"Hahahahaha!" That was the Professor's mocking laugh. "What the hell did you make? It looks so fierce, but then he throws out one crown, gives it one stab, and kills it just like that. What use is it?"
Albert glanced at him disdainfully and cursed under his breath, "Idiot!"
His earrings jingling, Azar spoke up to smooth things over. "Its powerful destructive ability and superb speed mean the Licker still has great value as a bioweapon. The reason it was dealt with so easily is not because it was badly made, but because this man, Victor Corion, identified the Licker's weakness almost instantly and found a way to attack it.
"What is even more astonishing is that incomparable decisiveness. The moment it had just pierced the crown and proven its destructive power, he did not hesitate to keep closing in on a new type of monster like the Licker. He is an extremely dangerous individual, and he may seriously interfere with our plans. No wonder he is so highly regarded by... I am even beginning to think the Skellige rumor about the Dovahkiin may not be entirely fabricated. Perhaps such a warrior truly does exist."
The Professor had never heard of the Dragonborn's reputation, so he had no idea what Azar was talking about. He only found it baffling.
Albert likewise had never heard of the Dragonborn. What he cared about more was restoring his dignity. Although, as Azar had said, the failure was not because the product was poor, being mocked by the Professor, whom he looked down on, still made him displeased.
The solution to silent assassination was also very simple. All they had to do was force Victor to make a sound. Once combat began in darkness, the Lickers, which relied on hearing and touch, would become the most dangerous hunters. They would not stop until they were dead.
On the image displayed on the screen, the young man was touching the walls and windows. Perhaps he was looking for an escape route, but even if he found one, it would be useless.
Albert revealed a cruel smile. He had long since deployed large numbers of zombie dogs outside precisely to prevent Victor from leaving easily.
The entire house had been reinforced. It had probably been meant from the start to test the destructive power of bioweapons indoors. As for the front garden, flower beds, back yard, and woods, hungry zombie dogs were everywhere, running about joyfully.
The zombie dogs could be called a "legion," because there were so many of them.
It should not be just this, Victor thought calmly. Since Albert wanted to verify their lethality, he needed to observe their combat performance. So there were medieval surveillance cameras around?
Victor quickly affirmed this guess. After seeing a megascope, he had no doubt that mages had ways to monitor another person's every move from afar. He could not ignore the effects of magic just because they lacked high-tech support.
That said, this "from afar" certainly had limited range. It could not possibly reach the point of watching across the world as if it were next door. In other words, that son-of-a-bitch mage was definitely observing from somewhere nearby and arranging the next wave of attacks.
And given Albert's deep hatred for him, Victor could imagine that the man had no intention of letting him die easily. That was why the first wave had only consisted of one Licker.
He wanted to give Victor time to fear, a chance to struggle, and the opportunity to let out helpless screams, all to nourish his withered and twisted mind.
Now that the first wave had been easily dealt with, the second time he would definitely send out a more dangerous creature or combination, forcing Victor to make noise and endure the Lickers' endless pursuit in the darkness.
After thinking it through, the young man judged that he should first destroy the surveillance devices. He could not let the mage keep monitoring him so leisurely. He needed to pull both sides' access to information back to the same level.
Although he did not even know what the surveillance devices looked like right now, the School of the Wolf medallion could detect which things were emitting magic. A tool used to block communication and observe through surveillance should be integrated into a single device, and it was impossible for something like that to conceal its magic.
Victor began rapidly inspecting the walls, windows, decorations, and every corner. At first glance, one would think he was searching for an escape route.
After undoing the safety with magic and pulling down the gate lever, Albert released a new monster from a hidden room on the first floor.
The mage said triumphantly, "The Licker we are sending out this time is different from the previous version. It is a brand-new form I developed after being inspired by that handsome fellow."
Hearing Albert's explanation, Azar curiously observed this new type of Licker's appearance. Its outward form was very similar to the original Licker, but what made it special was the raised nose between the two exposed lobes of its brain. A very large nose, like a lump of eggplant.
