Chapter 5

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(Now that I think about it... Bitch came back unusually early. Usually, the young lady doesn't come back from the student council until late... Has it only been a year since she became a noble? Does she not need to do any extracurricular activities?)

Zeo thought about such things while flying over the mountain on the grounds of the Haibel Duke's mansion. A mountain path that would take hours on foot could be crossed in less than a minute by Zeo, whose flight ability had been greatly enhanced by the "Flight Enhancement" skill.

(The young lady mentioned that there's a mechanism to prevent monsters from appearing until you cross the mountain. I can't level up unless I get to that point.)

Previously, when Zeo was looking at the mountain from the window, he wondered if the mansion, which was adjacent to the forest, would be attacked by monsters. Charlotte had taught him this with desperate gestures pointing at the mountain. Apparently, in this world, there are magical items called "Monster Repellents" that are essential for nobles who have forests and mountains prone to monster appearances in their territories.

"The effect reaches up to that mountain, but it's dangerous beyond that, so you mustn't go there... ...Oh? Now that I think about it, how did Zeo manage to get to the mansion despite the Monster Repellent?"

In fact, the Monster Repellent works by exploiting the superior instinctive intuition of wild animals, which is far better than that of humans, to give them the false impression that it's dangerous beyond this point. However, Zeo, who still retains a strong consciousness of being a high school boy from peaceful Japan, has human-level instincts, making the Monster Repellent ineffective on him.

(Well, I'll ignore the young lady's warning, but I can't level up without fighting and gaining experience. It's quite unreasonable to use monsters' bodies for political and commercial revenge.)

It's not surprising that he can't speak a language even if he understands it. Anyway, to gain the strength to protect Charlotte, Zeo visited the forest beyond the mountain. From the sight of a stream along the way, it seemed to be the forest between the mountain he originally lived on and this one. Using the "Invisibility" skill, he began his exploration and, fortunately, discovered a perfect target: a group of monsters.

Species: Gray Wolf

Lv: 9

HP: 32/32

MP: 21/21

Attack: 13

Defense: 10

Magic: 12

Agility: 56

Skills:

"Rallying Roar: Lv1," "Enhanced Sense of Smell: Lv8," "Enhanced Claw Attack: Lv4," "Enhanced Leg Strength: Lv4"

Titles:

"Pack Leader," "Bloodthirsty Wolf"

These are wolf-type monsters with gray fur and two tails. Among them, the largest one is likely the pack leader. As indicated by its title, it has a "Rallying Roar" skill that boosts the attack power of the entire pack, a skill befitting a leader. There are about ten in total, and the rest have low stats and skill levels, so they are not a threat beyond their numbers.

"Growl!! Aaaaaaahh!"

The Gray Wolves turned to face Zeo, who was invisible, and the leader used MP to boost the pack's attack power. Even with an invisibility skill, it's meaningless against the high-level "Enhanced Sense of Smell." The other wolves, being wolves, have a similar level of "Enhanced Sense of Smell."

"Roaaar!!"

Don't look! Zeo opened his mouth wide and breathed out a "Cold Breath" that froze the approaching Gray Wolves, dealing damage and hindering their movement.

(Die, you bastards!)

"Yaaaahh!?"

Surprised by the counterattack, the leading Gray Wolf stopped, and Zeo punched it in the face twice, then spat out a straight line of lightning from his mouth, electrocuting another one to death.

"Growl! Growl!"

(What! This guy!?)

Taking advantage of the opening, a Gray Wolf leaped at Zeo from a blind spot. With a body size about two to three times larger, it was impossible to push it off in a mount position. Confident of victory, it aimed to bite Zeo's neck to stop his breathing. They are indeed intelligent monsters.

(Not a chance, die!)

Aiming at the gray wolf's face, Zeo spat out a fireball the size of two fists, which exploded on impact. Pushing away the Gray Wolf that fell without a sound, Zeo ran to the next enemy.

