Chapter 323
Chapter 323: You Can Do It. (2)
Alfoy turned away from Queen Grex, who seemed to be making space as if inviting him.
Then, he whispered toward the empty darkness behind him.
“W-what should I do now?!”
“Get closer.”
“What am I supposed to do when I get closer?”
“Lure her in! Just show off some flashy magic or something. She’ll be enchanted and follow you like a dream.”
“Ugh… fine.”
Alfoy took a deep breath and started to walk. The Grexes wriggled around but showed no hostility towards him.
Belinda watched Alfoy walk slowly toward Queen Grex, utterly bewildered.
“What’s going on? Why is he doing that? They attacked us the moment they saw us! Alfoy was with us too!”
They had dealt with every Grex they encountered on the way here. The Grexes hadn’t given any special treatment to Alfoy.
The only difference was that Queen Grex was present here.
[When the scouting party was wiped out, a capable mage survived alone and wandered through the forest. He happened to stumble upon Queen Grex and was attacked by hundreds of Grexes, nearly facing death.]
Ghislaine nodded in reply.
“Because Queen Grex is showing interest in Alfoy right now.”
At that, Belinda was shocked.
“C-could it be… that monster’s type is Alfoy? Trying to take him as a husband?”
“…Definitely not.”
[According to the mage, he survived thanks to Queen Grex. Queen Grex possesses slightly higher intelligence than other Grexes. She’s particularly curious and has a habit of observing things she’s never seen before. This was proven by the mage who survived alone and returned after discovering Queen Grex.]
Ghislaine said while carefully observing Alfoy’s movements.
“That thing is really interested in the mage.”
“The mage?”
“Yeah, I don’t know why, but it seems to sense magic. That’s why it’s only Alfoy and not anyone else.”
[We thought Queen Grex was friendly toward humans. So we sent forces to observe and investigate using the mage who returned alive as our guide. But that was our mistake.]
Belinda tilted her head at Ghislaine’s words.
“Then can’t Alfoy move alongside her? I mean, there’s a mage mixed in, after all.”
“No way. That thing has limits on what it permits. It doesn’t allow just anyone.”
[There was only one being that Queen Grex felt safe and curious around. Beyond that number, it showed hostility. Additionally, it only expressed curiosity when the other person was alone and specifically a mage. One couldn’t help but think that Queen Grex possessed a special ability to sense magic.]
The group couldn’t help but believe Ghislaine, even amidst their doubts.
Because, indeed, things were unfolding exactly as Ghislaine said they would.
Belinda was utterly curious, feeling like she might lose her mind. No, so was everyone else.
‘How does the Young Master know this? He’s never entered the forest alone before!’
If he had done so as a child, he would have been dead long ago, no traces left. With Ghislaine’s previous powers and authority, it would have been impossible to even approach the forest.
Yet, seeing Ghislaine so knowledgeable about the forest made her feel as if…
‘He must have come here before.’
Though Ghislaine was remarkable in other ways, nothing felt as strange as this. It was as if he moved through the Forest of Monsters as if he were reading some detailed account each time he entered.
A woman’s intuition can sometimes shine with terrifying clarity. Belinda recalled her deep-seated theory of possession.
‘It doesn’t seem like a dark sorcerer possesses him… He’s our cute Young Master most of the time…’
Still, it felt like some other entity resided within him, guiding Ghislaine with all sorts of knowledge.
‘Let’s just see if you get caught. I’ll make sure to put holes all over you.’
The resolve to put holes all over him didn’t consider that it would mean Ghislaine would die as well.
While Belinda couldn’t shake off her suspicions, everyone else brushed it off. Having been through so many bizarre experiences with Ghislaine, they could no longer bother to think about it.
Meanwhile, Alfoy cautiously approached Queen Grex.
The Grexes merely stared blankly at Alfoy without making a move to attack.
“Ugh…”
As Alfoy got closer to Queen Grex, he stopped, suddenly intimidated.
“Kreeeek…”
Queen Grex lowered her head slightly, her multiple eyes sparkling as she observed Alfoy from various angles.
