The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 422 Branch Family

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

First, three Monicas charged forward.

Each of them wielded a sword and slashed at Tania.

Like that will work!

…Tania resisted the urge to sweep them all away with her tail and instead carefully moved her body to a safe distance.

Monica possessed an unusual ability to create illusions.

Not only that, but her strength and skills were likely exceptional.

It was even possible the sword she wielded was a legendary weapon.

She was infuriating, but she couldn’t be underestimated.

Tania calmed herself and decided to respond with composure.

First, she maintained a safe distance.

Then, she launched a fireball to keep her at bay.

It was a probing attack.

She didn’t expect it to finish her off, but it would give her insight into Monica’s movements and battle strategies.

“What?!”

However, the enemy reacted in an unexpected manner.

The multiple Monicas neither dodged nor defended against the fireball—they simply took it head-on.

The first Monica was burned by the fireball and collapsed on the spot.

The second was caught in the blast and blown away.

However, thanks to the sacrifices of the first two, the third Monica charged ahead unscathed.

“Tch!”

Tania twisted her body to avoid the first strike.

The blade recoiled like a living thing and aimed for her neck again, but this time, she caught it with her bare hands.

If it had been a legendary weapon, she might have lost several fingers.

Fortunately, it seemed to be just an ordinary weapon.

Tania’s hand remained unscathed, and instead, CRACK!—she snapped it in half.

She then countered with a powerful punch, sending her opponent flying.

She had managed to fend it off.

Tania grinned… and then her face stiffened.

Hidden in the shadow of the third Monica was a fourth one.

Because of her counterattack, she couldn’t take evasive or defensive action.

How underhanded.

It’s infuriating.

As Tania braced herself to take the hit—

“Don’t forget about me!”

Tina flew in like an arrow from the side and delivered a ferocious kick to the fourth Monica’s head.

Though Tina had a small, doll-like body, she encased herself in magic and accelerated to deliver a devastating blow.

The fourth Monica was sent flying, soaring nearly ten meters.

“Thanks, Tina! You saved me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll support you all the way!”

Their teamwork was flawless.

Breaking through them would take a significant effort.

However… the enemy wasn’t constrained by effort.

As an illusionary body, she didn’t have to worry about damage or exhaustion.

“Including the real one, there are six left… Ugh, this is such a pain!”

“Tania, that might be a bit hasty.”

“Huh?”

“Heh, Tina understands me well, it seems.”

Monica smirked confidently.

As if on cue, her figure wavered again, and five more Monicas appeared, each wearing the same mocking smile.

“Ugh… More of them?”

“Even cockroaches aren’t this persistent.”

“Oh dear. Being compared to those is a bit much, don’t you think? It does hurt my feelings.”

“Feel free to wallow in that hurt. Consider it punishment for everything you’ve done.”

“So… do you want to keep going?”

“Hmm… let me think.”

Although the skirmish had been brief, Monica had likely realized breaking through Tania and Tina’s defense would be incredibly difficult.

Tania, a dragonkin with an exceptional balance of physical ability and magic.

And Tina, a ghost with unique powers rivaling the strongest species.

When these two focused solely on defense, they became an impenetrable fortress.

They weren’t invincible, but… it would take far more than Monica alone to breach them.

At least three other combatants as strong as her would be necessary.

“…Very well, I’ll retreat.”

“That was awfully quick.”

“Is this a trap?”

“No need to worry. I assure you it’s not. In truth, I made a bit of a mistake and was already on my way back to my hideout. I tried to interfere with Rain and his group, but they turned the tables on me.”

“Heh, as expected of Rain.”

“Honestly, it gave me a bit of a scare. If I hadn’t used my illusions as decoys to escape, I might have been in real danger. Oh, but looks like I'm getting off-topic. While on my way back, I heard about Iris and decided to meddle a bit. Since it was my independent action, I can’t expect any reinforcements.”

“Hmm…”

Tina let out a voice that sounded uncertain.

She didn’t appear to be lying.

However, blindly trusting her would be dangerous.

"Still… it would be annoying to simply retreat without doing anything, so let’s cause a little trouble before I go."

Monica smiled as she pulled out a small whistle and blew it sharply, "Piii!" A piercing sound echoed through the air.

"That sound…"

"It’s a signal to summon monsters."

"What?! Don’t tell me you’re starting a stampede…"

"Oh no, it’s not that powerful. This is still experimental, so its range is limited. At most, it can attract a few hundred monsters at once. However, the effect will persist as long as the magic power infused in it lasts… and I made sure to load it with a considerable amount. You’ll have your hands full for a while. Perhaps it might work out even without me… heh."

Compared to Monica, a simple horde of monsters was hardly a major threat.

Tania and her allies weren’t the only defenders in this town, so they should be able to handle it without issue.

Still, chaos was inevitable.

And if that chaos interfered with Iris’s treatment…?

The thought sent a chill down her spine.

"For now, I’ll be satisfied with simply observing your situation firsthand, Tania."

"You’re unbelievable…!"

"Well then, farewell."

Monica lifted her skirt lightly, performing a mock curtsey like a noblewoman.

Then, as she prepared to use her teleportation artifact…

"Hold it right there!"

Tina’s sharp voice cut through the air, stopping her in her tracks.

"What is it now?"

"You said something earlier, didn’t you? That your abilities were created to defeat the Demon King. What did you mean by that?"

"…"

Monica’s smile deepened.

Her face still wore a grin, but beneath it, her emotions were clear—anger and hatred.

"Well now, what do you think it means? I have no obligation or duty to explain it to you… but I’ll leave you with one hint."

"…"

"I’m from a branch family, too."

With those words, Monica finally teleported, vanishing from the scene.

TL Note- How many heroes are there in this story?

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