The Archer of Beast Woods

by Kanata Yanagino

  The monster cried out in pain. It was convulsing, its flight posture broken. But it had only been struck by a single fork of many, weakened over a great distance; it wasn’t enough to bring it down. It quickly recovered its balance.

  To the wyvern, the lightning strike had probably been a matter of “that really hurt,” and that was all—but that was more than enough. It looked in our direction. It looked at us, who had caused it pain—and then it circled around and began to fly towards us. The wyvern had recognized us as enemies.

  These kinds of monsters were generally aggressive. Gus had told me that in situations where normal wild creatures would flee, monsters like wyverns would instead opt for aggressive behavior.

  “Here it comes.”

  There was only one issue, one question left, and that was how who I was now measured up to the way those three had once been.

  As the wyvern drew closer, I rapidly placed spells and benedictions on myself and Menel to enhance our physical abilities. Menel also called to some elementals, and strengthened us both in the same way. With every passing moment, the almost birdlike figure grew larger and larger as it approached.

  Gracefeel, I thought, I will now fight for my oath: to drive away evil and bring salvation to those in sorrow. Please, bless me with your protection!

  “On the flame of Gracefeel!” I held my spear, Pale Moon, in both hands and offered a prayer. A huge wall of light rose around the temple. It was the blessing Sanctuary.

  There was some buzz from the people watching, but I ignored them for now. I didn’t have the time to worry about it.

  The wyvern headed straight towards us and collided with the luminous wall. There was a violent sound.

  I prayed. I prayed.

  Be unbreakable as adamantine. Be eternal. Be everlasting. Reject all that is evil!

  But I heard a sharp intake of breath followed by the resonating sound of cracking, and then the stunned, hollow voices of Menel and others.

  “What—”

  Even I, for a moment, forgot all about praying, and my eyes opened wide. What was I seeing?! The wyvern was fighting against the glowing wall, and the veins across its whole body were turning black, noxious air pouring from each and every one. The black miasma was encroaching on the sacred walls, breaking them down, and then—

  With the spur on its foot, the wyvern kicked the wall of light. There was a sound like glass shattering, and as the wyvern descended, now black with miasma, I saw its emotionless, reptilian eyes capture me in their sights.

  By reflex, I dropped into a roll, and the thick claws on its legs just barely missed me. The wind pressure blasted roof tiles everywhere. I lost my balance and almost fell straight off the roof, barely managing to stay on the edge.

  “‘Sylphs! Elegant maidens of the wind, princesses who dance in the gale!’” It was Menel’s voice. He had skillfully kept his balance and still had both feet firmly on the roof.

  The wyvern blew past and then spun around, leaving a trail of miasma behind as it flew, and once again closed in on the roof where Menel stood—

  “‘Those foolish enough fancy themselves better dancers—’” It was another incantation. “‘Show them the bitter taste of earth!’”

  At that moment, there was a rush of air, a powerful downburst. No matter how strange the wyvern’s appearance and behavior, there was nothing it could physically do about an intense air current hitting its wings. Its flight posture broke down, and—

  “Will!!”

  “Ligatur, nodus, obligatio!” I cast the Word of Knotting over and over. The wyvern’s wings stiffened.

  It plummeted through the air, struggling all the way down, and impacted the ground. There was a deep boom, and the earth shook. I looked down and saw that the wyvern had fallen on the fountain in the front garden.

  I leaped down from the roof, landed safely, and sprang upon the wyvern.

  ◆

  Inside my head, I could feel chains straining, fissures forming in a ring of steel. The wyvern was fighting against the Word of Knotting. Given enough time, it would break free of it and take to the sky again. I had no intention of allowing it to do so.

  The fountain was broken, and water was spouting out over the temple’s front garden.

  Wielding my spear, I sprinted towards the wyvern planted there. My aim was simple: a spear charge directly into its heart or windpipe. Just like Blood, who had finished off a wyvern in a single swipe of his sword, I was going to finish this with a single strike through its weak spot.

  The wyvern sensed my approach and turned its head.

