Stelle had already sensed that something was off.
Her instincts were always sharp.
In several dangerous situations before, a ripple of unease would always rise in her heart ahead of time.
This time, it wasn’t that danger had appeared, but rather that there were too many coincidences along the way, making her feel uneasy.
As she walked normally, a signpost she had never seen before suddenly appeared by the roadside.
She had taken this road before.
When she entered the city with Lumine and the others, they had come this way.
She was certain that there had absolutely been no signpost here yesterday.
What was more, the sign didn’t even clearly indicate where it led, only vaguely pointing in a certain direction.
Maybe it was someone’s prank, but what followed didn’t feel that simple at all.
A tree that had inexplicably fallen and blocked the road, and a large pit dug into the ground by who knew who…
In short, it seemed as though someone was deliberately trying to stop her from moving forward, guiding her toward another path instead.
Stelle immediately became alert, glancing cautiously around her.
She didn’t feel like she was being followed.
It was possible the other party was simply too strong and keeping their distance.
No matter what, someone was definitely obstructing her on purpose.
Stelle stood still for a short while before slowly turning around.
Her options were limited now.
Either ignore everything and continue forward, or follow the other party’s guidance and head down a different path.
“Heh…
the path of trailblazing depends on oneself.
How could I let someone else dictate it?” Stelle snorted lightly and, without much hesitation, stepped forward to continue on her way.
Then— Boom!!
Another large tree ahead of Stelle suddenly crashed down, completely blocking her path.
Watching the dust rise as the tree fell, Stelle subtly took a step back.
She could choose to go around it, but since someone didn’t want her to continue forward, going around would be meaningless.
“Sometimes, the path of trailblazing also requires listening to others’ opinions.” Stelle’s eyes shifted slightly.
She bent down and picked up a bird’s nest that had fallen along with the tree.
After collecting all the eggs inside, she let out a helpless sigh, turned around, and headed down the other path.
There were many possibilities in the current situation.
Maybe there was some kind of forbidden area ahead, with someone guarding it and preventing outsiders from entering…
though that seemed unlikely.
But since that person was so determined to make her go another way, perhaps there was some special reason behind it.
In that case, she might as well go take a look.
It was still early anyway.
…
“That damn brat.” Rosaria stepped out from behind the fallen tree with a gloomy expression.
With her methods, she wouldn’t normally act so obviously.
But that gray-haired girl seemed utterly dense, completely ignoring all the subtle hints she had given earlier.
In the end, unable to tolerate it any longer, Rosaria simply made her intentions obvious.
Unexpectedly, whether it was subtle or obvious didn’t matter at all.
That girl stubbornly insisted on heading toward the place she had chosen, forcing Rosaria to reveal herself in the end and directly block her path.
There was no doubt that the other party had now discovered her existence.
This was probably a first in Rosaria’s line of work.
And it wasn’t because the other party was particularly perceptive—it was because she herself couldn’t take it anymore and exposed herself.
It really left her at a loss for words.
Rosaria shook her head helplessly and continued moving, following after her.
“Ah…
ha?” Stelle blinked.
She wasn’t calling out to any Aeon of Joy.
It was more a reaction of surprise at the scene before her.
Not far ahead, two watchtowers were under construction.
Below them were groups of Hilichurls.
Among them were some larger individuals wielding axes, clearly bigger than the rest.
Those should be the so-called Mitachurls.
As for the Samachurls, they were probably the ones with messy, unkempt hair.
Stelle rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
The person following her had been guiding her to the correct mission location.
This, this, this— Why didn’t they just come out and explain it clearly?
Going through all this trouble made her think someone was up to no good.
Stelle pursed her lips, briefly observed the situation ahead, and directly pulled out her bat.
Enemies of this level didn’t require much caution.
Just charge in and fight!
Stelle dashed forward excitedly and directly smashed a Hilichurl that hadn’t even had time to react—one that had just turned its head in confusion to check the disturbance—sending it flying.
“Ya yika!” The other Hilichurls immediately shouted incomprehensible syllables.
It seemed the Synesthesia Beacon couldn’t translate their language.
Several Hilichurls waved their torches and rushed toward Stelle.
Behind them followed a Mitachurl wielding a large axe.
However, with such slow movement speed and limited attack range, they posed no threat to Stelle.
Moreover, she hadn’t forgotten her main objective—to destroy the two unfinished watchtowers.
Stelle quickly leaped to the side, dodging the torch-wielding Hilichurls’ attacks, while electricity began to crackle along her bat.
“Farewell hit!” Stelle swung heavily at the Mitachurl.
The Mitachurl’s massive size wasn’t enough to withstand such a heavy blow.
It was sent flying, and under Stelle’s precise calculation, it crashed directly into one of the watchtowers, causing it to collapse instantly.
Watching the toppled tower, Stelle nodded in satisfaction.
Of course, she didn’t have much time to spare.
The Hilichurls surged forward again.
These creatures were even weaker than she had imagined.
Stelle didn’t really need to wipe them all out, but now…
She felt like farming some materials here and selling them in the city afterward didn’t sound like a bad idea.
…
Rosaria stood on a high ground in the distance, her position allowing her to clearly observe the entire battle between Stelle and the Hilichurls.
Her expression remained indifferent, her gaze fixed firmly on Stelle.
In her view, Stelle’s combat ability was undeniable—one could even say she was very strong.
For an ordinary person to achieve this was no easy feat.
Even in the band of thieves Rosaria had once belonged to, there hadn’t been anyone this capable.
But in the end, she was still just an ordinary person.
She didn’t possess a Vision and couldn’t wield elemental power.
That bat, however, was somewhat unusual.
It might contain something like an elemental device that allowed it to carry Electro power, but it wasn’t her own.
Rosaria still felt a bit concerned.
Hilichurl reinforcements would arrive soon, and she wasn’t sure whether that girl could destroy the towers and retreat safely in time.
Behind her, a long spear shaped like a scythe appeared out of thin air.
Rosaria was already prepared.
If anything went wrong, she would step in at any moment.