Meli had always idolized Elsa, and Elsa's completion rate for tasks was extremely high. Subaru Natsuki's previous boasting led Meli to mistakenly believe that Elsa's failure this time was largely due to Subaru.
What Meli didn't expect, though, was that just when she was about to succeed, an unexpected individual appeared. Not only did this person see through her plan to attack Subaru but also recognized the danger hidden in the "little dog" she carried.
Since her identity had already been exposed, Meli dropped her innocent facade, her previously naive expression now replaced by a cold one.
As she blew her whistle, the surrounding forest around Arlam Village began to stir with large, looming shadows surrounding the entire village.
Meli Portlet, despite being only twelve years old, possessed a special "blessing." A miasma-like aura swirled around her, giving her the ability to control magical beasts. Though there were limits to both quality and quantity, if she was serious, commanding a hundred or so beasts wouldn't be an issue.
After Elsa's failure and escape, Meli had been hiding in this village, waiting for her opportunity.
Their mission was to prevent Emilia from reaching the royal capital to participate in the selection ceremony. Upon learning that this village was part of Roswaal's territory and that his mansion's people frequently came here for supplies, Meli devised a series of plans.
First, she tampered with the barrier surrounding the village, allowing magical beasts to enter, then she caused various disturbances to lure Emilia into checking the barrier, giving Meli a chance to eliminate her.
"Mother" was a terrifying figure. Elsa's previous failure had already set them back, and if Meli failed this time, both she and Elsa could be hunted down by their organization.
Although the silver-haired half-elf hadn't shown up as expected, she was still content with the arrival of Subaru, who had interfered with Elsa's mission.
To prevent her plan from being thwarted and to avenge Elsa, Meli decided to make Subaru the next victim.
However, before her plan could fully begin, it was already disrupted, leaving Meli in a foul mood.
As the shadows in the forest drew closer, Rem instantly transformed into her "Oni" form, a single horn protruding from her head, and she wielded her massive morning star.
"Meli, I advise you not to make a move on him. This guy is a real monster. The magical beasts you're controlling might not even count as toys in his eyes."
Seeing Meli preparing to unleash the magical beasts, Elsa finally stepped out of the shadows. After spending several days with Wood, Elsa had a better understanding of his character. Though he wasn't a pure villain, he was definitely no saint.
As long as no one provoked him, everything would be fine. But once someone set him off, Wood wouldn't care who his target was.
Meli's plan to slaughter the entire village had clearly hit a nerve with him.
So, to prevent Meli from being killed by Wood before she even understood the situation, Elsa had no choice but to step forward and explain.
"Elsa, I'm so glad you're okay! If we work together, we can still complete the mission. That way, we won't have to worry about 'Mother' hunting us down."
Meli didn't know who Wood was. When Subaru had told his tales of heroism, he hadn't mentioned Wood's presence to boost his own glory.
"Meli, I'm here to tell you something important: I'm planning to leave the organization. As your partner and someone who has known you for some time, I'm here to ask if you want to come with me."
At the sight of the Bowel Hunter, bad memories began flooding back into Subaru's mind.
While Subaru trusted in Wood's strength, he couldn't ignore the fact that Wood now seemed to be aligned with the Bowel Hunter and the young magical beast controller.
Facing this combined threat, Subaru's only ally was Rem, and with the village full of defenseless villagers, their situation was dire.
However, Meli was more shocked by Elsa's words than anything else.
"Elsa, are you crazy? You want to betray 'Mother'? You know what will happen to us if we do that—we'll both be killed! Is it because of the last mission's failure? It doesn't matter. If we kill everyone here and take out the silver-haired half-elf when she arrives, we can still complete the mission. Once we succeed, 'Mother' will forgive your previous mistake."
Hearing Elsa's decision to betray "Mother," Meli's face was filled with fear. It was clear that "Mother" was a fearsome figure, someone who had left a lasting impression of terror on both Elsa and Meli.
"At this point, I just don't want to be a meaningless assassin anymore. I want to live for a purpose. But as long as I remain in the organization, I'll never escape 'Mother's' control. So, to free myself, I need a power strong enough to crush her!"
During her time with Wood, Elsa felt as though she had been redeemed. She enjoyed the balance of being able to hunt without feeling the guilt and nightmares that had plagued her before.
But Meli thought Elsa's words were sheer nonsense. She believed Elsa must have been blackmailed or influenced by some sort of "blessing."
"So, this man beside you, he's your so-called new power? With his strength, you think he can defeat 'Mother' and free us from her control?"
Meli glanced at Wood with disdain. She had seen plenty of nobles like him. To her, Wood was nothing more than a pretty boy, even less threatening than Subaru.