It was as if she was sniffing him, bobbing her head several times. Just from seeing the drool dripping, Alfoy felt weak in the knees.
After observing Alfoy for some time, Queen Grex emitted a displeased screech.
“Kreeek…”
At that, the Grexes began to shift more aggressively, raising their claws and attempting to approach Alfoy.
‘T-these bastards?’
When human life is on the line, astonishing senses kick in.
Alfoy instantly realized Queen Grex was losing interest in him.
“Kreeeeek!”
As Queen Grex howled sharply and the Grexes seemed ready to attack, a small fireball shot out from Alfoy’s hand.
“L-look! It’s fire! Fire!”
“Kreeeek?”
Queen Grex stepped back in shock. The Grexes halted their movements.
“Isn’t it amazing? Look, it can move like this.”
Alfoy did his best to maneuver the fireball around.
The control of his magic was so delicate that even a 7-circle grand mage would be astonished. After all, there’s nothing one won’t do when their life is at stake.
“Kreeeek!”
Queen Grex twisted her body, genuinely amazed.
‘T-this works! This seriously works.’
Feeling a surge of confidence, Alfoy moved the fireball while slowly backing away.
Queen Grex watched the fireball dance around with fascination, following Alfoy.
Alfoy was sweating bullets, but he didn’t lose focus.
‘Just like this…’
He had to make it to where Ghislaine was. Once that happened, everything would be resolved.
Trembling as he stepped back, suddenly, Queen Grex halted in place.
“Kreeeek!”
Alfoy understood this time as well; she was asking if there was anything else. With his life on the line, he could decipher her screeches.
‘Damn that picky monster.’
Ultimately, Alfoy extinguished the fire and revealed his special move.
“L-look at this!”
Picking up four stones from the ground, Alfoy showed them to Queen Grex with an open hand.
“…?”
In front of the tilting Queen Grex, Alfoy flipped his hand and used a sleight of hand.
Swish.
Since only the back of his hand was visible, Queen Grex didn’t see one of the stones disappear.
And when Alfoy slowly opened his hand again…
There were three stones left.
“Kreeeek!”
Queen Grex let out a sound that seemed to be a scream of astonishment, as if shouting, ‘This is amazing!’
A monster, yet unaware of the sophisticated tricks that even humans would fall for.
Alfoy continued to show off these fascinating displays to keep luring Queen Grex.
Every time he took a step back, Queen Grex followed eagerly, while the other Grexes merely sat in place, staring blankly.
Kaor, observing the scene, muttered.
“This is absurd.”
Things were truly going according to Ghislaine’s plan. It was unclear whether Ghislaine was remarkable for believing Alfoy would play the bait effectively or if Alfoy was actually skillfully luring in the monsters.
‘Seriously, is there something going on with that guy?’
He was known as the man who defeated a god. Watching the once-ignored Alfoy shine brought a notable tension to Kaor.
The thought of the hot air balloon crash incident flashed through his mind, and he shook his head vigorously.
Others watched Alfoy with bated breath. Their palms were sweaty at this point.
‘Please! Please!’
‘You can do it! Alfoy!’
‘You’re the man who defeated a god!’
If Queen Grex swung those claws, Alfoy, who was preoccupied with hiding the stones, would be torn to shreds.
“Kreeeek!”
With each shriek from Queen Grex, Alfoy flinched. Still, he continued to lead her slowly. He was surprisingly mentally resilient.
In this suffocating situation, Queen Grex eventually approached the spot where Ghislaine and the others hid.
Although there was still a bit of distance, it was within the range of the group’s abilities to jump across in an instant.
And that was when Alfoy’s little trick reached its limit.
“Kreeeek!”
“W-what should I do?”
Alfoy’s mind went blank. He had shown everything he could, except for stripping off his clothes.
Seeing Alfoy floundering, Queen Grex cried out again.
“Kreeeek!”
At the same time, the Grexes came towards Alfoy, their claws raised.
In that moment, Ghislaine’s eyes gleamed red.
“Now!”
Bang!
“Mreeeek?”
From the depths of the dark forest, something burst forth as Queen Grex lifted her head.