  “Acceleratio!” I shot forward like a bullet. I aimed for the wyvern’s heart, Pale Moon glinting in my hands. The landscape soared past with furious momentum, the wyvern’s body quickly grew enormous in my vision—and the next moment, there was a furious howl, and the wyvern charged at me as well.

  We crossed—and then—impact. I pushed my spear into its miasma-spewing chest, and with a gasp of panic, I immediately let go before my wrist and elbow were crushed by the monster’s momentum, and I rolled to the side. The spear had stuck. There was no doubt.

  A cheer rose around me.

  However—

  “No way...” I heard Bee’s voice from somewhere.

  I turned, a terrible feeling building inside me. The wyvern was slowly turning its head to me as well. Had I been hindered by its rubbery skin? Its tough muscles? Or had I simply missed my target? The fact was—I hadn’t managed to impale its heart.

  More miasma poured out. The wyvern looked at me, red flames burning inside its mouth.

  “Run! It’s going to breathe!”

  There were still people behind me who hadn’t gotten away yet. I couldn’t let it breathe fire. But I had no time, I had no plan. I had to act. Act! But how?!

  And then—in my heart—Blood laughed. He laughed loud. And he said:

  Wreck him.

  “Acceleratio!” With the Word, I charged right up to the wyvern, too close for it to release its breath. To keep from hurting itself, the monster let its flames pour out the sides of its mouth, snapping its jaws at me instead. I narrowly dodged, and threw both my arms around its enormous neck.

  Can’t think of a good solution? Nature of your enemy is unknown? In my mind, Blood raised a fist and yelled at the top of his voice. Then MUSCLE! Violence! Wreck him!!

  The miasma spouting out of the wyvern started to slowly attack my arms, but the burns I had there—my stigmata—flared white and held it back.

  I grunted as I strained my muscles. The wyvern resisted. I held its neck tight, choking off its airway and blood flow. I spread my legs wide apart and dropped my hips, making sure I had good footing. With all my strength, I twisted my body to hold on tight as the wyvern resisted.

  The wyvern’s entire bulk lifted into the air.

  I brought it crashing back down onto the fountain, long since broken and spraying water in all directions. The earth shook again, but I kept my arms firmly clutched around its neck. I wasn’t going to let go.

  “A... A headlock throw...?!” someone asked.

  Yes, a headlock throw, I thought. I’m grabbing it by its head and throwing it, of course it’s a headlock throw. Isn’t it obvious?

  I threw myself on top of the downed wyvern, continuing to throttle it as hard as I could. Behind me, the monster’s body struggled wildly, kicking and convulsing. It was desperately trying to stop me from strangling it. I roared and put all my strength into my muscles. This was now a contest of physical strength against a wyvern, with all the power I had. I held it from resisting and getting up; in fact, I pressed the wyvern down, shoving it hard into the ground.

  You’re not getting away, pal. I won’t let you run. I won’t let you breathe any more fire from that throat.

  I won’t let you use those wings to fly anymore. I won’t let you use those fangs or those claws to hurt anyone anymore!

  As the crowd watched, hardly breathing, there was a snap as finally, the wyvern’s neck made a sou
nd it was never meant to make.

  ◆

  The wyvern’s neck went limp in my arms. To be extra cautious and make absolutely certain it was dead, I continued to strangle it for a little while longer, and then I noticed that silence had fallen all around me.

  The people who had been in the temple to begin with, the people who had evacuated here from elsewhere in the city—so many people were looking at me. The emotions in their eyes were complex, and I suddenly realized I was in trouble.

  I had broken the neck of what must have been a two-ton wyvern (I seemed to remember that six-meter-long saltwater crocodiles weighed about a ton), and I’d done it in front of them. I had been only moments away from the wyvern’s fire breath burning me and everyone else nearby to a crisp, so in order to win without anyone getting killed, I’d had no choice but to choke the monster to death. That said, even I recognized that what I’d done had been completely crazy. If they decided I was someone to be feared—

  “Spectacular! Marvellous!” The sound of applause rang out. Confused, I turned and... there was Tonio. “Thank the gods that they sent a hero like you to this place!”

