episode_0025

“I… I’m sorry…”

Shayella bowed her head.

Her expression was truly apologetic.

Does this guy know?

The feeling of spinning around in the sky.

The world swirling around me as the center.

With a blow he casually threw, this body teetered between life and death. If I hadn’t performed CPR with a stem, I would have surely died.

Indeed, Shayella is dangerous.

As an enemy.

As an ally.

“I’ll ask you seriously. Can’t you control your strength?”

“I… I… I’m sorry.”

“You’re saying you can’t.”

“……”

“I’m sorry…”

Still, it seems like she knows her mistake.

No, she has to know.

I almost killed someone.

I should scold her more harshly-

“……”

A dejected head.

Shayella’s demeanor is unexpected.

It’s because of her violent first impression and monstrous strength, that she looks cute like this… No, what am I thinking.

Shake it off.

“It’s fine if you know. Be careful next time.”

“Okay.”

“But you did gain something.”

“……?”

“When you hit me, I defended myself. Unconsciously, I gathered mana and created a barrier. If not for that, this body would have died.”

“Ri… Right.”

“You should reflect on your actions.”

“……”

“Anyway, this body is not weak. If slave hunters come, it should be able to hold its own.”

“Yes… I understand.”

It’s not all bad.

Everyone tends to grow significantly in moments of danger or near-death experiences. I, too, have greatly improved my ability to handle mana in this situation. It’s not the body itself, but my control and sensory abilities that have enhanced.

I should see this as a positive change.

Well then.

It’s time to prepare.

To face the invaders.

*

67th day in the Misty Forest.

Dark evening.

“Now I can see clearly. It’s dawn. The flow will break at dawn.”

The fifth messiah reported.

It’s a pity that we can only predict the flow properly on the day itself, but that’s how it is.

I asked the elves again.

“Did everyone hear?”

“Yes!!”

10 divine elves.

44 high elves.

3 elves.

Including Floin, 16 humans.

Total of 73 members.

Everyone gathered in one place.

If the messiah didn’t lie, a powerful enemy will attack at dawn today.

The numbers are unknown.

Each one will be a formidable foe.

It’s uncertain whether we can protect everyone. If danger comes, we’ll have to fight our way out.

Preparations are roughly done.

I ignited odorless smoke bombs outside the barrier.

Near the barrier surrounding the village, I planted more stems densely to set traps.

The stems can pop out of the ground at any time to grab or strike the enemy’s ankles, and at the same time, they can inflict fatal poison.

Even if they are strong, it will be difficult to fight while enduring the hindrance and poison of the stems.

The elves on this side are not weak either.

In other words, if we anticipate the enemy’s surprise attack in advance, we can fight very advantageously.

“Move to your assigned areas. Report to me if anything happens.”

“Yes!!”

The elves moved to the stem barrier.

They hid in the gaps of the stem barrier.

Ambushed in the trees.

Concealed by magic.

Some even hid in the ground with the help of the stems.

Now all we have to do is wait for the attack.

I’m not too worried.

I can feel it.

The farmland.

The elves and humans.

And even further than the stem barrier.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that this entire area is under my control. If my main body, not my clone, can use its power, there should be no problem.

I can confirm the enemy’s arrival before they reach, and even if not, the divine elves can report to me from afar.

In other words, hunting is the word on this side.

*

“Is there really an elf village here?”

“I’m also skeptical. What’s the reason for building a village in the Misty Forest?”

“It’s good for us. There are more than dozens of them.”

“Ho ho. If they’re not there, we can turn the tables!”

10 slave hunters.

Discarded beings from the upper floors.

Each one harboring a strong aura.

Lower-level administrators can’t do anything about them.

They skillfully ran through the invisible misty forest.

“I’m curious too. Is it really true?”

Among them, Taekan smirked slyly.

Capturing a human group and obtaining information about the elf village was his doing, but it’s still hard to believe until you see it with your own eyes.

This is quite deep in the misty forest.

As you go further inside, stronger monsters roam, and more waste is scattered.

A village in such a place.

Are they really in their right minds?

But that’s why he’s excited. Thinking that the banded elves must be living in defiance, he wanted to tame them even more.

Also, elves have a high average appearance, so they are sold at a considerable price due to their rarity.

That’s why a whopping 10 slave hunters gathered.

Today, the elf village will disappear.

They will be sold to the highest bidder and forced to fulfill all kinds of depraved desires.

That’s how it goes….

Thud.

The one leading the way stopped.

His name is Volpir.

He is the most powerful demon among them.

For some reason, he frowned and said, “Something seems off.”

The girl with the red butterfly mask expressed her doubts, “What’s the problem?”

“There’s no sign of monsters. It’s as if we can’t approach from here.”

“That’s the answer. The elves must be somewhere around here. Let’s go in and torment them!”

“But it’s daunting. The range is too wide.”

“Looks like the elf village is big! Hiyah!~ It’s actually good. The one who finds them first is the boss! Let’s go in and cut off the elves’ limbs to use as stepping stones. They’ll surely appreciate it!!”

“……”

“Ahoho~ Then I’ll go first!”

Tap!

The girl with the butterfly mask passed by Volpir with a renewed appetite.

The rest followed suit.

“Today will be very enjoyable!”

“It’s this way. Then we don’t need to act together anymore.”

“It’s just daunting? Seems like you’ve lost your edge. I’ll go that way for a bit~”

One by one, they dispersed through the mist.

They may be traveling together, but capturing slaves is a different matter.

It would only be a hindrance to fight together, and they didn’t want to get entangled in ownership issues over the slaves.

“Is there really something here?”

Taekan also pondered for a moment.

Should he go forward?

Should he stop?

