The next day, upon waking, Talulah listened to the report provided by Jeanne and Lyudmila. Most of the narration was handled by Jeanne, with Lyudmila only interjecting a few words here and there.
Even so, the information was a massive help. They hadn't just mapped out the enemy's troop strength and layout; they had even located exactly where the miners were being held. This was crucial for the upcoming operation.
"They actually prepared those kinds of things? It seems the people behind them react quite quickly. It hasn't been that long, yet they've already prepared specialized weapons."
Hearing about the weapons designed specifically for "beasts in the sky," Talulah—no matter how slow her reaction might have been—could figure out what they were for just by using her tail to think. Then again, these nobles were surprisingly efficient. It hadn't been long at all, yet ballista bolts specifically for Wyverns were already ready. She only wondered about their actual power.
In Talulah's impression, "nobility" was practically a synonym for being slow to react. Their arrogant attitude usually blinded them to any potential changes, and they would even actively reject such new developments.
"Actually, I got the feeling they want to capture them alive. I think I saw some kind of specialized capture nets. But I'm not entirely sure what they were," Jeanne recalled the net-like objects she'd seen and shared her guess with Talulah after a moment of thought.
If one thought about it carefully, who wouldn't covet such creatures? The immense power they possessed had already been demonstrated in actual combat. In a Terra where aerial forces were almost non-existent, a pack of such beasts could potentially allow Ursus to become the next Gaul, standing at the apex of the world.
The problem, however, was whether they could control such violent creatures. Jeanne didn't mind taking the opportunity to send the Wyverns straight into their headquarters and then watching as the entire place was wiped out. Aside from herself, Jeanne didn't believe a second person could control them. Though the Wyverns were as well-behaved as kittens in her presence, the blood of dragons flowed through their veins.
"But don't worry about it. I have ways to deal with those methods," Jeanne added, comfortingly, as she noticed Talulah hesitating over whether to deploy the Wyverns.
Jeanne understood Talulah's fear of the enemy obtaining the Wyverns. But even if a Wyvern were somehow stupid enough to be captured, Jeanne could simply cancel the summon and send them right back to where they came from.
"Alright then. You should still be careful about this. I know all too well what those people want to do. If they manage to capture your Wyverns, the consequences would be unthinkable."
What Talulah feared was the enemy capturing Wyverns and then breeding them on a large scale to use as weapons of aggression against other countries. But since Jeanne was confident, Talulah could only trust her. Besides, over the years, Jeanne had never made a promise she couldn't keep.
"That's that, then. I'm going to discuss our next move with the others."
Talulah bid them farewell and left. She was going to find Patriot and the others to design a plan of action. They couldn't just choose a mindless frontal charge now that they had detailed intelligence. Furthermore, Talulah placed a lot of importance on the other groups willing to cooperate in this operation. It was her first attempt at such a large-scale collaboration, and she wanted to gain experience.
Moreover, there hadn't been a successful case of uniting all the various roaming squads on the tundra for years. Talulah didn't want future generations to think of her as the first failure in such an endeavor.
"So, the creature that suddenly appeared last night was also your doing, wasn't it? How do you do it? Can you just create a creature like that out of thin air?"
Lyudmila had organized her messy thoughts after waking up. Recalling that the "monsters" the soldiers spoke of were Jeanne's doing, she immediately connected it to what happened the previous night. Being startled was one thing, but Lyudmila was genuinely curious. The monster had appeared suddenly in her perception—something she found impossible to understand.
She had met people who fought alongside animals before, but their beasts were always by their side. She had never seen someone who could summon a creature out of thin air. That was beyond the understanding of a normal person, wasn't it? If such technology existed, it would draw the attention of every nation. Wouldn't it be perfect for transporting soldiers?
"How do I do it? Just think of it as a unique talent of mine. If you want the technical details, I can only say I don't know how it works either."
Jeanne could only offer this answer to Lyudmila's curiosity. It wasn't that she was unwilling to explain; she truly didn't know the mechanics. When she summoned a Wyvern, she simply called out after offering Mana. The dragon-kin would then obediently emerge.
"I see. I was just curious. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
Lyudmila left the room, leaving Jeanne alone. Jeanne sat there, wondering what to do with her free time. People are strange; when they're busy, they wonder why they can't rest, but as soon as they're idle, they find themselves unable to adapt.
"Forget it, I'll go find Alina. At this hour, she should be teaching the children."
Jeanne headed toward the village school. Though called a "school," it was just a small house, and Alina was the only teacher. There was no other way; few people in this place were literate, let alone willing to be teachers, and not everyone had the patience for children. In this wasteland, learning to farm was seen as more useful than reading—at least you wouldn't starve. What use was literacy? They didn't have the means to send their children to city schools.
If the villagers didn't feel that having the kids at school meant one less thing to worry about at home, there might not even be any students.
Jeanne didn't have to wait many days in this quiet routine because the Sarkaz mercenary squad had arrived. Their rations were indeed running low, and transporting goods back and forth repeatedly wasn't practical.
Talulah had another reason for inviting Mudrock here. With her Originium Arts, Mudrock could manipulate soil to a certain extent, greatly speeding up the construction of the village.
"Actually, I thought about this a long time ago. My Originium Arts can bring life to the soil, rather than using this power to snuff out the lives of others," Mudrock said to Jeanne, heartened as she looked at the farmland she had just cleared. She once had beautiful wishes, but her homeland didn't have the soil to nurture them.
Even though mid-winter had arrived and the tilled soil couldn't be planted yet, they could at least turn it over in preparation for spring. Seeing the permafrost that had been frozen for years being broken and turned into fields under the influence of her Arts made her incredibly happy. She could feel the life in the earth and the rocks; those things that appeared dead to others were her friends. Killing enemies with her "friends" was never a pleasant thing.
"Even so, you have to rest today."
Jeanne firmly stopped Mudrock from continuing her excavation. The main issue was that when this woman started working, she had no control over her Arts, which could lead to her condition worsening again.
This was the first case Jeanne had seen where the Orepathy symptoms showed signs of aggravation even after drinking the Holy Water. Although it wasn't severe yet, it served as a warning. The Holy Water only suppressed the disease; frequent use of Arts without subsequent doses of Holy Water would inevitably lead to a relapse.
"Please, just a little longer. This is my only request."
It was obvious that Mudrock loved the feeling of the soil waking up from its frozen slumber and returning to life. Unfortunately, Jeanne wasn't falling for it.
However, to the other squad members who didn't know the truth, the scene looked quite bizarre. Wait, could it be that our boss was attracted by the woman's dashing heroic aura and is trying to woo her?
"Seriously, could you just explain things clearly already! You've already left that place, there's no need to be so secretive about it!" Jeanne said to Mudrock, feeling a bit of a breakdown as she noticed the looks the squad members were giving them.