After a day's stay and renovation, they began to traverse the swamp, which was about a kilometer and a half longitudinal long, from the narrow dry path they had discovered yesterday afternoon.

The horses' hooves left clear traces on the weedy mud, and the small pebbles that were occasionally kicked over fell into the nearby pool, which was only half a meter deep, and the ripples did not stop for a long time.

But that's the only thing that's going on.

Except for the sound of horses moving and the swaying of the weapons and equipment they carried on them, the swamp between the woods was silent.

One of the reasons why people are not talking anymore is that they are vigilant, and the other reason is that the team has changed in general.

On the eighteenth day after leaving the town of Scoti, the whole team was reduced from 400 men and 700 horses at the time of departure to only 8 men and 10 horses.

The team that has been reduced to this point is full of familiar faces with names and surnames.

Specializing in magic are the elven mage Orno and the Imperial magic mentor Camilo, the melee fighters include the paladin Adolphus with a one-handed spear and shield, and the red-card mercenary Erica with a two-handed spear and the head of Stephen with a large blunt weapon, and the remaining ranged weapon marksmen, because the role is not obvious, Filippo and Mira, the two youngest, are also in charge.

The reason for this change seems absurd, and it is only based on some reasoning and uneasiness on the part of our Sage Sage. But in the vague future, Henry's idea was the only direction they had - at this point, they could not afford any luck, even the slightest suspicion, and they had to seize the opportunity.

As the Lamangu saying goes, the most uncomfortable thing is not the sadness of the result, but the instinct to do something, and not to do what should have been done.

With a mighty team of more than 200 men, it would take no less time to get through the swamp with all its members, and with a host of other problems, the brigade that had been formed to deal with the army of ghouls and other witches now became a redundant drag.

If you don't give up the advantage of numbers, you are likely to lose even more in the end.

They didn't want to do so, so they made a quick choice.

The eight-man squad, which was almost entirely composed of heroes who fought against a hundred, carried only three days of supplies. They even unloaded most of the other supplies, not even the cooking utensils. The space saved was replaced with additional weapons, with everyone but the Mage carrying a long-pole weapon, a melee sharp, and a blunt weapon, and Mira and Filippo and Adolphus all carrying shields and crossbows, as well as matching crossbows.

Captain Stephen was the most heavily armed man in the group, and in addition to his own two-handed axe, he borrowed the sledgehammer from his deputy commander, who insisted on going on the road until the last minute, but because the remaining personnel needed to be led by competent people, the deputy commander and Adolphus' lieutenant were retained.

The two of them, along with Camilo and the rest of the leading class, traveled with the team because no one else could do the job, and they were the strongest people in the team. And if the team of these people still fails, then a few more people on the road together may not make any difference.

Words go back to square one. After packing up and focusing on carrying armor and weapons, this elite team quickly distanced itself from the nearly 200 people who were left behind.

The small squad moved swiftly and quietly, and it took them only two hours to make their way through a large swamp - again because of a section of terrain that they had to wade through - and after two days of lackluster hurdling on hard ground, they were literally separated from the rear group.

The terrain of the region has gradually begun to climb higher again, apparently approaching the edge of the Palohia Plateau.

That's deep enough to go east, but it's not a ghoul, and there's not even a sign of the undead.

On the morning of the third day, after eating a third of the last day's ration, they went on with a little unease.

The morning had been spent in a peaceful stride, but just as they were about to move on and find a place to rest for a while, they suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

Something, weird—Henry raised his hand, and the men behind him pulled the reins and slowed the horses. The little unicorn came to a submissive stop beside Mira, snorting, and the girl was surprised to notice that the unicorn no longer seemed so restless.

"Don't let your guard down. So said the sage, who was side by side with Erica, with Stephen and Adolphus on the flanks, Orno and Camilo in the middle of the line, and Mira and Filippo behind.

They slowed down and moved forward slowly.

The air here is still stagnant, and Camilo did not bring the delicate and fragile thermometer developed by the Royal Astrology Institute with him on this trip, but from the rough sense of experience, he can also understand that the temperature is below ten degrees.

Wearing armor and a plush warm cape, they should not be aware of the temperature as they marched. Even when it was colder before, people didn't have this strange feeling, like something was wrong, something that didn't belong here, and it shouldn't belong to the silence and lifeless environment they had become accustomed to in the more than half a month.

"......" Mira, who frowned, sniffed her nose: "This is ......"

"In the air, there is ...... Flowers?" Filippo picked up her words, and the explanation that was not our usual Mr. Sage, but Erica in the front.

"It's magnolia. The silver-haired lady whispered, this floral scent peculiar to Padrosi was not choking, only a faint fragrance floating in the air, which she could recognize.

"Spring flowers, it's March, it's early spring—" said Adolphus, who was born in Padrosi and knew about this flower.

