Kays Translations

Chapter 15: Beneath the Fissure, Part Two

The Steel-Eating Gargoyle was visibly weakening.

Ren had not decided that victory was certain, nor had he relaxed his guard. Even so, he could not help feeling pleased that the battle was going in his favor.

The gargoyle noticed the wolfman rescuing the other adventurers and tried to turn toward him.

“I won’t let you pass!”

Ren cut across its path. The Iron Magic Sword smashed through the creature’s steel-like hide and bit into the flesh beneath. His attacks had grown so fierce that he no longer needed to rely constantly on the Wooden Magic Sword’s roots to keep the monster in place.

Its arms flashed past like gusts of wind and grazed his cheeks more than once, but Ren refused to yield a single step. Even the monster seemed unsettled by his persistence.

Meanwhile, the rescue continued. One injured adventurer was carried out, then another. Ren was so focused on the enemy before him that the wolfman’s work seemed to end almost at once.

“This is the last one!” the wolfman called as he began climbing the fissure wall. “Don’t push yourself too far, Hero-dono!”

With everyone out of immediate danger, Ren had to decide whether to finish the gargoyle or retreat.

Then he heard something cutting through the air above him.

(What was that?)

A roar and a crushing pressure descended from overhead.

Ren looked up in disbelief. The Steel-Eating Gargoyle he had been fighting was still in front of him, yet another black shape was diving into the fissure.

A second gargoyle struck.

It was larger than the first, its black-iron body covered in a sinister sheen. Ren recovered from his surprise just in time to raise his sword and receive the attack above his head. The creature had the momentum of a glide behind it, but even accounting for that, its raw strength surpassed the wounded gargoyle’s.

“There are two of them?” the wolfman shouted from the wall. “The Adventurers’ Guild never reported a pair! Did this only happen recently?”

Ren remembered the same thing. Every report had mentioned one Steel-Eating Gargoyle.

If the newcomer was male, then the two had probably become mates only recently.

(So that earlier roar was calling for her partner.)

The situation had changed completely.

Ren had once fought two Mana Eaters at the same time. They had also been roughly D-rank, but Licia had been beside him then. Here there was no White Saint to strengthen him, and the narrow underground chamber restricted his movement.

The larger gargoyle licked the wounds of its injured mate. A suffocating tension filled the fissure.

“Hold on!” the wolfman called, his voice trembling slightly as he climbed. “I’ll bring help as soon as I can!”

Ren could not rely on help arriving in time.

He considered retreating, but if he fled carelessly, the pair might pursue the rescued adventurers.

(Then I have to do something here.)

He did not want to die. He would kill the wounded gargoyle first and turn the battle into a one-on-one fight.

(If I had any room to spare, I would have tested the Thief’s Magic Sword.)

He gave a dry, self-mocking smile and readied the Iron Magic Sword.

Both gargoyles sprang at nearly the same instant.

Their coordination was astonishing. They leapt across the walls and floor, attacking from Ren’s left, right, front, rear, and above. Black-iron arms struck from every blind spot.

“They really are fast—but not fast enough!”

The Thief Wolfen had been a greater direct threat. It had also been faster than either of these creatures. Ren could evade the pair instead of meeting every blow head-on.

And after surviving the power Yelquq had unleashed at the end of his life, this was not enough to make Ren freeze in terror.

“Sorry.”

He murmured the apology to the pair, but his sword did not hesitate.

“I’m ending this now.”

He had already learned their movements. Each time he crossed the wounded gargoyle’s path, the Iron Magic Sword struck its chest. The layers of hardened hide broke away little by little until soft flesh finally showed beneath.

Ren drove the point of the sword into that exposed weakness.

He felt it cut through flesh, then heard the magic stone shatter deeper inside.

His bracelet absorbed the released mana and displayed a new acquisition.

――――――

Shield Magic Sword (Level 1: 0/2)

Creates a magical barrier. Its effectiveness increases and its area of effect expands as its level rises.

――――――

(A shield, even though it is called a sword?)

Ren glanced at the bracelet, but there was no time to think about the name.

The first gargoyle collapsed.

Its enraged mate bore down on him from behind. Ren dismissed the Wooden Magic Sword and turned toward the larger creature.

The male gargoyle tore chunks from the walls and floor, filling the chamber with a dust cloud as thick as fog. It hurled broken stone at Ren, then used the debris and poor visibility to attack from his blind spots.

