"It's still thanks to Mr. Brand being here; it gave me some confidence." Jean said while exchanging pleasantries, picking up the throwing knives from the ground, wiping them clean with a cloth, and putting them away again.
These throwing knives were all semi-finished nichirin blades, originally intended to be returned to the furnace for reforging, but Jean had asked for them to use as hidden weapons.
Seeing this, Brand also remarked with admiration: "Although I heard Lord Jean say you aren't skilled with weapons, your usage of both these throwing knives and the nichirin blade is quite fluid."
"I'm just being clever; the wind is guiding me." Jean casually uttered these pretentious words, though it was actually the truth.
Taking inspiration from Tanjiro's thread in the manga, Jean first connected to the target's position through the wind. Since the trajectory of airflow is naturally the most efficient, by swinging the blade along this path, the airflow would constantly correct the direction while increasing the speed and power of the strike.
The throwing knives worked on the same principle: first, hide the knives stored with elemental power in predetermined positions, then connect the target's location with the knife's position using a line of wind.
Once the elemental power stored in the knife was triggered, the knife would whirl back along the wind's trajectory, heading straight for the target.
However, limited by Jean's own strength and the quality of these knives, they could only store a small amount of wind element, falling far short of the effect needed to kill a demon.
The only exception was the one Jean currently held, which was also the knife first inserted into that demon's throat.
A prototype made from the scraps of the special materials used to forge white wind, it could store elemental power twice to achieve a two-stage operation, and the power of each stage exceeded that of the other throwing knives.
While cleaning up the battlefield, Jean reflected on the battle just now.
In fact, although intelligence indicated that five low-level demons would pass through, Jean had still prepared some back-up plans. Fortunately, the intelligence was accurate, nothing unexpected happened, and the battle ended smoothly.
As for the strength of these demons, whether from the intelligence gathered or after using the system for appraisal, the conclusion was that they were just ordinary demons.
The system even gave a casual result like [Demon Soldier X5].
But the leading demon had indeed blocked Jean's blade with its claws. If not for using the two-stage throwing knife to distract him, Jean might have had to risk injury to defeat that demon.
If ordinary fodder is like this, then would a fight at the Twelve Kizuki level require gambling with one's life?
After weighing the options, Jean decided to ask a professional.
"Mr. Brand, do you think there's anything I need to improve on from this battle?"
Looking at Jean's sincere attitude, Brand thought for a moment and said:
"Hmm... For someone like Lord Jean to adapt to the situation and make such thorough preparations, it's actually already very impressive. At the same time, being able to immediately activate a backup plan when the initial tactic is frustrated is excellent."
Brand first praised Jean, then continued: "However, if I had to point out a deficiency, it might be that your close-quarters combat ability is still lacking. Fighting an enemy is a dynamic process influenced by physical instinct, mental wisdom, and inner will. Of course, this is difficult to teach through words; it requires a lot of sparring and accumulated combat experience."
Brand's words were very insightful. If we talk about wisdom, the current Jean might not be weaker than the average person, but the body had not formed combat instincts, and the heart lacked a supporting conviction. Jean was merely relying on some tactics and techniques to get through battles, even placing 'running away' very high on the priority list in the contingency plans.
Of course, Jean never felt that running away was shameful; rather, the concern was that if things continued like this, it would be troublesome if there ever came a time when escape was impossible.
Having clarified the current problem, Jean solemnly thanked Brand.
"No need to be so polite, we are comrades after all! Alright, cheer up, we still have two teams of demons to subjugate tonight!" Brand gave a thumbs-up and showed a hearty smile.
Jean nodded, once again feeling Brand's reliability. It could be said that men might lust after Jean's body, and women might lust after Jean's body, but a 'Big Bro' wouldn't. A Big Bro is just a Big Bro.
Of course, if Jean's 'little brother' were still around, that sense of security probably wouldn't be felt in quite the same way.
---
The subsequent battles also went very smoothly. Having gotten slightly used to the feeling of hacking demons with a blade, even though a few blocked the blade with mutated organs, the wind element burst attached to the sword would destroy their internal tissues.
After dealing with the last wave of demons, Jean felt the exhaustion of elemental power within the body, panting heavily and sitting on a nearby withered tree stump without worrying about appearances.
"Hard work today, Lord Jean, giving you so many tasks all at once."
"It's okay, I understand."
"That's great. Let's wait here until dawn before returning."
Nodding to Brand, Jean continued to regulate their breathing.
This mission had been explained in advance by Najenda; on one hand, it was to test Jean's abilities, and on the other, there was indeed a shortage of manpower.
Brand acted as a bodyguard and witness, while also serving the role of evaluating Jean's abilities, remaining invisible nearby the whole time.
If Jean's own combat ability was insufficient, then Jean would be assigned to move with a Teigu User, taking on the responsibility of delivering the finishing blows.
If Jean could hold their own, then they would act alone or try to lead newcomers.
So, this was a mission that was slightly pushed to the limit but not dangerous; if Jean failed, Brand would immediately provide rescue.
It was also because of the genuine lack of manpower. Today was a fixed day for harvesting 'tributes,' so many such demon squads would set out simultaneously.
If only the demon squad responsible for this village disappeared, it would inevitably implicate the village. Therefore, it was necessary to clear as many demon squads as possible in one go to change the nature of the incident.
Akame and Kurome were responsible for more remote villages and had set out a few days early.
After resting for a while, Jean recovered some physical strength and began to refill the throwing knives with elemental power just in case, while Brand started doing push-ups.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with that; for him, this intensity of exercise only counted as a warm-up.
Thus, time passed minute by minute. The distant sky gradually brightened, and a moment later, the first ray of sunlight shone on Jean. Although the surroundings were still damp and cold, Jean still felt a trace of warmth.
---
——Audience Theater——
Audience A: 'D' brought a little fellow with decent talent, though unfortunately still too weak.
Audience B: Have you forgotten that Shiraori from the last term? It only took a few years to reach the very top.
Audience A: If miracles happened often, they wouldn't be called miracles, uh, probably.
...
'D': Hehehe, it's starting, it's starting. I just love watching them secretly praise me behind my back.
Shiraori: They were clearly praising Jean and me; what does it have to do with you?
'D': There you go again, Shiraori-chan. That's because I have an eye for talent, okay!
Shiraori: (With a look of disgust) Tch.
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