EX: Team Zena’s Travels
We managed to get out of trouble thanks to a bit of good luck, but it seems that fate still intends to test us. However, as long as I have trustworthy friends by my side, we can overcome any obstacle!
“Lilio! I found a survivor! Call the laborers!”
“Great job, Zenacchi! Wait right there—I’ll call them over!”
Despite her light response, Lilio was clearly fighting back exhaustion as she came running over.
I couldn’t even see her off before I began my next spell.
“Miss Zena, you’re using too much magic. Please take a longer break in between spells.”
I appreciated Miss Iona’s concern, but I shook my head.
Right now, it was more important to find the people who were buried alive and tell them that help was on the way.
My cheeks were starting to hurt from all the chanting. I had to be extra careful not to stumble over any part of the Whisper spell.
“Iona, it looks like rescue is going smoothly on the other side, so I left them in charge and came over here.”
“Great. Once Miss Zena’s spell activates, you can be the one to speak to those in need of rescuing. Is that all right?”
“Yes, of course.”
Lou’s voice was lower and raspier than usual from shouting, but she still quickly agreed to help.
She sounded like a dependable older sister, her voice reassuring the people waiting to be rescued.
Once my spell activated, I had Lou address the rescued people while I shifted to meditation. I needed to recover some magic to help find the next batch of survivors.
I heard a horse trotting closer, and Miss Iona relayed information to me as I sat with my eyes closed, still meditating. “The future count has arrived.”
I wanted to recover a little more magic, but it would be too rude to continue meditating in the presence of an upper noble, so I gave up and stood.
“Lady Marienteil, it seems you’ve had yet another busy day of saving soldiers! Word of your achievements has even reached my ears.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Why would the next count of Lessau come all the way out here just to thank soldiers like me for their hard work?
“I have heard that your younger brother will be taking over as head of the Marienteil family. If you like, I should be happy to make you a vassal of mine. I can only give you the rank of honorary hereditary knight at first, but depending on your work, I’d be willing to bet you can earn permanent nobility.”
“I am truly humbled by the offer, but I’m afraid I’ve already sworn allegiance to Count Seiryuu. I do hope you will forgive me.”
It was certainly an impressive offer, but since my family has served that of Count Seiryuu for generations, I could hardly start serving a different master now.
The young future count seemed surprised at my refusal, and a flash of anger passed across his displeased expression. But of course, he had the decorum not to voice those feelings.
“I see… Well, if you change your mind, come to me at any time. I shall save a seat for you.”
With that, he left with his knights in tow.
“Are you sure about that, Zena? Once your brother takes over as head of the house next year, you’ll only be considered a semi-noble, right?”
“That’s okay with me. Regardless, the army treats nobles and commoners equally.”
“Right, Zenacchi’s got a boy waiting for her…”
Darn it, Lilio! When did she get back anyway?
This had nothing to do with Mr. Satou… Well, not much, in any case.
“Besides, we don’t know if he’ll actually inherit the county.”
“Really?”
“There have been too many casualties, and he even entrusted demon-slaying to some unknown magic user.”
“Ah, so he doesn’t really have any achievements to make up for his mistakes… Not to mention, his reputation must be in the dirt after he let so many workers die in that unnecessary field battle.”
“Lou, hush!”
There was a time and a place for comments like that. What if someone from the house of Count Lessau was listening?!
It’d been ten days since our battle with the demon ended.
Of the Elite Training Corps that was sent to the labyrinth from Seiryuu City, about half of the knights on the front lines were killed in battle. Our team and Norina’s team miraculously made it through with minimal wounds, but Rodril’s magic team and the mixed team were virtually wiped out.
The day after the battle with the demon, Captain Delio (who lost a leg in battle) and one of the knights set out to return to Seiryuu City to report to the count.
We also sent out a messenger bird around the same time, so we should be receiving a response from Seiryuu City soon.
If we didn’t hear back, we would probably return to the city once we finished assessing the survivors and casualties of the Labyrinth City Elite Training Corps.
Vice Captain Leelo, who was originally thought to be dead, was fortunately found alive underneath the rubble but was rescued at the cost of her leg.
“Listen up, everyone. We’ve received orders from the count—our training mission is to continue.”
As soon as the vice captain read the order, a wave of reactions ran through the group. Some cheered, some looked miserable, and some just laughed in disbelief.
