Chapter 5: Makoto Takatsuki Faces Danger
“All adventurers and soldiers in Macallan! Gather immediately at the western gate! A monster stampede has been spotted. Danger Level: Calamity - Town. I repeat...”
At that announcement, both of our expressions changed.
“Sophia, I’m heading for the gate.”
“I will go to the church and manage the priests and clerics.”
“Can you look after Furiae too?”
“Very well. Take care, Hero Makoto.”
Once our short conversation was over, we both burst from the room.
“Princess! Go with Sophia!”
Furiae looked like she was about to say something but then just nodded. “Very well.”
“Makoto, let’s go!”
“Let’s go, Takatsuki!”
I joined up with Lucy and Sasa and we headed for the west gate. The entire time, the announcement was repeating.
Calamity for a town.
That wasn’t uncommon for a place like Labyrinthos, where fierce monsters lurked in the lower levels. However, even griffins were rare in Macallan.
As I peered around, the townspeople seemed uneasy. Some folks shut themselves away in their homes while others headed to the church. The girls and I just bolted through the crowds until we reached the gate.
“Makoto! You made it!”
“Lucas!” I called back. Phew! Macallan’s number one veteran is here!
I also spied Brad the Ogre Slayer, Clark the Heavy Spear, Ian the Giant Killer, and Justin the Drunkard. Each of them was a veteran, and they all had aliases of their own.
This is great!
Another high-level adventurer—a particularly familiar one—soon ran over to me.
“Mister Takatsuki’h! There are far more monsters this time’h!” Nina exclaimed. Her ears stood on end and she stared gravely at me.
“How many are there?” There had been about five hundred last time, so I was guessing a thousand this time. Maybe two thousand...
“T-Ten thousand’h...”
I stared for a moment.
“Ten thousand?” I parroted.
Lucy and Sasa followed up my dull repetition with animated shock.
“Really?!”
“That’s too many!”
The gathered adventurers were all wearing the same types of expressions, and members of the younger generation looked pale.
Ten thousand? There had to be some kind of mistake! That was more than the whole town’s population!
“Don’t be so pessimistic, Makoto,” Lucas said, slapping me on the back of the head.
“Lucas! How many adventurers and soldiers do we have?”
“About three hundred.”
“What...?”
That was way too big a difference in firepower. We were doomed...
“I guess this is the first one for you young folks,” Lucas remarked. “You can’t fight a stampede head-on.” He looked at the amassed crowd and called out in a booming voice, “Ground mages! Add walls around the gate to reinforce it!”
“Make sure people can still pass through,” another veteran instructed.
“We’ll take command,” Lucas said, turning back to me. “That good with you?”
“Of course, go for it.”
The younger adventurers—me included—were all shaken up, so the veterans provided a firm foundation for us.
“Aaaall riiight! Listen up!” Lucas called out. “Everyone, not just adventurers!”
The young adventurers, soldiers, and Temple Knights gathered around. I spotted Jean and Emily, but we couldn’t exactly stop for a chat in this situation. Our faces were all etched with tension.
“Okay! The most important thing is making sure the stampede can’t get in. Fortunately, Macallan has rather study walls, but we need to use ground magic to reinforce them even further. Once that’s done, we’ll have our ranged attackers and archers positioned on the walls.”
Lucy was a mage who could use ranged attacks, so she followed the instructions and headed for the walls.
Oh, I’m a mage as well. Uuuh, apprentice mage...
“Makoto, what’re you doing?” Lucas asked.
“Because of my elemental magic, I can use long-ranged attacks now.”
“Oh, I see. So you’re with the mages.”
“What about me, Takatsuki?” Sasa asked.
Right, she was a close combatant. That was a tough one to answer...
“Aya, you stay at the gate,” instructed Lucas. “We’d prefer if you didn’t need to get involved, but us close combatants will be the last line of defense if the gate falls.” But then, Lucas pondered a moment. “Actually... Makoto’s a hero so he needs someone with him. Right! Aya, you should be perfect for that.”
He’d never seen Sasa fight, but he didn’t seem to doubt her strength. I guess it was that whole “takes one to know one” thing. I was honestly kinda jealous...
“Makoto, Aya, let’s head up on the walls,” said Lucas. “I’ll keep command of the rest.”
We followed him. The walls were several meters tall, and they had a path along the top that was wide enough for people to walk across.
The mages were already chanting. Lucy’s spells took a long time, so hopefully, they would be quick enough...
I glanced at Lucas and saw him glaring stoically beyond the walls.
“You’re calm, Lucas,” I remarked.
“Don’t be daft,” he countered. “Calamity-level stampedes are as rare as hen’s teeth. If this was any other town it would probably fall.”
As I looked at his face more closely, I could tell that this expression was the most serious I’d ever seen from him.
Suddenly, a flying scout dropped in with a report. “Lucas, the monsters are coming! The first wave will reach us within a minute.”
Turns out, it didn’t even take a minute—just a moment later, ten thousand monsters emerged from the forest. The stampede was so large that some were still hidden within the tree cover.
Goblins, kobolds, orcs, ogres, giants... More varieties than last time.