Azar said with some admiration, "That certainly counts as extrapolating from one example. You removed both its ears and eyes, then strengthened its sense of smell?"
"According to witcher potion formulas, the original enhancement order is sight, hearing, smell, and touch." Albert folded his arms and sneered. "Keep watching. In olfactory mode, they can smell even the faintest fragrance of food. This time, Victor cannot possibly escape its pursuit.
"If he still thinks he can rely on a silent ambush, then this time it will surely plunge him into deep despair. I only hope he is not dealt with instantly. There are many more interesting things waiting afterward!"
On the sofa not far away, the Professor poured himself another glass of red wine. He was too lazy to listen to the mage's self-praise. They were all idiots who would never learn their lesson.
But before he finished the glass, he heard Albert cry out in disbelief. "No... impossible. This is impossible. He actually dealt with my new Licker just like that?"
The Professor turned around to observe the screen. The new Licker, the one with an eggplant-like thing wedged between its two brain lobes, had already collapsed on the floor, lifeless.
In one pane of glass, Victor's face was clearly reflected. His eyes faced the image directly, as if he were looking through the surveillance device at the watchers on the other side.
The corners of his mouth lifted, smiling yet not smiling. Then his lips moved. What he said should have been...
"Idiot!"
The next second, he destroyed that surveillance device, and the screen sank into darkness.
After destroying the first surveillance device, Victor briefly confirmed the shape and type of the monitoring system. The next phase of destruction should be faster, and the time saved would let him make some preparations.
Gazing at the new Licker on the ground, a surge of anger swept through him. In the field of utter madness, Albert truly had managed to extrapolate from one example, especially with this new Licker's appearance. It was so ugly that words failed him.
No matter how he looked at it, this appearance was... a complete loss of dignity. It was more than a disgrace. It was the ultimate insult. Who could tolerate an eggplant growing from their face?
Based on this, there was now one more reason to humanely exterminate the mage, "the crime of offending human aesthetics."
As for the method Victor used to deal with the new Licker, he had simply put on a mask and used Devil's Puffball, Farmer's Fart. The instant it spread, Sir Eggplant-Face Licker collapsed onto the floor, foaming at the mouth and waiting to be butchered.
He dared to say that, on the other end of the surveillance device, the mage who could not see through the trick must be shouting, "No... impossible!"
Still unfamiliar with the environment, the young man took a detour before finding the stairs to the upper floor. Then he began clearing the nearby interference sources and surveillance devices.
Victor estimated that the enemy was likely upstairs. So far, he had not used any bombs because he did not want the other side to become wary. He wanted to give those sons of bitches a surprise.
He had indeed resolved to kill the mage, but cutting down a mage was not that easy. He had not forgotten the experience last time, when so many Rose Knights had surrounded the mage, yet he had still managed to escape.
And according to the knowledge Keira had explained, Albert, having lived here long-term, must have already harmonized the surrounding magic. In a crisis, he could open a portal instantly. If Victor failed to strike him down in one blow and let him escape, catching him next time would be even harder.
He had to seal off the mage's movement completely so justice could be carried out.
After clearing out a ring of interference sources, Victor casually found a room, slammed the door open, scanned with the School of the Wolf medallion to confirm there was no surveillance, and sat down on the bed. Then the young man took out the communicator.
On the third floor of the manor, seeing Victor destroy the monitoring devices, the Professor said sarcastically, "Tsk, tsk! So what now, Albert? Are you going to send out the third Licker you prepared so carefully?
"According to your little preview just now, it should be the tactile type. Don't tell me it will be like that olfactory type, turning belly-up the moment it runs into him. For a moment, I nearly thought the Lickers you made belonged to the bullfrog family.
"And I very much doubt whether this so-called combat assessment still has any meaning after losing so many surveillance feeds!"
Albert's cheeks suddenly flushed red, veins bulging one by one. His long, narrow eyes narrowed further, and he was almost about to erupt in rage.
