I was sitting on the first floor sofa, leisurely enjoying the meal prepared by Jere.
Right now, Jere was likely deep into his research on the second floor.
He suggested studying Isabel, who is half-blooded and from Midlen.
Isabel agreed, and the two went upstairs.
Jere’s research, however, was at the level of a light health check.
As I slowly savored my soup, I heard the sound of someone descending the stairs.
“Ririan, look at this.”
Isabel, coming down the stairs, was wearing a light blue dress.
“It’s a gift from the Angel.”
“Isn’t it a little loose?”
The dress was long enough to cover below her knees.
The sleeves were also loose and long, giving them the appearance of wings when she moved.
“My clothes got ruined during an experiment.”
“What kind of experiment…”
“I’ll show you.”
Isabel confidently descended the stairs and took her position.
She respectfully gathered her hands over her lower abdomen and began to emit light from her entire body.
Boom!
With a small explosion, smoke rose, and what stood before me was no longer Isabel.
“How do I look?”
Isabel had transformed into a more grown-up version of herself.
Her blonde hair had turned completely white, and the once loose dress now fit her body’s curves perfectly.
She was about the same height as Aila.
“Upon researching, it turned out that the blood of Demons and Beastmen mixed appropriately. I told her to try it just in case, and it worked.”
The clothes must have been ruined then.
What she was wearing before was practically just rags.
The new outfit suited Isabel much better.
“Is it okay to eat this?”
“Go ahead.”
Isabel, looking hungry, began to grab the food laid out on the table.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like your help when we go to steal the Angel’s torso in Midlen.”
“That doesn’t sound like a simple task.”
Jere shook his head.
“It’s an easy task. Midlen’s national strength is not significant.”
“True. There’s barely even any proper mercenaries, let alone an army.”
That’s why Latnia pays no mind to Midlen.
Without an adequate army, they lack the power to start a war.
Can we even call that a nation?
“You only need to help a little.”
“Not right now. I’m busy with the Takedown.”
“It’s not immediate. I’ll contact you later. Where are you staying?”
In response to Jere’s question, I gave him Sarita’s address.
“You’re living in a good place.”
“Is it a nice area?”
At Isabel’s question, Jere explained about Sarita.
“It’s a city known for its education and has a high standard of living.”
“Can I live there too?”
“As long as you have some Demon blood, you can live anywhere.”
At Jere’s answer, Isabel’s expression brightened oddly.
With her level of skills, she could probably be at an intermediate level in Swordsmanship at the Academy.
“However, tuition is incredibly expensive.”
“I guess I’ll have to work really hard to earn money.”
We continued our light conversation over the meal.
“Well then, I’ll always be in front of the Angel, so feel free to come by anytime.”
“I feel like I won’t see you much because I’ll be busy with the Monster Takedown.”
“You don’t seem to know much about the Takedown.”
Jere explained that Monster Poison Village is the ultimate destination for the Takedowns.
“The walls built on the outskirts of the village are there because of the Monsters. Demons move in large numbers around this time and tend to pass through here.”
The siege between the Monsters and the village.
For detailed information, I could ask Tooler when we returned to the lodging.
Isabel’s steps toward the lodging felt surprisingly light.
She seemed in good spirits, even humming a tune, but I pretended not to notice.
“That person seems nice.”
Reviving the Angel could bring about destruction to the world.
When Jere talks about going to retrieve the Angel’s torso in Midlen, it would probably be because he has gathered all the other parts.
Upon arriving at the lodging, everyone was scattered and eating.
“We will have a meeting in the evening. If you’re bored, go out and have some fun.”
Having already gone out to have fun for a while, I headed to my room.
I sat on the bed, got comfortable, and began to refine my mana.
I never knew when I might have to fight a dangerous foe again.
Although Aila prohibited the use of magic, in a crisis, one should use everything available.
Knock. Knock.
Someone opened my door and entered.
“Once you’re done, give this a read.”
Aila placed a thin book on my bed and left.
After finishing with my mana refinement, I picked up the book lying next to me.
The book contained information on throwing weapons and vital spots.
The best target would be the eyes, but it’s not an easy spot to aim at.
The vital points on the rest of the body were marked according to human standards.
The last page briefly summarized the vulnerable areas suitable for Monsters.
They were categorized into small, medium, and large.
Only the large section required more than one page.
After reading through it, I found that large Monsters often have no physical weak points.
The most effective method was magic.
In other words, basic magic usage is essential for taking down large Monsters.
I became curious if the Monster matching the name of the village, Poison, could also be taken down using magic.
The book alone wouldn’t be enough to perfect my throwing techniques.
As I stepped outside the lodging to explore, I discovered a small open area behind the lodging.
