A loud thud— was heard from somewhere, shaking the ground. It felt like the branch building trembled slightly, though it might have been my imagination.

“What was that sound?”

Laila turned her head first, and Eustar also stood up. Then, as if on cue, the door opened without a knock.

“Sir Eustar!”

This time, it was indeed Branch Manager Felix who had come. He looked momentarily flustered seeing Laila standing next to Eustar, holding a comb.

“What’s the matter? Is it a demonic beast?”

Eustar asked quickly. Felix parted his lips slightly as if to say “Ah,” then nodded.

“Yes, Sir Eustar. Our members have already been dispatched to respond.”

“Let’s go. Laila, you come too.”

As if there was no need to say it, Laila was already moving a step ahead of Eustar.

She was still holding the comb she had been using on his hair. Watching her striding away, Eustar said with a suppressed laugh:

“You should leave the comb behind, Laila.”

Laila stopped abruptly and whirled around. Her cheekbones were slightly raised above her tightly pressed lips, flushed red.

The Kiron branch had the branch manager’s office directly connected to the situation room. There was a machine composed of black cubes assembled in a geometric shape, with a faint image floating in the center.

Though colorless and not of great quality, it was enough to see the outside scenery, the location of the demonic beast, and the direction of the members’ movements.

“Eustar.”

“Yes, Laila.”

“About that time before, at the 2nd branch… That ‘window’ that Branch Manager Olga had. Don’t other branches have it?”

“Ah, you mean the ‘Magician’s Window’.”

Laila nodded.

When a demonic beast appeared near Habaška of the 2nd branch, Branch Manager Muge used a magical tool called the ‘Magician’s Window’ to show Laila and Eustar the situation outside.

Compared to what they were looking at now, the image from the ‘window’ was remarkably clear. It even reproduced colors accurately.

Eustar said:

“That ‘Magician’s Window’ doesn’t strictly belong to Tentinella. It’s owned by the magicians, and except for the one in Habaška, the rest are all in the magician’s residential area. Branch Manager Olga was able to bring it because of who she is.”

“She could bring it because she’s Branch Manager Olga? Does she have connections with the magicians?”

A strange smile appeared on Eustar’s lips.

As she watched Eustar tilt his head and avert his eyes, Laila realized he was deliberately avoiding answering. Why? What connection did Muge Olga have with the magicians…

“We don’t need something as jaw-dropping as the ‘window’ to be sufficient, Lady Kristrad. Look.”

Felix’s voice suddenly cut in, interrupting Laila’s train of thought. With his bright red hair tied up, he pointed at the black block where the image was floating.

“This isn’t a ‘window’, but it was made similarly. It was developed here.”

Laila’s eyes widened.

“You made it? It’s not a magical tool?”

“While it does use magical energy, so it could be considered somewhat of a magical tool, it’s more of a mechanical device. These interconnected blocks exchange energy while also controlling and amplifying the flow of circulating energies. As for how this is possible…”

As Felix leaned forward to launch into a full explanation, Eustar spoke:

“Felix, save the machine boasting for later. Let’s watch the situation first. How close has the demonic beast approached?”

Felix lifted his head sharply, looking disappointed, and pointed to the image floating on the block.

“At this point, it’s about a ten-minute walk at average speed from where our members have set up the defense line. Given the size and speed of the demonic beast, it will probably take about two or three minutes more than that.”

“What’s that thing on the demonic beast’s back? A shell?”

“It seems so. We can’t see it clearly from here, but… It’s a type I’ve never seen before.”

The appearance of the demonic beast on the block was bizarre. It had a round, flat shell like a turtle or tortoise, and it seemed capable of both bipedal and quadrupedal movement, alternating between walking and crawling.

Its intelligence appeared low, though that wasn’t certain, and as Felix said, its speed was slow. However, its weight seemed considerable.

“Branch Manager!”

Tiltil’s urgent voice drew the attention of everyone gathered in the situation room. She said:

“A sync has been detected.”

Laila and Eustar’s eyes met quickly. Felix nimbly jumped between tables.

“Fix the coordinates. Sir Eustar, will you go directly?”

“I will. Miss Kristrad, Branch Manager Felix, and I will go to handle the sync. The rest of the members should capture the demonic beast.”

The members began to move in perfect unison. Except for a few guarding the situation room, everyone gathered their weapons and donned their uniforms.

Eustar said:

“Don’t kill it! We don’t know its identity yet, so capture it alive for now.”

“Understood!”

Under the command of Tiltil and other squad leaders, the members poured out like an ebbing tide. Eustar and Laila also put on their uniforms and checked their belongings.

