After Beatrice flew off into Kowarre’s gray sky, Helen remained standing there, staring upward.

"It’s so cold here," Karol murmured, rubbing her arms.

"I’m going to punch that demon when I see her again!" Helen grumbled with an annoyed expression.

Mirian approached the warrior and told her she’d better just calm down already.

She turned toward where Mirian was standing.

"Go on, shoot some arrows at Beatrice." She made the request, pointing toward the sky with an impatient gesture.

"And how do you expect me to do that if I can’t even see her?" Mirian replied, her bow still slung over her shoulder.

Ryan watched the scene and placed his right hand over his forehead in a weary gesture.

’She’s acting like a little girl again.’ He looked at his assistant, who was watching everything with a mix of surprise and confusion.

Ryan decided to apologize to her for his group’s behavior.

"They’re always like this when they’re together on a mission. I’m sorry you have to see that."

Alicia immediately blushed upon hearing her king’s words. She shook her head quickly to downplay the matter.

"No, please don’t worry about it, Your Majesty. I understand the situation."

Ryan nodded, and before anyone could say anything else, he decided to change the direction of the conversation.

"Do you want to explore this area now that we’re here?"

The three of them stopped and looked at him attentively.

"Can we really do that?" Mirian asked curiously.

"Yes, I don’t see any problem with you checking the perimeter of the portal."

Helen unsheathed her heavy sword with a sharp, decisive movement.

"Great, this way I can vent some frustration if I see any demons around here." She began to move the weapon to warm up her muscles despite the snow.

"Hahaha, you’re always so eager to fight anything, aren’t you?" Karol asked. The mage floated a bit higher as she observed the warrior’s enthusiasm.

"Naturally. If I stop fighting, I feel like I’ll get rusty soon."

Ryan didn’t waste any time and cast his buff skills on the three of them.

They felt the surge of strength and attributes immediately coursing through their bodies.

"Go explore the terrain, but I order you not to stray too far from the portal. If you see demons in your path, kill them all without exception." Ryan spoke with a commanding tone.

"Yes!" they responded to his order.

"Alicia."

"Yes, Your Majesty?" she replied, stepping a bit closer to the young man.

"We’re leaving right now. There are many things I want you to prepare back at the village."

"As you command, Your Majesty. I am ready for whatever you need."

Mirian turned toward them for a moment. "Huh? You’re not coming with us to check out the area, Ryan?"

"No, I have work to do, and I don’t think there are any high-level demons in this area. But stay very careful with whatever you find, regardless." He paused and fixed his gaze directly on Helen.

"Especially you, Helen. Focus on what you need to do. Don’t give the others any unnecessary trouble during the scout."

She made a childish pout but nodded at his request.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Don’t take too long to come back." With that said, Ryan stepped through the portal to return to the elven forest.

Alicia went with him immediately. They crossed the portal’s rift and emerged on the surface on the other side.

’It was so cold in that place. I’m a bit jealous; that’s the kind of weather I’ve always liked...’

Alicia’s clothes were completely soaked from crossing the portal.

The fabric of her uniform clung to her body because of the dampness. Ryan was in the same situation, his heavy coat dripping onto the grass.

But he stood there, watching Alicia in detail as she wrung out her hair. Although, in reality, it wasn’t that he was looking at her intentionally.

Ryan found himself reflecting on his next steps just as he was staring in that direction.

’Now I must accelerate my progress using the Debt skill on the people of the village. I’ll order every woman in the village to perform tasks to gain points for my system.’

He knew he needed a massive amount of stat points to face the demon kings.

"Your Majesty? Why are you looking at me that way...?" Alicia asked shyly. She seemed uneasy under her sovereign’s fixed, analytical gaze.

"Huh? Sorry, I got caught up thinking about an important matter. Let’s go back."

He said as he began to move along the path leading toward the village portal.

He left Alicia behind by a few meters, walking with a fast, firm stride. She was blushing deeply, but she quickly caught up and joined his side.

They followed the path, and when they were in front of the portal connecting the forest to the village, she stopped.

"Your Majesty, what is it you want me to do now?" She maintained good posture despite her wet clothes.

"Ah, about that. I want you to prepare everything necessary for me to grow stronger."

"Eh? I don’t quite understand, Your Majesty." Alicia blinked in confusion while trying to process Ryan’s request.

"How could I possibly help you with a matter like that?"

"It’s simple. For now, I just want you to do exactly as I’m about to tell you." Ryan stopped and looked at her with a seriousness that indicated the order was a priority.

"I want you to gather every female warrior currently living in the village. Whether they are from the elven race or the beastmen who joined us."

He paused and began to recall the village layout.

"If I remember correctly, there’s a wide field we can use for training."

"Yes, that’s true. We have a field in the northern sector of the village where the soldiers usually train. But then, you don’t mean strengthening yourself, but rather the village’s military power?"

"Yes, something like that is what I have in mind for this afternoon." Ryan replied vaguely so he wouldn’t have to explain the inner workings of his bug.

He began to walk and entered the village portal with Alicia following in his footsteps.

’Or at least, that’s the part she needs to know for now. I just want to make them train while I buff them with my skills to generate debt. With such a large group, I’ll be able to gain plenty of points for my personal stats.’