“Is this alright?”

As Klaha spoke, she spread out her homemade map.

The map depicted the town and the surrounding bamboo forest and mountains.

“Let’s start with something easy to understand. The day when the ‘Thirteen Gate Oni’ first appeared.”

Klaha marked red symbols with a pen on both the north and south sides.

“It was a simultaneous attack by rats. Ziel-san and Chikano-san handled it, right?”

“Yeah,” “That’s right.”

“What about the middle? The one we handled?”

“That will become important later.”

Turning to Icca, as she had told him, Klaha circled the location of the watchtower... the central point.

“Then, I will mark the location where Ziel-san encountered the ‘Beast of the Gate.’ The encounter with the ‘Thirteen Gate Oni’... let’s mark it simply as Day 〇.”

Day 1, no attack. Day 2, tiger-shaped, northeast. Day 3, rabbit-shaped, east. Days 4 and 5, no attacks, Day 6, horse-shaped, north. Day 7, goat-shaped, north-northeast. Day 8, monkey-shaped, northeast. Day 9, rooster-shaped, east. Day 10, dog-shaped, west-northwest. Day 11, boar-shaped, north-northwest. Day 12, no attack. Day 13 – yesterday, ox-shaped, south-southwest.

Having marked this, Klaha continued.

“Additionally, the appearance directions of the ‘Thirteen Gate Oni’ are here and here.”

“...It’s appeared in two places... Wait a minute.”

Ziel-san pointed to Day 〇 and Day 13.

It was in the northeast and southwest directions.

“This, just like the rats, if we look at the town as a circle, and draw a straight line through the center...”

“Yes.”

Chikano pulled a small knife with a straight blade from his pocket and aligned it perfectly.

“It’s coming from the opposite direction from the town’s center... I see. So, you thought of this when looking at the mirror?”

“Yes. Until now, I thought there was no pattern, but from this, allowing for a flip, I tried reversing the pattern from Day 6 to Day 9, and then selectively reversing Day 13 within the flow...”

Klaha began writing with a different colored pen.

In order, from Day 〇: north, one skipped, northeast, east, skipped two, south, south-southwest, southwest, west, northwest, north-northwest... skipping a day,

“Northeast... Hey, this...”

“It’s a clock.”

Icca said with a stunned voice.

Indeed, that was the case. The locations of the ‘Gate Beasts’... what Klaha had just marked were indeed.

Except for the fourth and fifth days with no attacks.

Only the directions of 4 o'clock and 5 o'clock were missing, and the rest formed a clock-like pattern surrounding the town.

The mirror and the clock.

The cipher in Eunice's letter... the way to decode it became a tiny clue.

And now, it was clear: the appearance pattern of the ‘Beast of the Gate’ was revealed.

“...Amazing, isn’t it?”

Chikano said, covering his mouth.

“So, what this means is, when we say there are many ‘Gate Beasts,’ it actually means there are many different types... and also, the types that can appear change day by day, and they can only appear from specific directions, right?”

“So, the ‘Thirteen Gate Oni’ has the same meaning?”

Ziel-san borrowed a pen from Klaha and wrote it down.

“Day 〇 and yesterday, Day 13... they appear every thirteen days, huh? No, if it’s Rustie, he wouldn’t let any slip by, so did he name it as an offshoot of the ‘Gate Beasts?’”

“Is the ‘Thirteen Gate Oni’ fixed to northeast and southwest?”

“It seems so. The exact appearance locations are reversed. The appearance cycle just doesn’t align with the ‘Gate Beasts,’ but the direction is fixed.”

“Is the cycle of the ‘Gate Beasts’ certain? Twelve days?”

“Today... hmm, a tiger, right? If it appears, we can consider it confirmed.”

“No, it’s already confirmed. The ox didn’t appear on Day 1 because it must have been hiding to prevent the overlap and reveal of the cycle. But Klaha figured it out.”

Ziel-san praised with admiration, but then Icca interjected.

“What does this have to do with ‘Phasing through’?”

“That part you mentioned earlier is related to it.”

Klaha circled the town center again.

“In this battle, we were able to wipe them out in one go, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But the north and south, where Ziel-san and Chikano-san were, were also effective in attacking.”

Then,

“When we defeated the ox-shaped beast yesterday, Ziel-san and the others were fighting the ‘Thirteen Gate Oni’ in the opposite direction. This is a hypothesis, but...”

