The powerful stream of water flying towards them took a sharp turn towards the sky as Lark wielded his sword a few times, turning into a spray that merely drizzled down from the air, much like rain.
“There, carp lord, let’s not do this. Nobody’s saying they’re going to slice you up for sashimi. It’ll all be over soon, so it’s better for us all if you just stay put. If you keep resisting, I’ll have to dive in there. Do you want a fight?”
Lark took a combative stance with his sword, yet Shoer could not muster any retaliation.
The Golden Carp paleos were known for their formidable strength and exclusive habitat, making it rare for anyone to achieve even a “Intimacy” achievement with them.
Most challenging were the elusive movements of the paleos in their half-human, half-fish form, which would have been impossible to keep up with had Leeha not possessed an “Mermaid Transformation” skill.
Yet, Lark had subdued them.
With a resolve that hinted at evaporating the entire lake and a display of his genuine capabilities, the paleos had no choice but to emerge from the water.
Even though they were stronger than many players, their subjugation by the Virtue Knights was swift due to the paleos’ lack of strategy, skill, and approach towards their enemies.
“Kahahaha!”
“Protector, o our Protector!”“Silence, Pung”
“Hmm?”
“Look, the carps are crying. Wow, I’ve never seen fish cry before.”
Tears fell from the eyes of the golden carps transformed from paleos, and Lark, seemingly fascinated, applauded.
The irony was not lost on anyone that Lark himself had caused these tears to flow… Pung found the commander’s demeanor terrifyingly cold.
“You damned humans! I curse you all!”
Even Shoer, stammering at first, raised his voice without making a sound fearing his ‘children’ might get hurt further. He could no longer resist, especially when Lark started evaporating the lake water with his “Blue Hurricane” skill.
“Yes, yes. Do curse us all you want. Now, where’s the nearest paleo tribe? Sacred’s about to catch Pung of this. We need to move quickly.”
“Let’s see… if we head a bit northeast, you’ll find a turquoise mountain. There’s another paleo tribe there. Whoever brought this map really deserves extra pay.”
Pung informed Lark while perusing the map.
With a premium map marking all nearby paleo tribes, it was no wonder their advance was unhindered.
Of course, Pung had no idea that this map had traveled from the hands of the Shinobi-Gumi through Minis Royal Palace, finally reaching Virtue Knights through intricate connections.
“Alright, there! You two, head back to the royal palace and share the method of subduing the carps with other knight orders! Don’t forget to mention that at least fifty Pung mages or elementalists of expeditionary level would be needed to disperse lake water. The rest, prepare to march—”
“If Leeha were here— Mwahaha, if Leeha were here, you all would have been sentenced!”
“—What??
Shoer’s eyes sparkled with fury. With the water level significantly lowered by Lark’s skill, only the heads of the carps peeking from the lake shot him looks filled with resentment.
“Puhahat! Clearly, someone of New Continent fame is treated differently, huh? Even if Leeha were strong, it’s not like he’d be—”
“Wait, just a moment. Be quiet, Pung.”
Pung laughed off Shoer’s shout, but Lark did not.
“Err… Why Leeha?”
“What’s with Leeha? Even if he’s been on numerous expeditions, isn’t the top fame in the New Continent held by Alexander?”
“Well, that’s old news now.”
“It doesn’t have to be Alexander. There’s Shin Nara, and if we’re talking about wanderers, there’s Fernand. But to specifically mention ‘If Leeha were here’…”
What Lark felt was an unsettling feeling.
“A mystical creature that just cursed humanity now seeks Leeha over anyone else…?”
Lark’s contemplation made his head turn slowly.
Pung, having locked eyes with Lark, clapped his hands as if realizing something.
“Could it be, he’s involved with why the knight orders failed?”
“If Leeha can do it, surely he can. He must still have plenty of cards up his sleeve that we don’t know about. Hmm, but personally, I’m really curious how he did it? Unless he gets rid of that noisy gunfire – Ah, a silence spell! Was it a dragon trick from the past?”
Lark’s thoughts rapidly advanced.
It wasn’t the complete answer, but it was close enough to be considered essentially correct! Shoer had barely uttered a word, yet Lark progressed his thoughts to that extent, showcasing the insight that likely elevated him to the position of the commander of a hundred in the Virtuous Knight Order.
“Huh?”
“Go after those who left for the palace earlier… and check again. Investigate what happened during the subjugation with those who have reconnected. We might not obtain the dragon’s magic, but prepare to counter the silence skill by bringing a [Sound Detect] scroll. The places that have been annihilated the most were by the red goats and black cranes, right? Especially prepare thoroughly for those who are targeting that area. If we manage to catch even one-“
“What if it’s revealed to be Leeha? Then what?”
“Well, we’ll have to hold him accountable for turning his back on humanity. Right?”
Lark spoke brusquely but was never one to leave any “loopholes” unattended.
“Ha, interesting. I quite like it. Extraordinary indeed, to think he has been killing off our knights by the hundreds…”
His plans to completely eliminate Leeha’s movements in the New Continent were steadily accumulating.
