Chapter 31: The Battle of Sky and Sea [2]

Lord Leonaal was waiting outside the training ground.

“Kaito!”

Everyone stopped when Lord Leonaal approached.

He was extremely tall and muscular, yet at first glance appeared lean and dignified. His overwhelming presence and fighting spirit were obvious at once.

“Father! Is there a problem?”

“Monsters have appeared above this magic ship—a flock of Shinlinkrai.”

“I-Is the ship safe?”

“Yes. The magic weapons have already killed most of them, but several undoubtedly escaped and are approaching this vessel. I’ll deal with them.”

Lord Leonaal was among the empire’s select few masters. In addition to House Leonaal’s shield techniques, he had reached Sword Saint rank in both the Sacred Sword Style and Imperial Swordsmanship.

“Father, I’ll fight too.”

This was no time to warn him that it was dangerous.

Lord Leonaal understood that and nodded.

Vayne then tapped Kaito on the shoulder.

“Not just you. We’ll all fight.”

Vayne, Sera, Nemu, and Charlotte nodded together.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The port Ren and the others visited was bustling with people.

The scent of grilled seafood and caramelized sauce from the stalls whetted everyone’s appetite.

“Sis, Sis! Let us go over there next!”

“Indeed! I have no objection!”

The adults ahead of them were even more excited than Ren and Fiona.

Walking a short distance behind them, Ren and Fiona laughed softly.

“Letting you eat while we walk like this may earn me a scolding from Ulysses-sama later.”

“He won’t scold you. Besides, I’ve always wanted to do something like this…”

“You mean sampling food from the stalls?”

“Close. Ninety points.”

“Why am I ten points short?”

“…That’s a secret!”

She pressed a finger to her lips with an exaggerated “shh.”

This was a pleasant way to spend winter break. Ren took another bite from his skewer and followed the adults.

By the time they had visited several stalls, they were quite full.

“Apart from the lack of alcohol, this has been entirely satisfactory.”

Estelle lamented.

Unfortunately, the problems affecting the waterways had disrupted transportation.

Seafood still arrived somehow, but several goods—including alcohol—hadn’t.

They left the port and entered a street lined with Eupheim’s famous canals.

Once the crowd thinned, they stopped for a short rest against the railing of a bridge.

“…”

Estelle fixed her gaze on the water and fell silent.

She soon narrowed her eyes and concentrated on something deep below the surface.

They stood on a bridge near the port, above one of the largest waterways leading into the city.

She didn’t respond when Werlich called, “Sis?”

“Fiona Ignat.”

The address came without warning.

“Fiona is fine. Is something the matter, Director?”

“Then you may call me Estelle. Tell me one thing.”

Ren and Werlich understood immediately. Estelle’s voice had hardened in a way they almost never heard.

“The disturbances in the waterways began in early autumn, correct?”

“Y-yes! Father inspected the sea and many other water sources, but he couldn’t find the cause. For now, magic tools are regulating the flow inside the city.”

“I see. Then a thorough investigation has already been conducted.”

Ulysses himself had investigated. There should have been no gaps in the search.

However…

“Heh… Even that strong arm couldn’t uncover it.”

Estelle gave a confident chuckle and raised her voice.

She summoned one of Eupheim’s knights patrolling the bridge.

“You there! I’m Estelle Osloes Drake!”

Despite the abrupt summons, the knight didn’t doubt her identity. One glance at Fiona beside her confirmed that this was no impostor.

“Yes, ma’am!”

He hurried over and knelt before Estelle.

“How may I assist you?”

“Send word in my name to the Imperial Capital and every relevant authority.”

She ordered the knights mobilized to the locations she specified.

They were to request urgent reinforcements from the capital and secure Eupheim under Estelle’s command.

The knight was startled by the sudden emergency, but there was no time to ask why.

Overawed by Estelle’s force of presence, he answered at once.

“Yes, ma’am!”

He hurried away.

The residents began murmuring in alarm, but Estelle ignored them and returned her gaze to the water.

Ren addressed her in a tense voice.

“Something has happened, hasn’t it?”

“More accurately, something is about to happen.”

Estelle answered as she drew Black Might from her back.

