barren wasteland, periodically dotted with patches of yellowish grass, suggesting that the soil is not sufficiently fertile to support more. No animals can be seen as far as the eyes can reach, but maybe our arrival has scared them away.

"It's pretty warm here, so we can at least be sure that this is south from the kingdom." Gram comments and seems to be feeling hot under his heavy garments. "How about you?"

"... I am fine." Kamii says while looking around in restlessness and confusion. It is clear that she has not yet fully grasped what happened after we felled the monster in the arena.

"It seems that we were transported somewhere far away from the Lost Tombs." I explain to her while sheathing my sword after making sure no hostiles are nearby. Due to having a pretty much unhindered view in all directions, we will be able to spot movements very easily.

"While I cannot say where we are exactly, I can tell you that the sun is ahead of where it should be." Sigurd reports while kneeling before a crossbow bolt he has stuck into the ground. It seems that he determined that fact using its shadow, but I do not really understand the implications of that discovery. It seems that he notices my confusion, so he pulls the bolt out and stashes it in its quiver, before standing up and turning to us. "The journey through the light took us a while, but it does not explain how far the sun has traveled in that time. We have been transported to a land closer to the sun."

"What do you mean?"

"You know that this world is a sphere, right?" He begins to explain, but I stare at him blankly.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with-"

"The world is spinning, and that is the reason why the sun goes up and down each day." He interrupts me and stops as if his explanation has concluded.

"Wait, I always thought the sun was spinning around the world." Gram interjects, but is denied with an uncharacteristically annoyed glare from Sigurd. I can tell that there is no point in trying to argue on that point, and I trust that he knows better than any of us, considering he is the only person in our group who enjoyed a certain level of education.

"Because of the sun's size and movement in the sky, we normally do not notice it. But if you were to take a look at the shadows of towers one league apart from each other, you would be able to see a very small difference. That is, if you look at them at the same time." Sigurd tries to make it simple, but it goes over my head, and apparently over Gram's, too. Kamii does not look like she is very interested in the topic, instead she seems to be deep in thought, her eyes fixated on some point in space. "At a large enough distance from each other, along the path of the sun, the shadows will point in opposite directions at the same time."

"... what are you trying to say?" I am growing a little impatient now.

"In other words, we are so far away from Kongenssoevn that this difference in the position of the sun is clearly noticeable." The bard puts it in simpler terms. "The only places I know that would have the sun in its current position at this time of the day would be around the border between the empire and the triarchy..."

"And where else?" I press the matter, seeing as he goes quiet with an uneasy expression. But I am already expecting the answer of which the possibility I have been aware of since coming here.

"Or the Demon Continent. And I know that the former is a large mountain range, in which the tallest of mountains put even the Himmelensveien of the Kongensgrad to shame." Him sending his gaze around us uncomfortably clearly suggests that there is no question as to where we are, then. Not a single mountain is in sight in any direction we look, only an endless wasteland with no hint of human settlements.

This seems like a really hopeless situation. Our supplies will hold for two or three days at best, but the bigger problem is the fact that we are in a hostile nation with no idea of where exactly we are. The only way to acquire a map is to make one through journeying, or to buy a ready-made one. In demon-held territories, humans are very likely viewed as enemies to be killed on sight, so we cannot use the second method. And hoping to find one in any other way is wishful thinking.

"The problem is that an ocean separates the Demon Continent from the rest of the world. And the closest land mass is the Dark Continent, which is a vast wilderness filled with dangerous monsters even the demons avoid." Sigurd clearly understands the dire straits we are in.

"Let's move. Staying in one place makes it more likely to be discovered." I say and signal for our guide to lead the way. If we come upon any small settlements, we may be able to get some information while posing as demons, but larger settlements should be avoided. My eyes inadvertently move to Kamii's cursed arm, which may lend some credibility to our disguises.

"Are you alright, Kamii?" Gram asks her and she turns to look at him. It seems that she has finally come to the realization that this is far from home, whether that be through our conversation or a physical sensation. She did look absentminded earlier, so maybe cursed beings have a means to notice the presence of demons or feel the corruption of the land, to know that this is the Demon Continent.

"... I want to go home." She looks up to the big man. I expected a teary face, but instead her eyes are filled with determination. It is likely that she still believes in Miss Chloe's return to the capital, so she wants to get back there as quickly as possible. However, the expedition army from the Empire of Terminus had to travel more than thirty days to reach their destination. We do not even have a clear understanding of where we are, so we will very likely take much longer than that.

"We all do. Just stick with me and you'll be alright." Lifting Kamii up, Gram gives her a ride on his tall shoulders. She makes a face filled with wonder, when her point of view becomes so high up all of a sudden, and it seems at least some of her worries have been blown away by that elated feeling. Her bright smile stands in complete contrast to the expression she had when we went to get her from the academy after Miss Chloe's attack.

