Magical Tool Master Dahlia Never Compromises ~ Starting Today: Life as a Freelancer ~

The younger generation asked quietly, and the knight replied with a blank look:

"It uses illusions to transform itself into someone its opponent loves or is important to them. Usually, it's a wife, child, lover, or parent. Therefore, people hesitate before attacking it. Its magical defenses are also very high, so long-range magic cannot be killed unless one is incredibly accurate. Furthermore, if you get close to it, you'll be kicked with great force and ferocity. If you're deceived by the illusion and don't strike it immediately, you'll be seriously injured, if not killed. Incidentally, the Bicorn is not an herbivore, but an omnivore..."

“Wow… that’s so annoying…”

The newcomer frowned, finally understanding why his seniors were panicking.

If you see that kind of illusion, it's impossible to fight. And the Bicorn is already fierce enough.

Facing the team members who were whispering to each other, Gulat said seriously:

"The enemy is too formidable. I hope to depart as soon as possible and resolve it today."

"Captain Gulat, is there any need for such haste? Can't we borrow archers from other knight orders for support?"

"When I was young, the place where the purple bicorn appeared was called 'a place where one can meet the dead.' People flocked there, and many died in a few days. We later defeated the bicorn, but we were resented by the people."

"……learn."

It is understandable that some people want to meet the deceased even though they know it is an illusion.

But the army cannot let the people die in vain, nor do they want to be hated by the people for fighting against the two-horned beast.

"Those who volunteer will receive a small stipend, and if there aren't enough people, we'll flip a coin to decide."

"I volunteer. I don't need a stipend, but I'd like priority in purchasing Bicorn materials."

"Okay, I can give you one."

"Thanks."

The first to raise his hand was Wolff.

The purple bicorn had high magical defense. He thought it would be a good material for a magical tool or sword, and immediately expressed his interest.

"I'd love to go too. I want to have a good drink without telling my wife."

"Okay, I can give you a bottle from my collection."

Goulart's words elicited some laughter, but volunteers remained few.

In the end, there were only ten volunteers, including Wolf, and five of them were Red Armored.

In order to gather the required number of people, they decided by flipping a coin according to the tradition of the monster-slaying army.

The people who rolled heads and those who rolled tails stand on the left and right sides of the waiting room respectively, and several rounds of screening are carried out.

"Please give me good luck!"

“I really don’t want to go…!”

Prayers and sighs rang out one after another, and it was finally decided to add twenty more people to the expedition.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Vice Captain Griselda led thirty team members and four magicians and rode at full speed to the expedition site.

They arrived at the water source on the southern highway after noon and stopped their horses near the water source, with only the team members continuing to move forward.

"...Even though I know it's an illusion, it's still hard."

"Even a magician like me, using magic tools to prevent illusions, still sees two images superimposed on each other. They're really powerful...especially the two on the right."

Griselda and a mage were talking in low voices.

The two-horned beast that the magician saw through the magic tool was a dark purple with a black tint. It was very similar to a unicorn, but larger than a unicorn, and had long, sharp red eyes.

The biggest difference from the unicorn is the two horns that shine like obsidian.

"Is it difficult to use long-range magic attacks on Bicorns?"

"Yes, the purple bicorns have high magical defenses. If they are not defeated in one blow, they will flee. There are four of them here. Perhaps we can use wind magic or ice magic to buy some time and prevent them from escaping."

"Then let's strike while they're slowing down. But... it's a little difficult. It's hard for me to take down these two..."

Griselda looked at the Bicorn and her voice was extremely excited.

"Vice-Captain, may I ask who the two people are you talking about?"

"I saw the apparition of my wife holding our daughter."

"That's really uncomfortable..."

Who on earth could hack to death a two-horned beast that looked like his beloved wife and daughter without a second thought?

"What about you?"

"I saw my wife. It takes some courage to cast a spell on her. What about the other archers?"

"I saw my fiancée. It was a normal hallucination... No, I can't decisively shoot her."

"I wouldn't dare shoot arrows at my wife and children..."

They spoke in whispers, each voice revealing distress.

Even with the use of magic tools that can block out sound at close range, they could still feel the depression emanating from each other.

"...What should I do? The one I saw was the maid I often see in the military building."

"I'll tell you later. The one I saw was Fabiola, the popular girl from the 'Yao'an House' on the Flower Street."

"Dolino, you're not just playing around with her when you're spending money to support her, but you really mean it..."

"I think so. I was so scared that I broke out in a sweat..."

Some people who didn't realize their feelings were forced to face the truth and said it sadly.

"Where's Randolph?"

"...There's no illusion worse than this."

Randolph gave an uncharacteristically dry laugh and stared at the two-horned beast.

"Is there any Red Armor willing to serve as the vanguard? No need to force it."

“…I’ll go.”

After Vice Captain Griselda finished asking, Wolff took a step forward. He lowered his head, his face hidden by his bangs, making it difficult to see his expression.

