Chapter 74 Chapter 73 Everything Is Out of Control
The short engineer wore only a helmet and held a matchlock gun, obediently walking alongside the survivors who were about to flee.
Jima felt much better; everything was under control.
The short engineer wanted to survive so he could provide himself with the knowledge to make firearms, and maybe he could help her upgrade the “Mousetrin.”
As a beautiful succubus, melee combat, which involves blood and sweat, was unfit for her. She preferred to be at a distance, firing the “Mousetrin” from afar.
As for that group of refugees who ate and wore from her, it was better if they disappeared from her sight sooner.
Suddenly, a pain shot through her head.
“Jima? Jima? Are you listening?”
Jima covered her head and realized it was George knocking on her, saying, “What’s up?”
“Defense task.” George pointed to the snow-covered ground, where a crude terrain map was formed by the accumulation of white snow. In front of this small gully, several stones were piled up, “We don’t have much time, don’t get distracted.”
“I’m listening,” Jima squatted on the ground and said, “I understand, it’s just Eve Frostleaf using elemental magic to build fortifications in front of the gully, and I’ll scout from above and finish off any stragglers.”
George tugged at her corner, “Liar, you weren’t listening.”
“Hey, as long as I understand the tactical meaning, that’s enough.”
“Be serious, Jima,” Jenna said, “If you keep up this playful attitude, you’ll end up in serious trouble sooner or later.”
Jima replied, “Think positively; we’re on the same wavelength, very in sync. Even if I didn’t hear, I’d still understand everyone’s intentions.”
George said impatiently, “Get lost.”
Jima stood up straight, squared her shoulders, and saluted George seriously, saying, “At your command.”
After saying that, she pushed off the ground with her leg, spread her wings, and flew into the sky.
Gravity couldn’t hold her back for the moment, and the ground was rapidly moving away. After flying for a few minutes through the snowy expanse, the whole view of the small mountain where the shelter was located came into view.
In front of the small mountain was a dark mass of over two hundred trolls, resembling a large ant colony, the kind that lacks awareness, completely oblivious to the small gully about a hundred meters away or to Jima soaring in the sky.
Invisible, Jima enjoyed the sensation. She spread her wings wide and glided down without flapping, the air currents lifting her wings.
She adjusted the angle of her wings, descending in height as gravity potential converted into kinetic energy, her speed increasing. The cold wind whistled in her ears, and Jima couldn’t help but exclaim:
“Enemy aircraft has reached position.”
“Locked on; incoming missiles detected!”
Then, she suddenly tilted her body, spinning like a top, making a “whoosh~~” sound with her mouth. Pretending there was a missile charging at her, at the critical moment, ace pilot Jima perfectly dodged the missile.
Not only that, she shot upwards, completing a full three-hundred-sixty-degree turn. The enemy fighter, unable to reduce speed in time, flew past her just to be bitten at the tail by Jima.
“Chirp chirp chirp!”
Jima made firing noises, and the enemy aircraft disintegrated mid-air. She dove past the enemy plane, which exploded behind her, while the “ace pilot” with flowing black hair didn’t look back even once.
The snow below raced away as Jima suddenly “erected” her wings, her body shifting from a fighter-like tilt to an upright position. After nearly half a minute, she finally stopped, stretching her wings out, hovering in the air, narrowing her golden eyes to focus on the snow below.
This snowy area was behind the shelter, just beyond the small mountain.
She noticed several inconspicuous footprints. The owner of the footprints seemed to have tried to conceal them, but the technique was clumsy, and Jima saw through it.
Though playful and silly, Jima certainly hadn’t forgotten that they were currently in a battle.
A guess formed in her mind as she looked at a pile of unremarkable snow, blinked, and conducted a quick divination.
Her eyes heated up, and several lines of common text emerged from the snow pile.
“Snow Trolls, quantity: three.”
It seemed there was an ambush behind.
Jima gently landed on the snow, her wings extended, and with a light push of her toes on the snow, she silently began “super low altitude gliding,” maintaining her invisible state, so the snow trolls didn’t notice her.
Jima targeted one of the trolls and pulled it into a dream to extract information. It went smoothly; the foolish troll divulged everything, even mentioning how it choked on a fish yesterday.
(They called humans “fish.”)
Jima learned that nearly thirty trolls were lying in wait behind this mountain.
She stroked her smooth chin, simulating the situation in her mind.
Two hundred lost souls fleeing would suddenly be ambushed by the trolls, causing chaos—people shoving and pushing each other, turning a surprise attack into a troll-catching competition.
Forget about escaping; in the snow, humans couldn’t outrun trolls. At least eighty percent of them would die.
But that’s none of my business, Jima thought. If I tell George, things will get complicated. He’ll likely ask me and Eve Frostleaf to cover the refugee’s retreat.
So annoying, I’m going to be exploited again.
Moreover, if the refugees hit the ambush spot.
This sniping battle would probably end before the afternoon. Then we could quickly delve into the adventure of searching for the pieces of the demon king’s crown.
Jima made up her mind, thinking of how to mislead George and delay reporting until the trolls moved to attack, at which point she would rush to inform George.
“Jima, be quick with the report, but it was too late; the ambushing trolls had already slaughtered nearly two hundred people. That sounds so pleasant.”
A smile crept onto Jima’s face as she flapped her wings and flew into the sky.
Meanwhile, in the shelter.
The short engineer, with a backpack on, was checking his matchlock gun, carefully cleaning it with a cleaning rod and applying oil. Though he spoke disdainfully about this new weapon, it was still his own painstaking effort.
He also looked forward to the day when this new weapon wouldn’t betray his hard work.
Nearby, the humans were still preparing, tying blankets with ropes to carry on their backs, along with food. Women made up a large portion, with some tightly holding onto their children’s hands, preparing to protect them during the impending calamity.
The orphan child Dagji sat beside them with his head down, parentless and unable to protect his siblings. But he tightly gripped the hilt of a short sword at his waist, determined to learn to protect himself and his sister.
George approached from the crowd, calling his name: “Dagji.”
“Sir Paladin?”
“The trolls haven’t discovered us yet.” George lowered his greatsword from his shoulder, “Continue practicing swordsmanship with me.”
“But…” Dagji thought of the soul still in the possession of a certain demon queen, “Is it useful?”
“If you master the basic swordsmanship actions, I can consider it introducing you to the basics, and you’ll be able to protect yourself in the future,” George said, “Stand up, take your wooden sword, and show me some stances.”
Looking at the serious George, Dagji thought about this good man, warrior, and troll slayer, who was just a servant of a demon queen, and sadness washed over him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… nothing at all?”
“I know you don’t want to say.”
Dagji raised his sword, making a guard stance, when a white figure floated next to George; it was Eve Frostleaf.
She said to George, “He has something to tell you.”
George turned to Dagji, who shook his head, eyes full of pity.
George said, “Please speak; if anyone threatens you, I will protect you.”
Tears streamed down Dagji’s face as he said, “Jima is a liar; she is the demon queen!”
