Everyone Prepares for Battle!

Among the three mainstream types of spellcasters, witches were the most special. Not only were they said to be the origin of wizards, but they were also the only kind among the three who did not need to rely on knowledge.

They only needed to develop the power within their bloodline, and that power had ridiculously high potential!

At the very least, it could reliably reach the high level!

Thus, compared to Isaac and Cheryl, who still had to rely on knowledge to crack difficult problems, Barbara the Snake Woman was the one most likely to directly obtain a way to break the deadlock from her own bloodline!

The power of witches was just that miraculous!

Yet faced with Isaac and Cheryl's expectant gazes, Barbara nodded, then shook her head. She then spoke, resolving everyone's doubts.

As it turned out, her magic could indeed summon snake monsters specifically suited to dealing with Demonized Black Orcs, but there were very few of these specialized snake monsters. At most, she could summon three—one large, one medium, and one small. There was simply no way to mass-produce them.

Hearing this, everyone sighed in unison.

The enemy would conservatively number five thousand Demonized Black Orcs. Three snake monsters would not be much use.

But Isaac's eyes lit up after hearing Barbara's explanation. An idea came to him, and he asked, "May I ask, can you give me the corpses of the snake monsters you summon?"

That was right—Isaac had thought of his Flesh Conversion sorcery.

It did not matter if Barbara could only summon a few snake monsters. He could make plenty himself!

Even if they required more resources, it would not matter. Once Infinite Mana was activated, no matter how great the demand, he could meet it!

"Hisss!!!"

Yet the moment Isaac said this, before Barbara could react, her Magic Pet, Green Snake, was the first to lose its composure. It immediately rose from her shoulder, its cold snake eyes fixed tightly on Isaac as its forked tongue flickered.

"Riiip!"

As Green Snake glared at Isaac, Demon Claw Hamon sensed its hostility as well. It immediately crawled out from the back of Isaac's neck, a blood-red Demon Eye radiating boundless allure splitting open in its palm as it stared back at Green Snake without the slightest hint of weakness!

At the same time, it did not forget to extend its little finger and lightly poke Rat Rat, who was still spacing out.

Rat Rat froze for a moment. It looked at Green Snake, then at Hamon, then at Isaac. Its still-developing brain could not process so much information at once. It could not understand why a perfectly normal conversation had suddenly turned into this.

But though it did not understand, it knew that whenever something happened, it only needed to blindly listen to Boss Claw!

So after staring blankly for a moment, Rat Rat arched its plump body slightly and immediately bared its teeth at Green Snake!

"Raven! Come back!"

"Hamon! Come back!" Isaac called Hamon back as well. At the same time, he raised a hand to rub Rat Rat's head, making it exit bared-fangs mode and return to spacing-out mode.

"My apologies, Young Master Isaac, but that would be difficult. They are all my children. Please do not say such things again." Though Barbara's tone still carried some respect, it was obvious that she was already growing impatient.

But that was understandable. If she truly regarded the snake monsters she summoned this way, then his words had indeed been deeply offensive.

So Isaac returned an apologetic smile, then said nothing more and looked to his father, Gaia.

"Since that is the case, the targeted research into Black Orc Demonization will be left to the three of you. Whatever resources you need, ask Cheryl. Her side will do its utmost to provide them."

Cheryl nodded. Though this was an exceptional situation and many things needed the green light, they still had to prevent anyone from abusing public resources for private gain. Someone knowledgeable had to oversee material approvals.

Of course, the one truly being restricted was Barbara.

Everyone understood this perfectly well, but there was nothing they could do about it. Of the three spellcasters, she was the only outsider.

"Caesar, emergencies call for exceptional measures. Give up that path. Break through to High-level Knight first." After saying this, Gaia sighed. Now, he had not only failed his younger son, but his eldest son as well...

In the end, he had not taken proper care of either of his sons...

But unlike the despondent Gaia, Caesar was far calmer, without much emotion.

Because he understood the current situation very clearly. Rather than continue pursuing potential and bottling up his strength to condense a powerful Aspect, it was better to break through as quickly as possible now. Even the weakest High-level Knight was still a High-level Knight!

The difference between one and an ordinary mortal was like heaven and earth!

One had to know that long ago, High-level Knights, like High Sorcerers, had also borne the title of Demigod!

