The Mint Choco Boom Arrives! (1)
How I'd figured out that the [Wolf Boy] wasn't Regiph was beside the point. What had become clear from the way she was talking was something else entirely.
"So, does that mean the Ludbekia Marchioness will devote all her efforts to subduing the [Wolf Boy]?"
"Of course. But only after we've secured enough mana stones for our family's 'partner' to reap sufficient profits."
The Marchioness's hand reached toward Yurha Silverstar.
"I can control the risks. I'm an S-rank grand mage, after all. And with the [White Sword Saint] here too, we can handle any threats that arise."
She spoke optimistically, but the Marchioness's expression was deadly serious.
"Interns, Illusion Squad? It's a dangerous situation, but this is your chance to witness the realities of monster hunting and 'on-site operations.'"
She was trying to deliver a cold, realistic assessment. But I could clearly sense the glances being exchanged between the Ludbekia Marchioness, Yurha, and Instructor Esta.
"...However, this case will be a bit different from the norm. Let's ask [Gale]. In typical monster outbreaks like this, how long do they usually leave the 'boss monster' alone to allow mana stone farming?"
"On average, three days. The longest recorded was a full month."
"That long?"
Evangeline di Ershi made a sour face in surprise. With monsters swarming beyond the walls, looking ready to scale them and attack at any moment, it was no wonder she was worried about leaving them unchecked for up to a month.
"Yes. The longest was a month—the [Blood Queen Ant] subjugation. Hunters kept culling the endless waves of [Blood Ants] until the boss gave up on breeding and charged into the traps they'd set."
"There were some casualties, but the profits from that... probably equaled the Ershi Empire's annual budget, Your Highness."
"......."
Caught between ideals and reality, Evangeline began to agonize.
Ideally, eliminating the boss monster was the right call. But leaving it for a month to let the monsters multiply could secure a nation's yearly budget. Monsters—and their cores—were money. Delaying subjugation for a set period was standard practice everywhere.
"Still... isn't that super dangerous? Like, back then, ten years ago..."
"That's why we're striking early."
The Marchioness shrugged helplessly.
"Even earlier than planned. Other places might gossip about 'why rush the boss like this,' but I can smooth that over. Excuse it by saying I couldn't stand watching monsters rampage in my territory, where my family died."
If anyone criticized her for prioritizing profits, she'd throw a hysterical fit to shut them up.
"Sorry about this, Miss Yurha. We had a contract to hand over the cores from monsters farmed here to you."
"There are times to stick strictly to the contract, and times to bend it nicely to fit everyone's situations."
Considering she was from Silverstar, that was just lip service. But I could tell her true feelings from the way her fingers fidgeted behind her back.
Yurha probably—
"By the authority of the Ludbekia Marchioness, I declare the hunting grounds under control..."
"We'll lift it in three hours."
"...Pardon?"
She was shortening the farming window as much as possible during the outbreak.
"What...? Not three days...?"
The time was so short that even the Marchioness fell silent, and Instructor Esta flinched in shock, staring at Yurha.
"What's your angle, Yurha Silverstar?"
"Oh my. Rydmila junior. Isn't this what you and the others wanted?"
"That's why I'm asking—it's not like the usual Silverstar."
"Hmm, how tragic. Even when I make a choice for the greater good, my image makes everyone look at me with such suspicion. Should I cry?"
Yurha made a pouty face and chuckled softly.
"Um, Phoenix? Mind if I ask you something?"
"Why did Yurha Silverstar shorten the mana stone farming to three hours? Right?"
"...A bit more specifically?"
"Even though she could set the control period however she wanted with the Marchioness's approval, why not drag it out to maximize mana stone yields and instead lift it in three hours, letting general hunters attempt the 'boss subjugation'?"
It was a nuanced point in hunter regulations, but legally established.
Yurha owned the land; the Marchioness managed it. The noble stamped final approval on hunting ground controls, but Yurha proposed the terms first.
"Is that what you wanted to ask me, Yurha Silverstar?"
"Heh, hehehe... Then do you know the real reason for that choice?"
"Just a guess."
I gestured to the Old School Building crew.
"She judged that the future value of a 'moral choice' outweighs the immediate economic gains from farming mana stones. Right?"
"......."
Simply put: to look good to us.
"Image management. Heh. When it's this obvious, it loses some punch..."
Yurha raised her hands lightly.
"But if we cut off three days of farming after just three hours, it'll prove it through results, won't it? That I made the choice you all might hope for."
"Kuh..."
Rydmila Lionheart let out a low groan.
She'd come here with Yurha's help, but if it had been another Silverstar, she might've had to grab their collar or beg on her knees. Both she and Unia were idealists who prioritized killing the boss over farming.
Evangeline leaned idealistic too, but Ershi's fiscal health forced her toward realism.
"Do you dislike it, by any chance? Phoenix?"
Yurha stepped toward me.
"If you want, we can farm for three full days. Or extend it further if it's still stable after."
"......."
"Shall we trust your junior once? See what you choose."
As if she'd follow whatever I said, Yurha smiled and urged me on.
"What should we do?"
"The answer's simple."
I held up three fingers toward Yurha.
"Three hours is fine—like three days."
"...Huh?"
"Why wait three days watching the numbers climb? Farm for three hours, but make three days—no, thirty days' worth of monsters pour out in that time."
"......."
Yurha arched one eyebrow. The others shot me meaningful looks, as if I'd spouted nonsense.
"Um, Phoenix cadet?"
The Marchioness, who'd only spoken to me once before, approached with a worried face.
"I'm saying this like a son, and it might sound like nagging, but talk like that—"
"There's a way."
I pointed beyond the walls.
"A way to drive the monsters into a frenzy. A way to force the boss to squeeze out its mana and spawn them three—or thirty—times faster."
"...What about the cores?"
Yurha asked seriously, staring at me. True to her similarity to me, she skipped feasibility for results and profits.
"Each one will have at least minimal mana."
"How minimal?"
"D-rank at least. If the boss is S-rank instead of A... maybe C-rank?"
"...How?"
"I'd love to show you, but the moment I do, those monsters will go berserk."
I pointed to the top of the wall.
"Trust me and go full defense mode for three hours?"
Defense mode. A game term, but common in the hunter world.
"You mean fending off endless waves without rest?"
"Exactly, Miss Unia. Defense mode usually starts with walls like these, holding the line against monsters while an allied strike team takes out the boss mass-producing them."
"...Show me that method, then."
The Marchioness aimed her staff beyond the walls.
"Even if it drives the monsters mad, I'll handle it myself."
"You trust me?"
"Yes, I do."
The Marchioness nodded kindly at me, and I thrust one hand forward toward the other side.
"Need backup?"
Unia approached from behind. She positioned herself to support me if needed, so I nodded.
She hugged me from behind. As I gathered mana, she startled but pressed her chest against my back, holding tight.
Backup. Mana-wise, unnecessary. But her support calmed my mind, letting me release freely.
"I'm about to release a mana scent that will drive those wolves mad with desire."
Mana release. Unlike usual, infused with clear attributes.
"Wind, arise!"
⟨ Mana Bread Creation ⟩
What emerged was that. It. Mint choco ho-bbang.
"......?!"
"What... is that smell...?"
"Smell? Evangeline, this is a wonderful aroma—"
Reactions varied, but the mana scent quickly wafted beyond the walls.
"Here they come."
Three. Two. One—
Kieeeek!!
The monsters, catching the mint choco scent, screeched and charged the walls.