Reincarnated as a Villainous Duke (37) Who Gets Condemned by His Daughter ～I Stopped Acting Like a Villain, Yet My Daughter Keeps Becoming the 'Ice Lady'～ - Chapter 16: Mana Beasts

Chapter 16: Mana Beasts

“Father! Father, are you here!?”

The following afternoon, while I was organizing documents in my office, Forsina burst in, her silver hair in disarray and a frantic expression on her face. Naturally, her attendant, Miar, was with her.

“Calm yourself, Forsina. A noble acting so flustered is unbecoming.”

“My apologies, Father. But there’s something urgent I must ask you.”

Forsina approached my desk, straightened her posture, and stared directly at me. There was a hint of her “Ice Lady” demeanor beginning to show.

“What do you want to ask?”

“It’s about the beastkin imprisoned in the alchemy lab’s basement.”

“Hmm… Aramund.”

“Yes, my lord!”

The dark elf beauty appeared out of nowhere, as if summoned.

Forsina’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden appearance.

“Father, who is this person!?”

“This is Aramund, my trusted aide. She handles behind-the-scenes work for me.”

“Behind-the-scenes…”

Ignoring Forsina’s stunned silence, I turned my glare toward Aramund.

“Now, Aramund, how does Forsina know about what’s in the basement?”

“I… I’m not certain myself, my lord.”

Aramund’s calm exterior wavered slightly, revealing a hint of unease. Well, of course. This wasn’t her fault, after all.

“Hmm. Then, Forsina, how did you come to know about the basement?”

“That… such details don’t matter, do they!? More importantly, please explain yourself, Father!”

Forsina hesitated for a moment but quickly fixed me with an icy, piercing gaze.

“It does matter, but given your current state, having a proper discussion seems unlikely. In that case, I’ll have to clear up your misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding? What do you mean?”

“It requires preparation. In fact, I had already planned to involve you. Forsina, get ready to walk in the forest and bring that staff of yours. We’re heading to the Forest of No Return.”

“Father, what are you…”

“Actions speak louder than words. Have you forgotten that?”

“…I understand. I trust you, Father.”

With that, Forsina left the office with Miar by her side.

That left only me and Aramund in the room.

“This has become troublesome, but I can’t afford to lose my daughter’s trust. Aramund, I’ll need your help. Prepare to head to the forest.”

“Y-Yes, my lord. Understood.”

With a soft whoosh, the dark elf beauty disappeared.

Her lingering unease was understandable. This was an unexpected complication—at least, for Aramund.

I informed the steward, Mildart, of our plan to head to the forest and borrowed four more soldiers from General Dalton. With Forsina and Aramund in tow, we set off for the Forest of No Return.

At the entrance, I left one soldier behind as a messenger, and the remaining six of us ventured into the forest.

It might be Forsina’s first time in the forest, but the paths were manageable enough to ensure she wouldn’t struggle too much.

After walking for a while, two low-level enemies, Saber Killer Dogs, appeared.

“Forsina, it’s time for your first combat. I’ll knock those dogs away. When I do, cast Ice Javelin at them. Can you handle that?”

“Y-Yes, Father! I can do it!”

Despite being brought here suddenly, Forsina responded with admirable composure. As expected of one of the main heroines.

Gwoooaaar!

The giant dogs, with their unnaturally large fangs, charged at us.

I struck both of them with the flat of my mithril sword, sending them flying.

“Shoot, Forsina.”

“Yes! Ice Javelin!“

From the Spirit Tree Staff in her hands, an icy spear shot out, piercing the side of a Saber Killer Dog lying exposed on the ground.

Landing a hit on her first try—she has more talent than I expected. However, being mid-tier enemies, a single spell from a novice mage, likely level one, wasn’t enough to take them down.

“Forsina, keep firing until they’re defeated.”

“Understood, Father! Ice Javelin!“

With the second and third strikes landing, one of the Saber Killer Dogs finally dissolved into particles of light.

