338 - It's Okay to Cry
When I swung the katana in my hand, it was deflected by the great scythe Novem spun with both hands.
The whirling great scythe continued its motion, turning its blade toward me in an attack. Faced with its sharpness, I couldn't easily step forward.
Novem approached me. As I blocked with my sword, a golden dragon soared into the sky. It headed toward the place where the successive heads of the family were.
Novem intentionally forced a clash of strength, bringing her face close to mine.
"Now, please defeat me quickly. By Lariel's own hand—"
Being called by my name without the honorific felt very fresh. However, I couldn't afford to dwell on that right now.
Behind me, Aria shouted.
"Novem, that's enough—"
Novem's eyes narrowed, and a monster appeared beneath Aria's feet. A land dragon had appeared, but its scales looked like metal.
Aria's vision seemed mixed with noise. Something resembling a land dragon emerged from the ground and stood before Aria.
"What did you summon this time!"
As I forced myself away, Novem leaped backward with exaggerated motion. I felt as though I were merely being toyed with.
"It's a subspecies of land dragon. It wouldn't be interesting if the usual monsters were in the place where the floor master is, after all. Since it seemed to have no role to play, I dragged it along. It's strong. Aria might even lose and be killed."
Aria leveled her spear and faced the land dragon. Eva, Clara, Monica, and the Valkyries also moved in to support her.
Monica surveyed the whole scene and also lent her support to me. When lines of light attacked Novem, she maintained a calm expression while receiving them. Red light flared where the attacks hit.
She was generating shields with magic in specific areas.
"Tch! That vixen!"
Novem looked up at Monica, who was flying in the sky.
"...Do you really have the leisure to be concerned with me? I don't believe Aria and the others can win against that creature on their own."
Novem was right. For Aria, who was not primarily magic-based, the odds were poor against a land dragon subspecies with skin like metal.
She swung her spear, but the blade couldn't reach. Eva also provided support, but they seemed to be at a disadvantage. Furthermore, while Clara was skilled at support, she was poor at attack magic.
Monica narrowed her eyes and headed toward Aria and the others.
Novem smiled.
"Now, the nuisances are gone. It's just the two of us."
"You should say things like that in a place with more mood."
For me, that was the maximum response I could give. As I slashed at her, Novem dodged by a hair's breadth. I prepared magic in my left hand and fired it at close range as we passed each other, but Novem swatted the magic away with her bare hand.
The great scythe approached, and as I blocked it with my katana, I felt a strange sensation. Along with a creak.
"Tch!"
Novem muttered disappointedly.
"I should have prepared a stronger weapon for Lariel. Well, be more careful from now on."
Novem skillfully flicked my katana away with her great scythe. As the sword left my hand, I prepared magic in both hands.
"Fire Bullet!"
I fired low-tier fire magic from both hands, but Novem sliced through it with her great scythe. Seizing that moment, I closed in and clung to Novem's body. I had been thinking of using a joint lock or strangling her.
However, Novem didn't budge even as I put my full weight into it.
"Magic when you have no weapon, and bare hands when that fails. Wonderful."
Novem lifted me with her left hand and threw me away. I took the fall and stood up immediately, but Novem was no longer in front of me.
Then, from behind.
"That will, which does not easily break—as expected."
A voice spoke near my ear. A chill ran down my spine, and I leaped away from the spot. Novem was giggling as she looked at me. Just like when a prank had succeeded.
"My heart's already about to break because I've run out of moves, though?"
As I said this while breaking into a cold sweat, Novem replied with a smile.
"If you give up, everyone will die. Now, kill me, Lariel."
As Novem closed in rapidly, I drew the handgun from the holster at my lower back. I fired, but Novem dodged at a speed that left afterimages and approached me.
I blocked a strike from the great scythe with the handgun. As expected of the gun I received from Vera. It was able to withstand Novem's blow.
However.
"I won't let myself be killed by that much. Besides—you missed the vitals, didn't you?"
The smiling Novem became expressionless. I had unconsciously avoided the vitals, and she apparently didn't like that.
"—What the hell do you want me to do?"
Could I actually save Novem? The means of saving her—liberating her from being a Goddess or an Evil God—was a path I didn't want to choose.
—The successive heads of the family stopped their arguing and looked up at the sky.
"No way."
The members of the Walt family, who had been noisy, had fallen silent to the point where the Second Generation's mutter was audible. In the sky, a dragon with golden scales—and a giant red horn—looked down upon the successive heads.
Everyone was speechless, but Lariel and the others' conversation could be heard, albeit mixed with noise.
The Fifth Generation gripped the hilt of his whip-sword.