“Hero-dono!”

The wolfman, still helping the wounded above, could no longer see what was happening at the bottom of the fissure.

That made Ren’s decision easier. No one had a clear view of him, and the thrown rocks and unseen attacks made the new power worth using.

The gargoyle slipped behind him. Its arms shot toward his back, close enough that even the monster must have believed the fight was over.

Ren raised one gauntleted hand.

A golden wall of light appeared between them.

The barrier was large enough to cover his upper body and looked like a sheet of glass glowing in sunlight. The gargoyle hammered it repeatedly with both arms, yet only after several blows did a small crack appear.

Ren stared at it in wonder.

(This is incredible.)

He had been confident that he could counter even if the barrier failed, which allowed him to stand his ground without fear.

When he released the Shield Magic Sword, the wall shattered into sparkling fragments that reflected the light like diamond dust.

The gargoyle had exhausted itself attacking the barrier.

Ren spun and struck it again and again with the Iron Magic Sword.

“I’m sorry,” he said once more. “I know that we were the ones who disturbed your home.”

The fact that the creatures were mates made the battle more bitter. They had their reasons for fighting, just as Ren did.

But he had wanted to save the people trapped here, and he wanted to survive.

There had been no path left except battle.

He evaded the gargoyle’s desperate counterattacks and continued cutting into its chest. When the hardened exterior finally split and exposed the flesh beneath, he delivered one final thrust.

The magic stone broke.

The creature fell with a crash that shook the ground.

Ren watched the enormous body settle, then let out a long breath.

“Finally… it’s over.”

The unplanned battle had drained him badly. The pair had been easier to read than the Thief Wolfen, but that did not mean the fight had been comfortable. A moment’s carelessness—or one clean hit from those arms—could have left his body torn open.

The dust began to clear.

The wolfman descended and stopped in disbelief when he saw both monsters dead and Ren sitting on the ground.

“Impossible… Hero-dono, you defeated both of them?”

Ren let himself fall flat on his back.

“I’m tired.”

“Of course you are! But this is an extraordinary feat. A boy your age killed two Steel-Eating Gargoyles alone!”

“I was lucky.”

Fatigue left him without the energy for a better answer.

There was still much to consider: how to transport the bodies, what to do with the materials, and how quickly the wounded could be brought back to Clausel.

The Shield Magic Sword had protected him far better than expected, but its mana consumption was the greatest of any sword he had used so far. That was why he now felt as though all strength had left his limbs.

Even so, using it had been the right choice. Dust, projectiles, blind spots, and the confined chamber had made the second gargoyle far more dangerous than its movements alone suggested.

“I want to rest a little longer,” Ren told the wolfman. “Please return to the people you rescued.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. Everything here is settled. I can climb out after I recover.”

“Understood. I’m sorry to leave you. I’ll come back later.”

“You don’t need to trouble yourself.”

Ren waved him away. The wolfman smiled wryly and returned the way he had come.

Left alone, Ren raised one hand toward the opening far above and studied it.

“I suppose I’ve grown a little stronger.”

A faint smile crossed his face.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Two Steel-Eating Gargoyle carcasses outside Clausel’s gate attracted a crowd that no one could ignore.

“You’re joking…”

“Are those really Steel-Eating Gargoyles?”

Ren stood beside them while speaking with the knight on gate duty. The adults gathered nearby could not contain their astonishment.

“Ren-dono!”

The knight seized him by both shoulders.

“Did you accomplish this alone?”

“Not exactly. I arrived after the first fight had already begun.”

“So you had allies?”

“I’m not sure how to describe it.”

Ren could not claim that he had fought the first creature from beginning to end. The young adventurers, the wolfman, and the wolfman’s male companion had all resisted it before Ren arrived. Only the second gargoyle had been entirely his battle.

“That is too modest,” the wolfman said as he approached. “Both victories belong to Hero-dono. None of us managed an attack worth mentioning against the first one. Without him, everyone in the fissure would have died.”

The gate knight’s eyes widened further.

“I have already contacted the guild,” the wolfman continued. “The other monsters you defeated have also been transported. Accept the money for all of them.”

“Please wait. I can’t take everything.”

“We only helped carry it. The younger adventurers you saved said they could not accept any payment either.”

They had even asked for the proceeds from the underground resources to be given to Ren. He protested, but the wolfman insisted that he should accept their gratitude and then left without allowing further argument.

