The light flashed.
Shh.
Compared to the force with which Billford stomped his feet, shaking the ground, the sound of his sword being swung was insignificant. Yet the results were far from minor.
"Kurururuk!"
"Eww!"
With a single strike, Billford severed half of the monster's left arm, leaving it dangling.
As the monster scread in agony and rampaged, soldiers were dragged into the swamp. The net that bound the beast proved useless, snapping under the creature's imnse strength.
Knock knock.
At that mont, brisk footsteps echoed through the loud noise. Billford charged back at the rampaging monster.
He leapt from the ground, lightly kicked the tail of the swaying beast, stepped on its knees, then turned around and flew upward.
Billford's body, moving gracefully like a butterfly, rotated leisurely before landing safely on both feet.
With a splash.
Whack! Whack!
Billford landed in the swamp and stepped back as if he were stepping on water, despite the water reaching up to his calves.
The monster's attacks, swinging its arms madly and thrusting its snout, cut through the air with each step.
The beast swung its left arm, which was so injured it could no longer move, with its eyes rolled back, appearing to feel no pain. Its intelligence was clear, but its wildness was monstrous.
Kuung…!
Choaaaa… … .
The monster doggedly pursued Billford, even as blood gushed from its deep throat.
But eventually, the blood supply to its brain was cut off, and the beast soon fell headfirst into the swamp.
"… … ."
Billford furrowed his brows, glancing at his blade as he watched the monster's bright yellow eyes dim with death.
Despite being surrounded by mana, his teeth had fallen out, and his sword had broken. The monster's scales were harder than steel.
"How could such a monster…" Billford muttered, his face slightly pale.
Another characteristic of reptilian monsters is that they often lay eggs—quite a lot of them.
A top predator that can lay dozens of eggs at a ti could, given the right conditions, grow into the hundreds or even thousands in just a few years.
And above all, Billford, who had personally experienced the flood of Gnoll in Hilfin and the rebellion of the heretics in Palton Territory, could not dismiss these events as re threats from monsters.
He must report to Carl imdiately and inform the surrounding territories of the threat.
***
Soldiers, exhausted from the hot and humid weather, enjoyed a brief rest. However, the temperature was not that high, so it was quite cool if they removed their armor and stayed in the shade.
"Your Highness, aren't you feeling hot?"
"Are you trying to set an example?"
"Even if you set a better example here, I still can't follow."
The soldiers always admired Carl for his flawless appearance, seemingly not even human.
Even though Carl was strict with himself, he understood the hardships of his soldiers and took good care of them. It was impossible to dislike him.
Most of the commanders of noble birth thought that since they just rode around on horseback and talked, the soldiers should be comfortable too.
If they got off their horses and marched for even an hour, they would hear complaints about weak stamina and demands for increased training. It was frustrating.
However, Carl, as an archduke of the royal family, led by example, participated directly in battles, and never got distracted.
He considered not only the soldiers' als and weapons but even their toilets.
The soldiers admired Carl, who stood a little distance away, wearing full plate armor with his cloak fluttering, looking out over the wide grassland.
So what was the cool-looking Carl doing alone, even after defeating Harmon?
"Go down."
"Because I have to hide my appearance."
"Then don't show yourself."
"It's quite stuffy in the shadows."
"… ."
Carl was leaning out of the shadow between his back and his cloak, mumbling softly to the hanging Camilla to get down.
Camilla was sticking out of the shadows, only her arms and head visible, her arms wrapped around Carl's waist and her head pressed against his side, keeping him close to her.
After their conversation in Dabron, Camilla's attitude had beco more blatant.
It was always at tis like this when Carl couldn't shake off the gaze of others that Camilla would show up, hug, cling to him, and whisper in a small voice.
"How did things go?" Carl whispered, gently pushing Camilla's head away from him as she looked up at him.
Camilla no longer clung to Carl and went into the shadows.
When Carl clearly showed his intention to refuse, Camilla behaved quietly without throwing a tantrum.
Camilla wanted to be more intimate with Carl. And Carl definitely had feelings too.