As Meli raised her hand, the shadows surrounding the village revealed themselves, massive magical beasts emerging from the forest and charging toward Wood.
In a remote border town like this, any dangerous magical beasts would have long been taken care of by Roswaal. The remaining ones, while threatening to ordinary people, weren't much of a challenge for anyone with a bit of strength.
For someone like Wood, or even Elsa or Rem, these magical beasts were no more than fodder.
Still, when magical beasts reached a certain number, their sheer presence could be intimidating.
Rem stood ready with her morning star, guarding Subaru and the village children, while Elsa prepared to help Wood fend off the beasts. But Wood raised his hand, stopping her.
"A power to control magical beasts? Not bad, she's got potential. But I'll handle this. After all, if I'm going to take someone under my wing, I need to show them that I'm strong enough to be their leader."
The magical beasts Meli controlled were mostly animalistic in nature. One of the wolves, the fastest of the group, reached Wood first, its jaws wide open, ready to bite off his head.
However, just as the wolf was about to strike, it locked eyes with Wood, and an overwhelming sense of fear washed over it, causing its fur to stand on end.
Magical beasts weren't as intelligent as humans, but their instincts for danger far surpassed that of humans.
Due to Meli's power, the beasts obeyed her commands, but their primal instincts still screamed at them to avoid Wood.
As the massive wolf closed in, it already sensed the lethal danger emanating from Wood.
"Your instincts as a living creature are good, but it's too late now."
Wood didn't use any magic or swordsmanship. He simply threw a punch—seemingly ordinary.
Boom!
A shockwave blasted from Wood's fist, carving a deep trench into the ground. The giant wolf was sent flying at supersonic speed, crashing into a tree and turning into an unrecognizable mass of flesh.
Meli was dumbfounded. That wolf had been the strongest of the beasts she controlled, and despite the size difference between it and Wood, Wood had sent it flying with one punch.
"Hmph, so what if you're a top-tier fighter? I have more beasts! I'll wear you down with numbers!"
Though Meli was shocked by Wood's strength, she quickly regained her composure. No matter how strong he was, there were many more beasts in the forest.
As long as she kept sending waves of beasts, Wood would eventually tire out. That was her strategy.
Meli then climbed onto a flying beast, hovering high above the battlefield with her strongest beasts protecting her.
Her plan was clear—overwhelm Wood with sheer numbers, wearing him down bit by bit.
However, this strategy had a major flaw. As a beast tamer, Meli herself was weak. Based on Wood's earlier punch, Meli assumed he was a skilled martial artist.
As long as she kept her distance, no matter how strong he was, eventually, he would fall to the horde of beasts.
Hovering in the air, Meli believed she had gained the upper hand. After all, martial artists couldn't attack from a distance or fly, so there was no way for Wood to reach her.
"You're right. Individually, these beasts are easy to deal with, but their numbers are annoying. I could use powerful area-of-effect magic to kill them all like spraying insecticide. But this is a village, and magic doesn't distinguish between friend or foe. It's not suitable here."
"Which leaves me with only one option—something that can wipe out the beasts without harming anyone else. But it might make everyone here a little sleepy."
At first, Subaru and the others didn't understand what Wood meant.
But the next moment, a powerful, invisible aura exploded from Wood, radiating outwards and enveloping the entire area. Subaru and the others immediately felt a wave of dizziness hit their heads.
Thud, thud, thud!
As the first beast collapsed, the others soon followed, dropping like wheat before a scythe, unconscious.
Not only the beasts but even Subaru, the villagers, and the livestock fell unconscious, as if they had been struck down by an unseen force.
The entire village, from the ordinary residents to the hundreds of magical beasts under Meli's control, had all collapsed, lifeless.
The only ones still standing were Wood, Elsa, and Rem.
Even Elsa and Rem, both seasoned fighters, had felt the intense dizziness when Wood unleashed that strange aura. When they finally regained their senses, they realized that only the three of them remained standing.
"What the hell did you just do…"
Meli crawled out from under her bird-like beast, staring at Wood in terror.
"Interesting. Even though I didn't use my full strength, you managed to stay conscious under my Conqueror's Haki. Your mental fortitude is impressive for someone so physically weak."
Elsa and Rem had remained conscious due to their strength, but Meli, despite being physically weak, had resisted the effects of Wood's Conqueror's Haki, which intrigued him.
However, while Meli had withstood the mental assault, her bird-like beast had not. As it fell from the sky, Meli's frail body had been severely injured, leaving her with a broken leg from the fall.
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Don't forget to give Power Stone
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