“Laila, wear this as we go.”

Eustar held out a communication ring as he spoke. It was a different type from the one he had given her at the royal palace.

“Will we need to move separately?”

“We can’t know. But just in case, wear it.”

When they went to resolve the issue between Hoierhis and Vintoshis, Laila had been dragged away by a demonic beast right in front of Eustar’s eyes.

At that time, she wasn’t wearing a communication ring, and for a long time after, Eustar regretted not giving her one.

After that, even when there was no need to move separately, Eustar always made Laila wear the ring. He was so anxious about it, insisting she wear it even at the royal palace, that Laila had to chide him for being overly cautious.

After gearing up, Laila asked:

“How far is it to the sync?”

Felix, who had finished tying his boots and stood up, answered:

“About 6km.”

Eustar said:

“We’ll need to take runners then.”

Tiltil led the members past the defense line.

The defense line set up by members specialized in defense wasn’t for attack. If compared to war, it was like defending a castle, the last line allowing the approach of demonic beasts.

Therefore, when dealing with demonic beasts, it was important for the members in charge of attack, apart from those constructing the defense line, to eliminate the beasts as far from the defense line as possible.

—Grooook—!

As the giant demonic beast twisted its body, a member who had approached too closely was flung away before they could dodge. Tiltil exchanged signals with other squad leaders and surrounded the demonic beast in a semicircle.

“It’s not fast! However, not only the exoskeleton on its back but also its skin itself is hard. Members with low striking power, fall back and provide cover. The rest, tighten the encirclement!”

The members intertwined to form a new formation. Members mainly engaged in active attacks, including Tiltil, closely surrounded the demonic beast.

The demonic beast seemed to not understand the situation at all and appeared slightly confused. The low intelligence of the beast they were facing was one fortunate thing for the members.

“There must be a weak point. Attacking the exoskeleton is useless! Target the abdomen and the back of the upper arms first.”

“Understood, Captain!”

Tiltil, holding her greatsword upright, was the first to charge towards the demonic beast’s abdomen. To check the hardness, slashing took priority over blindly stabbing.

As she sliced the exposed abdomen while it was in bipedal stance, there was a crackling sound and sparks flew. Tiltil retreated.

“Rock…?”

She muttered as if groaning. Other members quickly attempted attacks, but the results were the same. Swords were ineffective. But one thing did inflict damage on the demonic beast.

—Guk, groook—!

With a rumbling sound, the demonic beast’s large body staggered sideways. Tiltil quickly turned her head to see who had attacked.

“Baron!”

“Captain Tiltil, swords won’t work! This bastard, its whole body is like a boulder. It’s better to smash it with blunt weapons!”

The large man shouted as if commanding. Wielding an enormous morning star that looked menacingly huge, he charged at the demonic beast again and struck the same spot.

The demonic beast’s right leg cracked with a crumbling sound under the heavy blow of the iron flail. A gurgling-like roar followed.

“Members using thin blades, fall back! Switch with the members who set up the defense line and let’s smash this thing!”

The formation was reorganized once again. Members who primarily used blunt weapons like Baron surrounded the demonic beast.

The demonic beast, with its right leg nearly broken, roared and thrashed its body around, but its movements were too slow to inflict damage on the members.

“Now, strike!”

At Tiltil’s command, four members including Baron quickly approached from different directions.

The sound of heavy iron flails cutting through the damp air resonated heavily. They wielded the massive blunt weapons as if they were children’s toys, precisely shattering both legs of the demonic beast.

—Urk—! Grook—!

With a thunderous boom, the demonic beast’s height suddenly lowered. Both its legs were broken. However, it didn’t give up and started crawling. It was slightly faster than when walking, but not enough to be threatening.

“Capture it!”

Members who had been holding position in the rear ranks took out something like round balls and gripped them in their hands.

As the attack squad quickly retreated, the black balls flew towards the demonic beast, and with a popping sound, pale spider-web-like nets unfurled.

—Gruk… Grr…

The demonic beast trapped under the nets twitched and struggled. Tiltil, catching her breath, sheathed her sword and looked around at the members. The rain seemed to be almost stopping.

“Good work. Let’s return with this thing.”

“Can we bring it inside the branch? It’s too huge.”

One member tilted their head. Tiltil chuckled and replied:

“Is there any need to bring something like this inside? It’s not some precious longevity stone. Just drag it inside the branch’s boundary and contact the Branch Manager in Habaška. She’ll figure out what this strange thing is the fastest.”