by Funa
Mavis weakly replied, “I-It’s nothing. Just… please, please give me a moment…”
After a short while, Reina and Pauline reappeared.
Reina looked incredibly displeased, but for some reason, after she glanced at Mavis’s lower half, she appeared all the more irritated. She stomped toward Mile.
Whack.
“Oww!”
Mile let out a cry as Reina suddenly jabbed her in the head with her staff.
Whack whack!
“Ow! That hurts! What are you doing, Reina?!”
Whap whack whack whack whack!
“St-stop! Please stop iiiiit!!!”
Whack whack whack whack whack whack whack whack whack!
“I-I was wrong! I apologize. Please stop it alreadyyyyyyyyyyy!!!”
Thanks to her naturally high stats, this attack did not truly hurt Mile, but seeing Reina’s expression, feeling a sort of intellectual pain along the lines of “I’m pretty sure this should hurt,” and recognizing the seriousness of Reina’s anger from a vigorous attack that normally should hurt a great deal, Mile apologized profusely.
“Mile, do you really understand why I’m angry with you?”
“Of course!” Mile quickly replied. “I should have launched you more accurately, and at a much higher speed, so that the wyvern couldn’t have dodg—ow! Owwwwwwwwwww!”
Whack whack whack whack whack whack whack whack whack!
“Hff hff hff hff…”
When Reina, Mavis, Mile, and Pauline—who, besides Pauline, were all exhausted for some reason—looked up into the sky, they saw that the wyvern, which had been unsteadily circling up until now, had begun to move more purposefully. It seemed it was preparing to do something else.
“Looks like this is Round Two…” Mile muttered.
The other three nodded.
The wyvern was shaken to realize that the wound it had received was deeper than predicted, but its tail had not been cut off, and it was far from a life-threatening injury. As yet, its movements were unhindered. As long as it left it alone, the wound would heal up soon enough.
However, while the blow to its body would heal naturally, the wound to its pride was not so easily mended. The wyvern would have to stitch up that gash itself. Indeed, by defeating its enemies.
It had never had to get serious against the enemies it had faced so far. They were trifles, little things that it only needed to toy with. It had never needed to get down and dirty, and pull the ace from its sleeve.
However, this time… Finally, it had encountered a foe that would require it to summon its full strength.
The wyvern was rather pleased about this.
Now, playtime was over. It was time for a real battle.
It began its descent. Then, it began to inhale. It was time to launch a serious attack, against an opponent that the wyvern itself had deemed neither prey nor plaything, but a true enemy.
“A direct attack?”
“Yes!”
Seeing that the wyvern was going to launch a direct attack, using either its claws, its tail, or its teeth, everyone was thrilled, and Mavis was particularly delighted. She laughed out loud at this perfect chance, brandishing her sword.
However, seeing how the approaching wyvern had opened its mouth wide, Mile went pale.
I’ve seen something like this before! It was on an anime VHS that was in my father’s library!
“Dodge!!!”
Seeing Mile leap and thrust Pauline, who stood beside her, out of the way, Mavis and Reina quickly moved as well. Just then…
Blam!
There was a sensation like the air trembling, and then the ground where the girls had been standing burst open.
After that, the wyvern quickly pulled its body up and ascended again.
“What?! A ranged attack?!”
“Dragon Breath? But I didn’t see anything!”
“I-I’ve never heard of them having an ability like that!”
Mavis, Reina, and Pauline were all utterly awestruck, but Mile folded her arms and spoke with apparent comprehension.
“Of course…”
“Y-you knew about this, Mile?!” Mavis asked.
“The Stomach Flute Technique…”
The what?!?!
This ultrasonic barrage was probably a kind of Breath attack.
A wyvern using a Breath attack was an incredibly rare occurrence, but it was not entirely unheard of.
Though they may have been pseudo-dragons, they were still a variety of dragon, and masters of flight-assisting magic. Thus, a particularly intelligent creature might be able to learn a Breath technique by watching and imitating other dragon types. Such things had been observed many times in the past. That said, none of them had expected to bear witness to such a rare occurrence on this occasion.
They had already concluded that this was an abnormally intelligent specimen, so they should have anticipated the possibility. Yet there had been no reports of anything like it from the other hunters. If there had been, the guild master most certainly would have told them.
And so, it would be overly harsh to criticize the Crimson Vow, who could not have been expected to assume that the wyvern possessed the wisdom to conceal its strongest technique until the very end of the battle. There were scarcely any hunters who would ever assume such a thing…
“Wh-what was that ‘Something’ Technique you were talking about…?” Reina asked.
“Stomach Flute Technique. Please think of it as a type of Breath attack,” Mile replied, thinking.
This is bad… This wyvern can use ranged attack magic…and it has a much farther range than Reina and Pauline…
Until now, Mile had been careful about her magic so that everyone else would not come to rely on her. If they relied on her magic for everything, they would never grow, and they would not be functioning as a party in the first place. Plus, she would hate to have that sort of relationship with others.
As a result, she had resigned herself to a supporting role in this battle, thinking that Reina, Mavis, and Pauline could take center stage in defeating the wyvern.