Forsina then took down the remaining one in a similar manner, but it seemed she had exhausted her mana. I pulled a small bottle of magic potion from the pouch at my waist and handed it to her.

“As expected of my daughter. That was impressive for your first time. Drink this—it will restore your mana.”

“Thank you, Father. It’s all thanks to this Spirit Tree Staff you gave me.”

Forsina drank the magic potion as she spoke. She winced slightly, likely from the bitter taste.

We continued deeper into the forest.

This time, four Saber Killer Dogs appeared.

“Aramund, handle two of them.”

“Understood.”

Before the words had even finished leaving her mouth, Aramund disappeared. In the next instant, she reappeared, slashing the necks of two Saber Killer Dogs with her twin daggers. Her movements were astonishing, showcasing her extraordinary combat skills. Aramund truly excelled as a high-level fighter.

“She’s… amazing.”

“She’s incredibly capable, even in battle.”

“You trust her a great deal, don’t you, Father?”

“Of course. When I called her my trusted aide, it wasn’t just for show—”

Just as I was about to finish my sentence, I noticed Forsina’s eyes had shifted into her “Ice Lady” mode. Could it be that she already suspects Aramund is a traitor?

There was no time to dwell on the thought, though, as another Saber Killer Dog lunged toward us.

I knocked both of them back as before, leaving Forsina to finish them off.

Her Ice Javelin seemed more powerful this time. Perhaps she absorbed some strength from defeating the previous enemies—a typical level-up mechanic in game terms.

We continued deeper into the forest, battling a few more times along the way. After about two hours of walking and resting periodically, we reached a clearing where a massive tree stood ahead. The area before the tree was open, with no other trees in sight, creating a small plaza-like space.

“Lord Duke, I’ve heard reports of large monsters appearing beyond this point. Please proceed with caution.”

The captain of the guard, Roland, issued a warning.

“The monster ahead is our target. You’ll be joining the fight as well. Consider this practice for what may come.”

“Understood!”

As we stepped into the clearing, a loud roar echoed from somewhere.

The ground began to tremble, and the source of the vibrations quickly drew closer. From between the trees emerged the Mana Beast, a gorilla-like monster towering nearly five meters tall. Its most distinctive feature was its four arms, capable of unleashing devastating physical attacks in rapid succession.

In short, this was one of the mid-bosses of the Forest of No Return.

“I’ll take the first strike. Join the attack when I give the signal. Aramund, focus on keeping watch for any surprises.”

“Understood!”

“Got it, Father!”

“As you command.”

The Mana Beast began pounding its chest with all four arms—a clear sign the battle had begun.

I stepped forward, pointing my sword directly at it to taunt the creature. Its glowing red eyes locked onto me, and it charged with its massive body for a tackle.

Using the “Shukuchi“ skill, I dodged at high speed, avoiding its charge while slashing through its black fur as I passed by.

Realizing its tackle was ineffective, the Mana Beast switched tactics, swinging its four arms in a flurry of punches. I evaded its attacks with the high-speed evasion skill Tenshin and shouted to Forsina and the others, “Attack now!”

Forsina poured all her mana into firing Ice Javelin repeatedly. Once her attack ended, the three soldiers followed up, thrusting their short spears into the Mana Beast one after another. The massive creature’s body was soon drenched in blood.

Gwoooaaaaar!

The Mana Beast roared as its body began to glow faintly. It had activated Mana Overdrive, a skill that boosts its attack power when it’s in danger.

“Fall back!”

As I shouted, I dashed straight into the Mana Beast’s range.

Four punches came at me from all sides, but I severed all of its arms with swift strikes.

“Begone.”

The words escaped my lips instinctively, like the voice of a finishing move. I unleashed the wide-area attack skill Retsuha and the powerful single-target skill Ittouzan in quick succession, slicing the Mana Beast cleanly in half down the middle.