Chapter 14: Monsters Appear, Extremely Difficult Battle

Drip, drip, drip.

The rain outside had lessened, and it seemed it wouldn’t be long before it stopped completely and the gloomy sky would clear up.

Hilxi listened to the woman’s information about the monster, and half her spirit died right then and there.

Could she really handle a monster like that? Would she end up dead? Such worries surfaced in her mind.

Maybe she should just give up?

Leaning against the sofa, she sighed helplessly. To run away without even seeing the monster’s face would be so embarrassing.

Besides, her already thin wallet wouldn’t allow her to give up just like that.

“So, Auntie, did anyone in the village get hurt?”

Since the Commission’s details didn’t mention casualties clearly, she asked.

Logically, such a terrifying monster should have caused quite some damage, but the woman’s words caught her off guard.

“Casualties… there don’t seem to be any? Hmm, but a few people got hit by falling bricks when the monster collapsed some houses.”

“Why? Is the monster a herbivore?”

Hilxi asked with hope in her voice.

The woman shook her head.

“No, it’s not. Though nobody’s been seriously harmed so far, many of the village’s cattle and sheep have been attacked by the monster and ended up as food.”

So it’s a carnivore. How terrifying… better run away then. My delicate body definitely doesn’t want to become monster food.

“But why doesn’t the monster attack humans?”

This made her somewhat curious.

“Well… maybe people don’t taste good?” The woman shrugged and joked lightly.

Hilxi tilted her head. “Is that so?”

“I’m just kidding, I really don’t know…”

Well, you have the heart to joke even in a situation like this.

“Auntie, do you know Miss Aijie?”

Miss Aijie was the client listed on her Commission.

She had the authority to issue requests on behalf of the entire village, so she must be an important figure here.

“Do you mean the owner of that monster?”

The woman’s words were startling.

Hilxi froze and instinctively asked aloud, “What do you mean?”

“That monster was actually created by Miss Aijie…” The woman sighed deeply, her gaze full of complicated emotions.

“What do you mean?” Hilxi asked again, her expression and heart filled with shock.

What the hell? Such a terrifying monster was created by a human?

After the shock, more questions flooded her mind.

Why would Miss Aijie create such a monster? And why did she then commission the Association to drive it away?

She couldn’t make sense of it at all.

“I’m not entirely sure, but Miss Aijie is, like you, one of the few Magicians in the village. I heard it was because of Magic Out of Control that she accidentally created that monster.”

The woman explained, but Hilxi’s doubts only deepened.

If Miss Aijie is a Magician, why doesn’t she just get rid of the monster herself? After all, she created it, so it makes sense for her to deal with it.

Though, the monster does sound terrifying, and needing help to handle it alone is possible.

But Magic Out of Control producing a monster like that… what kind of magic can have such a bizarre effect?

Normally, when magic goes out of control, it just fails outright.

This was the first time Hilxi had heard of Magic Out of Control actually creating a monster.

“Miss Aijie is a very kind person and well-liked. She often helps people in the village. But… because of this incident, everyone’s grown a little fearful of her. They don’t dare ask her for help anymore.”

The woman sighed sincerely.

Hilxi didn’t reply or ask further.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, lifted her left hand, and pinched her chin thoughtfully.

From the current situation, it seemed necessary to meet Miss Aijie in person.

So, while waiting for the rain to stop, she chatted with the kind Auntie about the village’s situation.

Until a loud crash—

Boom!

Hilxi snapped to full alert.

“Oh no, the monster might be coming…” The smile on the woman’s face vanished instantly as she hurried to the window, anxiously peering outside.

Even though the monster seemed to avoid attacking humans because they’re “not tasty,” its enormous size and terrifying appearance were still enough to inspire fear.

“Has it appeared…”

Hilxi loosened her right hand’s grip on her Magic Wand and approached the window as well.

The rain had stopped outside, but the dark sky was still overcast.

Under the black clouds, a massive black monster came into view, not far from where she stood. The creature rampaged through the village, occasionally letting out terrifying howls.

So big.

Hilxi felt even more panicked than the Auntie. Her body trembled slightly from fear.

Pathetic.

“Well then, Miss Magician, this monster is yours.”

The woman said so as she opened the door for her.

“…Of course, th-this is how it should be. Just wait a moment, let me fix my clothes.”

Hilxi tried to act composed, smoothing her robe, then stepped out.

But she immediately regretted it, turning back as she said, “Though, I think I really—” It was hard to say she was fit for the task alone…

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

Hilxi’s smile froze, and she couldn’t help but sweat in embarrassment.

You really trust a fragile girl like me to handle such a huge monster?

“Deep breath… calm down. I’m Hilxi, a Magician Genius. Besides, that monster doesn’t like eating people. If I’m careful, I should be fine.”

Thinking this, Hilxi summoned her Broomstick and mounted it, flying toward the monster.

Up close, she realized the woman hadn’t exaggerated at all. The monster really was as big as a house!

Judging by size, it was over two meters tall and three or four meters long. Oh no, so scary… I just want to turn and run. As an ordinary Magician, there’s no way I can beat it.

