Chapter 137

When five people need to sleep, a considerable amount of space is required. However, only one tent had been provided.

Even with one person on watch, that left four people inside.

We had to curl up to sleep.

Sleeping in such cramped conditions reminded me of when I first became an adventurer. Back then, I had vowed to buy a tent spacious enough to always stretch out my legs while sleeping.

We decided to take turns on watch. Although there really were no monsters in sight, it was better to be cautious.

At this point, we couldn’t fully trust the soldiers either.

Noel volunteered to stand the first watch, so I left it to her.

Inside the cramped tent, we had no choice but to press against each other.

Beside me were Mastema and Arnella, and I could feel their bodies, whether I liked it or not. But I wasn’t foolish enough to make a move in this situation.

Even sounds carried easily.

… It was like torture.

Fortunately, it wasn’t cold. With this many mages, we could manage even in the depths of winter. Still, this was an emergency, so conserving energy was a priority.

“Where exactly is this place…?”

Arnella, to my right, asked as she placed both her hands on mine.

Her hands trembled slightly. She was likely anxious.

Or perhaps it was strange that I wasn’t unsettled in this bizarre situation.

This was my first time experiencing time travel, but I’d been through countless perilous situations before.

If anything, the fact that our lives weren’t immediately in danger made this situation more tolerable.

The real problem was that we had no way to return.

“At least we stayed together. I can’t protect anyone who’s too far away.”

“That’s true… I’m glad to be with you and Noel, Master.”

“And me?”

“Of course, I rely on you too, Mastema.”

“Mhm, good. Don’t hesitate to count on me when it matters.”

Mastema seemed pleased with Arnella’s response. The two of them were as close as sisters.

“But what should we actually do? It seems like we could reach a place where people live.”

“Interfering with time is difficult. Even I can’t manage it in this world. Maybe the Demon King could, though.”

Mastema replied to Sepia’s question from the far end, where she was sitting with her knees drawn up.

Indeed, with his immense power, the Demon King might be able to resolve this situation.

But the Demon King had made it clear that he couldn’t come to this world. He hadn’t explained why, but it must be due to some kind of restriction.

Arnella then seemed to have an idea.

“What about finding the Sands of Time again?”

“No. Even if we found and used them, there’s no guarantee we could return. Besides, as a demonic artifact, even I can’t control it. Who’s to say the next place would even be habitable for humans?”

“I see… So we were just lucky this time.”

Arnella shrank back a little after her idea was shot down. She was usually more confident but seemed a bit discouraged now.

“Do you even want to go back? What about you, Ahavain?”

“Hmm… good question.”

I had been assuming we would return without question, but now I hesitated.

To be honest, there wasn’t much I had left undone.

Rebuilding the kingdom would take time, but my presence wasn’t crucial for that.

The Empire’s actions weren’t something I could control, and the former princess seemed to be doing fine.

Adventuring, the thing I sought most, could be done anywhere.

If anything, returning would leave me in the dark about what was happening here.

Maybe there was no need to force a return—if a means of doing so even existed.

As I began to think this way, Mastema seemed to assume I was planning to return.

“The Demon King can’t come to the human world here either. But if you could go to the Underworld, I think you could meet him. The flow of time there is different, so he’d likely remember you.”

“The Underworld, huh?”

If he couldn’t come here, then going to him was logical.

“Yes, it’s a good idea. Let’s do that.”

“Wait. Would humans even be okay in the Underworld? When demons and angels come to the human world, they try to reshape the environment because it doesn’t suit them. If we went there but couldn’t even breathe, it’d be pointless.”

“That can be managed with magic. Except for Sepia, though, I’d be a little worried about the rest of you.”

“‘Managed,’ huh…”

Sepia looked slightly intrigued.

“Is there even a way to get there? The Gates of the Underworld caused all kinds of issues before.”

I recalled the incident in the Magocracy of Norace.

That had been a nightmare.

There were many casualties, and without the Demon King’s cooperation, who knows what would’ve happened.

I couldn’t agree to go through something like that again.

“I don’t want to go through that either. It’s a hassle with all the lower demons swarming, and it’d mean owing someone a favor. Asking Mammon would be more reliable.”

Mammon. A figure in the Underworld as powerful as Mastema’s Demon King.

Perhaps the most well-known demon.

Mammon, for reasons unknown, frequently traveled to the human world to make deals and conduct business.

He didn’t corrupt the world and was known for surprisingly fair contracts.

Of course, meeting him wasn’t easy.

“He’s definitely coming and going in this era. It might take some searching, but once we get close, we’ll recognize each other.”

“I see. Better that than gambling on the Sands of Time, which we might not even find.”

“Exactly. I can handle any environment, but you lot can’t.”

“Fair enough.”

I was well aware of how resilient demons were.

They didn’t die even when killed.

Regardless of whether we returned, searching for a way back seemed like a good idea.

It would also help ease Arnella and Noel’s anxiety.

“What do you think, Sepia?”

Sepia was far more knowledgeable and creative than I was. I wanted to hear her thoughts.

“I think it’s fine. Honestly, I’m out of ideas… If my sister were here, she’d probably come up with something.”

“I don’t want to see her again.”

“Me neither, honestly.”

Sepia’s sister, Hain, was a horrifying woman who secretly ruled the Magocracy.

She was more like a monster disguised as a human than an actual human.

Even as Sepia mentioned her, she shook her head vehemently.

I’d rather trust demons than rely on someone like her.

“We’ll go with that plan. For now, just get some rest.”

With those instructions, I closed my eyes.

This was shaping up to be another challenging adventure.