The Next Phase Begins

Victor considered for a moment, then asked Isaac, "If I remember correctly, Arcane Beast Number One's mother was an ordinary Black-Spotted Lynx, wasn't she?"

"Yes, my lord Marquis.

"When we discovered Arcane Beast Number One, an adult female Black-Spotted Lynx was guarding it. Number 1 hadn't even fully opened its eyes yet—it was still a newborn cub!

"That adult female Black-Spotted Lynx must have been Number One's mother. Unfortunately, she had probably just given birth, and her instinct to protect her young was especially strong!

"At first, we were only there for the Rockskin Fruit Tree. The mother attacked the squad I was leading, and we couldn't hold back. We ended up killing her!"

Regret showed on Isaac's face. In fact, the mother had also shown signs of magical energy corruption, probably from eating large quantities of the special Rockskin Fruit over a long period.

Rockskin Fruit was a berry native to the Northlands. The plant itself was a shrub, and its fruit had a hard outer shell enclosing tender, juicy white flesh. Its flavor was sweet and refreshing, making it a popular fruit in the Northlands.

But the Rockskin Fruit Tree Isaac had mentioned was unusual. It showed signs of magical energy corruption, and both the plant and its fruit emitted a pale blue glow at night.

The fruit of this tree had directly caused Count Hawke Pumpkin's sudden physical mutation. He had developed the mutation after consuming large quantities of it over a long period. The tree had been discovered in a grove of Rockskin Fruit Trees deep within a forest in Pumpkin Territory.

Because Count Hawk loved Rockskin Fruit, dedicated workers had been assigned to tend and harvest the trees. They regularly gathered the fruit and delivered it to Hawk's residence for him to eat, but Hawk