“Mages! At the ready!”
The mages I could see seemed like they were almost done with their chants. And...there was one among them that really drew the eyes.
“King rank magic...that must be Lucy.”
“She’s awesome.”
Lucy was wielding the staff the Grandsage had given her; it’d previously been used by the hero Johnnie Walker...who just so happened to be Lucy’s great-grandfather. She held the staff aloft—her eyes and hair glowed scarlet, seemingly reacting to her mana. That mana flowed from the staff, and it coiled around like a whirlpool as it climbed into the air.
Fire Magic: Phoenix.
Suddenly, a massive bird constructed of flames burst from the end of her staff. It was slightly unstable, but gradually, it grew bigger.
“Well, she’s definitely the Crimson Witch’s daughter,” I heard Lucas mutter.
I should get ready as well.
“Elementals,” I called out, readying Noah’s dagger. As the elementals merged with my blade, it began to glow blue. The condensed mana made the metal shimmer as if it were scorching hot.
I’d charged my blade.
According to Prince Leo, I could store enough mana in my dagger to produce spells on par with king rank magic.
Even so...
It’s no match for Lucy’s abilities, huh?
I glanced over at the ever-growing phoenix. She was like a bottomless well of mana.
Soon, the mages ceased their chants. The monsters plowed on, getting to within fifty meters of the walls.
“Fire!!!” Lucas yelled, signaling everyone to launch their spells as one.
Water Magic Sword Technique: Water Dragon’s Talon!
I released all of the mana within my dagger in a massive wave. With Lucy’s enormous bird of fire leading the way, a surge of destruction smashed into the stampede’s forerunners. There was a roar of explosions as the spells kicked up dust, and I was half worried that the cacophony had burst my eardrums. Even the earth beneath us shook from the impact.
Once the dust cleared, we could see around a thousand monsters dead on the ground—burned, crushed, and sliced. It was a success as far as a preemptive strike went, but...
“We only managed to kill about a thousand of them...” Lucas’s voice was bitter.
New monsters soon scurried over the corpses of the first wave.
“Next spells! Prioritize fliers!”
I could see the odd griffin and wyvern heading toward us, and the mages swiftly started taking them down.
“Firestorm!”
“Thunderbolt!”
“Blizzard!”
“Rockfall!”
Magic rained incessantly on the swarming monsters, killing hundreds more. Yet...it didn’t make the oncoming force falter. Was there no end to them?
“Lucas...” said one of the veterans. “Something’s wrong.”
“Yeah. Things should be easing off now...”
“This ain’t good... Some of the mages are starting to run outta steam.”
“Use your items and refill your mana!” barked another of the veterans. “The guild will pay for them!” Apparently, some of the younger mages had been hesitant to use their expensive items.
In my case...I didn’t need a mana refill. However, as I kept up with the elemental magic, it grew continuously weaker.
It’s probably because of the warlike atmosphere... Water elementals preferred peace, so they would often shun blood-soaked battlefields like this.
The magic was still coming...but only from Lucy. As for the other mages, they were all out of mana.
“So we killed around two thousand with magic...”
“That would normally be fine.”
There were still around eight thousand monsters surviving. They’d been largely blown back into the trees by the initial salvo.
From deeper into the forest, more of them pressed forward.
There’s something weird about that...
Things just felt off.
“Takatsuki!” yelled Sasa. “Didn’t you already kill that wyvern?!”
“I know I took that giant down!” another adventurer exclaimed.
“That big ogre too! I hit it dead-on!”
“Are they...resurrecting?”
“That’s impossible...”
Just then, a deep roar shook the air, cutting across those voices. A large black figure had appeared above the treetops. It was still a good distance away from us.
Clairvoyance.
Using my skill, I saw the figure clearly.
A black dragon?
It controlled enormous and dense reserves of mana...so much that the power surrounding the beast caused the very air to waver.
“It’s an ancient dragon! It’s resurrecting them!”
“Don’t be stupid! We wouldn’t get one of those around here!”
“Lucas! You’ve fought one before... Is it actually an ancient dragon?!”
The veterans were all shaken—this was the first time I’d seen them lose their cool.
“I fought one in the depths of Labyrinthos,” answered Lucas, “and I’ve fought others...but that’s a sky dragon. I’ve never seen one before...”
“But it is an ancient dragon?”
“Probably...”
“Fuck! So it caused the stampede?”
“I don’t know,” replied Lucas, “but it probably has something to do with it.”
“You’ve got to be kidding... You’d need to be an orichalcum rank adventurer to even think of going against it.”
The adventurers as a whole were growing uneasy.
“Meteo Rain!” Lucy yelled. I’d lost count of how many times she’d cast it today. Her shoulders were heaving and she looked exhausted.
Is she okay? I ran over to her, worried.
“Lucy, take a break,” I called out once I was close enough to be heard. “Everyone’s refilling on mana now.”
“I’m...fine...” she managed through ragged breaths. “I’ve still got...loads...of mana...”
Even if her mana held out, she probably couldn’t focus for much longer—her hand was shaking on her staff.
