by Funa
Still, the youth thought, compared to someone who never looked after children at all, he was a far better catch, so he was hard-pressed to understand what was so unappealing about his behavior.
Mile was scanning the perimeter with her location magic, so naturally, she knew that the youth was there. However, she assumed that he was a witness sent as a representative of the village and had already considered the possibility that there might be a messenger present to send for relief. So, she ignored him.
In any case, even if he were to see something odd in the ensuing scene, people would merely assume that he was overexcited by seeing a wyvern extermination for the first time in his life, or that he was exaggerating what he had witnessed for the sake of spinning a yarn. No one was likely to believe him.
Unless a number of people corroborated his testimony—or the listener was particularly gullible—no one was likely to believe a ridiculous story of what some villager had supposedly witnessed. If it was something that affected their own lives, people might be inclined to do a bit of investigation before waving it off as a lie, but if it was something like, “I saw an incredible battle!” they were likely to just laugh and ignore it.
In other words, he was harmless. Not a threat. That was the sum of it.
“It’s here!”
Of course, the first to spot the approaching wyvern was Mavis.
This was less a matter of her having a higher vantage point and wider field of vision because of her height, and more because of her innate abilities.
The other three looked in the direction that Mavis was pointing, and sure enough, there was a dark speck in the sky, growing larger by the second.
“Huh?”
Mile, whose abilities were even greater than those of Mavis, raised her voice in confusion.
“What’s wrong?” Reina asked suspiciously.
“It looks like the wyvern is already holding something…”
When they looked more closely, they saw, sure enough, that the wyvern appeared to be clutching something that looked vaguely like a cow in its talons.
“That’s weird… If it already got its prey somewhere else today, wouldn’t it just pass by this village?” Reina muttered.
And yet, the wyvern continued to fly straight toward them.
Then, when it was very near to the hill, it dropped in altitude and disappeared beyond the grove.
“Huh…?”
The four were stunned at this unexpected maneuver, but they quickly collected themselves and began to prepare.
When the wyvern rose above the trees again, it was no longer gripping the cow-like object in its talons, but instead a log about 30 centimeters in diameter.
“It’s coming!” said Reina.
“All right!!” the other three cheered.
It was not a particularly girlish battle cry, but they were hunters, after all.
It seemed that the wyvern had deemed the Crimson Vow to be a threat from the start.
Perhaps it could tell from their gear and weapons that they were not villagers, but of the ilk of those people who had launched attacks against it so many times before. It was in attack mode from the get-go.
In its talons it gripped a log, probably a fallen tree. The method that the wyvern had chosen to attack most effectively with this implement was a loft bombing attack.
Compared to a horizontal bombing, this method had a much higher rate of accuracy, and though it was a far greater burden on the body, if one could withstand it, the results were worthwhile.
A drop bombing attack of higher than a 30-degree angle, such as could be called dive bombing, would prove too difficult for a fleshy creature incapable of aerobraking, so the wyvern continued downward at a leisurely angle of less than 30 degrees, its large body accelerated by gravity and trembling violently against the pressure of the wind.
It would not need to pierce through any bulky shielding, so it did not require an immense amount of speed. On the contrary, the more slowly it descended, the more precisely it could aim at an enemy that was running around until the very last moment—and moreover, enjoy prolonging the fear it caused in its target for as long as possible.
There was no time for the girls to duck into the trees to avoid the attack.
Mile, judging from the fact that the wyvern was performing this trick so handily, deduced that this must be its preferred method of attack, and shouted directions to the group.
Hearing this, the other three did as she said. Normally, she was a bit of a scatterbrain, but when it came to magical abilities and other such miscellaneous trivia, everyone happily followed her lead. Even though they might poke fun at her for her sillier moments, no one thought Mile was stupid.
She was merely sheltered, couldn’t read a room, lacked common sense, was absentminded, made unthinkable mistakes, and was much too soft-hearted.
Basically, she was what most people in the world would call a fool.
The wyvern was fast approaching, but the four of them stood unmoving.
Then, just as the wyvern appeared to enter the final stage of its throwing attack, Mile shouted, “Run!”
As she had previously instructed them, they turned and ran with all their might in the opposite direction to the approaching wyvern.
Seeing this, the wyvern opened its beak, as if to grin.
Yes, its prey always ran. Then, the log would barrel forward, striking the running prey down from behind.
As long as it aimed a little ahead of its prey’s current position, the log would either hit them or else land just a little behind, before rolling in their direction. That was what it had learned from its master, and it had seen the effectiveness of this method confirmed time and again in real life.
From behind the point where its prey was running straight forward… Now!
“About face!”
At that moment, Mile, who was coolly keeping watch over her shoulder, saw the practiced movement of the wyvern’s claws and shouted.
The next moment, the four of them skidded to a halt and turned about, toward the wyvern, then ran at it at full tilt.
