23 Dragon Raid
“Here we go!”
“Gugyaa!”
I cut down the lives of several lizardmen just by properly swinging Kuromaru around. This is the usual work. Well, you’ll have fun if you consider yourself being unparalleled.
“Well, this really does get boring even by playing around.”
Nevertheless, these swarming fellows are making me disgusted and maddening. I already don’t want to see any more scales for a while now.
“‘Kay, how about I quickly go smash up the ringleader!”
I mow down the lizardmen who continued to group up by releasing a rotational cut. After I did that, I put all my strength into my feet and jumped.
At the landing point I mow down those guys again, loaded up my feet and jumped once again. Once more I repeated that and I finally arrived at the front of the cave that was made in a cliff hidden by many trees.
The place around the hole is especially dense with those guys. I cut them all down in one go by swinging Kuromaru around two, no three times, but they’re coming out from inside like cockroaches. They really are infinite aren’t they, these lizardmen.
(In that case…… a one point breakthrough it is)
When I dodged and passed through the lizardman’s attacks, which can’t be seen unless it’s in slow motion, I once again put strength into my feet and instead of going up like last time, I leaped forward. Together with the explosive sound of my kicking to the ground, I pushed out and I stuck out Kuromaru in front of me, completely destroying the lizardmen standing in the way.
The dragon’s nest is quite huge for the dragon who is living in it. The entrance is suitable for them, but the size is so wide it’s like it’s made for baseball. Normally this hole would look like it would crumble if it’s emptied, but dragon scales are implanted here and there, so the hole is reinforced because of that. There haven’t been any talks about the dragon’s nest crumbling up until now, so the hole should be quite strong. In that case it sounds like I can act somewhat violently but……
“ …… The hell is this?”
The interior of the dragon’s nest. I’ve been kicking the ground many times over since then until I became stiff and what I found in this place is a violet sphere. The size is that of my body and I feel a vaguely ominous presence.
(That’s an incredible amount of magic power…… does this rival that of a magic pool?)
There is this phenomenon called magic pool, where the magic power in the air end up gathering. When that happens, the nearby monsters will become stronger and a massive amount of them will gush out, but……
It’s obviously something artificial. No matter how I think about it, the outbreak is unnatural and this sphere is too perfect. The magic pool is more unstable and it’s something that would disappear from just a strong wind blow…… When you take that in mind, you’d understand the abnormality of this and stabilized thing with a round, well ordered shape.
――――――oops, I’ll think about that later.
“Gugii!”
“How annoying!”
The head of the lizardman who was brandishing the curved sword without thinking, flies away.
First I should try and do something about that sphere. Will it stay there if I cut it?
I raise my sword high overhead and pour magic power in Kuromaru.
“Flying Blade…… heave ho!”
As I swing downward with all my strength, a shockwave like object can be seen flying from the blade.
Flying blade――――――Like the name implies, it’s a technique that fires off a blade. It’s actually a slash though……
If you can use magic power in this world, then firing off a slash by itself is simple and anybody could do it if they raise their magic power and fencing skills to a certain level. Well I’m telling you this first, there are no guys who can do one that can cut open this absurdly high ceiling.
The slash advances while gouging out the ground, destroys the obstructing lizardmen and approaches the sphere while occasionally scattering smoke, bisecting it just like that. The purple sphere that is separated in two dispersed in the air and disappeared while scattering about the saved up magic power.
…… and, at the same time.
“ …… Crap, even the nearby lizardmen went up in smokes…… what’s happening?”
I’m completely dumbfounded from the sight in front of me for a while. There were so many lizardmen here and now not even a shadow can be seen from them anymore, what is here is nothing but the traces of the slash I produced that went all the way up to the ceiling.
Normally you wouldn’t think this would happen either. It’s unnatural that the monsters who appeared by the influence of a magic pool would disappear because the magic pool disappeared. That’s because the relationship between the spawned monster and the magic pool is severed the moment the monster is spawned.
But what about this case? This is the first time I’ve seen this phenomenon where the the created monsters also disappears because of the disappearance of the magic pool, you see? I can only imagine that some trick is involved in this after all……
“Well…… no use thinking about this here when I’m tired, I guess……”
For the time being I ought to report the things I’ve done, I guess. It’ll be fine if I don’t clean up this nest afterwards, either way the floating magic power will dissolve eventually.
I walked a little quickly and returned to where Levia and Armelle is waiting because I felt like I’ve spent some time here.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Setsu!”
