Chapter 604 – Countermeasures and Returning Home

I think we spent quite a long time talking with everyone gathered in the VIP room of the guesthouse.

We ended up having dinner in between, but the conversation continued even during the meal. King Melvin watched us with a wry smile, while Oswald, Georg, Lazaro, and others laughed, saying it felt like camping during military operations and they were getting quite fired up.

We discussed various topics – where to intercept the black castle, whether we could handle it with our current resources, what magic tools we might be able to create in the future, and so on.

We also discussed the abilities of the high-ranking demons and countermeasures against them. What I observed about Valros, theories about the true nature of his abilities, and so forth.

Then the conversation moved from Valros to Zaradi.

“Hmm… From what I’ve heard, it seems Valros cannot be dealt with by anyone except Theodore. Like Valros, Zaradi’s ability… I can’t quite grasp its fundamental nature.”

“My speculation is… Zaradi’s ability involves sensing things with high danger levels from the phenomena around him. It’s like he can intuitively predict what’s about to happen, even without including it in his judgment criteria.”

Whether it’s limited to high-danger things, and what the range and activation conditions are remains unclear.

If you make a gesture like you’re about to throw a blade, even an ordinary person could predict that a blade might come flying and judge it as dangerous, then take action.

Or perhaps the analogy of predicting how a river will flow based on the terrain would work.

Zaradi can perceive this without actually seeing gestures or terrain. No, actually, it’s probably an ability to sense something we normally can’t see, similar to sonar sound waves or radar radio waves… But it ultimately manifests as an ability akin to precognition, where he foresees likely possibilities, promotes good outcomes, and takes actions to avoid bad ones.

When I explained this theory about the principle, everyone seemed to somewhat understand. I thought I might need to explain concepts like branching possibilities or parallel worlds, but that seemed to be unnecessary worry.

“He’s troublesome in combat too. If he said he can increase accuracy when it concerns himself, does that mean he can predict his opponent’s movements with high precision?”

That was Lazaro. Yes, indeed. While his ability to use miasma for attacks and his martial arts aspects remain unclear, he’s expected to be quite troublesome in close combat. If prediction is possible, what’s originally a defensive ability can also be applied to offense.

But I think there are openings to exploit. He’s not seeing a predetermined future – he’s just perceiving current materials and incorporating them into his judgment.

“Earlier I used the example of making a gesture of throwing a blade, but even if one is actually thrown, he might not necessarily handle it well. Saturation attacks or overwhelming numbers that exceed his capacity to respond. Or attacking with overwhelming speed or physical strength might be one correct approach.”

“…That’s straightforward. So we just need to exceed his ability with our combat capabilities.”

Oswald and Georg seemed to like the countermeasures I suggested.

“If it’s saturation attacks or numbers, that’s Theodore’s domain. If we’re countering with speed or physical strength, then it would be Grace, my Ignis, Sheila and Irmhild’s coordination, or Marlene’s Dullahan, I suppose.”

Rosemary spread her feather fan and hid her mouth while pondering.

Well, if we think about it from individual abilities, that would be the case. Grace nodded quietly, while Sheila and Marlene nodded along to Rosemary’s words.

“Well, saying it is the typical easy part… In reality, brute force might be difficult. If it doesn’t work, or if he detects it and escapes, that won’t do. Alfred and I are currently thinking of some basic countermeasures…”

Conversely, when defending against his attacks, the correct approach would be to protect with wide-area coverage rather than pinpoint defense. Well, this is something we’d like to incorporate into future training.

“And the one we have the least information about is the demon called Mustra.”

King Melvin crossed his arms and groaned.

“This man requires caution in a different sense from Valros. He seems to be involved with that black building material… If it wasn’t created through alchemy or such, he might have the ability to generate or manipulate something.”

Then there’s the unease I felt when watching Mustra through the monitor. It was hard to put into words, but… I clearly conveyed that I felt some kind of vague discomfort.

“…Discomfort, huh? So should we take that to mean he’s strong?”

“Yes. That’s probably right.”

Auria’s question was quite broad, but since it was accurate, I nodded with a wry smile.

“In any case, we should consider reckless entry into the castle dangerous.”

That was Prince Josiah.

Indeed. Regarding Mustra, there’s also the possibility that he might be assigned to castle defense to prevent the moon ship from being captured. Or rather, that role assignment might be perfect for him among the enemy forces.

Until his abilities become clear, we’ll have to take passive measures like not pursuing too deeply if we encounter him, or maintaining distance to handle whatever might come out… That’s unavoidable.

Then we discussed the types of monsters in Beriondora, and the equipment and tactics to counter them. But here too, there’s the possibility that their forces and types might be reinforced. I urged caution about that as well. We should consider the scale of forces we saw as the minimum.