The log, which had already left the wyvern’s grasp, sailed over their heads and behind them.
“Attack!”
At Mile’s next signal, Reina and Pauline, who had been incanting as they ran, let their attack spells fly.
“Fire Bomb!”
“Water Bomb!”
Whoosh!
The wyvern, overcome with panic, twisted its body, barely managing to avoid the spells that came flying. The first one, and then the second…
“We did it.”
Watching the wyvern desperately dodge the magic, then take a swift upward turn to return to a higher altitude, Mile crossed her arms, looking on proudly.
“What do you mean, ‘We did it’?! It just got away! What do we do now?! I guess that did save us, at least…”
“It’s fine. It still hasn’t taken any damage, and it doesn’t seem like the sort of opponent to run away just from that little attack.”
As if it had heard Mile’s reply, the wyvern did not flee, but rather began circling in the sky above them once it had attained a sufficient altitude.
And then, Reina’s shout rang out. “Why is it that you can’t read people at all, but you can read monsters just fine?!?!”
The wyvern continued circling at an altitude their spells could not reach, peering down at their party. Apparently, now that the hunters had avoided its special attack and nearly scored a direct hit with their combat spells, it was remaining vigilant.
However, it had no intention of shamelessly running back home, or abandoning this valuable feeding ground.
“This time, we have to let off a preemptive strike,” Mile suddenly said.
Reina’s response was reflexive. “Preemptive strike?”
“It means that we have to make the first move,” Mile clarified.
“I know that much! What I was asking was, how do you expect us to attack an enemy that’s so high up our
spells won’t reach it?! Guhuh, hff hff hff…”
Apparently, Reina had screamed her throat raw. A mage’s windpipe was a valuable asset.
Next time, I’ll make her some lozenges, thought Mile.
“Are you saying that your magic can reach it?” Reina asked, having recovered at least a little bit of her voice.
“Hmm. I don’t know about all that, but if we can’t reach it by attacking from the ground, then all we have to do is just get to somewhere where we can reach it,” Mile answered. “Therefore, Reina, would you please start the incantation for an attack spell? Just before you let it off, I’m going to make you fly with magic. And then, please fire your spell directly at the wyvern. We only have one shot at this, so please use the strongest spell you have!”
“Huh? Wh-what do you mean, ‘fly’? Wait a minute, just what are you…”
“Now! Hurry and start the spell! There’s no time!”
“Huh? A-all right, then…”
Now was not the time to sit and chat. Knowing this in her heart, Reina decided to trust in Mile. Even if she was talking nonsense, Mile was still a fellow party member and a reliable friend who had saved them many times before. If she couldn’t put her unconditional trust in her now, then what was their friendship for?!
Plus, she was rather interested in this alleged flying magic.
She was going to fly through the sky, free as a bird. Deep down, her heart was aflutter.
With this thought in mind, Reina began her spell. There was no choice here but to use her magnum opus, “Crimson Hellfire.”
Reina began the incantation, and when she had reached the halfway point, Mile grabbed her around both sides from behind.
“Eep!”
Reina was startled at this sudden gesture, but she was still a pro hunter, so she did not allow the flow of her spell to be broken. This was surely a part of the procedure for the flying spell, so she ignored the tickling sensation.
“Here we go! Thunderbird No. 1, prepare for liftoff!”
With that announcement, Mile swung her around in a huge circle.
“Wh-hwa-whaaaaaa-whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!”
As Mile swung Reina with all her might, finally, Reina let out a scream.
“Swingby!”
The moment that Reina had amassed enough centripetal force, Mile launched her toward the wyvern, at full strength.
“Magical Fireblaster, Reina Gun!!!”
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!”
The wyvern was trembling.
A human, which was not supposed to be able to fly, was flying in a direct line toward it. At considerable speed.
It was making a hideous expression and baring its fangs, letting out an awesome roar as it approached at high velocity. This was the one that launched the attack earlier. Oh no!!
Momentarily forgetting its wyvern pride, the creature dodged.
And yet, the human did not alter its course, soaring directly past.
Roaring all the way.
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!”
“Reina, why didn’t you hit it with your spell?!”
Mile pouted and complained, performing her next spell a bit grudgingly.
“Rising air currents! Give Reina a soft landing!”
As she said this, a whirlwind whipped up counterclockwise in the spot where Reina was expected to land, and a strong upward current rose… Apparently, they were somewhere in the northern hemisphere.
Whether the air had begun to move in an upward current because of the counterclockwise spiral, or whether the counterclockwise spiral had arisen because of the air current, was not certain, but at any rate, Reina was cushioned by the strong upward draft and made a successful safe landing.
“All right, Pauline, you’re up next. Please don’t you fail me, too!” Mile said, approaching, but Pauline thrust both arms out, refusing her with a dire expression.
“N-no! Absolutely noooot!!!”
