Chapter 353 - Chapter 16: Sea Serpent Extermination ②
Just as I was about to go outside and tell everyone the plan, that's when it happened. A roar like a thunderbolt was heard from outside. Human screams were also heard. Simultaneously, Sianya ran in, pulling Miana by the hand.
"Urgent report! We've been attacked by a sea serpent! Currently, we are fighting a defensive battle under Magdalena-sama's command! They wish to know if they may retreat to this cave in order and lure the sea serpent inside!"
Eleanor-sama catches Miana, who looks like she's about to cry. Edward-sama calls out to Beowulf, and the two of them take positions to protect everyone.
It seems the bowl monitoring the sky sensed the sea serpent's approach. Magdalena-sama apparently left one bowl for scouting, landed the remaining bowls, and deployed magic defense. Simultaneously, they are apparently fighting back with silver bows and arrows while Wilson-san creates a wall with Wind Barrier to repel the enemy's attacks.
"As expected of Magdalena. She knows the trick to fighting so as not to let the opponent escape." Eleanor-sama says the trick is to make the opponent think they can break through if they try hard. The counterattack is only with bows and arrows, and they are devoted to defense without calling for reinforcements. The sea serpent probably thinks it can attack with lightning and fire from a safe zone.
The situation has changed abruptly. We intended to prepare and meet the enemy, but we were ambushed. However, Alex is here, and there's an escape route, so escaping will be easy.
"Edward-dono. We shall accept Magdalena's suggestion, retreat here in order, and meet the enemy. Let's finish the sea serpent extermination." Eleanor-sama changed the strategy on the fly.
"I shall deliver the message!" Beowulf runs even though she hasn't received instructions. It's to convey the instruction to retreat in order. Utilizing the effect of the Cat's Stone, I overtook her and went outside.
The sea serpent is a bit away. It pokes its face out of the sea and unleashes lightning.
To protect the ice defense wall, Wind Barriers are deployed in front and above to protect everyone. The one operating the front wall is Wilson-san. It should be fine even if it's rammed. Most likely, the magic barrier is even further in front. Archers are aiming at the sea serpent with trajectories that fly over the gaps in the air walls; they won't hit at all. In short, it's a feint to prevent the sea serpent from approaching easily.
I unleash Light with full power.
"Lower the front Wind Barrier and deactivate the magic barrier! Maintain the upper one!" The voice of Magdalena-sama, standing in the center with her sword drawn, rings out. As expected of a Queen. She is truly dignified. With the obstacles gone, the sea serpent, hating to be bathed directly in the light, temporarily disappeared into the sea.
"Magdalena-sama! Eleanor-sama has sent word that she accepts your suggestion." Beowulf caught up. Edward-sama also ran up from behind. Magdalena-sama replied that she understood and gave further instructions.
"Archers! Use normal arrows! Wait with them drawn! We'll fire a volley when it comes out!" The archers draw their bows with arrows notched all at once. They aren't silver arrows.
Bonnie is in the bowl flying above. Bonnie reports the sea serpent's position. Along with that, Magdalena-sama changes the direction she points her sword, and subsequently, the archers adjust the direction they aim their bows to match the sword.
"Everyone except the magic corps and archers, retreat to the cave!" First, the withdrawal of the close-combat personnel. Edward-sama is shouting "This way, this way!" while pointing to the cave. Once the withdrawal was finished, Edward-sama was also pulled away by Beowulf and retreated. Only one commander is needed.
In their place, one male coastal spirit, Harris-sama, Beatrix, and Mary came running out. The coastal spirit called his companions and is fleeing into the cave.
"Freeze!" Beatrix and Mary strengthen the defense wall so it won't be broken.
"Ascending!" It must be the signal for the sea serpent's appearance. When Bonnie shouted, the bowl went up.
"Deploy magic defense!" The archers are aiming in the direction Magdalena-sama points her sword. The sea surface swelled for a moment.
"Archers! Fire!" The archers fire all at once. Numerous arrows rain down around the sea serpent. A few hit but were bounced off by the scales.
"Raise the front Wind Barrier!" After a short interval, the Wind Barrier, which had moved while lowered, protects the front. Lightning fell from overhead with a roar, but it was weakened by the magic defense and then repelled by the Wind Barrier protecting the head.
When I point the Light, it dives into the sea again.
"Archers, retreat into the cave! Magic corps, make the deployment width of the Wind Barrier smaller than the defense wall." Simultaneously, she instructs Bonnie in the sky to withdraw. In her place, Beatrix prepared a bowl. Harris-sama and Mary are already on board.
"Magdalena-sama! Wilson-san! Jeanne too! Get on this!" By the time the bowl carrying Magdalena-sama, who had instructed the magic corps to withdraw, and Beatrix ascended, the sea serpent appeared. We seem to be serving as decoys and head toward the sea serpent. When I drive it away by unleashing Light, it dropped one bolt of lightning just before diving.
