Chapter 35: We must catch it!

The brief silence was broken by Floria.  

“So, Rita, you mentioned you defeated a beast presumed to be a brood mother, right?”  

Rita recalled Mamon and nodded in affirmation.  

“I only heard about it in passing when you mentioned it before. But I haven’t heard anything about its appearance. Was it similar to the beasts we’re chasing now?”  

Rita, initially puzzled by the question, quickly understood.  

‘The sightings reported so far are only of insect-like and lizard-like creatures. She must think the other fragments would look similar.’  

If fish or snakes with arms and legs, or creatures resembling cows or sheep, appeared later, everyone would be shocked again.  

Rita suppressed a chuckle.  

At the same time, she welcomed Floria’s curiosity about the beasts.  

“The one I defeated first took the form of a small humanoid race.  

Think of a kobold.”  

Rita privately thought that Mamon, resembling an aged humanoid, was quite a sight.  

In this life, it hadn’t even had the chance to reproduce, and only Rita remembered its form.  

“A kobold, huh? Did it lay eggs to reproduce as well?”  

“Well…”  

Rita feigned ignorance to dodge the question.  

It would seem strange to think of a kobold, a mammal, laying eggs.  

But in her past life, all fragments, regardless of their species, laid ‘eggs.’  

Even then, calling them eggs was a stretch.  

As in her past life, the kingdom’s scholars were currently studying the beasts’ eggs.  

So far, they’d determined that the white membrane encasing the eggs was closer to an amniotic sac than a shell.  

Moreover, the liquid inside was practically amniotic fluid.  

Given that the adult beasts and their brood mother fragments resembled humans or animals more closely, the beasts could, in a sense, be considered mammals.  

However, since they visibly appeared as eggs, everyone called them that for convenience.  

“There must be other types, right?”  

Floria’s gaze, meeting Rita’s, was serious.  

She seemed oddly certain.  

“Personally, I don’t think these are the only ones.”  

At her vague response, Floria’s lips twitched as if she wanted to ask more.  

But her chance was lost when Blena’s voice rang out from behind.  

“Whoa, that’s a sheep!”  

Blena, sitting by the stream, pointed upward.  

On a steep, rocky cliff, atop a jutting hill, stood a black sheep.  

It had curly black wool, black horns, and red, horizontal eyes—exactly like a typical sheep in size and appearance.  

“The curved horns make it a mountain goat.”  

“A mountain goat? I heard all the wild animals in this area were wiped out as prey. There are still animals around?”  

“But was there ever a sheep like that? I thought the livestock and wild sheep in the north looked different…”  

“It’s so cute.”  

Following Mikael, Valery, and Felix’s murmurs, Blena expressed fondness.  

But Rita couldn’t agree with that sentiment.  

Frowning deeply, she swiftly grabbed her staff and aimed it at the sheep.  

[Origin: Asmodeus]  

[Name: None]  

[Rank: Juvenile, Second-Class]  

[Attribute: Water]  

She couldn’t possibly agree with calling it cute.  

To Rita’s ‘eyes,’ it was unmistakably a beast.  

“It’s a beast. Everyone, be on guard.”  

“What? That’s a beast?”  

Everyone was shocked.  

But given its deceptive appearance, Rita understood their confusion.  

In her past life, the fragment ‘Asmodeus’ had the head of a mountain goat and a human body.  

Thus, its offspring often took the typical form of sheep or goats.  

Rita glared sharply at the red-eyed black sheep.  

Though it appeared to be a mere juvenile, it couldn’t be underestimated.  

Asmodeus and its offspring were a unique breed, powerful even as juveniles.  

“Blazing Arrow.”  

Without hesitation, Rita launched a powerful fire arrow.  

But the quick-witted juvenile darted away before the arrow could hit.  

“Spear Woven from Dreams…!”  

“Lady Rita.”  

Sercia grabbed Rita’s shoulder, stopping her from pursuing.  

“It’s already too late.”  

Sercia, who had been scanning for signs, shook her head.  

Rita, realizing pursuit would be futile, lowered her staff.  

“It seems like a new type of beast. Given it’s a small juvenile, breeding must be underway. The brood mother that produced it must be nearby.”  

“Yes, most likely.”  

“Then we need to decide which one to target.”  

At Mikael’s words, all eyes turned to Rita.  

Rita nodded slowly, thinking carefully.  

‘Targeting Asmodeus wouldn’t be a bad choice. It seems the rocky terrain here marks the boundary between Baal and Asmodeus’s territories.’  

If she set her mind to it, finding it wouldn’t be too difficult.  

Moreover, Asmodeus had a more limited range of movement compared to the highly mobile Baal.  

‘This might actually be easier…’  

It was a thought that felt a bit guilty toward the allies struggling against Baal’s offspring at the main camp, but the new option before her was incredibly tempting.  

As Rita pondered deeply, a sudden tremor shook the ground, and the forest quaked.  

A heavy pressure enveloped the group.  

The mages began gasping under the crushing force.  

“This mana…!”  

Starting with Eilin, Floria, Mikael, and Rita widened their eyes.  

It was a mana they knew all too well.  

“It’s Baal.”  

Rita hurriedly grabbed her staff and gear.  

Adding that Baal was nearby, everyone’s expressions turned grim.  

“We must catch it!”  

Sercia, feeling responsible for the troops’ declining morale, gritted her teeth.  

Led by Rita at the forefront, the group began moving quickly.  

  ***

The group ran for quite a while, reaching a distant clearing.  

They had doubled back eastward from the rocky terrain near the northwest, arriving in a dense coniferous forest.  

Untrodden by humans, the path was treacherous, with abundant traces of beasts.  

