Chapter 283

Chapter 283: Chapter 283

"That was incredible, Lefiya."

Jeanne praised her sincerely.

"That level of power... it’s very impressive."

"Hahaha, of course!"

Tiona swung her enormous double-bladed weapon and cleaved a Venom Scorpion in half, looking immensely proud.

"She’s a total Magic idiot, you know! Even back at Level 3, she could already put out firepower on the level of a Level 5!"

"Hehehe, not really."

Lefiya scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

"It’s mostly because everyone protected me so well... especially Jeanne-san. That let me concentrate completely on my chant."

For reasons Lefiya could not quite explain, the longer she stayed near Jeanne, the calmer her mind became. Even the speed and effectiveness of her chanting seemed to improve noticeably.

And it was not only her.

Tiona, Tione, and even Ais seemed to work together far more smoothly under Jeanne’s command.

Instead of getting in one another’s way, their combined combat power had actually risen substantially.

Naturally, Lefiya had no idea that Jeanne possessed Charisma, a Skill representing an innate talent for commanding armies.

When Jeanne had once raised her banner and charged onto the battlefield, she could drive the morale of her soldiers to its absolute limit and bind an entire army together as one.

Given that, the reaction of the girls around her was hardly surprising.

"You’re very talented, so... have a little more confidence in yourself."

Jeanne smiled encouragingly.

"Yes!"

Lefiya answered so loudly that her heart practically seemed ready to leap out of her chest.

"Another monster wave is coming. Prepare your Magic."

Jeanne’s tone immediately became serious as she pointed toward a relatively empty area behind them.

"Five seconds from now, bombard that area."

"Yes!"

There were no monsters there yet, but Lefiya chose to trust Jeanne’s judgment without hesitation and began preparing her chant.

"Tsk, tsk..."

Not far away, Kiriya watched everything with open amusement.

’Jeanne is... winning over all the girls too?’

If affection could be measured numerically, Lefiya’s opinion of Jeanne was probably rising like a rocket right now.

"Well, what can you do? It’s Jeanne."

Kiriya sounded rather proud.

"Who wouldn’t like her?"

Then he threw himself back into the fighting.

"Fusillade Fallarica!"

"Luminous Wind!"

"Compound Ninja Art: Flame Wind Wild Wave!"

Under the successive bombardment of spells and ninjutsu, the remaining monsters were finally wiped out.

"Ahh, that felt great!"

Tiona rested her enormous double-bladed weapon across her shoulder, her pretty face filled with satisfaction.

Tione looked equally pleased, her eyes almost curving into crescents, but as the older sister, she was still somewhat more composed and remembered their real objective.

"Collect the materials and magic stones. We need to hurry and get the Cadmus Spring."

"Mm."

Nobody objected.

They quickly collected the dropped materials and handed everything to Lefiya for safekeeping, intending to divide it properly afterward.

Then they followed the Hiryute sisters toward the location of the Cadmus Spring.

"Lefiya, are you all right carrying all of that? Do you want me to take some?"

Jeanne asked with concern.

"Thank you, but I’m fine."

Being fussed over by Jeanne clearly made Lefiya happy, but she still shook her head.

"My combat ability isn’t very strong, and everyone already has to protect me a lot. Doing some of the supporter work is just my way of giving something back."

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Jeanne did not insist.

Eventually, the group arrived at a relatively narrow cavern.

At the far end, a dragon-shaped opening protruded from the wall, and clear spring water continuously flowed from its mouth into a pool below.

"So that’s the Cadmus Spring?"

Kiriya looked at it curiously, and Ryuu did the same.

"That’s right. It’s extremely valuable."

Tiona eagerly explained.

"As a material, it can be used to make all kinds of medicines, and it’s one of the most important ingredients the Dian Cecht Familia needs for producing top-grade elixirs. That’s why they often commission us to collect it."

"You helped us quite a bit getting here, so we’ll split the spring water fifty-fifty this time."

Tione made the offer without hesitation.

"Heh, then I won’t turn it down."

Kiriya had no reason to refuse.

He possessed healing Magic himself, but nobody complained about having more universal medicine available.

It would be useful to let Jeanne and Ryuu carry some for emergencies as well.

Lefiya took out a bottle and was about to walk toward the spring when Ais stopped her.

"Ais-san?"

The orange-haired elf looked at her in confusion.

"Careful. There’s a dragon."

There was a faint fluctuation in Ais’s usually flat voice, and Kiriya could even see an emotion on her normally expressionless face.

Hatred.

"That’s right. The Cadmus Dragon lives in there."

Tiona spread her hands like claws and deliberately tried to scare Lefiya.

"It’s a huge Level 6 monster!"

The effect was immediate.

Lefiya’s face went pale.

The thought that she had nearly walked straight into a dragon’s mouth made her heart pound violently.

"Just so we’re clear, we’re taking the Cadmus Dragon this time."

Kiriya held his sword in one hand and walked into the cavern.

Ryuu and Jeanne followed closely behind him.

"Mm."

Ais nodded.

They had already agreed beforehand, so she had no intention of stealing their prey.

Tap.

The moment Kiriya entered the cavern, he sensed an energy reaction directly above his head.

The vitality contained within it was vast and powerful, surpassing even Finn’s in sheer intensity.

’Seriously? You’re a Level 6 boss and you’re still hiding up there waiting to ambush people? Have some dignity.’

Kiriya complained inwardly, but nothing showed on his face as he continued casually toward the Cadmus Spring.

Jeanne had also detected the hidden dragon with her scouting abilities.

However, she wanted to lure it into making the first move, so she remained equally calm and merely exchanged a glance with Ryuu.

The Cadmus Dragon still did nothing even when they reached the spring.

The corner of Kiriya’s mouth curled upward.

He took out a bottle and casually reached toward the miraculous water.

That was the moment the monster moved.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the Cadmus Dragon broke through the sound barrier, leaving afterimages behind as it crossed the cavern.

Its claws, as formidable as first-class weapons, tore straight toward Kiriya’s head.

Clang!

Jeanne swung her battle standard, attempting to intercept the dragon by driving the sharp spearhead into it.

The Cadmus Dragon saw through the attack with ease.

One sweep of its wing knocked the flag aside, and the tremendous force traveled through the shaft into Jeanne’s arms, leaving them numb and forcing her several steps backward.

’What incredible strength.’

Jeanne was genuinely startled, but there was no time to dwell on it.

She tightened her grip on the battle standard and immediately rushed back into the fight.

Whoosh!

Ryuu had already been waiting for an opening from the side.

She swung her Stardust Sword directly toward the Cadmus Dragon’s neck.

The dragon’s eyes flashed with disdain at the explosive attack.

It violently twisted its neck and slammed its hardened skull directly into Ryuu’s blade.

The impact sent the blond elf flying.

Bang!

Ryuu crashed back-first into the solid rock wall, the force making her blood churn throughout her body.

Rather than discouraging her, however, the impact only ignited her fighting spirit.

She kicked against the wall and launched herself forward again like a meteor.

In moments, Jeanne and Ryuu were locked in a fierce battle with the Cadmus Dragon.

This particular dragon was a strength-enhanced variant. Its raw power was tremendous, but its defense and speed were equally outstanding.

More unusually, it possessed a certain degree of combat intelligence as well.

Even with Jeanne and Ryuu fighting together, neither woman could bring it down immediately.