abcnovels
Book 6
Book 6: Chapter 16
Darkness On The Move
Dragon──. A race of mythical beast that had existed from even before the history of mankind. The strongest creature in this world.
It was said that their lifespan could reach several millenniums or even dozens of millenniums. One theory stated that their intellect increased along with their aging, and they wouldn’t die but evolve repeatedly until they became dragon god.
As they aged and became elemental dragon, they would obtain high intellect along with the ability to fly in the sky and powerful might, but mankind’s fear toward the known dragon came not from those elemental dragons but from “earth dragon” that could be said as the dragon race’s immature form.
By obtaining element, dragon gradually grew to subsist on magic particle itself. But, earth dragon that still hadn’t obtained element would devour all creatures as its food following its instinct. Especially humans, creature that lived in group, with weak ability to run away, and also possessed a lot of mana in their body. A dragon that had learned the taste of [human] would grow to attack human settlement often because of their low intelligence and became feared as man-eating dragon.
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『GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!』
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That earth dragon showed itself from the depth of ancient ruins Resvel and let out a roar that shook the earth.
「Hiiih!?」
「Uaaaaaaaaaah!?」
Some of the adventurers screamed so loudly as though they were going to tear their throat.
Dragon’s roar brought fear for “the weak”. It was also called as dragon’s selection. It didn’t matter what someone’s rank or skill level was, a dragon’s roar would send fear into [those with no determination] who didn’t have the qualification to stand before a dragon.
The adventurers here had come this far knowing the possibility that they might fight dragon. However, most of them only trembled at most because of their determination, even so the youngsters who saw the dragon for the first time felt fear that they couldn’t endure completely. They panicked and caused the formation to start to go out of order.
「Punch the panicking guys to make them return to their sense! If that’s still no good then kill them!!」
Jesha quickly raised her voice with a vigor that wouldn’t lose even against the dragon’s roar.
Something that couldn’t be done by a normal organization was only something normal in this land where the price of life was cheap. The veteran adventurers quickly acted and punched the panicking youths as though they were going to kill them. Their quick action kept the damage to minimum instead.
But it wasn’t just the humans who panicked. The monsters lost their senses and rushed through the disturbed formation. They attacked the wounded who were at the back, causing not a little damage to the wounded and the healers.
「Tsk!」
Jesha clicked her tongue strongly even while racking her brain.
They had assumed that they dragon would come out, but it was unexpected that their formation would crumble this quickly.
Was their wall to stop the monsters lacking?
Was their treatment of the wounded who retreated to the back too slow?
They didn’t have enough sorcerer who could use light sorcery and high class potion, but they should have a lot of low class potion. Then why…….
「Jilgan!! Bring me my shell dragon(ride)! We’re going out!」
Jesha stopped thinking deeply in the middle of fight and sought for a breakthrough solution using her battle instinct. Then she yelled for a transport.
Jesha and Jilgan were thinking to subjugate the earth dragon personally as their last resort when the earth dragon came out. Even so, there was no way it could be defeated just by one or two rank 4 human. Therefore Jesha and the others were forming a suicide corps that consisted of only rank 4 and upper rank 3 including Jesha and Jilgan.
But, there was too much distance with the earth dragon because the frontline crumbled faster than expected. At this rate they would be baptized in the dragon’s flame breath without being able to do anything. Sensing that Jesha quickly chose to charge forward riding on the shell dragon subspecies that they brought here as pack horse.
With Jesha and other warriors who were supporting the center frontline leaving, there would be a lot of damage to the adventurers fighting there. The probability of survival for the suicide corps that was heading to the earth dragon should also be low.
Even so, the adventurers who considered the desert town as their stronghold and “birthplace” tightened their grip on their weapon with a ferocious grin while trembling with excitement.
But──
*DOGOOONN!!*
「What happened!?」
Jilgan raised his voice in respond to the sound of explosion that came from behind.
Out of nowhere, fire broke out at the rearmost line, the line even further behind the sorcerers who were the rear guard where the carriages filled with food and medicine were placed. Arrows flew from the rear and attacked the back of the sorcerers.
Jilgan was managing the composition of each unit in Jesha’s place. It seemed that there was an attack by someone from somewhere, but he should have also left behind people who could fight there.
