Chapter 78

The white beast, whose name is unknown.

It can be discerned that it is a summoned creature by a high-ranking magician.

It was enveloped in an aura unique to summoned creatures.

Its form was a hybrid between a fox and a wolf, and it was wrapped in a bluish-white magical power.

Such a creature does not exist in nature.

As proof, the white beast completely repelled the arrows fired by the elf tribe.

It deflected all of them right in front of it.

It is likely that only weapons imbued with magic would have any effect on this beast.

With that thought, I imbued Günther's weapon with magic.

A simple one would suffice.

With the strength and skill of this dwarf, a single hit should be enough to put the beast down.

*Whoosh!*

A sound that tore through the air rang out from just ahead.

However, unfortunately, that one strike did not manage to crush the white beast's skull.

Günther's axe only dug into the ground, creating a large hole.

It seems this white beast has more agile legs than ordinary beasts.

Then, I realized that it would be better to weaken its movements first, and I cast the *Fireball* spell.

It was an original spell adjusted for speed.

I had used it before on the werewolf Beow, and it even hit the werewolf.

There was no reason it wouldn't hit this beast—so I thought, but surprisingly, this beast was more agile than the werewolf.

It easily avoided the *Fireball* with a side step.

It didn't seem to fear the flames that the *Fireball* ignited.

Impressed by its agility, I decided to change my strategy.

"Sir Günther, can you lure it to that pond?"

"...I can, but do you have a plan?"

"Yes, I do."

"I won't ask for details. Lord Ike wouldn't give meaningless orders."

Günther said this and attacked the white beast with his battle axe, swinging it as lightly as if he were waving a twig.

However, even with that, he couldn't hit the beast, and I was in awe of the white beast's agility.

But, as befitting the king of the dwarves, he gradually but surely began to corner the beast.

Occasionally, his battle axe would graze the beast's fur, and white hairs would fly through the air.

I thought that perhaps Günther could take care of it without my intervention, but it seemed too good to be true.

The white beast didn't miss the moment when Günther's breath became labored and struck him with its sharp claws.

Günther didn't utter a single cry of pain even as his right shoulder was slashed.

I was in awe of his fortitude, but I didn't want to see him get hurt any further.

I shouted to Günther.

"Sir Günther, that's enough. Please step back."

Günther nodded slightly and retreated.

I didn't miss the moment and cast the *Fireball* spell.

Of course, I had anticipated that it would be dodged.

However, I had confirmed that the only place to dodge to was the water behind it.

"---In other words"

Its hind legs were now touching the water.

I aimed the *Lightning* spell at the pond in front of me.

The lightning strike spread through the pond at the speed of a bolt of lightning.

Naturally, it also reached the white beast, which had its feet in the water.

The white beast let out a beast-like cry for the first time.

"Oooh!!"

A cry filled with pain.

I didn't miss the moment.

"Sir Günther, now!"

Günther, as if saying "Understood!" attacked the beast.

My magic-imbued battle axe hit the white beast's skull.

Brain matter didn't fly out.

Summoned creatures can be either physical or non-physical.

This beast seemed to be the latter, and it vanished the moment it received a fatal blow.

The only thing left was the talisman the summoner used to summon the beast. It fluttered and fell into the pond.

When I picked it up, the talisman burned in my palm. It seems the summoner had even gone to the trouble of setting up a mechanism to destroy evidence.

The magician who summoned the beast earlier must have been a particularly cunning and thorough individual.

As I was thinking this, Lili and Sati came running over.

"Are you hurt?"

Sati asked worriedly, but Lili retorted, "Lord Ike wouldn't fall behind such a low-level creature."

It was about to turn into their usual argument, so I stopped them, but Sati's words reminded me of something.

I wondered if the young man who was attacked by the beast was safe.

His back had been deeply slashed, and it could have been a fatal wound.

I hurried to the bushes.

Sure enough, the young elf was lying there.

His companions were desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

The elves are skilled in elemental magic but seem to be weak in healing magic.

They were summoning water elementals to try to close the wound, but it wouldn't be enough.

I asked the elf maiden using the water elemental to step aside.

She looked at me for a moment, consulted with her companions, and then stepped aside.

Lili said, "What greedy people," but it seems that by defeating the white beast, we had gained their trust.

I first used the *Create Water* spell to wash the wound.

Healing magic is not all-powerful.

Even if the wound is closed, bacteria can enter the body and cause illness, leading to death.

I wanted to ensure the treatment was thorough.

When I washed the wound with the pure water created by my magic, the young elf, as expected, let out a cry of pain, but there was no choice but to endure it.

After removing the dirt from the wound, I applied the healing spell.

The wound closed rapidly.

Seeing this, the elves exclaimed in admiration, "Amazing, it's divine skill!"

For some reason, Lili also exclaimed, "Oh!"

"You see this all the time. Why are you so surprised?"

"Because the speed at which the wound closes has increased compared to before."

Hmm, now that you mention it, it's true.

I used to be bad at healing magic.

"This must be it, I think. Probably because Lord Ike is too kind."

"Too kind?"

"Because Lord Ike even shows mercy to enemy soldiers. I've seen you use healing magic on enemy soldiers after battles many times."

"I see..."

Indeed, I am aware of this. Of course, I prioritize treating my allies' injuries, but I often use healing magic on both sides after a battle.

It seems that consistent effort is important.

As I was thinking this, the young elf's wound was completely closed.

The surrounding elves seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

I entrusted the healed elf to them and greeted them again.

"My name is Ike. As I said earlier, I am a messenger of the Demon King's army. I wish to meet the queen."

Of course, they agreed.

The elves are not a proud race that would be rude to their benefactors, who had not only hunted the white beast but also saved their companion.

The representative of the elves came to shake my hand and led me to the queen of the elf forest.