The shouts and loud exclaims of the elves resounded around the vast wasteland, shaking the sky due to the might of their voices.
Aurora's words truly worked like magic. Well, the one who actually spoke them was Elise, but in everyone's eyes and ears, the one speaking to them was the white fox in her arms.
The strange way of encouragement truly made the elves wake up and shake off the despair that slowly began to creep up their backs. Now, their morale was higher than ever. Truly, the fox's words resonated deep within each elf's soul, filling their chests with a powerful flame.
It was truly strange. Normally, even if someone said these words, the elves probably wouldn't be very affected. But due to the mere fact that it was Lady Shinara's daughter calling out to them, it made their blood boil.
For generations upon generations, the highest honor and the greatest wish of any snow elf of the Frostbite Plains was to be able to meet the fox prophecies spoke of. The descendant of Lady Shinara, the second coming of their savior.
These elves of Elijah's hunting squad were no different. Getting to team up with Lady Aurora was probably the greatest thing that could ever happen to them. Yet, now, they were showing such a pathetic display to the very fox they so desperately wished to meet. They couldn't do such a thing!
They were proud warriors of the elves! They were supposed to face even the toughest opponents and laugh death in the face. Yes, they might be hunters, but that didn't mean they should be cowards, much less in front of Lady Aurora.
The elves finally managed to regain—no, they got more excited than they ever were. Even if they were to die, they would gladly follow their lady into the battle. Such a death wouldn't be one to mourn but one to honor.
Seeing the fierce and determined faces of the elves in front of her, Aurora felt a certain pride well up in her chest. She wouldn't lie; it felt good seeing these proud, powerful warriors hold their heads high due to her words.
She knew very well that the respect the elves had for her even before they set out was absolute. The level of respect they held for her was much higher than even the one they had for Elijah. So, by using this respect, she was able to easily pump these hunters up. However, she didn't do it for them. To be honest, she needed them for what was to come.
Two second-rank beasts. There was no reality in which she could face such a challenge with her current strength. She needed the elves at their best so they would, at the very least, lessen the load on her shoulders by half. As for the other half, she would somehow manage... hopefully.
"Hehe, you're a manipulator, sis." Yuki chuckled, finding the current state of the elves to be quite amusing. Although she was quite worried about the upcoming battle, she only worried for her sister, Rejoke, and slightly for that elf named Elise. As for the other elves, they could go ahead and die as far as she was concerned.
She didn't care about these elves at all in the first place. In her eyes, they were nothing but useful tools for her sister's development. If her sister could use them to profit, Yuki wouldn't care at all what happened to them.
Despite knowing Yuki's exact thoughts, Aurora said nothing. What she said wasn't wrong in the first place. What she was doing certainly was manipulation. By getting the elves fired up, they wouldn't try to run away or something and would face the enemy with their lives on the line, increasing the chances of victory.
Ruthless? Maybe, but she didn't care. Much like Yuki, Aurora didn't care much about these elves. And although she felt a bit bad for doing this, it merely left a bad taste in her mouth, nothing else.
"Elijah, you said your party can deal with a second-rank being, right?" Pushing the useless thoughts aside, Aurora told Elise to put her back down and used her to speak to her brother.
For a moment, Elijah was struck dumb. One moment, Aurora was here, getting the elves in his squad fired up, and now, she suddenly turned to talk to him. Realizing he froze up, the young elf quickly composed himself and nodded seriously.
"Indeed. Although it will be difficult, we can deal with a second-rank being. I'm one myself in the first place, however, as a ranger, I cannot deal with such a powerful monster without someone in the frontline." Elijah confirmed his earlier statement.
Aurora merely nodded in response. Actually, it was completely natural that this hunting squad should be able to deal with second-rank monsters. If anything, they should be able to do so easily.
Around twenty basically peak-level rank 1 beings and one rank 2 individual should be able to overpower just about any low-level second rank. Still, Aurora couldn't be so sure. She wasn't entirely sure about the strength of this party.
One thing Aurora came to learn during this short trip was that the elves appeared to be weaker than the beasts at their level. With their levels tied, a rank 1 elf should easily be able to take care of a rank 1 monster or a magical beast. The elves not only had the advantage of being intelligent; they also had equipment. Yet, from what she observed, the elves always needed to fight two against one to defeat a beast equal to them.
It was strange. It simply didn't make sense, and that's what intrigued Aurora. If they had the advantage of logical thinking as well as stat-granting gear, why was it so difficult for them to fight such monsters alone?
Be that as it may, Aurora had no time to figure such things out currently. If anything, she should fully focus on the battle ahead, a battle in which she would fight a second-rank beast on her own.
In total, this would be her third fight against a rank 2 being. However, it could be called the first true fight. Aurelius could have killed her any moment he wanted, and she only won in the end thanks to the power of a mysterious flame. As with that human, he could also have killed her countless times, but he was merely playing around, which became his undoing in the end.
