Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

But that doesn't mean she's helpless.

"Uncle! Please help! It would be best to injure it without killing it, as this is extremely important for our entire family!"

Left with no other choice, she had to call upon the few guardians hidden around her. These people who ensured the safety of the heir were all members or peripheral members of the Strongman family. Their loyalty was guaranteed, and they were all powerful arcane spellcasters.

For the Strongman family, as long as one member has the talent for spellcasting, any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem at all.

“Let me handle this. The little girl called for me,” a man in black robes emerged from his invisibility. His eyes were hidden under his hood to avoid contact with the petrified lizard. “Your uncle told you to prepare more armor-piercing arrows, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look what’s happened. We used them all up earlier, and now we have none left.”

This cousin had always been the best to Louise, so even though she was almost forty, everyone, even the king, had to address her as "sir" out of respect. In front of her cousin, she was still a little girl.

While the "I told you so" trope was still necessary, the uncle's actions were anything but slow. He raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the petrified lizard. Immediately, five flashing darts formed by magical force fields shot out from his sleeves, turning into streaks of red light and bombarding the monster's torso.

The petrified lizard let out a painful howl. Its scales, which had been impenetrable to ordinary arrows, were now as fragile as paper, shattering inch by inch under the bombardment of the magic missiles. The flesh beneath was torn apart and ripped apart. The lizard, in pain, no longer had the will to fight the hunters around it. It immediately turned around, petrified several more people at top speed, and then broke through the defenses on the right flank, fleeing into the distance.

"Quick! Forget about those stoned wrecks!" Seeing everything going as she expected, Louise was overjoyed. "Hurry and chase after them! Don't lose them!"

Chapter 554 Pursuit and Chase

Faced with such encirclement and interception, even a giant like the petrified lizard had no choice but to drag its massive body away on its eight legs, its hard body constantly crashing into the surrounding rocks and trees in its panic, leaving behind a large number of indelible scratch marks.

"I was originally planning to mark it, but now it seems unnecessary."

Louise's uncle shook his head, then drank a small bottle of potion and disappeared again.

The spellcaster's magic power is extremely precious and cannot be squandered. At the same time, they should not reveal themselves easily, lest someone find their weakness in advance. Although most people, including the mages themselves, believe that as long as they are fully prepared, they are invincible, in reality, how many people are fully prepared?

In this monster-infested jungle swamp, you can never be too careful.

But this is just his own opinion, and his juniors may not think so.

Louise intentionally instructed her men not to pursue too closely, so as to give the petrified lizard time to catch its breath and assess the situation. Only in this way could it more easily lead them to the entrance of the passage from underground, which was a treasure many times more valuable than the petrified lizard itself.

But the location of this passage seemed to be very remote and hidden. They chased it until dark, even for most of the night, but the monster ahead showed no signs of stopping. If it weren't for the fact that its route kept deviating in a certain direction, Louise would almost suspect that this thing, which had hardly any intelligence, was playing tricks on them.

“Louise… my lady,” a squad leader approached Louise in the firelight, “why don’t we rest first? That beast left very clear tracks, we’re not afraid of losing him. The brothers have been chasing him for a day and a night, they’re exhausted…”

"Nonsense! Do you think it can sleep?!" Louise immediately became annoyed and scolded sharply, "You bunch of idiots who haven't even read two books combined! Do you even know how important this is?"

"Uh..." The squad leader took a step back in fright. "Sorry, I didn't know?"

“Explaining to you is a waste of time,” Louise sneered. “No slacking off, keep chasing! I have a feeling that beast is about to reach its destination!”

"I said I didn't know, but you wouldn't explain..." The squad leader rolled his eyes helplessly, but when Louise glared at him fiercely, he hurriedly shrank back and continued to urge his men to hurry on their way.

After an unknown amount of time, the torchlight began to dim, and a hazy blue-black sky began to appear on the horizon. In the distance ahead, as they pursued the petrified lizards along their escape route, a continuous stretch of dark shadows had appeared.

That was a mountain.

“Looks like it’s hiding its escape route in this mountain,” Louise sneered. She casually took the potion handed to her by a servant and drank it. As the cool magic took effect gently and slowly, her spirits were lifted again. “Alright! We need to move faster! Archers, start firing as soon as the petrified lizard comes within range, and put more pressure on it!”

"What the hell!" one of the archers spat and said with dissatisfaction, "I've never heard of chasing after someone and shooting arrows! If it suddenly goes berserk and attacks us, wouldn't we all be sent out?"

If they all had horses, things might be a little better; greater mobility would allow for more flexible tactics. But here, they're basically all walking on their own two legs. If they want to catch up with fleeing enemies and shoot arrows, they have to run faster and get closer to them.

Only in this way can we ensure that the arrows, once launched, will continue to travel away from the archers' target after flying through the air—which could lead to the possibility, as the archer said, if the enemy suddenly stops running away and attacks them instead.

