The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
By using the teleportation magic tool several times, Monica returned to the mansion where her master resided.
A short cooldown was required, preventing continuous use...
However, as long as she had enough magical power, she could use it as many times as needed.
It was indeed a convenient magic tool, but only one person could teleport at a time.
Additionally, the distance she could move in a single use was not particularly vast.
It had its advantages, but also its limitations.
"How inconvenient..."
Monica let out a sigh.
She now had to meet Reez and report on the events that transpired in the Northern Continent.
Reez was highly capable.
Even without Monica’s report, she had likely already obtained the necessary information through spies or other means.
That didn’t mean Monica could simply do nothing.
She had to meet face-to-face and deliver a report that would likely be nothing more than a repetition.
"What kind of expression should I wear when I meet Lady Reez...?"
Reez’s objective was the elimination of an unknown, supremely powerful being in the Northern Continent.
If that proved too difficult, then at the very least, she was to prevent Iris’s revival—Rain’s goal.
However, neither of these objectives had been accomplished.
Even after resorting to the trump card of turning Lin into a demon to fight them, not a single enemy had been killed.
"A complete failure..."
Frustrated by reality refusing to go as planned, Monica clenched her back teeth tightly.
She had kept a composed face in front of Rain and Tania, but that had only been an act.
Inside, she had been astonished, irritated, and even enraged at how Rain and his group kept breaking through all the traps and strategies she had prepared.
How infuriating.
At first, things had gone well.
She had appeared to support Arios, while in reality, she had been manipulating him into reckless actions.
After he was stripped of his title as Hero, she had helped him escape from prison, earning his gratitude and drawing him to her side.
She had assisted Weiss in his plan to exterminate the Oni tribe.
That plan had failed, but that was more Weiss’s fault than hers.
During the incident in Kagune, she had operated skillfully from the shadows.
As proof, she had managed to obtain Iris’s soul, albeit in an incomplete form.
For the most part, everything had gone smoothly, and Reez had been satisfied with Monica’s work.
But now?
Not a single objective had been achieved.
On top of that, they had lost Lin, while Rain’s bond with the Phoenix tribe and the Fang Wolf tribe had only grown stronger...
Nothing but negatives.
It was giving her a headache.
"No, wait..."
Had she truly handled things as well as she thought?
A lingering doubt and unease swirled deep in Monica’s heart.
Originally, Arios wasn’t supposed to have his Hero title stripped yet.
The plan had been to let him continue working as a hero while secretly linking him to Reez and turning him into her puppet.
With Weiss, had there been a way for her to maneuver better, to prevent his downfall?
In Kagune, obtaining Iris’s power had been the goal, but the result had been far from perfect.
And the Northern Continent... was not even worth thinking about.
"Looking at it objectively... this is a failure."
Monica’s expression twisted bitterly.
She had done a fair amount of work.
But it was not perfect.
And that was unacceptable.
She wanted to be of more use to Reez.
She wanted to wield her power for Reez’s sake.
"Yes... I must be useful to Lady Reez."
She owed Reez a great debt.
But it wasn’t just about repaying that debt—she genuinely wanted to be of help to Reez.
She could do anything.
She wanted to do anything.
She was even prepared to dedicate everything to her.
And the stronger that feeling grew, the more impatient she became.
Was she truly a valuable asset to Reez?
Reez said she wasn’t bothered by recent failures, but was she secretly resentful?
Was she seen as useless? Would she be abandoned?
"Ugh..."
Imagining the worst possible future made Monica feel so sick she almost gagged.
One hand instinctively covered her mouth.
The other clutched her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat through her palm, she repeated to herself in her mind—calm down.
"...Haa."
Regaining her composure, Monica once again made her way to Reez.
"I have returned, Lady Reez."
"Welcome back, Monica."
Reez greeted her with a smile and immediately took her hand.
Then, she started touching different parts of Monica’s body.
"U-Um... Lady Reez? Why are you touching me?"
"I heard about what happened in the Northern Continent."
"That... is..."
"So I was worried you might be injured. But it looks like you’re fine. I’m relieved."
"..."
Monica was stunned.
There was no falsehood in Reez’s words.
Her concern was filled with genuine emotion.
And because Monica could feel that sincerity so clearly, she was utterly shocked.
Someone like her—worth discarding at any moment—was not only still being kept at Reez’s side but was being treated with such care.
Ah...
What a magnificent master.
Since the day Reez had saved her, she hadn’t changed.
Like a friend, like a mother, she continued to shower her with affection.
Feeling that truth more deeply than ever, Monica swore to serve Reez with even greater dedication.
She embraced a stronger sense of loyalty than ever before.
And at the same time... she felt a growing impatience.
She couldn’t afford to keep delivering half-baked results.
For Reez’s sake, she had to achieve nothing less than perfection.
Monica... was impatient.
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