Chapter 257
[Turn 7]
[In Area 2, the Wind Demon Kroga has appeared.]
"Mwahahaha! Humans! I shall kill you all!"
Whoosh!
With his cliché proclamation, Wind Demon Kroga made his grand appearance.
Simultaneously, scores of insects filled the sky.
Officially, they're called 'Wind Bugs', but their appearance isn't much different from the bees we know.
If there's one distinction... perhaps it's that each insect is about the size of a human?
Huh? Isn't that significantly different, not slightly?
I suppose it is.
"They're insect-type demons!"
"No, not good! I'm allergic!"
"With that size, you'd die before you get poisoned! Just getting hit by them would kill you!"
In that moment of chaos, a young girl stepped forward.
A genius of magic from the Rownter family, Yuridia.
Whoosh!
Screech!
Several Wind Bugs were engulfed in scarlet flames, and soon, the battlefield was bathed in a crimson light.
The distinct scarlet mana of the Rownter family.
A light that punishes foes and instills courage in allies.
"Everyone, stay calm! They are just bugs. If we follow our training, it's nothing! Everyone, to your positions!"
Finally, the children began to form up.
"Shield!"
"Force Hammer!"
Yuridia's faction, known for its high ratio of mages, could easily fend off the onslaught of Wind Bugs.
It's merely a device for plausibility, so there's no need to worry.
'What we really need to worry about is our side.'
She surveyed the battlefield calmly.
Wind Demon Kroga and eight Wind Bugs.
And just over ten boulders scattered here and there.
The battlefield looked exactly like a game level. Yet, it was hard to say things were favorable.
'We should have moved the rocks earlier to create an optimized route...'
The butterfly effect caused by Principal Dwener.
Too many turns were wasted dealing with Amonga at full HP.
Moreover, Wind Bugs are aerial monsters that cannot be attacked up close.
The lack of hands naturally meant more turns were consumed.
In fact, Area 2 is the area in the Invasion of Carpathia that consumes the most turns.
Optimized routes are no longer an option, and we don't have many people who can attack the Wind Bugs, except Luna is always a problem.
A total mess. That was the situation right now.
'But it's not like there's no way out.'
'That skill' could make up for all the wasted turns in one go.
The priority now was to eliminate all the Wind Bugs.
'First, target the Wind Bugs.'
Huh? Are you saying it's taking ages because we don't have enough people to take down the Wind Bugs?
You're right. Looking at the state of my party, only Rezé is capable of ranged attacks.
It's strange enough that there are many ranged characters at this stage of the game.
Maybe the developers were aware of that. They've set up a special mechanism.
"Ms. Yuridia! We will help!"
"Leave it to us!"
"Thank you all. Sorry, but I need to borrow some strength."
[Two mages from Yuridia's faction temporarily join the party.]
Two children, their robes pulled tight, joined the party.
A hidden piece activated when the party has five or fewer members.
The only magic they can use is 'Fire Ball' and 'Ice Ball.'
"Fire Ball!"
"Ice Ball!"
Screech!
Together, they were a formidable force capable of taking down a Wind Bug.
Shhh! Boom!
A mana bullet from somewhere obliterated another Wind Bug.
So swift and powerful that the Wind Bug met its demise without even screaming.
'She seems to have gotten her act together.'
Laid down in the field, Rezé had vanished from sight.
As soon as the battle started, she moved and immediately sniped a Wind Bug, taking it out in one shot.
She was proving to be more useful than a mere pufferfish rabbit.
"Fire Lance!"
Whoosh! Crack!
Screech!
A scarlet flaming spear pierced through a Wind Bug.
In an instant, three Wind Bugs were slain.
And still, there were two more of us able to act.
The problem was, those two were rather superfluous.
"Oh come on! Why don't you come down here? It's mean to stay up in the sky like that!"
Luna swung her sword through the air, frustrated at the aerial foe.
Indeed, Luna and I were at a loss.
We are 'close combat' characters who use swords as our primary weapons.
Though I could use 'One Flash' to attack, now was not the time.
"Luna, why not prioritize movement? As I said before, your position is crucial."
"Shut up! I'll handle it!"
[Currently, 'Luna' is in a state of confusion.]
[You cannot command her. Characters will act according to their personalities.]
['Luna' begins to act on her own.]
As expected, Luna was in a state of confusion.
'...Let's just leave her be for now.'
After all, Luna, being a close-combat character, had nothing to do but move forward.
As long as she's wary of the 'Wind Spear', there shouldn't be any problems.
Whoosh!
'Five Wind Bugs remain. They're too far to deal with in this turn.'
There are two reasons why the Wind Bugs need to be taken down first in this critical situation.
First,
'That creature cannot summon additional insects.'
Unlike Amonga, who possesses the skill 'Earthworm Summoning', Kroga does not have any summoning skills.
Meaning, the remaining five Wind Bugs are all that Kroga has.
And second,
'It would be problematic if Yuridia's casting were interrupted.'
A strategy that can recover all the wasted turns in one go.
Yuridia was at the heart of this strategy.
