Come On, Come On, Hit Me

"So, the little guy's usual hunting ground is a rocky forest area with complex terrain and not much open space?" Landen asked Mikhail, gnawing on a grilled fish with no noble decorum.

The two Dark Elves had already returned with the young Mind Flayer. Since Landen had no intention of attacking the main settlement, the rather large Lizardfolk village wasn't their primary focus for reconnaissance. Instead, at Landen's instruction, they had thoroughly investigated the main area where the young Mind Flayer hunted Lizardfolk.

"I see, then that's truly... heaven is on my side. If it were an open plain, it would have been troublesome," Landen mused, then continued his questions, "About how large is the rocky forest area? How tall are the stone pillars, and what's the approximate distance between them?"

At times like these, the gap between people truly became apparent.

Hearing Landen's question, Mikhail blinked, clearly having not paid attention to such details during the reconnaissance.

Ibaka, however, answered point by point with precision: "That rocky forest area, starting from the Lizardfolk camp, fans out in a trapezoid. One side is a cliff face exceeding a hundred meters in height, and the other borders the Blackwater River. The widest part is near the Lizardfolk camp, about [width] meters across. The narrowest part connects to a low-lying area, with a width of around a hundred meters. The stone pillars are generally around [height] meters tall, requiring two people to embrace. The distance between the stone pillars is mostly between [distance] and [distance] meters. Additionally, the young Mind Flayer showed us two small paths on the cliff face, from which one can roughly survey the entire rocky forest area. Both paths are quite narrow, only allowing one person to pass, and they wind and twist, with very uneven ground. They would be quite useful for evading those Lizardfolk if necessary, though I don't know if the Lizardfolk are aware of these paths."

Mikhail was the strongest among the Dark Elves and had improved the fastest since following Landen here. Ibaka's strength was average, only on par with Dedmond, but he clearly had a talent for scouting.

"Heh, see, I told you heaven was helping me. An area like this is practically tailor-made for my plan. Alright, you two, go eat quickly. Eat well, rest well, and then we'll make our move soon. There's still a lot to do, and I don't want to waste too much time here," Landen said, patting the two Dark Elves on the shoulder approvingly before letting them leave.

"Lord!" As soon as the two Dark Elves left, Hogg bounced over impatiently, looking at Landen with eager eyes.

"Don't worry, I only have these people under me, so of course, I'll let you go first," Landen said, casually ruffling her hair. Did this Beast-eared Cutie not know this? Of course, she did. Bouncing over wasn't so much about wanting to be the first to battle as it was about getting a head pat.

"Right, Avina, your Mage class, how much longer until you can officially advance to Mage?" Landen asked, turning back suddenly.

"Ah!" Avina, who had started to feel a bit restless seeing Hogg's behavior, was startled. Thinking her little secret wish had been discovered, she flinched and nervously replied, "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 an unexpected surprise," Landen said. He had only asked casually. He had been using the girl's Alchemy skills, then made her his little secretary. Bringing her along for this expedition, and with combat imminent, he had just asked on a whim. He hadn't expected her to actually give him such a surprise.

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

"I have two Circle spell slots. For Level 0 Cantrips, I can use [number] of them," Avina replied.

"Excellent. Tonight, when you record your spells, fill all your Circle spell slots with Grease. For Level 0 Cantrips, record Dancing Lights for all of them. You'll play a big role in tomorrow's battle," Landen said, habitually reaching out and giving Avina a head pat as well.

Feeling the gentle stroke on her head, Avina's lips curved upwards, but her pretty face quickly turned red.

It's over, Lord-sama definitely noticed my little actions just now. Oh, I'm so embarrassed. Thinking this, Avina once again transformed into a little deer and quickly fled, leaving Landen there utterly bewildered.

"Why did she run away again? I didn't poke her that spot this time. Is she still bothered by what Vivian said last time? But I really didn't! At least, not the me of now!" The poor former fat shut-in Landen couldn't fathom the girl's thoughts at all and could only lament inwardly based on his own deductions...

The next morning, everyone was up bright and early. The Underworld had no sun or moon, and thus no sunrise or sunset, but it still had its own system of timekeeping, telling the world's inhabitants when to wake, when to sleep, and when to eat.

Ibaka and Dedmond were sent out early as scouts, while Landen himself led the remaining troops along the route they had scouted the previous day towards the rocky forest.

Lizardfolk were not like Goblins, who were lazy homebodies. Even though it was still early, quite a few Lizardfolk were already visible in the settlement. They were gathering in the open space at the entrance of the camp; it was a foraging party heading out to the Blackwater River, numbering around [number] individuals.

Landen certainly had no intention of meeting them now. He instructed Mikhail to lead the troops in a wide circle, completely avoiding the sight of any Lizardfolk.

After about half an hour of travel, the rocky forest area came into Landen's view, exactly as Ibaka had described yesterday.

He ordered the troops to wait in place while he and Mikhail went to the higher of the two small paths.

The entrance to this path wasn't on the ground but on a cliff face several meters high, which was not difficult to climb.

Landen ascended to the opening and carefully observed the entire rocky forest area. This terrain was certainly not part of his calculations. Even if he had asked the Mind Flayer family for information about the Lizardfolk, they hadn't mentioned these details. Therefore, they weren't in the original plan, but Landen wouldn't refuse such a bonus.

After observing for a full half hour, Landen left. Then, he called over the young Mind Flayer and Hogg to give them detailed instructions.

The young Mind Flayer quickly departed. Ten minutes later, outside the Lizardfolk settlement, a scream cut through the air.

Soon, over a dozen Lizardfolk guards emerged from the settlement and chased in the direction of the sound. Then, they saw a scene.

A young Mind Flayer was holding a Lizardfolk that had snuck out of the camp to play, squatting on a stone pillar. Several tentacles were already inserted into the Lizardfolk's head, happily slurping away. Its rear was sticking up, wiggling as it fed.

The sight seemed to silently proclaim:

Come on, come and get me!

In an instant, the Lizardfolk's eyes turned red, and they let out a series of chaotic shouts. Immediately, nearly [number] more Lizardfolk rushed out from the settlement, surrounding the young Mind Flayer