I sighed as Abert and Garron started squabbling again, but then Mew-san started sniffing the air.
“Oh!”
Mew-san started walking toward the small canyon area. W-Wait! Is that not dangerous? There might be more Fire Lizards...
I followed after Mew-san, and the others came up from behind me too. We headed through the small canyon and came out the other end, only to find a whole field of spinfire weed. It was spread out ahead of us like a vast red carpet.
“Wow...”
“This is amazing...”
Abert and Garron stared in disbelief, while Surges-san reached down and cut off some of the plants at the stem.
“Mhm... This is spinfire weed.”
“Ahaha... Woo! We did it!”
“Yep. We did.”
Rose hugged Mew-san, and the two smiled broadly.
The whole area was surrounded by massive boulders, so there was no way my mystic eye could have seen through it. It was like a hidden garden in the middle of a rocky danger zone.
“Mm... Well, this explains the number’ve beasties.”
Dom-san was probably right. This hidden oasis was likely their feeding grounds. It was also a place they would want to fiercely defend.
“Alright, team. Let’s all take a few bundles of the weed each.”
Everyone agreed with Abert, picking up the spinfire weed and pocketing it. The quest had only demanded a little bit, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Plus, there was always the chance of the weed being valuable on the market. It seemed like everyone else was thinking that too, since they took as much as they could carry.
Everyone breathed out a sigh of relief and started chattering, probably because the main objective had been secured.
“This honestly ended up being easier than I expected.”
“Easy, eh? Weren’t you the one in danger during the Blood Liger fight?”
“Well, let’s just be thankful that we can get two whole platinum coins from this.”
“Yeah, it’s just... There’s something that doesn’t feel quite right here...”
“...Mm. You too, lassie?”
“Getting two platinum coins for such little relative effort... Was this really all there was to it?”
As the six of them talked to each other, I suddenly spotted something strange at the top of a nearby mound of rocks.
I jumped up there to get a closer look. For some reason, the top of this rocky outcropping had straw, grass, and other plants laid out atop it. The top of the rock had also been carved out like a bowl as if something had created a safe resting area.
H-Hold on... This kind of resembles a nest... But... Oh no... Wait... Why is there so much spinfire weed, anyway...? Why did the Fire Lizards not eat most of it...? Wait... Maybe there is a reason they did not eat it, even if they wanted to... Oh. Oh no. I get it... Whatever nests here... The Fire Lizards can only come in and eat a little bit while it is away... Because if they were found out, then they would be in some serious danger...
“Everyone! We have to get out of h—”
“GRAAAAAARRRGH!!!”
A creature appeared above us, letting out a piercing roar. This was the owner of the nest I had stumbled upon.
Sharp fangs, and scales that faintly pulsed with light... A long neck, and a malicious-looking barbed tail... Its forearms were long and twisted, fused with its wings.
It was a Wyvern.
Two deep crimson eyes glared down at us as if the beast was sneering.
◇ ◇ ◇
This was bad. This was really, really, really bad. A Wyvern was way too much for us to handle... I did not have my knight order gear, and I had wasted all my grenades on the Fire Lizards! I definitely was not capable of bringing down a whole gosh-darned Wyvern on my own! Maybe if it was not airborne, but it did not seem all that eager to have a ground-based battle.
It flapped its wings, staying aloft and glaring at us. I leaped down from the nest area and joined the others, taking care not to spook the flying creature above.
“Wh-What the hell... Why is there a Wyvern here?”
“Wyverns are red targets... What are we supposed to do?!”
Rose and Surges-san stood frozen in fear, like prey being sized up by a predator.
When the grand duke was just a normal adventurer, he had killed a Black Dragon by himself and earned the Dragonslayer title. But obviously, he was no ordinary man. We could not do what he did.
Plus, while Black Dragons were red targets like Wyverns, there was a difference between the two. Black Dragons were considered true Dragons, but Wyverns were not. Even if we beat the Wyvern here, none of us would get the title the grand duke received.
Though, that was fine by me. If an actual Dragon showed up we would’ve been dead already.
If you thought about it in terms like that, it was probably better that we were only facing a Wyvern.
“Everyone, listen... We need to back off slowly. If we move slow and show the Wyvern we have no hostile intentions, then we might be able to leave without upsetting it. So long as we stay very quiet and move very slowly, we—”
My words were cut off by a very loud, very metallic clang.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
I turned to find Garron, who had dropped his shield against a rock by mistake. OH COME ON...
“I-I’m sorry! My handle snapped off, and...”
“GRARRRGH!”
The Wyvern roared furiously before spewing several fireballs in our general direction.
“Run!”
We all scattered, avoiding the fireballs. The blasts from the monster instantly seared the ground and charred the rocks where we had been standing. If that had hit any of us, we would have been cooked alive.
What do we do?! Fight it?! B-Boss-lady and the others should know something is up, right?! Do we really have to buy time until then? Can we even buy time until then?!
“H-Hey, what do we do?!”
“Don’t ask me! You’re the one who upset it!”
“Shut up, idiots! We do not have time to argue!”
You dumbasses... Gah... There really is not another way here. I wanted to stick to the mission, but someone could seriously die here... I have no real choice at this point.