Unfortunately, Harris-sama is deploying Magic Reflection overhead, and Wilson-san is solidifying it with a Wind Barrier. We repel it without difficulty and give chase.
"Have you heard anything about what to do after the withdrawal?" Harris-sama, asked by Magdalena-sama, briefly explained the measures Eleanor-sama had thought of. In short, it's the same as the first one.
"It's coming!" Just as I was bracing myself to illuminate it when it came out, it slammed into the ice defense wall just like that. It slid in as if it had slipped and entered inside the defense wall. Even if I illuminate the back of its head, it's not very effective since it's not strengthened. My decision to keep it only to feints so as not to let it escape backfired.
The sea serpent unleashed lightning several times and broke the ice defense wall in several places. Seawater pours into the inside of the defense wall in a torrent.
"Ah! Blood is flowing out!" By the time half of the cave was submerged, reddish-black blood flowed out from the cave. It stained the surroundings reddish-black and was filled with a fishy smell. Since seawater entered, they must have taken off the first one's head and delivered the finishing blow. Otherwise, the one they went to the trouble of freezing would melt from the seawater and revive.
The sea serpent watched the pool of blood for a while, but then it turned back, went outside the defense wall, and dove away just like that.
In the plan, we were supposed to block the middle of the cave with an ice wall made with Glaciate. Once the sea serpent outside entered, Mary was supposed to block it from the outside with Glaciate, sandwiching it with ice and cooling it. Unfortunately, we let it escape.
"I thought it would get angry and go inside." The Glaciate Mary had prepared ended up being a swing and a miss. It's quite different from a Lindwurm.
"Snakes are used as metaphors for cold-bloodedness, but maybe that's actually true." Snakes and serpents of the world might get angry if they heard that, but I can understand Beatrix's point.
"It's a reset. Shall we withdraw as well?" Magdalena-sama also looks disappointed, but it can't be helped. We decided to go up to the cape and join the escape group.
When we went up, the escape group, transported by Alex with Teleport, greeted us.
"I am terribly sorry. Henry-sama and Edward-sama remained until the very end." A Primordian soldier said apologetically. He must be apologizing for escaping before the royalty.
"That is only natural. The honor of being the rearguard is borne by the strongest warriors. Edward-dono is unmistakably the strongest warrior in Primordia. There is no need for you to apologize." Magdalena-sama said it bluntly. So cool.
A stir arose among the Primordian soldiers. Sianya and Miana came running.
"You were safe. I'm relieved." She is hugging Miana.
"Grandfather and Grandmother are still inside."
"It's fine. Edward-dono is with them."
The escape group all gathered around Magdalena-sama. The coastal spirits are also with them.
"I believe there were no fatalities. Are there any injured?" She has completely returned to her usual Queen self. Fortunately, there were no injured. Magdalena-sama's command must have been skillful.
While we were doing that, the rearguard returned along with Alex. It was Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, Edward-sama, and Beowulf. Magdalena-sama explained what happened outside and said there were no losses. Eleanor-sama also praised Magdalena-sama.
"I'm glad everyone is safe. The initial target sea serpent has been subjugated, thanks to the efforts of everyone, starting with Edward-dono. Since it's frozen, we should be able to secure the profits as well. The second one, the bonus, unfortunately got away, but let's save that for the next fun. However, to see through a trap calmly without giving in to momentary emotions and withdraw—it is admirable even for an enemy. We humans must learn from it as well." When Henry-sama said that with a smile, everyone laughed and clapped.
The initial target sea serpent was successfully subjugated. On the spot, the success and end of the operation were declared. However, the second one remains. Since there is a possibility of retaliation, countermeasures were immediately considered. As a result, for the time being, the necessity of banning small fishing boats in the vicinity from going out to sea was pointed out, though large trading vessels are a different story. Simultaneously, it was judged necessary to mobilize navy ships on a large scale and monitor the sea with aerial scouts operating bowls.
"I will send a letter to my uncle via a simple magic circle. Also, we must quickly notify the local fishermen. I'll write a letter to the village head of the southern coast. Sianya, will you help me?"
"Understood. Let's divide the letters among the aerial scouts and distribute them."
The two royals immediately went into action. Simultaneously, the soldiers were told to rest. It's already evening. Fishermen probably won't go out either. If the notice of the fishing ban spreads by the end of today, they should take tomorrow off.
As monster hunters and not soldiers, we have nothing to do with that. We'll enter the lighthouse and consider measures for the second one.
"It probably hasn't gone very far. Also, it might be considering the possibility that we will pursue it."
"Let's put out a decoy early to avoid unnecessary damage."
Eleanor-sama and Magdalena-sama discussed and a strategy for the second one was formulated. They also obtained the approval of Edward-sama, who had finished writing the letters. The start of the operation was set for tomorrow. Hurriedly, two high-speed bowls flew off in two directions, north and south, to deliver the letters to the village heads.
