Chapter 214 - To The Lindwurm's Nest Part 2
The vanguards remained as they were, and when they went to the entrance of the hole, the bowl operated by Wilson-san was floating there. Here, Angelica-san got off, and in her place, the Headmistress, Priest Williams, and the four rearguards got on. In other words, those on the bowl had to exterminate the Wyrms.
Flora, who remained, hugged me, saying, "Be careful," so I patted her head.
Riding the bowl and looking at the cliff from the outside, four holes were blocked with ice. Since neither Wyrms nor Lindwurms can use ice magic, they couldn't cancel Glacio. If they breathed fire, it would melt, but since intense steam would be produced, they probably wouldn't use it, apparently. According to the Headmistress, the principle is unknown, but if you hit Glacio with Prominence inside a cave, it sometimes explodes. If that happened, the Lindwurm itself would be seriously injured. If it came to that, it would be easy, but since they aren't stupid, it won't go that smoothly. In any case, since they were successfully trapped, we began exploring the holes in order.
When Priest Williams searched, there was one, and it seemed to be moving slowly in the back. Apparently, it had woken up.
The result of Fiona peeking inside was that it was a Wyrm.
Since it would be a hassle if it came to the entrance, we decided to exterminate it immediately.
Lyudmila dug a small hole next to the ice, just large enough for a human to pass through, and went inside. Since Camouflage was cast, it shouldn't be found by the Wyrm.
Getting off the bowl and shivering from the cold of the ice, we proceeded deeper. The mountain of ice was sufficiently thick and firmly wedged in the hole. Of course, it was likely calculated so that it wouldn't be collapsed even if a Wyrm came.
First, the Headmistress created a simple barrier for a refuge. When we illuminated the back with Light, it came crawling out.
"Mute!"
Since it would be a problem if it screamed, Beatrix first silenced the sound.
Next, the Headmistress fired two log-sized Holys, and once its movements slowed, everyone fired magic to deliver the finishing blow.
There were two in the third hole, but they were exterminated in the same way. Apparently, the temperature in the cave had dropped due to the effect of Glacio, and their movements were sluggish.
Even though they fly in the sky, they are ultimately snake or lizard monsters. They must be weak to the cold.
Two remained. One of them would be the Lindwurm's hole. As I thought, it was the upper hole. Probably the topmost one.
"If a Lindwurm digs a hole downward, does that mean if we're at the same height as the entrance, there are only Wyrms there?"
When Beatrix asked, the Headmistress said, "Not necessarily."
"Lindwurms have powerful magic control, so they are sensitive to magic. It might be coming out from the back soon."
If it comes out from the back, it might shatter the ice and jump out.
"If it comes out, we'll lure it to where Eleanor and the others are waiting."
In the end, we're the decoys?
As we approached the fourth hole, loud banging sounds, thud, thud, echoed from another hole. It must be slamming its body from the inside.
The ice of the lid was being pushed out little by little every time there was a sound.
What kind of power is that? It's a block of ice the size of a shack. It's firmly wedged in the hole, and it intends to push it out?
"It's coming. Fiona. Enter the crystal. Wilson. We're luring it into the trap. Everyone, prepare your magic. Three consecutive shots, ice magic. Jeanne, amplified Holy."
We had Fiona enter the crystal and moved to the entrance of the hole where Eleanor-sama was waiting.
At the entrance, three Wyrm heads were placed. Only one had been exterminated in this hole, yet the number had increased.
"Those heads are..."
"They are Illusions Eleanor made. Since there were real ones, she did a good job."
Looking closely, no pool of blood had formed. As a priest, I didn't think it was a very good method, but if it's an Illusion, well, I suppose it's fine.
The Headmistress cast Magic Reflection on the phantom heads.
"With this, it won't be seen through. It will surely get angry and charge inside."
Even while we were exchanging words, the ice lid was pushed out nearly halfway.
With a particularly loud thud, the ice was finally pushed out. It fell straight down the cliff.
"It's coming out. Once it peeks its head out, attack all at once."
I thought a snake's head would come out, but one with a very long snout appeared. Teeth were lined up in rows.
"Now!"
We attacked the head all at once. It wasn't that far; it seemed everyone's hits landed.
Perhaps it wasn't bothered, as it just sprang out and flew toward us.
A blue-green body. It was different from a Wyrm's gills. It spread bat-like wings of the same color as its body.
"Wilson. Please. ...Magic Reflection!"
The bowl once headed toward the hole, then turned straight upward midway. Since Magic Reflection was cast just before heading up, it shouldn't be found. As expected, the Lindwurm headed into the hole with its long body.
"Gishaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The scream made my spine tingle. It must have gotten angry seeing the heads. I reflexively clung to the Headmistress.
However, after going deep inside and letting out one scream, for some reason, it became quiet. Did they defeat it?
When the bowl descended to the entrance, Eleanor-sama and the others were there. The back was blocked with ice before I knew it.
Henry-sama and the others came out from beside the heads. Had they been hiding behind the Illusion or something?
"What happened?"
"We caught it. It probably won't be able to move for a while, so we're going to deliver the finishing blow now."