“Vice Captain, please let me go back to Seiryuu City. I don’t care if people call me a coward—I want to be by the side of my wife and children.”
“Vice Captain Leelo, I’m going back, too. I can’t wield a sword properly with this arm.”
A large-framed soldier spoke up, followed by a man who’d lost his dominant arm to the demon’s battle magic. A few others chimed in to agree with them.
Vice Captain Leelo held up a hand to stop them.
“Don’t panic yet. There’s more to the order…”
As she read on, it said that anyone who had sustained injuries or lost the will to continue to Labyrinth City was welcome to return to Seiryuu City.
Surprisingly, Rodril was going back, too.
The guilt of losing his head in battle and leading the magic squad’s guards to destruction must have been weighing on him.
“Sir Hence, I’m leaving you in charge.”
“Yes, sir. By the time we get back to Seiryuu City, we’ll be so strong that they’ll want to recruit us all for the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga.”
“Ha-ha, that’s the spirit.”
Maybe it was my imagination, but Vice Captain Leelo’s smile seemed hollow in response to the enthusiasm of our new captain, Sir Hence.
In the end, only eight of us were going to Labyrinth City Celivera: Sir Hence and his attendant, Norina’s team and me, the civil officials, and Gayana and one other survivor of the mixed team.
We saw off the group that was heading back to Seiryuu City, then hurriedly prepared to leave Lessau ourselves.
“You really aren’t having any second thoughts, Zena?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The next count gave you such a passionate offer.”
Finished with her preparations, Norina started chatting with me teasingly.
I shook my head and countered with a question of my own. “Didn’t you get an offer from the next count, too?”
“Sure, but mine was just as a normal magic soldier.”
I tilted my head. Didn’t he invite me because he wanted magic soldiers close at hand, too?
“Give it a rest. Zenacchi didn’t pick up on a single bit of the count’s intentions.”
“True… I mean, he only sent a vassal to invite me, but in Zena’s case, the future count came all the way here in person.”
“Exactly!”
Much to my frustration, Lilio and Gayana joined Norina in making strange statements.
As if an upper noble, especially the son of a feudal lord, would ever take an interest in a lesser noble’s daughter like me.
If Sir Hence hadn’t given the order to move out, Lou and Miss Iona might’ve joined in on this ridiculous story, too, and then things would’ve really gotten out of control.
Thus, we set out from Lessau County, a powdery fall of snow pressing at our backs as it began to dance through the air.
It was a difficult path from Lessau County to Zetts County.
The remaining monsters gathered by the intermediate demon had built nests throughout the area.
The safety of a road was the responsibility of that territory’s ruler, yet there were no soldiers on patrol, so most of the monsters had been left to do as they pleased.
Then our new captain, Sir Hence, agreed to hunt down the monsters out of sympathy for the villagers who were upset about them, which delayed our progress significantly.
Although of course I also wanted to help the people who were suffering; I didn’t blame Sir Hence for his actions.
“More monsters? Really?” Lilio groaned.
“It seems some large fang ants have built a nest near a settlement this time.”
I told her what I’d heard from Sir Hence.
“Man, I was a fool to think we’d make easy progress once we got into Zetts County.”
Lou was right: Lessau County had been rough because their army had been mostly wiped out, but Zetts didn’t seem to be sending many soldiers on patrol, either.
If the rumors we heard on the road were true, they had gathered most of their forces around the capital city, fearing a surprise attack from demons.
We traversed the lengthy Zetts County from the north until we finally reached a hill where we could see the town at the southernmost part. Once we passed through it, we would be in the kingdom-controlled territory in a matter of days.
We’re almost to Labyrinth City—please wait for me, Mr. Satou!
“Hey, is it just me, or is Zena acting strange?”
“Ahhh, that’s the face she makes when she’s thinking about that boy and encouraging herself. Just smile and nod and pretend not to notice.”
“Exactly, Lou. The power of love is a wonderful thing.”
Honestly! They’re all so childish!
Especially Miss Iona—I can tell when you’re smiling, you know!
“Ah-ha-ha-ha… Hmm?”
Lilio’s smiling face suddenly turned serious.
“There’s an enemy in the clouds right above us!”
“A monster?!”
“Probably a wyvern!”
At Lilio’s warning, everyone jumped into action at once.
The wyvern was a familiar enemy from back home, so even if we hadn’t encountered one since leaving Seiryuu County, we knew what to do.
