"Unfortunately, the number of monsters and the level of those creatures are much higher than the force we have in Oakenfort. Besides, other places in the kingdom are experiencing the same problem, and the main forces in the state are solving several problems at once."

"I see... You want me to solve it for you." Vicente commented, surprised that Joshua wanted something that would greatly benefit the citizens of Oakenfort.

"Hmm, but I don't want to come out of this without winning anything." Joshua smiled at Vicente. "I could never claim to have solved this problem on my own, but with your help, I can take credit for finding a way to solve it.

I'll accompany you to this place, and you will take care of these monsters for me. I'll take their bodies and everything they have. That will be the end of my deal with Cesar."

Come to think of it, that was less valuable than Vicente's promise. After all, finding a green pentagram compatible with Joshua could prove to be a challenging task.

Green pentagrams were made by creatures between the end of the 4th stage and the beginning of the 5th stage. If they weren't lucky, they might have to face a Paragon to get a pentagram of that quality!

But even though this task would be easier for Vicente than giving Joshua a green pentagram, it could be perfect for this soldier. It could earn him many merits within the army, and the remains of the monsters could guarantee him coins for the rest of his life.

Monster corpses were very valuable because they had various properties that could be used to make potions, pills, tools, and so on.

Even a not-so-useful body could be used as food for beasts, which could help such beings' magical growth.

If Vicente could eliminate 20 or 30 of these creatures and leave their bodies behind, Joshua would be rich. He would not have to worry about coins until he became a Sky Sovereign!

"I see... I'll take care of the problem and preserve as many of the monsters' bodies as possible. After that, you'll make a deal with me to keep the secret about Cesar Mazzanti." Vicente agreed.

That would be better for him, too. He could end his engagement with Joshua, and he could deal with the monsters that might eventually reach the Scott Province.

Come to think of it, he didn't know about The Purification, but because of this job, Joshua had told him something that could help him better understand the continent's situation.

"This is perfect for me." Joshua smiled in satisfaction as he imagined the amount of resources he could get from the army if he sold all the bodies of the monsters Vicente killed for him.

He could sell the monsters' corpses in the army and receive his payment gradually, which would earn him less at first but would be safer because no one could steal too much of his resources at once.

Having a lot of wealth while being weak could be worse than having nothing!

But with the possibility of the army holding his riches for him, Joshua was confident that he would have no problem having so many things that would be publicly known by his colleagues once Vicente fulfilled this agreement.

He could only be happy with this agreement!

"When do we leave?" Vicente asked.

"Can we go now? I just have to talk to my boss and get permission to leave." Joshua explained.

"All right. I'll wait for you here."

They parted ways, with Vicente waiting for Joshua outside the local army headquarters and the man heading back to his leader at Oakenfort.

...

Two hours later...

Vicente and Joshua left Oakenfort after the soldier received permission to leave his duties temporarily.

He explained what he wanted to do to the head of that army post. After some discussion, he got permission from the barracks commanding man, with the promise that the army would buy anything he could get his hands on.

So Joshua led Vice to the area where the monsters had recently been spotted, where the army was watching and aware that several monstrous creatures were camped near Oakenfort.

The place in question was half an hour from the center of Oakenfort at Joshua's speed, so the two of them, along with Onyx, would be close to the center of danger in no time.

When Joshua stopped moving forward, he said to Vicente. "We're in the area. The monsters could be anywhere from now on. So you need to keep going."

Vicente agreed and soon had Joshua mount Onyx while he floated along, beginning to explore the area, looking for traces of the continent's magical enemies.

'Master, go a little further south. I think there are monsters in that direction.' Torne warned as Vicente turned his face in that direction.

Onyx was a beast, so his senses weren't much inferior to Torne's. As soon as Vicente turned his attention to the south, the blackbird moved in the same direction.

Joshua's breathing slowed as he realized that his temporary companions had found signs of the monsters, and he couldn't help but feel nervous.

For a Mid-level Mage like him, most of the monsters the army had spotted in the area could kill him!

But Vicente and Onyx had no fear as they moved forward, quickly getting close enough to the monsters to notice how many there were, what races they belonged to, and their levels.

There were 46 monsters of three different races there. Two Lamias, 16 Ogres, and the rest were Cyclops.

The weakest of these monsters were Low-level Mages, while the strongest of them all, one of the two Lamias, was an Earth Sovereign!

When Vicente noticed how strong this group was, he couldn't help but find the situation strange, and he couldn't understand why such strong beings from different races were in this place in the Seidel Kingdom.

'This is really strange. Old Torne, do you know anything about The Purification? Isn't it just The Seven-Day Tsunami?'

Vicente knew what the Seven Day Tsunami was. If that was all it was, the monster problems in that area of the continent were temporary. The monster sightings in the south of the continent would soon decrease.

'I know little, master. But what I do know about The Seven-

Day Tsunami leads me to believe that the current problem has nothing to do with that phenomenon.' Torne said with a sigh. 'You must discuss this matter with the girl Jasmine. Her organization will give you better information.'

'Hmm, now all I have to do is fight.' Vicente agreed when he saw that the beings in the area had already noticed him.