"As expected of Wolfred."

"I remember he said last time that the bicorn he saw was just a bicorn."

"In some ways, it's quite pitiful, not even having a crush on someone."

"Too……"

Some knights cast sympathetic glances at Wolf from a distance.

Wolfe, unaware of their gaze, received Griselda's permission and began preparing for the charge.

"Vice-Captain, I want to be the vanguard this time too."

A knight with blue-gray hair stepped out and passed by Wolf.

He was Nicola Astorga, almost a generation older than Wolff. However, he wasn't a Red Armor member, but an ordinary member of the team.

"Thank you for volunteering, Nikolai, but is this okay?"

"Yes. If I don't go, I'll feel like I'm losing to a phantom... Please let me take the lead."

"...Okay, you and Wolffred will be the vanguard."

Nicholas' tone was sad, and Griselda was stunned for a moment before agreeing to his request.

Wolferdore took a longsword, the same size as his normal sword, and placed the scabbards of both swords on the ground. He gently swung his arms, feeling the weight of the swords and the feel of the swords as he swung them.

"Wolver, you're going to bring two swords into the arena?"

"I want to save as much time as possible and chop down the Bicorn in one go."

"Are you really okay?"

"Um."

Wolff answered with his head down, not wanting people around him to ask him who he saw.

"The target is the two on the right. I feel very uncomfortable and want to rush out first. Dolino, can you cover me?"

"Alright, I'll leave two seconds after you. If you don't succeed, I'll chop you down with my eyes closed, don't worry. Randolph, if Wolf and I get kicked by the Bicorn, please use your shield to protect us. We've got body reinforcements, so we should be able to withstand one kick."

"no problem."

After checking his weapons and armor, Wolf discussed the location with the magician and another senior.

If the vanguard fails, the other team members will take over the attack, but the malicious phantom is the biggest problem.

If you hesitate for a moment, you will be kicked by the Bicorn; if you are not careful, you will go to another world.

On the left was the senior knight, on the right was Wolf, and behind stood Dolino and several other knights.

After Griselda checked the ground situation with a telescope, she waved her hand and Wolfe immediately rushed out.

He strengthened his body to the maximum and used the Sirius bracelet to accelerate.

This was the second time he had seen the purple bicorn.

Last time, the Bicorn was just a Bicorn in his eyes, and he couldn't understand why others hesitated.

This time he finally saw the hallucination, understood the hesitation, and felt angry from the bottom of his heart.

The woman with red hair and green eyes appeared before him.

He saw Dahlia smiling at him in a thin shirt, but he knew it was definitely not Dahlia.

Her own red hair was even softer, and her eyes were a shadowless emerald green.

“…You must be joking…!”

A low roar unconsciously emanated from Wolfe's throat.

A mere monster dared to create such an illusion.

Even though he knew this, when he saw Dalia opening her arms and smiling to welcome him, he almost slowed down for a moment.

You are not Dahlia, absolutely not.

Dalia has a warm scent that reminds people of the sun and sweet flowers.

Instead of being like you, exuding the smell of a beast - Wolfe thought and opened his eyes wide, and the Bicorn in his eyes immediately returned to its appearance as a Bicorn.

The two-horned beast rushed towards him, and he crossed his two swords, drew two lines and cut the two-horned beast into four pieces.

The other two-horned beast tried to escape, so he kicked a nearby tree, leaped into the air, and severed its head from behind. He then used his other sword to cut its body in half.

The crimson armor he wore was dyed even redder by the blood spurted out by the two-horned beast.

The knight, wielding a greatsword, also charged towards the bicorn on the other side. His blue eyes narrowed, but his speed didn't slow at all.

"Don't be so indecisive!"

As the knight roared, a gust of wind suddenly blew up. The mages must be trying to use magic to hinder the Bicorn's movement.　

The two-horned beast was instantly unable to move. It tried to use its front legs to fight back, but its power was insufficient, and the knight chopped off its front half along with its front legs.

The two-horned beast next to it tried to escape, but was knocked away by the sweeping sword, spurting out a lot of blood foam.

When the knight lowered his sword, the two two-horned beasts were already motionless.

"Everyone, search the surroundings! There might be other Bicorns!"

All the knights heard the order and set out together.

After confirming that there were no other two-horned beasts, the knights began to collect materials from the two-horned beasts for subsequent processing.

The tense atmosphere finally eased, and the knights began to talk to each other.

"This phantom is really annoying."

"Yes, I wish there were a magical tool that could completely eliminate this illusion..."

"Wolfred seemed very angry just now. I wonder who he saw."

"It must be the Duchess. He must be furious to see his beloved lady appear in the forest in such a provocative manner."

"Ah, has he fallen for it too? But the target is too bad..."

"Although it makes me sympathize, there's nothing I can do about it. Even for Wolffred, that lady probably won't be truly devoted."