Then, moments later…

The surface of Eupheim’s largest waterway bulged like an inflating balloon. A wave several mel high suddenly formed and surged toward the bridge.

Estelle was about to strike it with the pressure from Black Might when…

“—Freeze.”

At Fiona’s calm command, the wave froze in an instant.

The icy shadow that had once protected Ren in the Baldor Mountains was gone. Even so, Fiona’s tremendously powerful ice magic—strong enough to astonish Estelle—easily stopped the surging water.

“Magnificent. You deserve praise.”

Estelle shattered the frozen wave with one swing of Black Might.

The pressure of her blade hurled the fragments back into the sea.

“It hasn’t exceeded the city’s protective magic tools. Judging by the wave’s size, the mana in the water was merely influenced by something and made to form it.”

Ulysses had made no mistake.

The Director of the Lion’s Holy Office stated that with certainty.

“We must join Marquis Ignat and the others.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The flock of flying monsters was causing more havoc than ever.

House Leonaal’s magic ship carried numerous magic weapons, so the crew could still manage the attack. As expected, however, several monsters reached the deck.

“How foolish of them to target our ship.”

Lord Leonaal stood on the deck and planted his greatshield before him.

A wall of mana spread from the shield, protecting the children of the Hero Houses and blocking every attack aimed at the magic ship.

The luminous wall resembled jade stretched paper-thin. Because it was translucent, they could clearly see the surprise on the approaching monsters’ faces.

“As expected of Lord Leonaal!”

Charlotte loosed an arrow formed from far more mana than those she had used in her mock battle with Vayne.

Lord Leonaal’s barrier allowed only allied attacks to pass, so powerful strikes repeatedly reached the flying monsters beyond it.

Amid their ear-piercing shrieks,

“We’re going too!”

At Sera’s command, everyone swung at the monsters approaching from another direction.

Vayne’s attacks were particularly fierce. His sword easily carved through the approaching monsters, and the boys and girls proved fully capable of fighting even this abnormal flock of Shinlinkrai.

Kaito fought gallantly as well, protecting everyone with his greatshield and refusing to be outdone by his father.

“Why did they suddenly attack us? Are they after Airia!?”

The monsters were hardly going to answer.

Shinlinkrai ranked near the lower end of C-rank, but they were still formidable. Fighting so many at once could never be easy.

Nevertheless, the students were strong.

Sweating and struggling, they fought with determination and skill far beyond that of ordinary students.

Many Shinlinkrai had already fallen into the sea.

Then Vayne noticed something.

(…What was that?)

He alone had sensed it.

For an instant, a pressure like a hostile gaze from the depths made his body tremble.

He checked the sea as a precaution, but the bad weather obscured his view, and the presence had already vanished.

“Vayne! More are coming!”

“R-Right!”

Sera’s call snapped him back to attention.

He cut down another Shinlinkrai near the deck, sending it tumbling into the sea.

“Well done, Vayne-kun!”

“Charlotte-senpai too!”

After several more minutes of fighting together, they finally brought down the last Shinlinkrai.

“A trivial matter.”

Lord Leonaal caught his breath and continued,

“You all performed admirably! At this rate, we would have nothing to fear even if the Demon King cult attacked!”

Lord Leonaal’s declaration marked the end of the battle.

Warships were approaching from the port built into the modified cape.

They still needed time to reach the magic-ship landing facility, but a safe landing was now close.

The magic ship continued its gradual descent.

(… Again.)

Everyone else relaxed, but Vayne didn’t.

He looked down at the sea again, frowning.

Charlotte approached him. “Vayne-kun?”

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

“Vayne-kun?”

Vayne didn’t look away from the sea. Even as the landing facility drew closer, he appeared increasingly tense and vigilant.

“It isn’t over yet!”

The boy who carried Hero Ruin’s blood spoke with absolute certainty.

The sword in his hand was a treasured blade bestowed by Viscount Riohard. Sera’s build had made it difficult for her to wield, so it had passed to Vayne.

Almost without conscious thought, Vayne dashed forward, driven by courage from deep within and a sense of duty whose source he didn’t yet understand.

The descendants of the Seven Heroes followed him.

They reached the bow, where the view of the sea was clearest.

“There’s something out there… Something is coming!”