「Don’t tell me──」
Jilgan noticed something and raised his face──.
『HA-HA-HAAA!』
A laugh resounded from around the place where the explosion happened. More than ten shell dragons with people riding on them flew out from inside the flame’s smoke and sand cloud.
Their number was practically the same with the number of shell dragons that they brought here to pull the carriages.
The men riding on the shell dragons skillfully fired more arrows at the rear guards. And then without stopping they all scattered to every direction to run away while one of them intentionally changed direction to approach until a distance where Jesha and Jilgan could see his face.
「You……-」
「Serves you right-, Jilgan-, guild master-! D’you think that we gonna let the dwarves and stinky beasts throw their weight around forever huh!」
That Cruzian man was considered as a veteran even in the adventurer guild and rose until rank 3 even inside the guild where it was difficult for anyone other than dwarf to reach high rank. From how humble he acted, he shouldn’t have a bad relationship with dwarf or beastman. That was why he was included in the subjugation force this time but…….
「You bastard, so you worked with Riezan Family-!」
「Obviously, Jilgan! Why do you think it’s reasonable for a powerful human to obey you guys? You were treating me all this time like a damn gopher, but even that’s only until today──」
*Gakin!!*
The axe that was thrown from Jilgan’s side with absurd strength attacked the man. There should be a lot of distance between them, and yet the man quickly deflected it with his shield.
「……You’re a woman with wandering hand huh, guild master!!」
「You bastard, what’s your aim!? Do you think you’ll be able to keep living in the town after doing something like this!?」josei
Jesha who was the one throwing the hand axe howled. The man tossed away his half destroyed shield while getting cold sweat inside his heart, even so he put on a twisted smirk.
「I’m telling you that today is the end-! From now on it’s us, Riezan Family that’s in control of that town! Look at that damn thing-!」
The man chanted something and fired up the darkness that his hand produced. It was the dark sorcery Noise which created a high-pitched sound like a flute that reverberated through the desert.
『GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!』
The earth dragon responded to that sound and stopped walking. It then roared toward the sky.
And then from the sand cloud behind it, people clad in jet black garment riding on huge earth lizards appeared. Standing at the front was a man wearing black armor who raised his jet black spear toward the sky.
「Evil race army-!?」
Jesha raised her voice in shock. Before everyone there could understand the meaning of her words, the evil army’s knight pointed the tip of his raised spear toward the adventurers──.
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『──────!!』
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With that as the signal, the earth dragon opened its jaw and turned the desert into scorching heat with a giant fire ball.
「UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!」
Jesha screamed inside the flame.
She heard the screams of the adventurers. The comrades who she had talked with, ate food together, and adventured together were falling inside the flame.
This was dragon──the strongest existence in this world.
The elite adventurers were vanishing inside the flame with just that single breath.
「RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!」
Even so there were still survivors. Jesha screamed as though to tear her throat telling the survivors to run away. But…….
*Hyun……! Hyun-, hyun-!*
「Wha-!?」
The crossbows that the evil race army fired hummed. Their arrows were killing the survivors one after another.
「STOPPPPPPPPPPP!」
*Hyun-!*
Huge arrow was also fired at the screaming Jesha…….
「GUOOOOOOOOOOO!」
「Jilgan!」
Jilgan became Jesha’s shield and that arrow pierced his stomach.
「Jesha! Retreat for now-!」
Jilgan also protected Jesha from the dragon’s breath and got half his body burned. He yelled at her reproachfully. He was receiving the spears that were thrown by the evil race army that had approached near, even so he pulled out the spears and threw them back, killing the evil race soldiers.
「……Eat……shit」
「Jilgan……tsu, Jilgan!」
Jilgan fell on the scorched sand and his blood scattered. Jesha who caught his body realized that his life had run out. She gritted her teeth as though baring her fang and grabbed Jilgan’s halberd as she stood up.
「I……still haven’t lost yet-! Come, evil race bastards!!」
***
「It’s really the evil race.」
Elena and Ron gulped after listening to the testimony of the last remaining man.
The evil race army’s invasion. That was the cause of the dark elves’ disappearance from that town, and it was also a cause of why this Cruzian man……Riezan Family took action.