“Hah! Monster, take this strike!”

She wasn’t the only Magician here.

A Male Magician stood not far from the monster, launching Mana Blocks from his Magic Wand in attack.

The monster roared in pain, becoming even more violent in its howls.

But the attacks didn’t seem to have much effect… if anything, they just made it angrier.

Hilxi crouched atop a Red-Tile House, poking her head out to watch the battle. Her Broomstick rested beside her.

Why wasn’t she helping? Well, ahem, of course, she was observing! Charging in blindly isn’t ladylike.

“Ha! Take my Ice Crystal Storm World-Cleaving Slash!”

What a special name for it—actually just an ordinary ice spear.

The monster was hit by the ice spear. With its huge body, it would be hard to miss. It howled relentlessly as its body began freezing, moving slower and slower.

This Male Magician was quite skilled.

Hilxi nodded.

From this, it seemed this wolf-like giant monster wasn’t as terrifying as it looked—except for the frightening size, of course.

Finally, the monster lost its patience and fixed its blood-red eyes on the Male Magician, launching an attack.

The stone bricks cracked under its feet as the giant wolf charged forward with overwhelming force.

“Hey, I’ve been waiting for you!” The Male Magician said confidently as his Magic Wand glowed, pointing to the ground before the wolf.

The next moment, the giant wolf swayed and crashed to the ground, though no dust rose due to the recent rain.

Hilxi looked closely and understood why the wolf had fallen.

One of its front paws was stuck in a pit trap filled with many sharp spikes, now dripping with fresh blood.

So they had set a trap beforehand—no wonder the Magician dared to go toe-to-toe with the monster on the ground.

As Hilxi pondered this, she suddenly raised an eyebrow.

Huh? Looks like the task will be completed without me doing anything?

Ahaha! Free money! This is great, this is great!

Just as she was lost in her pleasant fantasy, the giant wolf seemed to say, “I won’t go down here so easily,” and stood up again, slapping the stunned Male Magician flying.

Hilxi’s fantasy shattered. She glanced at the Male Magician rolling on the ground in pain and knew she couldn’t just keep watching the show!

It’s my turn!

Just as she was about to step in, a voice suddenly came from behind.

“What are you doing?”

“!?”

Hilxi jumped in surprise. Mama mia, I’m on the rooftop! How did someone get behind me?

She turned around with a startled expression.

A woman slightly older than her stood there, arms crossed naturally at her sides, looking very polite… polite my foot!

Suddenly appearing behind someone is terrifying, especially in this atmosphere.

“Who… who are you?”

Her trembling right hand gripped the Magic Wand pointed at the woman.

The woman tilted her head and smiled brightly, completely unbothered.

“Could you please not point your Magic Wand at me?”

“No.” Hilxi shook her head, then, as if recalling something, looked back toward the monster.

She was dumbfounded.

The monster had run off! Just like that…

Damn it, missed my chance! Ah, it’s all that woman’s fault for appearing suddenly!

“Oh dear, did I do something wrong?”

The woman, who had the Magic Wand pointed at her, looked entirely unflustered.

Her beautiful face showed an apologetic expression, making one want to say “It’s okay,” “You didn’t mean it,” and the like.

But Hilxi really wanted to punch her.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Aijie, your client.”

After the brief introduction, she raised her hands slightly, still smiling.

“I give up~ Please don’t point your Magic Wand at me anymore.”

“……”

Hilxi was silent, then put away her Magic Wand.

To think the other party was her client. She hadn’t expected to meet her here.

However—

“Miss Aijie, as you can see, that beast (through gritted teeth) has already been driven off by me (coldly). So… can I have my payment now? (cheerfully)”

“You sure do have a lot of expressions…” Aijie, with black hair down to her waist, wearing a white shirt and red skirt, shook her head in frustration.

“It’s not that simple. That beast won’t be so easily driven away. In other words, it will come back.”

“…The Commission said just drive away the beast, didn’t it? You should pay me.”

Hilxi persisted.

But Aijie shook her head and smiled.

“No.”

What did you say?

Ahhh, today only one of us can survive! Don’t get in my way!

“Besides, you didn’t actually drive that beast away, did you?”

“…I did. I set the traps in advance, wore it down with Ice Magic and other spells, and after an incredibly tough fight, it finally couldn’t withstand me and fled.”

Hilxi said seriously.

Your face is so thick… Aijie massaged her forehead. There was no way she could have watched everything from afar; otherwise, she’d be suspected.

So she pointed at the Male Magician still rolling on the ground nearby.

“Who’s that?”

“Oh, him? He’s my admirer who came specially to help, but he got injured by accident. Yeah, really careless.”

“…Forget it. I won’t argue with you. Come to my house; I have something to discuss.”

“You’re going to pay me, right? Right? Please, in light of how hard I worked, throw in a tip. Much appreciated, much appreciated.”

“You really love money, huh…”

Aijie turned her head away, refusing to meet Hilxi’s fiery gaze that seemed capable of piercing the dark clouds above.

“Sigh…”

Suddenly, it felt like her wallet was about to suffer.