EARTH WYRM ATTACK
Shortly after we get back to the school, it suddenly appears.
To be precise, it must have been following us the whole time.
“Wh…what…?”
I hear someone groan in disbelief.
That’s how terrifying its presence is.
The earth wyrm.
An incredibly high-powered monster that should never be in a place like this.
And yet, here it is, baring its teeth at us on academy grounds.
“Natsume! Is this another part of your scheme?!”
Ms. Oka confronts Hugo in a rage.
“D-don’t look at me! If they planned anything like this, nobody told me!”
Hugo looks genuinely panicked. I don’t think he’s lying.
“Hey, guys, what the hell is this thing?!”
Hugo turns on the group of criminals arrested for working with him.
“It was supposed to be the ace in the hole for our plan.”
“So you guys prepared this?!”
“That’s right. A summoner contracted it. But apparently, it’s no longer under his influence.”
“What? Who was it?!”
“It’s me, but I can’t stop it now. It was too strong for me to control in the first place. It was docile enough when I first captured and contracted it, but now it won’t obey me at all!”
The criminals, all similarly hysterical, rush to answer Hugo’s questions.
I barely resist the urge to slap a palm to my forehead.
What kind of idiot summons a monster they can’t control?
In my time with Fei, I also acquired Creature Training, a skill necessary for summoners.
But it only lets me handle monsters weaker than myself.
It is possible to form a contract with a stronger monster if they agree to it.
But that only works if there’s mutual trust between both parties.
Otherwise, it’s entirely possible for the monster to betray the summoner. Like what’s happening right now.
The wyrm flexes its sharp nails and beats its huge, log-sized tail.
The students and their seniors who were participating in the exercise are trying to intercept the beast, but the difference in power is clear.
It’s no wonder. Appraising it, I can see its stats are all around 2,000. It’s incredibly powerful, even for a wyrm.
“Well, doesn’t this look great!”
Fei, who’d come out to greet me, communicates her unease through Telepathy.
“At this rate, we’ll all be killed. I have to help!”
“Wait just a minute! I won’t allow that. It’s too dangerous!”
Ms. Oka tries to hold us back.
But I can’t just ignore all the people being injured right before my eyes!
I shake Ms. Oka off and run toward the wyrm.
“Well, if that’s how it is!”
“I’ll come with you, Brother!”
“Let me heal you!”
Katia, Sue, and Yuri follow.
I start preparing magic as I run—the water spell I learned in class.
Activate! A sphere of water flies toward the wyrm.
Just before it hits, though, the attack disappears as if it evaporated.
“It has Imperial Scales!”
Imperial Scales, an advanced version of Dragon Scales possessed by upper-class wyrms.
In addition to a simple increase in defense power, it interferes with the composition of magic spells.
This nasty skill makes landing both magic and physical attacks difficult.
“Students, get back!”
One of the teachers yells at us, but we can’t stop now!
I rank among some of the strongest people here.
I can’t back down just because I’m a student.
“Sue! Back me up!”
“Right!”
Sue and I release more water magic simultaneously.
The spells combine in midair.
Like me, Sue’s highest aptitude is water magic.
If we combine our powers, it might be enough…!
This time, the Water Shot hits the wyrm’s body without scattering.
The wyrm roars in discomfort.
This could work! It’s not a lot of damage, but at least we can penetrate its defense!
Following our lead, the other teachers and students start combining their spells.
Katia and Professor Oriza work together to shower the wyrm in fire magic.
Then, when it shrinks away, the people who specialize in close combat push in for the attack.
The damage still isn’t much, but it’s not nothing.
But just as I start feeling hopeful, the earth wyrm stretches its neck.
It’s preparing a breath attack.
“Retreat!”
Someone shouts, but there’s no time!
Instead, I take a step forward and activate Magic Warfare and Mental Warfare at full power.
At the same time, I use skill points to pick up Light Attack.
Filled with light, my sword intercepts the wyrm’s breath.
“Aaaargh!”
Hang in there, body! Come on!
“Honestly! You’re so reckless!”
I hear Fei.
At the same time, the breath attack abruptly stops.
My sword swings toward the wyrm’s exposed neck and slices right through.
