174 - Chapter 10 Epilogue
In the forest.
I stood before a soil-colored Land Dragon that came charging toward me, sweeping and crushing the trees in its path.
Huge forelegs.
A massive head.
In contrast, the lower half of its body looked small compared to the upper half.
The Land Dragon I saw in the First Generation's Room of Memories had been gray, but the Land Dragons here were soil-colored and appeared one size smaller.
Having told the adventurer guides to fall back, we were fighting multiple Land Dragons—four of them.
Holding my saber in my right hand, I checked the surrounding situation.
"Is everything okay with Aria and Miranda? May, Eva, and Clara too. Novem and Monica... though they don't seem worried from the start."
I had divided the party into four groups, with each dealing with a Land Dragon. With four of them, they had likely coordinated to defeat many adventurers and knights.
I could see movements that looked like coordination among the four, and it certainly felt troublesome.
Behind me, Shannon was—
"You could have just let me wait as a porter! Why did you bring me along too!"
—wailing.
I hadn't wanted to bring her, but Miranda had insisted on it. It seemed she thought that if Shannon gained some experience, something might change.
Though she possessed a Magic Eye, Shannon was not the combat type. She was the kind of person who liked to pretend to be an intellectual who manipulated people from the shadows.
That intellectual facade had long since peeled away, and she was now treated as the party's mascot.
(Mascot... between Monica and Shannon, I guess it would be Shannon?)
As I was thinking this, the Land Dragon in front of me looked up and attempted to roar. It might have been intending to coordinate with its comrades.
In the dark forest where trees were densely packed, a clearing had been formed only where the Land Dragons had rampaged.
Once you entered the forest, they were easy to find. However, I hadn't heard there were four of them.
"Could you please shut up? My ears are starting to hurt. Lightning!"
As I pointed my left arm toward the Land Dragon, purple lightning generated and struck the Land Dragon's head directly. Its power had increased since before, and the Land Dragon shook its head violently and took a step back.
Shannon shouted from behind.
"Fire more of them! Bang bang! Then you'll win!"
Naturally, doing that would lead to victory. However, currently, I—
'Lyell, don't forget to fight while giving instructions to those around you.'
'Look, it seems May-chan and the others are having trouble. Clara-chan isn't moving, just waiting for instructions.'
'Look at the whole picture. If detailed instructions are impossible, general ones will do. Grasp the surrounding situation and convey it using your skill.'
'From now on, you must also be trained as a commander. Well, this is a fitting opponent. Do your best, Lyell.'
I didn't think a Land Dragon was a "fitting" opponent, but it was true that in my current state, I could handle four of them.
I had that much combat power, but fighting the enemy in front of me while giving instructions was difficult. Moreover, my comrades were fighting in distant locations.
Making a gesture as if putting my left hand to my ear, I checked the status of my comrades fighting elsewhere.
I confirmed and gave instructions.
"Clara, small fry are gathering around. Leave the support for Eva and May, and don't let the small fry get close."
'Yes.'
Clara drew a handgun from the holster at her waist and aimed it in the direction the monsters were approaching. It was the handgun she received from Vera, it was smaller than the one I had, but easier to handle.
"Miranda, don't overdo it over there. Restrain them first, then strike. I'll head over to support once I have some leeway."
'Hmm, I think I'll be finished before then.'
Checking the situation through Miranda's vision, I saw a Land Dragon rendered immobile by Miranda's new skill.
It looked as if its movements were sealed by a massive amount of spiderwebs, and I could see the Land Dragon struggling desperately to shake off the sticky threads.
As for Aria, she was slashing at that Land Dragon, carving away its thick hide.
"...I see. Then this is the last one. Monica... Novem... you two, fight properly."
Realizing that things were fine at Miranda's end, I checked on Novem and the others. While the Land Dragon in front of me kept its distance, wary of me...
I stabbed my saber into the ground and drew the gun from the holster at my lower back. When I fired the black handgun at the Land Dragon, the bullet missed the Land Dragon's massive body and hit a tree behind it.
Behind me, Shannon covered her mouth.
"...Pfft!"
She was suppressing a laugh.
Then, from the comrades I was connected to—
'Lyell, did you even practice? Stop trying to look cool and get it together!'
Hearing Aria's irritated voice, I shifted my focus and gave instructions to Novem and the others.
"Monica, you make sure to coordinate properly."
'Telling me this now... Besides, I have complaints about this arrangement. What is the meaning of this, pairing me with that vixen? I, Monica, cannot unleash my full power unless I am by the side of that chicken coward!'