“Adventurers repay their debts,” the gate knight explained. “Failing to do so can damage their reputations.”

“Then accepting the reward also helps them?”

“Yes. You saved their lives. There is no reason for you to refuse—and the money could purchase more magic tools for the Ashton village.”

That argument defeated Ren immediately.

He finally nodded and decided that whatever he received would be put to use for his home.

The commotion around the gate continued to grow.

“It’s crowded,” Ren murmured.

“You are the one who brought back two monsters no one expected to see together,” the knight said with a laugh. “And you are still a child. Naturally, everyone is staring.”

“I’m more worried about what will happen when I return to the manor.”

“What do you mean?”

“I fought them without consulting Lord Lessard or Lady Licia.”

“Ah. I see.”

Ren was the heir of House Ashton, a knightly family serving Clausel. It would not have been unreasonable for Lessard to object to him fighting such dangerous monsters without permission.

Ren had intended to consult the Clausel family before deliberately hunting the known gargoyle. This time, however, the battle had begun as an emergency. He could not have ignored people in immediate danger.

He had also been surveying monsters on Lessard’s behalf. If he had turned away, someone might have accused House Clausel of abandoning adventurers in its own territory.

A guild employee arrived and reacted to the carcasses with the same stunned expression as everyone else.

Ren requested an appraisal. The employee warned that the amount would be unusually large for the Clausel branch and would require time to calculate. The final result would be delivered later to the Clausel residence.

“That will be fine.”

Ren escaped the crowd as quickly as he could. People stopped him repeatedly to offer exaggerated congratulations, leaving him thoroughly embarrassed, but the attention gradually faded as he approached the Clausel estate.

Only then did he notice the heaviness throughout his body.

(The Shield Magic Sword.)

Its defense was powerful and easy to use, but the mana cost was severe.

He looked down at his bracelet and realized that he had not checked the new proficiency totals.

――――――

Ren Ashton

[Job] Eldest son of House Ashton

[Skill]
Magic Sword Summoning (Level 1: 0/0)

Magic Sword Summoning Technique (Level 3: 1055/2000)
Level 1: Can summon one magic sword.
Level 2: Gains Physical Ability Boost (Minor) while a magic sword is summoned.
Level 3: Can summon two magic swords.
Level 4: Gains Physical Ability Boost (Moderate) while a magic sword is summoned.
Level 5: *************************************

[Acquired Magic Swords]

Wooden Magic Sword (Level 2: 1000/1000)
Allows attacks comparable to Nature Magic (Minor).
The effective attack area expands as the level rises.

Iron Magic Sword (Level 2: 814/2500)
Sharpness increases as the level rises.

Thief’s Magic Sword (Level 1: 0/3)
Has a fixed chance to steal a random item from the target.

Shield Magic Sword (Level 1: 1/2)
Creates a magical barrier.
Its effectiveness increases and its area of effect expands as the level rises.

――――――

The gains were enormous.

Ren gave a strained smile when he compared them with the far smaller increases earned from the much harder battles against Yelquq and the Mana Eaters. Steel-Eating Gargoyles were known to provide high experience, and there had been two of them, but the difference was still difficult to accept emotionally.

Nevertheless, becoming stronger was good—and the results answered a question he had carried for some time.

(A magic sword acquired from a Unique Monster only gains proficiency from magic stones belonging to the same species.)

The newly acquired Shield Magic Sword had gained one point from the second gargoyle. Meanwhile, the Thief’s Magic Sword remained at zero. That disproved the possibility that any Unique Monster’s magic stone could strengthen any Unique Monster sword.

The Wooden Magic Sword was also still capped at 1000/1000. Ren could only hope that raising the Magic Sword Summoning Technique and eventually reaching Level 5 would reveal a way forward.

“Which means my real problem is how to explain this to Lady Licia…”

“What about me?”

Ren froze.

He slowly turned toward the voice. Licia stood at the roadside with Weiss beside her. The manor was already close, though he had been too absorbed in the status display to notice.

He instinctively took one step back.

“What about me?” she repeated, closing the distance.

“Nothing. I was only…”

Behind her, Weiss smiled helplessly and seemed to mouth, Give up.

“Let’s return to the manor first,” Licia said. “I have many questions, but before anything else, I’ll use Sacred Magic on you.”

Ren abandoned any thought of escaping and walked toward her.

Licia gave him a resigned smile, but the worry on her face was impossible to hide.

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