Chapter 22: It Only Takes A Blunder For A Genuis To Fail
Kabuto said he understood and went back to us by appearing in my shadow, I immediately continued to browse through the Bestiary, well it looks boring as of now, but at least I properly have an appraisal-like thing now.
With this, I can become stronger by reading the description of monsters and thus can take preparations for them. I am not quite still in there, that "Cheat" like being in isekai and can only use my brain that thankfully has an abnormal ability to get through most of the time. For example, if I did not deduce the existence of Lyra's goblin party and decided to capture them, I would not have any shinobi right now.
Well, you can say, my brain is like my version of Philo's ability to jump very high, Goblin's crooked version of human society, and those goats having rocks for horns, my adaptive mechanism while I am weak, though I will still use it even if I'm already strong.
Of course, I have so much confidence in my genius, it has never failed even once after all, I got this mindset, without me knowing that this night is the night that for the first time in my life, my brilliant self will fail me, but of course, I did not know that.
So at first, of course for the sake of safety, I make it so that our party is together all the time, but after a while, the sunset has come, so I send Kabuto to get us a proper resting place and after two minutes, he found one.
"Master this way."
He said so and led the way into a rabbit hole, in which he killed the residents and roasted making a mini campfire outside the hole, of course, it has to be outside, the smoke will kill me if it was inside because they will be trapped, and so we sat and I took an already cooked rabbit, by the way, rabbits in this forest are grey, Philo is an Albino remember?
Anyway, I looked at the juicy rabbit which I assume that it is not seasoned, yeah the water in the lake is salty but making salt needs the fuckin' sun.
"AWWWWWOOOO!"
"WOOOO!"
"AWOOOO...."
As I was about to taste the roasted rabbit, several howls of wolves were heard, their voices sounds off somehow, as if rejoicing and ready to let loose. This gave me a bad feeling, a feeling so bad that my subordinates who are curious if they tasted roasted meat when they roasted themselves stopped what they are doing and immediately went into a battle stance position.
Accompanied by [Guide] who further made my intuition into affirmation.
[Warning, entities of the second layer infiltrated the first layer because of the absence of the restraint the undead is giving.
Immediate preparation for their hostility is strongly recommended.]
Without thinking anything, not considering anything but the safety of the people in the cave, I commanded.
But I can feel something is wrong, but what is it? I don't know, I don't have time to ponder about it as the rustles of the wolves' fast-approaching assault came and the whole layer of the forest grew anxious as a result of it.
"You three go back to the first Resource Point and slay any wolves that will go in there, kill any single one of them without mercy."
All of my subordinates looked at me with confusion. But I am also confused right now, I felt like I'm missing something, but what? I don't miss anything.
But still...
"Master, I am sorry for my rudeness but that command is illogical. First Bernardo is there, second, you have established a proper guarding force in there, instead, I suggest that we accompany you-"
I did not even make Kabuto finish his words as I just glared at him and said.
"Shut the fuck up, and follow the godamn order. Do you understand?"
I stared at them, starting with Kabuto and then trailing down to Lyra and then Philo.
"Disperse and follow my orders."
"We heed and obey!"
Even though their faces shows hints of doubt, they obeyed.
[Master, Undead Kabuto's suggestion and logic is right I suggest that you retract your order.]
But... but what if those goblins died? What would I do then?
[Master, I don't have the current capacity to answer such questions.]
Then you shut your fucking mouth!
[3rd Person POV]
"Typical mortal things even for someone such as herself."
An amused voice lingered in a plain unknown to any mortals, as a man sitting on a throne at the top of a million bones chuckled lightly, some people are below the feet of the bone mountain looking at him watching his hero prospect have a blunder despite bearing the name of a hero prospect.
He watched it, he watched it as her daughter whom he knew as someone who has a great potential panic because of her trauma without her even realizing it, he watched how she ruined her fighting potential by thinking about casualties that those wolves can make to her slaves. Yet he is not disappointed but instead more amused than ever before.
Well, nothing much to it, it just feels good to see geniuses have their genius fail them for once, even if that person is his daughter, he is still snickering. But of course, he still has to correct her mistakes, after all, she is his only mortal daughter.
_A hard wake-up call I must say, but I have to permit it, if not then she will always have these kinds of decisions._
"My Lord... Are you sure of your choice?"
"My Lord, I have a better prospect if you'd like..."
Some ramblings of unsatisfied voices came ringing into the god of the undead's ears, causing him to frown.
"Shut up, I will correct her mistake myself."
The god of the undead looked annoyed.
"But my lord, someone who hails herself a genius should not have those elementary mistakes! I deduce arrogance in this situation..."
Shouted a random entity at the bottom of the pile of bones, the god of the undead looked annoyed as an invisible force grabbed the neck of the shameless entity who dared to raise his voice against the god of the undead's mighty self.
"Look..."
The god of the undead glared at the being he is currently choking with an invisible force and swept his eyes towards the other being, who have became terrified and almost left his dignity as someone who can talk eye to eye with his lord and run the hell out of the place he is in.
"I said, I will be the one, who will beat some sense to her. Okay?"
The god of the undead then calmed down and then put the poor existence back down.
"And that will be my last intercession for my beloved daughter for a very, very long time. So let me do this okay?"
