Under the pretext of serving mankind, the lord had given me substantial support.
There were far too many things that were too valuable to be used solely by cadets—magic tools for emergency escape, tools for concealment, and even a single bite of emergency food that could sustain someone for an entire month.
It felt less like a reconnaissance mission and more like preparations for an all-out war.
“Then, I’ll be off.”
“Yeah, well… don’t expect too much.”
“Haha! Such humility.”
He seemed convinced that with my skills, I would be able to infiltrate the demons’ stronghold and deal devastating damage to them.
He wasn’t entirely wrong. The problem was that I doubted the demons would be so accommodating…
Regardless, I slung my backpack—packed with various supplies—over my shoulder and headed into the forest.
***
The forest occupied by demons naturally became their most familiar environment, and as a result, it was saturated with dark magic.
As I passed through eerie trees that looked as if they would corrupt anything that touched them, I carefully surveyed my surroundings before summoning my summon.
“Anna.”
“Yes, Master.”
She had been observing the situation through the summoning pattern and immediately hugged me the moment she appeared, without asking any questions.
It was quite an awkward situation to be embraced by a woman, yet I didn’t resist and curled up in her arms as best I could.
Leaning against a hard, armor-clad body devoid of any feminine softness, I felt Anna tighten her hold on me before lightly stepping forward.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
Whoosh—!
The world around me shifted in an instant. The air rushed past, and the landscape changed in a blur.
The superhuman agility of a 3-star summon remained unaffected, even while carrying a fully grown man.
In a flash, she launched herself off the ground, bounding up a tree and propelling forward like a monkey—or a ninja.
Rustle!
Snap!
Not long after, creatures resembling monkeys emerged from the foliage.
Upon spotting them, Anna swiftly tossed me into the air.
“Uh?!”
Whether I was startled or not, she dashed forward, drew her sword, and effortlessly cut down two of the creatures before catching me again mid-flight.
I exhaled sharply, steadying my pounding heart, while Anna chuckled at my reaction.
“Are you alright, Master?”
“…Next time, give me a warning before throwing me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
To be honest, the sensation of defying gravity—even momentarily—was not something I enjoyed.
Now that I’d experienced flying firsthand, I couldn’t understand the appeal of paragliding or bungee jumping.
What was so thrilling about it? My legs felt weak just thinking about it.
“Master.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re here.”
Before long, Anna arrived at the designated location.
At her words, I slowly opened my half-closed eyes, which I’d been keeping shut to shield them from the wind.
Sure enough, just as the Earl had said, demons were living in huts, blending into the landscape.
‘…Since when did demons adopt this kind of lifestyle?’
Before I could dwell on the thought, I summoned Empress from the treetops.
The moment the great witch appeared and spotted the demon encampment, she smirked and began chanting a spell.
“Summoner, should I just wipe them all out?”
“Be careful not to burn down the forest.”
“It’s fine. Trees tainted with dark magic don’t burn easily!”
As if to prove her point, she raised her hand. In the next moment, a thunderbolt tore through the clear sky.
Rumble—!
The lightning strike obliterated the demon encampment, turning everything in its vicinity into ash. Yet, despite the immense heat, the surrounding trees remained unscathed.
And just like that, the demon base was reduced to nothing—no resistance, no counterattack, nothing.
‘…That was too easy.’
A creeping sense of unease settled in.
Since when were demons so easy to deal with?
Just as the thought crossed my mind, a sharp, venomous stinger shot toward me from the distance.
Thwack!
“Master, watch out.”
“Huh?”
Only after Anna deflected it with my veil did I realize it was a poisoned stinger.
A demon, flicking its tongue in disappointment, emerged from the shadows.
“Krrr… you actually blocked that, human?”
It was a grotesque creature—an enormous spider demon with the upper torso of an old man.
“You should’ve let me handle it from the start.”
Beside it stood another demon, humanoid in shape, yet insect-like in nature, with massive sickle-like arms resembling those of a praying mantis.
Behind them, a horde of low-level demons and creatures began to appear, forming ranks.
At that moment, I realized—we had walked right into a trap.
***
[The Demon’s POV]
The advanced spider demon glanced around before clicking its tongue.
“Tsk. After all that effort, only one took the bait?”
It stared at Ian with clear disappointment.
They had gone through all this trouble to lay an elaborate trap, yet only a single person had stepped into it.
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