An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Page 412

After galloping for a while, he heard the loud noise of the branch collapsing.

Despite the intense despair and sadness that washed over him, making him almost forget how to breathe for a moment, Tim continued to act in order to complete his mission. He placed the urgent notice conveying the branch crisis into the bag hung on the messenger bird, gave it protection, and let it fly away.

The messenger bird flew in all directions, becoming a tiny dot in the sky... but it was too late. Lightning struck from behind, bringing the messenger bird down with incredible precision.

Meanwhile, Cream was carrying a letter with more detailed information to give to Meredith, but was shot down at the moment of takeoff.

Surprisingly, a man in black managed to catch up with Tata, who was running at a speed comparable to that of a monster, by relying on his own legs.

Thanks to Butter's sudden escape at the critical moment, it was saved from death, but its wings disappeared. Tim managed to catch the falling Butter, but he had no time to grieve and immediately whipped Tata to run as fast as he could.

However, the man in black, who was not affected by the Grand Canyon, was indeed extraordinary...

"The birds blocked his attack..."

The messenger birds used their bodies as shields to protect Tim. They stood in front of Tim, their feathers flying and their lives lost. No matter how Tim told them to run away, they were not obedient at all.

The sight of family members constantly sacrificing themselves is so cruel and terrifying, yet even with their sacrifices...

"Even with their sacrifice, I still didn't escape."

Tata gave his all until the very end.

Even if he was pierced, cut, or burned by magic, Tata would never stop running to get Tim, his master and family, to where his companions were.

But when all the messenger birds that stood up as meat shields were killed and the attacks began to fall on it, it was finally exhausted by the fatal blow.

Tim was also wounded and fell off his horse. Although he fought to the end, he was not a combatant after all. Tim's magic had no effect on the enemy, and in just a few seconds he fell into a state of near death.

"The reason they didn't kill me... is this... was to ask me where we were going."

Tim finally realized it and said dejectedly.

Cream, who was standing on Tim's shoulder, poked him with his beak as if to comfort him.

"Tim."

"leader……"

Meredith knelt down and looked at Tim, who had lost an important family member, from the same eye level.

Then, she smiled through tears of sorrow and said:

"Thank you for surviving."

“Ugh… yes… yes, Chief!”

Tim's sobs faded into the wind. Meredith and the others, missing Tata and the messenger bird who had fought to the bitter end, mourned for them in silence, their grief and sorrow swirling in the wind.

After a while, Tim wiped away his tears and stood up with a strong look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine now. But there's something else that's bothering me."

"care?"

"Yeah, that's why they let me go."

Indeed, it is very unnatural to say it is unnatural.

"At one point, they grabbed me while I was dying, and seemed to want to say something. I think they wanted to know where everyone had gone."

But they didn't ask in the end.

In fact, the first person to discover Tim's dying state was not his companions from the Planza branch, but a caravan that happened to pass by and found him, and sent him to a clinic in a nearby town.

The Planza branch heard that a young man was sent to the hospital. Although he was seriously injured and near death, he still refused to let go of a bird that was also dying and had lost its wings. So the Planza branch staff went to investigate the situation, found Tim and took over the protection.

"Even if the caravan was escorted by adventurers, those people had no reason to fear. Yet, they retreated. Before they did, I felt as if they were gazing into the sky."

It's like listening to someone speak.

"After that, they left me in a hurry."

"Could it be that someone is giving instructions from afar?"

"And they don't seem to want to be seen."

"Judging from the fact that they're covering their entire bodies, it seems that's true."

Just as Meredith, Mel, and Nez were lost in thought, Oscar urged them:

"Let's go back to the branch office and take another look."

This time, the purpose is to analyze in more detail the scenes seen during the visit.

"That's right, then Sister Mei."

"Alright, leave it to me—"

Mei'er had just said this when her body suddenly shook.

"Sister Mei!?"

"Oh my, it seems my magic power is a little low."

Mei's tone was relaxed, but after rebuilding the destroyed branch, she continued to relive the events of nearly two weeks ago for a long time. This was probably due to fundamental fatigue, and even magic recovery potion would be almost impossible to make up for it.

Oscar had a bitter expression on his face as he had only just noticed this and was forcing her too much.

"Let's take a short break."

"It's okay. Mei-nee-sama is such an elegant beauty, but she's also quite strong, you know?"

Is it normal for someone to say something like this? Just as everyone was thinking this, Mei, as if deliberately trying to please Meredith, took out a small bottle of magic recovery potion from the ravine on her chest.

The moment it was pulled out, Mei'er's breasts, which seemed to be filled with the smell of the sea, began to shake.