Everyone was surprised that Vayne alone had noticed it, but they trusted him.

His warning was soon proven correct.

The surrounding sea heaved, forming irregular waves.

It was as though a gigantic balloon were swelling beneath the surface. The sea churned everywhere, and an enormous pillar of water blocked the magic ship’s path.

“…There was still one left!”

The pillar appeared to be dozens of mel in diameter.

It rose even higher than the magic ship, despite the vessel’s greatly reduced altitude.

Lord Leonaal and the others then spotted the enemy that had raised it.

—The Giant God’s Messenger, Wadatsumi.

Its enormous body was perhaps thirty mel long.

Its serpentlike body was covered in blue-white scales as beautiful as jewels, while vivid green fins adorned its neck, waist, and other parts of its body.

It was a monster as beautiful as a woman clothed in a feathered robe.

『Oooohhhh――――』

Several more pillars rose from the surrounding sea.

They fired countless tiny droplets. Each carried Wadatsumi’s mana and possessed the killing force of a powerful bullet.

The droplets rushed toward the magic ship like wind, seeking to knock it from the sky—but the vessel didn’t fall.

“You dare underestimate House Leonaal, monster of the Demon Continent!”

With still greater power, Lord Leonaal spread a barrier around the entire ship. It repelled every water spell, and each droplet struck the wall with a deafening crack.

The circumstances were entirely different from the scene Ren had witnessed in Legend of the Seven Heroes. Wadatsumi hadn’t appeared here in the game’s story.

Once the battle began, however,

“What does it matter that it’s a monster from the Demon Continent? Right, Vayne!?”

“Right! We absolutely have to defeat it!”

“You two, don’t be reckless… Oh, honestly! Charlotte, support Nemu! We’ll hold the front!”

“I know. Don’t worry—go!”

The exchange overlapped with the dialogue from Legend of the Seven Heroes. Only the battlefield and Lord Leonaal’s presence were different.

The tension and the enemy’s strength were the same.

Wadatsumi continued attacking from beneath the sea, but it couldn’t bring down House Leonaal’s vessel that way.

Apparently realizing this, it invoked an even greater spell.

A spherical barrier of water enveloped House Leonaal’s magic ship. If the vessel continued forward, it would collide with the space created by the spell.

There was enough room for the magic ship inside the sphere, but the surrounding layer of water was so thick that Wadatsumi could swim through it with ease.

Wadatsumi extended a water pillar and entered the barrier.

“What in the world is that monster doing!?”

Kaito shouted in alarm. Lord Leonaal answered calmly.

“Unless we break through the water protecting it, driving it away will be difficult.”

“Father, then…”

“We can force our way through, or perhaps…”

They looked at one another.

“Airia’s sacred power.”

“Yes. With that—”

Silver King Shield Airia contained powerful demon-dispelling power.

It could block Wadatsumi’s attacks and might even destroy the barrier of water.

But the enemy was almost certainly targeting Airia.

Bringing the shield out might therefore be foolish.

As they hesitated,

Masses of water stretched from inside the barrier, writhing as they reached for the magic ship. Wadatsumi arched its body within the spherical barrier just as they were about to strike.

The tips of its two horns blazed with light.

“Kaito! There’s no time to hesitate!”

Lord Leonaal’s shout sent Kaito running. He raised his greatshield again and drew a deep breath.

A wall of mana larger and thicker than any before formed near the bow.

Wadatsumi roared and opened its mouth.

It released a powerful breath. The breath of water magic wasn’t just ordinary water; it was more like flames of a color reminiscent of the lush green sea.

It released a powerful breath. The water spell wasn’t ordinary water; it resembled flames the blue-green color of the sea.

The breath erupted from underwater, broke through the surface, and raced toward the magic ship.

Its destructive force was extraordinary. It spread like a shotgun blast, bringing explosive winds sharp enough to cut like blades.

Lord Leonaal’s mana barrier stopped it completely.

He was sweating heavily from the strain. Meanwhile, a powerful magic weapon fired at an opening and made the water barrier tremble slightly.

Kaito returned several seconds later, carrying Airia, which for some reason emitted a faint glow.

“Come here, Kaito!”

Kaito ran to his father at the bow and raised Airia.

