Volume 6 Chapter 31 There's This Convenient Power-Up Method Called Rune, Right
As the ship carrying Catherine and Julius vanished from sight, Randy turned around with a smile and looked at Liz.
"I just thought of something good."
"Something good? You don't look like you have good news."
Randy, with a questioning Liz, started walking towards the magistrate's mansion, saying, "It's a good thing."
Unlike the well-maintained main street, the buildings here were only dotted here and there.
The town was still in its infancy, but the faces of the sparse pedestrians walking the streets were bright and clear.
"We can't involve this town in a war, can we?"
"Indeed. Even without the people sent by the Church, I don't want to involve the citizens."
"Right."
Randy, scanning his surroundings, spoke of reinforcing defenses.
But it wasn't about just placing guards.
Of course, with Alan's permission and policy, it might be okay to set up something simple, but the top priority was to stop them at the water's edge so they couldn't get this far.
"The water's edge... the battlefield is planned to be beyond Hartfield, right?"
As Liz pointed out, if the Empire were to invade, that would be the easiest point.
"Certainly, there's also the possibility of coming through the north and from the Beast Forest side..."
Randy's point was that, either way, the most important thing was to prevent them from entering this town, the capital, and the harbor.
"So, we have to count on the efforts of the Knights fighting on the front lines..."
It was only natural for Liz to trail off.
Even though they had a group of formidable Matchless Warriors, Victor's Knight Brigade was far too few in number.
If Hartfield had 20, then the harbor and the capital would have to be guarded by about 30 Knights.
Of course, the reserve forces who had retired would also be mobilized, but even then, the total wouldn't reach a hundred-dearu.
"Yeah, that's right. We can't easily increase the numbers. So, I was thinking of raising each person's ability."
Randy, with a serious tone, continued, "We don't have much time, but we still have about a month."
"But we only have one month, right?"
Liz tilted her head, and Randy pounded his chest, saying, "We have a secret weapon, right?"
"The secret weapon called Runes──"
Liz nodded, saying "I see," to Randy's confident words.
Certainly, with Runes, the effect would be immediate.
And in this place, there was Liz, who could weave and engrave Runes.
"I thought of it after hearing Madame's story. So──"
"Then, let's teleport back to the mansion for now."
Led by the smiling Liz, Randy triumphantly returned to the mansion after several days.
With a big gift for the Knights in one hand.
* * *
Just before Randy and Liz teleported to the mansion.
In the Knight Brigade's station near the mansion, Cory was conducting a lecture on beasts.
Cory had come to Victor only a few days ago....
It hadn't even been a week, but Cory's lectures on dealing with beasts were packed every day.
Of course, there were the new recruits who had been assigned this year, as well as the young core members of the brigade, veteran Knights, and even those who had already retired to the reserve....
All humans in the capital with the name of Knight and free hands had gathered here.
No wonder, even the veterans and reserves, who made up half of the attendees, were impressed by Cory's excellent lectures.
The morning was spent on theoretical studies using that knowledge, and the afternoon on practical fieldwork.
And it wasn't just that.
Cory's excellence wasn't solely in his knowledge.
"Um.... About the rare type of Grim Bear we encountered yesterday──"
Cory's explanation began, about the Grim Bear the Knight Brigade encountered yesterday.
"I heard from Sir Harrison that the Grim Bear we encountered yesterday emitted a black mist, correct?"
The Knights who had encountered it yesterday nodded in confirmation of Cory's question.
It was a phenomenon that occasionally occurred in Victor.
The Grim Bear that emitted a black mist, which always became a topic among the Knights whenever it happened.
The dark mist hid the form of the Grim Bear, further obscuring its presence.
Moreover, the mist itself seemed to wrap around and weigh down this body.
"I actually tested various things yesterday, and I think it might be in a symbiotic relationship with the Mistbird."
"The Mistbird?"
It's only natural for the Knights to tilt their heads in confusion.
The Mistbird is an extremely timid beast, and in the Beast Forest, it's at the bottom of the ranks with a C classification.
True, it excels at generating mist to mask its form and presence, but the mist is white and ordinary-looking, and it doesn't impede one's freedom of movement.
"The Mistbird is a beast that absorbs blood and magical power from prey it lures into the fog, and the color of the mist changes depending on the concentration of magical power in the blood."
The darker the color, the more dense the magical power being absorbed.
"Yesterday, I collected the mist and examined the distinctive stab wounds on the defeated Grim Bear. It's very hard to believe, but I concluded that it's a symbiotic relationship with the Mistbird."
Indeed.
Cory's greatest strength is combining pieces of knowledge to uncover things that even the most skilled of Victor's experts don't know.
Amidst the Knights' growls at the new hypothesis presented, Cory, who discovered it, is alone in his excitement.
"This is amazing! Essentially, the Grim Bear mostly occupies a predator's position. Yet it's building a symbiotic relationship with a much weaker beast, the Mistbird!"
The Knights are a bit taken aback by Cory's rapid-fire explanation, but they don't mind.
"Moreover, the thick miasma in the Grim Bear's blood and magical power is adding a new ability to the Mistbird's fog."
Cory, brimming with excitement, says, "This is a major discovery too," his eyes shining.
"The Grim Bear is giving its blood and magical power to the weaker Mistbird because there's a benefit to the symbiosis..."
Cory, deep in thought, listed the benefits for the Grim Bear.
Disappear from sight.
Blur one's presence.
Impede the opponent's movements.
All are effective means for escaping or ambushing.
"It's hard to imagine, but there might be a beast in Beast Forest that even the Grim Bear, with its strength and speed, can't match──a monster-like creature."
Cory, who was constantly excited, was muttering about the possibility of a beast with keen sensing abilities, immense strength, and agility that overwhelms the Grim Bear...
"Huh? That might be the young lord, right?"
"Yeah. It's probably the young lord."
"That's right. I feel like the Mist Bear appeared around the time the exploration teams were rampaging..."
...the fact that a senior he knows changed the ecology of the beast hasn't reached Cory's ears yet.
Just as everyone began to gossip, saying, "What an annoying guy..."
"Hey, everyone, how's the studying going?"
Randy barged in, rudely opening the lecture room door.
At Randy's entrance, newcomers, mid-level members, and veterans all started whispering their thoughts about him: "It's the young lord," "You guys keep talking about him," "That face is insane."
"Yo, Cory. It's been a few days."
"Senior, what brought you here all of a sudden?"
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