Mile inched slowly nearer, and Pauline inched slowly away.
“The name of this attack is ‘Flesh-Ravaging Halo, Pauline’!”
Inch, inch…
Inch, inch…
Inch, inch…
As she slowly closed in, sweat poured down Pauline’s neck, when finally a voice of salvation rang out.
“I’ll go next!”
Mile turned around to see Mavis, a broad smile on her face.
With Mile’s attention redirected at Mavis, Pauline took the opportunity to escape.
She couldn’t run away from the battleground, so she ran instead to check on Reina. When she arrived at Reina’s landing spot, she saw that Reina appeared safe and was using some kind of magic.
“Reina, are you hurt? I’ve got my healing magic ready!”
It was not that Reina could not use healing spells herself, but Reina, who specialized in combat magic, was nowhere near as strong a healer as Pauline. Pauline was running toward her in a panic, but Reina stopped her frantically.
“St-stay back! You can’t come over here!!!”
It was then that Pauline noticed. The spell that Reina had been using when Pauline approached, her face bright red, was the body and clothing cleaning magic that Mile had taught them so long ago.
“Oh……”
Pauline stopped in her tracks. Her expression was uncertain and delicate.
And then, Reina’s scream rang out.
“Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!”
The wyvern, meanwhile, continued circling in the sky above, its heart pounding like a freight train.
It had been afraid. The face on that approaching human had been truly frightening. That in and of itself was terrifying.
It was the first time the wyvern had felt fear in a very long while.
And, just a little—just a little—it had wet itself. For a strong and proud wyvern, this was incredibly embarrassing.
It would have no choice but to defeat these humans, to wash itself of this disgrace.
So as not to violate its master’s orders, it would not kill them, but it would send them fleeing in terror!
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah, ready whenever.”
“Do you need to go to the bathroom? Have you prayed to your god? Is your heart ready?”
“Look, I said I’m ready whenever, didn’t I? What in the world are you going on about, Mile?”
Mavis was jittery with anticipation.
She was going to fly.
She was going to soar through the great heavens above and strike down a wyvern, lord of the skies, on a battlefield far above the ground.
She was going to achieve something that no knight in existence had ever done before.
She was going to do it. Mavis was going to be the one. Look at her now, Father and Big Brothers!
Mile grabbed her gently beneath her arms. And then, she began a mysterious spell.
“Thunderbird No. 2, prepare for liftoff! Use your No. 1 weapon, the shortsword!”
Whoom.
Her body was being swung around.
Whoom whoom.
However, this was nothing for a body as strong as hers.
Whoom whoom whoom whoom whoom.
Just a little more…
“Swingby!”
She could hear Mile’s voice. And then…
“Mavis Cutter!!!”
Ka-whoosh!
Mavis was soaring through the air.
With her sword held fast in both hands, poised at the ready, she was flying straight toward the wyvern.
“True Godspeed Blade, Second Form, Heaven Blade. Attack!”
Here comes anotheeeeeeer!!!
The wyvern was in a complete tizzy.
Naturally so. Yet again, a human, who should not have been able to fly, was now shooting directly toward it. The fear it felt before came roaring back.
However, this individual was not one of the humans who had fired a magical attack at it before.
Judging by its appearance, and based on the types
of humans who had challenged the wyvern in battle before, this one was not the magic type, but the type that brandished an iron stick. In that case, this one was less formidable. As long as the wyvern took care not to let its wings be damaged, its body and tail could not be badly hurt.
The only choice it had was to drop down from above.
If it had considered this more fully, it would have realized that, unlike a magical attack, where a bit of distance was no object, if the wyvern just dodged a sword attack a little bit, it would be over. Probably, Mile had predicted that the wyvern would choose to attack head-on… Probably.
“Hiyaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”
Mavis swung her sword straight ahead at full strength, aiming for the wyvern’s neck. However, the wyvern, predicting this all too well, twisted its body and swung its tail at full force toward… or rather, it tried to, but Mavis’s attack was a lot quicker than it thought it would be!
The wyvern tried desperately to twist its body some more, keeping its neck away from the approaching sword. Quickly, quickly it had to strike the human with its tail!
Ka-shunk!
After a moment’s clashing, both of the parties’ bodies separated and flew apart.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
Mavis, seeing the tail approaching, had given up on aiming for the neck. The wyvern was hurt, its proud tail damaged by the redirected attack. It was stunned by the pain.
And then, Mavis, who had now begun her descent, looked down at the ground below.
Both of them screamed until their throats nearly burst.
“Oh… ah…”
The wyvern continued circling shakily in the sky, so once Mile had set up her upward draft cushioning magic to break Mavis’s fall, she had nothing to do but go to check on Mavis, once she landed. For some reason, she was on her hands and knees in the grass, groaning.
“Oh no! Are you hurt somewhere?” Mile asked, worried.