By the way, we have to deal with the frozen sea serpent. Even if it's frozen, if left in seawater for a night, the ice will melt. If it gets damaged, its value will drop. According to the coastal spirits, there is no poison in the meat. It has a light taste and is reasonably edible. It can also be made into jerky. When I asked Alex, he said humans should stop. After consulting, we decided to take the fangs and skin for the humans and give all the meat to the coastal spirits.
Once again, we build a defense wall and drain half the water. Since ice floats, it will be easy to pull if it's sealed in ice. Riding in Eleanor-sama's medium-sized bowl, we enter the cave, and one piece of ice was bobbing around. It's the head. When we drove a wedge into the ice, attached a rope, and pulled it out, it was easily transported. We carried it to the lighthouse as if hanging it. We deactivate the ice magic and dismantle it. Probably, there is almost no meat, so the targets are the long fangs and the part where poison is stored. It will surely sell for a good price.
The problem is the body. Because we froze it in a coiled state, it's too big to carry. We deactivate the ice magic and pull the body with the bowl, with the tail at the back, to straighten it. To my surprise, it exceeded the twenty-pace cave.
The land snake felt like a log, but the sea serpent is long and thin, shaped like a long fin. Under Henry-sama's guidance, Edward-sama, Beowulf, and Will cut it into rounds, and then a large group of people skinned it. During that time, I was the lighting person. Dozens of wooden boxes and barrels gathered from the vicinity were brought in, and Eleanor-sama, Harris-sama, Sianya, and Beatrix drew Anti-Sepsis magic circles on the bottoms, turning them into boxes for rot prevention. The meat will last for two weeks if chopped and put in there. It can be made into jerky during that time. It can also be smoked. Along with the coastal spirits, we carried the boxes containing the meat to the living quarters on the second floor.
After the series of tasks was finished, it was a banquet for everyone. The coastal spirits had gathered various seafood. We made a bonfire and lined up fish skewered and rubbed with salt around it. We dug a hole, threw in Fire Balls, covered it with an iron net, and lined up large conchs and bivalves. The fish sizzled, and the shells bubbled. When the scent of the tide and the savory smell of grilled shells and fish wafted through, my stomach started growling.
A bowl returned loaded with beer barrels. It seems Edward-sama arranged it.
"Magdalena-sama, Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, and Miana-sama. Thanks to all of you, we were able to establish a friendship with the coastal spirits and subjugate one sea serpent. We will continue to subjugate the second one from tomorrow, but first, I would like to toast to the efforts in subjugating the first one. Also, please rest assured that my house will cover all the alcohol costs for tonight."
A grand round of applause occurred. Next, a toast was made under Magdalena-sama's lead, and the banquet at the cape began.
Everyone's interest was suddenly focused on the coastal spirits. They are just too handsome and beautiful. Setting aside special people like royalty, ordinary people can't even compare. The six handsome men gathered can only just barely compete.
"They are spirits, after all. It's only natural that their appearance is beautiful. Their forms were almost directly created by the Goddess herself." Sianya is laughing. Humans are also supposed to be descendants of the gods originating from the Goddess, but their lifespans are short. It seems that as a result of the accumulation of tens or hundreds of generations, degradation has progressed.
Does that mean that? From now on, things will keep getting worse? There's no salvation at all.
"Well, I wonder. Since human values seem to change with the times, the standards of beauty might also change." I see, that's deep. It's so deep I don't really understand it, though.
"Jeanne, have you ever been to the continent?" Of course not. Though, it seems I might be made to go soon.
"I have been there. Before I became a cleric." It seems she went as a Princess. Primordia is the closest country on the White Island to the continent. They have also built friendly relations with a kingdom called Sertogne or something.
"On the continent, there were truly various kinds of people. Not just hair color and eye color, but skin color also differs depending on the land where they were born." I've heard that many ancient people had black hair and brown eyes. Indeed, the people from the north who claim to be descendants of the ancients, and the person who participated in the meeting calling themselves the Western Church whom I met in Primordia, were like that. Regarding skin color, it seems that when you go to the continent, there are people with black... or rather, dark brown skin. The world is a wide place. Of course, even if I say pitch black, it's fundamentally different from the color of demonized trees or black dragons. Since there are various people, it seems the standards of beauty also differ by country and region.
"The seasoning of the food such people eat is also completely different. According to people from the continent, the food on this island is not very desirable, it seems." In other words, tastes vary. I can understand that in its own way.
"But, we can live together without minding such differences. Seeing Jeanne getting along with Keira and Alex made me think so." I was thanked. People who are too smart are difficult to talk to.
"In short, I just want to get along. Because if I hate them, they'll hate me back. I don't want to make enemies, do I? I think it's the same whether it's a spirit or a monster." Compared to Sianya's talk, I think my answer is simple and doesn't seem very smart. "That's wonderful." I feel embarrassed being praised for such a simple answer.
"I'm sure that's exactly right. Spending time with Jeanne like this, there's something I've thought. Spirits do not hate humans. Perhaps even the Demon Race. They are just living in their own way. It might be that humans just arbitrarily think of them as enemies and are afraid. It might just be that human hearts are weak." So she said, and laughed.