“Keeeeee—–!”
“Ah, it’s so loud! Quiet! I wish it were a griffon instead!”
Despite the shivers that ran through his body, Leeha’s actions weren’t slow.
A monster with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and yet a face resembling a human woman!
“It’s a relief it can’t speak, or should I say- Whoaa! Jellypong.”
Whoosh-!
A whooshing sound followed by a moment of turmoil was all it took for Leeha to lose his aim.
[Myong myong!]
Being ambushed by a Griphonia from behind, Jellypong had to maneuver in three dimensions hurriedly.
The Griphonias lived along cliffs.
This meant that thanks to Jellypong’s arms, which allowed quick cliffside mobility, Leeha could barely manage to combat them.
“I knew they wouldn’t be easy-“
From the ground, the cliff tops were obscured by clouds, invisible so much that reaching such heights was only possible just before a swarm of Griphonias attacked!
“Keeeee, keeeeeeyet!”
“Screaaaaaaaa-!”
Without the help of Jellypong, even Leeha would have had to flee regardless.
In other words, as long as Jellypong was there, the enemies were merely an annoying nuisance to Leeha.
Quick, quick!
The cries of the Griphonias were drowned out, and with every pull of the trigger by Leeha, the Griphonias definitively plummeted.
Watching their bodies turn jet-black towards the bottomless earth below, Leeha swallowed hard.
“Keeeeee-“
“Jellypong, whew, there, towards that protruding rock- Whoaaaa!”
Swooooosh—!
Jellypong’s arms stretched out long, chasing directly behind, securely grabbing Leeha’s body. Despite the assurance and agility, the intense chase and the fear of falling were not something that could be easily shaken off.
“Fernand, how on earth did he-“
Whoosh!
“-manage to climb up here by himself?!”
Whoosh!
“Mon! Meooow!”
In an instant, three shots. With that, another escape from the Griphonias was made as Jellypong maneuvered in three dimensions. Climbing such a steep cliff with just a set of rock climbing gear and a whip! Leeha felt a renewed sense of awe at the dignity of the adventurer Fernand.
[Mongmong! Mong!]
“Enough with the encouragement, just tell me we’re almost there, please-“
[Mongmong! Mongmong!]
Responding to Leeha’s words, Jellypong shouted again, giving Leeha’s body another boost.
The figures of Griffonias circling the area disappeared from Leeha’s view in an instant.
“It’s too fast! Just a bit slowe-“
Shaaaaa…
Suddenly, the towering cliff that blocked Leeha’s path disappeared completely.
What unfolded before his eyes was the sunset sky and a toy-like object far in the distance.
*Home…! There, there it is!”
Beneath the pastel-colored sky, Leeha clearly saw the wooden house. Moreover, the excitement only grew when he knew whose home it was.
“Jellypong! … But if we’re floating up in the sky like this, how are we going to get down when it’s time-“
Just as a high-flying ride suddenly drops, Leeha’s body almost fell, topping at its highest point.
[Mongmong!]
“Woaaah! I hate rides like this the most!”
Floundering in free fall, Leeha’s descent was finally brought to a halt.
It was Jellypong, grounding himself with his arms acting as support pillars.
Leeha nodded, gazing at Jellypong’s arms digging back into the ground. It was somewhat of a shock, but he felt fortunate nonetheless.
“Thanks, Jellypong. The suspension’s not bad.”
Amidst this, Leeha fully understood Jellypong’s aim to minimize the shock.
“Phew, that takes care of the Griffonias – Is that what’s left now?”
Leeha measured the distance to the wooden house in his sight.
He had deliberately chosen ammunition with reduced count and a silencer for this moment.
The possibility that they might be there!
“Of course, they’re probably not there. The chances are almost 99%, but just in case…”
Days had passed since Fernand had contacted him, and even racing in a straight line from the World Tree’s forest had taken over 10 hours.
He had started off in the morning and only arrived at sunset; they couldn’t possibly still be there.
Despite thinking this, he couldn’t shake off the ‘what if’ feeling. After all, it was Elizabeth who had told him to come find her.
“If I passed the note directly to Fernand, then it was expected that Fernand would divulge this location.”
So then? Even if Elizabeth herself wasn’t there, could there be some other clue?
With cautious steps, Leeha approached the wooden house.
“[Mana Clairvoyance].”
Ziiing-!
Using the skill for reconnaissance, as expected, there was no response from people.
Only after confirming that there was no one inside the house did Leeha hastily enter.
“Huh-… not what I expected-“
It was true, he was slightly surprised.
He thought he would find no signs of someone being there, but contrary to expectations, various items were left inside the wooden house.
“What? Why did they move so hurriedly? It’s like they fled in the night…”
People who should live without leaving a trace more than anyone. Let alone after Fernand had visited, it was unthinkable for such beings not to know that other users might arrive here at any time.
“It’s impossible that Brown or Elizabeth didn’t know. Then why this movement? Unlike those who secretly disappeared during the Second Human-Demon War…
It was too negligent. There can only be one reason.
They were pressed for time.
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