“All hands, prepare for anti-air battle!”
Sir Hence issued a brave order.
…Huh?
We all looked at him in confusion.
His attendant hurriedly whispered in his ear.
“Change of plans! Retreat to the village beyond the hill! If the wyvern tries to approach, Zena and Norina will bring it down with magic and buy us time!”
Visibly relieved, everyone started moving accordingly.
“I wish our temporary new captain had a better grasp of his own squad’s limits. There’s no way ten of us could win against a wyvern.”
“Don’t say ‘temporary,’ Miss Lilio. He’s doing his best in the face of all this sudden responsibility.”
“Right. You like the incompetent ones, Iona. When a man comes crying to you—No, never mind, it’s nothing. Come on—don’t pull your sword on me! Hey!”
Miss Iona was smiling cheerfully as she reached for her sword.
I appreciated that they were such close friends, but this wasn’t the time for that sort of thing.
“Lilio! Look at that wyvern’s tail and right wing!”
A soldier from Norina’s squad pointed out something unusual about the wyvern.
Since it was so high up, I could see it only as a black blob.
“Huh? Whaddaya mean…? Oh! Everyone, at ease! That’s a wyvern rider from the kingdom!”
“Wait, there’s a rider? And in white armor! Is that Sir Torel of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga? He rides a wyvern, doesn’t he?!”
The old rider circled around us and waved, then headed off toward the capital.
The Eight Swordsmen of Shiga—the strongest warriors in the Shiga Kingdom.
No doubt he was in the midst of some urgent mission.
I wondered what it might be as we entered the border town of Fau.
But what we found out in town was nothing I ever would have expected.
“…A dragon, you say?”
“Yeah, so all caravans to the royal capital are at a standstill until further notice.”
Incredibly, a lesser dragon had apparently taken up residence in the mountain range at the border.
Lesser or not, there was no way humans could do anything about a real dragon.
And so we were forced to stop in the town of Fau.
We’d been in Fau for a month now.
Unless you could fly like a bird, the only way around the mountain pass where the dragon had taken up residence was either to cross the treacherous Fujisan Mountains and go through the Muno Barony or head all the way back to Lessau County and take the main road through the Eluette Marquisate.
The way through the Muno Barony would take months, so that was out of the question, but even the Eluette route would be more than a month’s detour.
“Any luck, Miss Zena?”
“Unfortunately, all the shops have raised their prices since yesterday. We really should have stocked up on the first day we arrived.”
Whether we chose to go through the Eluette Marquisate or wait in town until the royal army chased off the dragon, we would need provisions to resume our journey, but the prices had inflated so severely that we couldn’t get the amount we needed.
We tried going to buy directly from nearby farm villages, but their stocks had already been bought up by sharp-eyed merchants.
“Zenacchi!”
A short figure waved at me from across the crowd.
I couldn’t see who it was, but there was only one person who called me that.
“Lilio!”
When I called back, I could see the owner of the hand hopping up and down. Lou was also behind her.
They’d been out investigating possible shortcuts, so I hadn’t seen them in a trimoon.
“Good to see you, Zenacchi.”
“Welcome back, Lilio.”
We were so excited to see each other again that we couldn’t resist an embrace.
Given that we were on a busy road, we were probably in the way, but the passersby around us simply smiled at us kindly.
“It’s great to see you. Did the shortcut look usable?”
Withdrawing to the side of the road to avoid blocking traffic, I asked Lilio about their investigation.
“Hard to say. Carriages wouldn’t be able to go that way, and even if we were to carry our things, I doubt the civil officials and Little Miss Attendant would make it.”
“It’d be tough for us soldiers, too. Even I would be complaining if I had to traipse through there in my armor and helmet.”
Lou prided herself on her constitution, so if even she would have a hard time with this route, it would certainly be difficult for civilians.
“We saw the dragon in the mountains, too.”
“Was it a lesser dragon, like they say?”
Lilio and Lou looked at each other.
“Well, about that… It was actually a weird lizard with some kind of colorful scarf around its head.”
“It was bigger than the hydra we saw before, but it didn’t have wings.”
I’d never heard of a dragon matching that description.
“That doesn’t sound like a lesser dragon, then. I’d wager it’s a demi-dragon, like wyverns and hydras.”
The rest of us nodded in agreement with Miss Iona.