Not just aerial forces, but also ground invasion by monster units. These aren’t affected by the anti-demon barrier, so they can directly attack Termwills.

“Then the location selection would be along the coast after all. If we’re dealing with ground monsters, we can also demonstrate our true capabilities near water.”

“I believe I can be of assistance too.”

That was Queen Eldorene and Ashley. Yes, indeed. Ashley would work well with the support of Grantios’ officers and soldiers.

“If monsters are the opponents, that’s also our domain.”

Auria said this, and Oswald also nodded. Yes, indeed. The Adventurer Guild could be called specialists.

After discussing these matters as well, the report and countermeasure meeting at the guesthouse adjourned.

We went out to the training ground square and began preparing to return home.

“My, my. I had heard the princess acquired a familiar, but this is—”

“Fufu, isn’t it cute? It’s smart and strong too.”

Georg looked at Corulis, who had settled down in the training ground, and showed an ambiguous smile that could be called a wry smile. As for Princess Stephania, while stroking the seated Corulis’ head, she seemed to be enjoying Georg’s reaction.

“Hmm… hmm. Well, if Her Highness is pleased with it, that’s fine. From what I’ve heard, it played an important role in the investigation task as well.”

Georg seemed to regain his composure despite his wry smile, and responded to Corulis, who had extended a hand seeking a handshake, by grasping the tip of its claw and lightly shaking it up and down. Yeah, well… Georg is the kind of person with such magnanimity. It seems like he’ll get along well with Corulis too.

“Then, we will take responsibility for escorting Lady Penelope and Miss Viola.”

“Thank you.”

It seems Mildred and the royal guards will directly escort Penelope and Viola to the temple and their home. Since Auria and Oswald are with us to the square as well, the security should be perfect.

“Good night, Penelope.”

“Yes, Lady Claudia. Lady Marlene, good night to you too.”

Marlene smiled cheerfully along with Claudia and waved goodbye to Penelope. We also exchanged greetings with everyone who participated in the discussion, and for today, waved goodbye to Lindwurm, Corulis, Flamia, Ramriya, and others.

Then we split into carriages and began our journey home. I had already contacted everyone at home via communication device when we returned to Termwills.

About whether we were safe, since I had contacted them when we returned to Vinesdora from the investigation task, I think they were able to feel relieved early.

Anyway, it seems Cecilia went to contact Camilla, and she’s waiting for our return with everyone.

When we arrived at our home in the Eastern District and got out of the carriage, everyone had come out to welcome us at the entrance.

“Welcome home.”

“Ah, I’m home, everyone.”

Cecilia and Mihaela bowed along with everyone from the labyrinth village. Floria, Harvesta, and Lasnote were also together. It was quite a lively welcome.

“Welcome home, Elliot!”

“Ah. I’m home, Camilla.”

While we were rejoicing at our homecoming, Camilla ran over when she saw Elliot getting out of the carriage. Elliot quietly embraced Camilla. Yeah, their affectionate appearance is wonderful to see.

Cecilia watched this heartwarming scene before turning to me and saying.

“Everything was peaceful while you were away, with nothing particularly unusual. Regarding the fermenting substances during experiments, according to Lady Floria and Harvesta, fermentation is progressing smoothly.”

Cecilia reported on things while we were away.

Ah, that’s wonderful. Since we had to go on the investigation task at a crucial time, I was concerned about that.

“You can tell about fermentation too?”

When I asked Floria, she showed an unclouded smile while holding Harvesta’s pot.

“Yes. No strange mold has grown either. Since we help each other with the children in the soil, I can sense it a little. Right, Harvesta?”

She exchanged looks with Harvesta. Whether Harvesta understood Floria’s words or not, it lightly moved its head as if agreeing.

I see. I’ve heard they borrow the power of soil bacteria for root expansion and such… So they can tell from that. That’s quite reliable.

“Welcome home. Everyone is safe, I’m happy.”

And then… Lasnote, though her speech was slightly unclear, greeted us by clearly pronouncing with her mouth rather than through magic communication.

“Ah. I’m home. It seems you’ve been practicing while we were away.”

When I said this, Lasnote smiled shyly and nodded with a small movement.

The usual state of the house, and everyone welcoming us with smiles. Yeah, I’m really feeling that we’ve returned home.

With the report about Beriondora, my mind had been leaning that way… But well, for today, let’s rest properly and start moving again from tomorrow.

We’ll have to head to the labyrinth anyway… But yeah, it might be good to try heading to the castle in the labyrinth’s deep floors that Claudia directly manages. I think she said it’s relatively safe since her control extends there, but well, I’ll consult with her about it later.