I glanced out of the city and saw that the monster horde was still coming this way. However, the magical bombardment had stopped, and Lucas’s face was drawn.
It’s just a matter of time before they reach the gate...
Suddenly, a griffin wheeling through the sky dove down...heading straight for Lucy.
“Lucy!” I shouted. “Get out of the way!”
“Get away from Lu!” Sasa yelled, rushing her way. Sasa reared back and blasted the griffin away with her hammer...but not before the monster tore its claws into Lucy’s body.
“Ahhhhh!” Lucy screamed, her balance faltering.
She tumbled from the wall.
“Lucy!!!”
Jump after Lucy and sav—
▶
I caught a glance of an RPG Player choice popping up, but I ignored it and leaped from the wall. Wrapping myself in a cloak of mana, I prepared for the shock.
A moment later, we both hit the ground, and my whole body was racked with intense pain. Calm Mind was the only reason I didn’t pass out. I could taste blood, and everything ached.
“Lucy...you okay?” I mumbled.
She chuckled wanly. “I messed up. Why do the griffins always go for me?”
Blood was gushing down her shoulder and arm.
“Wait a minute,” I said, moving to use regeneration items on her.
“Ma...ko...to... Behind...”
As Lucy spoke, RPG Player displayed the ogres stampeding toward us.
I’m busy, damn it! Water Dragon’s Talon!
I didn’t turn around, just swung my mana-filled dagger. The force of my blow launched the ogres away. However, there was no more mana left in my blade.
The healing items had so far stopped Lucy’s bleeding, but her wounds were still raw. I kept on using them, but the repair work was slow.
I need stronger healing!
“Takatsuki!” Sasa shouted. “Is Lu all right?!”
She’d defeated the griffin and had then leaped down to us. The impact of her landing had launched away the other monsters in the area.
“She’s stopped bleeding!” I cried.
But she wasn’t healed. As time went on, the monsters were getting closer and closer. Before long, we’d end up overrun.
“Get the hell away!”
Sasa was fighting on her own, but there were monsters coming from more than one direction.
Elemental magic...isn’t an option right now. There aren’t enough elementals here... I had no mana left, but I couldn’t just leave Lucy. Readying my dagger, I accepted the fact that I’d need to fight.
But then...
“Obey me, you base beasts!”
A voice echoed across the area. It sounded almost like a chiming bell, and the tone clashed with the atmosphere of battle.
What? The monsters are suddenly attacking each other?!
I looked up and saw a beautiful dark-haired girl standing between us and the horde.
“Princess!” I called out. “What’re you doing here?!” Furiae was supposed to be with Princess Sophia.
“She has finished guiding the townspeople and is taking care of the wounded!” replied Furiae. “I cannot help with that, and I had a bad feeling about this attack, so I came here.”
“Thanks...” I responded after a moment. “You really saved us.” I was supposed to be her Guardian Knight...but she was the one protecting me. Furiae could see the future with her Fate Magic skill. She’d apparently followed her “bad feeling” and had come to help us.
For the time being, Sasa and Furiae had drawn the monsters off us.
Now I just needed to get us back up the wall. I was looking for the opportune moment to do so when an aura-covered sword fell through the air and sliced up the nearest monsters.
“Dragon Cutter!”
The warrior shouldering the hefty sword stood between us and the monsters, continuously rending any that dared to get close.
“Makoto, take Lucy and get back into the town,” he commanded.
“Lucas!” I yelled. “Why’d you jump down?!” Yet even as I asked that, I saw other close combatants leaping into the fray.
Lucas instantly took charge and issued commands to the other warriors. “It’s an all-out battle! Listen up! Gold and above will face the ancient dragon. Silver and below protect the town with the soldiers! Mages—you’ll serve as reinforcements once your mana is back! Get the wounded inside the walls!”
“Can you...win?” I asked hesitantly.
The term “ancient” denoted a dragon that had lived for over a thousand years. Dragons were seen as the strongest creatures in the land, and ancient dragons were even stronger. Even skilled adventurers rarely came across them. And when they did, it became the basis of a tale around the pub table.
Of course, that required the adventurer to survive the encounter...
“It might be tough this time...” he admitted, frowning.
“L-Lucas?” I was shocked by his hesitant answer. He always claimed that he could at least manage against any monster.
Didn’t you regale us all with this kind of story in the taverns?!
“I fought against one in the depths of Labyrinthos,” explained Lucas. “We had a party of more than ten mythril and platinum rank adventurers. Over half of us died. Those of us that lived did so only by chance. Makoto, you’re a hero, so you need to prioritize your own safety.”
“But...”
He didn’t listen to my objection, just continued giving orders to the other adventurers. Before long, the impromptu dragon-slaying party had been formed.
“Mister Takatsuki’h. Look after my husband’h.”
“N-Nina?”
I hadn’t noticed her come down from the wall. However, what she’d said was more important than that.
“I’m a gold rank’h,” she continued. “I’ll help the team against that ancient dragon’h.”
“I thought you’d retired?!” It was nearly time for her wedding!
