"Shush...Shush..."
Passing over the salt ponds where the Little Demons worked, made of stone bricks, what lay before Yila was a vast blue ocean and a golden beach; it was an overwhelmingly beautiful scene.
The sound of the waves lapping against the sand was truly melodious.
The weather was nice today as well, with sunshine that's treasured during winter... But the coldest days have long passed, and spring will soon arrive, bringing warmer weather.
At that time, the harvest by the sea will also increase.
Thinking this, Yila, stepping on the soft sand, watched the crabs and seabirds on the beach, as well as little mounds and tunnels buried in the sand. For some reason, he thought of those ocean exploration videos from his previous life.
Should I try gathering from the sea?
The coastal races would take advantage of receding tides to search for buried mollusks beneath the sand and creatures on the reefs, generally gathering ample fresh meat.
Yila thought using mollusks temporarily to supplement the meat reserves within the Demon King Territory was a good choice, and strictly speaking, it wasn't a technical task.
One just needed to know how to dig and identify the mounds on the beach that hid clams.
But before that, Yila needed to confirm whether the amount of shellfish on the beach was worth suggesting a specific time for the monsters to gather, and there was no way to confirm the food density and edibility.
If nine out of ten clams and urchins turned out to be toxic, it would be quite ridiculous.
"[Fourth Wing Column]"
Chanting, Yila summoned the Mana of a certain enchanting demon stored within his spine. It immediately proclaimed its presence, and as the spell around his neck consumed a small part like a tattered gray cloth, a pair of wings appeared behind him.
"[Enchanting Demon]"
With the World Spell as a knot, representing Monster Mana, thus communicating with the World Tree.
"[Wing Spread]"
With language as the trigger, traversing the universe, ruling over the world, the judgment of reason descended.
…
[Fourth Wing Column·Enchanting Demon·Wing Spread]
After such a chant, a pair of illusory enchanting demon wings appeared at Yila's waist. A wondrous Mana of both pale purple and pink quickly condensed from the world itself, forming a long whip like a vine of rose flowers.
This is the [Fourth Wing Column (Melee)]. At the moment the wings unfold, fitting the Monster Mana [Military Equipment] appears. For the enchanting demon, it's undoubtedly... a whip.
"Go!"
With Yila's command, using Mana that might have come from Hilena or Little T, he wielded the long whip, presenting the ability mechanism he now understood. The intertwined pink and purple Mana swept forward like a shockwave.
This Mana seemed to possess no destructive power. Although it passed over a wide range of sand, it did not, like the power of the [Crimson Dragon], turn the ground and gravel into glowing transparent glass.
Just as the Crimson Dragon has its battle techniques, the enchanting demon naturally has its fighting style.
"Swish...Swish..."
After Yila performed this action with seemingly no practical effect, after about ten seconds and amidst the trembling sand, white and yellow "noses" poked through the sand.
Dense and frequent, they emerged from the sand and retracted intermittently, a sight that would be the bane of those with trypophobia.
Yila walked slowly over, lightly reaching out to grab and pull a long clam-like sea product from the sand, then casually grabbed a couple of differently appearing clams.
"It seems like gathering from the sea is quite successful. If such yields are present in this season, perhaps it can serve as a stable source of protein for the Demon King Territory, though it's uncertain if they're poisonous."
Analyzing this, Yila poked the protruding meat of a sea snail with his finger, watching it retract as he felt something. He turned to look behind him... where Vera was gradually approaching.
Or rather, floating over.
Vera probably didn't want sand in her shoes and preferred not to walk on the beach, so she'd cast a Floating Technique on herself. Although it was fine, was her magic usage a bit excessive?
"You're just in time; help me check if these seafoods are poisonous."
Surprised at Yila's request, Vera, who merely came for a chat, pointed at herself in confusion, asking, "You want me to test for poison? Though liches make excellent indestructible materials, they can't determine if food is poisonous."
"..."
"I didn't mean for you to test for poison. You were born in a port city, right? Just use your common sense."
"Yes, but I'm not a civilian; I'm a noble..."
"..."
That's true, considering Vera is a noble and wouldn't know which sea products were edible or not. Her responsibility was merely to eat them.
Perhaps her understanding of marine toxicity wasn't as profound as Yila's.
"But actually, for monsters, it's not much of an issue. Even if they're toxic, they won't be as lethal to us as to humans. At worst, they can be healed, or we could test them on Little Demons."
Vera commented, helping to gather the exposed clams and shells. She looked at Yila's back, with its ragged enchanting demon wings, and remarked, "No matter how many times I look, the Governor is astounding."
Sighing, Vera's gaze swept over Yila's neck, saying, "The World Spell with those few bytes about [Not drawing human Mana] in the Talismanic Knot you mentioned yesterday, when do you plan to remove it?"
Is that so, did Vera come for this purpose? On official duty?
Yila, realizing something, glanced at Vera and dismissed his assumption... No, it wasn't Hilena or Satan Ye or anyone who sent Vera to ask.
Vera's words and actions stemmed from her own will... it seemed that during her time after defecting, she truly grew fond of this place where monsters lived.
"I haven't decided yet."
Yila calmly responded, tossing the sea products in his hand into the Mana Bag Vera had woven through magic power as he spoke. "The Governor cannot wield humans as [bullets], as this was my proposal to Isabella, a crucial agreement between us."
Because the Governor, a profession using monster power to counter monsters, fundamentally changes its role when it is allowed to draw human Mana to slaughter humans.
Killing one's own kind also amplifies emotional swings, heightening the risk of the Governor's mutation.
"But, to my understanding of Isabella, if you've left the Empire and are now at war with the Duchy..."
Vera said, raising a finger as she continued, "She would likely ignore the agreement before you, wouldn't she?" in spite of the distressed look on Yila's face at the thought.
This was Vera's understanding, yet given Yila's comprehension... well, both had a clear perception of Isabella.
"..."