As soon as she tossed aside the small cake in her hand, Cecilia Ross rushed over and grabbed Selim Nutrisk by the arm, glaring fiercely at Zevin and Kaya across from them.
A hint of surprise flickered in Selim’s eyes, but it was soon replaced by calm.
She was about to open her mouth to refuse when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Cecilia’s tense profile. In that instant, a brilliant idea suddenly struck her.
“Sorry, General Zevin, I must decline.”
Upon hearing Selim’s words, Zevin’s face was full of disappointment, but unwillingness lingered. He tried to persuade her, “Why be so hasty with your refusal? Think it over once more—if you two marry, I can recommend you for study at the Capital’s academy.”
“Sister Selim would never marry him just for that, right, right?” Cecilia, seeing the other party refusing to give up, immediately decided for Selim.
Zevin chose to ignore Cecilia’s words, his gaze fixed on Selim.
“Forgive me, I simply can’t.”
“Yay!” Cecilia, unable to contain herself, cheered when she heard Selim refuse again.
“Because I already have an unmarried fiancé.”
“Yes, unmarried fiancé!” Cecilia, still not registering what Selim had said, repeated after her. In the next second, realizing what this meant, she let go of Selim’s arm.
Unmarried fiancé?
Unmarried fiancé!
Those three words hit Cecilia like a tidal wave, echoing endlessly in her mind, leaving her frozen in place, her consciousness momentarily short-circuited.
Seeing Cecilia’s vacant stare, Selim knew her little scheme had worked.
She had always intended to tell Cecilia about this before leaving this world, hoping Cecilia would grow to hate this so-called unmarried fiancé. She had considered many ways to reveal the news. At this moment, using the opportunity was simply heaven-sent.
Ignoring the dazed Cecilia beside her, Selim turned to Zevin and continued, “Is that reason sufficient?”
“I… Sigh, never mind.” Seeing this, Zevin could say no more. He could only raise his wine cup and take a hefty swig.
Setting down the cup, he pulled out the Oculi Frog Magic Core that Selim had tossed to him, feeling the undeniable energy from it, and a trace of relief flickered in his eyes.
“This magic core will keep the protective barrier powered for ten days. I can also redeploy the magicians assigned to the barrier to join the fight. Our chances of rescue have greatly increased.”
“I also recall the promise I made to you on the battlefield. In a bit, you can follow my hopeless son to the Family Treasury and pick out a few items you like to take with you.”
He touched his severed arm and continued, “Give me a few days to rest. If that One-eyed Frog Monster comes here, with the help of the barrier, I’ll find a way to take it down with me.”
“When that time comes, I’ll be counting on the two of you for help. Come, let me toast to you both.”
Watching Zevin, who raised his wine cup with his single arm, Selim didn’t raise her cup to return the gesture.
After taking another sip of tea, she said, “General, do you not believe my sister defeated that One-eyed Frog Monster?”
“I don’t believe it.” He shook his head and continued, “That was a rare monster capable of soul attacks.”
“Even if it was heavily wounded, if the two of you encountered it, it would mean certain death.” He placed the magic core on the table and continued, “Still, the magic core is genuine. For our current situation, that’s good enough.”
Selim said nothing. She simply summoned a Soul Tentacle and gently picked up the magic core from the table.
“This is the magic core of that One-eyed Frog. It’s truly dead.”
The sudden appearance of the tentacle startled Zevin—he almost acted on reflex—but when he saw it was Selim’s doing, he calmed down.
After a few seconds of silence, he raised his wine cup again.
“May I ask, what is your name, miss?”
“You may call me Selim.”
After draining the wine in his cup, he continued, “I understand now, Miss Selim. I will remember the debt of saving my life. I’ll write you a Recommendation Letter to the Magic Academy of the Imperial Capital—no strings attached.”
“There’s no need for such formality, General. What I want to know now is, when will the reinforcements arrive?”
“Are you doubting Father?” Kaya, who had been silent, spoke for the first time, only to have his father smack him on the head.
Afterward, Zevin shook his head, helplessly saying, “Sorry you had to see that. As expected, nothing escapes you.”
“Apologies, but I can’t give you a definite time for when the reinforcements will arrive.”
“When we first encountered these abnormal monsters, I already sent for help. If everything goes smoothly, they should arrive in about fifteen days.”
“Fifteen days?” Selim shook her head. “That’s too long. If this drags on, even more terrifying monsters might appear.”
“What do you mean by that?” Zevin’s face grew somber at Selim’s words.
“I caught a glimpse of that monster’s memories.”
“In the depths of the forest, there is a Bone Altar with a mysterious phalange upon it. I believe the monsters’ appearance is closely tied to that.”
After Selim finished, she waited for that background female voice to announce the end of the Trial, but instead, a different message popped up.
『Mission status updated……』
『Current Mission: Resolve the source of the Monster Outbreak.』
Looking at this latest development, Selim nearly cursed aloud—it was as if “just go die” was written on her forehead.
Still, she had no intention of sitting idly by. First, she had to use any resources at hand to secure the final victory.
Zevin understood Selim’s point and stroked his chin. “So, as long as we destroy that altar, we can end this monster crisis?”
“With the forces we have now…”
“No, that won’t work…”
“No, that’s not it either…”
Watching Zevin talk to himself and get tangled up in his own thoughts, Selim spoke up, “We only have two options now: either hold our position and wait for possible rescue, or take the initiative and solve the problem ourselves.”
“But you should realize, if another Moonlight Level monster appears, a hundred years from now people will only remember the Lycaon Family as the origin of the Monster Tide.”
“In truth, we don’t have a choice, do we?”
Zevin fell silent for a few seconds, then stood up and addressed Selim, “I understand. Give me two days to recover. I’ll go alone and attempt to resolve this problem.”
Then he turned to Kaya and said, “If I don’t return by the third day, everything must follow Miss Selim’s instructions. Understand?”
“Father!” Hearing this, Kaya lost his usual icy demeanor, his voice trembling.
“My mind is made up. Kaya, you must be prepared to shoulder the Lycaon Family’s future.”
“Ahem! Ahem!” Just as the two were having their father-son moment, Selim interrupted with a couple of light coughs.
“Why not hear my suggestion first?”
Father and son both turned their gazes to Selim.
“General, you lead the troops and draw the monsters’ attention on the front lines. As for destroying the altar, leave it to us sisters. How about it?”
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