King Hassan had left behind a riddle, but he had also updated Fujimaru Tachibana's main quest and pointed out how she should proceed.
Then, the conversation was cut short.
However, it had not been King Hassan who ended it. Something had happened.
The roars of Magical Beasts rang out from far to the north. Even within the stone temple, they could clearly hear those beastly howls.
That sound was far too familiar to Fujimaru Tachibana and the others. Everyone's expressions changed at once as they realized there were Magical Beasts here too.
King Hassan then told Fujimaru Tachibana and the others to leave. He himself had to deal with the Magical Beasts, and he revealed the truth—the passage the Magical Beasts used also existed here. King Hassan had remained in this place all along because he was guarding that rift passage, preventing the Magical Beasts from ravaging the Singularity from here.
That was also why King Hassan could not act lightly, because he had to ensure that the Magical Beasts would not invade through it.
Otherwise, even if King Hassan helped solve their problems, the Magical Beasts would flood directly into the Singularity. And the first to suffer would undoubtedly be the People of the Mountains.
Thus, the People of the Mountains had been able to survive peacefully until now because of King Hassan's silent protection.
All that could be said was, "He really... we're crying our hearts out."
Then Fujimaru Tachibana and the others set off. Their destination was East Village. They planned to return to the village first, let everyone know, eat something, and then immediately head for the place King Hassan had indicated—the place they had to go.
According to King Hassan, someone there would help Fujimaru Tachibana and the others answer their questions. It was the