Swoosh!
I moved swiftly to Yuridia's side, whispering in her ear.
"Keke, Miss Yuridia. I have a small favor to ask..."
"A favor?"
"Yes, could you please cast 'Demon Slave' right now?"
'Demon Slave.'
A forbidden magic of the Rownter family that Yuridia belonged to, which takes a whopping 5 turns to cast.
Moreover, it's a double-edged sword that uses up all remaining mana, rendering Yuridia, a mage, useless afterwards.
'But its power is undeniable.'
If 'Demon Slave' can hit Kroga, it could drastically reduce the 'turns' needed.
Since it takes 5 turns to cast, she needs to start now.
That's why I approached Yuridia.
"Why don't you cast it, Zero?"
A valid point. Yuridia, who had clearly seen me use 'Demon Slave' when Bineus attacked the Academy, would think so.
But currently, I'm not able to use 'Demon Slave.'
'I haven't stored it in Divine Imitation.'
Although 'Demon Slave' is a powerful skill, its casting time of 5 turns is too long.
It's not suited for combat against monsters like Lucia and Adonis, who are disguised as humans.
Hence, I saved a different skill instead, and 'Demon Slave' is not currently in my 'Divine Imitation' slot.
"..."
Yuridia's eyebrows rose slightly.
Unable to use a skill that I used perfectly before? She must find it odd.
But it's fine. I've prepared a great excuse.
"Keke, magic is akin to murder for me. It cannot be used recklessly."
"What kind of absurd excuse is that..."
"Moreover, there are too many prying eyes. If I were to use a forbidden magic of the Rownter family... people might misunderstand our relationship."
Yuridia flinched.
Me using the same magic, especially a forbidden secret of the Rownter family?
People would definitely whisper.
'What exactly is the relationship between those two?'
"There's no way such baseless rumors would spread. Luna and Zero are the Academy's official couple."
We're the official couple? I'm not sure how things have come to this.
Well, that's not what's important right now. Let's move on.
"Keke, if relationships were absolute, why would words like infidelity and adultery exist?"
"Zero! Withdraw that statement... immediately!"
"It was just a hypothesis. Besides... no fool would reject someone as attractive as Miss Yuridia. Everyone would think, 'The charming Yuridia, she chose love over friendship.'"
"What! That's absurd! There's no way that could happen!"
Despite Yuridia's disbelief, misunderstandings were already brewing.
Mages 1 and 2 from Yuridia's faction began to whisper as they looked our way.
"Whispering? They seem close."
"And it's a long conversation. Secretive... almost like lovers?"
"Lovers? No way. Yuridia is the president of our 'Love Support Club'. It's impossible."
"They say you should always suspect the ones closest to you."
Murmurs.
Buzzing.
Chatter.
"Could they be having that kind of conversation?"
Yuridia's face turned pale.
To be thought of as a villainess who not only betrays her friend but also steals her lover!
Snip!
Yuridia put distance between us. In game terms, about three tiles?
"Stay there. From now on, maintain a distance of at least 3 meters from me!"
I responded with a shrug.
I had presented a legitimate reason for not using 'Demon Slave'.
Yuridia cleared her throat.
"Hmm, Demon Slave, huh? Well... it's not too difficult. It is forbidden by my family, but given the emergency, I'll begin casting as soon as I'm at a safe range."
"Keke, thank you."
"There's one condition, though."
"A condition?"
Snap!
Yuridia pointed behind me with her index finger. At the end of her finger was Luna.
"Make peace with Luna."
"Excuse me?"
"Exactly what I said. Make peace with Luna. Then I'll grant your request."
Yuridia, what are you talking about? We're too busy catching demons to be making amends.
"Keke, shouldn't defeating the demon take priority?"
"Love comes first! How can you not understand something so basic?"
Well, from what I see, everyone else would say catching the demon is the priority.
What kind of character is she? I felt it in the game, but she's stranger than I thought.
[Turn 8]
Time was still passing.
Turn 8. The turn when Kroga's gimmick, 'Wind Spear', first activates.
'Wind Spear' activates every two turns.
Meaning, on odd turns, advance and attack; on even turns, move and take cover.
This was the strategy to combat the Wind Demon Kroga.
'If we end this turn, Kroga's Wind Spear will be launched.'
A 'full-attack' that targets one person at a time, so taking cover behind rocks is essential.
Swoosh! Boom!
One Wind Bug fell to Rezé's attack.
Four Wind Bugs remained, but they were too far for Yuridia and the mages to attack.
The attack squad had finished their actions. I looked up at the sky and shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Everyone, take cover behind the rocks! You too, Rezé!"
"Why should I? I can take down that sort of thing with a single strike..."
Boom boom boom boom!
The wind swept across the battlefield. Simultaneously, spears of wind struck the rocks we were hiding behind.
Invisible wind. But its form was clearly visible, such was the density of the wind.
"...I could argue, but just this once, I'll let it go!"
...Yes, Luna.
Thank you for holding back.
--TL Notes--
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at /MattReading
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