Come on, come on, hit me!

"So, the place that little fellow usually hunts is a rocky forest with complicated terrain and not much open space?" Landen asked while chewing on a roasted fish with none of a noble's grace.

The two Dark Elves had already returned with the little Mind Flayer. Since Landen had no intention of attacking the camp, that fairly large Lizardfolk settlement was not the focus of their investigation. Instead, at Landen's instructions, they had thoroughly examined the main area where the little Mind Flayer hunted Lizardfolk.

"I see. Then this really is... Heavens are helping me! It would have been troublesome if it were a flat plain." Landen thought for a moment before continuing, "How large is the rocky forest? How tall are the stone pillars, and how far apart are they?"

At times like this, the difference between people became obvious.

Hearing Landen's questions, Mikhail froze. It was clear that he had not paid attention to those details during the investigation.

Ibaka, however, answered each question methodically. "That rocky forest spreads outward from the Lizardfolk camp in a trapezoid shape. One side is a cliff over a hundred meters high, while the other borders the Blackwater River. Its widest point is near the Lizardfolk camp, at roughly meters across. Its narrowest point connects to a low-lying area and is about a hundred meters wide. The stone pillars are generally around meters tall and require two people to encircle. The gaps between them are mostly to meters. In addition, the little Mind Flayer showed us two paths on the cliffside from which we can more or less see the entire rocky forest. Both paths are quite narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass, and they twist and turn with very uneven ground. They would be useful for shaking off the Lizardfolk in case of an accident. The only question is whether the Lizardfolk know those paths exist."

Mikhail was the strongest of the Dark Elves, and after following Landen here, he had improved the fastest. Ibaka's strength was average, on par with Dedmond's, but she clearly had a talent for reconnaissance.

"Heh, see? I told you the heavens were helping me. An area like this was practically prepared specifically for my plan. All right, go eat as well. Have a good meal and rest properly, then get started early. There's still plenty to do, and I don't want to waste too much time here." Landen patted the two Dark Elves' shoulders approvingly and sent them away.

"Lord!" The moment the two Dark Elves left, Hogg eagerly bounded over and gazed at Landen with pleading eyes.

"Don't worry. I only have this many people under me, so of course I'll let you take part when the time comes." Landen raised his hand without hesitation and gave her a head pat. How could this Beast-eared Cutie not know that? Of course she knew. Rather than wanting to be the first to fight, she had probably come over to enjoy a head pat.

"By the way, Avina, how much longer until your mage profession can officially advance to Mage?" Landen suddenly turned around and asked.

"Eh!" Avina, who had seemed ready to follow Hogg's example, was startled. She thought her own little scheme had been discovered, and hurriedly pulled her hands back before answering obediently, "Actually, I can already use Circle spells. I just haven't been certified by the Mage Association, so I don't have an official class yet."

"Oh? That's a pleasant surprise." Landen had only asked casually. He had previously been using the girl's alchemy skills, and later simply had her serve as his secretary. Since he had brought her along this time and she would be fighting, he had asked on a whim. He had not expected her to give him such a surprise.

"How many Circle spell slots do you have? Hmm, Circle spell slots count too, right?" Landen asked.

"I have two Circle spell slots. As for level cantrips, I can use them," Avina replied.

"Very good. When you record your spells tonight, record Grease in all your Circle spell slots. Record Dancing Lights in all your level cantrips. You'll play a major role in tomorrow's battle." As he spoke, Landen naturally raised his hand and gave Avina a head pat as well.

Feeling the gentle touch on her head, the corners of Avina's mouth lifted slightly, but her pretty face quickly flushed red.

Oh no, Lord Landen really did notice what I was doing just now. How embarrassing! Thinking this, Avina transformed into a startled fawn again and hurried away, leaving Landen standing there in confusion.

"Why did she run away again? I didn't poke her there this time. Is she still hung up on what Vivian said last time? But I really didn't! At least the current me definitely wouldn't do anything like that!" Poor former shut-in Landen could not understand what was going through the girl's mind. He could only wail inwardly based on his own guesses...

Early the next morning, everyone rose before dawn. There was no sun or moon in the underground world, and naturally no sunrise or sunset either, but it still had its own method of keeping time, telling the creatures of this world when to wake, sleep, and eat.

Landen had sent Ibaka and Dedmond out early to scout ahead, while he led the remaining troops toward the rocky forest along the route they had chosen the previous day.

Lizardfolk were not shut-in, lazy slobs like goblins. Although it was still early, quite a few Lizardfolk were already visible in the camp. They had begun gathering in the open area at the camp entrance. They were the group heading out to the Blackwater River to hunt, numbering around people in total.

Landen naturally had no intention of confronting them now. He ordered Mikhail to lead the group in a wide detour, completely avoiding the Lizardfolk's line of sight.

After more than half an hour of travel, the rocky forest came into Landen's view, and its surroundings were exactly as Ibaka had reported the previous day.

He ordered the troops to wait where they were, then followed Mikhail to the higher of the two paths.

The entrance to this path was not on the ground, but on a cliff several meters high. Climbing up was not difficult.

Landen climbed onto the ledge and carefully observed the entire rocky forest. This terrain had not been part of his calculations. Even when he had gone to the Mind Flayer family to ask about the Lizardfolk, the Mind Flayers had not mentioned it. Thus, it had not been included in his original plan. Still, Landen certainly would not refuse such an unexpected advantage.

Landen spent a full half hour observing before leaving. Then he called over the little Mind Flayer and Hogg and gave them careful instructions.

The little Mind Flayer quickly departed. Minutes later, a scream rang across the sky outside the Lizardfolk camp.

Before long, several Lizardfolk responsible for guarding the camp left and chased after the sound. Then they saw this scene.

A little Mind Flayer had grabbed a Lizardfolk who had sneaked out of the camp to play. It was squatting atop a stone pillar, several tentacles already thrust into the Lizardfolk's head and sucking away happily. Its rear was sticking up, and it swayed its bottom as it fed.

The sight seemed to silently shout:

Come on, come on, hit me!

In an instant, the Lizardfolk's eyes reddened. They let out a chaotic chorus of shouts, and nearly Lizardfolk rushed out of the camp, surrounding the little Mind Flayer...