"What do you mean?" Daren was confused by Carn's words; he could barely comprehend what he was saying. How could he believe his ears when someone claimed that mere humans were killing and slaughtering monsters? It seemed utterly impossible. He also struggled to understand Carn as he spoke these unbelievable words. Doubting what he had heard, he felt something was fundamentally wrong about Carn's report, which is why he questioned him directly.
Carn snapped out of his bloodlust as he had been watching the humans in the garden, contemplating the idea of killing and devouring them before they could turn against monsters like their kind was doing right now. When he heard the confused tone of his lord's voice, he found it relatable; he had experienced the same disbelieving feeling when listening to his subordinate's words earlier, questioning the exact same things his lord now questioned.
"Lord, the human species is killing our kind throughout the village, and they have somehow gained magic that they are using as weapons against us. I barely survived their brutal assault, and now they are advancing this way. If we do not stop the human horde, they will continue to grow in number, and we will not be able to defeat them." Carn spoke truthfully and urgently. As he explained the dire situation, he lowered his gaze to the floor in shame. Carn had always viewed humans merely as a source of food, using them to sustain himself and gain magical power, since monsters are naturally weak against magic. All monsters are fundamentally vulnerable to magical attacks, and they can only gain magical abilities through consuming human flesh. That is precisely why monsters eat humans and breed them like livestock animals.
Carn paused for a moment, feeling deeply ashamed for speaking in such a weak and pathetic manner before his lord. "We need to eliminate them before they reach this sacred garden. My lord, you are the only one who possesses the power to eradicate them completely and save our kind, or we will all perish."
Daren fell silent as he listened carefully to Carn's words. He continued to stare intently at his garden, observing the humans' diligent work. "Mere livestock have started killing our kind with their newfound magic. They can't even think of disobeying our commands, nor can they conceive of desires or contemplate any ambitions of their own. Yet, somehow, they are slaughtering our people with laughter on their faces. Do you understand what this truly means, Carn?" Daren asked suspiciously, trying to convey the larger picture he envisioned and his deeper understanding of the situation.
Carn listened intently to what Daren was implying. He began to realize that he was missing a crucial piece of information about what was truly happening. Daren's expression and meaningful gestures revealed that the situation was far more dire than he had initially thought. As he began connecting the dots in his mind, he ultimately grasped the meaning that Daren was trying to explain to him.
"That means someone is helping them from the shadows and has given them the power to fight against us. But who could possibly side with the humans instead of our kind? If someone wanted something from us, he or she would have asked us directly for it. Why bother saving worthless humans? What could anyone possibly gain from all of this?" Carn whispered aloud, his voice loud enough for Daren to hear his doubts and confusion about the situation. He started to wonder desperately what anyone could hope to gain by siding with humans against monsters.
Daren understood perfectly, as he continued observing his garden, exactly what the mysterious person wanted from them. "You still don't get it, Carn. Can't you see clearly that this person wants something from us that we absolutely cannot provide, but a human could easily give them?" Daren explained patiently, looking at Carn with visible disappointment. He had expected Carn to be more intelligent and perceptive, but he was thoroughly let down. Despite all the clear hints he had given, Carn still didn't fully understand the situation.
As Carn heard Daren's pointed words, he immediately guessed the truth and his eyes widened as he looked at the garden, recognizing the green heaven Daren was painstakingly cultivating. "The person came here for the green heaven," Carn whispered in horror, staring at the lush, carnivorous garden before them.
Carn began to shiver uncontrollably as he took in the full sight and started to stammer nervously, "What should we do, my lord?" He was completely stunned by the revelation, struggling desperately to contain his rising emotions as he contemplated losing the green heaven they had worked so hard to create.
Daren sighed deeply as he observed Carn's panicked reaction, but his gaze never once strayed from the garden he loved so dearly. He intended to create his green heaven not for others to enjoy, but exclusively for himself. He knew with absolute certainty that he could not lose his paradise under any circumstances, yet he had to think calmly and rationally, handling the situation with careful poise while concealing his true desperate motives from everyone around him.