In the clearing stood a few old scarecrows that someone must have used long ago.
I couldn’t tell if it was a sword or a spear, but the heart area of the scarecrow was particularly tattered.
I took out a dagger and stepped back from the scarecrow.
At least twenty meters.
If I couldn’t hit from this distance, I wouldn’t be able to use it effectively in a real scenario, the book mentioned.
Until now, I had been throwing it from a much closer distance and managed to hit fairly well.
I gripped the dagger, took my stance, and threw it.
Whoosh!
With a strong throw, the dagger struck the ground beneath the scarecrow.
Missed.
I pulled the dagger back with mana, took my stance, and threw it again forcefully.
The thrown dagger lodged itself into the bottom of the scarecrow.
It was strange. Just increasing the distance made it impossible to land it where I wanted.
This time, I narrowed the distance a little and threw again.
The dagger hit properly near the desired location.
“What you’re throwing is too heavy.”
The dagger gave me that advice.
The dagger made from Demon parts was indeed at least two to three times heavier than the usual dagger I used.
To use it effectively in battle, I needed to adjust the weight of these two accordingly as I threw them.
“Try throwing with mana.”
“With mana?”
Lifting the dagger with mana was incredibly easy.
I aimed at my target, and as I shot, the dagger flew at a terrifying speed.
Crash!
The dagger embedded itself deeply into the scarecrow.
If the aim is true, there shouldn’t be any Monster that would survive.
Using mana for throwing maintained its power even at a distance of fifty meters.
However, the more I threw the dagger, the more I couldn’t shake the thought that using a gun would be more advantageous.
I stopped practicing and returned to the lodging.
Later, I heard from one of the mercenaries in the Raid Team that there are special throwing daggers.
In other words, the daggers I currently had were all meant for close combat.
When evening arrived, it was time for dinner and the conference.
The indoor meeting was led by Isaac.
“Poison Village will also participate in the Takedown Operation, but it’s purely support.”
“Have there been any movements from the Monsters?”
“The movement has decreased since we captured some, but there haven’t been any major movements yet.”
The large movements of Monsters do not happen just once.
They occur over at least three or four times, and apparently, the first one has yet to take place.
As long as Poison Village holds off two or three times, the remaining Monsters will take alternate routes and go downwards.
The Monsters that go down then spread out in all directions, reducing that flow.
Ultimately, the more we block the large flow from here, the easier it gets for the army below.
“They’ve offered to provide archers from the village.”
“Oh? Poison archers?”
“Isn’t an archer synonymous with elves?”
When I asked, Tooler laughed heartily and responded.
“You could say they shoot the best among humans.”
I recalled the archers we saw when entering the village, who were watching us from the trees.
“How many will they send? We need archers on our end.”
“A total of four. However, we need more archers.”
“Just one. We don’t need more than that.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Despite stressing the need for archers, Tooler only wanted one.
I thought they would split four among us but that wasn’t the case at all.
“Well then, let’s take a break in the village while preparing for the Monster invasion.”
“You mean to say Monsters will invade?”
“Yes. During this period, Poison Village is on a combat alert.”
Without the village, we would have to set up camp in the plains to fend off the Monsters.
It was surprising that the village was built right on a path where Monsters moved in large numbers.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t last and would have to leave.
“Though the village is surrounded by castle walls, there are occasionally some that get over the walls.”
“Aren’t large ones coming?”
“That’s the problem.”
At my words, Isaac held his head and sighed.
“Under normal circumstances, large Monsters avoid approaching for the sake of Poison. But…”
That’s because Isabel and I attacked the Poison and made them hide.
“You’d better be prepared. There’s a possibility of large Demons launching an attack.”
Most of the moving Monsters are medium or small-sized.
Large Monsters usually don’t move around much, but complacency isn’t an option.
Despite the situation being not very promising, everyone didn’t seem particularly tense or uneasy.
“Well, that little magician over there should take care of it, right?”
A subordinate of Isaac pointed at me and said.
“Well, it might be alright considering we have such a great magician.”
All eyes turned toward me.
It seemed that because of the magic I displayed while hunting Demons in the forest, everyone’s perception of me within the Raid Team had changed.
“Well then, the meeting is adjourned.”
Even though the meeting had concluded, some still didn’t rise from the table.
“What are you doing?”
“Just some light fun.”
A mercenary lightly rubbed his fingers together.
A moment later, cards were dealt at the table, and a gambling game unfolded.
“Even knights gamble, huh?”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“What, isn’t there something like a noble spirit or something?”
At my words, Aila made a face as if questioning my sanity.
“There are plenty of people who enjoy gambling. It’s not a crime.”
