Chapter 76
It seemed the monsters had been driven deep into the mountains for a long time and were under a lot of stress.
Flora looked down from high above on Janet’s back and saw a horde of monsters moving in a chaotic mass.
Near the newly built fortress walls, some of the monsters, excited by the magic Janet had spread, were even ramming their massive bodies against the walls.
“Ah, that’s the wall we just built!”
Flora instinctively shouted as she recalled Benio’s proud smile when he said that, since the walls had been reinforced, no monster would be able to climb over them.
“Should we stop them?”
“Hmm…”
Flora watched the area near the walls for a moment, then shook her head.
“No. This is better than having people get hurt.”
The walls were indeed strong; they were holding up quite well. And if they did collapse this time, they could spend more money to make them even sturdier.
Lucifer would live without worrying about money in the future, so if the wall fell, rebuilding it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“But the monsters are still obeying Janet, right?”
Monsters were originally mindless beings, creatures like beasts driven only by an instinct to destroy anything, whether person or object.
However, when faced with pure magic from an archdemon like Mors or her subordinates, even monsters that usually had no sense of fear would hesitate and obey.
Yet, recently, some of the monsters hadn’t shown that behavior.
Flora wondered whether it was because her magic wasn’t strong enough, or if the monsters themselves had changed over time and were no longer affected. Janet, in her hawk form, nodded in response.
“Yes. Since our lord disappeared, impurities have mixed into the magic, causing changes in some monsters. Some still react to demonic magic, while others recklessly charge without fear.”
“I see.”
“Intelligent and strong monsters tend to show this behavior more often. But most monsters in the north are still influenced by my magic.”
Relieved that people wouldn’t be harmed, Flora nodded slightly with a faint smile.
“Yup, Janet’s the best.”
“You may praise me as many times as you like. Don’t hold back.”
Flora chuckled softly at how delighted the fearsome northern demon Janet seemed at the compliment. Then she leaned down, hugged Janet tightly around the neck, and whispered softly behind her head.
“Let’s finish this safely and return to Lord Nora.”
“You promised,” Janet confirmed earnestly, emphasizing each word. Flora nodded firmly.
The effect was remarkable.
“I sense a different kind of energy down below, unlike that of humans in the north. Hold on tight.”
From the distant edge of the northern forest, at one of the rugged paths leading to another territory, Janet felt movement and began descending.
The wind was fierce enough to flush her cheeks red.
‘Ugh, it’s cold.’
The thrill, which she rarely got to enjoy, made her heart race with excitement—but a nagging worry told her she might catch a cold by morning.
‘No, I’ll endure it with resolve.’
Though her body was small, Flora had inherited Lucifer’s blood. She could handle this easily, and there was no need to worry about tomorrow.
“There it is.”
Snapped out of her thoughts, Flora realized Janet was already close to the destination.
“Damn it! What are these monsters?! No matter how many I kill, they never end!”
“The second one’s already dead! Don’t worry about saving them—make sure you survive first!”
The scene that came into view as they got closer was shocking for a child. Three suspicious figures were surrounded by monsters that looked like werewolves.
Dressed entirely in black, it was obvious they were assassins. Their exposed skin, visible through torn clothing, was slightly darker than that of northern people.
‘Kind of burnt, maybe.’
Moonlight allowed a rough observation: their skin was darker than the pale northern complexion.
One of them lay on the ground—probably the second one that had already been mentioned.
“Janet, can you stop the monsters for a moment?”
As soon as Flora asked, Janet’s magic began spreading in the area.
The monsters, baring their teeth as if ready to devour, suddenly hesitated under the oppressive force of her magic.
With the monsters distracted, the assassins didn’t hesitate—they chose to flee.
“Why did you listen to the marquis and delay the assassination, causing this mess?”
‘Marquis?’
“They said someone might see us out with the count! We had to buy time to avoid suspicion, so we couldn’t help it!”
‘Count?’
Even while running at full speed, they shouted such things—it was impressive in its own way.
“Janet, follow them quietly.”
If the marquis and the count they mentioned were from the north, Flora couldn’t ignore their conversation.
“If we’d killed the count as soon as they entered the forest, this wouldn’t have happened!”
“You said you wanted to watch the count escape first, so we let him go on purpose!”
“So now it’s my fault?”
“Well, is it really my fault? We didn’t even finish them off—we left them for the monsters!”
“In any case, they’d have been torn apart by the monsters, so the mission is fine, so why are you complaining!”
The two assassins argued, blaming each other after the second one died, leaving the remaining two in a heated dispute.
“It’s the dead second guy’s fault! He might’ve helped our lord’s new business. He pretended to spare them and stole the idea!”
“Now that you mention it! That guy put us in this mess and died comfortably by himself?”
Perhaps due to the fear of death, the two assassins shifted blame entirely.
‘It would’ve been better if they used this energy to run faster instead of shouting.’
Regardless, the foolish only hasten their own end.
Thanks to them, Flora could roughly understand the situation.
“So someone from another region sent assassins to Lucifer, and through the marquis, they tried to kill the count?”
Judging by the business discussion, the “master” was likely someone from Duke Desimo’s faction—it was obvious without a doubt.
“I’m sorry, my lord. I tried to suppress their life force by spreading strong magic so they wouldn’t kill anyone, but…”
Flora reassured the dejected Janet by gently stroking her head.
“It’s okay. Mistakes happen.”
“But…”
“And come to think of it, they aren’t from our territory.”
These intruders had malicious intent and had sneaked in—there was no need to save them.
“They’re probably the reason I got angry in the first place, huh?”
“Shall we handle them?”
Flora nodded without hesitation at Janet’s eerie question.
“I won’t act directly. It could be dangerous if they see a demon.”
Even if they were careful, someone could be watching.
“Of course. You don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
Soon, Janet’s dark gray magic swirled around her.
When she retracted the magic meant to suppress the monsters’ killing intent, their eyes glinted with malice once again.
“Raaaargh!”
The monsters aggressively chased the assassins, trying not to lose their prey.
Encouraged rather than restrained, they lost all reason.
“Ahhh!”
“Damn it, third one!”
“Spare me! Ahhh!”
Horrible screams echoed through the forest. As the assassins had deliberately come to a secluded place, no one could help them.
After the third one died and the last remaining assassin was devoured by monsters, Flora tapped Janet on the back.
“Looks like the count’s somewhere in this forest. Let’s go check.”
If the count had been abandoned to the monsters before them, it was time to worry about Count Vitora’s safety.
‘At least it wasn’t a chase. My judgment wasn’t bad.’
Though she felt sorry for Count Vitora, a kidnapping was preferable to betrayal.
‘I should even consider a hazard allowance for someone abducted while working hard.’
Flora noticed a monster similar to the one they had just seen.
“Janet, hurry!”
The closer they got, the more they could hear the sound of whimpering under the massive monster.
“We have to go! The count’s in danger!”
Convinced by the terrified voice, Janet hastened her movement.
Thinking that an important talent for their business might be in danger made Flora impatient.
But when she arrived, what she saw was completely unexpected.