“Yeah?”
I wonder if there is anything left if I collect the raw materials of the lizardmen…… when I was thinking of such frugal thoughts while I was walking, Levia and Armelle came running from the other side.
Levia feels a bit impatient and Armelle’s face is extremely pale. From seeing that I can understand that not some trivial matter happened.
“Did something happen?”
“ …… A dragon you know.”
“ …… what?”
“Like I said! The owner of this nest, the dragon, has returned! Moreover, it flew towards the direction of the village!”
…… That thing’s kind of bad news.
I was under the impression that the nest being strangely flooded with lizardmen is most likely the act of a person or something――――kind of like that right?
I didn’t completely stop the destruction of the village, did I? And above all, the mead is in danger.
“We’re really not getting any break here! If that’s the case, we have return fast or it will be bad you know!?”
“Right! We’re going back quickly!”
Carrying Armelle who is slightly shivering from the fear, I kicked the ground with all my strength and started running. There’s quite some distance, but I should be there quickly if I go all out.
(Tch ……Too much magic power piled up inside so I didn’t notice the situation outside at all ……)
If I didn’t destroy that sphere, I would’ve noticed the dragon’s appearance. There’s nothing I can do about it at this point of time, but the timing is the worst.
I’m thinking maybe it’s some kind of scheme――――――
“Now’s not the time to think about these things…… gh!”
I strongly kick the ground to the point I’m sinking into it and accelerate even more. Since Alize is there, I want to think it’s going to be fine, but……
◇ ◇ ◇
“The lizardmen are……”
“ …… They vanished, didn’t they? I don’t know how he did it, but…… as expected of master.”
“ ……”
About the time Setsu’s group left in a hurry from the appearance of the dragon, time passed in the peace that hasn’t been seen in the village for a long time. That is to be expected――――――it’s because the monsters that were around the village up until now completely disappeared. The village is preparing a feast with great joy and both Alize and Ramell felt completely relieved.
“Hm? You’re pouting for some reason. The village finally got their peace from all this trouble, right?
“ …… You won’t understand, miss Alize.”
As a matter of fact, every time she talks about Setsu, Ramell’s mood becomes worse. This is an inevitable emotion for a man in love. As a matter of fact, what is in Alize is respect towards Setsu and nothing more than that, but men at this point of time will have complicated feelings about that.
“? I don’t really understand. Whatever, shall we go in soon? The frightening lizardmen are already gone as well, it seems.”
“Carelessness is dangerous you know, miss Alize!”
Alize subtly distorted her face from being warned by a man with a lower rank than hers. Alize talking about going back never meant she was off guard; the reason she said so is because the presence of nearby monsters completely disappeared, but he, the still inexperienced one, couldn’t just take off his carelessness.
“But the presence of monsters are already――――――”
“In that case I myself will stand in front of the gate for a while! Miss Alize, please take a break before me!”
This blockhead! Is what she was about to say in anger, but she somehow controlled herself. She wanted to suggest to wait for Setsu’s group’s return while drinking tea with just the two of them, but Ramell wanted to show his dependable side. He unexpectedly continued the conversation towards the direction he’s facing. He still didn’t know the fact he had this once in a lifetime chance and just completely blew it.
“Is that so…… I understand.”
Alize left the place behind while she felt disappointed for not being able to spend time with him and conversely thought earnestly why she felt that way. If I think about it, I feel like I’ve always been spending my time with Ramell is what she thought. Alize wasn’t aware of herself that she was becoming more and more attracted to Ramell. She didn’t even realize that she’s completely in love. Because of her not having such experience, she unconsciously boasts a considerable thick headedness.
(Speaking of which, I have to prepare the mead I’m handing over to master……)
Suddenly recalling that, she interrupted her thinking. While thinking things like how the ones from that house were delicious and such, she started walking inside the village――――――at that time.
*Shiver*! (Zoku; onomatopoeia for chill or shiver, or something)
“W-!?”
A chill suddenly ran through her whole body. An unthinkable presence is approaching…… is what she immediately understood. When she unintentionally looked over her shoulder, the direction of the dragon’s nest…… from there a single shadow was seen flying towards this place.
“D…… dra………… gon……”
Alize unintentionally grasped her shoulder. The fact was her old scar from before felt terribly painful.
…… To her, dragons are the cause of her trauma, and now……
A symbol of despair.