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I pushed forward, parting the dense forest as I went.

Two days had already passed since I abandoned the attempt to seize the Spirit Sword and began moving to prepare for winter—by now, I had reached the southwestern edge of the former Imperial territory.

This was my first time setting foot in this area, but just like when I had traveled south before, the dense trees repeatedly slowed my progress.

“I can tell the ecosystem is similar to the south… but the density here seems a bit worse?”

Grumbling that the humidity felt subtly higher, I looked up at the blue sky peeking through the canopy and felt relieved that the weather likely wouldn’t turn bad today.

I carved a path, detouring when necessary, and continued pushing southwest.

At this rate, the degree of natural erosion was probably severe.

I let out a heavy sigh, thinking it unlikely I’d find any intact structures.

Just then, I spotted a space where no trees were growing and found myself drawn toward it.

“Ah—was this an old parking lot or something?”

Though covered in vegetation, fragments of collapsed roofing and other remnants barely preserved traces of what it once had been.

Judging it a good place for a short rest, I halted my movement and began checking the surroundings.

If it hadn’t been completely destroyed by plants, I wondered whether it might not simply be paved ground.

Needless to say, the result was nothing.

It seemed to be nothing more than coincidence.

I had briefly hoped there might have been a military facility nearby, but all I learned was that it had once been a fairly large parking lot, and since this was likely the central area, greening had progressed more slowly.

The absence of even a single vehicle suggested the owners had fled with them.

At present, no idea came to mind for making practical use of this place.

“Remembering that a place like this exists is enough,” I decided, and resumed moving.

Not long after, I discovered a gigantic structure swallowed by greenery.

I found myself staring up at it with my mouth agape—if my memory was correct, this ruin was the entrance to the largest integrated complex ever built outside the Imperial Capital.

That conclusion was based on the massive alphabet letters that still partially retained their original shape, and I couldn’t recall anything else that would fit.

Marketed with the slogan “Everything you want, all in one place,” the multifunctional service area Alma was a theme park funded by numerous corporations and boasted well over a hundred shops.

(Well, as someone who lived in the Imperial Capital, it had nothing to do with me.)

Despite the bluntness of that thought, this discovery brought me a single ray of hope.

Alma, built around the concept of “having everything,” wasn’t just about stores.

In addition to shopping, it offered cinemas, sports facilities, and various leisure attractions, and its outer perimeter was lined with multiple hotels.

Although it failed to become a successful tourist destination, I’d heard its revenue had never been particularly bad.

That meant vast amounts of supplies had once been transported here, and there was a decent chance that something still usable remained.

The Imperial Capital had been blown away, but this was the next largest facility.

There was no reason not to be hopeful.

The underground shopping district—mocked as a “labyrinth”—was especially reassuring as a candidate for a new base.

“I came this far looking for hot springs… but maybe I should prioritize this instead.”

Though the distance was considerable, once a path was carved out, round trips to my usual observation point would become realistic—another big plus.

If I used materials from here to establish something at an intermediate point, even daily travel might not be impossible.

Once that idea occurred to me, my actions were swift.

I parted the greenery and advanced.

This would be my new battlefield.

I felt a faint anxiety about how heavily plants had encroached, but the wall surrounding the theme park seemed to have done its job fairly well—the interior wasn’t as bad as expected.

Which meant they were here.

(The south… orcs, right?)

From today onward, this place would be inherited by me, a legitimate successor and an Imperial citizen.

Anyone without permission would be driven out by force.

However, despite my resolve, I couldn’t find any goblins or orcs.

No—rather than that, I couldn’t find any living ones.

After surveying the area, the possibility emerged that this land was currently a battleground where goblins and orcs were fighting over territory.

(I see—that’s why some areas look like the vegetation’s been cut down.)

That’s when I realized something.

I had entered the theme park through the east gate.

My current position was south of that—far from the center—meaning goblins advancing from the north had pushed this far.

In other words, in the “goblin versus orc” conflict here, the goblins were winning.

“Since the Emperor died, the orcs scattered everywhere—you’d think they’d be the ones with the advantage…”

“So what on earth is going on here?”

Even if the Furon Council’s campaign was going unusually well, this place was simply too far removed.

The presence or absence of a command individual mattered, of course—but if there were genetically enhanced soldiers who once commanded the orcs, that possibility couldn’t be ignored.

“…I should investigate.”

If that were the case, I wanted to know whether friendly contact was possible.

They weren’t mindless beasts that attacked and devoured without thought.

If information could be exchanged or shared, failing to do so would risk future regret.

That was assuming the other side was willing, of course—but as long as neither side knew anything yet, the possibility remained.

With that decided, I added stealth to my exploration.

Activating my camouflage ability, I blended into my surroundings and changed course northward.

And there they were—plenty of them. Those green things.

They treated captured orcs like spectacles, binding them and using them as targets for amusement.

At the very least, it was clear this was indeed a land of conflict between goblins and orcs.

Fortunately, there were no signs that humans had been brought here, and given their numbers, the presence of a queen was certain. On top of that, their oddly coordinated behavior suggested the existence of some kind of irregular factor.

I continued deeper and deeper, advancing quietly while observing.

First, I wanted to identify the queen’s location—but whether she was above ground or underground would drastically affect how long that took.

If I could find her within the time limit of my camouflage ability, all would be well… but if not, deciding whether to withdraw would become a difficult choice.