"Calm down, Carn," Daren said, his tone perfectly calm and composed as he spoke to Carn without looking at him. His eyes remained fixed lovingly on the garden. "We need to approach this strategically and carefully so that the situation turns decisively in our favor before they realize what we're planning." Daren explained with his characteristic practiced calmness.
On the outside, Daren appeared completely calm and collected, but inside his mind, he was frantically contemplating how to eliminate all the problems and threats before they could reach his precious paradise. He could feel his anger and seething hatred building—for Carn's incompetence, for the humans' rebellion, and for anyone who posed even the slightest threat to his idyllic vision.
"But how should we accomplish that, my lord?" Carn asked, his voice filled with deep concern and uncertainty. "They have brutally slaughtered all of our people and completely taken over that entire area, and that mysterious person still hasn't shown himself openly. We don't even know how powerful he could actually be. How could we possibly turn the tables in our favor, my lord?"
Carn recalled the horrific situation he had just described to Daren, struggling to understand what his lord intended to do about it. Yet, deep down in his heart, he remained hopefully faithful that his lord's plan would somehow succeed. He was completely determined to support Daren with everything he had to help turn the tide in their favor.
Daren listened carefully to the situation report. Although it wasn't particularly detailed, he understood clearly what needed to be communicated. He grasped that humans were somehow using a different kind of magic that gave them unprecedented power to kill all the monsters in his village. The most dangerous threat had not yet revealed itself to them. They knew absolutely nothing about that mysterious person, who could be hiding among the humans or even disguised as one of the villagers. They couldn't even determine with certainty whether that person was a monster like themselves or simply an extraordinarily powerful human.
If he was a monster, he would have some inherent understanding of what the green heaven represented; if he was human, he might have no knowledge of it at all and could have come merely to save his captured people. So, how could Daren figure out definitively whether this individual was human or monster? He needed to meet this person face-to-face to devise an effective plan before the situation escalated and attracted the attention of other powerful beings who could perceive the immense threat that the green heaven posed. That would mark their final moment of existence if that terrible scenario happened.
As Daren contemplated the complex situation carefully, he realized he could only make informed decisions after meeting directly with that mysterious person. He needed to maintain absolute control over both the situation and his carefully laid plan. But how could he possibly arrange to meet this hidden individual? It wasn't as if he could simply send an invitation to his location and reasonably expect this person to agree to come peacefully.
"Carn, can you somehow arrange a meeting with that person so we can discuss the situation in more detail and depth? If we can accomplish this, I might be able to strategize in a way that turns the entire situation decisively in our favor. If you succeed in this task, our problem might be completely solved, and we can enjoy our peaceful days like we used to before all this chaos. What do you think? Can you do it?" Daren requested as he finally looked at Carn with calm composure, as if he already had a brilliant plan forming in mind. He believed confidently that he could handle the situation far better if he could meet with that person directly and skillfully conceal his true desperate motives from everyone around him.
Carn listened to Daren's unexpected request, feeling shocked and unable to believe his own ears. He found it incredibly hard to accept that Daren actually wanted to meet someone who was deliberately staying in hiding. He didn't even know how to reach that mysterious person, or if he could possibly find them at all. He truly doubted that this dangerous person would agree to meet under friendly, peaceful terms. Carn felt deeply frustrated; he could analyze the impossible situation clearly, but he had absolutely no power to refuse Daren's direct request.
Carn bowed respectfully to him and replied with resignation, "Yes, my lord. I'll do my absolute best to convey your message to that person and arrange the meeting you desire." He accepted Daren's command obediently, fully aware of just how improbable and dangerous this task was.
Daren locked eyes with Carn intensely, a satisfied smile forming on his lips. He nodded approvingly, saying, "Good. You can go now and begin immediately." He commanded Carn to leave and start this impossible mission.
"Yes, my lord," Carn replied dutifully, bowing once more before departing from the garden. Daren didn't look back at him as he left, instead turning his full attention back toward his precious paradise, already planning his next moves.