“If we don’t take it down, Macallan will fall’h. I need to help’h.” Her smile was the usual bright grin that she always gave us.
Not wasting any time, Macallan’s veterans headed out.
This group had once given me that stupid nickname...had mocked me for how weak I was despite being an otherworlder...had always taken any excuse to throw a rowdy celebration...
And now, I could only see them as warriors marching to their deaths.
Deaths I couldn’t prevent.
No...
Soon, the party vanished into the trees.
Their plan was to go around the stampede and face the ancient dragon while using the trees of the forest as coverage.
And when they get there...
It would be a fierce battle. The dragon was probably the cause and leader of the stampede—powerful monsters likely guarded it, so the veterans would have to deal with them plus the ancient dragon.
Could they even win?
Lucas had said that they probably wouldn’t all survive.
However, his moniker was “the dragonslayer,” so he might manage a draw. That was his strategy at least. Well, strategy wasn’t really the word for it... This plan was more like a suicide run.
I glanced around and saw charred monster corpses collapsed in the dust on the ground.
Water elementals preferred peace, so there were none in sight. My magic wouldn’t be of any use... I, a hero, wouldn’t be of any use.
The End.
I could feel the game over credits scrolling through my mind.
Desperate, I yelled out for Undyne in the language of the elementals. She should just help me already!
She didn’t appear, though.
Sasa was smacking at giants with a similarly giant hammer.
Furiae was struggling to Charm a group of dire wolves.
The other silver ranks had their backs to the wall, barely coping...
At this rate, we won’t last long either...
If it hadn’t been for Calm Mind, I wouldn’t have been able to think as I continued to support Lucy.
Do I have any other options?
Then, as if to answer the question, words floated in the air before me.
Who will you Synchro with?
Furiae
Lucy
Huh?
The familiar letters of RPG Player choices were displayed in front of me, but the options weren’t the usual Yes or No. The skill was giving me a suggestion, almost hurrying me along.
What on earth...?
No! There was no time to think about it now. I just needed to make the choice.
Who to pick?
Furiae? I could use spells or curses.
Charm would be a great tool to drum up a little friendly fire among the monster horde...but I didn’t think I could control their attacks so precisely. Besides, Moon Magic skills were stronger at night, not at this time of day.
In which case...
“Lucy, let me Synchro with you,” I said. “I’m sorry to ask while you’re hurt...”
“It’s fine... But you might get burned again...”
“I should be all right.”
According to Noah, Lucy and I had a love contract, so the synchronization should be easier... Of course, should was the operative word here.
“So if we’re Synchroing, we need to do this, right?”
“Wha?”
Lucy wore a pained smile as she put her uninjured arm around my neck.
“Lucy, don’t move while you’re hurt, you’ll—” I tried to say, “You’ll make it worse,” but couldn’t get it out.
“Mmh.”
Because she kissed me.
My vision went red, filled with light of the same color.
It was like that time with the giant—the first time I ever saw the elementals. No...this flood of light was even stronger. Everything I could see was covered in fire elementals.
What is this...? Wait, you know! Just remember...
“Fire elementals love battles and festivals.”
That’s it! Thanks, My First Elemanti!
When I’d first read that, I remembered thinking that the author might’ve been exaggerating a bit. But, since fire elementals had nothing to do with me, I’d forgotten all about it.
Right now though, I was in the midst of carnage—a battle, in other words.
And the fire elementals loved it.
“Hot! ××××× Hey, back off a bit!” The ones close by made me feel like I was on fire, so I hurriedly warned them. Maybe this was why I’d gotten burned last time...
It had nothing to do with your demon blood, Lucy.
“Makoto...?” Lucy broke the kiss and peered at me strangely.
“×××××, ×××××××××× Fire elementals, lend me your strength.”
“×××! Sure!” they chorused.
“Takatsuki, Fuu and I are fighting for our lives here,” Sasa griped. “What are you playing at?”
“My knight!” snapped Furiae. “Get your head out of the gutter!”
Ack, they’d seen Lucy and me...
“Sasa! I’m going to blast the monsters away, so clear everyone out!”
“Jeez! Fine!” She sighed in frustration but then shouted, “Everyone! Takatsuki’s going to attack the monsters, so get back!!!” She didn’t have any voice amplification magic, but her command seemed to make the trees shake.
Nice one, Sasa! Right, my turn!
First, I tightened my grip on Lucy’s hand. I was planning to use the basic Fire Magic: Fireball. It was so simple any mage could cast it.
However, with the unlimited mana from the fire elementals...
◇ Furiae’s Perspective ◇
“What in the...?”
I stared up, feeling dazed by what I was seeing.
A massive fireball was swallowing up the entire sky.
The monsters panicked, and even the adventurers were looking dumbstruck.
“Get inside the walls! Make sure no one is left behind!” yelled the warrior. All around us, adventurers started fleeing.
Though the monsters tried to give chase, rapid fireballs began to pelt at their lines, and those fireballs that hit the ground sprouted into pillars of flame.
And it wasn’t just in one place—all around us, in every spot where adventurers were being chased, the land was scorched by fire. It was a ridiculous display of precision and observation.