"Enough, Professor," Azar Javed said, stopping him. "Although I do not know how Victor did it, we can at least see that today's guest participant came prepared."
The Zerrikanian stared at the increasing number of darkened screens. "Albert, can you still locate him now?"
The mage slammed his fist against the wall. "No. Damn it! How on earth did he find the things I set up?"
Noticing that Albert was sinking into impotent rage, Azar's voice remained calm and steady. "Very well, that is enough. I have seen your results. Next, allow me to provide a little help."
The mage looked at the Zerrikanian, whose face was densely covered with indigo tattoos.
"The zombie dogs only have accelerated metabolism. They still retain most canine habits, so they can move in groups. As for the Lickers, the fact that you can only send out one at a time is actually because they cannot distinguish friend from foe." Ignoring Albert's expression as if he had seen a ghost, Azar's nose-ringed face revealed a smile that seemed to see through everything. "Do not doubt me. We once had the same problem. What I am going to provide you with is an implantation device and a control spell. Tell me, how many Lickers do you have left?"
The white-robed mage was silent for a moment, then said frankly, "Five auditory prototypes, two second-type olfactory models, and one third-type that relies on touch."
"A very good number." The Zerrikanian took eight steel tubes from the cloth bundle he carried with him. One end of each tube was incomparably sharp. "Insert these into the Lickers' spines. Together with this control incantation, you will be their one and only master. Let us get to work!"
Having known Azar's intentions in advance, the Professor ignored their departure. He lifted his red wine and tasted it by himself, staring at Victor on the screen as he destroyed surveillance head after surveillance head.
Some time passed.
When the two mages returned to the room, the Professor pointed at the screen and said, "He found the stairs leading up, but instead of rushing up here, he destroyed the nearby surveillance devices first, then vanished without a trace. He could not be planning to summon a royal advisor here, could he?"
Albert shook his head in denial. "That is impossible. Clearing a few small areas may allow him to restore communication, but even the slightest interference would make a portal extremely dangerous. A sorceress would never take that kind of risk for a subordinate!"
Azar also nodded in agreement. "Indeed. However, perhaps we can listen to what they are saying."
The Zerrikanian cast a spell. A sheet of water opened in the void, and then two almost completely distorted voices came from within.
"...Vinci, listen to me. The information you have uncovered is already enough. Dear, listen to me. Do not take risks. Get out of there now at all costs.
"I will report to the king immediately. Such a dangerous organization conducting biological experiments within the kingdom must be struck down severely! And that fool Roderick as well. He will pay for his negligence!"
Her words made the expressions of all three eavesdroppers on the third floor change slightly.
"Sorry, Michelangelo, but if possible, please call me by my full name, da Vinci!"
"Damn it, do you know what kind of situation this is? You could collapse there at any moment, and you are arguing with me about Vinci or da Vinci?"
"It is fine, Michelangelo. I promise I will leave the manor alive. I promise this absolutely will not be our last call. So, please, make sure to call me da Vinci!"
In a room on the first floor of the manor, the communicator's connection was choppy, but at least they could talk. Victor was currently playing with a zircon in his hand, a spell mark belonging to Keira Metz.
As long as there was no magical interference around him, the sorceress could use this mark to teleport directly to his side.
The young man had contacted the sorceress mainly to confirm the timing for interrupting a spell. He did not want Albert to escape. And if he wanted to kill a mage, it was best to first listen to another mage's objective advice.
Keira was certainly willing to give advice. The more troublesome part was that she wanted Victor to retreat even more.
"Damn it, Vinci, can't you just listen to me once?"
"What you said makes a lot of sense, but I refuse! Today I am definitely going to finish off that bastard Albert. Not even Melitele can save him!"
"Ha!" Hearing Victor declare that he was going to kill the mage, the Professor could not help laughing aloud. Albert clenched his fists in anger, while Azar turned his head slightly, thoughtful.
And far away in Vizima, hearing Victor's words, Keira knew that persuasion was useless. He had made up his mind to fight. She smashed her wineglass onto the floor in frustration.
