Although Tress looked extrely anxious, Roland didn’t advance imdiately.
He first scanned his surroundings vigilantly. Only after confirming there were no surviving Void Mayflies did he let out a long sigh and sheathe his Secret Silver Longsword.
Seeing this, the Pikachu stopped urging him on. She just trembled her butterfly wings, her gaze locked on the faintly glowing spot by the lake.
For Roland, however, the post-battle cleanup had just begun.
He strode toward the slowly dissipating remains of the Void Mayflies.
Just as it always did after he completely finished off an enemy, the power of [Plundering] had already done its work in silence.
An invisible hand of Law had precisely stripped away the most cherished or valuable possessions from the depths of these Otherworld creatures’ souls and materialized them.
A dozen or so motes of light were scattered on the ground.
The vast majority of it was a fine, sand-like substance that shimred with a faint, pure glow, spreading out like a small, dreamlike galaxy in the dim light of the forest.
Roland had obtained this substance before when he’d slain Void Mayflies.
Vanessa called it "Star Dust."
But because its specific use seed to fall into a blind spot in her knowledge, the Purple-haired Witch had been unable to offer any further explanation.
Mixed in with the familiar Star Dust were several deep-blue, translucent crystals that Roland had never seen before, each about the size of a pigeon’s egg.
Wisps of light flowed slowly within the crystals, emitting a more concentrated energy wave than the Star Dust.
’Are these Void Mayflies really Chaos Creatures, just like the Sli Toads?’
Roland bent down and lightly touched the translucent crystals with his scabbard. After confirming they were harmless, he picked them up.
Sensing the pure Energy within them, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
’Their fundantal Traits seem sowhat similar to Spiritual Energy...’
He shook his head lightly and quickly collected the Star Dust and the translucent crystals.
As his gaze swept over the remains of the strongest Void Mayfly—the one he had pierced with a single sword strike—Roland couldn’t help but pause.
Next to the pile of remains that was about to dissipate completely, a piece of irregularly shaped tal, roughly the size of a baby’s fist, lay quietly.
It wasn’t an ordinary solid; it was more like a pool of solidified liquid that still seed to have a tendency to flow.
Its surface was as smooth as a mirror yet so deep it seed to swallow light, exhibiting a strange luster that hovered between substance and void, causing the surrounding light to distort and refract.
With the aid of [Material Synesthesia], Roland felt an energy wave from it that he had never perceived in this world before, its intensity far beyond that of the Star Dust or crystals on the ground.
However, the "whisper" coming from the tal was sowhat similar to that of the Secret Silver Longsword in his hand.
The difference was that he couldn’t feel any elental resonance from this tal-like substance.
Driven by curiosity, he inspected it carefully. After confirming there was nothing unusual about it, Roland wrapped it in a linen cloth and tucked it into the pouch on the other side of his waist.
After a thorough check to ensure he hadn’t missed anything, he finally followed Tress toward the lakeshore.
Perhaps because all the Void Mayflies had been eliminated, the originally faint silver ball of light was now shining more brightly, even showing faint signs of expanding outward.
By the ti Roland and Tress got closer, the ball of light had already swollen to the height of two people.
Along with it ca a burst of chattering, noisy sound.
It wasn’t chaotic noise, but a wave of sound ford by countless tiny, crisp, and vibrant voices, like thousands of miniature bells ringing at once.
The surface of the light ball rippled like water and dissolved, revealing the scene within.
It was a giant, cocoon-like barrier woven from countless fine silver threads, which was now slowly contracting inward and dissipating.
Within the barrier, countless Pikachus hovered densely packed together.
They were tiny, most of them only the size of Roland’s palm, like miniature versions of Tress.
The butterfly wings on their backs, glowing with various colors, vibrated at an astonishing frequency, emitting a low hum.
When crowded together, they looked like clusters of nebulas twinkling with rainbow-colored light.
"It’s the Fairy Queen’s Cocoon of Protection!"
Tress flew about excitedly, her voice filled with relieved joy.
As Tress spoke, the huge silver cocoon-like barrier rapidly lted away like ice and snow, transforming into specks of Star Shards that flowed away and vanished.
The Pikachus trapped inside were freed and imdiately scattered in all directions like exploding fireworks.
But their focus quickly converged on Roland, who was standing on the shore.
In an instant, the wave of chattering noise surged, becoming incredibly clear and enthusiastic, filled with amazent and gratitude.
"Look! It’s him! The human with the sword!"
"I saw him! He’s as fast as the wind!"
"SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! And all those scary bugs fell down!"
"Amazing! He’s even better than the swiftest cheetah in the forest!"
"He saved the Fairy Queen! He saved all of us!"
"Thank you, powerful Warrior!"
"A hero! He’s our hero!"
Countless tiny points of light swirled around him, circling excitedly to form a flowing halo.
Their words of praise were undisguised, full of frankness and passion, recounting his clean and efficient slaying of the Void Mayflies as if it were a legend.
Seeing this, the corners of Roland’s mouth turned up slightly.
’If Galvis were here, he’d definitely have a lot in common with these little guys...’
As his thoughts drifted, a brighter, more elegant and distinct figure slowly erged at the center of the many flying points of light.
She was slightly larger than an ordinary Pikachu, about half a person’s height, and radiated a tranquil yet powerful glow of Magic Power. On her head, she wore a tiny crown woven from small flower vines and dewdrops.
Clearly, this was the Fairy Queen the Pikachus had spoken of.
Her delicate face showed a trace of fatigue, but her eyes, as she looked at Roland, were filled with deep gratitude and approval.
She raised her hand slightly, and in an instant, the sowhat noisy Pikachus around them fell silent, though their gazes toward Roland were still filled with curiosity.
"Thank you for your help, human warrior."
The Fairy Queen floated in mid-air and perford an elegant curtsy.
Her voice was as clear as a mountain stream, and as it entered his ears, the slight fatigue Roland felt from the recent battle seed to dissipate.
"My na is Estelle. And you are...?"
"Roland."
"A pleasure, Sir Roland."
After a slight nod, just as Estelle was about to speak again, Tress rushed out impatiently from the side.
Like a fledgling eager to return to its nest, she dove headfirst into Estelle’s embrace.
"Fairy Queen! I’m so glad you’re safe!"
"Oh, Tress, my dear child..."
Estelle first gave Roland an apologetic look before reaching out to gently stroke the hair on Tress’s forehead.
"It seems... you successfully completed the task I gave you."
"That’s right!"
Tress snuggled forcefully into Estelle’s embrace before proudly puffing out her chest and announcing.
"Roland is the hero I found to save our ho!"
"I saw everything, Tress."
Estelle affectionately tapped Tress’s upturned head and raised her eyes to look at Roland.
"Sir Roland, although the Pikachu race has long remained apart from the mortal world, we understand the principle of repaying kindness. You have saved our ho..."
Her gaze swept over the surrounding scene of destruction, and she sighed deeply before continuing.
"Therefore, it is only right that we express our gratitude."
"What is it that you require? As long as it is within our power, we will do our utmost to fulfill it."
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