The magic arrow became manageable for me after practicing it a few times.
At first, it flew slowly, but now it flew quite fast, although turning was still difficult.
In comparison, the arrow proficiency demonstrated by the Demon King far surpassed my imagination.
Like a bodyguard, it zipped around like a swarm of bees, piercing through enemies as they appeared.
“It’s been an hour, should we head back?”
As we returned to the entrance of the castle wall village, we reviewed the details of the monsters we had captured.
Generally, most were medium and small types when someone spoke up.
“I found a large one.”
“Where did you find it?”
One of the mercenaries reported he had discovered a large monster.
Since the forest had burned down, had there indeed been a large monster discovered, we would surely have seen it.
But none of us had seen the large monster.
“It’s a little far off.”
We had found a large monster, but we couldn’t move right now.
If the entire raid team moved, there would be insufficient personnel to protect the village.
“Let’s hold a meeting about the large monster when we return.”
If the village’s guard had been intact, we might have been able to split our forces a bit and attempt to raid the large monster, I thought.
After that, we dealt with the wandering monsters and welcomed the night.
All around was dark, and I could barely see the glowing eyes of the monsters.
“Why did these people build a village here?”
I couldn’t understand why they constructed a village right in the path of the monsters.
Moreover, the castle wall surrounding the village seemed as if it had been built with this situation in mind.
“I don’t know the details, but I’ve heard this village was established by people who were driven out when Kant was built.”
Tenji briefly told me the short history of Physon Village.
“So, Kant originally belonged to the ancestors of these people?”
“Yes, apparently so. Until both empires came in and divided the land.”
For that matter, the people of Physon Village didn’t hesitate to come to raid the monsters from both empires.
“It’s quite an old story. They say it happened about 200 years ago.”
Upon hearing that, I subtly glanced at the Demon King.
I wondered if he knew something, but the Demon King was smiling innocently like a child.
The handover with the first squad took place the next morning as dawn broke.
A sleepless night on guard duty.
After returning to the cave, Isaac quickly held a short meeting with Tooler.
It seemed they were discussing how to deal with the large monster nearby, but they appeared to be struggling to reach a decision.
I felt their glances toward me now and then, but for the moment, I decided to wait without intervening.
Once Tooler left the cave, Isaac came to find me.
“I know you’re tired, but could you spare a moment?”
“Sure.”
Since the conversation wasn’t suitable for inside the cave, we stepped outside to a nearby building.
Unlike other buildings, this one appeared to be in relatively good condition with minimal damage.
The building we entered was a shop that had been selling goods, but there were no items left inside.
It looked like everything needed for evacuation had been moved to the cave.
Isaac settled inside the counter and leaned back comfortably.
“About the large monster, is it possible to handle it alone?”
“I have no experience with one, so I can’t say.”
I had captured demons, but I had never faced a large monster.
It was clear why Isaac was asking me this.
He must have witnessed me dealing with the demons alongside orcs in the forest before coming to Physon Village.
“I think someone of your caliber could probably handle it alone.”
“If you’re asking like this, the situation must not be very good.”
“That’s correct. The raid team consists of only about a dozen members, and even they are currently split up on missions.”
Moreover, Aila and Isabel weren’t in a position to participate in the raid immediately.
So, I called the Demon King for support.
If it’s the Demon King, handling a large monster should be well within reach.
“This raid is the hardest we’ve had so far.”
“Can’t we request support?”
“I’ve already done that. However, I want to deal with the large monster first.”
Juan’s attack was something I hadn’t anticipated.
If he hadn’t shown up, the village could have comfortably recuperated from the damage caused by the monsters and proceeded with the raid leisurely.
There was no need for deep thought.
With strong support now available, I accepted Isaac’s proposal.
“Thank you. This will alleviate some of my worries.”
“However, there’s one condition.”
Leaving the shop with Isaac, we returned to the cave.
Having stayed up all night, we decided to rest a bit before departing.
Inside the cave, there were designated spots for each member assigned to the village people.
The raid team had been assigned a spot closest to the entrance.
A makeshift sleeping area built from wooden planks.
Upon entering, I saw Isabel lying in a corner, with Aila sitting next to her.
“How’s Isabel?”
“She’s not getting up at all.”
Isabel’s condition, after being kicked by Juan, was not good.
Fortunately, the medicine she had brought with her was helping.
“You should sleep too. You must be tired from hunting all night.”
“Yeah, I should.”
As I settled in and lay down, something crept into my blankets.
“I’ll let Nib sleep with you.”
Aila placed the sleeping Demon King into my blanket.
Feeling a strong drowsiness, my eyelids slowly began to close.