“Listen, guys. I need you all to run. I will draw it away from us.”
“W-Wait a sec. You mean to be the bait?!”
“I am the fastest of us, am I not?”
I grinned toward Rose.
“I refuse... I’ll stay too.”
“Mew-san... I’m thankful for your feelings, but it’ll be easier on my own. To be honest, if I have to worry about you, it’ll be harder for me to escape.”
I didn’t want her to find my words cruel, but I also didn’t want us both getting in needless danger.
“But we can’t just leave you alone!”
“You can, and you will. Now get going!”
Abert was about to speak up, but I cut him off and ran full-pelt toward the Wyvern.
I took out a few bo-shurikens and lobbed them toward the Wyvern’s eyes. Frustratingly, it dodged them with little effort.
I ran even further from the rest of the group and continued throwing different items up at the Wyvern.
I looked back at the others and found they were hesitating. Run, you idiots!
I tossed up the vial of poison that I had used against the Blood Liger and waited until it was in the air above the Wyvern.
Then, I expertly launched a bo-shuriken at the bottle, shattering it in the air. The liquid glimmered in the sunlight as it rained down onto the Wyvern’s body.
“GIGYAAAH!”
The poison would not actually do much if it did not enter the Wyvern’s bloodstream, but it would still tingle, burn, and sting on contact.
I never intended to kill the Wyvern with the poison. I just wanted to hurt it enough to grab its attention. It worked.
“GRAAARRRGHAAAH!”
“Whoa!”
The Wyvern continued to chase me, spitting fireball after fireball in my direction.
I looked back again and found that the others had fled from their spot. Thank goodness they had. I would have been mad if they were still there.
I continued to run in the opposite direction to everyone else, leaping over a bunch of rocks and getting away from the small canyon area.
What now... What now...? How do I escape this thing? It will likely take the boss a while to get here, and if I flee too far the Wyvern might lose interest and go after the others. I definitely should have saved those grenades... I was a fool. I could have used them to bring that big dumb thing down!
Karina-sama hunted one of these, right? She aimed for the tendons, did she not? Gh... No way... No way... There is just no way I can handle that.
I guess I could just get up close and personal, and hack at its wings with my ninjato? No, wait... that will just end with me crashing alongside it!
“GIGYAAAH!”
“...Crud!”
I was not paying attention, so the Wyvern had circled in front of me and cut me off. I quickly changed my route and ran into the nearby forested area. I leaped from branch to branch, much like a monkey.
Is everyone safe now? They better be... I just need to keep focusing... I got too lost in thought. A massive fireball whizzed past me and obliterated the tree I was in the middle of leaping toward.
Oh nuts! I curled into a ball in mid-air, defending myself against the barrage of splinters I was flying into. I hit the ground hard, rolling forward in an attempt to dull the impact.
“Agh!”
The barb-tipped tail, which I was fairly sure had poison on it, jabbed right toward me. I dodged it by jumping to the side, but pain coursed through my leg. I had twisted my ankle in the fall. Escape was going to be a lot harder.
As I began freaking out on the ground, the Wyvern vomited up another fireball to launch at me. But for some reason, it coughed and sputtered, only releasing a small flame. Oh! Did it run out of magic?!
Most monsters and magical beasts absorbed magic from the atmosphere around them to cast spells. Thunder Bears used lightning magic in this way, same with Killer Mantises and their Wind Slicers. It seemed like Wyverns needed a similar process for their fireballs.
Serves you right, jerk. You should not have used it so much!
“I guess that I am not out of the woods yet, though...”
It would not be long before it had enough magic to hurl a fireball again. I was squandering my only chance to do anything to it.
But I had nothing that I could use to kill the Wyvern... Well, I did have one idea... I just doubted it would work.
“GRAAARGH!”
The Wyvern landed down on the ground and snapped at me with its teeth. Too close!
I leaped backward and hurled some shurikens into its open mouth.
“GYIIIIGYYYAAAH?!” Even if it had a tough hide, its mouth still contained soft tissue.
The Wyvern sputtered before coughing up the shurikens. Unfortunately, I did not do much in the way of damage, but I had clearly hurt it.
It attempted to slam its tail at me again, adding more weight behind its strike with the rest of its body.
I just barely avoided the attack and saw the mighty tail reduce several large trees to splintered wood.
I was in a whole heap of trouble. My dodging was getting slower and slower. My ankle was killing me... Where the heck was Tsubaki?!
Just as my pain reached its peak, I heard someone yell out [Woodbind] loudly! My call for Tsubaki was answered by several twisting tree roots that dug themselves out of the ground and wrapped around the Wyvern’s feet.
Wait... I looked up and saw Mew-san and the others running to my aid. At the back of the group was Surges-san, the man who had just cast the spell.
“Whaaat?!”
The barbed tail came swinging toward Mew-san, but Dom-san and Abert jumped in with their shields. Unfortunately, the force was a little much, and the trio was blasted back a bit.
The Wyvern struggled free of its wooden confines and soared into the sky.
“You okay?! Where are you hurt?!”
Rose was by my side in the blink of an eye, calling out to me.