“Great job! Alfoy!”
Ghislaine shouted and swiftly severed Queen Grex’s arms and legs.
“KaaAAAAK!”
As Queen Grex’s scream of agony echoed, the group rushed out as well. The Grexes screamed as they rushed in.
“Tie her up!”
At Kaor’s shout, Belinda’s robe billowed as dozens of daggers poured out.
Thin, sturdy threads connected to the daggers bound Queen Grex’s body. Following that, the knights used ropes they brought to bind her securely.
“Kreeeek!”
Queen Grex struggled, but she couldn’t break free from the tightly bound ropes.
“Run!”
As Ghislaine shouted, the knights dragged Queen Grex away.
“Belinda! Alfoy!”
“Got it!”
Belinda grabbed the nape of Alfoy’s neck and dashed.
“Kaor! Clear the way!”
Boom!
Ghislaine swung his sword, smashing through the trees blocking their path. Kaor also advanced, breaking down more trees beside Ghislaine.
Since Queen Grex was quite large, they had to be careful not to get caught on the trees while dragging her.
The group ran while pondering.
‘Is it really necessary to do all this?’
‘Couldn’t we just go and kill everything instead of making this so complicated?’
‘Those behind can’t even keep up with us.’
As Queen Grex was being dragged away, hundreds of Grexes chased after them, but they couldn’t keep up with their speed.
It seemed there would be no problem simply proceeding to the fortress like this.
At that moment, Ghislaine shouted again.
“Run with all your might! Hurry!”
As if feeling pursued by something, the group followed his commands, wearing bewildered expressions.
And soon, they felt vibrations resonating from all directions.
Thud thud thud…
“Kreeeek!”
Queen Grex continued to scream. But the vibrations coming from all around seemed to be following Queen Grex.
Something was approaching from somewhere.
Belinda, with her keen sensitivity, stiffened her expression. This vibration was not coming from above.
Quickly running, she lowered her gaze.
“From underground?”
The vibrations were emanating from beneath the ground, as if a gigantic tsunami stirred underground.
“It’s not just one.”
If a giant monster was moving, that would be preferable. But the feeling of the vibrations beneath her feet was not something like that.
It was a stream of dozens, hundreds, even thousands of something moving.
[We wanted to know the secret of how Queen Grex had taken control of this territory. We had developed various hypotheses about how such a weak faction survived in the Forest of Monsters.]
Kaor, who had been running ahead, suddenly widened his eyes.
Crash!
“CaaAAAK!”
The ground caved in from various places, and the Grexes popped up.
“What the hell! What is this?”
Kaor shouted in shock.
If only one or two popped up, it could be brushed off. But the Grexes that sprang up numbered close to hundreds at a glance.
As if that wasn’t enough, more Grexes continued to pop up from all sides.
“Kreeeek!”
Thud thud thud thud!
The vibrations echoing from beneath the ground grew more intense. Amid the group’s panic, Ghislaine’s voice thundered through.
“Break through!”
Crash!
Ghislaine took the lead, mercilessly cutting down the Grexes.
Each was treated as weak monsters on par with human soldiers. But when hundreds gathered like this, the dynamics changed. Just as human soldiers turn fearsome when they form an army.
[If we uncovered that secret, we believed we could explore the Forest of Monsters with greater ease. That’s why we kidnapped Queen Grex. But that was our delusion. There was no secret. The Forest of Monsters operated solely on the logic of power.]
“Kreeeek!”
The Grexes that had burst forth from underground swelled in number, filling the area.
Kaor gritted his teeth and slashed through the Grexes. Belinda and the knights were busy attacking the Grexes approaching Queen Grex.
As more Grexes closed in, the group’s pace began to slow. The ground was so riddled with holes now that there was barely any place to step.
[As we had expected, Queen Grex did possess a unique ability. She had the power to command all Grexes. Countless Grexes had gathered to rescue their queen. And the number of Grexes that moved to rescue their queen was…]
Boom!
Ghislaine activated the three-stage core and yelled.
“Dig faster! If you delay, we won’t be able to handle it!”
[…about 200,000.]
