After joining Ciel halfway, Mystic followed her in silence as they headed northeast.
The two barely spoke to each other despite being side by side.
However, Devon seemed to have become the center of Ciel's attention which glimpses at him every ten seconds.
Although not concerned by her actions, Devon was starting to get tired of her and the way she was peeking at him.
'So she's an Elementalist? I read that they're different from summoners. Now that I'm in the presence of one, I now understand why.' He thought to himself, his eyes focused on Ciel's left shoulder.
'That pixie on her shoulder is probably one of the so-called spirits the texts speak of.' Unlike Mystic, Devon could discern Sylph on Ciel's shoulder.
For now, he didn't know yet that spirits weren't supposed to be perceptible to beasts and summoners.
'System, let me Peek at...that thing's stats.'
[Contracted Wind spirit.]
[Sylph: (Low rank-spirit.]
[Lifespan: --]
[Combat power: --]
[Innate talent: Wind blessing.]
[Skills: Wind Shield - Wind shoot - wind speed - Wind whips - Wind bind.]
Seeing this information, Devon's eyes shine slightly in surprise.
But before he asks questions like why that creature had no lifespan or combat power, the system provides him with additional information.
[Note that spirits are not creatures of this dimension, for them to interact with the laws of this world, they must make contracts with Elementalists.]
'...You mean, they are immortal?'
[Not really, but you have not yet reached the level required to transcend the laws of this world.]
'I don't understand any of your gibberish.'
[They draw on the energy of their contractors to cast spells. The more spiritual energy an Elementalist possesses, the more powerful their spirits are.]
After this summary, Devon finally had an idea that was close to realism.
'In simple terms, to kill these spirits, you have to first kill their hosts who serve as a point of connection for them, right?'
[To send them back to their worlds, yes. But you are not strong enough to kill a spirit, you are still unable to interact with the laws of this world.]
'Heh, even though I know I'm weak, hearing this guy remind me constantly is getting annoying.' After that dry sarcasm, he didn't question his system anymore.
'To sum it up, I'm too weak to kill a spirit that is there without being there at the same time.
Since they are bound by their hosts, I can only send them back to their dimensions by killing their hosts who serve as a bridge between our two worlds.' He then concluded.
With the unpleasant experience of his former life, Devon knew that the worst enemies were not beasts, but humans.
Because of their great unpredictability, the last thing he wanted to do in this new life was to sympathize with them.
On the other hand, he couldn't proclaim himself the enemy of men, especially with such pitiful strength as his.
'If this girl betrays us one day, or if another Elementalist shows up on our path as an enemy, I must be ready to face her, for our sake of survival.' He said to himself, his eyes fixed on his goal.
By the way, he also analyzed Ciel's strength.
-Ciel-
[Elementalist (1st order)]
[Lifespan: 20/154years]
[Combat power: 975.]
...
'She is stronger than Noha, but Mystic seems stronger than her, at least, when comparing their combat powers.
It's frustrating, I still can't see the spiritual powers and body strength of the others.
So, I don't know at what level this girl's spiritual power is.' Although frustrated by this, Devon could do nothing but settle for this incomplete information.
It was that or nothing.
On the other hand, Ciel was growing more and more nervous as she met Devon's eyes every time she looked back.
Currently, anyone who hadn't seen Devon's initial form would not be able to guess his identity as an undead.
His skeletal mask and full hooded cloak made him look like a completely different, horrifying creature that came out from hell.
'Never, not even in my wildest thoughts, would I have guessed that this girl had tamed a Nightwalker. A kind of monster known for its destructive power. The members of this cursed clan should not be underestimated.'
For some reason, Ciel had come to an even crazier conclusion about Devon's nature.
Although Devon's current appearance was different from those of these legendary monsters, someone who hadn't seen a Nightwalker would immediately mistake him for that species.
Just like Devon, Nightwalkers are described in the texts as creatures with two long bony horns upward, a face made of bone, and a body entirely black as a moonless night.
Not to mention Devon's titanic size which further sowed seeds of confusion in the minds of ignorant people like Ciel.
Regardless, the two were not talkative but more importantly, not close enough to talk about such primordial things.
After a few minutes, Ciel stops abruptly while raising her hand, a signal that wants Mystic to stop as well.
"A problem?" Mystic asks briefly.
"There's something strange. We've been in the boars' territory for over three minutes, but we haven't encountered any iron-tusked boars around here."
Hearing her words, Mystic also found the situation fishy.
Even if she didn't know that this area was the boars' territory, the fact that they didn't encounter any beasts on their roads was something unusual, even too good to be natural.
'Now that she's calmed down, she's showing quite a great analytical capacity for someone who was hooting like crazy.' Mystic mumbled.
It was her way of praising her teammate.