And controlling it all...
“Hey, Sasa! Nina and the others went to the left, right?”
“Yeah! You should be able to attack the ones on the right.”
“Got it,” my knight confirmed before launching hundreds of fireballs. Each one struck members of the monster swarm, and every ensuing blast created another pillar of fire. Countless monsters pitifully roared their last, engulfed by the inferno.
It must have been like a literal hell for them.
To me, though, the sight was beautiful. This magic was controlled to the finest degree—it was gorgeous.
Suddenly, a large shadow flew above us.
“Takatsuki! Green dragon!”
“Guh, again?” he complained. He had certainly struggled with the green dragon last time.
“Fireball,” he muttered. With that one word, hundreds of them cascaded toward the dragon. It managed one pitiful roar of despair before falling to the ground.
Uh? That’s it?
“Wow, Takatsuki! You roasted it!” the warrior applauded.
So a green dragon had been nothing to worry about...
An adventurer soon ran up to my knight. “Makoto! The rest of the adventurers and soldiers are evacuated!”
“Gotcha,” my knight replied. “Then it’s time for me to finish these things off.”
He raised his dagger, murmuring something inaudible.
Mana bubbled up around him like magma, pooling and growing.
One of the mages screamed.
Well, I understand the urge. After all, I was barely a moon magic user. The crazed amount of mana coiling around my knight made me shudder.
How can he even stand in the middle of that?
The mana already in the air grew in leaps and bounds. I doubted that even hundreds of high-ranking mages combined could imitate it. And yet...all of this was being done by a single person. My knight was controlling that insane mana. And he was smiling, obviously enjoying himself.
He waved a hand like a conductor in front of an orchestra.
Fire Magic: Flame Squall, I heard him say.
There was no such spell—it was something he’d invented on the spot.
Fireballs shot through the air, roaring almost like a crashing waterfall as they swallowed up the monsters. The beasts screeched and ran, but pillars of flames blocked their escape.
This must’ve been what those otherworlders would call “hell on earth.”
I gazed at my knight as he joyously manipulated the magic.
With Fate Magic (King Rank) I could see the threads of fate. The more influential a person was, the more threads would be connected to them. Royals, nobles, and heroes usually had so many that I could see their influence.
But the Hero of Roses?
He had none. I could not see a single thread connected to him. That was why, at first, I’d taken him for a weak, inconsequential person.
I’d been wrong though.
Makoto Takatsuki was well-liked by that warrior and mage, and even the Princess of Roses. And yet, despite that, I could see nothing.
His future was obscured to me.
I’d been curious about this person who my powers did not affect. Perhaps he’s hiding some terrific power of his own, I’d thought.
That’s why I’d suggested that he become my guardian knight.
Yet even afterward, I hadn’t been able to see his fate. He didn’t hide anything—he was just a dedicated hero that enjoyed his training.
The girls he called friends were good people. They paid no mind to my cursed status.
The town of Macallan was a wonderful place as well. It was pleasant. However, my magic showed me a future where the town fell.
It was a small, rural settlement...and the stampede was beyond them.
My future sight wasn’t absolute, though.
I couldn’t let Macallan be overrun without doing anything. At first, I couldn’t think of anything to do, but I knew I had to do something.
So, I’d mustered my courage and had come out onto the battlefield.
This...is too much...
However, just as things had seemed beyond hope, a single apprentice mage had blasted everything away...including the future I’d seen.
The stampede pressing down on Macallan burned away until not even ashes remained.
◇ Makoto Takatsuki’s Perspective ◇
Ten thousand monsters...and we’d slain every last one.
I released the Synchro with Lucy and then let out a sigh. “Man, I’m exhausted...” This’d been a close one...a really close one.
“Well done, Takatsuki,” Sasa said, chuckling.
“My knight, that was...incredible,” Furiae added.
Both of them wore tired smiles of their own. They’d really yanked us out of the fire back there. Still, the fourth member of our party, Lucy, had definitely pulled the most weight.
“Thanks, Lucy,” I told her. “We need to get you patched up now. Let’s find someone with healing magic.”
“Y-Yeah... Say, Makoto, you don’t have a Fire Magic skill, do you? How could you cast it?”
“Huh?” I was worried about her wounds, but apparently, she was more interested in my magic. “Um, the basics are the same as with Water Magic skills. I guess I get a temporary Fire Magic skill when I use Synchro with you?”
Though, honestly, I didn’t quite understand the logic. I’d have to ask Noah about it at some point.
“That’s got to be unfair,” Furiae interjected.
“Well, it was harder to control than water magic,” I explained. “It felt like my mastery had dropped by about a hundred.”
“And what is your mastery now, out of interest?” asked Lucy.
“About two-sixty? Maybe a bit higher.”
Furiae and Lucy just looked silently at me.
What’s with those faces, guys?
Just then, I heard someone call out to us. “Makoto! Lucy!”
Oh, nice timing. It was Emily, a cleric who had the skills to repair injuries.
“Emily, Lucy’s hurt. Can you please heal her?”
“You can count on me!” Emily began chanting a spell, and Lucy’s wounds started to close.
