25-156

EP.156 [The Schemes of the Brocon Little Sister, Elizabeth] 

"Dr-Drake????" 

When Victoria mentioned the drake, Thomas’s eyes widened in shock. As someone with encyclopedic knowledge, he was also well-versed in monsters. 

"Huh? Do you know about drakes, Thomas?" 

Marie, on the other hand, didn’t know what a drake was. Curious about Thomas’s reaction, she asked. 

"It’s literally a top-tier monster, Marie. To give you an idea, a top-tier monster is a disaster on the scale of a major city." 

"A major city, Thomas???" 

Thomas explained the danger of a drake in simple terms. The level distinctions between awakened individuals and monsters are very different. For example, a top-tier monster isn’t something a single top-tier awakened person can handle; it takes several working together. Marie, not used to monster classifications, was shocked to learn that a top-tier monster could destroy a city. 

‘Drake… I’ve seen it in bestiaries a few times. It always felt like a fantasy monster. And now one’s actually been spotted?’ 

Eugene Schneider’s eyes also widened a little. As the Red Fox Mercenary Band’s representative, he had to keep his composure, but a drake was definitely a monster on another level. 

"Hmm... A drake, huh? That’s interesting." 

Only one person, the elf Priscilla, reacted with curiosity rather than surprise. 

"As you said earlier, you have some evidence you can show us, right?" 

Priscilla immediately asked Victoria to show the evidence the Imperial Knights had gathered about the drake. Priscilla loved traveling, especially to places where she could experience the wonders of nature and the unique aspects of another world. The drake, a top-tier monster thought extinct for centuries, was enough to excite her elven instincts. 

"Farnese? Please show the Red Fox Mercenary Band the hologram stone." 

Victoria instructed her deputy, Farnese, to display the hologram stone. The magic hologram stone is an alchemical device that projects a “memorial view” spell cast by wizards. 

Ssshhhh... 

Following Victoria’s order, Farnese placed the hologram stone in the center of the table. It emitted a blue mana glow, then began projecting a stored holographic image. 

"The location is the Enclema Cliffs in the western desert." 

As the scene appeared, Victoria specified where the drake was believed to have appeared. The special drake quest she was now assigning to the Red Fox Band was the same mysterious drake quest Antoine had previously given her. Following Antoine’s orders, Victoria had focused on confirming the drake’s existence at the Enclema Cliffs rather than Tyrannos. After a month of investigation, she’d gathered enough evidence to form a special quest team. 

"Ooooh...!" 

A small theater-like hologram appeared above the table. Eugene, usually poker-faced, couldn’t help but show some awe at the sight. 

"As you can see, we discovered drake footprints and tail marks left while climbing the cliff at Enclema." 

Huge cliffside traces believed to be from a drake were visible. Victoria used the hologram stone’s features to zoom in on the tracks and tail marks for the Red Fox Band. 

"Wow...! Amazing! It’s like that massive cliff is right in front of me!" 

"Is that really real???" 

Marie and Thomas were awestruck. Eugene, having seen hologram stones often at the ducal house, was less surprised, but for Thomas and especially Marie, it was a spectacular show. 

"What do you think, Priscilla? Do you think those are really drake traces?" 

Eugene, arms folded, asked Priscilla, who was watching the hologram with a calm expression. 

"I’ve never seen a drake myself. But my mother and father have. They told me how drakes move and what kind of traces they leave." 

Priscilla answered, deeply focused. 

"Drakes use their tails a lot when climbing cliffs, so they leave marks like that. Comparing the size of the footprints and tail marks, it matches a drake’s body. I’d say there’s a 99% chance that’s a drake." 

Drakes are often confused with dragons, but unlike dragons, they have no wings and can’t truly fly. However, as top-tier monsters, they have powerful mana abilities and can glide short distances. They often climb cliffs for mana gliding, and Priscilla thought the traces in the hologram matched what she’d learned from her parents, including detailed drawings. 

"And if I’m right, with traces like that, there should be some drake scales nearby. No matter how tough their scales are, some should have come off." 

Priscilla, showing off her knowledge, mentioned drake scales. She implied that if the Imperial Knights had taken the hologram, they likely found scales as well. 

"That’s correct, Priscilla." 

Victoria smiled, satisfied. Even though elves are known for their knowledge, there’s no guarantee it’s always accurate. But Priscilla’s confident deduction about the scales boosted her credibility. 

"Vincent? Please bring out the drake scale container." 

Indeed, the Imperial Knights had a drake scale. 

"Ooooh...! So this is a drake scale!" 

The scale was about the size of an adult man’s palm, looking somewhere between metal and gemstone. Thomas was amazed. 

"This is definitely from a mature drake. And the dark gray color means it’s a female. For the record, female drakes are even stronger." 

Priscilla, examining the scale, continued to show off her expertise. In the end, Priscilla confirmed that the monster at Enclema Cliffs was indeed a top-tier drake that had vanished centuries ago. 

"Priscilla, you were amazing today. Thanks to you, we could hold our heads high even in front of the Imperial Knights." 

After the first meeting, the Red Fox Mercenary Band had dinner in the guest room Eugene and Thomas shared. They reviewed the events of the meeting, and Eugene lavished praise on Priscilla, who had carried the discussion. 

"Oh, it was nothing. That’s just basic knowledge for an elf." 

Priscilla replied, looking at the vegetable dishes before her. 

"I was really surprised too! I thought you were just a travel-loving elf, but you know so much about monsters!" 

"And what did you think I was until now, Marie?" 

Marie’s eyes sparkled as she praised Priscilla, who had been so professional and impressive when explaining the drake. 

"But Priscilla, can we really fight a top-tier monster like a drake with our current strength?" 

Eugene, assuming the drake quest would be confirmed, asked. 

"Generally, people say you need multiple expert-level awakened to fight a top-tier monster, but… with a drake, it’s different. The ‘top-tier’ and ‘high-tier’ labels are really based on awakened standards, but monsters don’t always fit those categories perfectly." 

Munch, munch, munch. 

Priscilla chewed her vegetables and answered. 

"Drakes aren’t just about physical strength. They can use poison, and if they’re more mature, they might have scale reinforcement and debuff poisons. There are a lot of variables." 

Monster ranks are usually based on physical stats, because other abilities are hard to quantify-especially at the high end. Likewise, among sword users, skill gaps exist even at the same mana depth. 

"So, does that mean you need a well-formed party, Priscilla?" 

"Exactly. You can’t just overpower a top-tier monster with brute force-unless you’re a ‘seeker’-level awakened." 

Eugene understood what Priscilla meant: to hunt an outlier monster, you need a party of high-quality awakened people from various classes. 

"The mage is coming!" 

After confirming the drake with Priscilla, the Imperial Knights’ special quest team immediately began forming a party. 

After dinner, the Red Fox representatives had some free time. Eugene was summoned by Victoria for a meeting in her office, where she told him that a collaborating mage would be visiting soon. 

"That’s right. About a month ago, the Imperial Knights set up a dedicated monster response bureau. There’s a team of consulting mages, and their team leader will be visiting in a few days." 

Victoria explained in detail. 

The drake special quest team is a special organization linked to the Imperial Knights’ monster response bureau, so they share updated information. The consulting mage team had sent word they’d be visiting soon. 

And the leader of the consulting mage team was none other than- 

"Oh my... What is this! Are my brother and I truly bound by the inescapable ties of fate?" 

-the current academy prodigy, Eugene Schneider’s uncontrollable brocon little sister, Elizabeth de Sel Oblaing.