  Clapping in an exaggerated fashion, Tonio stepped towards me like he didn’t know who I was. Then, he flashed me a little smile and a mischievous wink that the people couldn’t see from where they stood. I let go of the wyvern’s neck and got to my feet. Tonio held both my hands together and shook them while telling me how grateful he was.

  It was only then that I finally realized what he was trying to do.

  “No problem,” I said with a smile, and shook his hands up and down.

  Bee must have guessed his intention as well. Strumming her instrument, she shouted, “The Wyvern Killer! Today, a new hero has been born!” Her voice carried well. “Let’s have a round of applause for our hero!”

  She led, and a few odd claps followed her cue—then the clapping got louder. It was joined by cheering, and soon enough I was being mobbed by people. They touched my arms and asked to shake my hand, saying “Thank you” over and over.

  I got the feeling that I’d just survived a pretty dangerous situation. Menel and I probably wouldn’t have been able to figure a way out of it on our own. Only the savvy Tonio and Bee, with all their experience in navigating society, could have defused that so well. I felt very grateful.

  After the accolades had died down, I raised my voice and called out to the crowd. “There must be people still buried under the rubble, and others with injuries! Let’s all do our part to help and rescue everyone!”

  A cheer of assent rose from the crowd. As one, they headed to the hall and worked together to remove the rubble and care for and treat the injured. A strange sense of solidarity had formed among all these disparate people.

  While everyone was busy, I found a moment to quietly thank Bee and Tonio.

  “Oh, not at all,” Tonio replied. “I look at it as an investment.”

  “Hehe.” Bee laughed teasingly. “I’m going to make a song about this later, okay?”

  While helping lever away some boulders, I also exchanged a few words with Menel.

  “Seriously, is there anything you can’t do, you freak of nature?” he said.

  “Surprised?” I asked.

  “I’ve gotten used to you being ridiculous.”

  “Well, for me, it was a painful reminder of how far I still have to go.”

  “The hell?”

  That wyvern had black veins covering its whole body and spewed eerie, noxious gas. I didn’t know what had happened to it. Perhaps it had mutated somehow, or been cursed after activating a trap in some ruin, or someone had subjected it to some evil procedure. But in any case, I couldn’t help speculating that its abnormal appearance and the reason it had attacked might have been related.

  Of course, I couldn’t deny the possibility that it was completely unrelated, and the wyvern’s actions had been purely instinctual in some way. However, as violent as wyverns were said to be, I couldn’t see attacking a human city of this size as anything but suicidal. The wyvern had been overpowering to begin with, but that was simply because taking the city by surprise had given it an advantage. It hadn’t gotten to that point, but once the city had started to plan instead of panic, and sent out legions of proper soldiers, sorcerers, and priests, the wyvern would have been done for.

  So it had been an abnormal, and most likely stronger wyvern than usual, but even so, it had been far too messy a battle. If Menel hadn’t been there, I could well have died. Furthermore, if not for Tonio and Bee, I couldn’t deny that I might have suffered social death.

  A roundtable of criticism was in progress in my head, scrutinizing all the ways I’d been naïve, all the mistakes I’d made, and all the ways I didn’t measure up.

  “Will. Brother.” Menel called to me. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him. “I don’t know how high a bar you’re setting for yourself, but come on. You just brought down a monster. It’s good to be self-critical, but give yourself some credit. I’m trying to be happy for you here.”

  I hadn’t thought about it that way. And although there were a lot of things I wish I’d done differently, I was now a “Wyvern Killer,” just as those three had once been.

  “Yeah...” He was right. I was happy about that. “Yeah... Yeah. Thanks, Menel! I couldn’t have done it without you!”

  “Ya. Good job. And you were the one who did most of it, dummy!” He gave me a fist bump. That simple gesture really made me feel like we’d connected with one another in a lot of ways.

  How many hours did we work after that?

  We had left the corpse of the wyvern to the soldiers who came running to the scene afterwards. My greater concern was whether we’d managed to get all the injured people out of the rubble. I was just at the point of thinking we might have gotten everyone we could find, when I heard a lot of commotion around the temple’s front gate.