"The master of the underground labyrinth that humanity cannot reach, huh. This thing is—"
The First Generation was trembling. The dragon's presence was truly that of a ruler of the earth, despite being in the sky. A dragon that even possessed a sense of divinity.
It wasn't a name given by humans, but Novem called it a Legend Dragon. It must truly be a legendary class monster.
The Sixth Generation silently readied his halberd.
The Third Generation also silently gazed at the legend in the sky.
Into that scene.
"That dragon is my preyyy!!"
The Seventh Generation, riding a horse, rushed in, drew a silver handgun, and fired at the dragon. However, from the opposite side, something had attacked even sooner.
"Too bad. I'm the first one here."
Pushing up his glasses and successively stabbing daggers into parts of the dragon he believed to be weak was the Fourth Generation.
The First Generation shouted.
"You lot! I'm the one who found it first! I'm the one who's taking it! Hey, you bastards!"
The First Generation's soldiers let out war cries, and the Second Generation's soldiers urged the Second Generation forward.
The Second Generation looked on with exasperation, but his eyes were sharp as he watched the dragon.
"If I defeat this thing... I'll become a legend. In other words, the strongest of all generations."
At those words, the Sixth Generation laughed boisterously, leaped up, and slashed the dragon. A powerful strike from the halberd left a wound on the dragon's scales.
"I'm the strongest!!"
Then, the Seventh Generation yelled at the Sixth Generation.
"Father, we're going to taxidermy it, so please don't leave scratches on the surface as much as possible! I'll blow it out from the inside with this bomb and make it a magnificent specimen."
Zel was the one handing bombs to the Seventh Generation, who was preparing with glee. Then, the Fifth Generation, who had extended his whip-sword and wrapped it around the dragon's neck, leaped onto the dragon.
"You, that's cowardly!"
As the First Generation shouted for the Fifth Generation to come down, the Fifth Generation sat on the dragon's back and returned his whip-sword to its original sword form.
"First come, first served. I wonder if poison works?"
As the Fifth Generation tried to pour poison into the wound, the Sixth Generation shouted.
"Father! You're always like that! You end things too quickly!"
The Fourth Generation approached the dragon using his floating daggers as footholds. Because the Fifth Generation was on its back, the dragon began to rage, gathering magic in its mouth to blow away the surroundings.
"I've been waiting for that timing!"
The Fourth Generation poured magic into his daggers and threw them one after another. They interfered with the gathered magic, causing an explosion at the dragon's mouth.
The Fifth Generation was blown away along with it.
"Father, you bastard!!"
The one who approached the flying Fifth Generation was a beautiful woman. A woman with horns, a missing right arm, and scales on her limbs.
May caught the Fifth Generation and landed on the ground. Unlike before, she was in a grown form. Seeing May like that, the Fifth Generation...
"M-May! Your arm is like that—"
He looked as if he were about to cry. His eyes were teary. The Sixth Generation saw the Fifth Generation like this.
"Is that the Kirin? I feel like she was younger before."
The Fifth Generation glared at the Sixth Generation. Even as he glared while being carried princess-style by a tall woman, he had no dignity at all.
"Hah? There are plenty of distinct features! Besides, it couldn't be anyone but May! Do you even have eyes!"
May set the Fifth Generation on the ground.
"My arm was taken. But it'll grow back in a few years."
"You've been like that for years! What on earth has that Lariel been doing!"
Seeing the enraged Fifth Generation, his wives whispered among themselves.
"He's mistaken his own sons and daughters before."
"Why is he like this with animals?"
"...If only it weren't for this."
Seeing the wives who couldn't speak strongly to the Fifth Generation, the Sixth Generation's wife laughed.
"Hah! That's why things went bad, because you didn't speak strongly to him! Thanks to that, even I had to suffer!"
After she confessed and they married, he simply brought in concubines. The Sixth Generation's wife was enraged by that attitude. As a result, he ended up with two concubines, and she seemed angry at the mothers-in-law who didn't reprimand him.
The Sixth Generation silently slashed at the dragon. His figure was brave, but—brave, but—it looked as if he were merely running away.
The soldiers of the Fifth and Sixth Generations, as well as the Sixth Generation's younger brother and sister, were excited seeing the dragon.
"I'm doing it too!"
"It's dragon hunting!!"
"Perhaps I shall participate as well."
The soldiers prepared ropes, wrapping them around nearby rubble and throwing them to try and capture the dragon. When the dragon tried to escape into the sky...
"We're not letting you get away!"
The Second Generation fired arrows of light, raining light down upon the dragon. As the tiny arrows hit, they caused explosions, preventing the dragon from escaping into the sky.
The Seventh Generation also pointed his muzzle at the dragon, punching holes in its wings.
