Rise of the Eromancer

Chapter 308 Duck

"This is stupid, this is a stupid plan."

"Ho…? Did we really need to bring these other muppets with us? I can smell their balls sweating from all the way here — and believe me, if I could smell your fear, the monsters can too."

"Because it's a bad idea!"

"Ssh!"

As a matter of course, Olga did not really bring all the Nobles to infiltrate the Golden Tree — after all, if the worst-case scenario happened, they needed people to pull them out… or at least try their best to fend off the monsters that would want to once again roam around the country of Nihon.

And right now, their infiltration team consists of 7 people, 2 demi-humans, and a nymph.

Commander Olga, Ayesha, Rhys, Dr. Dhani, Rukawa, Sorokin, and Remy, a Noble from Frankia that has the ability to hide himself and others from the monsters. The only problem was, however, was that Remy was quite the nervous individual.

"I've… I've never tried to hide from these many monsters before," Remy's breaths stuttered as they just passed by a group of Wingless Gryphon… one of which was only just a foot away from him.

"Zeus… If you don't shut your trap, we won't need to hide soon," Ayesha's eyes twitched as she glanced at Remy, "Where did you even find this guy, Recruit?"

"Maria gave me information about all the Nobles who answered Nihon's call for help," Rhys also glanced at Remy, whose glowing red hair was slightly flickering due to his nerves, "He's useful, that's all we need to know about him."

"You run background check on us, Amerkan?" Sorokin let out a small grunt; his accent, a lot thicker than Olga's but still very much fluent.

"Yes," Rhys did not really hesitate to answer, "I'm sorry if you feel a little wronged with it."

"No, not at all," a smirk crawled on Sorokin's face, "I would have done the same if I was in your position. But these demi-humans of yours, I think they are more useful than the French — look at them instinctively avoiding areas with monsters."

The path to the Golden Tree was riddled with all sorts of obstacles — ranging from the thick groves and the roots of the colossal tree itself, to the monsters that were just resting everywhere. And instinctively, Edissa was able to avoid all of them — and Malenia was able to find them the best path as she actually had the ability to feel vibrations on the ground using her snake-like lower body.

And with Angela sitting on Edissa's shoulder, they were able to navigate easily as they headed toward the nymph who could supposedly be able to control the Verdant Python.

"I believe even if the French deactivates his skill, the monsters…

…they will not attack us at all."

"Sorokin!? Stay in formation!"" Olga's eyes widened as Sorokin just stepped out of their formation and approached a Giant Shadow Kameleon latched onto the walls of the giant root. And without even any hesitation at all, everyone watched as Sorokin placed his palm on the Kameleon's head and started caressing it.

Giant Shadow Kameleons are the size of a small truck — considered to be Threat Level 7 due to their ability to disappear into the darkness. They were nocturnal monsters that were capable of wiping out an entire city, and not be seen even once; their tongues that could extend up to 20 meters long could shoot out as fast as the speed of sound… and without making any noise at all.

They are solitary monsters, but right now, there are more than a dozen of them just resting on the roots. None of them, however, heeded Sorokin any mind at all.

"Being this close to them and not having to kill them…" Sorokin breathed out and smiled as he continued to caress the Kameleon's head, "...It truly gives you a different perspective, does it not?"

"Great, our Ace is having a mid-life crisis. Champ, time to go!" Ayesha just rolled her eyes and gestured to Sorokin to return. Sorokin, however, glanced at the monsters for a few more seconds before finally returning to the group.

And while everyone just shook their heads and continued with their trail, Rhys actually noticed Sorokin glancing from time to time at the body camera that was attached on Rukawa's chest. Rhys slightly slowed down his pace to walk beside Sorokin, glancing at him before nodding his head.

"I've heard about your engagement with Esme," Rhys then asked subtly with his head just facing forward, "I've read in her file that she actually likes animals and hates killing monsters if she doesn't need to."

"There is no engagement," Sorokin shook his head, "But yes, I have been courting her for years now. Unlike you, Wilder, we are not blessed with the face and charm of a god — we have to work if we want to marry a woman."

"That's…"

"Nothing to be ashamed of," Sorokin shook his head again, "The gods have given you this gift — it is no fault of your own for using it… even with the Commander."