Meanwhile, Sophia does not have any idea of what transpired in the plains that only gods can travel to as she started to ponder the mistakes of her orders.
[Sophia's POV]
_This is strange..._
I thought so as I can feel sweat gathering on my forehead slowly drilling down my cheeks and falling off the ground. I gripped the random branch I picked out of a tree that I call staff tightly in my hands.
_Something is missing... I forgot something, no, I did not consider something, but what is it?_
I glanced over my surroundings, assisted by [Night Vision] and tracking the directions of the frightened bunnies that are continuously escaping from the mad howls of the wolves.
[Guide], the color you assigned in the second layer is red, right?
[Correct Master.]
I just nodded silently, ignoring the thing that has been bothering me as I immediately made a deduction that the wolves must be of the fire elements. If so, then water and earth elements will be the best counter for them.
Suddenly as I was thinking of that, a very loud man came shouting into my mind, it was supposed to be my monotone and calm Unique skill but now shouting in his non-existent lungs.
[WARNING! WARNING!
THE LEADER OF THE BLAZING WOLVES IS COMING IN YOUR DIRECTION AT A SPEED OF 10 METERS PER SECOND! CURRENT DISTANCE:
50 METERS!
40 METERS!
30 METERS!
20 METERS!
PLEASE RETRACT YOUR ORDER AT ONCE AND SUMMON THE NEAREST UNDEA- MASTER DUCK!]
I was so shocked about the behavior of a mere unique skill, he kept shouting and shouting loud words that I want to ignore, why is that? Why would I want to ignore his words? What's wrong with it?
I may have a more arrogant attitude right now but that does not mean I am arrogant to the point that I would ignore words, and the answer came to me as a gigantic I mean GIGANTIC Wolf as big as a bear flashed in the corner of my eyes, I tried to lift my staff but that's all I could attempt to do as the mocking face of the gigantic wolf with his jaws bearing white teeth with torn flesh and broken bone present on it was opened in my side.
I tried to use [Dynamic Vision] and [Observe], but to no avail, the monster is too fast, and too abrupt, not giving me any chance to retaliate as I helplessly look at its gigantic mouth coming down from the left part of my body.
After a very short yet everlasting instant, of being stuck frozen, the fangs of the wolf finally got embedded in the lengthwise half of my body as I finally got a hold of myself after the intense pain of my bones being pulverized and my flesh being chewed by a gigantic, bear-sized murderous dog.
"GRRRRGH...!"
I groaned as the crimson-colored wolf started to wave me up and down, left and right in a rabid manner, blood spurted out, and my cheeks is being clawed by his fangs until they came hanging like oral gums, the wolf continued even when I started to use [Martial Arts Apprentice] and punched the other side of his maws that is exposed on my still functional, though through sheer will side of the body.
Blood flowed as a mountain, mad growls of joy and ecstasy broke out and cries of a desperate, helpless human being eaten by a giant abomination resounded. I continued to punch the wolf and then when a tooth fell out of his molars, he let out a whimper and then spat me out, glaring at me the next instant with bloodshot eyes.
I made a very quick analysis of myself while hastily using sand to clog up the huge holes embedded by the monster's demonic fangs, to no avail of course.
"Gaaaghk!"
I coughed some blood and made my brain come to work.
The upper jaw was destroyed same with lower, skull cracked causing internal bleeding affecting brain performance, several holes in the lungs, a completely shattered ribcage, the left hand disappeared with only a mush of blood remaining, left leg incapacitated, stomach stabbed...
Damn, I got scared, extremely scared of analyzing the situation, I did not experience this with the goblin chief... I have a habit of analyzing situations that are more complicated than normal from my point of view in loud detail but now, I am terrified.
I... I'm gonna die right?
[MASTER NO! YOU WON'T! YOU ARE THE... BZZZT- YOU CAN'T PERISH! THE... BZZZT- PLE- BZZT- BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ----]
Oh... Even my skill got broken because of the helplessness of the situation... Well, at least, those goblins will not die... And a realization hit me.
_So it was that huh..._
I was thinking of other people and completely disregarded myself... But... can you blame me? An orphan who did not feel the warmth of a mother's chest his entire life?
Can you blame me? A genius who, no matter how brilliant cannot imagine a life being held in the arms of his birth giver saying "I am proud of you" because of my achievements?
Will you blame someone like me? Like me who is deprived of... A family, can you blame me for acting as such when I finally built a community centered on me?
A BUNCH OF UNDEAD WHO IS SCURRYING FOR MY ATTENTION AND LETTING ME HUG THEM WITHOUT SPLITTING THEIR ATTENTION TO OTHER BEINGS!?
"Foolish human, who dared to proclaim herself a hero, if you are just a child, abandoned by your mother?"
A voice came out of the wolf, so that bastard can speak...
"Sha ghaaahk! t! gk! ap! Ghaaghk!"
I let out the last shrill cry I will probably make in between intervals of blood coughing as the world started to darken, and my vision started to blur...
Ah... No... Please... No...
Don't take me just yet, at least let me stay for a little longer...
Not now that I already have... A family...
A hopeless cry emerged from my mind and my other functional eye shed a drop of tear and my body slumped to the damp soil of the forest as my consciousness is once again swallowed by eternal darkness.
"Welcome to my Domain, Brilliant yet Foolish Daughter of Mine."