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Before I continued my journey to another place to check the curse that Zoe had done, I looked for a detour to find a calm river water source.

Together with Evelyn's group, Mio, Momo, and a herd of stealth slimes. I rode my horse to a calm river near one of the residential areas not far from the river, who still in Earl Timoti's territory.

To make sure that the curse given by Zoe had worked well, I needed to confirm it with my own two eyes.

When my horse walked along the edge of the calm river, I stopped to look at the conditions around me.

Different from the wilderness which was a source of nests for dangerous wild animals. This time the scenery around us consisted of well-arranged dirt roads and a well-made river irrigation system.

While observing the small map that Sebastian had given me, I began to guess my position which was north of Earl Timoti's main city.

"This is a safe area from cross-border spy agents, right?" I asked Mio who was currently standing beside me.

"Spy agents? Like the strange gazes I felt that made me wary at the border of Earl Timoti's city?" Mio replied with a tilt of her head.

"Yes, like that. Oh! I almost forgot to say this. While we were at the border of the city that had entered Earl Timoti's territory, I found several spy agents who brazenly stole some information about me using magic spells that steal information. But don't worry, I have sent several herds of stealth slimes to silence them," I replied while enjoying the beautiful natural scenery before my eyes.

"Eh? S-So, Lily-sama's orders for holding me for attacking them is because the herd of stealth slimes has replaced my duties to silence them?" Mio replied with her cheeks puffed out.

"How mean, Lily-sama! I also want to silence those people who brazenly stare at Lily-sama with their lecherous eyes and dare to steal information about Lily-sama!" Mio grumbled, looking annoyed after understanding what had happened at the border of Earl Timoti's territory.

On this relaxing time after horseback ride, I observed the calm river flow. My eyes who were sensitive to the flow of magic immediately noticed the presence of traces of magic that Zoe had cast earlier.

The calm water held traces of magic that would make someone sensitive to the flow of magic know that this river had been polluted by mysterious magic.

I felt a little guilty about this, but I had to do this for the future of the Marquess Rommel family who did not want to conflict with anyone after becoming a neutral noble family.

Glluupp...

Gluuppp...

The river water had a fresh and cold taste made my horse drink the water until I could see traces of Zoe's magic being absorbed into my horse's body.

After feeling the effects of her magic seeping into the body of another living creature, Zoe whispered something to me.

"Master Lily, so far there have been a thousand living creatures that have been planted by the curse that I have cast on this river. Including the horse that Master Lily is riding," whispered Zoe who gave me the information.

"Should we assume that the curse we cast has already spread to Earl Timoti's river?" I replied by whispering to Zoe.

"Yes, the curse has spread according to Master Lily's will. Now Master Lily can control your horse after drinking the river water that has been contaminated by my curse magic."

I was silent for a moment after hearing Zoe's answer.

"Control my horse?" with a soft murmur like that, I began to glance at my horse who was busy drinking the calm river water and the fresh taster in his mouth.

"Zoe, what if I drink river water that has been contaminated by your curse magic?" I asked to make sure of one thing to Zoe.

"Master Lily, do you want to drink river water that has been contaminated by our love magic?" Zoe's reply made me blush after hearing it.

"Is that a bad thing?" I replied while holding back my shame after remembering what had happened to the fast-flowing river that branched off into five different canal rivers.

"It's not a bad thing, but it makes me feel embarrassed when I remember what we did when we plant a cursed at fast-flowing river like that," this time I could feel Zoe blushing after saying her sentence.

"I'll be fine when bathing in the river water contaminated with our love, right?" I continued whispering, giving a whisper that made Zoe stunned for a moment behind my back hair.

"Of course, Master Lily will be fine, this is not a curse that will attack back to the one who cast the curse," replied Zoe who gave a satisfactory answer.

"I feel relieved after hearing that."

Along with my little whisper that was talking to Zoe, my footsteps had arrived at a outskirt small village that seemed busy with farmers who were planting using river irrigation.

I realized after walking too far from Evelyn and Mio's group who were enjoying the calm river flow behind me.

This is like a perfect place to break and relax in the hot afternoon weather like this.

"I think it's okay for me to give them some free time to have fun in a calm river flow like this," I muttered a little while enjoying the scenery around me.

The heat from the scorching sun and my black military uniform had made me look like a shadow on a white sheet of paper. So striking that it was hard to be ignored by the farmers who were planting crops around the river irrigation.

My body seemed to get curious gazes at my presence in a place like this.

