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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Strategy
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When Pandora heard Dion's plan, she thought.
That it was absolutely impossible.
The biggest reason was that conquering the Labyrinth in a single day was utterly ridiculous.
But there was another reason, just as significant.
It was the fact that they had to defend the monster ranch for an entire day.
*'There is no way the ranch, in its current state, can last a day.'*
Although Pandora had been confined to her prison until now, she had grasped the gravity of the ranch's situation.
The air, growing stickier with each passing day to the point she could feel it even in her cell, spoke to the concentration of magical contamination surrounding the ranch.
And strong magic always attracted more monsters.
With even a boss monster already drawn in and the ranch's forces effectively cut in half.
Adding a few dozen slave soldiers was like spitting on a bonfire.
It was painfully obvious that the ranch would fall in less than half a day, let alone a full one.
That was why she had prepared herself.
No, she had resigned herself.
And she waited.
For the moment she would finally have to step in.
*'Indeed, that was what I thought…'*
And that was why.
In this moment.
Pandora couldn't help but be astonished as she watched the battle unfolding around the monster ranch.
*'...What sort of magic could this be?'*
The Hara clan was still struggling, commanding their familiars.
They wove barricades from corpses and spiderwebs, and any monster that slipped through the gaps was dealt with by [Forest Spiders], [Large Forest Spiders], and [Queen Forest Spiders].
Their tactic of using only a single, unified species to maximize the familiars' coordination was certainly brilliant…
But that was all it was.
It wasn't enough to fend off the far more ferocious assault from the monsters.
The reason the ranch was defending against the monsters with such unexpected ease, however, was thanks to the slave soldiers mixed in among the familiars.
*Stab, slice, splat!*
"Squeak, my arm's getting tired... Need a replacement."
"Ribbit, no orders to rotate yet. Hold out a little longer."
They swung their swords.
They thrust their spears.
They fired their arrows.
Simple attacks, swift and clean as befitting combat-class Awakened, but by no means extraordinary.
And yet, the slave soldiers were dispatching monsters with incredible ease.
A single slave soldier was even killing several times more monsters than a 2-star familiar like the [Large Forest Spider].
In a way, it was to be expected.
The monsters were taking the slave soldiers' attacks defenselessly, as if the soldiers were invisible.
*'I knew a barrier had been cast beforehand, but...'*
As a member of the witch clan, born with magical talent, Pandora had some inkling of the reason.
The magic circles Dion had set up all over the ranch throughout the hunt.
She knew they were absorbing the grudges from countless monster corpses to create a sort of barrier.
And that its core effects were illusion and confusion.
Since the magical power that had annihilated five boss monsters was now fueling the barrier, it was only natural that it would confuse hundreds of monsters.
But even so, for it to be this effective was strange.
Especially since the familiars, who were also protected by the barrier, were fighting fiercely against the monsters.
*'...Could it be?'*
Pandora, who had been pondering the difference between the familiars and the slave soldiers, flinched.
She had finally realized.
The familiars were caked in contaminated magic from fighting all this time.
Unlike them, the slaves who had just joined the battle radiated almost no contaminated magic.
Like assassins moving silently amidst a cacophony of noise.
*'—He used the magical contamination against them?'*
Magical contamination.
A supremely dangerous and fatal poison to intelligent species.
But to monsters, contaminated magic was the source of all their power and life, a means to become even stronger.
It was common sense that monsters were sensitive to contaminated magic.
But Pandora now realized that "sensitive" also meant "susceptible."
Just as good eyes were weak to bright flashes.
And a good nose was weak to foul odors.
Excessively dense contaminated magic could, conversely, disrupt the monsters' senses.
*'Was this why he didn't deploy the slaves in battle until now?'*
The barrier centered on the ranch.
The slaves' extremely low level of contamination.
Seeing these two factors combine, allowing the slave soldiers to act like invisible men among the monsters, Pandora let out a groan.
She had been curious before.
Why Dion had participated in the hunt but hadn't actually done any hunting.
But what if it had all been for this moment, to protect the monster ranch for just one day?
*'Truly, how preposterous.'*
To think of using magical contamination in such a way.
It was a truly astonishing idea.
Of course, it was merely a stopgap measure.
As the battle continued.
Their own contamination would build up.
Once the slave soldiers started being targeted by the monsters, this comfortable situation would end, and the defense would be in jeopardy.
But at this rate, they would have no problem for at least half a day.
Moreover, it wasn't just Dion's preparations and the slave soldiers' efforts that impressed Pandora.
"First squad, rotate out. Take your purification water and get as much rest as you can."
"Third squad, you're too exposed. Fall back a little."
"Lea, assign five Forest Spiders to reinforcing the barricade."
"Chavera, the Queen Forest Spider must be at the forefront until the barricade is reinforced."
"Naru, the effect of your music is weakening."
The command post overlooked the entire monster ranch.
A dark elf with one foot on the railing fired arrow after arrow, each one a perfect shot.
No matter how far.
No matter how small or hidden the vital point.
Her skill at piercing them was remarkable, but what truly impressed Pandora was her command, swifter and sharper than any arrow.
The ranch was in utter chaos.
A fierce battle raged on all sides, so much so that even with three heads, one would struggle to survey the entire battlefield.
Yet Arsha continued to fire her bow while issuing orders to all fronts.
The ranch had yet to fall, thanks more to her precise command than to the slaves' struggles.
*'I see now why the Gongja took her as his concubine.'*
Arsha wasn't the only impressive one.
Orr Kai, who fought alone, unlike the other slave soldiers who moved in squads, yet was more active than anyone.
