Kays Translations

Chapter 154: Wyvern

Among the five remaining outside the defensive wall, all except Isamu took positions about 50 meters from the gate.

Isamu went toward the gate, exchanged a few words with Marcela and the others who appeared on the wall, then quickly rejoined the other four.

"The three above will try to stop the Wyvern's movements, so Felix and Tiramisu, please set up a barrage of bullets."

"Understood." "Got it!"

"Liddell and Anne, prepare the wall and stand by. We'll respond depending on how the enemy moves."

"Understood!" "Got it."

He quickly gave instructions to the four, and as they faced the approaching Wyvern and horses, they gradually understood the situation.

There are two figures on the leading horse, but a person behind seems to be tied to the horse. He is probably unconscious, and just lets himself be carried away by the horse's swaying motion.

Running parallel to them on horses were a number of riders, each with their weapon drawn, seemingly keeping the wyverns at bay from behind.

As their figures became clearer, it seemed they had also noticed them. The man at the front shouted loudly.

"Sorry!! We've been pulling it this far!! But our comrade is badly injured!! Please help us!!!"

Desperately, he whipped the horse.

Seeing the person tied up at the back, the five noticed they were bleeding considerably.

"Understood. Continue running to the town! Priority is medical treatment!"

"Sorry!!"

The man's face twisted with both joy and apology at Isamu’s response.

Then, a few seconds later...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With a rumble, one after another, three horses raced past Isamu and the others.

From behind, the Wyvern approached leisurely from above.

"It’s toying around, isn’t it..."

Felix muttered upon seeing it.

"Toying around?"

"Yes. When a Wyvern realizes it's stronger, it intentionally flies at a speed just enough to keep the chase going. It can't fly that fast to begin with, but it's not slow enough not to catch tired horses."

Felix answered Isamu’s question.

It wasn't clear how far they had chased, but compared to the exhausted horses, the Wyvern seemed to have plenty of energy left.

"I see... Well, it's nice of it to underestimate us. Let's go all out."

With that, he raised his right hand.

Noticing the new target in front of it instead of the one it had been chasing, the Wyvern began to lower its altitude slightly.

Seeing this, Isamu swung down his raised hand.

"Wind Wall!!"

Karina's voice was faint from atop the defensive wall. Simultaneously, a flickering wall of air appeared right in front of the Wyvern, which had been descending towards them.

"Gyao"

Karina's Wind Wall, despite its low magic power, was now on par with that of a top-class mage, at least for once.

Perhaps realizing it had made a mistake by charging head-on, the Wyvern flipped in mid-air to dodge the wall.

"Wind Wall!!"

But just as it finished its flip, Marcela's Wind Wall appeared before it again.

"Gyao"

Unable to perform two consecutive flips, it hastily rolled sideways to evade, but before the Wyvern could regain its posture, another spell came at it.

"Downdraft!!"

With Ulysses' shout, a powerful wind blew down from directly above the Wyvern.

Downdraft, a spell that had become viable with the transformation of old magic, simply blew a strong wind from top to bottom for a very short period.

While lacking the freedom of movement like a weak tornado, it was efficient for restraining flying opponents and protecting against light long-range attacks like arrows.

If used by someone with a lot of magic power like Ulysses, it was also effective against large monsters like the Wyvern. Caught off guard by the unexpected strong wind, it greatly lost balance and quickly descended.

"Stone Hail!" 

"Ice Shards!"

Then, Tiramisu and Felix's spells attacked the Wyvern in succession.

To hit the fast-moving Wyvern, they activated their spells to create a barrage over a wide area.

Though it tried to readjust its posture to avoid everything, it couldn't dodge all the stone and ice shards.

Despite having lowered its altitude, it wasn't close enough to the ground for significant damage.

"Gyao!"

It seemed to have targeted the two who hit it with magic, glaring fiercely while hovering and letting out an irritated cry.

Then, with a gesture as if inhaling, it opened its mouth wide.

"Fireballs incoming!"