“The direction of 5 o’clock... I think it might have been a snake.”

Chikano raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“That thing? No, but nothing special...”

“Oh, but I killed it, so the corpse was blackened...”

“Yes, and it was clear that day. So, Chikano-san, you could monitor from that distance. Essentially, you were covering the opposite direction. If it was defeated then, it would align with the cycle. Also... well, this is assuming the ‘Gate Beasts’ have varying strength.”

“The direction of 4 o’clock...”

“Wasn’t it the dragon Ziel-san defeated four years ago?”

“—Huh?”

“Ah! Right! That’s it!!”

Icca pulled Chikano’s sleeve excitedly.

“Chikano-senpai, you said it! There was a message saying to go one way, but it was a false report, and in the opposite direction, Ziel-san and the others defeated the dragon! That’s it!”

“Four years ago...?”

Ziel-san and Chikano exchanged looks.

He adjusted his glasses and muttered,

“...A bit higher in rank than an ‘Insto,’ but if we allow for a lower rank like a rat, there could be an upper range that includes something like a dragon. If we average it with things like snakes, not particularly strong ones, down to 1/12th, then it wouldn’t be surprising if something like that mixed in. If we assume the lower limit of mid-level creatures is an ‘Orchestra’...”

He kept mumbling, so Chikano interrupted.

“I think I got it. Could it be...?”

“I think I got it too.”

“Yes,” Klaha nodded in response.

“I think the secret of ‘Phasing through’ is moving instantly to the ‘mirror-like’ point.”

“If so, by controlling both sides, it would be possible to defeat them— and with an area attack to wipe them out. The fact that the ‘Thirteen Gate Oni’ instantaneously moved behind Saminto-san, who was fighting near the center, makes sense now.”

“...I remember now.”

“...I remember too.”

That night, the four who could no longer sit still, rushed out before dawn.

But they weren’t rushing out to fight anyone just yet.

Based on the further hypothesis Klaha had spoken about.

—Even if they were external magical beasts, could they really use such complex magic? There was doubt.

—Perhaps some kind of magical tool was involved.

—If so, it was probably at the center of this phenomenon...

They found it in the town center.

Under the watchtower.

Ziel-san immediately began digging up the ground with tremendous strength, tearing it open.

What emerged was...

“...A mirror.”

“...A mirror.”

“Ah! Don’t touch it, Icca-san!”

“Huh? Oh, sorry!”

It was a mirror.

But it wasn’t just any ordinary mirror.

“Klaha, this...”

“I think it might be an Apocryphal Demon Armament.”

Klaha said, speaking the name of the cursed armor from the ancient times, the magical armor left behind by the Ruin King.

"I'll go get someone from the church," Icca shouted as he ran off.

Chikano hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to chase after him, but then decided to stay put and said,

"I'm no expert in magic, but... this is pretty bad."

"If we touch it, our personalities will probably get taken over," she added.

"So, you're saying we shouldn't touch it carelessly? ...Ziel, are you okay? Didn't you touch it just a moment ago?"

"I'm fine. Lililia and Eunice... the saint and the arcmage told me that destroying the Apocryphal Demon sword gave me resistance to the corruption of Apocryphal Demon Armament."

"Well, that's good, I guess," Ziel muttered as he crouched down to examine it.

"So, is it okay to forcibly peel it off?"

"I'm back!" Icca's voice echoed as he returned, leading a group of church clergy. Alongside them, there was also an unusually large silhouette.

"Oh. What’s up with you, working even on your day off?" Ziel remarked.

"I made sure to rest first, then worked," came the reply.

Valdfried, who had come with the clergy as their bodyguard, stepped forward.

"So, you found the mechanism already? I see, you were just waiting for me to arrive to get motivated."

"No, it wasn't me. It was Klaha who found it," Ziel corrected.

"Klaha? ...Ah, my grand disciple," Valdfried noted, turning his attention toward her.

Klaha, flustered, met his gaze. "I did not—"

"Good job. As expected of my grand disciple, you've got a sharp mind," Valdfried praised her.

"It wasn't me. It's all Klaha’s independent skill," Ziel added quickly.

"This guy's annoying. Klaha, if he ever gets on your nerves, feel free to punch him. I, your grandmaster, give you permission," Valdfried grinned.

While Ziel gritted his teeth at Valdfried’s words, a voice interrupted.

"Ah, no..." a clergyman groaned.