Phew, she should be fine. Now we just needed to take out that ancient dragon.
“Sasa, let’s go find Nina and—”
Hold on, Makoto! interrupted Noah in my mind.
At the same time, Furiae said, “Wait, my knight!” She seemed to have the same reservations as the goddess.
“Hm?”
Don’t even think about it! exclaimed Noah. That dragon’s ancient...even for an ancient monster. It’s over two thousand years old! There’s no way you can win.
“You can’t fight an ancient dragon. It’s an embodiment of ruin...” Furiae trailed off, seeming to ponder something. “Though, I suppose you might be fine...”
Noah’s mental voice was deadly serious, but Furiae’s conviction seemed to falter as she spoke.
Noah, can the others win against it?
I know it’s hard, Makoto, but there are things you just have to accept...
“Right!” I’d made up my mind. “Let’s go, Sasa!”
Hey! griped Noah.
Nope, no “accepting” here.
“To Nina, yeah?” asked Sasa.
“Yup, we’ll knock down the ancient dragon!”
You can’t!
“You don’t know until you try,” I said aloud.
“Takatsuki, who are you talking to?” Sasa wondered.
“My goddess. Princess, wait here.”
Furiae seemed worried, but she acquiesced. “R-Right...”
Lucy gave us a pained smile. “Makoto! Take care!”
Both of them watched us head toward the forest.
Sasa and I passed the remnants of monsters as we ran through the forest. Actually, let me correct that—we raced through the scorched field that used to be trees... Our final destination was the ancient dragon.
“I hope Lucas and the others are okay,” I said.
“They’re all veterans, right? I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
I hoped so too, but I really was worried about them.
Makoto, listen... my goddess said seriously.
“What is it, Noah?”
You and Aya can’t win against the ancient dragon as you are now. Retreat.
“Everyone else is fighting,” I argued, “so we can’t just run away.”
“What did she say?” asked Sasa.
“That we can’t win against it... Sasa, I’m sorry for making you come this far. If you turn back—”
That was as far as I got before Sasa painfully pinched my cheek. “What stupidity were you in the middle of spouting off?” she trilled.
“Sorry, never mind.” Guess I shouldn’t bother.
If the worst came to pass, Sasa had her extra lives. She was much more likely to survive than me.
Please, Makoto, run away... implored Noah.
“Not happening.” Lucas and Nina were in the middle of a fight—I wasn’t going to turn tail and run.
You stubborn fool.
“I’m not giving up on this.”
She was being awfully persistent about it, though. Was it really that dangerous?
“Do you have a plan?” Sasa asked worriedly.
She’d already made it clear that she wasn’t going to turn back, but I suppose a goddess’s dire warning against challenging the dragon seemed pretty heavy.
Welp, I had only one recourse here. There had to be some benefit to following my goddess with zero believers.
“Noah, please help.”
After a long pause, I heard her say, What...?
“Your single believer is about to die, so please aid him.”
Entreating the gods was tradition since time immemorial, even back in Japan.
Hmmm... So that’s how you’re playing it...
My serious plea was definitely worth a shot. So, what would she do?
Silence.
Huh. Well, if she didn’t have any ideas, then I’d have to think of one on my own.
Maybe I should ask RPG Player for a choice... Or what about Undyne? Yeah...she’s not going to help.
What else was there... Hmmmm...
There is an option... Noah said with some hesitation.
Oh?
I really didn’t want to teach it to you though...
“You’ve got an idea?!”
It’s a dangerous technique. This is the only time you can use it.
“I’ll...keep that in mind.”
Listen here you little br—
“I’m just kidding,” I assured her. “So, what is it?”
Urgh, I really don’t wanna...
She seemed extremely unhappy about it. Reluctantly, she started to explain the technique.
The jet-black ancient dragon loomed ahead of us. Several other dragons surrounded it. Some familiar veterans were facing off against it, with Lucas in the center of the formation. I could see Nina and the others struggling against even the lesser dragons.
“Lucas!” I called out.
“Makoto?! You idiot! Why’re you here?!”
Lucas was yelling at me, but I ignored it. I could hardly just abandon them all!
“Sasa, go help with the other dragons!”
“Got it! You take care!”
The ancient dragon was one thing, but the adventurers facing off against the normal dragons needed support as well. Several veterans were already on the ground.
Sasa whipped her Fierce Deity’s Hammer into a nearby dragon and sent it flying. Nice! The dull thud of the hammer smacking into the dragon’s skull even sent its eyes spinning. Wow.
Now, time to defeat the ancient dragon. I moved closer to Lucas and saw that he was covered in wounds. His armor and weapons had been thoroughly beaten up, and his body was soaked in blood and grime.
“Makoto, you need to know that none of our attacks, not even mine, are doing anything to it. We’re in a bad position here.” Lucas’s expression was exhausted... Even his voice sounded hopeless. The other veterans didn’t appear like they’d given up, but none of them looked positive.
I stared down the ancient dragon and leveled Noah’s dagger at it.
“Another Foolish Insect Arrives...” it rumbled.