“Then if we can just get rid of it, we’d be able to go through the mountain pass.”
“Yeah, but that thing was huge, y’know? We wouldn’t be able to beat it that easily.”
“And it was spitting some kind of yellow mist out of its mouth that melted through rock, too…”
My relief at hearing that it wasn’t a real dragon lasted only a few seconds before Lou and Lilio dashed my hopes.
“Do you have any idea why it’s taken up in the mountains?”
“Apparently, it likes the mandarin orange trees that grow there. It was chewing up a tree whole and then taking a nap when we saw it.”
From Lou’s description, I couldn’t help but picture this demi-dragon as a rather cute creature.
“Maybe it’s an herbivorous monster?”
“I dunno… It was eating the rocks it melted, too, so it’s probably an omnivore, yeah?”
That was difficult to picture.
“There’s no point speculating on a monster’s eating habits.”
“At any rate, we should go report to the captain,” I suggested as my friends chatted, and we walked with heavy footsteps to our temporary base.
Ah!
I spotted a black-haired young man in the crowd, and I followed him with my eyes without thinking, even though there was no way Mr. Satou would be in this area now based on when he had departed.
Hmm? Wait, but I recognize that person.
Following my gaze, Lilio exclaimed, “Aah! There you are!” and chased after him.
“What’s gotten into her?”
“Don’t you remember? That’s the boy who dumped her in Seiryuu City,” Iona reminded Lou.
I didn’t quite remember his face, but it must be John, Lilio’s ex-boyfriend who had taught people how to make croquettes and syrup candy in Seiryuu City.
But we knew him from a more recent encounter, too.
“Wait, isn’t that—?”
Lou whirled around, and I nodded.
“Yes, that’s the person who saved us from all those monsters in Lessau County.”
He’d appeared with those seven magic swordswomen and sliced through the monsters with a shining sword.
We hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since he ran off after the magic-using woman who defeated the demon.
“You left Seiryuu City almost a year ago—what are you still doing so close by? I thought you were gonna go make a name for yourself in Labyrinth City?”
Oh, Lilio. She barely even thanked him before she started a fight.
“I told you my plans weren’t set in stone, didn’t I? I heard there were some ruins at the outskirts of Lessau County, so I went to explore them.”
“Did you find anything?”
“You might say that. Or maybe not.”
“What does that mean?!”
Lilio and Mr. John bantered away endlessly.
Even though she must be tired from her investigation, Lilio was smiling energetically, clearly enjoying their back-and-forth.
“Those two fight like goblins and dogs—maybe we should leave them to it and go report to Captain Hence.”
“Good idea. I don’t want to get caught in the cross fire.”
We waved to Lilio and headed back to the barracks to give our report.
“There’s another shortcut? Since when?”
Much to everyone’s excitement, Lilio came back late that evening with an intriguing piece of information.
This could be our chance to finally resume our journey.
“Yeah, according to a certain someone.”
She was probably referring to Mr. John.
“But didn’t the town guards all tell us that there’s only one path?”
“Yeah, but I guess that’s ’cause there’s a path through the ravine where that fake dragon thing lives. Carriages can’t get through there, either, but it’s a lot less steep than the other one, so he said it’d probably be easier on foot.”
Upon hearing Lilio’s report, Sir Hence looked ready to lead everyone into the ravine right this moment, but fortunately, his attendant talked him into sending a few scouts to investigate first.
For some reason, all eyes turned toward my friends and me.
I don’t have a very good feeling about this.
“All right, we’ll send Zena’s team to investigate the ravine.”
Sir Hence cleared his throat and proceeded to give us our orders.
We couldn’t refuse, of course. I agreed at once to the assignment, and we began our preparations.
The next day, we went to a large restaurant downtown to ask around about the shortcut Lilio’s ex-boyfriend had mentioned.
“John!”
“This is about that thing we discussed yesterday, right? Come with me.”
Mr. John led us to a private room in the back of the restaurant to give us the details on the shortcut.
“So the dangerous parts of the route are this valley where harpies live and a rocky area infested with slimes?”
“Yeah. Monsters appear in plenty of other places, too, but based on what Lilio’s told me, I think your group is strong enough to get through the ravine easily as long as you avoid those two spots.”
I spread out a map of Zetts County that I’d brought from Seiryuu City to verify his explanation.
It was a rough map, but I sketched out directions and landmarks as he explained.