Before they shouted and called me, Momo suddenly flew up and spoke to me.

"My Monarch, I seem to feel the aura of my cursed sword sisters not far from this place."

"Huh?"

Momo's words certainly surprised me.

"What are your cursed sword sisters doing in a place like this?" I asked with a serious question to Momo who was flying beside me.

"I don't know, but... I can feel something bad about this... will happen."

"You're not the only one who feels bad about the presence of the cursed sword in a place like this, Momo. I also can feel... something bad if they can move freely together with the fanatics who want to summon the Goddess of Destruction to this world again."

Together with the information given by Momo, I thought about this urgent situation with two possibilities, such as preventing damage from the heretical sect that worships the Goddess of Destruction and considering that this is the right time for Evelyn's group training.

"This makes me hesitate, should I observe what they will do before an unwanted situation occurs?" I muttered while asking myself.

Flapp...

Flapp...

Suddenly Zoe's butterfly wings flapped and she slowly crawled up my hair.

"Master Lily, I think I understand what they are doing," said Zoe while flapping her butterfly wings above my head.

"Compared to my Master who make a bad plan and cruel sabotage for a brighter future, they did a bad sabotage that made people have trouble in the future," said Zoe who suddenly spoke like a wise person.

"Huh?" I could only give that short answer while tilting my head.

Swiinngg!!

"Huuk!!"

While I was relaxing like this, my body was shocked by a large explosion of magical energy coming from the fast-flowing river that branched into five parts.

"Master Lily, it seems like they are doing something bad to pollute the river," said Zoe in a calm tone.

"However, they have a little difficulty when polluting the river with their destructive magic after my curse is much more dominant than their small magic," continued Zoe in her calm tone.

"Should I be worried about this?" with my gaze fixed on Evelyn's group from a distance, I felt a bad feeling and a good feeling at the same time.

This bad feeling is a mysterious cult that is doing something in Earl Timoti's territory and the good feeling is train Evelyn's ability to push her own abilities even further.

I feel hesitant about this along with the overflow of magical energy that is trying to increase as time goes by.

Swiingg!!

Apart from me who feels this, it seems that Aiko and Sirius also feel the same way so they both come towards me with a fast-running movement.

"Supreme Commander!" they shouted at the same time.

"Should we respond to this challenge?" Aiko asked with her face full of enthusiasm.

Seeing Aiko and Sirius who are enthusiastic like this, I also feel a group of stealth slimes that are ready to move when they feel the vibrations of magic that begin to disturb their calm.

"We can do some scouting first before the Supreme Commander acts like usual, will the Supreme Commander answer a duel challenge like this?" Aiko asked with a serious look in her eyes.

"Um, Aiko, what do you mean by this duel challenge?" I asked to understand what Aiko said.

Because Aiko used some vocabulary that I didn't understand, I didn't understand at all about the challenge that Aiko was talking about in this case.

"Yes, this is a duel challenge after they openly damaged what the Supreme Commander had done to the fast-flowing river! If this isn't a duel challenge then what else is?!" Aiko replied with her face looking happy with this.

I took a deep breath in this matter.

"Aiko, it seems like you misunderstood this," I said to correct Aiko's understanding which seemed to have gone astray.

"This isn't a challenge but rather a provocation given to me to immediately head to the source of the magic that is struggling to disrupt the magic circle that has been embedded in the bottom of the fast-flowing river," I said to correct Aiko's previous wrong understanding.

"Eh? Is that so? This isn't a duel challenge but a provocation?" Aiko tilted her head until her military cap was tilted, she seemed to be thinking hard with a funny expression.

"At least that's what's happening right now, let's move before the situation gets more chaotic. Can you girls scout the source of this magical energy that's starting to feel uncomfortable?" I asked Aiko and Sirius as if giving an order to the stealth slime herd to move.

"Is that an official order from the Supreme Commander?" Aiko asked to make sure of one important thing.

"Yes, this is an official order from me to answer the provocation that they have given," I replied while giving Aiko and Sirius a serious look.

"As you wish, Supreme Commander!" replied Aiko and Sirius simultaneously.

With the official order that I had given, the situation began to change rapidly.

Several stealth slimes began to move to observe the situation in real-time and caused various looks of astonishment from Evelyn's group.

PAAAMMM!!

BBAANNGG!!

Before they realized what had happened and asked me, a loud, ear-piercing explosion was heard and a strong rumbling of the ground like an earthquake occurred, causing screams of panic.