Wasting a shooting opportunity while standing even closer to the enemy—what's the difference between that and suicide?!

But sometimes you have no choice but to listen to your employer. Because they're from the Strongman family. This woman's brother recently assembled a force of three thousand men, and unless they decide to abandon their businesses in Eastern Inassia, they have no choice but to obey the orders of these "historically powerful nouveau riche."

The already loose formation quickly changed and became increasingly chaotic. The infantrymen were abandoned in the middle and rear ranks, while the archers, carrying their weapons, rushed forward at breakneck speed.

However, their goal was not to kill the monster at all. Their arrows had previously been unable to penetrate its scales. All they could do was to make the monster more panicked and speed up its escape towards its destination.

Louise lashed her hunting horse's rump with her whip. The blue-white horse beneath her, though not a purebred, was a thoroughbred with astonishing stamina and agility. It easily outpaced the archers beside her by half a head. It looked like it was chasing the petrified lizard, but it seemed more like it was supervising its men to prevent them from slacking off.

Under such urging, the petrified lizard, which had also been running wildly for a day and a night, finally came into their firing range. The archers at the front stopped and immediately drew their bows and threw out the arrows they had prepared.

Such shots were hardly accurate, but they did startle the petrified lizard, which had already slowed down. A long roar came from the forest ahead, and the monster pushed off the ground with all eight of its legs, its entire body flying out like a cannonball under the rain of arrows, and then rushing nearly ten meters away.

At this moment, the second group of archers, who had just fallen slightly behind, had already overtaken those in front and unleashed a second volley of arrows. However, this time, it was as if their vision blurred for a moment, and a yellow gust of wind rushed past them in an instant, heading towards the petrified lizard. This sudden change caused many people to tremble, and their arrows flew off into the distance.

"Get out of the way! All of you, get out of my way!"

Just then, three fast horses charged towards them like lightning, shattering their already scattered formation. The man on horseback, however, was particularly displeased with this situation. He cracked his whip and struck one of the mercenaries on the back.

"Are you all blind?! Look who I am! Who the hell are you shooting at?! You scared away my prey!"

Chapter 555 The Foreign Guest Who Has Been Missing

"Count Katina?"

Louise immediately recognized who it was and quickly spurred her horse forward, asking, "What are you doing here?"

"You fucking... oh," Katina, with dark circles under his eyes as thick as his nose and bloodshot eyes, took a moment to react after hearing Louise's voice before recognizing the person in front of him. "Miss Louise? What are you doing here?"

“…That’s exactly what I was asking you,” Louise paused, taking a deep breath and trying to imagine that he was still the same handsome man she had been before—without that, the short man in front of her would be almost useless. “I heard from the messenger that you were also hunting a monster.”

"That's the one that just passed by!" Katina was furious when he heard this. "I chased it for who knows how long, and finally caught this opportunity. I was just about to ambush it when your men fired a barrage of arrows from the side, scaring it away again!"

Louise was stunned. She couldn't help but look at the two knights behind Count Katina, who also looked dejected: "You mean... the three of you?"

This must be a joke... right? But something really did flash by just now.

“The rest of you are nothing but dull-witted fools,” the Earl scoffed. “No one will feel sorry for them falling behind—I have other matters to attend to, farewell!”

As he spoke, he turned his horse around again, preparing to continue his pursuit, but seeing their appearance, Louise suddenly had an idea.

“Wait a minute, Your Excellency! We happen to be hunting a monster as well, and I have a suggestion you might want to hear…”

……

"Count Cartier and Lady Louise, how many days have passed since their two groups of people last returned to report?"

With the midday sun high overhead, King Henning kicked his feet off the stirrups and looked around at his retinue, asking a question. It was nearly noon, and they, who strictly adhered to their schedule, should be having lunch.

The cooks had already set up the grill and were skinning and butchering the edible creatures they had hunted that morning. They were making a simple dish called "orc meat," a food meant for orcs, not cooked by them, that could be prepared in twenty minutes and was perfect for providing all the participants with easy and plentiful energy in this environment.

“I bet they’ve hunted until their hands are sore and they haven’t been able to send back even a single haul,” a nobleman scoffed. “How rude of them. They’re probably so excited they’ve forgotten who invited them.”

“Don’t say that. At least they were still in contact a few days ago,” another baron quickly waved his hand. “Do you remember that Kolasund man named Sid? He was the one who didn’t take Inazuma seriously at all.”

"Ha, he's all alone. Maybe it's not that he doesn't want to deliver the message, but that he's turned into some kind of creature's excrement!"

Looking at these nobles who made fun of each other by slandering outsiders, Henning shook his head and walked straight towards Skuld's group: "Count Doule, Lord Raslaufer, what do you think is the reason for their actions?"