Yet these new circumstances were making that stance more difficult.
The enemy’s attacks could reach them, but no one’s attacks but hers could reach the enemy. The wyvern had no intention of entering the range of the others’ attacks. Plus, with her carefully devised “Thunderbird Plan” having ended twice in misfires, Reina and Mavis would have absolutely no interest in flying again.
At this rate, the wyvern was going to remain at a distance where its attacks could reach the Crimson Vow, but theirs could not, meaning that they would continue to face a one-sided assault. That said, letting themselves be defeated here would be a stain on the Crimson Vow’s record.
What to do?
“I-I’ll go next!”
“Huh?”
As Mile pondered, Pauline suddenly announced herself, looking a bit queasy.
“Are you sure about this?” Mile asked.
“I mean, do we have any other choice? Plus, I’m a member of the Crimson Vow, too!” said Pauline.
Mile nodded emphatically.
“All right then. Fly now, Pauline!”
And so, Mile outlined some key items.
“I’m going to aim you straight for its jaw. It’s going to get away quick, so you can’t use any continuous spells. Strike it with an ice javelin, and if we’re lucky, that will give it a concussion and knock it from the sky. At the very least, please try to injure its throat or palate, so that it can’t use that special breath again!”
“U-understood!”
This time, there was a chance that Pauline might take a ranged attack while approaching. Plus, unlike Mavis, Pauline did not have the durability to take a blow from the wyvern’s tail, talons, or pointy teeth straight on. To ensure her safety, Mile whispered to herself, “Lattice Power Barrier!!!”
Then, Mile grabbed Pauline under the arms and began her mysterious spell once more.
“Thunderbir
d No. 3, prepare for liftoff!”
Whoom!
Whoom whoom whoom!
“Swingby!”
Ka-whoosh!
She blasted off, at a far higher speed than even the previous two.
“Chin Bombing Thunderbird, Argo!”
Another ooooone!!!
The wyvern, which had just started on its attack path yet again, was momentarily distressed at the appearance of another “flying human,” but it quickly regained its cool. This was the third time this had happened now, so the wyvern was starting to grow accustomed to it. Even if it was still a bit frightening…
Seeing that this opponent was one of the individuals that had launched a magical attack, the wyvern opened its mouth and drew in a breath in order to launch a preemptive strike.
Shiiiiiiiiing…
Boom!
It should have been a direct hit, but, the enemy was still speeding toward the wyvern, its path unchanged. The wyvern panicked. The human had blasted through its special technique, in which the wyvern had absolute confidence, without moving a muscle. Furthermore, unlike the previous two, this human was flying silently, without making a sound.
The truly strong ones never roared. This was the thought that crossed the wyvern’s mind.
It was already too late to launch a second attack. All it had left now were its tail and its claws…
At this thought, the wyvern glared at its enemy, and that was when it noticed.
The flying human’s eyes were closed, its body completely limp.
Yes, it was unconscious.
Bang!
In spite of the wyvern’s tail attack, Pauline, who was surrounded by the sturdy lattice power barrier, retained her kinetic energy and crashed into the wyvern.
And then, they both fell toward the ground.
“Waaaaaaah! Upward Draft! Air Cushion! Gravity Control!!!”
Pauline and the wyvern were falling together, so it was difficult to cushion only Pauline’s fall. Plus, if the wyvern were to fall on top of her , Pauline would be crushed. Mile had to ensure that both of them landed softly. She hurriedly set off her spells.
As a result, the descent speeds of both rapidly declined, and somehow, they successfully made a soft landing.
“Boss! A wyvern just fell from the sky!”
“Don’t you think I can see that?! Also, who’s this ‘Boss’?!?!”
Apparently, Mile had returned to her usual self.
Still, naturally, she did not attempt to catch the falling wyvern in her arms.
Because Pauline was so light, and because Mavis, ever the gentlewoman, caught her in her arms, Pauline took no damage, even though she was still unconscious. However, it was possible there were still some aftereffects from her collision with the wyvern, and Mile applied healing magic silently.
As for the wyvern, even if Mile had used her magic to cushion its fall, it was still quite heavy, and in order for it to be lightweight enough to stay aloft, its body was rather brittle. As a result, it did appear to have taken at least a bit of damage from the fall.
While the wyvern was still twitching on the ground, Mile pulled something like a spool of thread from her loot box and bound the wyvern’s mouth, limbs, wings, and tail.
When the wyvern came to shortly thereafter, it tried to break the bonds, but it could not shred the seemingly thin cord that it was wrapped in.
Carbon nanotubes.
Yes, it was the same powerful material that Mile’s slingshot was made of. Nothing bound with that carbon nanotube thread would be able to break free with such halfhearted strength.
After a short while, Pauline regained consciousness, staring widely, perplexed, when the others told her that she had felled the wyvern.
“So, I guess we should transport this guy to the lord. Capturing a wyvern alive is a pretty rare occurrence, and this one is pretty smart, so if you clipped its wings, broke it in, and put it on display, there could be a use for it. Well, actually, they might have to do a public execution in order to appease the citizens—but as long as we get our completion stamp and our pay, the rest of it’s none of our business. If we can collect an extra free for bringing it in alive, they can do whatever they want with it after.”