“I-I am fine... Why did you all come back? Now there was no point in me being a decoy!”
“...We were all running, but... at some point, Garron turned around and started running back to you. We just followed him.”
“What?!”
Garron was waving his sword up at the airborne Wyvern. He did not seem as scared as he did earlier.
“...Are you an idiot?!”
“Shut up, kid! If you died because of my screw-up, then I’d never be able to live with that! You think I’d want people saying that I let a kid die on my first real mission?!”
Your screw-up? Oh... The shield thing. I guess that was kind of a screw-up...
Mew-san and the others came back. It seemed like they were okay, even though they had been blasted back.
“GRARRRGRAAAGH!”
The Wyvern screeched again. If it was an Elder Dragon, then its roar alone would be enough to cause psychological or even physical damage, but regular Wyverns were not quite as intimidating.
But it was still an enemy far beyond us in terms of strength. We were outmatched, and every one of us was still relatively new to the whole adventuring thing.
The Wyvern suddenly swooped down, extending its claws as it aimed for Abert and Dom-san. All they could do was defend. If they attempted to raise their weapons, then they would just be ripped to shreds.
“Haaaaaah!”
Garron saw his chance and charged in from behind the Wyvern. He brought his broadsword down upon the creature’s long tail, which was dangling behind it. I looked on in anticipation as the sword cut into the Wyvern.
“GRARRRGUGH!”
It was no good. Garron’s sword did pierce the skin, but not nearly deep enough to lop it off. It only caused a light cut. The injured tail reflexively snapped back at Garron, sending him flying backward. Oof!
“Gaaah!”
Surges-san immediately ran after Garron, Healing magic at the ready.
The Wyvern went after Garron in retaliation, but Abert saw his chance to slash against the beast’s wing. But unfortunately, he was not strong enough to make a serious injury either, only cutting it lightly.
“GROGRAAAGH!”
The Wyvern was clearly irritated, and I was not in the least bit surprised. It opened up its mouth before staring down Dom-san and Abert.
The two of them were immediately engulfed in flames. It wasn’t the fireball attack it used before. Instead, it was just a regular old flame breath.
“Gaaah!”
“Hngh!”
The two of them managed to raise their shields, but they were still attacked at relatively close-range. They collapsed after a few seconds of exposure.
The Wyvern’s flaming breath spread across the trees, and we quickly found ourselves in a burning hellscape. The Wyvern did not seem to care at all. It turned its attention toward Surges-san, who was standing near the heavily-wounded Garron.
Surges-san managed to direct the attack away from Garron, but the two of them were still caught in a major blast. They had been rendered incapacitated in seconds. The Wyvern landed and began shooting out more fireballs, so I leaped onto its back. If the two of them took another hit, they would die.
I plunged my ninjato into its back with all my might... but I only managed to very slightly pierce through its tough scales.
Damn it, why is it so tough-skinned?! I should have brought a mithril ninjato with me... I am so stupid! Damn it... This is what relying on that crystal knight sword gets me... I am way too rusty at this!
“Gragraaargh!”
“Uwaaah!”
The Wyvern writhed, throwing me off. I landed on the ground with a harsh thud. It hurt really bad. I squirmed in pain and tried to stand up, just in time to see Mew-san and Rose charge toward the Wy
vern. It smacked them head-on with its tail and sent them rolling backward.
None of the party members were in a position to get up at this point, but I still staggered to my feet.
“Ugh, whatever! I guess I have no other choice here!”
Being a ninja was not really a job that meant much in the way of direct combat. We were meant to gather intelligence and escape unnoticed. Most of our skills were developed with that in mind. Our elemental ninjutsu were mostly designed to help us escape from things, same with our poisons.
But I was bad at those ninjutsu techniques. I excelled in close combat. I loved employing that stuff in my training with the knight order... And there was a technique I learned during my training that could work against the Wyvern.
Still, it was impossible for me in my wounded state to do anything to the enemy before me, so you would probably wonder what it is I could even try.
The solution was a simple one. Inflict damage on the beast from within its body... That was not actually simple at all, but whatever.
“Uh... Let me see here... I need to gather up magic in my fist and then smack it... I guess? Elze-sama’s lessons were a little odd to grasp...”
I closed my eyes and gathered all my energy in my center. I felt my magic swirl inside me and then focused it all on my fist. A master of this technique would be able to strike far-off enemies without physically touching them.
I knew that first-hand. Elze-sama had used the technique to smack me from long-range. It hurt like hell!
Linze-sama told me that I had more magic inside me than my peers, since apparently, most mystic eye bearers shared that trait. If I had the right aptitudes, I would have been able to use magic pretty well, even.
I quietly focused, concentrating my magic power and physical power all into my right fist.
“I have done it only once before... I do not know if I can do it now, but I have to try...”
I glared up at the Wyvern standing before me. It was no longer trying to fly, possibly because Abert had nicked its wing. I had a good chance on my hands, and I had to take it! I darted toward the Wyvern with everything I had, launching my body like a projectile. It opened its mouth and blasted a fireball my way, but I altered my trajectory and just barely missed it. Then, I drove myself toward its chest.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 16 (Premium) Page 20