Just as Triss had said, witchers were all idiots!
After hesitating for an instant, she blurted out, "Wait there. I will try to see if I can teleport over!"
On the other end of the receiver, the young man who had been tossing the spell mark froze.
After studying basic portal knowledge, he knew how dangerous the action the sorceress was preparing to take would be. If the slightest error occurred in the process, the consequences would be disastrous. She might lose parts of her body, or be torn apart before even arriving.
Yet she still wanted to come over?
His thoughts flashing, Victor flipped his hand and put the zircon into the herbal satchel.
"Bastard! Vinci, why has the interference grown stronger again? I cannot sense the mark at all now!"
"Do not worry, Michelangelo. Once this battle is over, I will go back home and get married! So there will definitely be no problem."
"..."
What followed was a long string of curses that no lady would ever say, and that would make even a listener blush.
With a faint smile, the young man also put the communicator into the herbal satchel.
On the third floor of the manor, noticing that the call had cut off, Azar said solemnly to the mage, "Albert, I need to return to the capital now. Although I still do not know whether the one on the other side is Keira or Triss, no matter who it is, I must report it as quickly as possible... Otherwise, once the King's Hand intervenes in the investigation, it will cause very serious consequences."
Albert nodded to show that he understood.
The Zerrikanian patted the mage on the shoulder. "I hope that the next time I come here, I will not hear that this fellow escaped. You can manage that, yes?"
The white-robed mage clenched his fists hard. Victor had made him lose all dignity, to the point that he now had no choice but to follow Azar's lead. This was all that scum's fault. He would experience the wrath of a mage.
Azar could sense Albert's gloom, but he felt no sympathy for him. In the end, it was simply a matter of insufficient ability. He took out a bound document and handed it to the mage. "Take it. Book Five of the Apocalypse, the thing you have always wanted. This volume is extremely precious, so make sure to keep it safe."
Unexpectedly, even after losing his composure so many times, he could still obtain this precious copy. The mage was overjoyed and took it with both hands. He had originally believed he would have to wait until next time to obtain it.
Then, amid a booming sound, Azar Javed and the Professor vanished behind a portal, returning to Vizima.
After confirming that the two Salamandra members had left, Albert pressed a mechanism, releasing the eight Lickers that had just had implantation devices inserted into them. He cast a spell to control them and issued the order to hunt Victor.
Pouring a glass of red wine and sitting down on the sofa, the mage no longer cared about the young man's problem. With eight Lickers covering one another, there was absolutely no way he could escape their claws.
Unable to put it down, Albert opened Book Five of the Apocalypse. After reading just the beginning, he grew excited. The contents were actually about how to replace expensive materials with cheap ones and make widespread application possible.
Although the success rate of mutation would very likely decrease significantly due to the lower-grade materials, the ones being created now were merely weapons anyway. Those worthless human cattle cost nothing and could easily withstand the waste.
As long as he implemented the ideas in this volume, production of the Grass Draught would surely increase, and the number of monsters could also expand greatly. He would never again fall into the awkward situation of having only eight Lickers left before him.
When that time came, everything would be fine!
Just as Albert sank into his wonderful fantasies of the future,
A voice that shook the soul suddenly resounded throughout the manor, piercing straight through the eardrums and into the chest.
"Fus, Ro, Dah!!!"
The Dragon Shout roared. The heavens split and the clouds tore. A hero without peer!
His whole body trembling involuntarily, the book in the mage's hands fell to the floor with a slap.
It could shake one's mind even from this far away. He could fully imagine the miserable state of the five auditory Lickers right now. And if the two olfactory types turned belly-up again, then only...
Before long, in the silent manor, footsteps rang out, clack, clack, clack, clack. From far to near, from faint to loud, without the slightest attempt at concealment.
Bang!
Behind the kicked-open door, that man made a dashing entrance.
"Albert! When I said I was coming to kill you, I meant I was going to kill you. Not even Melitele can protect you today!"
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