Seeing this, Felix shouted.

"Anne, Wind Wall!"

While giving instructions, Isamu didn't miss the fact that the area around the creature's mouth was glowing orange.

Thud!

The next moment, three fireballs about 40 centimeters in diameter were shot from the Wyvern's mouth.

"Wind Wall!"

In response, Anne-Marie, who had been prepared, deployed her Wind Wallto angle it properly.

Thud!

The fireballs hitting the wall bounced off towards the ground, spreading flames as they went. They felt quite hot, but they didn't ignite anything.

"I saw orange light, so it's a kind of magic! It's at a level where you can defend with your cloak, so you two disperse and continue to distract it!"

"Got it!" 

"Understood!"

"Liddell, make sure it can't ascend too high. Occasionally cover it from above or press it down!"

"Understood!"

Isamu gave rapid instructions, and the three knights dispersed while holding up their cloaks.

"Anne, stay by my side. Just in case, stay ready to support depending on the situation. I'll prepare the 'Shot Spear Cannon.' At that altitude and speed, it should be more effective than magic."

Saying this, he inserted the short spear-like object he had received from Eto earlier into the tube.

Named the Shot Spear Cannon, it was a magic too based on the use of a magic cannon, capable of shooting out a short spear-like object at high speed.

The magic cannon was designed to fire existing explosive balls, so it had a large caliber and a short barrel, resulting in a short range and poor accuracy.

In contrast to the magic cannon, which is akin to a grenade launcher, the Shot Lance Cannon is crafted to function like a powerful bow or rifle. It's meant to be fast and cover long distances, with specially designed short spears as projectiles.

Its overall shape resembles a thin lance, with sturdy monster feathers used as stabilizers at the part that would be the grip on a lance. Rather than resembling a spear or arrow, it's more akin to a long dart.

It operates by applying explosive force to the base of the lance, akin to the forearm guard of a lance, launching it.

Isamu shouldered the cannon, gripping the handle attached to the barrel. Think of it like holding a bazooka or rocket launcher.

As the two of them scattered magic while running in different directions, and the Wyvern was occasionally confounded by the airborne walls appearing in front of it, it eventually ceased almost all pursuit and began spewing flames from its mouth like a fixed turret.

As Isamu predicted, the Wyvern's flames seemed to be magically produced, easily deflected by Felix and Tiramisu with their anti-magic cloaks. Circling around behind the Wyvern, Isamu touched one of the activation magic stones on the grip, activating the magic device.

Then, Isamu went around to the back of the Wyvern and touched one of the two activation magic stones next to the grip, activating the magic tool.

When the small cylindrical magic tool attached near the tip of the cannon barrel is activated, a thin, strong streak of light emerges from it.

It was a test installation of a modified magic lantern that could be used as a simple laser sight, but of course it wasn't accurate enough to allow for zeroing adjustments.

However, when fighting monsters, the target is large and you're not aiming for a headshot at long range, so it should be sufficient as a guideline.

Above all, it's great that even an amateur can quickly get a feel for a moving target.

After confirming that a small point of light was hitting the center of the dark brown wyvern's body, Isamu touched the other activation magic stone.

Then, taking into consideration the angle, he quickly moved the spot of light diagonally upwards to the right, and it touched the magic stone that was the firing trigger.

Bosh!

Together with a sharp firing sound, the short spear was fired with great force from the tube.

The wings of a large, sturdy monster that had been wrapped around the short spear and stored in the tube returned to their original shape the moment the spear was released from the tube, acting as stabilizing wings for flight.

Although the flight speed of bullet-type magic is fast, it is only slightly faster than a ball thrown by a top professional baseball player.

This speed is sufficient when used against monsters or people who move on foot, but it is not good for launching something at an opponent who can move quickly using three-dimensional maneuvering gear.

To be able to deal with such enemies, the javelin artillery is heavily specialized for speed.

The Wyvern, seemingly noticing the unfamiliar sound, attempted to turn around, only to be struck by a short spear flying at high speed, piercing its right wing feathers.

