Taking Touka in hand, Reiko rose and leaped out through the skylight instead of using the main exit.
『Reiko-san, the enemy is to your front right.』
Laojun, who could utilize a magi-radar far more potent than the magi-detector installed on the Capricorn 1, had pinpointed the target with surgical precision.
"...Found you."
The target appeared to be using 'Hide' magic, but such tricks were useless against the current Reiko. Her eyes saw not only visible light but also ultraviolet and infrared, and her ears could capture ultrasound. Furthermore, she carried her own internal, simplified magi-detector.
"Right there!"
As she slashed through a limestone spire protruding from the ground with Touka, a figure came rolling out from its shadow.
"Ugh! How did you find me!?"
The man appeared to be in his twenties. He had a slender build, an aquiline nose, and gray hair. His skin was dark, and his golden eyes flashed with a sharp, predatory light.
"Are you of the Puppet Clan?"
"Wh... You know of us? Did that traitor speak?"
Screaming, the man threw a stone at Reiko.
"You are being loud."
Reiko brushed the stone aside with her hand, not even needing Touka’s blade.
"...You monster... You would side with those shameless traitors?"
"Activating Magi-Jammer. Radiating Paralyzer."
"Gwah..."
The demon's consciousness was instantly snuffed out. Because he could no longer manipulate the surrounding free ether, he was unable to mount any defense and took the full force of the Paralyzer's beam.
Reiko carried the demon back to the Capricorn 1 and bound him with rope woven from ground spider silk. This high-grade rope, nine millimeters in diameter, was so durable that even Reiko would have to increase her output beyond forty percent to break it.
"...Belialus?"
All-Creation uttered the name as she looked at the demon Reiko had captured.
"Do you know him, All-Creation?" Jin asked.
"Yes. There is no mistake; he is Belialus of the Puppet Clan."
"So he specializes in Master-Slave Magic after all?"
"Yes. It is a clan where many are tasked with enslaving and commanding magical beasts."
"And his other abilities?" Jin asked. This was vital information if they were to keep him as a prisoner.
"The Puppet Clan... ah, they should be able to use Teleportation Magic."
Upon hearing that, Jin formulated a countermeasure. He recalled the magic-sealing collar that Elsa had once been forced to wear.
Jin's main body on Hourai Island quickly gathered materials and began the manufacturing process.
"Let's see, it went something like this... I don't need the function that drains physical strength, so it's quite simple."
For the power source, he designed it to utilize the subject's own mana. It was remarkably eco-friendly.
He sent the finished product to the Capricorn 1 via a Warp Gate. Reiko received it and fitted it around Belialus's neck—that was the process. Since the material was 64 light silver, it would be impossible to remove without magic.
"I managed to get it on him before he woke up," Jin's Body Double inside the Capricorn 1 muttered with a look of relief.
"Jin-sama, what do you intend to do with Belialus?" All-Creation asked with a puzzled expression.
"I'm most curious to know why he tried to attack us. I also hope to find out what kind of traps lie ahead."
The Capricorn 1 remained at a Stand Still until Belialus regained consciousness. Jin had judged it better to proceed only after knowing what dangers might be waiting.
It did not take long. After about ten minutes, Belialus groaned and opened his eyes.
"Are you awake, Belialus?"
"Ugh... You, All-Creation!...Where is this?"
"The location doesn't matter....Why did you attack us?"
"..."
Belialus fell silent, clearly unwilling to speak.
"Even though we are currently heading for the country carrying immediate food supplies," All-Creation added.
Belialus reacted to those words. "A country, you say? A group that's nothing more than a collection of miscellaneous clans, a country? Don't make me laugh."
"Belialus! What on earth are you talking about? It makes no sense at all!" Sion shouted, unable to remain silent. "Rather than talking about countries, shouldn't we be worried about food? Everyone has to eat to survive!"
"Hmph, food? There's plenty of that... in the lands to the south."
"You mean the human countries!?"
However, Belialus shut his mouth tight after that.
"..."
"Standing here won't get us anywhere. Let's move forward," Jin said.
"...You are right."
All-Creation and Sion nodded and moved away from Belialus.
"Land 1, move out."
"Capricorn 1, departing."
After a delay of nearly an hour, the party resumed their journey north. In just under thirty minutes, they reached the narrowest point of the Pazdext Great Isthmus.
The terrain here was rugged, with jagged rocks towering on one side and massive pits yawning open on the other, making progress extremely difficult.
"The color has changed again."
Past a certain boundary, the color of the rock changed visibly—shifting from the gray of limestone to a deep red.
"...Radiolarian chert?"
In Japan, Mount Akaishi sat in the southern part of the Southern Alps. That red stone—radiolarian chert—was the namesake of Mount Akaishi, and by extension, the Akaishi Mountains, the formal name for the Southern Alps.
Like limestone, it was a sedimentary rock, but it was siliceous rather than calcareous, formed from the accumulated remains of radiolaria.
"Perhaps the Lauren Continent and the Gondoa Continent were joined together by tectonic shifts," Jin mused to himself while observing the scenery.
Suddenly, the Capricorn 1 came to an abrupt halt.
"What is it?"
"Yes, it appears a magical trap has been set ahead."
"What?"
Peering into the magi-detector, Jin saw a magical reaction forming a solid horizontal line across their path.
"What is this?"
"The details are unknown. However, it seems to be a sort of magical net. If so, its purpose would likely be..."
"A trap, then."
While the exact nature of the trap was a mystery, they had expected something to be waiting in this area, so it wasn't a total surprise.
"Belialus, do you know anything? If we keep going like this, you'll be caught in it too," Sion asked, turning back, but Belialus maintained his stubborn silence.
"...I see. So you have no intention of talking."
"Father, shall I go ahead and investigate?" Reiko suggested, but Jin shook his head.
"No, that's too dangerous. We don't know what will happen or what's waiting for us."
"Then I shall go," Netros spoke up. "I am familiar with the standard traps used by the demon race."
"I suppose so. Netros, can we count on you?"
"Yes, leave it to me....Lucas, you come too. I'll give you some training."
"Got it."
"I shall go as well. I believe I can offer some support," Anne volunteered.
And so, Netros, Lucas, and Anne stepped outside to identify and dismantle the trap.