“Ugh, it’s packed with gawkers out here.”

I grimaced at the sight awaiting us beyond the castle gate.

“Haha, well, when you drop lightning on a castle and blow it up, of course, it’s going to cause a stir.”

“True. That tallest spire could even be seen from outside the walls.”

Now that it’s gone, it’s no surprise people are curious.

“If we just walk out like this, it’s going to be a circus.”

“Yeah. Let’s find a quiet spot and climb over the wall.”

With that decided, we moved quickly. The longer we lingered, the more people would gather, and slipping away now seemed like the best course of action. Having just gained our freedom, it irked me to sneak around, but complaining wouldn’t help.

“Think this spot’ll do?”

“Won’t someone see us from far away?”

“Maybe. How about we camouflage ourselves?”

“How?”

“Hmm. Maybe project the scenery behind us in front of us?”

“Can you even do that?”

Rio’s skeptical gaze prompted me to brainstorm. It’d be like having a camera on my back projecting onto a screen in front.

“Oh, or I could use spatial magic to connect the space behind us to the front.”

“What even is that…?”

“Just watch. I’ll give it a try.”

I visualized a setup like a video camera transmitting to a monitor, using light magic for the projection.

“Oh wow, this is neat! I can’t see you, just the scenery behind you… but the edges look super unnatural.”

“Success, then? Though now I can’t see in front of me…”

“From a distance, it might not be noticeable.”

Before trying the spatial magic approach, this makeshift camouflage seemed good enough.

“Alright, let’s go. Time to get out of here.”

I maximized my presence-suppression skill, projecting the sky’s image onto the ground as I floated up to scale the castle wall.

“Whoa, that’s impressive. Using the sky as camouflage makes any distortion harder to notice.”

Rio floated up to join me, wrapping her arms around my neck and clinging tightly. Catching her securely, I leaned in to lightly kiss her lips before we ascended over the wall.

“I’m looking for a map of the surrounding nations. Do you have one?”

Having left the noble district, we stopped by the adventurers’ guild to plan our next destination.

“It’s 100 flons per copy.”

The receptionist replied in her usual curt manner. The map she handed me was very basic, with just enough detail to indicate general directions and major landforms.

“Can you tell me about the surrounding nations?”

“Certainly.”

I handed over the money, and the receptionist readily shared information.

To the north, as we already knew, was the demon nation of Bergstein. From the northeast to the east stretched the Forest of Demons. Southward lay the mercantile nation of Aresgute, while to the southwest was the Großenhang Empire. To the west was the Kingdom of Berkmund, but its unstable state made it an unadvisable destination.

“Which direction is the nearest sea?”

“The sea? Head straight south; that’s your best bet.”

“According to the map, you’ll pass through Aresgute and enter Großenhang Empire territory to reach the coast.”

“Yes, there’s a port town famous for its seafood there.”

Wait, what!?

“Seafood!?”

Rio’s exclamation overlapped with my inner thoughts.

“Then south it is.”

“Agreed.”

Rio’s immediate agreement sealed the decision. The receptionist looked a bit exasperated, but we didn’t let it bother us. With that, our destination was set. After chatting a bit more with her, we left to head back to our lodgings.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

We were stopped by a man with a gruff voice as we left the guild.

“What is it?”

Turning to face him, we saw a scarred man with a rough demeanor, flanked by two similarly burly men.

“I heard there’s an E-rank adventurer around here who can use dimensional storage magic. That wouldn’t be you, would it?”

“Yes, that’s us.”

I was in a good mood and answered honestly. The man’s mouth twisted into a grin.

“Perfect! We just caught a big haul, but it’s too heavy to carry. Think you could help us take it to the guild? Don’t worry, we’ll—”

“Sorry, we’re busy. We’ll have to decline.”

“Huh?”

I had no intention of delaying our departure from this kingdom to help these guys. So, without hesitation, I cut him off.

“Hey, don’t be like that. You E-rank nobodies should be grateful we’re offering you a job. Just help us out a bit.”

“We make money, you make money—everybody wins, right?”

The two behind him attempted to strong-arm us, but their arrogance was just annoying.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, use that fancy dimensional magic of yours for us.”

The thinly veiled threat made me sigh.

“What do you mean by ‘hurt,’ exactly?”

“Oh, you’ll see—like this!”

The leader swung his fist at me. I dodged easily, grabbed his arm, and threw him to the ground with a shoulder toss.

“Gah!”

I slammed my mana-enhanced fist into the dirt beside his face, causing the ground to crater. His face turned pale.

“Ahhh!”

The other two screamed, dragging their fallen leader away as they fled.

“Jeez… what a pain.”

My good mood was ruined.

“Think we’re done with interruptions now?”

“Let’s hope so.”

“Haha, anyway, let’s head back to the inn and rest for now.”

“Yeah. Honestly, I’d rather leave in the middle of the night to avoid any more trouble.”

“Good idea. Let’s do that.”

And so, we finally left the troublesome Arclight Kingdom behind.