Now Charles looked at the tree stump as if it were a treasure.
He circled it twice, studying it.
First of all, after he cut down the sapling, it was basically certain that this was a monster.
Killing it would bring benefits.
But the sapling had benefits. Would this one be even more valuable?
Charles stared at the stump and its roots, his eyes full of ill intent.
Then he thought, if he came back next time, could the stump grow another sapling?
Wouldn't that mean he could collect the reward one more time?
Even if the stump could yield something, killing it now would make it a one-time thing.
The question was how this boost came about. Was it because the stump's sapling had grown?
Had the stump absorbed nutrients and produced the sapling?
Or had the sapling's growth consumed the stump's reserves?
That was the question.
But after thinking about it for a while, Charles put it out of his mind.
He found the stump rather interesting, so he decided to leave it alone for now and keep its threat within manageable limits.
He'd see what happened when he came back next time.
After dealing with the stump, Charles entered the manor's castle again and made a round of the place.
No new monsters had appeared inside the castle.
So Charles immediately turned and headed toward the city.
He kept up a decent pace, but took care not to make much noise.
When he reached the city wall again, the gap in it was still there.
The first time he'd come here, Charles had been a little worried and hadn't dared to go through.
But the second time, he felt no such hesitation and climbed straight over in a few long strides.
The gap had probably been made