It can speak?! The voice was low and almost overpowering.
“Takatsuki! It talked!” Sasa should’ve been focused on her own fight, but she’d still found the time to commentate!
“Ah...yeah,” I murmured. Though, really, didn’t she also count as a talking monster?
The ancient dragon’s dark scales were slightly marred, presumably by the veterans’ attacks, but the monster as a whole looked undamaged. On the other hand, the adventurers were all barely hanging on.
“You’ve got a plan, then?” Lucas asked.
“Well...I have a secret technique I can use.”
“Got it. Shall we buy you time?”
I was shocked by that. “You’re...not going to ask?”
“If you think we can win, I’ll believe you,” he declared with a grin. The other adventurers seemed to agree. “After all, you’re Makoto the Full Clearer.”
“What?”
“You didn’t know? It’s your alias. Mary realized it when she was going through the paperwork on the quests. You’re the only adventurer that has a hundred percent success rate.”
“Well, ninety percent of them were goblin hunts.”
“Right...well, you’ve also got the nickname ‘Goblin Cleaner’ I guess.”
“That’s the only one I knew I had,” I admitted. Apparently, I’d been given another moniker without even knowing it.
Before us, the dragon roared and flapped its wings. The ensuing blast of wind sheared and completely stripped the leaves from the trees. Is it...waiting for us? No, definitely not. The wounds that the veterans had managed to inflict were already gone.
It can heal itself? Honestly, what a pain...
“Go! Cover Makoto!” bellowed Lucas.
“Aye!” the veterans roared in unison.
As one, they all converged on the dragon. Lucas’s sword was covered in aura as he swung it, and the mages joined in with high rank spells. Not that those have done much...
We wouldn’t bring it down at this rate—Lucas was the only one that had done any visible damage. Even the ancient dragon seemed to only be focusing on him, since everyone else’s attacks seemed pretty much ineffectual.
I tightened my grip on the dagger, which was still infused with power from the fire elementals—some mana lingered there from when I’d been connected with Lucy.
There was no recharging my blade. I had only one chance.
Right...
I followed Noah’s instructions, pressing my palm into the blade. The edge sliced through the skin and my blood welled up around the metal. It hurt, but I ignored the pain. As the dagger absorbed the blood, it began to glow dully.
I offer this to you, Noah.
Instantly, I felt something vanish from within me, and the dagger’s glow grew ominous. My body felt like lead.
So this is anima...
I wrapped my hands together around the dagger and prayed hard to the goddess I believed in.
◇
Makoto... Offer your body and soul to me through that regalia.
Judging by her tone of voice, she was far from happy as she explained it.
“Uh, and what happens then?” I asked. I, on the other hand, was excited by the prospect. It felt a bit like learning a rare skill!
It’s a technique where you make a sacrifice to the gods... Humans call it Suicide Magic...
“Suicide Magic?!” That was what the Snake Sect had used in Highland. From what I remembered, it used your life force instead of mana...
Wait.
“Won’t that...kill me?”
You’ll die either way if you fight it head-on.
“Can’t I use magic from the fire spirits to win instead?” I asked, glancing at the dagger.
Not going to happen. Your sword skills are too basic. A swarm of lesser monsters is one thing...but that won’t work against the ancient dragon.
“So when I use this sacrificial technique—Suicide Magic—what happens?”
I lend you power in exchange for your life force... Though I don’t want to.
“Why?”
Hey, listen up! I want you to be strong and live a long life! You’re the last person I’d want to teach this technique to. Knowing you, you’ll use it like it’s going out of style!
Well, honestly...I’d probably get a lot of use out of it. That is, if it seemed practical.
No. Not happening!
I’d be careful about using it...
No!!! Do. You. Understand?!
And so, I made my promise to Noah and gained new strength.
◇
“Noah, please bestow your grace upon your lowly disciple.”
Under the dominion of my name, Goddess Noah—argh, nonono!
Uh, Noah? I’m really asking here.
I hate sacrifices...they go against the natural order.
Come on, it’s for your cute little believer.
Fine... Under the dominion of my name, Goddess Noah...
She took a quick breath before continuing. I accept your blood and soul, and in turn, grant you a momentary miracle.
Before my eyes, the regalia seemed to warp. Noah’s dagger was enveloped not in mana, but...in something that felt wholly unnatural. Simply looking at it made my heart lurch, and I felt like I could hear countless shrieks. From my blade, I could sense something hateful staring back at me.
It was a chaotic, ineffable fear... I looked away. Best not to stare at it anymore.
“Lucas, I’m ready!”
“Got it! Guys, scatter!”
At his call, everyone backed away from the ancient dragon. I readied my dagger and looked the beast in the eyes.
“Pitiful Insect... You Shall Perish With The Country Of Roses.”
Hm? It wants to destroy Roses? Was this what had triggered Eir’s prophecy?
Then...this seemed perfect. I softly swung the dagger clad in anima and the flames of mana.
Goddess’s Miracle: God Slaying Blade.
A prismatic slash ripped its way through the air toward the ancient dragon. The wave of power was, by no means, traveling swiftly.
