77 - Duel
――The north gate had been breached, and a swarm of monsters, led by orcs, came pouring in.
Facing them, Aria leveled her spear.
The orcs fell into the pitfalls and fences prepared inside the gate.
The monsters were impaled and died on the stakes prepared at the bottom of the pits, but once the holes were filled, they stepped over their comrades and clung to the fences.
Soldiers and knights with spears stabbed the monsters, but unlike the east side, there were many hands here.
They hadn't had time to prepare oil; they had only managed to set up the pitfalls.
A messenger running toward her brought news of the situation in the center.
"A griffon is in the center! There's a hippogriff on the east side too!"
Grabbing the panicked messenger, Aria confirmed the situation.
"Explain yourself properly! There are two hippogriffs, right? Where did the other one go!"
The messenger said, breathless.
"The griffon and the hippogriff are with the acting captain..."
The acting captain――he must mean Lyell.
(Two at once? I thought they'd come as three...)
Aria looked up at the sky, but she couldn't see any griffons or hippogriffs.
She had confirmed the flashes of magic, so she had no choice but to believe Lyell was handling it well.
"Tell them we're holding out here, so it's fine. Reinforcements from the east side will—"
It happened then.
The fence was pushed over, and monsters broke through.
Aria, holding her spear, turned around and stabbed a goblin that had approached, then swung her spear to hurl the goblin away.
The messenger looked completely appalled, but Aria spoke.
"I'll handle things here, so just tell them that! Hurry!"
Watching the messenger run off, Aria looked at an orc holding one of the logs used for the fence.
It had punched away a nearby soldier and was coming for her.
(Keep your distance!)
"Get back!"
The fence, built in a rush, was more fragile than expected, and the pits were soon filled with monsters.
As Aria leveled her spear against the orc, she entered a melee with the monsters nearby.
As troublesome orcs flowed in one after another, an arrow pierced the head of one orc.
"Clark-san?"
Descending from the scaffolding on the wall, she saw Clark firing arrows at the monsters with a crossbow, with knights and soldiers lined up in front of him.
Then, he placed the crossbow on the ground and drew the sword at his waist.
"Out of arrows! Shields up!"
He pushed soldiers holding clumsy wooden shields to the front and ordered them to charge, while knights with spears stabbed the monsters through the gaps.
Pushing the monsters back, he himself dealt with an orc.
"Not bad!"
Aria also used a skill and cut down an orc with her spear. Blood spread around them, and the area became noisy with the sound of clashing metal, screams, and war cries.
"Get the wounded to the rear! Never fight one-on-one!"
Clark gave orders, and as the surrounding knights and soldiers rallied, Aria became free to move.
From there, it became Aria's stage.
"Aha! Got youuuu!!"
Given the surroundings, Aria, excited by the sight of blood, swung her spear wildly.
A body strengthened by skills.
A spear that hardened to increase its power.
Her speed increased, and she slaughtered the surrounding monsters one by one.
Seeing this, Clark muttered.
"...What bravery. If only that were a boy."
What a waste, Clark muttered――.
Dodging the claws of a diving griffon, the bow and quiver on my back got caught and flew into the air.
The griffon tried to ascend with a flap of its wings, but when the quiver exploded from the impact, its attention seemed to be drawn there.
(Did it explode? I have to be careful how I handle these from now on.)
Relieved that it didn't explode on my back, I looked at the quiver containing the explosive arrows and raised my left hand.
"Lightning!"
I hit it with magic strengthened by a skill.
However, the griffon landed on the ground and shook its body, and with that alone, it returned to normal.
(Was it not enough? Should I have used my trump card?)
As I thought the current attack hadn't worked, the Second Generation gave me advice.
'It's not flying back into the sky immediately... it worked. Well, it'll be able to move freely again soon, though.'
The Fifth Generation spoke.
'Ah~ griffons and the like have resistance to magic. Still, it looks stronger than I thought.'
"Then I'll go all out—"
The moment I was about to use my trump card, the Second Generation spoke.
'Idiot. These things move around on the ground too. Look, it's coming.'
It immediately ran toward me, its lion-like body moving flexibly as it leaped at me.
I ran forward and performed a front roll, passing right under the griffon.
The Second Generation spoke.
'A one-hit kill with magic... it's possible with my skill, Lyell.'
The moment he said that, I tossed aside my saber, grabbed the tail of the griffon—which had lost sight of its prey—and used the skill.