Naru, who played his lute until his hands blistered to confuse the monsters.
Every single person Dion had brought with him was playing a major role in maintaining the defensive line.
It reached the point where even Pandora began to judge the situation optimistically, thinking that holding out for a day might not be so difficult after all.
And so it was.
As the battle wore on for half a day.
When Arsha temporarily handed command over to Chavera and Lea to rest and replace her bowstring.
That was when Pandora spoke softly.
"This is somewhat unexpected."
"What do you mean?"
"I was under the impression that the elven folk were a race far removed from battle."
"You mean it's strange that I seem accustomed to this kind of situation."
"Frankly, yes."
"It's not strange at all. Being removed from battle doesn't mean we aren't caught up in conflict."
Arsha replied calmly.
The elves were a prime example of an inferior race—naturally weak, with few Awakened, and even fewer offspring.
On the other hand, their exceptional beauty and long lifespans made them frequent targets.
To survive in Odobaekryeong, the dark elf tribe had to fight and flee more fiercely than any other race.
She explained that for her, one of the few Awakened who always fought on the front lines, a battle of this scale was uncommon but not unfamiliar.
To the calmly speaking Arsha.
Pandora asked again.
"Is that why you became the Baekmyeongongja's concubine?"
"...For now, yes."
And that insinuation.
Arsha did not deny.
When Dion had declared her his concubine in front of Sirgal, she had been flustered but ultimately accepted it for the sake of the dark elf tribe.
Though she never imagined Dion would actually take her as one.
And so, to Pandora, who fell silent after hearing her answer, Arsha asked a question in return.
"My Lady, there is something I would like to ask you as well."
"What is it?"
"It is about the warning you gave us concerning the bandits, when you came to see my husband before."
"..."
"Is it true that Lord Nakrang was the one who spread the rumors about the Dragon's Lair to those bandits?"
A truly sudden.
And even rude, question.
Despite this, Pandora did not seem particularly perturbed.
She met Arsha's gaze calmly, as if she had expected it, and simply shook her head slightly.
"No."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I was the one who spread those rumors, not my father."
Perhaps because she never expected such an answer, Arsha stopped changing her bowstring, and only after a moment did she ask another quiet question.
"...Was it because the Gongja participated in the bridal contest despite having a fiancée?"
"Of course not."
"..."
"I say this in all sincerity, but I bear the Gongja no ill will whatsoever."
"Then why did you do it?"
From the beginning, Dion had shown Pandora nothing but goodwill, and had been considerate to her in many ways here as well.
Why had she unilaterally used and harmed Dion?
To Arsha's cold question.
Pandora replied softly.
"Because I had to."
"...I am asking for that reason."
"Do not ask."
"..."
"Whatever the reason, it does not change the fact that I plotted against the Gongja."
As Pandora fell silent after her calm words, Arsha felt a sense of unease.
If she had made some excuse, Arsha might have tried to understand.
But her calm demeanor, as if to say it was all her doing, to resent her if she wished, and that she would accept any punishment, made it harder to pass judgment.
*'...More dangerous, and more interesting, than I thought, he said.'*
And so, Arsha recalled.
When she had warned Dion that Pandora was a schemer and a hypocrite who should be watched carefully.
She recalled the assessment Dion had given.
She still couldn't guess what he had truly meant.
It was hard to understand the meaning behind her actions—secretly spreading rumors to lure bandits and endanger the Dragon's Lair, while at the same time visiting the Lair to warn them about those very bandits.
But there were two things.
Two things she had become certain of.
One, that Dion understood Pandora on a deeper level.
And the other was…
*'I can see that she is someone who trusts no one and expects nothing from anyone.'*
No one would believe her excuses anyway.
And even if they understood, they wouldn't forgive her.
So instead of making excuses, she simply accepted her sins.
What kind of life must the witch with three adoptive fathers have lived, for such a desolate and twisted way of life to become not just familiar, but natural?
Arsha didn't press further into the questions that had multiplied rather than been answered.
She simply picked up her restrung bow and resumed command.
And so, under Arsha's command, everyone at the monster ranch continued the defensive battle.
*KWAAANG!!!*
"Squeak!?"
"Ribbit? The barricade's been blown away!"
...Until a section of the barricade the Forest Spiders were reinforcing came crashing down.
Amidst the scattered bones and flesh of the corpses that formed the barricade.
A single massive shadow emerged from the gaping hole.
Seeing the scar-covered giant holding a huge axe in one hand, Lea couldn't help but gasp.
"Chubaba! You're alive?"
"What in the world are you doing...!"
"Everyone, fall back!"
The half-troll Chubaba.
Originally a participant in the hunt, a 3-star Awakened [Barbarian].
Surprise that he was still alive after abandoning the defense of the ranch and fleeing the boss monsters' assault.
And as the others reeled with anger and bewilderment at him for destroying their defensive line.
Arsha shouted urgently.
A cry unlike her, who had remained calm through every fierce battle until now.
It was because her superior vision as an [Archer], her judgment as a [Lord], and her knowledge as a [Civilian Officer] allowed her to grasp the situation in an instant.
"That thing has already been devoured by the Labyrinth!"
"…!"
The others were horrified.
Only after hearing Arsha's words did they realize.
Not only had the already massive Chubaba nearly doubled in size, but his body was covered in mushrooms and mold.
Above all, his drooling mouth and his eyes, filled with nothing but instinct and ferocity, told the story.
That Chubaba was no longer a half-troll, let alone an intelligent being.
"—A mutation?!"
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