“Whoa, Johnny’s got a harem!”
The black-haired waitress who brought our food back to the private room teased John casually.
“Urgh. Mito…”
The woman called Mito grinned and prodded Mr. John in the cheek.
They had the same black hair and somewhat similar facial features, so they were probably from the same homeland.
“Who’s this? A friend of yours?”
Lilio looked decidedly unhappy with this display.
Could this be what they call a love triangle?
“Ooh, someone’s jealous!”
“L-Lou, don’t be silly!”
“Yes, that’s clearly more of a brother-sister relationship than a romantic one.”
Miss Iona was sharp about romantic relationships, so if she said so, it was probably true.
I felt silly for getting my heart rate up at the possibilities.
“This is Mito. She looks young, but she’s really an old lady.”
“Ruuude! I told you I’m eternally twenty, remember? Little boys who don’t listen are in for a scolding!”
“See, that just makes you sound even more like a granny.”
“D’oh!”
“Who says that?”
But the pair did seem awfully flirty to me.
Lilio must have felt the same way, because she was still scowling.
I didn’t know what to do, so I turned to Miss Iona for assistance, but she looked to be enjoying the situation far too much to help matters.
And Lou was determined to be an observer as always…
“So how do you two know each other exactly?”
“Ran into each other in some ruins.”
“Ruins? Are you an explorer?”
“I was for a little while once. A looong time ago.”
Miss Mito was clearly no ordinary person, but she didn’t exactly look like a rough-and-tumble explorer to me.
“She’s not your new girlfriend, is she?”
“Of course not. I’m not into old ladies.”
“That’s not nice! I’m not so starved for love that I’d waste my attentions on some cheeky little brat, either.”
“Uh-huh. I suppose I might believe you, then.”
Lilio’s mood improved when the pair mutually declared their lack of romantic interest.
Thank goodness.
Relieved, I looked toward the door and noticed that a pretty young blond girl was peering in.
“John’s ex-girlfriend is here, I report.”
“Oh, hey, Hachiko.”
Miss Mito waved at the girl.
“Urk, Number 8! What are you slacking off for? Get back to work!”
“John and Mito are slacking off as well, I declare.”
What a strange way of speaking… Wait a minute!
I realized this was one of the girls who’d been with John when he rescued us from the demon’s monster army in Lessau County.
I didn’t get a good look at her face then, but I remembered the women’s lovely blond hair and strange manner of speaking.
But that would mean…
“What’s the matter?”
Mito gave me a friendly look as she noticed my stare.
…Was she the black-haired magic user who defeated the intermediate demon all on her own?
But the casual way she was chatting with Lilio and Mr. John didn’t match up with the powerful figure who’d used magic like that of the ancestral king.
Just then, a blond woman with her hair in a braid walked in; she had the same face as the girl Mito had called Hachiko.
“Mito, Number 8! Get back to work! The manager is furious!”
“I do not wish for a wage cut, I entreat.”
“Oh, yikes!”
Grabbing the other blonde by the scruff of the neck, the woman dragged her and Miss Mito back to work.
“Honestly. All right, let’s go over the rest of the route.”
“A-all right. Thank you.”
I wanted to ask about Miss Mito, but I couldn’t blow off the reason we’d come here in the first place.
Instead, I wrote down the information John gave us on the map.
“If possible, we would appreciate it if you could guide us, Mr. John…”
“I can sneak in anywhere on my own, but I’d be no help in a group. I’m way weaker than you ladies. I’d only slow you down if I came along.”
“Huh? You seemed really strong to me.”
“Ah, that was because of a special strengthening spell that only worked for that time. Normally, I’m so wimpy that I can’t even take on a single harpy.”
Lilio asked more about the strengthening spell, but he didn’t seem to want to get into detail about that or Miss Mito.
For the time being, John and company were working at this restaurant to save up for traveling expenses, so we agreed to come back some other time when the rest of his group was free.
“What a strange place.”
We were walking through a valley full of strange steam.
As the name Withered Valley implied, it was full of dead trees, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
The fog made it difficult to see very far into the distance. If we let our guards down, monsters could easily sneak up and attack us.
We were told that the fog was bad for one’s health if you were exposed to it for too long, too.
Miss Iona peered alertly through the mist.
“The harpies should be showing up soon.”
“Yeah. Should I go check it out?”
I hesitated over whether to send Lilio to scout on her own—but took too long in deciding.
