"This could be troublesome," Kairo murmured, his gaze flickering slightly.
"Oz, continue surveying the perimeter," Fischl commanded in a low, steady tone.
"Understood."
Oz spread his wings and soared above the treetops, his keen violet eyes scanning the terrain far and wide, sending everything he saw back into Fischl's field of vision.
Moments later, Fischl's expression suddenly changed. She'd seen something—
The Hilichurl camp ahead wasn't the only one. Deeper within the forest, a far larger force was gathering… and among them, other kinds of monsters moved.
"...It seems this is more than just a Hilichurl outpost."
Oz landed lightly on her shoulder. "Milady means this place is more dangerous than expected. The camp ahead exceeds a standard commission. We should first report this—notify both the Adventurers' Guild and the Knights of Favonius."
Kairo blinked. "?????"
He turned toward them, utterly baffled. How could one cryptic line from Fischl carry that much meaning?
"Ahem… that last part was my personal suggestion," Oz admitted awkwardly when he noticed Kairo's expression.
Fischl's brows furrowed. Her lips twitched ever so slightly, her eyes burning with frustration. Her amethyst irises narrowed as she fixed her gaze on the Hilichurl encampment. Her fingers tightened around her bow until her knuckles whitened.
"Accursed minions of darkness! How dare you act with impunity under the gaze of the Prinzessin der Verurteilung!"
"Do you truly believe I would not call down divine retribution upon you and purge you from this hallowed land?"
"Hmph! Were it not that my full power has yet to awaken, my Thundering Judgment would already have torn your foul nest asunder, leaving only cinders in its wake!"
Oz, deadpan: "She means: yes. You're right—direct assault isn't practical."
Kairo stood beside her, listening calmly, his expression unchanged. Clearly, he was long past being surprised by Fischl's dramatics.
"So basically," he said dryly, glancing sideways at her, "you want to wipe them out, but you can't. Right?"
Fischl froze mid-pose. Her head turned slightly away, her mouth twitching as she mentally translated his blunt phrasing into her royal diction. After a pause, she raised a single finger, her tone solemn.
"My loyal vassal, thy comprehension doth mirror faintly the radiance of true wisdom."
Oz translated flatly: "She means, yes—you're right."
Kairo exhaled softly, eyes returning to the encampment ahead. Indeed, given Fischl's fighting style, a head-on assault wasn't ideal. And in his current state, charging in himself wasn't wise either—especially not with Pyro archers and Hilichurl berserkers among them.
No—
the best course of action would be something far more… explosive.
Kairo's eyes gleamed slightly. "Do you happen to have any bombs?"
Fischl blinked in confusion, still caught in her brooding frustration.
"...Thy words… I fear their true meaning eludes my mortal understanding."
Oz sighed, translating without pause: "Milady asks what you need bombs for."
"Exactly what it sounds like," Kairo said calmly. "If we had some, I'd have a plan."
After testing bombs with Klee yesterday—and witnessing the power they gained when infused with Clara's Abyssal Path—Kairo knew their destructive capability was terrifying. It would be the perfect way to clear a Helichurl camp like this.
Unfortunately, he hadn't brought any. Not only did he lack the bombs themselves, but when Klee had been put in confinement yesterday, her whole backpack of explosives had gone with her.
Fischl frowned, shaking her head. "The Prinzessin der Verurteilung hath no need for such crude instruments of chaos."
Oz translated: "She means: no."
Kairo rubbed his temple. No bombs meant no clean solution. They'd have to find another, safer way to deal with the camp—charging in recklessly was off the table.
Still… if he could somehow infuse Fischl's arrows with his own Crimson Echo, they might pack enough punch to fell the Berserker from range. He'd seen what Clara's Path did to explosives yesterday—the area damage was devastating—but bombs weren't available. Kairo's Crimson Echo ("I Want to Help Too!") could instead temporarily augment an object's striking force—less area, but lethal in the right hands.
Bombs: wide area, blunt cleanup. Arrows: precise, single-target. He needed to be clear which he was aiming for.
Fischl noticed his furrowed brow and asked curiously, "My faithful vassal, dost thou intend to harness the power of flame itself to reduce this accursed land to ashes?"
Oz translated: "Milady asks if you were planning to use bombs."
"You could say that," Kairo nodded lightly. "But that's not an option right now."
Fischl fell silent, resting a thoughtful hand on her chin. A hint of realization flickered in her gaze.
"...The Prinzessin does, however, know of a certain witch—one who wields the art of explosions as though to shake the very stars themselves."
Oz clarified: "She means… she knows Klee."
Kairo: "…"
"But alas," Fischl said, voice dropping into solemn pity, "that witch is imprisoned within the Knights of Favonius Headquarters and cannot descend upon this battlefield."
Oz added matter-of-factly, "She means: Klee's currently in confinement, reflecting on her actions. The news reached her via the Adventurers' Guild this morning."
Kairo's lips twitched. That explained it—and made him inwardly grateful for small bureaucratic leaks.
He narrowed his eyes as a new idea came to him. "With your Electro Vision—can you use a fully charged arrow to take down that Pyro Hilichurl Berserker in one shot?"