As for Novem.
'Monica-san, I am going to use magic, so could you please hold it down?'
They were quite relaxed.
The Third Generation told me there was a problem with my personnel placement.
'Lyell, you have to be careful with the composition. Novem-chan's group has excessive combat power. You should have left only Monica-chan there and moved Novem-chan to other support or to support Lyell.'
The Fourth Generation agreed.
'Dividing the party into four was also a bit... You could have divided them into three, or divided them into two and aimed to defeat them individually.'
While the criticisms continued, I finished giving instructions and, while still holding the handgun, took the saber with my left hand and pulled it from the ground.
"If I can't hit it from here, I'll just have to get closer!"
Kicking off the ground, I approached the Land Dragon and pulled the trigger of the handgun at point-blank range.
When the bullet hit the Land Dragon's hard skin, it did indeed penetrate, likely due to its power. However, for a creature as massive as a Land Dragon, the effect was negligible.
As it tried to sweep me away with a large foreleg, I jumped up from the spot and threw the saber, stabbing it into the opponent's left eye.
Landing and circling to the Land Dragon's left side to stay out of its sight, I aimed the gun at the remaining right eye.
One shot. Two shots.
The bullets that missed hit the Land Dragon's ferocious lower jaw, but they did not penetrate.
(I'd probably hit if I used it simultaneously with the Second Generation's skill...)
I was firing the gun without using skills for practice, and thanks to that, I wasn't hitting.
The Fifth Generation observed the power.
'No wonder it's not popular. The power is too mediocre. Even for a dragon subspecies, if it's this ineffective, I wouldn't think of spending a lot of money to equip it. Besides, while it's easier than a bow, imagine how much practice is required to handle it... Guns really aren't the way.'
The Seventh Generation countered that opinion.
'It's because the skill isn't being utilized as a magic tool! If it were utilized, more power would be produced!'
It interfered with the Jewel's skills, so it was inevitably incompatible with magic tools. There was no problem using it as a simple handgun, but to use a magic tool's skill, I would have to deactivate the Jewel's skill.
The Fourth Generation added.
'Isn't the premise itself flawed? I think it's convenient to have, but this is a bit... I wouldn't think of equipping a large number of them.'
Finally, after getting close and blinding the Land Dragon's eye, I leaped back and put the gun back in the holster.
Raising both hands.
"Thunder Clap!"
Lightning fell from the sky. Shannon was shaking violently, hiding behind a tree.
The lightning struck directly, and a burnt smell wafted from the slowly collapsing Land Dragon.
The Third Generation evaluated my combat.
'Blinding the vision and then a powerful magic strike... not bad, but as expected, Lyell has few means of attack against hard opponents.'
If I used the Jewel and summoned the greatsword, the fight would be decided instantly. But it was problematic that that was my only option.
The greatsword, bow, and halberd consumed a large amount of mana.
My current situation was that if I encountered a strong enemy when my mana was low, I would have no choice but to flee. Though, since I had comrades, such a possibility was low.
The Fifth Generation mentioned a simple solution.
'...Weapons. In Lyell's case, he's incompatible with magic tools. Considering that, he just needs to possess several sturdy weapons that omit skills. There are weapons that can cut iron in their raw state. The time has come to acquire such weapons.'
Once the Fifth Generation said that, the Fourth Generation agreed. It seemed they had viewed my consumption of mass-produced items as a problem for some time.
'He uses so many sabers as disposables. Thinking about the future, it's about time he got a masterpiece and considered cost-performance.'
Whether in terms of ability or finances, the time had come to obtain such weapons.
Turning around, I spoke to Shannon.
"Shannon, the battles in the other areas will end soon. Wait here until then."
I wondered if I should go help, but the battles elsewhere were also nearing their end.
Shannon came to my side.
"...I could never have imagined in the past that Big Sister would defeat a dragon. I wonder why she became like that."
To the depressed Shannon, I—
"It's your fault."
Saying so, I waited for everyone to gather. It was then.
I shifted my gaze to the surroundings, specifically toward a place I found suspicious. Shannon, looking at me, shifted her gaze there and narrowed her eyes.
There was no reaction from my skill. No, there was far too little.
The Fifth Generation, looking slightly tense.
'Our skills can't detect it? No, is it a skill that prevents detection? Lyell, be on guard.'
As Shannon and I looked that way, the opponent apparently became wary and kept their distance.
Shannon said.
"Something about them was totally out of place. I wonder if they intended to hide?"