A shadow passed overhead.
I couldn’t see what cast it, but based on John’s information, it was probably a harpy.
“Assume anti-air defensive positions! Lilio, keep alert for nearby enemies. Iona, please take over command.”
I started a sound-protection chant.
The harpies’ most dangerous weapon was their voices, which could inflict sleep or hypnosis.
As long as we could avoid that, Lilio should be able to shoot them down.
“Taking command.” Iona drew her sword. “That shadow was most likely a harpy. Lilio, how many short arrows do you have left?”
“Only seven. I’m sorry. I used too many on the other monsters.”
“Well, there only seems to be one enemy. That should be more than enough.”
I nodded slightly at Iona’s statement. With Lilio’s aim, seven would be plenty.
But something was bothering me: If that shadow really was a harpy, it was flying a little strangely.
Almost as if it was being chased…
“… ? Sound Protection Bouonmaku.”
That should do it, right?
I started meditating while I had the chance, focusing on recovering my magic.
If my fears were correct, then it’d be best to get back to full magic power as soon as possible.
I couldn’t hear it because of the spell, but the harpy screeched something as it swooped down at us from a tree.
“Ha-ha! I could hit a target this big with my eyes closed!”
Lilio’s short arrow pierced the base of the harpy’s wing, and it crashed to the ground.
“Lou, guard Miss Zena!”
“You got it!”
Miss Iona mercilessly brought her broadsword down on the harpy’s head.
Lilio drew her short sword, too, but it didn’t seem like she’d be needing it.
Just as we started to relax, the withered trees began to shake in the fog.
“Something’s coming…!”
Lilio, who was in front, called back a warning.
Before our eyes, the creature that had been chasing the harpy emerged from the fog, cutting a swath through the trees as it went.
A long, lizard-like creature with horns and wings like a wyvern’s.
The beast that we citizens of Seiryuu City feared more than any other.
The strongest living creature—a dragon.
They were a foe that humans could never defeat.
Even with an entire squad of Holy Knights from the royal capital, the most they could accomplish was chasing one off.
Judging by its size, it was probably a lesser dragon, but that distinction didn’t mean a thing.
If we fought it, we would surely lose—no, we would be one-sidedly destroyed without even a chance to fight at all.
And now it was glaring down at us as it suddenly appeared from the fog.
That alone was enough for all of us to freeze in place, forgetting how to move or even breathe.
I was sure it was only a matter of seconds, but to me it felt like the longest moment of my life.
Then, as if it had lost interest in us, the dragon cast an indifferent glance at the dead harpy, then turned back toward the fog.
My legs nearly gave out from relief, but I was too frightened that the slightest sound might draw the dragon’s attention back toward us, so I clenched my teeth and held still.
But just as the dragon was starting to turn away—
A new intruder appeared.
“Hello, hello! It is I! The famous and beloved fourth seat of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga: none other than Torel the Gale! I have come to challenge you to a common bout, good Sir Dragon!”
Riding atop his wyvern, Sir Torel held a magic weapon that was longer than a jousting javelin.
Even as one of the eight strongest warriors in the kingdom, surely he was no match for a dragon.
It would be like fighting one-on-one the greater demon that had appeared in the Seiryuu City labyrinth. If the silver-masked Hero hadn’t appeared, I doubted any one of us would still be alive.
GROOAARRRRR.
The dragon gathered its strength for a moment, then launched itself into the air without even a running start.
For a moment, I thought I saw a mischievous glint in its eye as it took off, but that must have been my imagination.
“Hey, Lilio! Let’s get out of here. You too, ladies.”
Someone grabbed my arms and dragged me back.
I turned around in surprise to see Mr. John, clad in leather armor.
Behind him was Miss Mito, dressed as if she’d just stepped out to run a little errand.
When our eyes met, Mito waved at me lightly.
She was wearing traveler’s boots, at least, but I was surprised she’d made it all this way in her otherwise light outfit.
“Hello? Miss Squad Leader?!”
“Oh, right! All hands, retreat! Into the shade!”
John’s gentle prompting brought me back to my senses, and I issued orders to the group.
Overhead, the dragon was fighting Sir Torel like a cat might play with a mouse.
While it was distracted, Mr. John led us to take cover in a crevice in the cliffs of the valley.
“Damn. There definitely wasn’t a dragon last time I was here, okay?”