"Hmm. I suppose I can have the wings repaired later. I'll defeat this dragon and taxidermy it. Then, if I make it the symbol of Lariel's empire... I shall become a legend!"
Zel led the unit.
"Support Lord Broad! Those who wish to obtain the title of Dragon Slayer, do not spare your lives!"
Soldiers attacked one after another.
Then, the Fourth Generation's wife, bringing Ludmila along, joined them.
"Wait! Don't make it a specimen! Just store it carefully, and then we can use it as collateral when we borrow money in the future! Its materials and magic stone will surely make excellent collateral!"
The Fourth Generation seemed to agree with his wife. Thus, he spoke toward the Second and Seventh Generations.
"Butcher it cleanly! Don't think you can just repair it later! Aim to finish it in one blow as much as possible!"
The Fifth Generation yelled at the Fourth Generation.
"Remember what you yourself just did! Besides, this thing isn't that soft. Even if you beat it to a pulp—"
"Fredricssss!!"
The Fourth Generation's wife leaped onto the Fifth Generation. The Fifth Generation, being nuzzled, felt embarrassed since it was in front of everyone.
"Mama, stop!"
Then, arriving late after the Seventh Generation, the previous king of Fanbayle arrived. Upon discovering the Sixth Generation...
"You damn old man Fines!! Today I shall finally deliver your end!"
To the previous king of Fanbayle charging with a spear, the Sixth Generation raised his hand with a smile.
"Is that the brat from back then! How nostalgic."
From the opponent's perspective, the Sixth Generation was likely an existence he wanted to forget but couldn't. He leaped from his horse and swung his spear down.
"Here, we shall settle our grudge—"
However, the Sixth Generation, clashing with him, laughed.
"We're both already dead. Besides... your granddaughter is a candidate for my great-grandson's concubine. Let's just let bygones be bygones."
The previous king of Fanbayle opened his mouth in a blank stare for a moment... and then, his face turned bright red.
"How can I accept that!!"
He was enraged.
The Sixth Generation looked troubled.
"Wait! Wait for now! The other successive heads will take that thing down! Just wait a bit!"
The Sixth Generation was troubled by the previous king of Fanbayle.
Ludmila stood frozen watching the scene. Faced with a clearly dignified dragon, she was completely put off by the members of the Walt family who were joyfully confronting it. After all, they didn't even know what kind of attack methods the opponent possessed.
Despite that, they were slashing away, each shouting "I'll do it, I'll do it," to be the first.
The only one watching calmly was the Third Generation.
The Third Generation's wife spoke to him.
"Are you not participating?"
The Third Generation replied with a smile.
"Me? I think I'll participate when it's time to deliver the finishing blow. After all, in times like this, it's more efficient to snatch it away at the end."
Dewey looked up at the Third Generation.
"Slay, I think that's a bit much."
Being told that by his older brother Dewey, the Third Generation flustered.
And then.
"Oh, doesn't this look interesting? A golden dragon—truly wonderful."
The Seventh Generation, who had been joyfully pointing his muzzle at the Legend Dragon and firing, reacted to that voice.
"Zenoa!"
As the Seventh Generation ran toward her, Zenoa smacked him with a red folding fan.
"You're late to pick me up! I ended up coming here on my own. However, that dragon is lovely. It will make a fine souvenir for Lariel."
"Y-yeah, I guess so."
"—Dear, please defeat that thing before the others do. For the sake of your cute grandson, you can do at least that much, right?"
The Seventh Generation tried to say something, but when Zenoa glared at him, his shoulders slumped.
"I-I understand. I'll try. Zel! We must take that thing down no matter what!"
"Yes, Lord Broad!"
Zenoa looked at the golden dragon. Looking at the Legend Dragon, she puffed out her chest. She began to laugh loudly.
"Ohohoho, it's lovely. Truly lovely! It will make a wonderful gift!"
Watching that back were Glacia and Eliza, who had been dragged along by force. Both had expressions that wondered if Celes's personality had actually been inherited from this person.
"Eliza, I think—"
"I know without you saying it. Rather, there's no place for us to put our hands in."
The Legend Dragon was being slashed from all sides and showered with incessant magic. A black magic snake coiled around the dragon and then detonated black flames.
Captured by magic appearing from above and below, the Legend Dragon was then struck by iron balls and blown away.
The First Generation, watching the Legend Dragon continue to regenerate, shouted.
"You lot are useless! Switch with me!"
He swung his greatsword and slashed in. Then, perhaps angered by being called useless...
"Get lost, barbarian! I have a reason I can't step back! Don't steal my prey!"
The Seventh Generation continued to rain bullets upon the fallen Legend Dragon.
Ludmila watched the scene and said one thing.
"If anything, I feel sorry for them—the dragon."
She muttered that—.