She tilted her head and followed the fleeing group with her eyes.
—Miranda was looking at the skill [Wire Net] she had spread through the trees.
Even for a dragon subspecies, the power of a Land Dragon cannot be underestimated. Such a Land Dragon had been entangled in sticky threads, and Aria was sitting on its head, out of breath.
Blood was flowing from its neck, creating a pool of blood on the ground.
Miranda, while staying alert to the surroundings.
"That was quite wild. You were like a hero from some story, Aria."
To the smiling Miranda, Aria wiped the blood splatter from her face with her hand, looking displeased.
"Thanks for that. More importantly, any word from Lyell..."
Then, both of them seemed to hear Lyell's voice and sighed.
Miranda, while checking the surroundings.
"No one needed help anywhere, huh."
Aria climbed down from the head and stood on the ground, then looked back at the Land Dragon's body entangled in threads.
"...We didn't need it here, but I guess the others didn't need help either. Besides, Miranda's skill is truly nasty."
Miranda, who never lost her smile, said to Aria with a smile.
"Thank you. Aria's skill is also manly and cool."
Exchanging sarcasm, the two checked their equipment and returned to Lyell.
The two, who could confirm the information obtained by Lyell's skill in their heads, proceeded through the forest without hesitation—.
—A petite girl kicked away the massive foreleg of a Land Dragon with her small, thin leg.
May flipped her body in mid-air and kicked up the approaching Land Dragon's head.
Despite the massive difference in size, it was as if the Land Dragon was being played with.
"Sigh, it's easier in my Kirin form, but Lyell won't let me."
As May landed on the ground, she extended her right arm sideways and produced a Kirin's horn from her palm.
As she swung the horn at the attacking Land Dragon, the Land Dragon's large arm flew off.
Seeing this, Eva, while aiming her bow.
"Hey, wrap this up quickly! I'm dealing with other monsters over here!"
She shot an arrow through a frog-like monster that had approached.
Clara was also dealing with monsters, as if testing the gun she had just received.
May saw that.
"I'm drawing them in so they don't go elsewhere, okay? Besides, we have the most people here, so just bear with it."
After confirming that Lyell and the others had also finished their battle, May swung her right hand and sliced off the Land Dragon's head.
Landing on the back of the collapsing Land Dragon without getting splashed by blood, she reacted with a twitch and looked in a certain direction.
There was no reaction from Lyell's skill, but May's five senses told her something was there.
As she looked, the opponent stopped moving and slowly retreated.
May said to Eva.
"Hey, could you shoot an arrow over there?"
However, Eva was too busy dealing with other monsters and couldn't.
"I can't! More importantly, help me out!"
May was curious, but since it was moving away, she decided it was fine for now and ran toward Eva and Clara.
Then, Clara said.
"Please wait. ...Lyell-san told us to be careful of our surroundings. To stay together and not drift apart as much as possible. It seems there is something that cannot be detected by skills."
Clara spoke while opening the cylinder of the gun and replacing the bullets.
Her movements were clumsy, as if she wasn't used to it.
Eva looked around, listened intently, and took an arrow from her quiver and aimed it.
"Wait, even Lyell can't detect it? It seems relying too much on skills is no good."
Then, Eva heard a sound and fired an arrow in that direction.
Even though it was an empty space, the arrow was deflected, and the three of them immediately heightened their alert.
May stepped forward to protect the two.
"It's not a monster, is it? Maybe a human."
As the three stood back-to-back on guard, the presence drifted away—.
—Monica placed her giant hammer on the ground and looked at the crushed Land Dragon.
After Novem's magic stopped its movement, Monica had moved behind it and swung the giant hammer down.
The lower body was in a terrible state, but Monica breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that even this would be traded at a high price, ensuring the household finances.
"Sigh, with this, I've easily cleared the target amount. Still, I cannot accept being paired with that vixen. I am a being who shines only when devoting myself to that chicken coward. My position to shine as a supporting role is diagonally behind the chicken coward!"
Looking at the noisy Monica, Novem gave a wry smile.
However, when Lyell's voice was heard, she listened intently to it.
Seeing this, Monica looked envious.
"Damn it... He kissed me on the ship, but once he went back to his usual self, he pushed me away, saying I wasn't necessary... Sigh, I wonder when the next fever time will be."
A line had already been established between Lyell and Monica, and for that reason, they didn't need a kiss when using the skill—Connection—.
Monica, disappointed by this, felt envious of the other members.
