Chapter 44

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-- The poison I learned to make from my master was revealed much sooner than I had anticipated.

It happened while the three daughters—Petra, Radmila, and Yuria—were chatting and enjoying the cool air under a large tree behind Petra's house.

The rustling of the bushes behind us was a stroke of luck that I noticed. In that instant, I turned around, and red eyes glinted in the darkness.

-- It's a monster.

I glanced at the three girls. The one closest to the monster, in a straight line, was Radmila.

Without thinking, my feet moved. I didn't have time to feel fear. It felt as if I were being controlled, moving without hesitation, and I thought about it distantly, as if it were someone else's actions.

"Radmila, run!"

As I stood up and pushed Radmila's back, the monster leaped out of the bushes almost simultaneously.

Instantly, a sharp pain pierced my right shoulder. Before my brain could process the cause of the pain, I had already thrown the poison I kept in my left pocket, almost dropping it, towards the monster. Whether it was my defensive instinct as an animal or a divine command to Laura, I moved so quickly and smoothly that I couldn't believe it myself.

The container shattered with a "crack." Suddenly, a pungent smell hit my nose. Then, I heard a hissing sound, the ominous noise of the monster's skin melting.

"Laura!"

"Fire! And bring the blacksmith!"

Yuria, the oldest, understood my words quickly and was the first to run. She was indeed the oldest; among the three, she was the calmest.

Petra, who had been startled by Yuria's sudden movement, helped Radmila, who had gone limp behind me, to back away. Petra, born in a village surrounded by forests and a tough girl who had gone out to work, was shaken but took the appropriate action instantly.

I confirmed that Petra and Radmila had moved away from the monster and quickly turned my attention back to the monster in front of me. The monster's face was grotesquely distorted by the poison I had thrown.

"U, Uu..."

(That's not a roar... it's more like a human groan...)

-- A monster that speaks human language.

The thought crossed my mind.

"Laura!"

There was no mistaking that voice; it was my childhood friend.

I almost turned around but managed to stay in place by clenching my feet. It would be too dangerous to show my back to the monster, especially since I was the one who injured it.

I felt a warm light envelop me from behind. Suddenly, a familiar emblem appeared at the monster's feet. -- Ah, right, this emblem is exactly the same as the one that floats in Lukas' left eye.

A pillar of light rose from the emblem on the ground, reaching towards the sky. The brightness forced me to close my eyes. The sound that pierced my eardrums was the monster's agonized scream.

I stood there, dumbfounded. Where the pillar of light had struck the monster, a charred body lay.

The monster, which seemed to be dead, moved its blackened head. I took a few steps back, thinking it was still alive, but Lukas stepped in front of me, shielding me. Through his back, I met the monster's hateful gaze, and then...

"You, you're too bright..."

-- The monster definitely "said" that. It wasn't an illusion or a coincidence that the monster's groan sounded like human words; it was clearly human speech.

Lukas' back trembled with shock. But he immediately took his sword and pointed it at the monster.

"Vanish!"

He shouted, and the monster lunged at Lukas. It was probably a last-ditch attack, but Lukas easily deflected it with his sword and stabbed the monster in the chest.

The sword slid out of the monster's body with a "swoosh." The monster, now definitely dead, fell to the ground.

"Laura, are you okay!?"

Lukas turned around and grabbed my right arm. Seeing the shallow but bleeding wound, he winced in pain.

Honestly, it didn't hurt as much as it looked. Or perhaps, because I was more concerned about something else, the pain had eased considerably.

"I'm fine. Lukas, that power..."

"I can use it a bit better now."

He said this while frowning and applying pressure to the wound on my right shoulder. Even though a healing potion would have healed this injury instantly, I was glad for his concern.

Lukas seemed to be getting better at using the hero's power. Thinking about it, the last time I saw him use it was on the day I "woke up."

"Hey, Lukas, that monster just now..."

"It spoke human language."

Lukas choked for a moment but then said clearly. I thought he would stop there, but he continued.

"It easily broke through the barrier magic... and it was the first time I couldn't defeat it with one hit. It must be stronger than the other monsters."

Monsters that speak human language are likely stronger than others.

I was almost certain of this from "my" memories, but Lukas had experienced the difference firsthand.

However, had such an event been mentioned in the past in "Last Brave"? I remember the NPC's line about Lukas using the hero's power to repel the attack on Eme's village, but...

Even so, the second sighting of a language-speaking monster in Eme's village, far from Platoven, seemed unusual. From a meta perspective, it seemed that the world was managing flags to ensure that events—troubles or anomalies—occurred around the future hero, Lukas. It wasn't impossible—rather, it was surprising that the first one appeared in Platoven and that the person who first encountered it was Arnold and his group.

"The magic protecting Eme's village isn't that strong..."

A barrier-like magic that keeps monsters away surrounds the village. However, it's a shoddy spell cast by an unknown magician. No great magician would travel to such a remote village, and Eme's village didn't have the wealth to hire one. Still, the barrier, more of a charm than a spell, had functioned until recently—partly because monsters fear fire and are reluctant to enter human settlements.

However, with the approach of the demon king's revival, monsters have become stronger and more aggressive. Such a barrier might not be enough, and even with Lukas here, casualties might occur soon.

I clenched my fist, but then relaxed my body and managed a smile, addressing my childhood friend, who still looked serious.

"Next time, I'll ask the royal castle's magicians to strengthen the magic."

"Do you mean Arnold?"

Lukas' question caught me off guard, and I blinked a few times.

When I said "royal castle's magicians," I didn't mean a specific person. I just thought that since strong magicians gather at the castle and I could reach out to them through connections, it was a reasonable choice. I was so unthinking that I was surprised Lukas had singled out Arnold.

I smiled wryly under his intense blue gaze. However, Arnold is indeed a reliable magician, so I nodded slowly.

"Sure, he's one of the candidates."

Lukas' expression darkened visibly.

Arnold is one of the top magicians in the castle. If I could ask him, I would. He could protect Eme's village with much stronger magic. However, it would be difficult to ask him to come to Eme's village, given his busy schedule.

Lukas must have known this, yet he showed such a bitter expression. Indeed,

"Hey, Lukas, do you have a problem with Arnold?"

"I don't know him well enough to dislike him. But I just feel like we don't get along."

He smiled wryly.

Lukas had never thought highly of Arnold, even from their first meeting. Arnold, on the other hand, often responded coldly to Lukas' polite greetings.

They had met only three times, but it was clear that they didn't like each other.

There was no specific reason for this, as far as I knew. Some people just don't get along, and Arnold might be one of those for Lukas, and vice versa.

However, I think their paths will cross more in the future. Arnold is an important figure to Lukas, as a brother to his close friend. While it's not necessary to have a good relationship, it's rare for Lukas to show such a clear dislike for someone, which made me smile wryly.

"But Arnold is busy, so I'll also ask other magicians."

Lukas visibly relaxed at this.

-- Still, this is the third time I've encountered a monster. And it happened right after I learned to make poison, which was good timing in a way.

The timing of being targeted right after making the poison made me feel like there was a divine intention. Perhaps the event of learning to make poison itself was a flag for this event, a game-like thought crossed my mind.

Being near the future hero, Lukas, I expected to be involved in some events as a setup for the main story, but three encounters seemed excessive. The Platoven incident seemed to be centered around Arnold, and indeed, his name became well-known after that.

Given his high capabilities, I had a hunch that Arnold might be an important character in this world.

It's something I can't figure out. For now, I'll enjoy this holiday—though some events might still happen.