“I don’t understand monsters,” Anyi began, his voice calm yet unsettling. His Bestiary, nearly complete at 98.6%. "But there's one question I’d like to ask you all."

The three companions watched him closely as Anyi posed his query. "Three Goblin Centurions... how long would it take for them to destroy a town without Hero protection?"

Layton scratched his head, lazily tossing out, “Maybe a day?”

Ariana, more serious, furrowed her brow. “Could be faster.”

Anyi, his gaze distant, delivered the grim answer. “Two hours. At most.”

Anyi’s voice was steady as he continued. "Ordinary Goblins can kill unarmed civilians with ease. Hobgoblins are even worse. I once saw it one bite through a trained soldier in a single motion.”

“In other words,” Anyi said, his voice low, “if that Goblin army breaches the town’s defenses, no one will be left alive. The massacre would be swift... ruthless.”

“So... why haven’t they attacked yet?” Ariana asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Layton’s brow furrowed, considering the question. “Who knows, maybe they don’t want to destroy it?”

Ariana’s eyes flickered with realization. “Maybe... because of the Succubus?”

Anyi nodded slowly. “I think so too.”

The idea that the presence of the Succubus might somehow be delaying the attack made sense. At least, it explained why the town was still standing, despite the imminent threat. Yet, the reasoning wasn’t perfect.

But before the group could debate further, Layton snapped his fingers. “Wait! So, as long as the Succubus stays in town, we’re safe?”

Anyi frowned. “Not exactly. There’s only about a forty percent chance that’s true. But for now, it seems like the Goblins don’t have an overwhelming urge to attack.”

Miruku, trembling, nodded rapidly. It made sense to her—if the Goblins had truly wanted to strike, they would’ve done so already.

“However,” Layton interjected, “we can’t rule out the possibility of a sudden attack.”

Miruku’s hope crumbled. 'Of course. It would be my luck if the attack came now.'

Ariana, eager to move forward, leaned in. “That’s why we have the opportunity to go to other areas and level up! We’ll be stronger when we return, and other Heroes can join us in the fight!”

“No.” Anyi’s voice cut through her enthusiasm like a knife.

Ariana blinked, confused. “Wait, Anyi, you haven’t told us what you think we should do.”

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Anyi’s eyes darkened as he spoke, each word deliberate, weighty. “Simple.”

Miruku’s heart skipped a beat. 'Could it be...?'

Anyi’s next word was cold, unyielding. “Kill.”

“We launch a surprise attack,” Anyi continued. “Quickly. Before the town is even in danger. We kill them all.”

Layton frowned, skeptical. “But you just said we can’t defeat them as we are. And there are so many! How could we possibly take them all down?”

Anyi didn’t flinch. “That’s right,”

“Goblins aren’t like slimes,” Anyi muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. His gaze swept the darkened treeline as if the shadows themselves held the answer. “Goblins have agility. They hide, they strike from cover. Even the strongest mage struggles to clear them out.”

Ariana, standing beside him, nodded grimly. She had faced the slimes—lumbering, mindless creatures that charged headfirst into her magic. But Goblins? They were different. They were cunning, dangerous, and slippery.

Inwardly, Anyi's thoughts drifted to someone from a life long past. 'If that girl were here, dealing with these Goblins would be easy...'

The image of the Red-Haired Witch, known as the [Exterminate Hero], flickered in his mind like a vivid dream. A figure of legend, she had once stood before the Goblin Kingdom and decimated entire armies with but a thought. Her crimson blades had cleaved through thousands of Goblins in a breath, leaving nothing but ruin in her wake.

But she was gone now. Lost to time, her power scattered. 'If she hadn’t died, we could have avoided all this trouble. But fate is cruel, and the second generation of the [Exterminate Hero]... no one has heard of them. I suppose someone else took their power.'

Anyi sighed softly. He was not like her. Large-scale destruction had never been his strength—neither in his previous life nor in this one.

“It’s difficult enough for us to handle these Class 4 monsters,” he began again, his tone thoughtful. “And an entire horde of Goblins? Far from simple. But... this time, it’s not just the four of us.”

Layton, ever skeptical, raised an eyebrow. “You mean Dus? What good is he?”

Anyi shook his head. “Not him.” His voice was calm, steady. “I mean, we still have the Succubus.”

Miruku, standing a few steps back, trembled slightly. Succubus. Of course.

Because of [Lustlessness], they—the Heroes—were immune to the succubi’s charms. But Goblins? Goblins weren’t.

With three hundred points in Prana, the Succubus could charm even a Goblin Centurion. In front of thier power, they would be helpless.

Miruku, her voice timid, finally asked the question on her mind. “But... will the girls help us?”

She avoided meeting the eyes of Layton or Ariana, both of whom had grown impatient with her nervousness. But Anyi had not yet shown anger, and so she dared to speak to him.

“I know they will,” Anyi replied, his voice devoid of hesitation.

Ariana looked at him in amazement. “You’ve... influenced them?”

“No,” Anyi replied coolly. “Their lives are in our hands. If they don’t help, they die.”

Ariana blinked, stunned. “Isn’t that... something a bad person would do?”

Anyi’s calm expression didn’t waver. “Goblins aren’t attacking the town because of the Succubi’s presence, right? Bringing them out to face the Goblins is only fitting.”

Layton, catching on, muttered, “They’re hostages.”

Ariana stared at Anyi, wide-eyed. “This... this is what villains do! We’re Heroes!”

...

Back at the hotel, Anyi had arranged for the Succubi to be locked up. The hotel, now completely under their control, made it easy to house the Succubi in two rooms—guarded by Layton and Miruku. However, one among them—Rose—was given her own room, isolated from the others.

Anyi stood at her door, his hand resting on the cold iron knob. He pushed it open slowly, revealing the room within. Rose sat bound to a chair, her wrists and ankles tied with thick rope, unable to move.

Anyi dragged a chair across the floor and sat down before her. His face was expressionless, his gaze steady as he looked into her eyes. “Let’s talk,” he said softly, the words hanging in the air like a knife. “About whether I should spare your life... or end it.”