But if Camilla crossed the line allowed for her, Carl would truly see her as a tool to solidify their relationship.
The best Camilla could do was keep as close a distance as possible within the bounds of this line.
"I have confird that a secret agreent has been made between Gasto and the Balturan people."
Camilla whispered quietly and businesslike in the shadows, just as Carl had wanted.
"There is no evidence, but we were able to find out so details of the promises made."
Carl had originally intended to publicly engage or marry Elke Gasto.
However, now that it had beco difficult to accurately determine Adrian's intentions, Gastora had decided to use the card as a hidden joker rather than revealing it.
So, Carl abandoned the idea of publicly proposing to Elke Gasto.
What Carl aid for now was to make an offer that Gasto, who was already making solid preparations for independence, could not refuse and bring him to the negotiating table.
To do that, Carl needed to secure Gasto's fatal weakness—a weakness that made Marquis Kazian Gasto, who received Carl's secret letter, tremble in fear and be dragged out like a dog on a leash.
"Although the language is sowhat vague, there is a promise that could be judged as a conspiracy to rebel."
Camilla reached out from the shadows and slipped a note into the small pouch at Carl's waist.
Plot a rebellion.
A lord, and especially a marquis, can enjoy power almost like a king within his own domain. Even Emperor Azgoth could not afford to ss with Kazian Gasto within the Marquisate of Gasto.
However, if Carl could prove that Gasto had committed treason based on the words written on this small note, Azgoth would have no choice but to destroy Gasto for the sake of the Empire's authority, which had been damaged by the recent rebellion in Palton.
From Azgoth's point of view, he would want to avoid a civil war with Gasto in the current situation. He would want to resolve it as best as possible without it showing on the outside.
But what if Carl made this public?
Then both Azgoth and Kazian Gasto would have to engage in a fight from which they could not back down.
Of course, when that ti ca, Carl would take the lead. If they began their investigation using Imperial Intelligence, knowing the specific details of the agreent, they would be able to find plenty of evidence.
Kazian could not refuse Carl's offer of negotiation.
"Well done."
Carl never neglected to praise his subordinates for their accomplishnts.
There were many ways to control people besides material things, and praise was one of the most cost-effective.
But Carl found it difficult to decide whether to complint Camilla, who was so blatantly seducing him, so he ended up talking for a while.
"If you feel uncomfortable saying it in words, you can also praise in other ways…."
"Did you deliver the letter?"
Carl asked, pushing away Camilla's hand that was gently stroking his own. Camilla tapped the back of Carl's hand with her fingertips as if feeling regretful, then took her hand away.
"I conveyed it clearly and checked the response."
Carl nodded at Camilla's words.
They had a way to get Kazian Gasto on board, but they still needed to figure out how to et him.
Officially, Kazian had the important task of guarding the northern part of the empire while keeping the Balturan people in check.
He couldn't leave Gasto.
So, Carl, who had neither land nor building, had no choice but to go.
It wasn't a bad idea to communicate through letters either. With a bloody ring finger and, above all, Camilla, he didn't have to worry about soone else intercepting his correspondence.
But it was better to discuss important matters face to face. Carl had known the reason for this for a long ti.
Sothing that Lucas desperately needed when he beca Carl.
There is one more person in this world who needs the Frost Wind Corpse Flower.
He suffers from the sa illness as Carl, but his condition is not so severe, so he can continue to move as long as he drinks the potion.
But the potion isn't an endless spring that gushes out from a mountain, and you can't live by drinking expensive potions until you die, right?
There is a risk that the condition may beco serious and death may occur.
Anyway, when winter cos, there is a lot of snow, so the activities of the Laurel Unit are temporarily suspended.
At that ti, he heads to Balturan to obtain the Frostwind Corpse Flower, using Curtis Levin, a man suffering from the sa disease as Carl, as an excuse.
In order to get to Balturan, he must pass through Gasto, and the Imperial Grand Duke Karl cannot just go to Balturan without greeting Marquis Gasto Kazian.
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