"It's almost April at the end of March. Camilo added that the unexpected discovery had made the atmosphere a little less somber, but it was then reflected in the crowd.

"It's not right—"

"How can there be flowers here. ”

"No matter how hard Magnolia can withstand the cold, she can't withstand the cold wave before—" The paladin clenched his spear and pressed his shield close to his body, looking left and right.

"How!" the sage looked back at Orno and Camelo, the elf frowned, spread her palm, and a small cloud of flame burned silently in the air, she waited for about ten seconds, then scattered it with a wave of her fingertips.

"Nope. Orno shook his head: "I can feel the loss of mana, and the burning of the flame is also the right reaction." ”

"What does that prove?" asked Stephen.

"It proves that we are still in reality and have not been pulled into the illusion. Henry replied, while Orno and Camilo both nodded, and Filippo in the rear frowned: "This..... Is that a good thing?"

"Barely countable. It was Erica who answered him, and then noticing Mira's frowning brow, Horno lowered his voice and explained again, "...... Demon"

“...... Her magical charm is a passive influence. At greater distances, Camilo and I can resist this effect by intentionally releasing our mana into the air, increasing the concentration of personal mana within a certain range. ”

"But not when you get close, because she's too strong. The elf lowered his face and said with a wry smile, "Because she is beyond imagination and beyond common sense, we may not even be aware of the fact that we have entered the hallucination." ”

But hallucinations also have limitations, and the best she can do is set up a scene and recreate the memories in our hearts, especially the painful ones. ”

In other words, she can't simulate complex physical phenomena. All that can be presented is a fixed scene that lacks change or some fragmented memories, such as such a subtle magic reaction and the interaction between the fire and the air, it is impossible to do it. ”

“...... I see. Mira clearly didn't understand, but Orno didn't bother her.

"Anyway. The elf sighed slightly, "It's a good thing that we're not in the illusion." But this could mean something more serious. She said this, and Henry, who was in front of her, waved his hand again after a moment of observation to make sure it was safe, and motioned for the group to move forward.

The eight remained vigilant, and every once in a while Orno would unleash a small fire spell to see if she had fallen into a hallucination—this level of mana consumption was nothing to her—but the result was always negative.

The floral scent became more and more intense as we progressed, and at the same time something else appeared.

Outside of them, they are not ghouls.

It is a sign of life.

"Birdsong? The girl's eyes widened, and she glanced back at the little unicorn, who seemed rather quiet and peaceful, no longer as restless as before.

"This place is so weird that it gives me goosebumps. Stephen shuddered, and said in a gruff voice.

The horse's hooves opened lightly, and the eight of them approached the place where the fragrance of birds and flowers emanated step by step.

When the world began, He didn't know what it should be. —The White Sacred Codex, Book I, Section I. 】

The sound of running water began to appear, and a gust of wind blew from that side, and people's cloaks were lifted and hunted, but they did not feel cold.

[Everything is just chaos and darkness. 】

So on the first day, he said. 】

Let there be light. 】

[There is light in this world.] 】

The sun pierced through the clouds and fell into the forest.

"No, no, no, no—" Adolphus shook his head vigorously, and he even let go of the shield in his hand and let it hang on his forearm, and his free hand gripped the emblem of his collar tightly.

[But in the world where the light shines, everything is so silent and lonely. 】

Therefore he made this world full of beasts, birds, and fish. 】

The chirping of birds echoed through the treetops, and a small hedgehog appeared in front of them sniffing the tip of its nose, but then burrowed into the green bushes with a "whoosh-" thud.

But she was still lonely. ”

"For there is no other person in the world like her besides her, and so, on the seventh day." ”

"She created man in her own image. ”

"I don't believe it!!" the paladin's hand shaking wildly as he regained his grip on the shield, and standing in the middle of this bird-scented paradise, a woman dressed in white, with white hair and short pointed ears, slowly opened her eyes with long white eyelashes.

The lilac eyes with the brilliance of the stars naturally brought a smile to them.

The white fawn drank quietly beside her, the warm sunlight sprinkled on the earth, the grass swayed slightly, and the magnolia flowers blooming in early spring filled the whole air with a rich fragrance.

"It's not a witch, it can't be a witch, but she's, no—how is it possible, in the Holy Scriptures, how is it possible!" Adolphus roared hysterically, and everyone around her just stared blankly at her.

Standing by the water, standing in the sun, she has a graceful posture and an angel-like temperament.

This appearance is even more outstanding than Orno, who is an elf.

She stared at everyone, her eyes were pure and without a trace of hostility, and she only felt like a spring breeze to those who looked at her.

She looked at them one by one.

Eventually, those eyes swept toward Orno.

The smile that bloomed on her clean face reminded Mira of her mother's smile in her memory.

"Welcome back. ”

"Mother. ”

She said, it was such a gentle voice.

Gentle, like a lullaby of a dream.