Skills: "Fire Breath," "Lightning Breath," "Cold Breath." While they all involve breathing out elemental attacks, the methods of attack differ. The fireball explodes on impact, the lightning line reaches far in a straight line with high power, and while "Cold Breath" is weaker compared to the other two, it hinders movement and can be continuously breathed over a wide area.

In this one-against-ten-plus battle, if Zeo could only punch, bite, and scratch, he would have lost due to the numbers. To avoid that, Zeo had purchased three skills that allow for ranged attacks with high power through "Skill Purchase." ...Though, it can't be denied that he also bought them because they looked cool.

"Roooar!"

"Yaaaahh!?"

To raise the skill levels, Zeo used all three breath attacks to defeat the wolves. He finished off the last boss by uppercutting its jaw, spinning in mid-air to hit it with his tail, and then hitting it with a fireball before landing in a stylish manner.

(Damn... Wasn't that three-hit combo pretty cool?)

While praising himself, Zeo confirmed that there were no more enemies around and activated "Status View."

Name: Zeo

Species: Chimera Baby

Lv: 14

HP: 48/62

MP: 4/54

Attack: 45

Defense: 43

Magic: 44

Agility: 45

SP: 254

Skills:

"Status View: Lv--," "Language Understanding: Lv--," "Appraisal: Lv--," "Skill Purchase: Lv1," "Fire Breath: Lv3," "Lightning Breath: Lv3," "Cold Breath: Lv4," "Invisibility: LvMAX," "Flight Enhancement: LvMAX"

Titles:

"Reincarnated," "Cowardly Chicken," "Young Lady's Pet"

With a large number of enemies, Zeo's skill levels and SP increased nicely, and he wore a satisfied expression.

(My level didn't go up much, but it was a fight against weaker opponents. More importantly, I need to buy more skills.)

"Poison Resistance: Lv1" Required SP: 120

"Mental Resistance: Lv1" Required SP: 100

"Enhanced Strikes: Lv1" Required SP: 150

"Whistling: Lv1" Required SP: 10

"Intimidating Roar: Lv1" Required SP: 75

"Annoying Dance: Lv1" Required SP: 10

etc.

A clear list of currently acquirable skills with their required SP appeared in his mind. Some odd ones were mixed in, but he ignored them.

(First, "Poison Resistance" and "Mental Resistance" are essential. They seem to have high versatility by preventing all types of poisons and mental interference.)

Although his SP would be almost depleted, he decided to buy them as necessary expenses without hesitation. Confirming that the new skills were added to his status, Zeo nodded in satisfaction.

(I want to increase resistance and enhancement skills. They provide bonuses to stats without using MP.)

Zeo roughly divides skills into two categories: those that consume MP and are activated at will, and those that are always active without consuming MP. Generally, resistance and enhancement skills are always active, while others are activated at will. There are a few exceptions, like "Status View" and "Appraisal," which don't consume MP but are activated at will.

(Well... I still need to level up, but it's time to go back. I spent most of the day exploring the mansion.)

It was already the time when the sunset was blending into the horizon. Zeo, timing his return for dinner, hurriedly flew over the mountain.

One of the daily routines he had planned to start was monitoring the serving of meals. Most likely, or rather, almost certainly, Charlotte is being shunned by the servants due to Lily. Zeo thought it was possible that a chef or maid might put something strange in the food during serving, so he used the "Invisibility" skill to keep an eye on the kitchen.

(Beef stew today... I'm getting hungry.)

Zeo's meals were taken from Charlotte's portion. He had once hesitated, feeling guilty about reducing the amount his benefactor ate, but Charlotte seemed to have lost her appetite due to her mental state. Even considering her slender build, it was clear that she wasn't eating enough.

(While it's good that I can eat more, I'm worried that she loses her appetite halfway through. I prepared a souvenir while leveling up today, so I hope she'll be happy.)

While thinking about this, there was movement in the kitchen.

"Kerry, I'll be out for a bit, so please start plating the food."

"Understood."

The chef left, probably to use the restroom, leaving Kerry and Zeo alone in the kitchen. She placed steaming plates of beef stew, bread, and other items on the serving cart, and finally placed a tray next to them.

