"Eek, aaah!"

A scream escaped the lips of Evan, a Holy Knight, as a whip coiled mercilessly around his torso, constricting him with no mercy.

In an instant, blood rushed to Evan’s face, neck, and hands, turning them a deep crimson.

Alarmed, the other Holy Knights rushed toward him, their swords raised high. They had to cut the whip without harming Evan.

The whip, however, quickly slithered beneath Evan’s clothing. If left unchecked, it would soon cleave his body in two—

Swish!

In that instant, something golden streaked through the air and swept past the knights. A radiant arc of light traced a long slash from bottom to top.

Thunk.

The severed whip fell to the ground, and only then did the knights realize what had just happened.

A blonde-haired girl, her curls rippling like waves, had cut the whip right before their eyes.

The knights stood blinking in disbelief. Evan's white uniform now bore a long, clean cut where the sword had passed.

Clutching her sword, Crescent let out a squeal.

"Oh no! I cut your clothes a little. Sorry about that! But at least I didn’t nick your skin, right? I mean, I’ve only been training for six months, you know."

“Uh, yeah… I’m fine. Thanks,” Evan replied, still dazed.

He had almost been bisected moments ago but hadn’t spilled a single drop of blood. How was it possible for a child who had only been a knight for six months to possess such skill?

The knights were perplexed, but their thoughts were quickly interrupted.

"Everyone, be careful!"

A shout rang out just as the severed whips on the ground began writhing again. It seemed they couldn’t be killed so easily.

“Persistent things—!”

The knights swung their swords at the whips that lunged toward them again. Two strands became four, and four swiftly multiplied into eight.

The number of whips harassing them only grew.

How do we get rid of these things? They're so annoying! Crescent bit her lip as she tried to think.

The whips could even extend their length. Cutting them only seemed to play into Ismir’s hands. And it wasn’t like they could feed the useless rubbery pieces to the monsters—wait.

“Graargh! Yip!”

‘Chopping up those whips felt satisfying! I've always wanted to chew them to pieces!’

“Kyahak!”

‘You too? Me too! Perfect chewy snacks!’

Huh?

Crescent’s ears perked up. The whispers of the monsters caught her attention.

They want to chew them up…? Perfect timing!

Crescent immediately shouted to the knights, “Don’t cut the whips! Throw them to the monsters—they’ll eat them!”

“What?!” The knights’ eyes widened in disbelief. Feed the whips to monsters? Wouldn’t that just provoke the creatures and make them more dangerous?

Before they could protest further, Crescent swung her sword like a golfer, sending one of the whips flying into the monsters’ enclosure. A creature lunged forward, snatching the whip with its front paws before stuffing it into its mouth.

Crunch, crunch.

“Graaargh!”

‘This Demon Realm rubber is delicious!’

‘Wait, that’s tasty…?’

Unexpected, but apparently, it made a good snack. Then again, how could human logic apply to something from the Demon Realm?

“Oh!”

Encouraged by the monsters’ reaction, the other knights began tossing the whips into the enclosure. One by one, the sixteen strands of whip were devoured, disappearing into the monsters’ eager mouths.

It was a brilliantly effective solution.

“Wow, they’re eating it so happily! Crescent, that was an amazing idea,” one of the knights said, admiration in his voice.

“Oh, it was nothing. We’re all working hard, after all.”

Thud!

Crescent sent another whip soaring into the monsters’ cage. Before long, the final strand was gone, leaving nothing of the whips behind.

The knights, grinning ear to ear, all turned to Crescent with a look of pride and gratitude in their eyes.

This girl is incredible…!

From taming the monsters to disposing of the whips, Crescent had been instrumental. Without her, they might have lost an arm or worse trying to handle the monsters themselves.

Meanwhile, as Crescent and the knights dealt with the whips, Reuben continued his battle against Ismir.

Having realized the whips could multiply, Reuben avoided cutting them.

Blocking the whip attacks without severing them was no easy task.

If only I could take that whip away from him…!

Determined, Reuben gritted his teeth and signaled with his eyes as two knights joined him.

With their support, Reuben charged toward Ismir, his sword cutting a bold path forward.

But Ismir merely sneered.

“Three swords instead of one? It doesn’t change anything.”

Two of Ismir’s whips extended outward, forcing the knights to divide their attacks. This created a rare opening in Ismir’s defense.

Reuben seized the moment without hesitation, surging forward and delivering a powerful strike.

The blade flashed, and Ismir’s pink pupils widened as he leapt back—just a fraction too late.

A thin red line appeared on his pristine white chin, the mark left by Reuben’s blade.

“…You dare scar my perfect face?”

“Aren’t you the one who was bragging about your loyal slaves just a moment ago? Now you’re trembling in fear.”

“Ha ha ha!” Ismir burst into laughter.

“Yes, I’ve played with you fools for too long. It seems you won’t be joining me as partners after all—what a waste of opportunity.”

At that moment, Ismir’s two whips extended to the length of the entire cave. Crescent and the knights, who had just finished dealing with the whips, quickly resumed their battle stance.

The whips splintered into dozens of pieces, each one wrapping itself around the locks on the monsters’ cages.

Click, click.

The sound echoed ominously as the doors creaked open.

From the darkness, the monsters’ eyes glowed with renewed malice.

***

Count Ismir’s voice rang out again.

“Don’t hold too much of a grudge against me, everyone. I did give you the chance to peacefully become my slaves, didn’t I?”

He spoke leisurely, but then suddenly shouted harshly at the monsters.

“Kill them all! No, no, no, wait! Don’t kill them! Capture them alive and offer them to me! These humans will make the perfect slaves to raise you filthy beasts, so don’t waste them by killing them! Hahaha!”

“Grrrr…”

“Kyahak!”

At Ismir’s command, the monsters reacted. Roars erupted from all directions.

With creaking sounds, the iron-barred doors began to open, and one by one, the monsters crawled out. Their snarling and growling sent chills down my spine.

This is madness. Pure, murderous madness.

I felt a shiver run through me.

Even when I first arrived here, the malice hadn’t been this overwhelming.

The knights hesitated, instinctively gathering into a tight formation. The oppressive atmosphere was enough to make anyone falter.

“If you surrender now and agree to live with me for the rest of your miserable lives, I might just spare you,” Ismir sneered. “After all, you’re already mine.”

Who’s yours, exactly?

“Who do you think belongs to you?” Reuben’s voice cut through the tense air, echoing the very thought I’d just had.

“My beloved children listen to me oh so well. If I tell them to snap your necks, they’ll do it without hesitation. If I tell them to devour you, they’ll eat you alive and leave nothing behind. Aren’t you afraid of death?”

“I know no fear,” Reuben replied, his voice resolute.

Adjusting his grip on his sword, Reuben made it clear that words were no longer necessary. He charged forward, aiming for Ismir, who bellowed in response.

“Bite them!”

Almost at the same time, I yelled at the monsters.

“Bite them!”

As the “Animal Handling Specialist,” my current level was 128.

Upon surpassing level 120, I’d unlocked a new stat: Loyalty of Grade A Creatures.

Once a certain affection level was achieved with monsters, I could earn their loyalty.