Wadatsumi’s demeanor changed. Its eyes glowed an eerie crimson as it prepared another breath.

The instant the breath was released,

“This shield withstood even the Demon King’s attack!”

Kaito planted the base of Airia against the deck, and a silver aura spread around him.

The supreme shield that had troubled even the Demon King displayed its might again after centuries.

『—!?』

The breath dispersed the instant it touched the silver barrier.

The resulting light drifted through the air, rode the wind, and reached Wadatsumi even through its water barrier.

A sound like coursing electricity echoed as the barrier shook irregularly.

As Wadatsumi prepared to release another breath,

“I’ll say it once more.”

Though Airia consumed a tremendous amount of his mana, Kaito declared proudly,

“This is the shield that protected Hero Ruin from the Demon King’s attack!”

The barrier spread again. This time it advanced, pressing against the breath instead of merely repelling it, and drove straight toward Wadatsumi within the water.

After repelling the breath, Kaito’s barrier became a gale of light and struck the water protecting Wadatsumi.

『Goo――――Ooo――――』

The water exploded. Left suspended in the air, Wadatsumi fell back toward the sea under its own weight.

The deep crimson light faded from its eyes.

The barrier collapsed into ordinary seawater.

“Everyone, hold on to something!”

At Lord Leonaal’s command, everyone braced for the falling water.

The volume was enormous, but they used magic and Arts to deflect it while gripping the nearby railings so they wouldn’t be swept from the ship.

Once the deluge had passed, the drenched group finally regained its composure.

“We did it…!”

“K-Kaito-senpai!”

Vayne caught Kaito as he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. They exchanged triumphant smiles and were about to celebrate.

But it wasn’t over. The enemy attempted one final attack. In the game, the battle should have ended with Wadatsumi fleeing, yet perhaps because of the different battlefield—or some other factor—the falling monster loosed a mighty roar.

Vayne moved first. He remembered Ren and his desire to become just as strong, and that yearning drove his body forward.

“I…”

He didn’t want to remain someone who was merely protected.

“I have no intention of losing to anyone. I’ve felt that way ever since I found someone I wanted to protect.”

Before the Lion King Grand Festival, immediately before the first match of the martial tournament,

Vayne recalled the strength Ren had shown him and the feeling that he might be on the verge of grasping something.

“I can’t remain the person I was…!”

As the falling Wadatsumi released its final breath, Vayne stood near the bow and swung his sword upward. Water pillars rose across the sea, transformed into arms, and attacked alongside it.

Both Kaito and Lord Leonaal prepared to deploy their barriers.

But they froze in astonishment at the muted radiance emitted by Vayne’s sword.

Sera, herself exhausted from battle, was the one who smiled naturally.

“…Just like that day, Vayne.”

Vayne’s sword was wreathed in light.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaa!”

It swept aside the approaching water arms and deflected the breath into the sky.

This wasn’t a full awakening. Unlike the scene in Legend of the Seven Heroes when Ren stopped Ulysses in the Baldor Mountains, the power was modest. The opponent was far weaker than the resurrecting Asval had been.

Just as when he had once saved Sera, only a small portion of Hero Ruin’s power sleeping within him had stirred.

Even so, it was unquestionably part of a hero’s power.

Vayne had drawn one step closer to awakening as a hero.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

It was already past noon. Ren traveled farther through Old Town and met Ulysses and his party on a cape overlooking a coastal cave.

He had brought several knights from the city and ridden there on horseback.

“Ulysses-sama!”

Ulysses was inspecting the local water sources with Edgar and several other retainers.

“Oh? What brings you here?”

Fiona had remained in the city because Estelle’s side was the safest place in the area.

Ulysses’s expression changed when he heard what had happened in Eupheim.

“It may be connected to the disturbances in the waterways, just as Estelle-sama suspected.”

Although Ulysses had once served in the military, Estelle remained the commander in the present emergency. He was grateful for her instructions; she led the Lion’s Holy Office and was Leomel’s strongest knight.

Knowing Estelle had taken command in the city genuinely reassured him.

“Then let us begin.”

“Yes. We should return quickly.”

Ren needed to return with them. Urged by the need to hurry back to Eupheim, he took up his horse’s reins.

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