“Hmm? But there’s been rumors about the dragon all over town.”
“Sure, but that was about the citrus-loving demi-dragon at the peak.”
“C’mon! Use your head. What do you think chased it up there in the first place?”
John and Mito bantered lightly, but I hadn’t recovered enough to contribute to the conversation.
Even Lilio wasn’t butting in, only scowling as she watched their exchange.
“Aah!”
Lou, who was peering outside, pointed up into the sky and cried out.
The dragon had tired of playing chase and was smacking the wyvern out of the sky.
The wyvern skidded across the ground, trampling dead trees as it tumbled our way.
“Dammit, don’t come over here!”
“Awww, poor thing. That wyvern probably can’t fly anymore.”
As Miss Mito observed, one of the wyvern’s wings had broken severely right in the middle.
Unless someone used advanced Healing Magic on it, it would probably never fly again.
“Oh, hey, the old guy’s still alive.”
Mr. John pointed.
The wyvern seemed to have taken the brunt of the impact; Sir Torel had been thrown off, but although he was bleeding, he was standing steadily with his long pike in hand.
“Dragon! I shall stake my life on this lance! Warriors, speak of me in legend!”
The tip of Sir Torel’s weapon glowed red, and a blade of light appeared around it.
Could it be…?
“Looks like ‘Spellblade.’”
“Whoa…”
John’s eyes widened at Mito’s appraisal.
“Spellblade” was a secret technique that only three people in all of Seiryuu County could use.
“Prepare yourself! Spellblade Spiral!”
Sir Torel shot forward like a bullet, attacking the dragon with his lance.
The ground beneath him cracked as he launched himself into the air.
Cutting a red trail through the white mist, the lance drove toward the dragon as if it were being sucked in.
I had no doubt it would break through the dragon’s scales.
The tip sent up a flurry of red sparks as it struck the surface of the dragon.
It can’t be…
The tip hadn’t even reached the scales.
A barrier of light had appeared like chain mail around the dragon, protecting it from the attack.
“I’m not done yet!”
Sir Torel roared, and the red “Spellblade” gathered around the tip in a spiral, putting a slight crack in the dragon’s defense barrier.
“That dude’s crazy.”
“Pretty impressive, Gramps!”
Next to John, Miss Mito clapped her hands lightly.
How could she be so nonchalant?
Even if she was that same magic user from before, a lesser dragon was much stronger than an intermediate demon.
And now those blond magic soldiers weren’t here to protect her.
GROUUU?
The dragon tilted its head and knocked off the lance that had nearly reached its scales as one might swat away an insect.
As Sir Torel was momentarily distracted by the lance’s abrupt disappearance from his hands, the dragon slapped him down. Sir Torel bounced along the ground like his wyvern had moments before, and he appeared to lose consciousness.
He was a powerful knight of nearly level 50, yet that dragon had brushed him off like nothing…
The dragon approached Sir Torel and prodded him with a single claw.
“Zenny, can you use Healing Magic?”
“U-um, yes, a little bit…”
Miss Mito referred to me with a strange nickname, but this was no time to question it.
“How ’bout the advanced spell Cure Stream?”
“I’m sorry; I can only use the most basic intermediate spells…”
“Gotcha. Wouldn’t be able to heal a compound fracture, then.”
Mito didn’t look particularly disappointed, only thoughtful. After a moment, she smiled brightly and stepped forward.
“All righty, then, I guess there’s nothing else for it. You guys stay here.”
“Wait a sec, Granny Mito. You’re way too old for—”
“Watch your mouth, pal!”
“—erm, too young and beautiful, I mean. Obviously.”
John started to follow Miss Mito as she casually stepped out of our hiding place, but Lilio hurriedly grabbed his arm and pulled it close to her chest.
I tried to call out quietly to stop Miss Mito, too, but she simply smiled. “It’ll be fine. Just watch.”
With that, she walked forward. “’Scuse me, Mr. Dragon. The match is over—This gentleman clearly can’t fight anymore, so could you go on back to the Fujisan Mountains now?”
ZUGOOOOUN.
“That’s a no, huh?”
A black hole appeared next to her like the “Item Box” skill, and she pulled out a pole-like staff.
I’d seen that staff before.
There was no doubt about it: She was the magic user who had defeated the intermediate demon.
“All right, then. If you insist, I’ll humor you for a second round.”