「H-hey? I already told you everything so I can go now right? Right?」
The man who was in his forty was still lying on his backside after getting hit on the back of his head. He was looking up at me with a gaze that asked for pity.
「Not yet. What’s Riezan Family’s objective? Why are you guys together with dark elves? What’s the point of the evil army’s invasion?」
I held the spear’s tip unwaveringly on the man’s throat with just my left arm. The man let out a crafty expression for an instant as though he wanted to click his tongue. The smile he was wearing twisted.
「D-don’t be hasty okay-, we were going to attack all the organizations at the same time with the evil race army’s invasion. I myself don’t know everything but, the top had already negotiated with the evil race army since long time ago, and after those evil race guys take the town, they would leave the control of the city to us, that’s the promise-, see, I already told you everything!」
「And what’s the evil race army’s objective?」
This kind of man was no different than a swindler. He only said what he himself wanted to say and tried to twist the truth.
「T-that’s……」
The man hesitated to say when I pressed him. There was no way that the evil race who was hostile against human race moved their army just to expand their sphere of influence. Most likely…….
「……They’ll use the town as military base to invade Carlfan Empire huh.」
「──tsu!」
Ron suddenly said those words from the side. The man’s eyes widened and he turned toward Ron.
Yes, that was the possibility with highest chance. The dark elves in that town had vanished except for those who were born in that town. And most likely those dark elves who vanished were helping with the demand from their birthplace the evil race country.
Even so if they had lived in that town for a long time, they should also have made some acquaintances from other races. If they abandoned those bonds and cooperated with the evil race army, it would be natural to think that the evil race had a big reason for mobilizing their army. Looking underneath, it wouldn’t just Riezan Family becoming the new ruler of the town, it was also possible that everyone who opposed them would be killed. That was exactly why this man hesitated to answer.
「……That silence, I’ll take it as yes.」
「W-wait a second-」
Ron pulled out his sword with an angry face that he had never shown until now. He stabbed the man’s heart from as he tried to run away. Elena was watching that happening with a sorrowful expression.
「Ron……」
「I’m sorry, I……」
「…………」
Ron too must have done that spontaneously. I didn’t know whether that anger was merely patriotism, but perhaps Elena understood why he did such thing. She didn’t say whether what he had done was a good or a bad thing and gently touched Ron’s hand that was holding the bloody sword to make him lower it.
「U-umm……, what should we do……」
The Cruzian people nearby talked to us with a scared expression.
Were they people living in this area? I didn’t feel any hostility from them, but when I turned my gaze to Elena to ask what was the situation here, she slightly nodded at me before turning toward them.
「We can’t do anything. After all there is nothing that we can possibly do to face an army. If you people stay here, then there should not be any greater danger befalling you.」
「Tha-……that’s true but, if the town get done in……」
Elena’s eyes became slightly colder again at the man’s indecisive attitude. He was leaving everything to others, hoping that someone else would do something to fix the situation and only talked without doing anything himself.
「If you simply wish to survive then it does not matter correct? All of you can live as you please. After all this place is your “birthplace”.」
If it was just to survive then there was way to manage somehow even in this harsh desert. They were adults with strength in their body, not young orphan. They could live anywhere by defeating monster and eating succulent plant.
That was their difference from us who had objective and couldn’t act freely.
「I……」
The man at the forefront showed an agonized expression in respond to Elena’s words. And then he lifted up his face as though he had made his decision.
「Yeah……this is our birthplace. It’s a shitty land, even so I still have acquaintances here. It’s impossible for me to fight but, I can at least tell those guys to run away……」
「Is that so? I will not stop you from doing that. However……please, take care of yourself.」
「Y-yeah」
After Elena said so, the man started running to somewhere. The other people also showed a little hesitation, even so they came to their own understanding and chased after the man.
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「……Lena, Aria. Can I leave Nar to you?」
Ron who was watching that happening sheathed his sword and lifted up Nar who was laid down on the ground while saying such thing.
「I do not mind but……what are you going to do Ron?」
「I’m……going to search Kamil.」
Ron replied to Elena’s words with a serious face and gaze.
「What about Kamil? He should have returned to the base earlier than me.」
「He hasn’t returned.」
I filled my words with a bit of implication. In respond Ron shook his head and frowned a little.