Oscar, Natsu, and Tim all turned their heads away.

Meredith's eyes widened.

"Why would you keep it in a place like that? Mei'er, you have a treasure vault, right?"

"To tease Xiao Mi."

Meredith pouted and got angry.

In an instant, the original sad atmosphere and the guilt of forgetting Mei'er's burden were all swept away.

If Mel had anticipated the situation and was preparing in advance to respond to Meredith's desire to get clues as soon as possible...

"Should I say she's truly remarkable?"

"What a reliable companion."

It was completely different from her usual useless appearance, and Oscar and Natsu could only smile bitterly.

So everyone returned to the branch and investigated again for a while.

"...After seeing what happened to Xiu Xiu and Mikaela, I started to have doubts."

Meredith said thoughtfully, with a hint of concern in her tone.

When Miredi said this, everyone was confirming how the Men in Black group escaped from the collapsed branch after Ruth and others escaped.

In the video, we can see that the men in black pounced on the men in gray, who were either their companions or subordinates, and bit the men in gray by the neck.

At this moment, the man in black unleashed explosive power. Though he was in Lesin, he unleashed a magic that combined attack and defense, carving a path for his life.

"Vampires, they really do rely on drinking blood to increase their strength."

Mei expressed her feelings nonchalantly, implying that "even if my biological father is a vampire, you don't have to worry about me."

Meredy smiled wryly and nodded, then turned her gaze to Oscar, who was the most reliable analyst.

"Aoh, what do you think?"

“…Let me think about it.”

Five things are certain.

First of all, the other party confirmed the existence of the Lassen branch a long time ago and conducted an investigation.

Furthermore, there are two forces investigating the Lassen branch.

One side is a force with vampire characteristics.

The other faction possesses the technology to control monsters.

Finally, the Men in Black attempt to capture the children, led by Ruth.

After listing the above premises, Oscar raised a question.

"But why would the vampires target us? That's my question. And their physical abilities... I've never actually seen a vampire, but..."

Oscar looked at Meredith, as if to reconfirm his knowledge, and Meredith confirmed his statement.

"Yes, vampires, like demons, are a race skilled in magic, but their physical abilities should be similar to humans. However, I have heard that drinking blood can enhance one's abilities."

"Before the enemy starts to absorb their life, they should keep suppressing Xiu Xiu and the others."

Furthermore, even if they had absorbed blood, they wouldn't be able to use magic in Lesin without authorization. It was as if they possessed the magical abilities of both the demon and vampire races, combined with the physical abilities of the beastman race, making them practically superhuman soldiers.

"Their recovery ability is also noteworthy. Do all vampires have such abilities?"

In response to Nizu's question, Oscar pondered:

"I read in a book that drinking blood has a healing effect. But those gray-clad people..."

"They didn't suck blood..."

"Is it because of their different races? But their recovery abilities are also amazing, right?"

Then, Oscar said with a serious expression:

"And... 'Limit Break'?"

"...Yes, that's a worrying point. Is it really the church's doing?"

They recalled Rouse Byrne, leader of the White Light Knights, who had fought Meredith to equal victory. He possessed divine magic capable of interfering with souls, and possessed techniques that surpassed his own limits.

However, Oscar shook his head and denied Miledy's guess.

"I don't think so."

"Huh? Why?"

"Of course, I can't say for sure it's not the Church, but... if it is the Church, then they should have better cards in hand, right?"

It's also possible that the Church is testing a secret or experimental unit. However, if the reason for attempting to abduct the children is as Oscar suspected, the Church would have played a more appropriate trump card to ensure that there is no chance of error.

"Ah, you mean... the apostles?"

"God's Apostle" Esther.

The Church had no need to hide or keep this trump card against an opponent that had already fought a desperate battle with Meredi and others.

"The man in white flew south, vampires are an extremely closed-minded race, and the man in gray is likely a different race. Taking all of these factors into account, the attacker is most likely—"

Oscar pushed his glasses up and was about to state his conclusion when—

"It's Majin-chu."

""!?"

Hearing the sudden voice, although Milady and the others were surprised, they immediately entered a state of combat readiness.

They stared in the direction of the sound—the cave entrance, but saw no one.

"Where are you looking at?"

Huh? Is that sound coming from below? Mireidi and the others moved in unison, looking down with trepidation.

There is a mouse.

It stood straight, its arms folded across its chest, wearing a scarf and even a toothpick-like sword.

"Huh? What's with this fantastical creature?"

Meredy couldn't help but blurt out, and Oscar and others nodded in agreement.

Meredy and the others looked extremely surprised and stared at the mouse who seemed to be acting in an extremely arrogant manner.