When the beak opened, screams poured out from all directions. There were flas inside the beak. A bright red ball of fire rippled and grew in size.
"Shoot at that!"
He had long forgotten Esperanza's words about shooting at the lowest power. He turned the dial without hesitation. When he raised it to dium power, he was able to penetrate the wing tip.
The monster bird's gaze turned toward the young man. Bright red eyes. The young man flinched. The monster bird folded one pair of wings and headed above the young man. The young man tried to retreat backward to secure distance, but when the bird scattered small flas, his feet were tied.
People without weapons had moved far away while he drew its attention. Damn, they lift him up when it's good for them, but when it seems dangerous, they abandon him!
"Ugh, stay still!"
However, none of the magic bullets he fired while losing his composure hit properly. Hitting the bird's wing tip earlier was pure coincidence. He gritted his teeth.
The bird opened its mouth above the young man's head as if toying with him. Caaaaw! The flas filling the bird's mouth making high sounds now looked to be at least the size of an adult's fist even from a distance. If that hits , I'll die. What kind of dog's death is this? Damn, damn.
To make matters worse, the gun only made tick, tick sounds as if it had exhausted its magic power. This gun was all he had.
"Please just one more shot, please!"
But magic that didn't exist couldn't co out no matter how much he prayed.
"Uaaaah!"
The monster bird opened its mouth wide. The young man threw down his gun and went down the opposite side of the hill. There are more people over there, so it'll go that way! Without a gun, it won't chase , please let it be so.
Then his eyes t with Esperanza running like a racehorse from beyond the forest.
"What, why are you here?"
"Th-there...!"
He didn't even think it looked pathetic. At least Esperanza had a weapon.
"Where's the gun I gave you?"
"That thing won't even fire!"
"That can't be."
Of course he didn't ntion that he had arbitrarily increased the firepower. He couldn't think at the ti that he'd obviously be caught later. Esperanza glanced at him, then looked at the monster bird in the sky.
The monster bird seed to have chosen the side with more prey between the young man who had run to the opposite side and the villagers huddled together. It was wise. Esperanza glanced at the man and passed by. The wind whooshed.
"......What's so fast?"
Esperanza, who had picked up the gun the man had abandoned and thrown it into her inventory without slowing down much, clicked her tongue seeing the previously orderly procession all scattered in groups of three to five, running away. They had almost reached the mansion—they should rather quickly enter the mansion.
'Isn't the fire bird easier to deal with than the rock giant? At least in terms of having long attack intervals.'
She put strength into her legs and increased speed. The booster under her feet made a whooshing sound and emitted even more vivid light. She took a running start, stepped on the head of a fleeing young man, leaped up and shot into the monster bird's mouth. At the lowest firepower setting.
Everything happened in an instant. With a piercing scream, the fire bird swallowed the fireball and burst into flas with a whoosh.
Esperanza, who landed softly on the ground, shot twice at the fire bird burning bright red as if a second sun had risen in the sky. Bang, bang. The briefly cut magic bullets split through the middle of the burning flas.
Esperanza, kneeling on one knee, finished with the last shot. The fire bird transford into thousands of small sparks and disappeared in the air. And down below, a heavy red bead fell. Esperanza extracted the bead embedded in the dirt and put it into her inventory.
[You have defeated the Fire Bird.]
[Item: Fire Bird's Heart acquired.]
The Fire Bird's Heart was easily mistaken for an item that helped with attack power due to its distinctive bright red flickering flas, but it was actually a luck item. It increased buff activation probability or critical hit probability to so degree. Though not particularly needed now, she habitually collected it.
"What are you all doing? Not going in!"
Esperanza shouted at the territory residents who were just standing there watching blankly. People who had been crowded against the mansion windows hurriedly opened the doors.
"Co in quickly. You've had a hard ti. Everyone get so rest."
It was a reunion after two hours. When Cordelia made eye contact with Esperanza, she smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, really."
Esperanza, who answered with a grimacing smile, asked back.
"Is there anything to eat?"
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Not bad at all. She admired the mansion's changed landscape in just a couple of hours. It was a quite well-made base camp that could only be seen from the Nine Holder people thirteen years later who were always prepared to survive in dungeons.
Perhaps because they were people who had lived in one territory, their individual tasks were well divided, and there were no creaking points—people walking around with weapons, people transporting goods, people cooking food all received appropriate work assignnts.