  Several priests came running up to us. “Wyvern Killer! Is the Wyvern Killer here?!”

  “Oh! That’s me, what is it?!” I waved my hand to them.

  They looked like they were in a real hurry. They told me between short breaths that they would take care of the rest of the work and it was urgent that I followed them.

  “H-His Excellency...”

  “His Excellency, brother to the King, wishes to speak with you!”

  I blinked.

  ◆

  The room was full of vibrant colors. Woven fabric in various hues adorned the walls, and the decor could be summed up in a single word: grandeur. It suggested power without being in poor taste. The room had probably been specifically designed with that intention.

  Menel and I had been invited to the mansion that belonged to the lord of Whitesails, and we had just now been shown into the room where he received guests.

  “Welcome to my mansion, hero.” Standing on the other side of a big ebony desk, Duke Ethelbald Rex Fertile welcomed us with arms spread wide. Brother to the King of the Fertile Kingdom, he was the feudal lord of Whitesails and the ruler of Southmark.

  He has piercing eyes, I thought. They were dark gray, and seemed to penetrate to my very soul. They reminded me of the keen eyes of a bird of prey.

  His hair was thin, gray, and cut short, his gaze was stern, and he looked like he had done a good amount of physical training. He was wearing high-quality, tailor-made clothes, a sword on his hip. The scabbard wasn’t highly ornamented, and looked quick to unsheath, which told me that the weapon wasn’t just for decoration.

  Behind him stood two serious-looking guards in full armor.

  “It is an honor more than I deserve to be in the presence of your glory. My name is William G. Maryblood, here at Your Excellency’s request.” I placed my right hand on the left side of my chest, brought my left leg back slightly, and bowed.

  “Oh?” the Duke of Southmark said quietly. Had I messed something up? “I am surprised you are familiar with such old ceremony. Am I correct in assuming you are a man of blue blood?” he ask
ed, then responded to me with an identical gesture.

  It seemed as though I had done okay, but he’d gotten slightly the wrong impression. “Not quite, um... I would appreciate it if Your Excellency would avoid questions about my birth.”

  Well, it couldn’t be helped. It was my fault for not explaining.

  “Ha ha ha. So you have some circumstances. Very well, then. Please, sit.”

  He offered me a chair and sat down in his own. I bowed slightly and sat.

  I quickly realized without looking that Menel hadn’t taken a chair himself, but had remained standing behind me and a little to my right. That took me by surprise. Why was he acting as if he was my servant?

  Wait... Did he just leave me to handle this entire conversation with the big cheese?!

  I turned my head slightly and sent him a death glare. I saw the corner of his mouth curling upwards. Ass, I thought, and returned my eyes to the duke. Looking around too much in front of the host who invited me would be rude.

  “I am surprised to see that only a representative is here...” he said. “My orders were to bring all of you.”

  “Huh?” I said, shocked. Was I supposed to have brought Bee and Tonio with me? Bee had actually been interested in seeing the inside of a feudal lord’s mansion, but she hadn’t played any part in the battle against the wyvern, so we’d asked her and Tonio to wait at the temple.

  “William, you were traveling in a party of four or perhaps five, I’m assuming.”

  “Ah, yes. There’s four of us.” How did he know that?

  “A sorcerer, a priest, an elementalist, and a warrior, then. Yes, that’s quite a nice balance.”

  “Huh?”

  “Hmm?”

  Okay, uh... “We’re a priest, a hunter, a merchant, and a poet...”

  “Hmm...?”

  Was one of us... misunderstanding something?

  “One who cast lightning at the wyvern, one who erected a wall of light around the temple, one who manipulated the wind, and lastly, the man I’ve heard so much about, the warrior who engaged a wyvern bare-handed and broke its neck. Four. Yes?”

  “O-Oh.” Now I understood. “Your Excellency, I am terribly sorry for the confusion, but if that is what you mean, I am certain that there has been no mistake in simply the two of us coming here.”