After repeatedly using Soul Absorption, Garius started to feel something odd in his head, to be clear, Garius didn't know. Because of that, Garius is reluctant to use that magic. Instead, Garius makes a special Core to absorb soul. This core Garius calls the [Soul Cage]. Garius did not provide a [Soul Contract] diagram for [Soul Cage], he only gave a [Mana Absorption] diagram taken from [Slave Contract], and several magic circle for processing a spirit into [Slave Soul] and separating one soul from another so as not merged into one.

In the lab, Garius sees Adelia in front of him. After last night's ritual, Adelia took a chair from the living room and sat in the his room. Initially, Garius did not care and focused on his work. But after a night of feeling a sharp gaze behind him, he starts to feel uncomfortable. 

"Adelia." Hearing Garius calling, Adelia's eyes lit up.

"What are you doing?" asked Garius.

"I am waiting for your orders. Master."

"Ugh .. You sat there all night just to take my orders? You do what you usually do, I'll call if I need anything."

"Yes, Master!" Adelia got up from her chair and came out of the room. After Adelia disappeared behind the door.

"Why do I feel like she's having fun?" Garius shook his head and went back to work. But before that ..

"Adelia." "Yes, Master!" Adelia appears from behind the door.

Whoa three seconds. Just three seconds to answer! Is she waiting behind the door. Garius saw Adelia who was full of smiles. Doesn't she seem too excited. *Sigh ~

"Come here, sit." Adelia obeyed and sat on the chair.

"How are our supplies of food, is it enough until winter?"

"No Master, I'm just saving enough food just for the next month."

"Mm, it means that soon we have to fill our needs, do we still have money."

"From the sales of potions, after cutting them to buy horses, we still have five Gold."

Five Gold? Is that a lot? By the way, I never knew the value of currency in this world.

"Ahem, actually I don't really understand about money. Can you explain?"

"Yes, what should I explain, Master. I'm not lying, I've never been corrupt and-"

"No no no, that's not it. I never doubted you, that's why I leave all the money to you. Since I'm not from here, I just wanted to ask about the value of currency in the Eldia Kingdom. For example, how much silver is 1 gold."

"Oh, I see. Eto ... Money is divided into three. Bronze, Silver and Gold. And one Gold is one hundred Silver, and one Silver is one hundred Bronze. For above Gold I don't know but I've heard there is currency. on top of Gold. "

"Um, then how much is the price for one loaf."

"Bread is valued at three bronze, and 25 bronze if we buy ten loaves."

Means that the place we were staying at that time was really a luxury inn. Ten silvers for one day. Ten silvers are enough for 400 loaves of bread. Waste! But what has passed will be passed. There's nothing I can do about it.

"Mm, because we only buy bread and vegetables. Looks like we still have enough money until next season. Maybe later we will try to grow crops in the summer, but not now. Because soon it will be winter."

"Yes, Master. We still have plenty of meat. Because the time in the ring of space does not run, the meat that is stored there can last for a long time."

"Mm, that means we have no problem with food. Then how about your archery practice?"

"I'm still doing it. Now I can hit targets precisely from 20 meters away." Adelia raised her nose with smug. 

"Mm, looks like now you can add to your training. I noticed you don't have the martial arts to defend yourself if the enemy is approaching. I have some ideas for that, I'll leave the plan to you."

"Hmm, yes Master !." Adelia answered excitedly. Garius started to draw something on paper, after finishing he gave the paper to Adelia.

"This is a martial art I learned when I was little. Its name is [Tae Kwon Do], you learn this until you find an instructor for martial arts. Since you are holding a large bow, I think martial arts that focus on the feet will better for you. Now hurry up and practice, I'll see how it goes. "

"Yes, Master !." Adelia hugs the paper that Garius gave like something valuable and goes to the Backyard.

After Adelia disappeared behind the door, Garius returned to what he was doing.

°°°

In the backyard, Adelia reads the paper that Garius gave her. On the paper she saw a picture of the movement accompanied by an explanation.

"To make very detailed instructions in a very short time, Master is cool! "

Adelia started demonstrating the movements on the paper while occasionally referring to the pictures. Because all movements focus on the feet, Adelia can still move while reading the instructions.

When Adelia was kicking, she heard the sound of birds scattering from the forest. Adelia began investigating into the forest, after sneaking up on the trees. She saw the human presence in the forest. Adelia comes back when she has had enough of the information she got and reports it to Garius.