Transparent blades and boards appeared, surrounding her, like the kind made with Practical Magic.
They floated around her like a protective shield, and like spikes to keep out the enemy, following along with her movements like a living thing.
It was almost like the greater magic spell spoken of in the legends of the ancestral king, which was both offense and defense—Wait, magic? When did she chant the spell, though?
“Okay, here goes!”
Miss Mito shot out a rain of Practical Magic bullets that burst as they hit the dragon.
This seemed to hurt a lot more than Sir Torel’s attack: The dragon quickly took off into the sky.
…A dragon, running away?
I couldn’t hide my surprise at this unbelievable scene.
“I’ll be right back, then.”
She hopped through the air as if on invisible footholds, chasing after the dragon. I had never seen anyone more nimble than Mr. Satou before.
Miss Mito’s battle with the dragon took place beyond the fog of the Withered Valley, so I didn’t see the details.
But judging by the occasional yelps of the dragon and lighthearted laughter, I had no doubt it was very one-sided.
If someone tried to tell me a story like this, I was sure I would never believe them.
By the time I finished my emergency first aid on Sir Torel, the battle seemed to have ended on the other side of the valley, and things went quiet.
“Hey, who in the world is that person, really?”
“I told you, I don’t know. She was sleeping in some hidden room beneath the ruins.”
“Maybe she was living in there?”
“I seriously doubt that.”
“More importantly, could you be quiet for a moment, please?”
At Miss Iona’s request, we fell silent. Straining my ears, I heard the sound of wings.
Did the dragon win after all?
“Heeey, we’re dooone.”
It was Miss Mito—waving to us from the back of the dragon. Her other hand was holding some kind of chains made out of glowing magic.
And the chains were attached to the dragon’s mouth like a horse’s bridle.
“I’m gonna bring this troublemaker back to the Fujisan Mountains, so I guess this is where we part ways. It was fun while it lasted, Johnny! If you ever start to miss me, I’ll probably be somewhere downtown in the royal capital…”
“I’m not gonna miss you! But take me with you, dammit!”
“Sorryyy, I can’t go bringing anyone else to the sacred ground of the dragon god. You can split my paycheck with Hachiko and the others, ’kay? See you later!”
Miss Mito waved brightly, then took flight on the dragon off into the distance.
It was just like something out of the legends of the ancestral king who had founded the kingdom.
We put our investigation on hold to take Sir Torel back to Fau along with Mr. John.
Even with five of us, it was difficult to carry him on a stretcher made out of cloaks and dead tree branches.
“My apologies, youngsters of Seiryuu County.”
“Are you feeling better?”
Around when we reached the main road, Sir Torel regained consciousness.
He still seemed to have a fever from his wounds, but he nonetheless told us his reasons for challenging the dragon, bit by bit.
He had been seeking a powerful foe for his final battle before retiring from the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga due to old age. When he’d heard about the dragon, he thought it was the perfect opportunity.
However, since the creature on the mountain turned out to be a flightless demi-dragon, he reported this to Zetts County and was then asked by the royal capital to monitor the demi-dragon’s movements from the skies.
As he was doing so, he’d spotted the real dragon flying unsteadily, and he came down to challenge it to battle.
“Sir, did you really think you could beat a dragon?”
“Even I am not that conceited.”
Sir Torel didn’t seem particularly offended by Mr. John’s blunt question.
“…But I failed to die, it seems.”
With that quiet murmur, he gazed up at the sky with a melancholic expression.
I was sure he was saying a silent prayer for his wyvern, who had died in the battle.
After that, we spoke no more and entrusted him to the care of the Fau guards.
Our paused investigation was never to be resumed.
A few days later, the demi-dragon was subdued.
“The main road is reopened?”
“Yes, the royal knights and Sir Heim of the Eight Swordsmen of Shiga defeated it.”
Now that the dragon panic had subsided, and a merchant with connections to a village we’d saved helped us acquire supplies, we were finally able to resume our journey to Labyrinth City.
After I comforted Lilio with a round of drinking, that is.
And soon…
“Now, that’s a huge statue.”
“It’s called a golem, Lou.”
Two gigantic golems stood on either side of the gate before us, glaring down like guards.
This was the entrance to Labyrinth City Celivera.
I gazed at the city, overwhelmed with emotions.
We had finally, finally made it.
I’m coming to see you right away, Mr. Satou!
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