Regardless of the fact that prey not brought here cannot be counted in the hunting competition results, the mere fact that they have disappeared without a trace is enough to worry Henning. Sid is alright; Henning only invited him because he admired his swordsmanship in the market. But whether it's Katina or Louise, if they have truly met with misfortune, it will be a challenge for the Kingdom of Wenzel.

Perhaps they brought it upon themselves, but as the host, he bears an inescapable responsibility.

“What does Your Majesty think?” Skottie did not respond immediately, but instead exchanged a glance with Raslaufer before asking Henning.

“I think I need to go find them, whatever they’re doing,” Henning sighed. “To be honest, I… woke up this morning feeling a bit uneasy, my eyelids kept twitching, but I don’t know why.”

Yes, he did keep a witch, but she was a fraud—a devilish follower posing as a charlatan, but still a fraud—she couldn't tell fortunes at all!

But at that moment, Daisy curiously stepped out from behind Leslaufer and asked, "Your Majesty, which eyelid is twitching?"

Henning was taken aback by this illogical question and subconsciously answered, "Uh, the left eyelid?"

"It's alright then, a twitching left eye means good fortune and a twitching right eye means bad luck," Henning said, somewhat bewildered by Daisy's words. "Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen, and it might even bring good fortune."

"...What does this mean?" The king thought for a while but still couldn't understand the logic—whether from a theological or magical perspective. "What if I jump to the right?"

“Your right is my left,” the bard immediately shrugged. “If you jump to both sides, that’s just superstition…”

“Alright, stop interrupting,” Leslaufer reached out and pressed the girl’s head back down as she started rambling again, then looked at the king. “If you’re worried about them, I can help you go look for them.”

He shook his neck and arms: "I've been sitting here a bit too idle lately, so this is a good opportunity to stretch my muscles."

This last sentence was naturally not said to Henning, but rather to explain to Skoti.

Doble's temperament was not hard to fathom, but if anyone present understood what Leslaufer was thinking best, it would undoubtedly be Skudy. So Count Doble nodded, said "Be careful," and withdrew.

She couldn't be moved around carelessly. These past few days, she had witnessed firsthand the gossip-mongering skills of those nobles. Once she left Hengning's side and returned, it was hard to say what her lord would think of her. If Doule Territory were just a small place, it wouldn't matter, but it wasn't, which made extra caution even necessary.

Henning had intended this, and since Raslaufer had taken the initiative to request it, he was naturally even more delighted. The king then handed over the channels of communication with Count Katina and Louise Strongman to Duple, including the landmark markings along the way and other various signs and messages. Since Raslaufer had a druid who had come from the Land of Refusal with him, there was no need to worry that their group would lose their way in the wilderness.

Even if everyone else gets lost, they can't possibly get lost.

“Very good, I will find them,” Raslaufer nodded, noting down all the details, and then took his black flame greatsword and battle knife. “Don’t worry, I will find them alive or dead—unless they refuse, in which case even if they are still alive, I can only bring back their bodies.”

Henning drew an arc with his fingers in front of his chest, a gesture of prayer that seemed to belong to some unknown being: "It would be better if you brought back the living. Even if they are dead... please try to keep them whole, so that at least they can be resurrected."

However, Raslaw could no longer hear the second half of the sentence. All that remained was Miss Daisy, who was hanging at the very end of him and his companions, turning her upper body around and spreading her hands towards him.

This guy just won't get it—you've already asked Old Lei for a favor, and you still expect him to take your orders? You should figure out how to deal with the little devil first!

Chapter 556 The Uninvited Guest at Night

Leaving Louise Strongman aside, the Earl of Cartier was surprisingly easy to find. In his pursuit of the two-headed tiger and for his own pride, the earl had abandoned most of his retinue along the way. These men, upon encountering Raslaufer, were overjoyed and eagerly pointed out the direction in which their master had disappeared.

After several days of searching, Raslaufer and his team finally found the hunting grounds and home where the petrified lizard had once lived.

"It seems that our King is progressing much slower than that Earl."

Bella stood up from the nearly melted muddy puddle, clapping her hands as she looked around at the broken stone statues, most of which were beginning to sink into the mud: "This used to be the lair of some kind of eight-legged, petrifying monster. It weighed more than half a ton, was injured, and fled in that direction."

“Do you know what’s interesting? Look at all these arrows around here, and the almost completely dissipated magic around us. It’s impossible for Count Katina to organize such a powerful hunt after abandoning most of his followers—and the master here is definitely not that two-headed tiger.”

Raslaufer pulled the broken boots from the mud, bent down and tore off a piece of broken stone from the upper body of a statue that had disappeared.

Once petrified, neither ointment nor magic can restore the parts damaged while petrified. Even if this guy were to be resurrected, he would still be dead, and his actions would not change anything.