* * *
“Don’t move, okay? I’ll treat you in just a moment.”
As the Word of God informs me that I’ve leveled up, Yuri uses recovery magic to heal my body.
My arms are in particularly bad shape. If the breath attack had lasted any longer, they might’ve been blown right off.
The thought makes my body tremble belatedly.
Sue and Katia wanted to come check on me, but before they had the chance, they were pulled away to help care for the others who’d been injured.
I don’t want them seeing me like this anyway.
When it happened, I was just focused on the battle.
But now that it’s over, the terrifying realization that I could’ve died is sinking in.
At the same time, the sword still clutched in my hand as if frozen in my grip looks terrifying to me now.
The feeling I experienced when severing the earth wyrm’s head remains vivid.
This is what it means to take a life. This is a real battle.
I was confident I could fight because of my high stats and skills.
And in theory, that’s exactly what I did.
But now that the battle’s over, I’ve realized something.
I didn’t have a clue what combat really means.
Is fighting always this scary?
Killing…?
Slowly, I release the sword.
My fingers move stiffly, as if they’re numb with cold.
Only when Yuri finishes healing me do they finally let go completely.
Assuring me that everything’s okay now, Yuri is dispatched to heal others.
My injury is all right now. But I can’t say the same for my mental state.
Honestly, it’s pathetic.
Sure, I didn’t expect to fight something so huge in my first battle, but I shouldn’t be freaking out this much.
Especially when the fight’s already over.
My older brother Julius fights battles like this practically every day.
If I want to catch up to him, I should be able to get over something like this without a problem.
And look—now a few people are eyeing me worriedly.
I have to smile and reassure them I’m okay.
I’m sure that’s what my brother would do. Come on. Smile!
…I can’t do it.
I’m scared. Scared that I could have been killed. Scared that I killed a living thing.
How can my brother, or any of the inhabitants of this world, do such a terrible thing so easily?
How could Hugo try to kill me like that?
If it’s this upsetting just slaying a monster that had to be defeated anyway, how could anyone stay sane after killing another person?
Why would anyone even consider such a thing?
Or is it just that Hugo had already gone mad a long time ago?
That’s definitely possible.
Hugo had the title Monster Slayer.
It’s something you receive after defeating a host of monsters.
Which means Hugo’s already killed tons.
That he’s done what I just did over and over.
Maybe he grew accustomed to it somewhere along the way.
Numb to the act of killing.
Will that happen to me, too, someday?
I’m terrified. Just imagining it makes it hard to breathe.
I inhale deeply and try to calm down.
I still can’t sort out my feelings about all this.
But if the person who’s supposed to lead the way to victory is in such a sorry state, it’ll be hard for everyone else to celebrate.
I don’t think I can smile just yet, but I should at least try to put on a dignified air.
Even if it feels like it’s a little late for that.
Just then, I notice Fei nearby, looking at the fallen earth wyrm.
Fei was the one who saved me.
At that crucial moment, she bit the wyrm’s neck, interrupting its breath attack.
If she hadn’t, I might have been killed.
“Fei, you saved my life. Thank you.”
I push down the fear threatening to rise again as I offer a belated thank-you.
“Sure. Don’t mention it.”
Fei continues staring distractedly at the dead wyrm.
“What’s the matter?”
“Take a look at my status.”
Puzzled, I obediently Appraise my vaguely depressed-looking companion.
Then I notice her new title.
[Kin Eater]
As its name suggests, it’s a terrible title conferred on those who have eaten the flesh of a blood relative.
“It…can’t be…”
“I don’t see any other explanation, do you?”
Fei must have bitten right through the wyrm’s neck.
If so, her grant of this title would make sense.
In fact, that’s the only way it could have happened.
“I wonder if that wyrm came here…looking for me?”
It’s…not impossible.
Fei’s egg was found in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, a dungeon far from here. If that wyrm wasn’t one of Fei’s parents, I can’t see any other reason why it would have come all the way here.
In which case, a parent who’d come looking for its kidnapped offspring might have been killed at the hands of that very child.
Which means I decapitated one of her parents right in front of her…
“Ugh…bleegh!”
I empty my stomach.
My first real battle has become a truly bitter memory that will be forever seared into my mind.
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