"In that case, I'll gradually increase his calorie intake every day and make him suffer over his weight."
While grinning as she thought of a mean prank, Monica's red eyes widened and she readied her giant hammer.
Releasing her left hand from the handle, she took a small knife from her sleeve and threw it toward the area of concern.
Monica's eyes accurately captured the existence that Lyell had failed to fully grasp.
Novem also readied her staff and, toward the place where Monica threw the knife—.
"Earth Hand!"
An arm of earth intended for restraint emerged from the ground and went toward the invisible enemy. Monica's knife was floating in mid-air, appearing to be stabbed into something. Floating in the air, red blood was flowing.
Then, the knife and the red blood slowly disappeared.
The Earth Hand created by magic was suddenly torn to shreds in mid-air.
Novem saw this and looked around.
"...Over there."
"Vixen, get back!"
Monica called out, but Novem did not retreat.
Changing the shape of her staff into a great scythe, Novem blocked the invisible enemy's attack. The opponent, seemingly surprised by this, retreated.
Monica tried to chase, but she stopped when an order from Lyell came not to pursue.
Novem looked into the forest as if watching the back of the fleeing opponent—.
"Damn it! Having too much information made me keep Search active, and that backfired."
Once the comrades gathered, I wanted to disconnect Connection and use the Sixth Generation's skill—Real Spec—to observe the surrounding situation.
It was hard to see, but there were certainly multiple red reactions there.
The other members, who weren't used to it, couldn't process the amount of information from Real Spec. It would cause headaches and become a burden, so I hadn't used it.
Unable to use it midway and interfere with the battle, I could only wait until my comrades arrived.
Miranda, looking at me, asked about what to do next.
"What's the plan? I don't think we'll lose, but we spent quite a bit of time getting to this forest. We don't have much time to spend chasing them around."
I thought about what the enemy's objective in attacking us was.
(Celes's henchmen? Did she or those around her send assassins? But this is Cartaphus. If they were to do it, Beim would be more efficient.)
My thoughts weren't organized, but I looked around.
"The monsters in this forest have started to get restless. Once we collect the materials, let's return to the guild. I can't spend any more time on something that doesn't seem to be worth any money."
It was frustrating, but I didn't have the luxury to chase them.
Besides, the opponent was only showing movements as if probing us.
Inside the Jewel, the Third Generation agreed with my opinion.
'Since there's no time, any more is impossible. But if they attack, we'll have to deal with it. Nighttime might be troublesome.'
I immediately decided to choose the night watch.
—In a place away from the forest, Larc was pulling a knife out of his arm.
"That woman... even my skill had no effect. Honestly, if I was going to attack, I should have picked different people. It would have been better to kill the man first."
The observation of Novem and the others, who were excellent adventurers.
Originally, the goal was to learn the opponent's combat power, but Larc had grown greedy and made a move. However, his approach was noticed, and he was repelled.
A female companion apologized to Larc.
"I am sorry. I didn't expect there to be someone with a skill to detect us nearby..."
"No, thanks to that, I want them even more. I don't need that bastard, but the others are top-grade. Though there was one woman I didn't think anything of. If she's strong, I don't mind keeping her by my side."
Everyone wore expensive robes, which had skills engraved on them.
They were magic tools with the effect of preventing detection by skills and making the wearer disappear from sight.
"Larc-sama, please let me treat your injury."
Showing his injured arm to a woman skilled in healing magic, Larc glared at the woman who had created the magic tools.
"Hey, your magic tools really were effective, right?"
The woman nodded repeatedly, terrified by Larc's anger.
"I-I'm sorry. B-but... since we were able to get close, they must have been effective. S-since they are my original magic tools, they s-should not be known to the general public."
Larc, looking toward the forest from the timid woman, looked at his treated arm. The wound had closed, and no scar remained.
"...I thought I could lure one or two with my skill, but it didn't work. In that case, it would have been better to have the young lady of the Trace Family bring them in. Damn it! I just wasted time."
Larc, looking irritated, had confirmed Lyell's combat power from nearby. Realizing that he couldn't win in a direct confrontation, he immediately decided to charm and extract one or two of them.
The skill to charm the opposite sex, [Charm].
Possessing this, Larc was in a very advantageous position against women.
However, even Charm had limitations.
He could attract a woman's attention to some extent, but if he truly wanted to make her his—he needed to use the second-stage skill, [Temptation].
However, Temptation had the drawback that once used, it could not be used again for a while.