Klaha recognized her. It was a priestess from a nearby branch, the same one who had assisted when Saminato’s condition changed.

"What is it, sensei?" Valdfried asked, walking over to her.

"Sorry, we can’t remove this. I’ll bring some people from the alliance, but I doubt it will help," the priestess explained.

"Huh? Don’t you just need to peel it off?" Valdfried wondered.

"It’s not that simple. It’s embedded in the ley lines... deeply, too."

Valdfried nodded thoughtfully. "So that’s why the flowers in the mountains are so quiet."

"Yes. It seems to be resonating with the Apocryphal Beast of the mountain, completely suppressing the ley lines," the priestess replied.

"How do we get it off?" Valdfried asked.

"If the Saintess were here... though, it might be impossible. If we’re not careful, the mountain might wither and not return to normal," she warned.

"The proper way would be to defeat the Apocryphal Beast... especially the 'Thirteen Gate Oni.' Once we defeat them, the ley lines should become manageable enough to remove this. Of course, if we can defeat the 'Gate Beasts' as well, it will make the process safer," she explained.

"I see. So the ley lines are stronger than this Apocryphal Demon Armament," Valdfried murmured.

"It’s been becoming more active lately," the priestess added.

"Got it," Valdfried said, nodding. He stood up straight before suddenly clutching his back and wincing.

"Now, listen up, everyone," he called out with a serious expression.

"That’s a bit much. You’re not fooling anyone," Ziel commented, deadpan.

"Look with your inner eye. The valiant figure of your great master..." Valdfried proclaimed dramatically.

Ziel shot him a disapproving look, but Valdfried seemed oblivious.

"Anyway, good work figuring out the mechanism. Now, it’s time to use brute force. Ziel, Chikano," Valdfried called out.

"Yeah," Ziel replied.

"You two, take the lead and come up with a strategy. I’ll buy you the time you need to prepare. I’ll be watching and backing you up," Valdfried instructed.

"Got it," they both agreed in unison.

They exchanged a glance.

"The operation will be—"

"The reappearance of the 'Thirteen Gate Oni,'" they said together.

"In twelve days," they murmured to each other.

"Are you sure about this, Chikano?" Ziel asked.

"If you’ll train with me, I’ll have no problem making the deadline," Chikano replied confidently.

After exchanging a nod, they were ready for the impending battle.

Meanwhile, Klaha was unsure whether to join the strategy meeting with Ziel and Chikano, wondering if she would be overstepping.

Just then, Ziel turned around and walked toward her.

"Yes? What is it?" Klaha blurted out before he could even speak.

Ziel blinked in surprise but quickly smiled shyly and said, "I wanted to praise you."

"Huh?" Klaha was taken aback.

"No, sorry, it sounded like I was being condescending... I meant to thank you," Ziel quickly corrected.

As Ziel tried to bow, Klaha instinctively stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Ziel tilted his head.

"I mean... that’s not exactly what I was expecting," Klaha stammered.

"I get it," Ziel said, a knowing look in his eyes. "Sometimes I want to stop you when you say 'sorry' too."

"But..." Ziel added, pushing back on Klaha's hand as he bent down to thank her properly.

"Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn't have solved the mystery of the 'Phase-through.' You helped me a lot, and I really respect you. I’m glad I spoke up when I left the central city."

"Ahhh..." Klaha let out a strange sound, overwhelmed by the praise.

She tried to focus on the good aspects of herself, but it was hard to do so immediately.

"Um... yes. Um, well..." Klaha stuttered.

"Is it a burden to bow every time?" Ziel asked.

"I-I'm sorry," Klaha apologized.

"Well, then... if it's not a problem..." Ziel hesitated for a moment before he raised his right hand.

"Oh, no!" Klaha quickly replied.

"You recognize it, don’t you? A high-five," Ziel said with a grin.

"Ah, I do!" Klaha answered excitedly.

She was relieved the question had been phrased as "recognize" rather than "done before."

Klaha looked at her palm, prepared to slap it against Ziel's hand.

"Alright, here we go..." she murmured nervously.

"Don’t be so tense," Ziel laughed, but Klaha was already determined.

With a soft "thwack," their hands met.

"Was that okay?" Klaha asked, blushing.

"Yeah. That was perfect," Ziel confirmed with a smile.

Klaha felt a sense of satisfaction from the gesture, deciding what she would write for the first line of her report.