Ayesha was the first to glance at Sorokin as she heard that, but then noticed him actually looking at Olga instead… whose eyes were incredibly wide and her face turning red.

"That's not–"

"There is no use denying it," Sorokin shook his head as his breaths turned heavy, "My room was beside the Commander's, and I heard everything. It was a temporary base, the walls are incredibly thin."

Olga's eyes turned even wider with those words — but as they were currently working right now, she ignored the urge to just run away there and then. Unfortunately for her, Ayesha wasn't going to let it go.

"Ho…" Ayesha started walking beside Olga. Olga tried hastening her pace to the point of almost catching up to Edissa and Malenia, but Ayesha just stuck close to her while letting out an obvious teasing chuckle, "...I was wondering what that familiar scent was that I was smelling from you, Commander Olga — so, it was the Recruit."

"That's not what—"

"It's obvious to everyone that you have something for him, Commander Olga," Ayesha smirked, "Only blind people wouldn't be able to see it. You've been looking at him like he's some fine meat…

…even before when you infiltrated Amerka."

"R…Rhys told you!?"

"Told me?" Ayesha raised an eyebrow, "You really think that I wouldn't notice you back then? You do know that I can smell people from a mile away, right?"

"That…" Olga could really only look away, "...This is not the right time to talk about this — let us focus on our mission."

"What else are we going to talk about while surrounded by monsters that could potentially jump on us at any given moment?" Ayesha let out a small snicker as she continued to tease Olga.

"These children…" As for Dr. Dhani who had just been keeping quiet since the start, the only thing he could really do was sigh and shake his head, "...The new generation sure is lax."

"The only new generation here is him," Rukawa, who was walking beside Dr. Dhani, subtly pointed his head at Rhys.

"Of course," Dr. Dhani scratched his gray stubble, "But out of everyone here, Mr. Hanamichi…

…even more so than the monsters surrounding us, the one you need to watch your back from the most is him."

"Watch… my back?" Rukawa squinted his already small eyes, "...Why do you think so?"

"Nothing at all," Dr. Dhani shrugged, "Just call it an old man's intuition."

"Are you saying that—"

"We're here."

Everyone's conversations came to a halt as Rhys raised his fist and moved ahead of the group, approaching Edissa and Malenia who also stopped moving when Aengela looked back at Rhys.

"Here…?" Remy looked around, and aside from the path being blocked by a giant wall of root, there was absolutely nothing there—even monsters were nowhere to be seen in the sudden glade, "There's… nothing here. Wait, you said… there's also this Orpheus dude, right? Shouldn't… we also be on the lookout for him?"

"Orpheus is inside the Golden Tree," Rhys then said as Aengela flew to his shoulder, "Aengela believes that all of this… is just to keep him from running away with Eurydice."

"I don't really get it," Remy started gesturing with his hand as he talked, "You said that this Eurydice is Orpheus's mon coeur — why can't they just let them be? Love, after all, should know no boundaries."

"Their so-called love is going to cost me my country," Rukawa grunted as he glared at Remy, "Our mission's clear. We find the nymph that controls these monsters and forces her to make them return to the Underworld — and if what Ms. Aengela is saying is true, then that means this Orpheus guy will surely show himself as soon as the Verdant Python is gone…

…we kill him then and secure the nymph and return her to her kind."

"But from what I heard, the nymph also wants to stay with the human," Dr. Raj placed his hand on his chin, "She might not want to return to her own kind at all."

"...Then we kill them both," Rhys breathed out as he looked at Aengela, "If Aengela could convince the other nymphs that Eurydice does not want to come back to them, then we will have that option. But first…

…I think we need to do something about that."

"What… the fuck is that?" Remy's eyes widened as a human emerged from the ground—no, not exactly.

It was shaped like a human, but it seemed more akin to an ant standing on two legs if anything. Its face, however, looked similar to that of a nymph's.

"...A Nymph's Nightmare," Rhys said as Aengela whispered to him,

"It protects a slumbering nymph that thinks it is vulnerable. And… I think Aengela is saying that it's a physical representation of their… powers?"

"What does that even—"

"Duck!" Rhys let out a roar as he just suddenly crouched, and when he did so, everyone else also pulled themselves down to the ground…

…except Remy.

"Huh…?"