When Beatrix asked, Eleanor-sama answered.
The Headmistress canceled Magic Reflection, and when Eleanor-sama held her hand over the heads, the heads vanished, and a hole in the wall became visible. Apparently, they had dug a side hole to connect the back and the entrance. Angelica-san, who was in the back, and Eleanor-sama, who was waiting near the entrance, had apparently fired Glacio from both front and back, sandwiching the Lindwurm between mountains of ice. If it were an ordinary monster, it would probably freeze just like that, but for a B-rank, it doesn't seem to go that easily.
"Is Angelica-san inside the simple barrier in the back?"
Wouldn't that be quite scary?
"It's fine. Using the simple barrier Katherine set up as a decoy, she reflected Glacio off the Magic Reflection stretched diagonally in front. Now, we are digging a new hole from that side hole so we can attack from here."
I see. In other words, Angelica-san's form was not visible to the Lindwurm.
Peeking into the side hole, Priest Williams was there. He seemed to be searching for the opponent's position through the wall. Beside him, Angelica-san was digging a hole and sending the excavated soil further back.
Finally, it seemed she had dug through.
When illuminated with Light, a block of ice was visible.
When Eleanor-sama melted the ice with fire magic to make a hole, the torso was visible beyond the hole. She continued to widen the hole until a single human could easily stand and enter.
"Will. Go."
Will, who received Henry-sama's nomination, rushed forward holding a silver spear—or rather, a pointed rod—with both hands and thrust it deep into the torso.
The ground shook instantly.
"Evacuate! Get out of the hole!"
Everyone fled at once and got on Wilson-san's bowl. The hole—or rather, the mountain of ice—was wobbling.
We cast Camouflage and Magic Reflection. With this, our forms shouldn't be visible.
Once we moved away from the entrance and waited in the air, shattered ice tumbled down from the hole's entrance.
"What happened?"
"It released its mana all at once. It must have broken the ice and come out. As expected, it wasn't so easy that we could defeat it with just that. This is where the real thing begins. Even though it released its mana, it is by no means weak."
"An aerial battle?"
"Yes. First, attack with bows and holy magic. Once you land a blow, we will launch a total assault."
When Beatrix asked, Eleanor-sama answered.
Released mana? Is there such a technique?
"Jeanne, Bonnie, it's here. Aim well."
In the direction the Headmistress pointed, the Lindwurm, having completely shattered the ice, was glaring at the sky from the hole's entrance.
"Gishaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
It screamed! Now!
I could feel my back tingling and goosebumps rising, but I couldn't say such things.
We attacked all at once.
It was right in front of us. The Headmistress's log Holy, my amplified Holy, and Bonnie's silver arrow were sucked into its wide-open mouth.
Simultaneously, the bowl moved and changed locations. We ascended once.
The Lindwurm breathed fire, but we had already moved. It was a miss.
As it was, it sprang out, and although it fell quite a bit, it regained its footing while wobbling and soared up. It seemed to have consumed quite a bit of mana.
Magic Reflection was canceled.
Eleanor-sama fired Blizzard, and the Headmistress and I fired Holy toward the base of the right wing.
The Lindwurm, perhaps in pain, twisted its body while letting out a scream and turned its face toward us.
Its mouth opened. Its mana was exhausted. It had no magic. It intended to breathe fire. Now!
We slammed Holy into it, Beatrix and Mary generated ice inside its mouth with Ice Cube, and using that ice as a target, Angelica-san's Glacio was fired.
As expected, this seemed effective, and while clutching the mountain of ice, its altitude gradually decreased.
When Priest Williams's Wind Curtain enveloped its body, it seemed unable to catch the wind anymore and kept falling.
The bowl also followed it.
Eleanor-sama began an incantation. It was ultra-high-level magic.
Beatrix was watching intently.
"Cocytus!"
Numerous giant icicles attacked the Lindwurm. From where several icicles pierced it, the surface of its body was covered in ice and frozen.
Unable to endure, it began to crash all at once.
Into the place where it crashed, knocking down several trees, stones manipulated by Lyudmila's Clump Stone flew as if to deliver a follow-up strike.
I fired amplified Holys in succession toward the space between the wings where the Headmistress had hit her log Holy, and Bonnie fired arrows.
The ice had gone somewhere due to the impact of the crash, but Eleanor-sama was sealing its long mouth with Wind Barrier. If I recall, it's the original version.
Once again, Cocytus. This time it was Wilson-san.
Icicles pierced it as if to pin it to the ground, freezing its body.
"Vanguard! Forward!"
Led by Henry-sama, the vanguards jumped down with their respective weapons in hand. Since the bowl was canceled, the rearguard also decided to scatter behind the vanguards and fire magic.
Despite taking two ultra-high-level spells and having the surface of its body covered in ice, it was still alive and moving wrigglingly.
Henry-sama cut off the wings from a distance, turning it into just a long-mouthed snake.
When Angelica-san solidified half of its torso with a mountain of ice using Glacio, it could only swing its head with its mouth unable to open.
