Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: 8. The Understanding One
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A week had passed.
New demon species emerged in the northern snowfields every single day.
From the land soaked in cold, hunger, and despair like festering residue, twisted abominations crawled out endlessly.
Ella's sword sliced through the air. The head of a small demon species tumbled to the ground where her trajectory struck.
"That's five already. They're getting faster."
Broker's wooden doll perched on a tree branch, watching.
I sat on a nearby rock, observing Ella's movements.
Her actions had grown incomparably sharper compared to a week ago.
'She's mastered the bare minimum basics. Sticking to fundamentals any longer would be pointless.'
She needed the right mix of real combat. That's the only way to truly grasp why the basics matter.
Ella steadied her breath and swung her sword.
This time, a bigger one.
An ice demon with four arms, crawling out from under the snow.
"Grraaah!"
The demon roared and charged. Ella shifted her stance slightly to center herself.
'Upper right, aim for the chest. Deflect and slash this time.'
My prediction was spot on. The demon swung its two right arms simultaneously.
Ella ducked low, deflecting the attack with her sword, then precisely stabbed the arm joints.
"Krek!"
The demon screamed and staggered back.
In that instant, Ella was already prepped for the next move.
Step forward, pivot on the right foot, downward slash.
Thud!
The demon's head rolled across the snow.
"Hoo..."
Ella lowered her sword and caught her breath. Her face was drenched in sweat.
"Good, but the finisher was a bit slow. If it were me, I'd have severed the neck the moment I deflected the first strike. You were too cautious."
Ella nodded. A sign she understood.
Since the fight with Leonidas, Ella's attitude had shifted.
Unlike before, when she just showed outright rejection, now she took the initiative to learn.
'No idea what changed in her mindset, but it's a good attitude.'
Our food supplies ran out. Life in the northern snowfields consumed resources faster than expected.
We stopped by a small nearby village.
A settlement called Frostholm, by a frozen lake.
The village was livelier than I'd thought. Despite the demon threats, people were struggling to survive.
"A sack of flour, salt, dried meat... and what's this?"
Ella pointed to a strange root on the shop shelf.
"Ice root. Grows only up north. Boil it in hot water, and it warms you right up."
The shopkeeper explained kindly.
"Whoa, ice root. Haven't seen one in ages."
"You know about ice root?"
"Haha. I used to hunt up north myself back in the day."
"Looks like fate brought us together."
I shook the shopkeeper's hand and laughed heartily. Sociability has its perks.
No reason to act distant or unfriendly.
'Friends are always better in numbers.'
"But why the mask, sir?"
I was wearing a mask at the moment.
Ostensibly to cover burns.
In truth, just to keep Ceres from spotting me right away.
I removed the mask and showed the shopkeeper.
Beneath it, burns covered half my face.
Not a pretty sight, no matter how you looked at it.
"...Oof."
"From a fire at the mansion. It collapsed out of nowhere."
"That's rough."
"Eh, it's fine now. Doesn't even hurt."
"..."
Ella stared at me blankly. Her face screamed, Don't lie.
I lightly pressed her head down, then got to the point.
"Do other hunters come through here?"
"Some do. Empire bounties draw 'em in. Good for us—demons everywhere make it dangerous."
We chatted more while buying other goods.
I learned a few things.
Several hunters had passed through.
Including one woman and a girl.
'Arbelia and Ceres. Rare combo, two women traveling together.'
I'd worried they might've gone too far.
This worked out better.
If they're close, we could reunite quickly.
The next day, we changed hunting spots.
A glacier zone east of Frostholm, half a day's walk away.
Bigger demons lurked here. Perfect for Ella's training.
"Handle this one solo. I'll watch."
"Got it."
Ella nodded and stepped forward.
A beast-like demon emerged from the glacier cave entrance.
The fight began.
Ella applied everything from the past week: footwork, sword angles, predicting enemy moves.
She absorbed it all like a sponge and put it to effective use in combat.
Worth raising her.
'Feels like playing a nurturing game.'
While watching her, I scanned the surroundings.
Not for danger. For people.
"Keep an eye on her."
"Sure, sure."
I left Ella and Broker behind, heading to a spot a bit farther off.
This place should let me spot Arbelia and Ceres.
That's when it happened.
Sounds overlapped from afar.
Metal clashing. A fight.
'Mana fluctuations.'
I turned toward the noise and enhanced my vision with mana.
Far off, two figures together. One small, one large.
I poured more mana into my eyes. Shadows sharpened.
'Women. Nailed it.'
Women. Both. Had to be the ones the shopkeeper mentioned.
I returned to Ella.
My plan was simple.
Gradually shift Ella's hunting spots to make her cross paths with Ceres.
But one key issue.
'Arbelia will recognize me on sight. Gotta separate her from Ceres first.'
Arbelia was mentally mature.
Put bluntly, too sharp.
Couldn't fool her with amateur tricks like this.
'Ceres, though—she's still naive. Easy to fool.'
Before letting the girls meet, I pondered how to isolate Arbelia.
Decision: Pull back for now.
"Hey. We bail from here."
"Found 'em?"
"Yeah. Get closer, and if Arbelia spots us, we're both screwed."
Broker's voice distorted slightly. Annoyed, probably.
"Fuck. Why bother coming if it's this risky?"
"Harder challenges are more rewarding. Anyway, we need Ceres and Ella to meet naturally."
Broker scratched his head vigorously.
For the record, the wooden doll had no hair.
Possible because our senses synced.
"Means luring a high demon here. But is there one that can hold the Sword Saint?"
None.
Even if there were, they'd be dead or holed up north.
"That's why we prep now."
Make Ceres and Ella get along.
I devised a plan for that.
'Need a crisis first. Comradeship starts from shared goals.'
Crisis.
One putting both Ceres and Ella in danger at once.
For that, ditch the munchkin solutions.
In other words, remove the guardians.
'Get Arbelia away? Even separating her is tricky.'
Call it isolation, roughly.
Barriers could handle isolation easy.
'But leave a barrier alone, and Arbelia smashes it.'
Needed an opponent to challenge her.
At least an hour. Stall her that long.
'Harsh conditions. Even Ludwig couldn't face her head-on.'
I turned to Broker.
"Use your dolls for an artificial monster wave?"
"Hm, safest option. Can't handle the Sword Saint myself. She's out of spec."
"What if I take Arbelia?"
"Then doable. Takes about two weeks? Gotta gather dolls secretly."
Two weeks.
Long if long, short if short.
Issue was my saintess assassination next.
Give her time, she'd be fully prepped.
'She's probably divined it by now. An old friend coming to visit.'
I shook my head after mulling.
'Prioritize getting Ceres and Ella together. Overwhelmingly.'
Like idol fandom vibes.
Seeing my top pick collab with second fave.
'Not that Ceres or Ella are top or second, specifically.'
For the record, I had no favorites.
Play within a play.
Immersing in the central figure didn't mean liking them.