"There was little friction because we thought of it as work we did during festivals."
Cordelia said shyly.
"When conflicts arise, Lord Sterling diates. I check the important things, but there haven't been any so far. Oh, I'll bring you a al. Rest for a mont. With so many people, it won't be a good al though."
"As long as I can fill my stomach."
"That won't do! Wait just a little."
Cordelia, who was already busy, didn't need to bring food personally. Esperanza thought while sitting blankly in the reception room. Alastair, who had been sitting in a single chair groaning over papers on the chess table, stood up and greeted her.
"Miss Hunter, you've co. Did you bring the people from the lower village?"
"That's right."
"Then we've gained so manpower."
Alastair's eyes sparkled. Cordelia looked straight at him and said.
"Lord Sterling, the people who just ca had a hard ti getting here, so let them rest."
It was a stiffer, more commanding tone than before. Esperanza was surprised and observed Alastair's expression, but he actually seed to have no particular thoughts. Rather, he acquiesced as if familiar with it.
"Understood. Then in an hour, I'll assign them in order of those with sufficient stamina."
"Good."
Cordelia left the reception room without looking back. Just two hours. Or was it from before? There had definitely been so change in the relationship between the two.
"Lord Sterling, where is Lord Avondale?"
Alastair, who had been wrestling with what looked like a mansion floor plan from a distance, raised his head.
"Well, the thing is."
What?
"It would be better if you saw for yourself."
"Where is he?"
"He's in the laboratory."
"At a ti like this? Alone?"
He wouldn't be that uncooperative, would he? Though Cider was a difficult person to handle, he wasn't the type to hole up alone and enjoy his hobbies at a ti like this.
......He wouldn't be.
"It's not what you're thinking. So it would be better if you saw for yourself......"
What on earth is it that you're acting like this? Esperanza ca out as if pushed from behind.
The place where Esperanza found Cider was not the laboratory but the first-floor hall. With a person who was a count sitting on the carpet in front of the fireplace holding a hamr and driving nails, the people around him were at a loss, repeatedly sitting and standing.
"What on earth are you doing?"
"When did you co?"
At least look when soone cos. Esperanza clicked her tongue and knelt beside him.
"What are you doing?"
"It's nothing special. I thought it was a waste of manpower to guard in front of the fireplace one by one, so I made sothing simple. I borrowed so guns you don't use."
"That's fine, but......"
The gun placed next to the roughly stacked pile of firewood was junk that would be hard to convert to money. When did I even get that? Anyway, people should know how to throw things away, but she had an obsessive personality even with cyber objects.
Still, cyber objects only take up data, so it's better than taking up real estate. Esperanza, who consoled herself, examined the strange device Cider had made for a while.
With iron plates stuck all over it, it looked quite crude at first glance, and she couldn't tell what it was for.
"Being good at inventing and being good at design are completely different issues."
"I didn't ask."
"You asked with your eyes."
That was exactly what she was curious about.
"If this were my laboratory, it would be better than this, but there are no parts here and no ti."
"Ah, yes. So what is this?"
"If you place it like this."
Cider set up the device and placed the gun on top of it. Though it was junk.
"When a monster cos down inside the fireplace, it imdiately detects and shoots."
"Will this kill them?"
"At least there will be ti to block them. People might co after hearing the sound. I've installed the sa thing on several other fireplaces."
Then they could operate the already scarce manpower much more efficiently. It was quite wasteful to have people who needed to move around busily sit in front of fireplaces to guard chimneys.
"If you're done, do sothing with . Do you have a telescope?"
A telescope? Cider tilted his head.
"You should have one."
Ah. Esperanza quickly rummaged through her inventory. Sothing that looked quite complex for a telescope popped out.
"Is this it?"
A brass telescope stood on a tripod. It was adjusted to Cider's eye level, so Esperanza had to stand on tiptoe to see through the lens. Moreover, there were many strange instrunt panels... is this even operable?
"I'll operate it for you. But why?"
"I'm going to investigate the dungeon scale. Cordelia!"
Cordelia, who was bringing food, saw the two people who had stuck together again and frowned.
"Esperanza, why are you out here without resting? Surely Lord Avondale didn't make you work?"
"I'm going to make her work. Cordelia, do you have a territory map?"
Cordelia nodded blankly while holding the plate.
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