"I don't think it's likely to be a wolf-type Magic Beast, as they usually live in packs. However, it's clear that this time, only one Magic Beast attacked the humans, and there were no signs of multiple beasts active," said Lis, speaking analytically. In his former life, he had hunted numerous wolf-type Magic Beasts and was intimately familiar with them, as they generally lived as a group in the wild and occupied a territory, seldom wandering about alone.
"Lis and Ailina make sense," Arsen agreed, then continued,
"Moreover, from the previous patterns, the Magic Beast this time seems to be of the Silver Level. If it were a Gold Level Magic Beast, the earlier encounter would not have resulted in only one mercenary's death."
After a brief discussion, Arsen spread out a simple map that the butler had brought over and pointed to an area to the east of the castle.
"This is the area where the previous attacks and the death of the Silver Level mercenary occurred, and each time it's always at night, so tonight we'll start with a simple patrol to see if we can spot any traces of this beast," he explained and gestured over the map,
"I will take responsibility for this area, Ya'er, you handle the other half."
Ya'er nodded consciously, knowing she just needed to follow the plans, and she didn't need special attention just because she was a young girl. If she really encountered that Magic Beast, the one that should be worried would be the beast itself.
"Ailina, you need to patrol further towards the vineyard area to see if you can find any traces of the Magic Beast," he instructed.
Ailina had no objections; exploring and tracking in the wild were things an Elf Ranger excelled at.
"Lunbos and Lis, you two stay in the castle. The safety of the residents in the castle and the town tonight is in your hands. Also, keep an eye out for the signal and provide timely support if you see it."
"Whoever encounters the Magic Beast should prioritize their own safety and immediately signal. Everyone else must respond immediately upon seeing the signal without delay."
After detailing everyone's tasks for the evening, Arsen thought it over but still felt slightly uneasy and emphasized again to Ya'er:
"Ya'er, don't chase after the Magic Beast if you encounter it; even if you are strong enough, getting lost at night could be very troublesome."
Ailina also glanced over. Visibly displeased, Ya'er quickly nodded earnestly again, looking sincere as if she was about ready to swear an oath to the God of Dawn.
It seems Ya'er has frequently been involved in outrageous antics before.
Lis thought amusingly, mentally taking notes. This could be juicy material for the future Valkyrie—definitely worth a fortune later.
The book could be titled "My Adventures with a Young Valkyrie!"
It would be a case of hanging a goat's head but selling dog meat.
"Lis, you too, it's your first time on a mission with us, so ensure to stay safe and stick with Lunbos throughout," Arsen advised after addressing Ya'er.
"Lunbos, you keep an eye on Lis too, given that he's a Mage!"
Arsen had just finished warning Ya'er, then he turned and began instructing Lis.
Lis nodded genuinely, suddenly feeling that Arsen really was not having it easy, acting practically as a full-time nanny for Ya'er Adventure Group!
And why did he need special attention? With the Warrior Professional Specialization Strength Attribute adjusted, his Life Value was not any less than that of his peers with the same level of warrior.
Plus, with a bunch of Magic Shields and Martial Arts effects, Lis felt he was now pretty tough.
But as of now, they still couldn't compare with Arsen and his ilk, who were at the silver level, especially since they were close combat professionals with attribute points heavily invested in strength and resilience.
Subsequently, Ya'er, Arsen, and Ailina, equipped themselves and headed towards the outskirts of the town under the night sky.
Lis, on the other hand, went to the highest part of the castle with Lunbos to easily observe the surroundings of the town, in order to be ready to receive signals and rush to the rescue.
The night grew deeper, a bright silvery moon hung in the western sky, and the town below fell into silent darkness, with only the occasional glimmers of firelight moving nearby, probably from Baron's guards diligently patrolling.
Lunbos and Lis stood on the castle's top at the lookout tower, quietly observing their surroundings.
With the keen eyesight of professionals, they could see everything around them clearly, even just by the dim moonlight.
There was a moment of silence between them before Lis broke it, saying,
"I heard that the wine from Baron Tony's Domain is quite famous in Bright City. After we deal with that magic beast, we should really enjoy ourselves."
Dressed in heavy armor, Lunbos thought for a moment and replied with a rough voice, "Let's not. I'm not used to wine, give me a stout ale instead."
That made sense. For dwarves, compared to wine, they naturally preferred large mugs of ale that they could drink heartily.
Afterward, Lis and Lunbos continued to keep an eye on their surroundings while chatting sporadically about everything from fine wines to gourmet food, from goblins to giant dragons... The two hit it off immediately, chatting about everything under the sun.
"Lis, you're not bad!" Lunbos clapped Lis on the shoulder and said,
"Besides that lad Arsen, you're the most unique noble I've met. I'll have a full suit of armor crafted for you at the dwarves' workshop in Bright City as a welcome gift. It'll be much better than what you're using now."
It seemed Lunbos had some connections with the dwarves' workshop in Bright City, which I remembered was called... Iron Hammer Workshop, true to the dwarfs' style.
But indeed, forging weapons and equipment was a strong suit of the dwarves, from ore mining, metal smelting, to equipment crafting – the dwarves had unique skills in all these areas. Dwarven-made weapons and equipment were particularly popular among other races, hence dwarf workshops were almost in every major city across the continent.
"Thanks a lot, big brother Lunbos. I'll call on you when I need it,"
Lis immediately responded politely, seeing a good opportunity and not wanting to miss out – one could always return the favor by gifting Lunbos some fine liquor later.
Lunbos waved it off, treating it lightly as it was no big deal for him. It would just take some of his drinking time. At worst, he could ask a few of his fellow dwarves to help out and treat them to a few drinks at the tavern, killing two birds with one stone.
As the two were chatting, a stream of light suddenly shot up into the sky from a mountain far on the eastern side of the castle, creating a conspicuous glow. This must have been a signal from someone in the adventure team.
"Work's here, let's go!" Lunbos said, picking up his war hammer and jumping right off the thirty-meter-high castle wall, landing steadily on the ground, causing dust to rise. The stout and resilient dwarf body easily absorbed the fierce impact.
Lis couldn't do that kind of stunt – with his current body strength, such a jump would leave him dead or with a broken bone.
But being a mage, there were always more solutions than problems.
Three-circle Magic "Flying Technique!"
Lis also floated gently down from the castle and quickly followed Lunbos towards the location from where the signal had been emitted.
Don't ask why he used his legs despite being able to fly; it was because the speed of the three-circle Magic "Flying Technique" was as slow as a normal person walking.
Until they mastered the six-circle Magic "Light and Agile Flying Skill," mages did not have the capability for aerial combat. Flying up only made them live targets, a blood-soaked lesson passed down by generations of mages.