"Master!"

"Wha- What happened?"

"There are soldiers in the forest, what should we do?"

"Soldiers? What kind of soldiers? Eldia or ..."

"Looks like soldiers from the Kart Kingdom."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Master!"

"Hmm, what a coincidence." Garius took out the Soul Cage and said.

"If you believe they are soldiers from the Kart Kingdom, kill them if there is a chance. But prioritize your safety, understand? Let's just say we're helping Emily who is on the front lines."

Garius went to the forest with Adelia, he saw there were about 40 to 50 people there. Because the soldiers seemed to be scattered like looking for a way. Adelia and Garius use Stealth from their hoods and start a guerrilla. Adelia uses arrows that have been infused with [Wind Accel] and [Wind Slash] from the top of the tree and Garius uses [Magic Hand] and [Fire Whip] at close range to then use [Soul Cage] to absorb the spirits of the Kart Kingdom soldiers he killed.

Their hunt did not last long. And no soldiers survived. Judging from the numbers, it seemed that these soldiers were soldiers used as ambush troops. For that they entered the Lost Forest to ambush the Eldia Kingdom troops from behind.

But they are few in number. Are they lost in the forest and separated from their main army?

"Adelia, where do you think these soldiers are going?"

"Umm, I think these soldiers came from the north and took a shortcut to the main road of the Lost Forest to the Kart Kingdom in the west."

"So the main force went west but this army got separated and got lost ending up in the east. Can you track the remaining soldiers?"

"I suppose I can, if they come from the North. They only walk in the outer layer of the Lost Forest. But if we want to go there, we have to turn west then turn north."

"About how long it will take us ?."

"We only need one day to go to the main road to the Kart Kingdom."

"Looks like it can be done. You go first as a scout. I'll catch up with you."

"Yes, Master !."

After dividing the tasks, Garius returned to the lab and took some of the cores he had prepared. Due to the intense pain in the head, Garius is reluctant to make a sub-core and has been postponing it until now. But now that it's an emergency, there's no time to be afraid of pain. Garius places the three cores on the table and starts performing the ritual.

[I am Garius hereinafter called Master taking you as a Slave.]

The three blue, yellow and green cores floated in the air. Three ropes made of mana extend from within the core and make a connection with the Lich Core on Garius's chest. Garius starts having a headache and falls on the floor. As long as Garius feels the agony, the three cores connected with the Lich Core and orbiting around the Lich Core. Four colored cores, red, green, blue and yellow flying in circles and Black Core in the middle. After a while Garius got up, took his Wand and left.

*Swish swish ~

Garius used [Acceleration] + [Wind Accel] to run after Adelia who was already far ahead. Two hours later, he could see Adelia who was riding a horse running westward.

"Master !." Adelia exclaimed after seeing a skull cloaked in black running behind her.

"Mm, focus on your mounts. We have to arrive before the soldiers of the Kart Kingdom."

"Yes, Master! Heya heya!" after riding for six hours, they arrived at the main road to the Kart Kingdom.

"From here we're going north, Master."

"Mm, continue .."

Before long, Garius can see the Eldian Kingdom troops from the top of the hill.

"Master, look at that."

Garius looks at Adelia pointing and sees someone behind the trees on the hill where he is.

"Sure enough they will suddenly attack from the direction of the Lost Forest. But we can't use the same method on the soldiers inside the Lost Forest. Wait for the right time, we hide first."

"Yes, Master."

Garius raised the ground and made a mound of earth one meter high and one meter down with earth magic to turn it into a bunker. At the bottom of the hill, the Eldia Kingdom troops continued to move forward. After two hours, soldiers of the Kart Kingdom started appearing from within the forest and formed a line.

"It is like the leader Master."

Garius saw a person on a war horse in full armor without a headgear looking through a pair of binoculars at the Eldia Kingdom army. Seeing the armor and horse he was riding on, Garius was sure, He was unmistakably the leader of the raid squad. After finding his target, Garius starts making plans.

"Adelia, it looks like from here on they will advance after the army of Eldia and Kart clashes at the border. That's when we will act. You use [Mine] on the arrows to shoot from the top of the hill. Don't show yourself, use [Stealth] understand. ? "

"Yes!" Adelia's eyes shone, making Garius worried.

"Heh you're so excited. Watch out if you get hurt. I won't forgive you."

"Y-Yes, Master." Adelia looked down with a flushed face making Garius shake his head.