Monster Girl Contract Manual

Chapter 16 Attack

After a moment of surprise, House suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He immediately lowered his head, bent his knees, and fell face-first to the ground.

The next moment, a gust of wind blew over his head.

A massive shadow swept across the ground. Without thinking, House flipped over, drew his longsword from its sheath, and pointed it at the sky.

A bird-like monster.

The creature moved too fast, its afterimage fleeting in the mist. House stared intently, but he still couldn't discern the specific species of this bird-like monster from its blurry brownish-white outline.

But he was certain that this guy had no good intentions.

"Sylvia!"

House turned and shouted, waking Sylvia from her terror and helplessness.

"what?"

Sylvia asked a question instinctively.

"Attack it now!"

"Huh? Ah!"

Sylvia hurriedly took out her bow and arrows from behind her back, then took another arrow from her quiver, bent the bow, and aimed it at the sky.

But by this moment, the bird-like monster had already vanished into the mist on the horizon.

Her reaction was too slow.

The other party had already run away.

House looked at Sylvia, who stood there blankly, holding the bowstring, somewhat at a loss, and a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

But thinking about it, it makes sense, considering they're newcomers.

That's how House originally comforted himself.

But the thought of facing unknown risks made him frown. He decided to imitate Garp's teachings and give Sylvia a proper explanation that night on how a qualified adventurer should handle a crisis.

The same goes for the two people standing there dumbfounded.

Although they lack the means to launch long-range attacks, they can't just stand there and be targets.

Compared to the team he had previously been in, led by Captain Garp, the three people in front of him were clearly not yet adapted to the pace of the adventure, and they couldn't even perform the most basic emergency reactions.

......

At night, House officially began his science popularization session.

Sylvia listened intently, her back ramrod straight, her eyes fixed on House, barely daring to breathe, afraid of missing a single detail. Occasionally, she would nod slightly, silently memorizing the key points.

On the other hand, Leila, perhaps exhausted from the day's trek, or perhaps because House's explanations didn't hold much appeal for her, was nodding her head and looking unfocused, as if she might fall asleep at any moment.

As for Pierce next to Leila, even House didn't know what to say about him.

Did she just fall asleep like that?

What a big heart.

After finishing his explanation, House paused, first glancing at Leila, who had fallen completely asleep with her head resting on Pierce's chest, and shaking his head helplessly. Then, turning to Sylvia, who was still sitting attentively, he softened his tone and asked earnestly:

"Sylvia, can you keep watch until the second half of the night?"

He planned to guard the first half of the night, while having Sylvia, who possessed perception skills, guard the more dangerous second half.

As for the two people sleeping beside him, House already had a plan in mind.

Before he finished his night watch and prepared to rest, he would wake the two of them up and force them to keep Sylvia company while she kept watch. He would never let Sylvia bear all the risks of the entire forest night alone.

Sylvia listened to House's plan and nodded earnestly.

"I can!"

"Alright, you go and rest now."

The firelight illuminated House's face as he gripped his longsword, quietly and diligently fulfilling his watch, just as he had on his first adventure.

......

Late at night, House, having finished his shift, shook Sylvia awake.

Then he gestured for her to wake up the other two.

"Ah, keeping watch..."

Pierce rubbed his sleepy eyes, groggily regaining his senses, and drew his longsword from his waist.

Leila, who was standing nearby, was also drowsy and not fully awake. She reached out blankly and groped around her, trying to find her staff.

House kindly pointed out the location of the staff, then waited for the two to fully regain their senses.

After a short while, Pierce finally shook off his sleepiness and was fully refreshed.

He stood up confidently, gripped his longsword, looked at House, patted his chest to assure him, and told House to rest assured.

The two people standing next to them were the same.

"......Um."

House responded, then lay down on the ground and closed his eyes.

But before resting, House patted Lilim, who was hidden in his chest, and mentally told her not to sleep and to keep watch for him.

I'll wake him up if there's any noise.

House did not fully trust the three men.

He never assumes the worst of others, but as an adventurer, he still needs to be cautious.

Moreover, even if these three are not bad people, their adventurous spirit is hardly something to be completely at ease with.

After all, they are all newcomers who are just starting out. They lack the ability to adapt to situations and are far from vigilant enough. If they encounter a sudden danger, they may not be able to react in time.

Just like back in the afternoon.

......

Fortunately, the three of them managed to keep watch for the rest of the night without any mishaps.

The next morning, the first rays of light pierced through the thin mist in the forest.

After resting for a night, the four packed their belongings and continued their journey toward the mission location.

The mist in the forest had not yet dissipated, and the damp, cold wind, carrying the scent of grass and trees, swept over us, while the fallen leaves underfoot rustled softly.

After walking for about half an hour, the fog ahead gradually thinned, and a low mound of earth vaguely appeared in the distance.

They finally arrived at their mission destination.

Upon seeing the typical outline of a goblin's lair, Pierce's face instantly lit up with excitement and anticipation, his eyes brimming with eagerness.

After observing for a few moments, he immediately drew his longsword from its sheath and was about to step forward when House grabbed his arm.

"No rush."

House said in a low voice.

He hadn't forgotten the second goblin archer hiding in the bushes, or the goblin warrior lurking in the lair.

House turned to look at Sylvia.

The latter nodded and then activated his detection skill.

"no problem."

Just as Sylvia was about to unleash her skill, Pierce suddenly spoke:

"What's there to be afraid of? They're just goblins."

He nonchalantly told House, "You just need to protect the two of them; leave the rest to me."

With my equipment, I could take care of all these bastards by myself.

"We're a team," House said, his tone somewhat cold, without letting go. "Before you do something, you need to consider whether it will endanger the other members of the team."

When faced with House's serious and focused gaze, Pierce twitched his arm, but ultimately did not choose to forcefully break free.

After a while.

House released Pierce only after learning that there was no second goblin archer or any other goblin hiding in the surrounding bushes.

Pierce, who could no longer contain himself, immediately urged Sylvia to finish off the lone goblin archer, while he himself burst out of the bushes where he was hiding and charged straight toward the goblin sentry at the entrance of the lair.

Seeing Pierce's impatience, rushing out before even letting Sylvia shoot the goblin, House sighed inwardly.

Putting aside his distractions, House began to fulfill his duties as a guard, keeping watch on his surroundings and preparing to support Pierce at any time.

But when he simply glanced up, House's pupils suddenly contracted and his expression changed drastically.

He immediately released his grip on the sword, and simultaneously stretched out both arms, pressing down on Sylvia with one hand and Leila's head with the other, forcefully pushing the two of them down.