The wyvern, which had either given up on breaking its bonds, or simply relaxed, thinking that no immediate danger was likely to befall it, was lying quietly, but at this, it eyed Reina uneasily, as though perhaps, it could understand her words.
Nodding at Reina, Mile called to the youth who had been standing beneath the trees watching them, in order to ask him to call the villagers, who could help them transport the wyvern. That was when he appeared.
He had white hair and a white beard. An older man wearing a robe and holding a wand, looking very much like a stereotypical mage, appeared from between the trees and said to the four, “I can’t bear to see that poor little wyvern being picked on by all these people. What do you say? I’ll give you a gold piece if you hand the creature over to me.”
Hearing this, all four of them had the exact same thought at once.
Wh-what a shady guyyyy!!!
And then, Mile alone thought, It’s Urashima Taro!!!
“Do you think we’re stupid? If we bring this thing in, we’ll get paid 30 gold as a reward, plus an additional fee for bringing it in alive. Why should we turn it over to you for just one gold piece?! You just want to say that you captured it yourself and collect the reward, don’t you? Plus, if our job is treated as failed, then not only will we have to pay the penalty, our party’s reputation will suffer. There’s no way you’re taking it!”
The man’s brows knitted at Reina’s words, but Mile tossed him a lifeline.
“But if you’ll let us take just part of the wyvern as proof of the extermination, we might be able to hand it over for just ten gold pieces… couldn’t we, Reina?”
“Huh? Yes, well, if we did that we wouldn’t get the bonus for bringing it in alive, but we’d still get our completion stamp, so, well, I guess that would be fine…”
It was ten times what he had intended to pay, but that should not have been an issue. The man appeared relieved, and asked, “Yes, that’s splendid! Well then, which part of it would you need to take as your proof?”
The four of them answered in unison.
“The head!”
“Wh…” The man was nearly speechless.
Naturally, Mile had never had any intention of turning the wyvern over to such a shady old man. She had merely hoped that he would let some information slip if they agitated him.
“But if you take that, it’ll die!” the man shouted.
Reina gave the natural response. “That’s expected, isn’t it? We have to prove that we eliminated it, so…”
“But I want to take Lo—ahem, the wyvern back alive!”
“So we’ll compromise. All told, the elimination reward, along with the bonus for bringing it in alive, plus damages for us having our job treated as a failure would total somewhere around 100 gold.”
So said Reina, but honestly, no matter how much money he paid, she had no intention of turning over the wyvern. Even if the man were to offer them heaps of money, there was no amount of gold that would make up for having the mark of a failed job on their record and the blow to their reputations that would come with it.
Plus, if the wyvern were to attack the village again later, and anyone died because of it, she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
“Grrrrrrngh…”
Obviously, to pay one hundred gold or more—the equivalent of over one million Japanese yen—would hurt quite a bit. The man thought hard.
Just then, Pauline asked completely naturally and nonchalantly, “By the way, what was the deal with that cow-like thing that the wyvern was carrying?”
“Oh, that was the dragon-drawn carriage I was riding in. It’s disguised so that if anyone sees it, it will just look like a… sto… len…”
The man had begun speaking confidently, but his voice grew small, and then
petered out.
There was an idiot in their midst.
“Say, Mile, is this man your father?” asked Reina.
“Just what does that meeeeeeeaaaaaan?!” Mile shouted back.
“So, is that wyvern named Low or something?” Mavis snarked.
“It’s Lobreth!” the man snapped back. “And though it isn’t comparable to the Breath of an elder dragon, he can still use Dragon’s Breath. That is incredibly rare for a wyvern, so I decided to make that part of his name. ‘Low Breath,’ or more concisely, ‘Lobreth.’”
Compared to the frivolous, unusual names that modern parents liked to give their children, this was far more straightforward reasoning. It gave them a sort of affection for the man. Mile was genuinely moved.
“The Mysterious Bird Lobreth…”
“I told you before, a wyvern isn’t a bird!”
“Oh, yes…”
“Anyway, that’s not the problem! What kind of villain uses a wyvern to attack people?! What’s your angle?” Mile was angry.
“None in particular…”
“Huh?”
“Well, I’m saying that I wasn’t really trying to do anything.”
“Whaaaat?!”
His response to Mile’s accusation was not what the Crimson Vow had expected.
“B-but, you attacked the village…”
“But wyverns always attack villages that are inside their territories, don’t they?”
“Er…”
Unable to form a response to the man’s words, Mile went silent.
“B-but the wyvern…” Mavis started.
“It’s Lobreth,” the man interrupted.
Apparently, he was very invested in this name he had come up with.
“Anyway, this Lobreth is in your care, isn’t he?! In which case, his attacking the village would have to have been at your command…”
“I’m not taking care of him!”
“Huh???”
“I’m telling you I have nothing to do with caring for Lobreth.”
“Th-then, just what exactly is Lobreth to you?!” Pauline asked, raising her voice for once in a blue moon.
The man replied, “He’s my friend.”
“What?”