Though High-level Knights were no longer called that now, it did not mean their power had weakened. On the contrary, the current system was more mature, and High-level Knights of the same rank were stronger than they had been in the past.

"Barry, I'll give you the Black Snake Smelting Method and the Black Snake Essence Blood first. Put aside all your current duties and devote yourself wholly to cultivation. It would be best if you can break through before the Black Orc army arrives, but if you cannot, that is fine too. Every bit stronger is a bit stronger!"

"Yes! Thank you for Lord Gaia's reward! Barry Aide swears to serve the Solomon Clan unto death!" Barry said in a deep voice, dropping to one knee with excitement and placing his right hand over his heart.

Remington's expression was somewhat complicated. He knew that if he had not done those things, all of this would have been his...

But there was no medicine for regret in this world. Once certain things were done, one had to bear the price.

He had lost. He accepted it.

Seeing this from the corners of their eyes, Caesar and the others could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that after withdrawing from the battle for inheritance rights, Remington had truly let go of many things. He probably would not burrow into a dead end anymore.

But a sigh of relief was one thing. Until all the dust had settled, surveillance on Remington would not be lifted.

"I will contact the other High-level Knights, but do not hold out too much hope. We are not the only ones in the Empire bordering the wilderness!"

Everyone nodded in acknowledgment. This was precisely the most troublesome part of the crisis!

All the Black Orcs across the wilderness had undergone the mutation!

It was not merely the Black Orcs in their direction. Thus, the entire Empire would be thrown into motion, and it might not be able to spare attention for this place.

They still had to save themselves!

Of course, if they could hold the line on their own, the benefits would be considerable as well. For example, the Solomon Territory's promotion to a Count's domain would no longer encounter any surprises. They might even have additional territory newly assigned to them. And the four Barons could accumulate vast amounts of merit, which would not only let them exchange for rewards from the Empire, but also bring them closer to the rank of Viscount!

So, though the road ahead was difficult, everyone's hearts burned with the passion to strive onward!

"Haah~"

After returning from the council hall to the laboratory, Isaac yawned as he walked over to his desk. He first copied down all the spells recorded in the leather-bound book—three copies in total. He gave one each to Cheryl and Barbara, keeping one for his own daily research.

As for the leather-bound book...

He sealed it away together with the Lord of Myriad Flesh's Spellbook and tossed them into the Dimension space. In any case, he would never use them, nor would he let anyone else use them.

After giving the spells to Cheryl and Barbara, Isaac plunged headfirst onto the bed and fell asleep.

His transaction with the God of Black Orcs had seemed easy and entirely risk-free, but in truth, it had drained no small amount of Isaac's mental energy. The main reason he had managed to hold out until now was that his body had been tempered by magic. Though it could not compare to a knight's physique, it was not bad either, and his stamina was decent.

Title:

Tokyo: I'm Only 18, and You Want Me to Get Back Together?

Synopsis:

Reborn in Tokyo—at only sixteen, where did all these ex-girlfriends come from?

As the illegitimate son of a financial conglomerate, Arima Yuuhara had only just entered high school when he decided to live a life of loafing around and waiting for death through his own diligence and hard work. Then, the Romance System suddenly appeared.

[At forty, you are betrayed by your ex-wife. Your marriage has failed, you are drowning in debt, and your career is a complete mess. Just as you prepare to demonstrate a leap of faith from a high-rise building, your childhood sweetheart appears before you and saves you. You originally think it is merely a coincidence, only to discover that things are not so simple...]

[Mission: Ask (ex-girlfriend/childhood sweetheart) Kiyomizu Mizuki how she feels about you. Reward: Focus Lv.1, 10,000 yen]

Arima Yuuhara looked at the system panel that had absolutely nothing to do with him, then at the beautiful girl before him. Half-believing and half-doubting, he took a tentative step forward.

"Kiyomizu, do you like me?"

"If you think being childhood sweethearts means I'll definitely like you, then you couldn't be more wrong. It's not like I like you that much... But if you confess to me ninety-nine times, I'll reluctantly say yes. Who told you to be so clingy? Idiot..."

He had originally thought the system was glitching, only to find one [ex-girlfriend] after another arriving in quick succession.

A suggestive romance novel.