"Full Burst!"
Using the skill [Full Burst]――a skill that doubles one's own abilities――I grabbed the tail and tried to throw it, but its hind leg tried to strike my face.
I blocked it with my left arm, and my body was lifted into the air.
Even in that moment, I didn't let go of the tail I held in my right hand.
Perhaps it was good that I jumped the moment I took the hit; I killed the momentum and, seeing the griffon's back, let go of the tail.
My left arm hurt, but the bone wasn't broken. Just as I drew a spare saber, the griffon began to thrash about to shake me off its back.
The griffon's back smelled considerably of beast...
The Sixth Generation spoke.
'A one-on-one man's battle! This is what I've been waiting forrrr!'
"Shut up!"
Grabbing the griffon's neck with my left hand and biting the saber's blade, I took a rope out of the bag hanging at my waist.
I had prepared this after hearing the Sixth Generation's opinion, but I felt a strange sense of defeat.
I had already made a loop, and I threw it around the neck of the griffon, which couldn't turn around, and pulled hard to strangle it.
The griffon's high-pitched scream made my ears hurt, but as I tried to wind the rope around my left arm so as not to let go, I felt pain.
"Tch, then the right hand."
I wound the rope around my right arm and took the saber in my hand, and the griffon flapped its wings.
"You're flying. I'll end this immediately—"
The Third Generation warned me.
'Ah, finish it in one blow. If you get splashed with blood, it'll get slippery. Also, if it flies, make sure to deliver the finishing blow at a place where you can land—'
"Why are you so relaxed! I'm the one who's not relaxed here!"
As I said that, the Seventh Generation spoke.
I could tell from the tone of voice that he was enjoying himself.
'Lyell, a man grows by fighting strong enemies. It is only because there are strong ones that one can grow. Besides, for a man of the Walt family, it's only natural to be able to do this much.'
Thinking that many things were wrong with that logic, I straddled the ascending griffon and clung to it, tightening my legs around its torso.
If I were thrown off in the sky, it would be dangerous even if I were holding the rope.
Pulling the rope wound around my right arm, I soared into the sky with the griffon.
The wind in the sky was colder than on the ground.
On the back of the thrashing griffon, I looked around.
The scenery shifted, the sky went down, and the ground went up; then I realized the griffon had inverted itself in mid-air.
"I'll die if I fall from this height! You bastardrrr!"
While still holding the saber, I used magic, and purple lightning generated from my body. As the griffon thrashed in the air, the scenery changed rapidly.
Since it was thrashing to shake me off, I clung on desperately and endured.
I felt like the griffon's movements slowed down when I used magic, but the altitude still didn't drop. It seemed intent on dropping me from high in the sky.
The Third Generation spoke.
'It's high.'
The Fourth Generation too.
'If I could do this freely, it would make money... it could be used for entertainment or transport...'
You guys, worry about me! Suppressing the urge to say that, I took a cloth out of the luggage I had brought.
I sheathed the saber and wetted the cloth with magic. Then, I threw it over the griffon's head and succeeded in blocking its vision.
The Sixth Generation spoke.
'You wetted it and stuck it on. Not bad!'
The Fifth Generation said.
'If the altitude drops like this, it's time for the finish. ...Huh? If you'd wetted it from the start, wouldn't it not have flown this high?'
"...Tell me that soonerrrr!!"
I screamed and thrashed about, using skills to forcibly cling to the griffon's back――.
Because I was high in the sky, I experienced sensations many times that I couldn't feel normally.
I didn't think I'd become this anxious just because the ground was far away.
The feeling of falling was one thing, but the inability to brace myself was just—
"Just... fall alreadyyyy!!"
I generated purple lightning with magic.
The reason I hadn't wetted myself was partly because it was incredibly cold.
It was as if my body couldn't endure it; I would stop moving from the cold. Besides, clinging would be difficult.
The griffon's body didn't burn. However, the strength with which it shook its head was certainly weakening, showing that it was working.
I struggled to steer the staggering, descending griffon using the tightened rope and my legs clamped around its torso.
(I can see the village. I'll just pierce the heart... wait, where is it!)
While I was wondering where the heart was, the Second Generation gave me advice.
'Lyell, these things are mostly the same. It's on the inside, protected by bone. Just slide it between the bones to finish it.'
"I don't know where that position is!"
'Idiot, what are skills for?'
