Chapter 411: Letting Go and Taking Charge

Clang clang clang clang—

Blood foam flew, screams rose on all sides.

Tally hadn't even bothered to shift her feet.

She used 【Greater Shadow Necromancy】 to cast 【Jaw Swarm】.

Countless human jaws, formed from dark shadow-stuff, poured forth with her casting, surging in an overwhelming tide toward the attacking land naga.

Click-clack, click-clack—between every snap of the jaws, several panic-stricken wretches had already been bitten down.

Although it was only a third-tier spell.

But Tally had 【Shadow Manipulation】 boosting it, and the enemies were simply too pathetic.

They looked completely unable to put up any resistance.

【Greater Shadow Necromancy】, after all.

It's a spell of the illusion school.

It can use shadow-stuff to simulate necromancy spells of the seventh tier and below—quite handy.

She had obtained it back at 【Fey Paradise】, and Rod had handed it to Tally to practice.

Given a succubus's lazy nature, getting her to study seriously really took some doing.

In those early days of learning, Rod could only, before every meal, make her demonstrate her new progress first; only after passing would the feeding stage officially begin.

Tally protested that she was already lying down, already in position, already spread open—and you mean to tell me I have to demo a new spell before the main act?

Isn't that pure torment for a succubus!

But her master's orders couldn't be disobeyed, and he would often nuzzle and tease her a bit, throwing her thoughts into such disarray that her casting concentration suffered, and she often had to try several times before the spell would succeed.

Those days of looking but not touching could only be called agony.

"Ah—"

"Don't bite me! Don't bite me!"

"Captain, save me! I'm dying!"

A person about to die couldn't shout this loud!

The bandit squad's captain, a female land naga, watched as several of her subordinates were surrounded by jaws formed of shadow-stuff, collapsed to the ground, and began to scream.

Though most of the jaws were just clacking their teeth together in midair—purely for atmosphere.

The ones actually biting and attacking were probably only a handful.

"Useless lot!"

She could tell the other side was going easy.

Of course, a thought of retreat did flicker in her heart.

But then she glanced once more at that tall man.

She ground her teeth hard!

Damn, he's this handsome—go for it!

If a naga dies for beauty, what of it!

Fwoosh—

She drew her curved blade, a look of resolve unto death on her face, and fiercely writhed her thick serpentine body into a charge.

"Give me back my husband!!!"

And then Tally punched her flying into the air, and with a splat she hit the ground and passed out cold.

"What even was that."

Meanwhile, the remaining land naga up ahead who had been pulling the wagons.

Seeing their squad captain so easily defeated, their faces all changed at once; they decisively turned tail and fled, scrambling back into the little grove of trees they'd come from.

One could only say it was very much in line with the land naga's racial character—greedy and afraid of death.

Rod waved a hand, and Tally sensibly dismissed 【Jaw Swarm】.

Only then could the few land naga, their bodies covered in bloody bite marks, finally catch their breath; they lay on the ground, staring at Rod in terror, not daring to move.

Rod looked at them coldly.

He himself was not actually bloodthirsty.

The only two extermination operations he'd ever run—one was against the forest's kobolds, the other against an evil mind flayer that had designs on his magic ring.

Both had harmed him, and both urgently needed to be rooted out.

As for these rookie bandits in front of him, who had been ordered by 'my lord the Priest' not to kill—

How to put it—one of his own enslaved subjects happened to be a land naga, which gave him a bit of a soft filter for this silly race.

Forget it, then.

No point.

"Get lost. Don't let me see you again."

The land naga felt as if granted a great reprieve; their taut nerves finally relaxed, and they scrambled to flee as fast as they could.

Fortunately, they didn't forget to drag their unconscious squad captain away with them.

Watching their retreating backs.

Tally laughed: "Master is so kind today."

"I'm always like this."

Just as they were speaking.

The leader of the merchant caravan up ahead came forward, surrounded by his guards, and bowed in thanks:

"Thank you both so very much! A thousand thanks!"

The speaker was the father of the father-and-son merchant pair. He was so worked up he was on the verge of tears.

His son was just as grateful, but Tally's transformed appearance was so striking that he kept unconsciously letting his gaze drift toward her face.

Only human nature.

Rod also often gets girls sneaking peeks at him — after all, he's a devastatingly handsome fellow.

"It was nothing."

Rod waved a hand, the picture of casual indifference.

The two sides briefly introduced themselves.

They learned the father and son were named Alfonso Taylor and Vincent Taylor, merchants headed for Deepwater City.

They said this trading trip was a matter of life and death for their family. When the land naga ambushed them earlier, it scared them half to death — their life flashing before their eyes played on fast-forward.

"May I ask where you two are headed?"

Alfonso, the father of the merchant pair, asked respectfully.

Rod didn't hide it and gave the name Axehead Beach straight out.

Alfonso was overjoyed: "It's on the way! I see you two have no mount — let us give you a lift!"

Repaying the favor was one reason.

Mainly, the woman in this couple was a powerful mage. With a mage's protection, they'd at least be safe until Axehead Beach.

There were plenty of stories about land naga taking revenge on people, and he had no desire for his caravan to become one of them.

Once past Axehead Beach, they'd be across the Delinbier River.

Presumably they'd be able to avoid that band of naga.

Rod thought it over.

Not bad either — he could ask about the situation at Axehead Beach along the way. He'd heard the place had gone through a rebellion, so things might still be pretty complicated.

Merchants, after all, traveled far and wide — they'd surely have some intel.

The two sides hit it off at once.

They set off immediately.

Two hours later.

The southern tip of Misty Forest, in the flatland area right between the Supreme Wastes and Dragon Snake Fortress.

A few camp tents were pitched here.

Smoke curled lazily as half-human, half-snake land naga slithered back and forth.

"Priestess, my lord! You must see justice done for me!"

A wail of anguish rang out from the forest on the camp's western side.

The guards on patrol were startled by the shout and raised their weapons in alarm.

But once they made out the words and the voice, they lowered them again.

Their faces all showed helpless resignation.

A moment later.

The land naga highway-robbery squad leader — the one who bragged she could sit still and suck the dust dry — came blubbering out of the trees at the edge, her soldiers behind her battered and broken, a textbook picture of a routed, useless force.

Her head was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, her face pale, but her expression was pure fury and unwillingness.

"Sigh — what is it this time?"

From the largest, most ornate tent in the camp came a soft, melodious sigh, the tone heavy with helpless resignation.

Then the curtain, embroidered with serpent-folk, suns, and all manner of vines and floral patterns, was lifted by a snow-white, delicate hand.

A statuesque, noble, stunningly beautiful land naga matron stepped out from within.

She wore a robe of finely woven wool adorned with rare gems; the chest was embroidered with intricate totems and patterns — but because her proportions were excessively grand, the totems and patterns above were stretched and warped wide.

And as her serpentine lower body swayed side to side, the amplitude was unmistakable, her mature aura dialed up to the max.

(End of chapter)