"What do we do?"
"We continue, but with caution and speed. Valtus may have attracted all the surrounding beasts to him. If that is the case, it will be difficult for him to survive against a whole horde of beasts."
After saying what she had to say, she sped up more than before.
But Mystic and Devon had no trouble following her despite her using the elemental power of the wind to lighten her weight to gain mobility.
With this momentum, the small group of three people did not run more than two minutes before they arrived at what seemed to be a slaughterhouse.
All around them, traces of fighting were visible on the ground deformed by impact craters, butchered or poisoned corpses of wild boars, and collapsed trees.
That scene was not comforting for Ciel.
"Damn! That idiot kept doing what he wanted!" She growled while boosting her speed by channeling more drafts under her heels.
"That's what I feared, there are traces of another beast that don't belong in this region." With a careful glance, Mystic came to the same conclusion as Ciel.
Devon who could interpret her different expressions like an open book, frowns as he reads the worry on her face.
"[another beast?]"
While chasing Ciel at a leisurely pace, Mystic nods. "Yes, a reptile I bet. I see traces of crawling everywhere. Some trees collapsed because of the weight of that guest who entered the boars' territory."
"[...Impressive, I don't see any of that here.]"
She looks back at Devon before answering.
"That's because you don't have enough experience in that field yet. Tracking is one of the talents my clan has acquired over the years."
After that, she focuses on the surroundings.
'I can already hear the sounds of fighting and the growls of the wild boars. There are at least dozens of them... no, I'd say fifty at least!
Tsk, if the captain doesn't help us, we'll run to our doom, that's for sure!' She says with a pale face.
All these were clues for Devon.
The latter also speeds up to stand near back Mystic so that she is in the middle, using Ciel as an outpost guard.
After half a second, the three of them saw the battlefield.
In front of them, just fifty meters away, the two-headed snake that had taken Valtus as its prey was surrounded by a horde of wild boars whose number exceeded fifty!
Even though they were still far away, they could feel the suffocating pressure emanating from the aura of the two-headed snake and the giant wild boar that was facing it.
From this simple observation, Mystic and Ciel understood that their enemies were of a higher level than all the beasts they had encountered so far.
Unlike the other medium-sized wild boars, ranging from one hundred to four hundred centimeters, there were among them five king-ranked wild boars that were one meter in size!
These would be impressive if they were not accompanied by an even more gigantic one!
With an imposing size of two meters, and two long tusks ready to pierce anything, not to mention its thorny fur, everything about it seems unrealistic in the eyes of Devon and his companions.
'I knew this world would surprise me, but to see a boar as massive as a rhinoceros, it's unheard of.' He couldn't help but be amazed by such a spectacular sight.
The most surprising thing was to see that the boar, just like the two-headed snake, was surrounded by a bluish aura!
"A-An emperor-rank beast!?" Ciel also exclaims in disbelief as her face turns pale white.
As impulsive as she is, she didn't dare to charge into the crowd when she saw these two abominations standing in her way.
'Emperor-rank, huh?' Devon mumbles in his corner while being unable to look away.
Furthermore, Mystic's sharp eyes trembled slightly in shock when she noticed a familiar silhouette just behind the two-headed serpent.
"Bad news, Valtus is right behind them," Mystic announced in a deep voice.
-!
Her revelation startled Ciel whose eyes scanned the surroundings in search of Valtus.
In half a second, her breath suddenly slowed down when her eyes landed on Valtus' bloody body under a collapsed tree.
Even though they were far away from Valtus, each of them could see the deplorable state he was in.
'Is he dead? He doesn't move at all, and his breathing seems imperceptible.' Mystic frowned as she squinted her eyes to increase her vision.
Unlike her who seemed indifferent to Valtus' fate, Ciel had become more unsettled.
"Holy shit!" She cursed before trying to run to his aid under the impulse of her emotions.
Reacting in time, Mystic was able to avoid the worst by grabbing her wrist. "Stop! You'll just get slaughtered if you go!"
Her voice was deep enough to wake Ciel up.
However, the latter had still not calmed down yet. "I know! But are we going to watch him die like this!?"
Listening to her, Mystic couldn't tell if she was certain or just too fearful to face reality.
'Despite my good eyesight, I can't tell if that guy is still among us.' She wonders without letting go of Ciel's wrist.
As doubt began to creep up on her, Devon placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to focus on him.
"[He's still alive, but not for long.]"
'...Alive? How is that possible?' Despite this question, she decided to give Devon her trust.
However, one major problem still existed.
'We're no match for such a horde of beasts. But I doubt she'll listen to me if I suggest we wait for Captain William to arrive. What should we do?'
"[I can create a diversion while you both sneak up from behind to rescue this guy.]"
"What, you idiot! That's out of the question!"