He knows a fair amount about Volpir. They’ve exchanged slaves and had dealings before.

Once, he said while drinking, he has a natural intuition about the future.

He can read the flow when he takes action, and he can feel indirect emotions.

What did he feel at that moment?

“…Taekan. Aren’t you going?”

Suddenly, all the surrounding slave hunters had disappeared.

Only Volpir and himself remained.

He chuckled and replied, “Hunters don’t suit me well. But you and I are different. We have similar tastes, we’ve traveled together, and your judgment is the best I’ve seen. So I’ll ask you. What are we going to do now?”

“We’ll use them as bait.”

“Bait?”

Volpir pointed ahead. It was where the slave hunters who had run ahead were.

“They will fail.”

“What?”

It was quite a surprising statement.

That even strong individuals like them would be defeated.

“This is a dangerous place. Unless we request permission from the ruler, it won’t be easy for us to subdue each other.”

“Is it that serious?”

“In fact, if we all work together, we might win. But we can’t guarantee our lives. If the flow of death is sensed, we could die. It’s absurd for us to cooperate in the first place.”

“Hmm… What does ‘bait’ mean?”

Sizzle.

Volpir chuckled sharply.

“The elves are desperate too. They probably don’t have the resources to guard the inside of the village. There must be protected individuals inside the village, so they will be defenseless.”

“Hah. No way…”

He understood Volpir’s intention.

Whether the companions who came with him lived or died, they were here to take the loot and return.

Crack! –

At the same time, demon wings pierced through Volpir’s back and spread out from his clothes.

“This is the Misty Forest. It’s foolish to hide straight ahead. Will you come with me?”

“That’s a given.”

There was no need to go straight ahead.

The two flew through the sky and invaded the village.

But they didn’t know.

The village was empty.

No, only Shaela remained.

*

“I’m looking forward to it!!!”

Lilianne.

A red-haired woman.

She captured male and female slaves indiscriminately. So when she heard the sound of elves, she joined the expedition.

“I’m sure there are some good men too. I’ll cut them all! Kuhoho!!!~”

She couldn’t contain her excitement.

So when Volpir stopped, she couldn’t hold back and rushed ahead.

However, her laughter didn’t last long.

“What is this giant stem?”

A huge stem revealed in front of them.

Encircling something in a circular shape.

“Ah~ So this is it. This is how the elves were able to build the village. I wonder what’s hidden inside. Let’s open-”

Swoosh! –

Thud!!

A surprisingly fast arrow flew.

She twisted her head momentarily to dodge it, but her mask was grazed and fell off.

Thud.

“How dare you… attack me?”

Her face was exposed.

A pretty girl’s face, but the flowing anger and malice were far from beautiful.

Lilianne immediately reached out her hand.

Whoosh.

Kwagwagwagwag!!!!

A huge energy wave shot out.

The tree where the arrow flew disappeared completely.

However.

“What, what is this. Isn’t your power weak? You could have killed me!! You missed!!!”

It didn’t match the girl’s original power.

She didn’t know.

That she was gradually becoming addicted to the mountain air as she entered the elf territory.

And it didn’t end there.

Shush!!

Suddenly, the footsteps of four approaching from behind.

The third elf Kasyan and the high elves rushed in with Volcan weapons in hand.

They all had small stems in their mouths.

“Hah. Do you think this kind of trick will work!!!!”

Lilianne tried to take out a whip from her bosom in anger. But even before that, something rose from the ground and grabbed her hands.

Crack!!

Squelch! –

“What!…..”

A tough stem emerged from the ground.

Startled, Lilianne tried to pull it off quickly, but she realized that her strength was not as effective as she thought.

“Poison, is it poison!?”

At that moment, she held her breath.

Feeling desperate, she tried to ignore the stem with force and swung the whip.

Swish!!

Thwack!!

Whoosh!! –

The elves approaching her dodged to the side.

But Lilianne’s expression was not good. Because an arrow flew from behind.

Swoosh!!

‘How dare you try to attack me!!-‘

Whoosh!! –

A purple breath.

She exhaled in one breath.

She had gathered the poison in her body and expelled it.

Fwoosh!!

At the same time, the whip burned and the arrow flew at her-

Sizzle!!

“Screaaam!!!!!”

Venom.

Ignoring the stem was a mistake.

Her ankles and wrists burned, and the sudden pain made her lose her balance.

Thud!!

Squelch!! –

Thud!!!

Five arrows pierced her body.

Originally, she could easily deflect an arrow, but the penetrating power of Volkan’s magic bow was unexpectedly strong.

Even for her, blocking it was impossible.

“Kkuuk!!… Th-this can’t be happening….”

Next.

Chyaak!!-

Thud!!

Chyaahk!!~

“Krkhaaack!!!-”

Kashian and the elves quickly stepped back after stabbing or bending their swords, showing that they wouldn’t give a chance for a possible counterattack.

“Kuluk!!… Wh-what is this. These….”

An arrow stuck in Tinea’s shoulder joint.

Kashian’s sword piercing through his chest.

Hwak!!

“Uugh!!….”

The sword that not only wounded but burned as well.

Lillian murmured helplessly.

“I-isn’t this strange. As if we knew they were coming… How could this be possible….”

Chiiieeek!……

Ssruuk.

Thud.

They froze in place.

Because their ankles were melting in the white venom.

“Kkuuugh… It hurts. I’m angry. I want to kill them all. But why can’t I move my body?”

Ssruuk.

More stems sprouted from the ground.

“What are you doing. This is….”

The stems silently wrapped around Lillian and began dragging her into the ground.

“L-lies… This is strange. This is… Ah-”

Ssruk!!

She disappeared into the ground.

Becoming fertilizer.