「But believe me-. Kamil is certainly not a person from this town, but he isn’t involved with the evil race army’s invasion-. Rather……」
Ron seemed to know about Kamil’s background, even so he only spoke vaguely and didn’t continue further. Elena shook her head a little.
「We too does not think that Kamil is connected with the evil race army despite being a dark elf. But Ron, do you know where he is right now?」
「Y-yeah, sorry. I also asked him to buy fire element magic stone. This is just my guess but, I think he’s at the town, at the place of this one merchant who can be trusted.」
Certainly even though Kamil was trustworthy as an individual, there was a part of his background that was suspicious. I too didn’t think that he was connected with the evil race army just based on that, but I also couldn’t declare that he was completely uninvolved.
And if Kamil really headed to the town, there was also a possibility of him getting mistaken as a part of the evil race and getting attacked by the townspeople.
Ron must be worried for Kamil as a friend, because with his knowledge of Kamil’s true identity, he judged that there was a high possibility that he would get dragged into the incident this time.
「Ron, do we still not have enough fire element magic stone?」
「No, we’ve enough……just barely. If it’s just to travel until the edge of Carlfan Empire then our current stock should last.」
「Then you go prepare the hot-air balloon Ron. After all the evil race army will definitely take it away if they find it.」
「I know that……but」
As a friend he must wished to go search for Kamil himself. I understood his feeling but, the optimal solution could be seen if he considered our objective.
「I’ll go to the town. Ron and Lena, you two prioritize preparing for the escape.」
「Aria……」
Even if Ron went, I was unsure if he would be able to come back with his strength. It would be just as dangerous even if I’m the one going, even so I was used to a situation where everything was enemy.
I didn’t know whether saving Kamil would be the correct choice, even so I also trusted him enough. I didn’t mind saving someone like him who was making every effort to save children.
Ron was speechless seeing me dispassionately deciding to leap into danger alone. Elena approached me with eyes that were moistening just a little, then she pressed her forehead on my shoulder with strength so small that I almost couldn’t feel it.
「Again……you go alone」
「The same like you Lena. If it’s something that can be protected then it’s better to protect it. I’ll definitely return, so will you believe in me?」
After I said that, Elena pulled back her face from my shoulder and she looked up closely at me who was slightly higher than her.
「More than anyone else in this world……」
「Yeah.」
Elena made a conflicted smile that looked worried as she stepped away from me who decided to head to the town alone. Seeing us like that, Ron looked straight at me with determination filling his eyes.
「……I’m sorry that I can’t tell you everything. But, I ask you to leave everyone to me. For trusting Kamil and me, I swear on this name……I swear on my name as Carlfan Empire’s third prince, Lawrence Carlfan, that I will protect everyone. Aria……I’ll leave Kamil to you.」
***
「General Aishe-, we got a report from the detached force that the isolation of those adventurers succeeded-」
The dark elf woman who was called as general nodded silently at her subordinate’s words. Her armor made some sounds as she stood up.
The sorcerer corpse had some monster users among them who drew away the adventurers from the town. The beastmen who were troublesome inside the town also got one of their elders killed and their chain of command hadn’t been restored.
Aishe was tall for a female elf. Her well-trained body that had scars from blade was covered with black leather garment that left her chest area opened. Her long silver hair fluttered as she looked domineeringly at her lined up subordinates with golden eyes. She raised her favorite great sword high above her toward them.
「The evil general Aishe commands-! All troops, depart-!!」
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And then──.
The army wearing black armor marched through the desert. There was a hooded figure looking down on that sight from a sand dune.
Under the strong desert sunlight, that figure was wearing a thick hooded cloak that covered the whole body. Even so there was white smoke drifting from that figure as though something was burning. An insane laugh burst out from under the hood.
There was already a plan from the start, but it was going nowhere. This figure gave threw their backing behind that plan, used even her body to win over the neutral faction, and even personally headed to the scene with their body that couldn’t go out under the sun to forcefully move things forward.
Everything was for the sake of taking revenge for their friend.
Everything was because of their grudge against mankind.
The girl who was the head of the vampire clan stared at the moving army even while feeling the pain of her body burning even under the cloak that was blocking the desert’s sunlight. She raised her voice.
「They finally moved……it’s “war”! Thousand curses for mankind!!」