Crack!

“Gyaah!!”

Additionally, the magic effect of a magic circle akin to those of lightning Blades embedded in the short spear was triggered, causing the Wyvern to cry out as it was momentarily affected. Though the effect lasted only a moment due to the penetration, it was sufficient against a flying opponent.

With its movement hindered by the hit, the Wyvern faltered, descending unsteadily.

"Push it in!"

Upon seeing this, Isamu shouted.

"Downward Draft!!"

Without delay, Ulysses chanted another Downward Draft spell, finally causing the Wyvern to crash to the ground.

"Wind Wall!"

For good measure, Liddell sealed it from above.

"There we go!"

"Haa!"

Felix and Tiramisu rushed in with their magic swords drawn.

"Gyaaah!"

Unable to move freely due to Liddell’s Wind Wall, the Wyvern screamed as both its wings were simultaneously severed at the base.

"Hmph!" "This is it!!"

Then, the two swords pierced the Wyvern's chest and head.

"G...yaaah..."

Letting out a small death cry, the Wyvern finally collapsed with a thud.

Having kept their combat stances without stepping back, the two finally relaxed and sheathed their swords after confirming that it remained motionless for a while.

"Phew~"

"Fuu~"

They both exhaled deeply and wiped off the blood from their swords before returning them to their scabbards.

"Thank you for your hard work—" 

Before Isamu could finish his words to commend the two who stopped the battle, a loud cheer erupted from behind.

"Wow... they easily took down the Wyvern with that few people!?"

"What's up with them...? Didn't they all use magic?"

"I heard they came from one of the noble families, so are they nobles and knights?"

The adventurers who had formed a line near the main gate were excitedly discussing among themselves.

Despite being organized by Ismar, the captain of the town's defense force, they couldn't find an opportunity to intervene in the battle that Isamu and the others had started right before their eyes, so they ended up just watching from the sidelines.

They had been ready to lend a hand if needed, but the confrontation had finally come to an end.

"Matsumoto-dono!! Well done!"

Ismar, running at full speed from the direction of the adventurers, shouted as he approached.

"Ah, Ismar-san. What should we do with this Wyvern? If we leave it here, other monsters might come, so should we transport it to the adventurers' guild?"

"Eh, well... Wyverns have delicious meat, not to mention their wings, fangs, and skin. There's nothing to discard. Wait, that's not it! I'm amazed. To take down a Wyvern so easily..."

Ismar interjected, not boasting but expressing concern about the aftermath.

"I've never seen anything like restraining it with a Wind Wall like that. What was that wind magic?! I've never heard of wind magic that lowers a Wyvern's altitude like that!"

"That was the Downward Draft. With enough magic power, it can create wind of that strength for a moment."

"Downward Draft?! That's what it was? We sometimes use it to weaken the power of arrows, but I've never seen it used with such force..."

"Haha, our knights are excellent. They did a great job."

Isamu replied proudly.

After being bombarded with questions by Ismar and with the help of the adventurers present, they transported the Wyvern to the adventurers' guild. There, they were greeted by the party that had been chased by the Wyvern.

"It's incredible, truly took down the Wyvern... Sorry for burdening you with such trouble."

The man who had been ridding with injured party members apologized, seeming genuinely remorseful. He was likely the leader.

"Don't worry about it. How are your injured comrades doing?"

"Thanks to you, they survived. They should regain consciousness if they rest for a while. It was close. If you hadn't taken care of the Wyvern, it would've been dangerous. Thank you so much."

The man bowed deeply.

"It's good that it didn't turn into a serious situation. It's because you all ran with all your might without giving up. Your judgment was spot on."

"That's right. When it's dangerous, the best option is to run away. But Gale, it's unusual for you guys to make a mistake. Did something happen?"

Ismar, who was accompanying them, asked. It seemed they were acquaintances.

"Ismar, we were actually going to report that to the guild. You'll probably hear about it soon, but while we're at it, let us tell you everything."