Soon, Hilia let out a small scream upon spotting what looked like animal bones.  

“What, getting scared over something like that…?”  

As Kerman started to scold her, the group’s steps halted.  

Kerman, bumping his nose into Bailey’s back, frowned and noticed a creature glowing with eerie eyes between the trees.  

It was over two meters tall, dwarfing even adult beasts.  

Its face, resembling an inverted triangular praying mantis, bore strangely human-like features.  

The bizarre creature was frantically chewing on something with its head lowered.  

Kerman briefly laughed, thinking it might resemble a mantis-human hybrid if such a thing existed.  

“Forget how unsettling it is, it’s hard to even breathe with that thing around. How can they stay so calm in front of it?”  

Hilia, barely steadying herself, looked at the supreme-rank mages ahead.  

Rita, her peer, looked ready to charge at any moment.  

She closely examined the information floating above Baal’s head.  

[Origin: Iskis]  

[Name: Baal]  

[Rank: Adult, First-Class]  

[Attribute: Wind]  

Fortunately, its appearance and information hadn’t changed since the last encounter.  

“Be careful. This is no ordinary foe.”  

Though fully prepared, they couldn’t move recklessly.  

Baal had a history of fleeing when at a disadvantage.  

Luckily, perhaps exhausted and starving from laying eggs, Baal showed intense interest in Rita’s group, drooling heavily.  

“It’s definitely on a different level from yesterday. You all, stay cautious.”  

Valery, mindful of Alois, issued a warning to the rear.  

But Alois had already firmly expressed his determination to Rita.  

His expression was resolute.  

“I-I can do it too…!”  

Despite his pale face, Alois stepped forward.  

Seeing someone so unexpected take action, Blena and Seth instinctively followed.  

“We will too…”  

Kerman’s face flushed with frustration.  

If even the incompetent young noble stepped up, how could he stay back?  

Burning with inferiority, Kerman stormed past them.  

Valery shook his head, while Sercia praised their courage.  

Even in the tense moment, a silly atmosphere lingered, causing Floria’s face to crumple.  

At that moment, Baal, which had been watching the group, darted sideways with a shashak sound.  

“Thorns of Crimson Valor!”  

Kerman’s sharp voice rang out in the tense atmosphere.  

Rita flinched as a massive flaming harpoon shot through the air.  

Kerman’s carefully conjured harpoon struck the wrong spot, and Baal, showing irritation, crushed nearby trees and slowly retreated.  

“Reckless…!”  

Valery roared, as Baal nearly escaped in that moment.  

He wanted to scold Kerman further, but Baal’s movement prevented it.  

After briefly retreating to assess the situation, Baal suddenly lunged forward, opening its maw toward Felix, the closest holy knight.  

Despite its ferocious momentum, Felix calmly raised his sword horizontally to defend.  

Seizing the opportunity, Sercia, Valery, and Bailey attacked in succession.  

“It doesn’t seem to have laid its eggs long ago.”  

Floria, waiting for an attack opening, pointed at Baal’s thick rear.  

As she noted, black liquid was dripping from its blunt tail.  

Moreover, Baal was visibly panting.  

Mikael, observing closely, added,  

“Its movements seem sluggish. It doesn’t seem able to move as ferociously as when we first saw it.”  

“It’s exhausted from breeding. This is our chance. If not now, it’ll be hard to catch.”  

Recognizing the golden opportunity, Eilin quickly aimed her attack.  

But even for Eilin, Baal’s ferocious snapping made it hard to aim at its maw.  

She kept hesitating.  

“Ugh…”  

Eilin looked at Rita.  

With the warriors too close and Baal growing more ferocious, aiming was difficult.  

Rita thought for a moment.  

‘Single-target attack spells are too limited. We need to pull the warriors back a bit. And to make the most of the mages…’  

Rather than expending her mana alone in a prolonged fight, it was more efficient to use the mages’ help for a swift resolution.  

“Unless it’s time to attack, don’t get too close to Baal. Mages, when you see an opening, bind it with Tail of Inferno simultaneously.”  

At her commanding voice, the warriors, who had been eagerly engaging, stepped back.  

Their excitement, driven by a sense of duty to capture it, calmed slightly.  

The Mage Tower mages, following Rita’s orders, lined up and watched Baal’s movements.  

While they waited for a chance to bind it, the warriors secured a clear line of sight for long-range attacks, moving methodically.  

Baal, though gaining some breathing room, was visibly weakened, its movements slowing.  

“It looks tired, but stay cautious. It’s a creature driven by hunger.”  

Given its history of fleeing when at a disadvantage, the starving Baal was reluctant to abandon the ‘prey’ before it.  

And so, finally—  

“Ugh…!”  

Baal’s obsession led it to successfully bite Bailey’s shoulder.  

Moving erratically and crouching deliberately, Baal seized Bailey, lifting him with its forelegs and frantically biting into his shoulder.  

The meal, after prolonged starvation, drove Baal into a frenzy.  

“Bailey! Are you okay?!”  

Despite Sercia’s concern, Bailey waved her off, signaling not to approach.  

Baal’s two forelegs were whipping about like lashes, making it hard to get close.  

The other warriors couldn’t easily approach either, circling cautiously.  

“Damn it!”  

Even while being shaken by Baal, Bailey swung his sword, seeking an escape.  

His tenacious persistence paid off as he broke free.  

The moment Bailey, tumbling through the air, landed roughly—  

“Now!”  

With Seth’s shout, red ropes shot out from the mages.  

The ropes, flying fiercely, tightly bound and restrained Baal’s frenzied body.  

As the binding succeeded, everyone’s faces lit up.