I turn to Sigurd and we exchange a knowing glance. Under these circumstances, we have to protect that smile with everything we have. Protecting the weak and innocent, that is what we vowed to do when we set our aim to overthrow the demon lord, after all.

But deep in my heart, I am more concerned about getting back quickly, because I know that Runa will be worried. After asking around a little, she would learn that we have entered the Lost Tombs and never returned - which will make it look like we have perished in its depths. I just hope she does not do anything rash and try to find us down there on her own...

The steppe seems to continue on endlessly, as we march for two days without encountering a single living being. Is it really possible that we have been transported into the middle of the wilderness on the Demon Continent? Whatever the case, I do not know whether it is lucky or not, that we have not yet met any demons or monsters, but it also means that we are far from any settlements. The steppe has not changed in all the time, and although there are hills at times, it is still predominantly flatland.

Our biggest concern is our food supply, which we cannot restock in the absence of wildlife or edible plants. And even then, I have my reservations about eating anything that grows in this land, which must be overflowing with corruption. I heard that humans become sick and go mad when exposed to a large amount of it even if they are healthy adults. When I see the effect of ambient corruption on babies in their mothers' wombs - such as with Kamii - I am inclined to believe these rumors.

"Attention to our front." Sigurd suddenly warns as my mind is wandering. I look forward and see a dust cloud in the distance, which is clearly artificial. Gram readies his shield and I can see Kamii preparing herself mentally. At the sight, a smile plays over my lips. She has already become a real adventurer at heart.

"What do your eyes see, Sigurd?" I ask him, since he possesses the best eyesight out of all of us.

"Horses. There is too much dust, so I cannot tell their exact numbers. But I can see five galloping at the front." He says, but a strained expression on his face tells me that there is more to it. If they were simple horses, he would not look so alarmed.

"Any riders?"

"No, they seem to be wild ones. But they are black, with flaming red eyes and manes. They do not seem to be coming directly towards us." With this, he turns to me as if asking how to deal with this situation. We are still on an open plains, so there is no way to avoid them, if they were to stampede in our direction. I cannot feel any excitement in knowing that they are wild horses which we could try to tame or use for food, since they are clearly demonic in nature - or corrupted. There would be nothing to gain from clashing with them.

"We'll continue onwards, but let's keep a cautious distance from them." I state, keeping a hand on the sheath of my sword, ready to draw it when necessary. If they really come towards us and there is a large number, I will most likely have to wield the Sword of Light, Roshanee, to fight them, though.

We hasten our pace and watch the horses come closer in a zigzag maneuver, leaving us no room to try and navigate away from them. It seems that they are clearly aiming for us in their approach, but at the same time they sometimes distances themselves again, as if carefully observing us. Their speed is much greater than ours, so even if we were to pass by each other, they could easily turn around and run us down from behind. I would rather we do not fight them, since they seem like normal animals; if they were corrupted, they would have attacked without hesitation.

From closer up I can tell that there are at least ten of them, with five in the lead kicking up dust to hide those behind them. It may actually be an entire herd, because of how much dust remains in the air, even when the leading group slows down to make a sharp turn. While I may be able to do something with Roshanee, I doubt I'd be able to cut down many more than ten in quick succession, before my strength is drained. Still, I want to believe that they possess enough of an animalistic self-preservation instinct to avoid a confrontation.

However, luck is not smiling on us, as the leading horses suddenly shift their direction to come directly at us, approaching in a straight line for longer than they have before. It seems that they have come to the conclusion that we are not dangerous, so they are finally deciding that attacking us is a viable choice, for whichever reason.

"Defensive formation. If they still don't change course at twenty paces, shoot to kill." I do not really have to remind Sigurd of that, but just to make sure everyone in the group is aware of their roles, I do so anyway. My biggest concern is Kamii, who has no defensive capabilities, even as she possesses immense offensive potential. Gram is kneeling at the front, bracing his shield against the ground at an angle, so that in case of a collision, his shield's alignment does not shift. I draw my old sword, knowing that it may be a mistake to try and hope for them to turn away at the last moment.

Fifty paces...

Fourty paces...

Thirty paces...

Sigurd shoots his crossbow at the central lead horse when they show no signs of stopping or turning away after crossing the limit I set. The projectile hits above its right front leg and apparently lodged into a tendon, because the limb cramps up and stops moving alongside the others. The horse trips and falls to the ground head-first, flipping over its neck, from which a nasty breaking sound emerges. Two of the following horses are unable to avoid their fallen comrade and get their legs tangled by its death throes. With this, the other horses disperse sideways, no longer aiming for us.

