The Only Thing I Could Say Was—

They camped relying only on the light of a lamp.

Though “camping” just meant placing the lamp in the middle and sitting around it, doing nothing special.

Why? Simple—if something happened, a bonfire would loudly proclaim “something was here.”

Kikori and the others never once thought they were strong enough to deal with the consequences of that.

So they used a lamp for light, and only a cloak for bedding… that was the idea, so they could run when necessary.

The watch was taken in shifts, and right now Kikori and Kuon were awake.

Alone, you wouldn’t notice if you fell asleep, but this way they could confirm each other stayed awake.

It was Kuon’s suggestion.

“But still, it’d be scary if we got attacked here.”

“Hm?”

“We can handle goblins. But if an orc shows up, I don’t know.”

Kikori had only fought an orc once, and that was all.

That orc had possessed proper tactics, and Kikori had only won by outwitting it.

Of course, it wasn’t stronger than the Goblin General. He could tell that by feel.

But still… it was probably stronger than a Hobgoblin and weaker than a Big Goblin.

If something like that attacked in a group, could they really win?

“Hmm…”

After saying that, Kuon turned his gaze beyond the cave exit… into the darkness.

“Hey Kikori. Do you know how the Contaminated Region was created?”

“…No.”

“Me neither. Actually, it’s treated like something you shouldn’t touch on.”

The lamp’s flame flickered.

As if about to speak of something extremely dangerous, Kuon stared at Kikori with a serious expression.

“It makes no sense. It’s not just ‘unknown.’ Something definitely happened in the past, and that’s why this place is called the Contaminated Region. And it’s unbelievably vast—we don’t even know how wide it is.”

“Isn’t it some kind of military secret or something?”

“If it were, it should at least be written in history books. Even if details were omitted.”

“Then what are you saying?”

Kikori couldn’t understand what Kuon meant.

That was why he asked.

“I think you’ll understand by tomorrow morning…”

“?”

“They say the space ahead is horribly distorted. And something in the past caused it. Something that couldn’t be written in history books, or any book at all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…”

“I don’t know. But there’s one thing I can say.”

After saying that, Kuon relaxed his expression slightly.

“As for this place, you’ll know immediately when monsters come… I guess.”

“What kind of explanation is that?”

“I’m actually looking forward to it. They say you can barely see in the darkness.”

Kikori had no idea what he meant.

That was what he thought… but the next day, when they saw “it,” everyone would be left speechless.