(This must be the young lady's portion?)

The tray was the one used to serve food to Charlotte's room. The current dining arrangement at the duke's mansion is to start eating without waiting for Charlotte, who is busy with the student council. While this is understandable, the servants don't seem to think of reheating the food, or perhaps they find it troublesome, and they leave Charlotte's food in front of her room as if it were an afterthought.

As a result, Charlotte often ends up eating cold food, which is not a proper way to treat the daughter of the house. While pondering how to address this, Zeo noticed something odd about Kerry.

"Talking badly about Lady Lily at school again... She really is a terrible woman. As the future Lady Lily's personal maid, I must punish her."

Muttering to herself, Kerry walked to a corner of the kitchen. There, a sticky trap for pest control was set up, and she brought it to Charlotte's plate.

(What! You can't be serious!)

Taking out a wooden stick from her pocket, she poked it, and a brown cockroach corpse rolled onto the white plate. Kerry then nonchalantly ladled beef stew over the cockroach-infested plate.

(You... You did it! You really did it, you damn amateur!)

Feeding cockroach corpses to Charlotte. As a servant, a human, and a woman, this was an unforgivable act, and Zeo's anger flared up.

(I won't forgive this... I'll kill you!)

Determined to execute the "revenge" with no room for leniency, Zeo secretly switched the cockroach-infested beef stew on the tray with the normal beef stew on the cart.

(I can't just throw away the contents of the plate. There's no more beef stew left.)

While flying over the pot, which was mostly empty except for the residue, he grabbed the handle and lifted it. Stealthily approaching Kerry from behind, he quickly placed the pot over her head before she noticed.

"Kyaaaaa!? What!? What's happening!?"

The pot, being a large commercial one, was big enough to cover the upper body of a slender person. Kerry, suddenly plunged into darkness, was likely confused as her hair, skin, and white apron dress were stained brown by the beef stew, but Zeo had no intention of letting it end there.

(I won't let anyone die in the young lady's house... It would ruin her reputation. But I'll make you suffer!)

With his MP recovered over time, Zeo unleashed a barrage of "Fire Breath" at the pot covering Kerry's upper body.

(Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!!)

"Kyaaaaa! Nooo!?"

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! Small explosions continuously tossed Kerry around inside the pot. The attack skills can be weakened by reducing MP consumption, and the pot would act as armor, so the damage wouldn't be significant. However, the shock and noise of the explosions in the enclosed space were intense. Kerry, unable to stand, curled up inside the pot, trembling in fear as the disaster rained down on her.

(Damn! Out of MP... Then I'll switch to close combat!)

"No! Stop it! Please stop it!?"

(Come on, come on, come on!! Cry and say you're sorry!!)

With no MP left, Zeo could only maintain the "Invisibility" skill. He punched, kicked, and hit Kerry with his tail, and even rolled her around on the floor, thoroughly tormenting the disloyal and ungrateful maid who still didn't understand what was happening.

"What's going on!?"

A maid, hearing the commotion, opened the kitchen door, and Zeo cursed. It was natural for someone to come with all the noise, but Zeo still felt the "revenge" was incomplete. He considered knocking over the cart to Kerry but decided against it, sarcastically thinking that the food was innocent, and hastily left the kitchen with Charlotte's tray.

(This invisibility is really convenient in situations like this.)

The "Invisibility" skill, at its maximum level, can also make held items invisible. Not wanting to let other maids carry the tray, Zeo calmly returned to the room... when suddenly,

[Revenge successful. Level increased. Reaching level 15, Chimera Baby evolves into Proto Chimera.]

(Huh?)

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his head. While idly wondering if he would grow larger, Zeo's body began to glow in the middle of the duke's mansion corridor.

Although he avoided a scandal of a death at Charlotte's house, he was concerned about whether the "revenge" was still warm. Zeo, who basically can only achieve "revenge" through violence, was curious about where the cockroach-infested beef stew would end up.