“Looks like we’ve stumbled upon another one,” Dubul casually tossed the shavings aside, pointing in the direction of the messy footprints on the ground. “Let’s go. They’re heading in roughly the same direction. Maybe we can solve this problem more easily.”

"By the way, we now have two monsters waiting to be hunted."

Bella glanced at him with a hint of helplessness: "I wouldn't dare say that. Are you implying they can't catch their prey?"

“That Earl Katina is a complete waste,” Dople said bluntly. “He just took the rest of his men and kept chasing them. My only question is how long that tiger will wait before it feels safe to turn around and swallow them whole.”

"As for Dieter's sister, look around. Although these arrows are quite different from when they were first shot, their scattered landing points still show that they didn't achieve anything—she brought a lot of people, but unfortunately they weren't very useful."

Bella mentioned the fluctuations in magical energy, but it shouldn't be from a particularly powerful mage. He had witnessed Daisy's fireball spell before; if it were a spell of that scale, the traces here would definitely not be visible only to Bella and a few other casters.

There's only one explanation: the mages couldn't subdue the monster, or even trap it, and had to let it escape, leaving them to chase after it.

“Petrified…eight legs,” Daisy sat down on a tree trunk that had been broken off by a brute force, pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up. “Could it be a petrified lizard?”

"These are the characteristics of a petrified lizard?" The druid paused slightly, instinctively asking, "I've only heard of this creature, I've never seen one before..."

The petrified lizard and the ointment made from its stomach extract are quite famous, but although Bella went underground with Raslaufer once, she never actually saw a petrified lizard in person, whether alive or dead.

"How could you... Oh right, it's you after all."

Daisy's friends had long since stopped bothering to find out the reasons behind the strange and wonderful things she knew. All they needed to know was that most of what Daisy knew was close to reality, and that was enough.

“It’s said that the petrifying lizard can petrify the creatures around it with just its gaze, making it much more dangerous than the snake-chicken we encountered before,” Bella said, leaning on her oak cane as she carefully moved away from the mud. “But it looks like it just wants to escape, so Louise shouldn’t be in too much danger, at least much safer than the Earl.”

After several days of tracking, they have basically concluded that the strange tiger did it on purpose, probably to devour the isolated and helpless count far away from the crowd. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why the monster, which could move freely in the army, would be afraid of the count who was almost all alone.

On Louise's side, at least they outnumbered the enemy, had spellcasters, and most importantly, they actually managed to injure the petrified lizard, making the latter's pursuit much more reliable than the former's.

What they had in common was their urgent pursuit, sometimes relentlessly, day and night. Therefore, after chasing them until nightfall, the group had to consider resting and continuing their journey the next day.

“We’ll most likely encounter them in that mountain ahead,” Raslaw said, squinting at the large, dark figure in the distance by the campfire at dusk. “With the magic Daisy provides, we’re faster than them, as evidenced by the increasingly fresh footprints.”

"Morning exercises," is what the bard calls them. Now, without anyone else accompanying them, she can provide extra help each morning through a few ritual spells. Although the whole process takes about an hour, the benefit is that it keeps them energetic and spry until the next day. In that sense, Daisy's "morning exercises" are quite fitting.

With the help of her magic, they could catch up with the rich young men riding hunting horses much more easily, so as not to be left behind or completely unable to get close.

“Hopefully we’ll find some alive,” Mary shrugged, burrowed into her sleeping bag, and turned her back. “At least leave some remains so we can go back and report.”

Despite what they said, probably not a single person in their group really cared about the life or death of Louise and Count Cartier.

Soon, drowsiness swept over everyone with the breeze in the forest, leaving only Daisy, who was on night watch, still awake. However, suddenly, an unusual whirlwind interrupted the hazy atmosphere that had just begun to dissipate. Dople, who had already lain down, suddenly leaped up, grabbed the greatsword beside him, and swung it in one direction!

This sudden turn of events jolted everyone awake, and they all jumped up, ready for battle. Only then did they see clearly that among the trees to the left of Raslaufer, a dark shadow, similar to yet different from an ordinary wild beast, was standing there, staring at them with four glowing green eyes!

Chapter 557 Petrification

"It's you!" Leslaufer wasn't wearing armor at the moment, but that didn't stop him from standing at the front, glaring back at the creature that had repeatedly escaped. "What, have you already eaten that Katina?"

The two-headed tiger bared its teeth at Dubul, cowering in fear. Although it saw this human as somewhat different from before, lacking the heavy armor, the scent was still familiar and frightening.

Since its birth, few creatures have been able to rival its strength, let alone when it charges at full speed. Yet this two-legged creature managed to knock it to the ground and throw it off balance.

“Looks like there isn’t,” Daisy said, lighting a more stable source of light than the campfire, which brought the monster out of the shadows. Leslaufer concluded to himself, “If you’re full, you should know not to mess with me.”