Volume 1, Chapter 17 – The True Level of the Manticore

Two carriages raced along the mountain road.

When it came to demonstrating magic, Yisi had no intention of engaging in a one-on-one duel with the Holy Knight Commander. That would be far too predictable, and it wouldn’t allow her to showcase all her spells. Thus, under the pretext of reusing the magic that had devastated the forest, Yisi set off with the Holy Knight Commander toward the drastically altered Niru Forest.

However, a minor incident occurred along the way. Perhaps due to being tipped off by informants, just as Yisi boarded the carriage, Vice High Priest Owen suddenly appeared at the doorstep of the mansion. After failing to persuade the Holy Knight Commander, he had no choice but to accompany Yisi to Niru Forest.

“Lady Pescia, please don’t be angered by the Holy Knight Commander’s recklessness. The radicals in the Church have always been like this. If you’re willing to stand down, once the Archbishop returns, he will surely curb the radicals’ influence, and the Niru Diocese can soon establish a peace treaty with the Pescia Territory of the Vampires.”

Owen, sitting across from Yisi, offered a bitter smile. He knew his words were unlikely to sway her.

Sure enough, Yisi, swaying left and right from the carriage’s jolting, merely glanced at Owen. Since the Holy Knight Commander was in the carriage behind them, she didn’t need to weigh her words too carefully.

“Words once spoken cannot be taken back. Or can they?”

“W-Well… but if the Holy Knight Commander is injured, the neutral adjudication council will immediately side with the radicals. At that point, even if the High Priest and I plead on your behalf, it would be difficult to change the course of events.”

“My mind is made up, Owen. There’s no need to persuade me further. If I don’t show my true strength, the vampires I represent will be looked down upon.”

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Raising her palm toward Owen, Yisi signaled for him to stop talking. Little did Owen know, the real reason Yisi ended the conversation so abruptly was simply because the carriage’s violent shaking was making her nauseous.

I probably won’t even be able to sleep properly tonight…

Yisi couldn’t help but shift her attention to her lower back. During her travels in the past, she had experienced horseback riding, and the next day, she had suffered from indescribable soreness. The current jolting was no different from riding a horse.

Hopefully, magic can fix this.

Suppressing a sigh, Yisi turned her gaze to Camilla, seated to her left. Since Owen was still in the carriage, Camilla wasn’t as vacant-eyed as she had been the night before. Instead, she was fully playing the role of an adoring little sister, wholly devoted to the eldest daughter of the Count.

Had last night’s impression not been so vivid, Yisi might have thought it was all just a dream.

At this thought, Yisi suddenly remembered something and decided to probe Owen with a question.

“Is there a monster called a manticore in Niru Forest?”

In this world, monsters were referred to as “magical beasts.” Unlike livestock such as cows and sheep, magical beasts generally possessed magical power, and some even evolved considerable intelligence.

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Surprised that the Count’s daughter would initiate a question, Owen’s perpetually smiling face flickered with astonishment before settling back into his kindly demeanor.

“These creatures only appear in the human world. Did you encounter one yesterday, Lady Pescia?”

“That’s right. But as you can see, it turned to ashes under my magic.”

Considering that the manticore might be a deity worshipped by humans, Yisi deliberately adopted a cold tone, forcing Owen to weigh his words carefully even if he was angered.

“You actually defeated it?” Owen exhaled as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “That’s wonderful.”

So it’s not considered a god? But that was an 800+ level monster. Even a lunatic wouldn’t build a town near such an overpowered creature.

“…Do you know how strong a manticore is, Owen?”

“A high-tier Orichalcum-level magical beast. Even the Holy Knight Commander would struggle to defeat one in a one-on-one fight.”

Orichalcum-level?

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Yisi blinked. The memories left by the Count’s daughter contained no explanation of what “Orichalcum-level” meant.

Seemingly sensing Yisi’s confusion, Camilla, sitting beside her, wrapped her arms around Yisi’s left arm in an intimate gesture, coming to her rescue.

“Orichalcum-level represents the upper echelons of adventurers. To earn the Orichalcum rank, one must either complete numerous high-difficulty quests or reach level 30. Adventurers are categorized into Wood, Iron, Mithril, Orichalcum, and Crimson Gold ranks, generally corresponding to levels 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, and 40+, respectively. However, adventurers are merely lowly creatures who work for money. As a noble pureblood, my lady need not concern herself with such things.”

That’s a huge help.

Yisi sent silent gratitude to Camilla. It seemed her words last night hadn’t been lies.

Since Orichalcum was surpassed by Crimson Gold, the manticore she had encountered must have been between levels 31 and 40. But the discrepancy was too vast, forcing Yisi to confirm again.

“So, a manticore is a monster above level 30, correct?”

“That’s true for adult manticores. Most young manticores are below level 10.”

Owen quickly added.

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Yisi had the sudden urge to facepalm. If only he’d said the manticore was level 30 earlier, I wouldn’t have panicked so much back then.

Now that I think about it… if it had really been an 800-level monster, I’d have been dead the moment it saw me. There wouldn’t have been any chance to resist.

She shook her head. Though she didn’t understand why an 800-level manticore had become a level 30 monster, it was undoubtedly good news for her. Being reborn in a world without overwhelming dangers was nothing short of divine mercy.

Speaking of which… Do gods actually exist?

Glancing at the golden cross on Owen’s priestly hat, Yisi held back the question. Asking a clergyman whether gods existed was beyond foolish—the only possible answer was “yes.”

I’ll just ask Camilla in detail after we return to the mansion.

The soft sensation of Camilla’s chest pressing against her arm made Yisi slightly flustered, even though she knew it was padded. The faint fragrance emanating from Camilla only added to the temptation, as if luring her toward sin.

For the first time, Yisi understood why the Count’s daughter’s memories were filled with violent thoughts of defilement and domination whenever Camilla was mentioned.

Perhaps anyone would feel the same. Camilla herself is the incarnation of a siren—one that lures people into the abyss.