Startled, I used the Second Generation's skill, but the effect of Full Over was already almost worn off.
I consumed a large amount of mana, but even so, I could tell the position of the opponent's heart.
A sensation of a strong light pulsing.
It was the strongest light within the glow, and I gripped the saber in my left hand and aimed for that position.
(Damn it, I'm starting to stagger.)
Using multiple skills made me feel like my mana was being scraped away. As the altitude dropped and the village drew near, I noticed that the battle in the village was coming to an end.
The distance to the ground closed, and thinking that this distance was enough, I thrust the saber into the griffon.
As I drove it in deep, the griffon let out a scream unlike any before, making my ears hurt.
When I pulled the saber out, blood spurted violently, and the griffon fell toward the north gate.
"This guy—"
Then, in the next moment.
'Lyell!'
Along with the Second Generation's voice, I turned my gaze toward the center of the village.
The griffon collided with the wall, and my body was thrown into the air.
――The battle was nearing its end.
The number of monsters had decreased, and Shannon could tell that Lyell was using magic with crackling sounds in the sky.
On the east side, where her sister Miranda, whom she had been watching out of worry, was located, the hippogriff had become a wretched sight.
"...I'm a bit turned off."
Shannon, deciding to be even more cautious of her sister than before, looked at Norma, who was nearby.
Until now, she had only been looking at Miranda; nearby, Norma had been looking up at the sky and only receiving reports when messengers arrived.
Norma spoke.
"Is that kind of fighting style even possible?"
Shannon retorted to that.
"Normally, no one would ever do that. Is that guy crazy?"
Norma nodded in agreement, but for her, if Lyell won against the griffon, it would be a chance for promotion.
No, he would definitely be promoted. It was that great of an achievement.
Norma was smirking.
"Thinking about it now, I'm lucky. The number of monsters led by the griffon was more than expected, but the scale can be called small. Considering we had to face a griffon, this battlefield was a sweet deal."
Shannon looked at Norma with exasperation.
And then she spoke.
"I'm not one to talk, but why don't you do things more skillfully? If you keep doing things that way, you'll fail someday."
Then, Norma's face looked sad for just a moment, but she immediately returned to her usual face of looking down on others.
"Are you an idiot? This world isn't made of platitudes. The one who gets deceived is the one at fault. That blue-haired man who gave me the credit will surely regret it someday."
Shannon thought.
(I don't think he'll care much, though.)
In fact, Lyell's values were greatly skewed.
This time was the same; the perspective he looked from was different.
Shannon remembered the six lights that seemed to float around Lyell.
The battlefield was gradually becoming quiet, but Novem, who was performing treatment in the center, seemed busy. Monica was also moving busily with food distribution and chores.
The battle had come to an end, and impatient villagers were showing their faces.
"You're not supposed to come out."
Norma spoke.
"The battle is over, but should we tell someone to make them step back?"
Norma ordered a nearby messenger to tell the villagers to return.
Shannon looked toward the north.
Since her sister Miranda was on the east side, she hadn't cared, but the north side had no hippogriff and was the most well-equipped in terms of combat power.
Rather than being relieved, the danger level was low in Shannon's mind.
And then, Shannon, looking toward the north――.
"Eh? It's alive."
As she muttered that, Norma asked back.
"What? Is there a wounded person..."
To the Norma who said that, Shannon spoke loudly.
"The hippogriff is alive!"
Hearing that, Norma's eyes widened――.
――The surroundings became quiet, and the evacuated villagers came outside.
As the adults came out, Luca also came outside with the other children.
"We won... we won!"
"We protected it! Our village was saved!"
"Thank goodness. I'm so glad..."
Luca, glancing at the adults who were shouting and crying, looked around and saw Lyell's bow standing as if it were stuck in the ground.
The string was broken, and worried, Luca rushed forward.
Then, with bad timing, a messenger soldier told the villagers to return, and everyone went back.
Luca, who had run ahead, was relieved to see that Lyell wasn't collapsed near the bow.
"Thank goodness. Lyell-sama is safe."
However, there were places where the ground had turned black, and he saw the quiver scattered.
"Y-you're okay, right?"
Picking up the bow and looking around anxiously, he heard a loud noise from the north side.
There, he saw Lyell atop the motionless griffon, moving his hand.
Thinking he was waving, Luca waved his hand back at Lyell.
"Amazing! As I thought, Lyell-sama is amazing!"