I awoke to the sound of quiet chatter.
The Demon King, who had been in my blanket, was now talking with Isabel.
“Huh? You’re awake?”
“She healed me.”
Isabel and the Demon King were meeting for the first time.
Seeing someone of similar age, Isabel called the Demon King a friend.
“As I said, it was just a simple healing. You shouldn’t move too much for a while.”
“I’m fine. I’m used to the pain.”
“If you move, the wound won’t heal as quickly.”
“This much is okay.”
“Absolutely not, it’s not okay.”
The Demon King lifted Isabel’s top to reveal bruises vividly marked on her pale skin.
“Thanks to your healing, it doesn’t hurt?”
“I didn’t heal you; I just alleviated the pain. Aila, keep a close watch on her so she can’t move.”
“Got it.”
Isabel’s body was much sturdier than an ordinary human.
Until recently, she had been unaware of her own heritage until it was revealed to her by Jere.
Despite possessing the body of a half-demon, she sustained pretty severe injuries from Juan’s attack.
Isabel wasn’t weak; Juan was just abnormally strong.
Juan was undoubtedly an extraordinary candidate as a magic swordsman.
However, he hadn’t possessed this level of power before.
If he had hidden his strength, he might have unveiled it in the moments when he was cornered while fighting Jema.
It was only a guess, but Juan likely gained his current strength afterward.
“Your armor and weapon are confiscated for the time being.”
“Give them back.”
“They’ll be returned once you recover.”
The Demon King stashed Isabel’s weapons and armor into a pocket dimension.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I can transform and fight.”
Isabel jumped up confidently from her spot.
“I’ll give you one piece of advice—if you use that in your current condition, you’ll die.”
In a short time, the Demon King seemed to grasp some of Isabel’s abilities.
“How do you know that?”
“I know someone with transformation abilities. If you transform with severe injuries, you might die.”
At the Demon King’s words, Isabel plopped back down on the spot.
“So just rest quietly.”
“I’m not lying, so listen to Nib.”
Aila chimed in with the Demon King’s advice to persuade Isabel.
The Demon King’s words were likely true, as Aila also had transformation abilities.
I stepped outside the cave to discuss how to hunt the large monster with the Demon King.
“If we deal with it, won’t there be any benefit for us?”
“There is.”
Large monsters are somewhat closer to demons than regular monsters.
Thus, if we can capture one, something will drop.
“Are you going to capture it?”
“I’ve already said I will.”
After replacing the first squad in the dead of night, we stepped outside the village.
Isaac had already informed the members that I was going to hunt a large monster.
“With one person down, everyone needs to be more cautious than usual.”
“There are two of us.”
The Demon King held up two fingers beside me.
From the start, the Demon King had appeared as a sudden presence to the raiders, so Isaac didn’t count him among the personnel.
The Demon King and I were accompanied by a knight who guided us to the area near where the large monster was sighted.
As we walked through the plains, a fairly wide gorge appeared.
A long bridge connected to the opposite plains, but I was hesitant to cross it recklessly.
On the other side of the bridge, a giant mole-like monster was glaring over here with its eyes wide open.
“Is it looking at us?”
“It seems that way.”
The large monster’s gaze was directed at both me and the Demon King.
“Crossing over there seems risky.”
“Yes. Let’s just deal with it from here.”
Quickly and efficiently—first strike victory.
I immediately threw a lance of lightning and designated its falling position.
The sky parted, and a massive lightning bolt gathered in my hand, taking the shape of a spear.
Soon, the spear of lightning was thrown toward the ground.
The mole monster, watching dumbly, raised its front paw to meet the spear with its sharp claws.
Zzzz—zzzz—
Letting out a grotesque sound, the mole struggled against the spear of lightning.
It seemed the spear was slightly yielding, so I quickly channeled more power into it.
Reinforcing the massive spear of lightning required more mana than I had anticipated.
Creeeak!
The spear did not pierce the mole’s body, and thus reached its critical point.
Just before it exploded, powerful lightning shot out from the spear, turning the ground upside down.
The dark sky suddenly brightened due to the lightning.
Bang!
The spear of lightning exploded in mid-air.
On the other side of the plains, a cloud of dust rose, obscuring the situation.
“Did we take it down?”
“Let’s wait and see.”
As the dust settled, something faintly wiggled on the other side.
Though the power of the lightning spear was immense, it hadn’t taken the mole’s life.
The still-living mole continued to shake its gigantic body.
“Let’s hurry before it comes to its senses.”
“Agreed.”
The Demon King and I crossed the bridge leading to the opposite plains to end the life of the large monster.