To say that this fight would be her first real fight against a being in the second rank of power wouldn't be incorrect at all.
"Elijah, you and your elves should team up with Rejoke to take care of one of the two beasts. You should be able to do that, no?" Elise asked in Aurora's stead with a completely calm tone.
"This, Lady Aurora, are yo-" Just as Elijah was about to say something, Elise's eyes went wide, and she quickly cut him off.
"Wait a second!" It was only now that she realized what the words she meant.
"Lady Aurora, you want to fight against a second-rank beast alone!? No, I won't allow that! That is a suicide no matter how you look at it!" The elven girl exclaimed, and from her anxious tone as well as the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, it wasn't hard to guess how she felt.
She was worried. Yes, she knew Aurora was strong. Yes, she knew that she could easily fight anything in the first rank. However, there was no way she would let the fox fight a second-rank beast! There were limits to what a single person could do, and one of those limits is fighting those ranked above you.
The difference in levels was very important. Levels were the main source of stats, at the very least in the early stages of evolution. So fighting against those above your level could already be considered a monumental feat. However, fighting someone who's one or even more ranks above you is a no-go.
Overcoming the difference between ranks is something incredibly difficult to do. Even her mother, the most powerful being she knows, was only able to overcome such a trial with an incredibly powerful gift given to her by her parents.
"Sister, calm down." Eliah walked forward, reaching out with his hand to touch his sister's shoulder.
"No!" However, Elise merely shook her whole body, shaking off her brother's hand.
"No!" She repeated again, her expression turning from sad and anxious to angry.
"I won't allow you to throw your life away, Lady Aurora! I know you are strong, but you cannot fight against a rank 2 beast; that is simply impossible!" The elven princess turned from her brother to Aurora, glaring angrily at the fox.
The glare stunned Aurora for a brief second. She had never seen Elise make such a fierce, clearly furious expression. What she had seen the most of were the girls gentle and kind smiles. She didn't even think Elise could make such an expression.
"Heh, look at her, being all worried about you. Yet, she has no idea you planned to fight a rank 2 from the start." Yuki merely chuckled, feeling even more amused now.
It was true, Aurora's goal for this trip was to fight a second-rank beast to test her strength. Yes, she treated a rank 2 being as a test dummy, a very dangerous test dummy. She didn't even really care about the levels or the loot she would obtain. Those things would be a nice bonus, but the main thing she wanted to see was her progress.
'Elijah is a second-rank individual as well, yet his aura doesn't pressure me at all. He is obviously suppressing it, but he's still nothing compared to Aurelius. Does that mean I can fight early second-ranks easily? Hell no! The elves must be somehow weaker than the beasts or something; otherwise, there is no way this is the pressure a normal rank 2 gives off.' Aurora shook her head internally, her eyes falling on the fuming elven princess.
"Elise, I appreciate the concern, and I'm glad you are worried about me; however, you are underestimating me." She smiled slightly, trying to reassure the girl. However, Elise wasn't having any of that.
"I won't allow you to fight a second-rank beast alone. I simply won't! If you want to fight it, you have to let me help you!" Elise proclaimed, doing her best to sound firm. Though, she wasn't too successful in that. If anything, she looked cute in Aurora's eyes.
"Help me? And how do you plan to do that?" Aurora raised an eyebrow, finding Elise's statement quite intriguing.
Elise was an evolved being; Aurora knew that. But unlike her brother, Elise was still just in the first rank and was much weaker than Aurora. So, how exactly was she planning to help her?
"I might not be as strong as my brother, but I can be of much better help than him! My affinity for magic is even higher than that of a regular elf, but my main power comes from my support skills." Elise promptly explained.
'Support skills?' Aurora thought, wondering what she might be referring to.
"Support skill, or the so-called support magic, is an archetype of magic. Any magic without actual damaging or self-strengthening effects, but with those focused on boosting others, is considered to be support magic." Yuki chimed in, her previous amusement nowhere to be found. If anything, she sounded quite serious.
"Sister, this elf named Elise, we need her. If she's good with support magic, she'll become a very valuable asset, not to mention her special eyes. If we can awaken their true power... I don't even want to think of the strength we'll be able to obtain that way." Although her words weren't nice at all, as she was referring to Elise as if she were an object, Yuki was right.
Elise would really be a huge help in the future, considering how special she is. An elf supported is already extremely valuable, but if you throw Elise's special bloodline into the mix, her value would skyrocket beyond the sky.
"Alright, I'll let you provide support, but don't get in the way, got it?" Aurora said through the connection, her voice serious, slightly cold even.
"Y-yes!" Elise responded, and although she stuttered a little, her gaze was filled with determination.
After that, the team quickly went through the plan and wasted no more time. It was time for the hunt to begin.