Perhaps wanting to learn Shower somehow, Lyudmila was firing Water in succession, striking the base of the neck.
We had quite a bit of leeway.
The vanguards, split to the left and right, swung their weapons toward the neck. Swords and spears cut in deeply, and the mace delivered follow-up damage. After striking several times, Beowulf finally cut it off.
"See, you can do it if you try."
The one remaining Wyrm hole was empty. It was likely the one we defeated before.
With this, it was finally over. While watching the vanguards making Lindwurm slices under Henry-sama's guidance, the rest of us sat down and drank water from our canteens. Before us lay the long creature that had lost its head and wings.
Whether we can do it or not, to escape the ice trap, it used enough mana that it couldn't fly as usual, and on top of that, it took two ultra-high-level spells, and two of the Headmistress's Holys in its mouth, and probably one in its heart. Wouldn't it have been the same whether we were here or not?
"That is not true. We were able to defeat it because we could fire various spells simultaneously. If it were a single shot, there would inevitably be a gap, and we would be counterattacked. From the initial containment to the Wyrm extermination, luring the Lindwurm, and creating and activating the trap. Even Cocytus wouldn't hit properly if it were flying normally. It was achieved through everyone's coordination. In the first place, we wouldn't have even been able to come this far without the bowl. This nest existed even when we were active. But since we couldn't devise Flight Magic, we couldn't exterminate it. Everything results from the accumulation of various actions by various people in that way."
Well, if you put it that way, I suppose so...
"The essence of the spirit of coexistence and mutual prosperity is right there. The goal isn't just for everyone to live together happily and funly; it's important for everyone to coordinate to overcome difficulties. That's why priests of old took the lead in monster extermination. It's not individual division of labor. It's coordination where everyone unanimously achieves the same goal."
It's just as the Headmistress says. I'll obediently say I understand.
"By the way, say. About this snake extermination, if a subjugation reward or something were to be issued, how much would it have been?"
Beatrix changed the subject.
"Let's see. In the end, there were five C-rank Wyrms and one B-rank Lindwurm, so it would be twenty gold coins."
Facing such a monster, it's apparently ten gold coins per head.
I wonder if the long one in front of us will get angry and come back to life.
"But the scales and fangs sell for a high price, so altogether it won't be less than two hundred gold coins."
According to Eleanor-sama, a subjugation reward is, so to speak, something that grants honor, and one earns from the meat, skin, and fangs. It seems we might have been mistaken.
"It'll all be taken for training expenses, won't it?"
"That's right. But since Katherine's simple magic circle alone costs eight hundred gold coins, it doesn't result in a profit."
"Somehow, the digits are so different that I'm starting to not understand well."
"Thanks to that, the orphanage's management will be stable for a while. Do your best for your juniors too."
When she says that, I can't say anything.
"But the treasures collected by this Lindwurm can be shared among us on the spot."
That's right. Lindwurms aren't snake bosses but are of the dragon lineage, so they apparently have a habit of collecting treasure.
It had stored stones of various colors. Magic Crystal Stones... so-called Magic Stones.
For a magic tool shop, they are items to drool over, and Angelica-san is already appraising them. One apparently costs five gold coins, and usually, they collect ones rolling around in the corners of the silver mine. Dwarves probably collect them and sell them to humans. They must be buying alcohol. During the cave investigation, Harris-sama always brought wine, so they became quite close, and after the storytelling, it would turn into a simple drinking party. I haven't gone since then, but since the Archbishop made a promise to go play with the Priestess once every two or three months, I'll probably be called too.
There were more than twenty of those stones.
"Is it alright if the Marcelo Company buys these?"
Angelica-san is all smiles. When they become magic tools, the price becomes many times higher. It's truly a mountain of treasure.
In the end, the portion for the trio from the Royal Capital would be taken back to the capital for research, and Flora took one for herself, including portions for Dune and Mel, saying she would use it as material for spirit stones, but the rest were all bought by the Marcelo Company. Simultaneously, she received an order from Eleanor-sama for magic tools using Magic Stones as cores.
There were two per person, so it's ten gold coins each. Since the training allowance was eight gold coins for participating eight times, it became an unexpected income. The debt among friends for Beatrix and Matilda can probably be repaid with this.
"Lindwurm wings have magic defense high enough to repel mid-level magic, but since I made them tattered with magic, they will surely be bought cheaply. Since it's frustrating, let's just give them to the Class of 175. Please use them as lining for clothes and hats. That way, the magic defense for Flora, Bonnie, and the rearguard will also increase. Also, I will give three peeled scales to the vanguards. They make good shields that are incomparably lighter and stronger than steel, so have Matilda make them. We will also distribute these to the Jaeger unit, so you don't have to worry about it."
There, Henry-sama brought several leather bags containing large chunks of Lindwurm meat and placed them at Mary's feet.
"This is the portion that tore off while making the slices. If made into dried meat, it becomes a medicine excellent for nourishment and tonic. It will sell for a high price if sold at a herbalist's. It would be good to distribute some to the Priestess as well."
Everyone cheered at the quite luxurious presents.