"Is it really worth the trouble of filing a report?"

"Yeah. That might be a bit tricky."

"... Matsumoto-dono, could you come with us? We want to report about the subjugation as well."

"Understood. Anne, Felix and I will accompany them. Sorry, everyone, please wait here for a moment."

Following Gale and Ismar, Isamu and Felix headed to the office of Fariya's adventurers' guild leader.

"At the ruins of Diyark Fortress, four Wyverns have taken up residence."

"What did you say!?"

At Gale's words, the guild leader stood up in surprise.

Diyark was one of the fortress ruins scattered around the town of Fariya, and it seemed to be a place where powerful individuals often resided due to its relatively large size.

Gale's party was an A-rank party, the highest rank, and they mainly hunted monsters in challenging locations like Diyark.

"Yeah. We headed to Diyark as usual to thin out the monsters, but something seemed off. There were monsters outside the fortress, but hardly any inside..."

Gale continued, staring at his clasped hands.

"So, we switched to exploration mode and headed deeper inside. That's when we saw the Wyvern standing in the middle of the tower. After observing for a while, we realized there were multiple Wyverns. Dealing with one might have been manageable, but facing several at once was out of the question. So, we decided to observe a bit and then withdraw."

Adventurers who rise to the A-rank level never take unnecessary risks, despite their abilities.

After Gale and the others obtained the minimum necessary information for their report, they promptly decided to withdraw.

"But when we got back near the entrance of the fortress, we ran into the Wyverns that had returned from outside... Luckily, the horses weren't attacked, so we distracted and blinded them with all our might while escaping. But on the way, our comrade Yozareth got injured. We managed to pick up him and escape in a hurry."

"I see... First of all, I'm glad you're all safe. But I've never heard of Wyverns appearing around here..."

The guild leader, after listening to Gale's story, furrowed his brows.

"That's right. Even the nearest habitat is quite far south. It's in the mountainous region near the Zun border."

Ismar nodded in agreement with the guild leader's words.

"We need to dispatch a team for an urgent extermination and investigation. And until this matter is resolved, we'll prohibit entry into the vicinity. If there are multiple Wyverns, no number of lives would be enough."

"Shall we issue an emergency extermination request?"

"At least four, or rather, since Matsumoto-dono's group took care of one, then three? Dealing with them with adventurers alone would be too reckless. Let's request the lord to send the knight order."

While adventurers usually thin out monsters on their own, in cases where powerful monsters like this appear, it's beyond the capabilities of adventurers alone, so they have to request assistance from the knight order.

Even rookie knights have the strength equivalent to at least C-rank intermediate adventurers. If they have some experience, they're at least B-rank or higher, and among the knights of the border count's household, there are quite a few who are A-rank or higher.

"In that case, should we send out a messenger right away?"

"Yes, in that case, if you can write a letter, we'll go. We were planning to go to Balshan anyway, and with a magic car, we can travel about three times faster than a carriage. Yes, if we hurry, we can probably make it in less than two bells (three hours)."

"What!? You can get there in such a short time!?"

"Yes. Even if we hurry, we won't need breaks like horses do."

Isamu responded calmly to the astonished group.

"Then, I'm sorry to trouble you while you're tired, but may I ask for your assistance? We'll dismantle the Wyverns' materials and set them aside."

"Understood. Ah, may I take the meat first? There are some hungry ones waiting."

"I got it. I think they've already started dismantling, so I'll bring it to you right away!"

With that, Ismar rushed out of the room.

"I'll prepare the letter right away. Once it's written, I'll bring it to you, so wait at the gate."

"Got it."

With their plans settled, Isamu also left the guild leader's room.

"So, sorry for the change in plans, but today, we'll head straight to Balshan."

"Understood!"

"Yes, since we got some Wyvern meat, let's grill it when we get there. It seems delicious. And we'll give some to the princess right away!"

"Yay!"

And so, without a moment's rest, Isamu and the others set off for Balshan.

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