“Pitiful...” grumbled the ancient dragon. It didn’t seem to sense any threat coming from my attack.
“It’s no good...” Lucas murmured, and all of the veterans looked downcast.
However, none of them realized that this spell was the embodiment of a prayer...the embodiment of a miracle. It combined a certain type of strike and a divine attack.
The strike...well, I’d seen it once before, back when that divine magicite giant from the dungeon had attacked Nina. The speed of this attack was irrelevant—Noah’s miracle would ensure that it hit.
As for the divine part...
Noah had told me that the materials composing this dagger had been used during Titanomachy. Therefore, her blade could kill even a god, and this miracle was bestowed upon it through magic.
My slash attack was engulfed in that repulsive anima as it slowly approached the ancient dragon. The monster casually dodged it...or so it seemed.
“I Am Beholden To The Dragon King Astaroth,” roared the dragon, assuming that my strike had blown right past it. “Your Petty Human Attacks—”
That was where its scoff halted.
My attack hit.
The slash tore through its body, ripping flesh and sinew to ribbons. The remnants fell from the sky and landed heavily on the ground. Then, the ominous light dissipated from my blade.
I swayed, half collapsing, and had to support myself with a hand on the ground.
It felt like...I’d just lost all of my life force.
So this is Suicide Magic...
Literally everyone was staring at me in disbelief...even the other dragons. Sasa quickly noticed and pointed her Menace skill at the remaining monsters.
“You want him to do the same to you?!” she yelled.
Menace seemed to do the trick—the rest of them fled in a panic.
So it’s over...
I fell to my knees.
“Takatsuki!” Sasa cried, supporting my limp body. Somehow, I stayed conscious.
“Makoto...” Lucas murmured. “Was that...? No, never mind. You saved us. Let’s return to town.”
Judging by the look on his face, I thought he might’ve realized what I’d done...that I’d used forbidden Suicide Magic.
“Someone’s there’h!” Nina suddenly burst into the trees and dragged out a woman wearing robes.
“L-Let me go!” the woman screeched. She had snakes tattooed on her face, and horns growing from her head. Was she a...cambion?
“What do we do with her’h?”
“Take her to the guild or hand her over to the temple,” Lucas ordered. “She might be involved with the stampede.”
“So the cambions were behind this?”
The veterans didn’t seem surprised—they were discussing it calmly. Personally, I’d had a bad time with the Snake Sect, and I really didn’t want to see them again.
That group was evil, through and through...
Suddenly, blackness began creeping around the edges of my vision... It seemed like this was about it for me.
“Takatsuki?” Sasa asked.
“Sorry, Sasa,” I mumbled. “I’m just gonna nap.”
I lost consciousness.
When I awoke, it was to Lucy, Sasa, and Furiae.
“Makoto, are you okay?”
“You woke up!”
“My knight...that was reckless.”
The three of them must’ve been looking after me.
“Sorry for worrying you. I’ll get up now.” I’d been passed out in the guild hall, which wasn’t unusual for me. I wasn’t quite steady on my feet, but I didn’t feel like sleeping anymore, so I stumbled to the guild’s entrance.
The guild’s tavern was in the midst of a celebration. After all, they had protected the town from over ten thousand monsters. And it wasn’t just guild members there—I could see soldiers, Temple Knights, and merchants like Fujiyan.
The whole town was triumphant. Even people who didn’t fit inside the guild were partying just outside the entrance.
Why not? I decided to join in as well.
Some time passed, and all sorts of people came over to greet me. A lot of them had apparently been waiting for me to wake up—they all wanted to thank me.
Once the commotion died down, I found a seat and watched the rest of the party.
Lucy was surrounded by some newer adventurers. They’d been impressed at her continued effort to sling Meteos, even while they’d been all out of mana.
“How can I be like you?!”
“Please, teach me magic!”
The bronze rank adventurers all had shining eyes as they crowded around her. She’s popular, huh?
As for Sasa...
“That Menace was incredible,” gushed one adventurer. “The dragons had their tails ’tween their legs!”
“Aya! What rank’re you?”
“Uh, stone rank, I think?”
The veterans around her were all gobsmacked that she was only stone rank. Well, she did send those dragons on the run with Menace alone...
I was currently seated at a table with Furiae, Mary, Nina, Fujiyan, and Chris. When I’d first arrived, a whole bunch of adventurers had surrounded me—they’d been chattering and asking me about the Fire Magic spell I’d used while Synchro’d with Lucy. However, Chris was at our table, so the swarm of adventurers had dispersed. Since she was to be the next ruler of the region, her status dictated that not just anyone could stroll up and talk to us.
Oh, right! Chris had managed to cement her succession!
It seemed like everything had gone our way. We celebrated Macallan’s safety and Fujiyan’s wife’s success.
Huh...?
A beautiful dark-haired girl had slipped away during the tumult. It was Furiae, and upon glancing at her face, I realized that she seemed slightly down. She was the Priestess of the Moon, and she’d come rushing to aid Lucy and me during our time of need. I was worried about her wandering behavior and that lonely look on her face, so I followed after her.
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