Yet, there is no time for celebration, as the whinny of one of the remaining four leaders seems to signal for them to regroup, and they run in a large circle around us, looking for an opening to charge forward. They seem quite intelligent, since Sigurd is the only one who can attack at a range, but his crossbow's loading time limits his usefulness against their numbers. If they wait for him to take a shot at them while they are in a circular motion, he may miss, upon which they could take the opportunity to charge during his downtime.

"Wait with your shot until they come straight at us." I warn him, and he nods in understanding. The other problem is the fact that Gram's shield is only wide enough to cover us from one direction; it may be enough when the three of us are cowering behind him, but if we are caught from the side, there is nothing he can do. "Big man, keep your shield mobile."

"What should I do?" Kamii asks beside me while keeping her eyes on the horses. She is holding her cursed arm to the side and slightly behind her, ready to throw it around like a club when needed. Indeed, I have never incorporated her into our strategies so far, but she has proven herself to be a strong fighter against the thousand-eyed demon in the arena - even if we did have to cover for her weaknesses.

"Be ready to strike their legs when they pass by, but only if they attack us." I still do not have a grasp on her strange power, which allows her strength to grow exceptionally, but also causes it to disappear without a trace at times. "But don't stray too far from Gram, you hear?" She nods with a serious expression, and I can see that she is not just filled with over-eagerness. Apparently she has an exceptional gift for combat, since this is only her third time being in an actual battle, and her focus is already incredible.

The horses charge once more, spreading out to avoid a collision like last time, and maybe trying to maximize their chances to ram us. I can now see that there are at least twenty of them in the dust cloud behind the four leaders. That is not a number I can take on with Roshanee alone. What has them so agitated that they would risk their lives to attack us for seemingly no reason? Did we step into their territory or are they actually carnivorous? Gram braces himself and Sigurd releases a crossbow bolt into their midst, before they are already upon us. My hand is at the hilt of the Sword of Light, to draw it the instant any one of them can get close to me.

One of the lead horses crashes into the big man's shield, but is repelled by it. Yet, I can see Gram faltering a little from the impact. It is a four-legged animal more than twice his size, charging at full speed, after all. The fact that he was not simply knocked over shows just how steadfast he actually is. The other horses try to circle around him, but they are too fast to make a significant enough turn to trample Sigurd and Kamii hiding behind the shield.

The dark elf swings her cursed arm horizontally and hits the legs of one of the passing horses, causing it to trip. Using the same swing to hit its hind leg right after, I can see that it has more strength behind it. However, the momentum causes her to be spun around her own axis, and I fear that she might fall over and into the path of the herd's hooves. Yet, I find that she instinctively uses her footwork well to keep her balance, while at the same time using the force to bring her arm down onto the head of the horse that comes after. Due to the increased power, it is knocked to the ground and seems to lose consciousness.

A column of them comes at me and I see their maddened flaming red eyes fixated on me. It seems that they are not just territorial, but were actually enraged by something - aside from us killing one of their leaders, that is. I draw Roshanee and let its magic flow into me, my body feeling light as a feather. My thoughts are perfectly transmitted to my limbs and I move with blinding speed, performing one cut after another while easily avoiding the oncoming mass of muscles and hooves. Every stroke is fatal and within mere moments, nearly a dozen of the horses lie dead behind me, as I step into the safety of the space behind Gram's back, and sheathe the sword again.

"I think... that should have been enough... for them." I look behind us and see that the herd is dispersing after my display. My breath is rugged and my entire body feels heavy, as if I just swung my sword for hours, but I can tell that with every subsequent use, I am getting more used to the toll it takes on my stamina. "I'm sorry... I need a rest." Still, it is at a level where I can barely walk straight right after sheathing the blade again.

"Hey, what are you doing to my nightmares?!" An indignant female voice sounds across the steppe. It is coming from a girl around the age of Runa, but her extremely long fluffy white hair that falls down her back like a wooly cape, and two pairs of large curved horns like those of a sheep show that she is clearly not a human. With the horses and this demon, we basically have confirmation that this is the Demon Continent.

As she approaches us while stomping her feet furiously, Sigurd points his crossbow at her to preempt any attacks. She lifts her empty hands and looks shocked at the gesture, showing that even if she is a demon, she is most likely a civilian. Still, we cannot let our guard down.

"Who are you people? What are you doing on my farm?!" The demon girl shouts with her hands still raised, but her tone makes it clear that she is really angry with us. Wait, did she just say farm?

"You breed these beasts?" I ask in blank wonder, upon which she drops her hands into fists, stomps her foot and shoots me a glare with puffed-up cheeks.

"Yes, they are really expensive, you know!"