"...The same trick won't work twice on the same opponent. We retreat here. If I could have snatched the Land Dragon materials, I might have had an opportunity for an audience with Ludmilla."
The women around him listened to Larc's words with adoration.
The skills engraved on the robes lost their effect, and as Larc cast them aside, several people scrambled to grab them.
Larc, with a large black greatsword on his back.
"Well, a chance will come eventually. I'll just be patient until then... until I become the king of this country. Once I bring Ludmilla down, the rest is mine."
As Larc started walking toward the horses they had tied up, the women also began to move—.
—Inside the Jewel.
The four were thinking about the appearance of the attackers and their purpose.
The Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh were gathered around a round table, guessing who the opponent was.
'As for me, based on the information Lyell obtained, perhaps that young adventurer?'
At the Third's opinion, those around him nodded. The Fourth took off his glasses and began wiping the lenses.
'Most likely. They possess some kind of skill to charm the opponent. No, I suspect it's limited to the opposite sex.'
The Fifth, even knowing this, seemed to have no interest in the young adventurer themselves.
'Whether they moved on Celes's orders, or those around Celes moved. It would be easier if they were acting alone.'
The Seventh said irritably.
'If we had the time, we would be crushing them. However, Cartaphus really did have some troublesome adventurers. I believe they should be eliminated early?'
Rather than troublesome, it was a too-dangerous skill. Moreover, the possessor was, by any measure, a dangerous person.
Those who wanted Cartaphus's cooperation were thinking of how to eliminate the nuisance.
'There's no evidence this time. Even if Lyell disposes of them, it would be a problem. We need to obtain some kind of evidence—'
Just as the Third said that, the sound of a door opening was heard in the round table room inside the Jewel.
Everyone's gaze swept the surroundings. Currently, everyone was gathered here. It was unthinkable for the door to someone's Room of Memories to open.
Then, as the four's gazes turned toward Lyell's Room of Memories...
A woman emerged from there.
It wasn't Celes. The woman, who looked more adult than Celes, appeared to be in her twenties. The first to react was the Fifth. He stood up from his chair and widened his eyes as he looked at the woman.
'...Mireia, why are you here?'
Seeing the Fifth break into a sweat, the remaining three also stood up and heightened their guard. Amidst this, the woman with long, wavy, light purple hair scanned the group with golden eyes.
Dressed in white, she lifted the hem of her skirt and gave a beautiful bow.
Mireia Walt—or Mireia Sarkrai—was not a possessor of the Walt family's Jewel.
Her existence here was strange.
Mireia spoke.
'It is a pleasure to meet you, Third Generation Slay-sama, Fourth Generation Marks-sama, and Seventh Generation Broad-sama. And, it has been a long time, Father.'
Her appearance resembled Miranda's.
However, she had a more mature and composed atmosphere than Miranda. Furthermore, her golden eyes were the same Magic Eye as Shannon's.
'I am Mireia... Mireia Walt. I am the guide who was summoned because Lyell, the owner of the room, has not entered for some time. It seems I was chosen as the most suitable among the members of the Walt family.'
The successive heads within the Jewel were, without exception, beings of memory. They had will, but their souls were not sealed within.
The same applied to Mireia, who stood before the four.
Mireia herself was dead, and was a being of memory alone—.
However, that was strange. Mireia had never once touched the Jewel—not even when it was a blue orb.
The Seventh spoke.
'A guide? To emerge from a Room of Memories, such a thing is...'
Leaving the confused successive heads behind, Mireia smiled.
'Lyell needs to know everything. That is the will of the Jewel. It would be problematic to leave him neglected forever.'
When Mireia spoke of the Jewel's will, the successive heads became even more bewildered.
The Third muttered.
'The will of the Jewel? What on earth is that—'
Mireia (ノ´∀｀) "I've come out!"
The Fifth (；゜Д゜) "O-oh?"
The Fourth (；-@∀@) "M-my wife!? My wife isn't coming out, right!? Right!?"
??? |д゜) Peek* "I've come."
...Yes.
With this, Chapter 10 ends.
Chapter 10 was a bit halfway. I was writing while feeling light-headed, so before I knew it, things had become strange.
I actually want to answer the questions in the comments section in the activity report. But since that's difficult right now, I'll prioritize updates.
My memory of Chapter 10 is that the growth of comments was strange before Lyell-san appeared? I'm incredibly anxious about whether I lived up to expectations.
From next time, Chapter 11... if I can't think of a chapter title, I might leave it untitled.
Well then, see you in Chapter 11. Bye! (ノシ)