Near the waving Luca, the hippogriff was slowly standing up――.
The central part of the village, which was slightly elevated.
The griffon, which had collided with the north wall and broken through it, was now not moving a muscle.
And then, I spotted Luca, who had come outside.
Clark-san also rushed over, worried about me.
I knew they were worried about me, having been thrown from the griffon that hit the north gate. But I had something more important than that.
"Lyell-kun, don't stand up!"
I was staggering from the impact of the collision, but I still shouted at the top of my lungs toward Luca.
"Run away from there! Run!!"
I was able to stand because Aria lent me her shoulder, but Luca, thinking I was waving, was waving his hand toward me while holding the bow.
And around us, many knights and soldiers thought the battle was over, and some were even arguing about who had defeated the enemy.
They were convinced the fight was over.
Behind Luca, I could see the figure of the hippogriff slowly standing up.
Then, the Second Generation spoke.
'Hey, you understand, right... this situation!'
Suddenly, a memory the Second Generation showed me came back.
The sight of the Second Generation wailing as he held his deceased eldest son.
No one here had noticed.
And even if they noticed, it would be too late.
I grit my teeth.
(Why... it was going so well... so why!)
'Don't be brooding! There's something you can do, and you can save that child!'
The Second Generation's voice was desperate.
'Are you going to show me that sight a second time! If you do that, I'll never forgive you! Lyell! I'm begging you... please save him!'
I looked down and put strength into my legs.
(...I knew that.)
A worried Aria spoke to me.
"Lyell, you need to lie down and rest."
(I knew that!)
I raised my head and, though staggering, moved away from Aria and stood up on my own feet. Then, I heard the Second Generation's scream.
'Don't weigh a dead person against a living person! I'm already dead! I've already told you everything I wanted to tell you! So, so... don't let me see a child die in front of me again!'
I made up my mind.
With my aching left hand, I gripped the jewel and tore it from my neck.
However, once the chain came off, it wound itself around my left arm, and the jewel emitted light.
The silver decorations expanded, taking the shape of a large bow.
The jewel was positioned in the center of the silver bow.
But that silver bow had no string.
As the surroundings became chaotic, Aria spoke.
"A silver bow? That was supposed to be a greatsword before..."
Clark-san was also surprised.
When I brought my right hand toward the jewel, the jewel began to glow, and a string of blue light appeared.
As I aimed and pulled, an arrow made of mana appeared.
The pale blue glowing arrow became more distinct the harder I pulled.
'That's it. That's how it's done. Use my skill... Lyell. That skill is already yours.'
As I pulled the bow, I grit my teeth. I felt frustrated and sad.
I hated it.
Because――.
"That's right... I... but I didn't want to part..."
To my muttering, Aria spoke.
"Lyell, are you crying..."
Then, one of the knights must have noticed and shouted.
"Hey! The hippogriff!"
When everyone looked, they saw the hippogriff, which had stood up behind the bewildered child and was about to attack.
'Thanks, Lyell... that was fun.'
As the image of the Second Generation's bashfully smiling face came to mind, I used the skill.
"Select――"
It was a skill to decide the target of the skill use.
Even if enemies and allies were mixed up and fighting around me, it was a true support skill that could use skills only on allies.
Conversely, it could also be used only on enemies.
It could identify moving allies and enemies and hit them with either a skill or magic. It wasn't a guarantee that it would always hit, but... its accuracy was quite high.
The Second Generation used this skill to aim multiple arrows at once and hit different targets.
The third stage of the Second Generation's skill――.
Aiming at the hippogriff, I released the string.
The Second Generation――.
'...Do your best.'
(Why...)
The arrow of light created by magic flew straight toward the hippogriff.
The moment the arrow was released, a wind whipped up around the area.
(...Why)
Luca had noticed the hippogriff leaping from behind and had turned around.
(Why do you say it with such a relieved voice. I wanted to... be taught so many more things... I can't exactly tell you not to disappear...)
The arrow of light created a trail of light and proceeded in a straight line toward the hippogriff, piercing through its body and flying up into the sky, punching a hole in the clouds.
The pierced hippogriff burst into flames, with a large hole in its body.
Luca had fallen on his backside, and as I released my stance, the silver bow disappeared and the chain wound around my left arm.
The jewel glowed blue, and I fell to my knees on the ground.
"L-Lyell!"
"A stretcher, immediately! Hurry, get Lyell-kun!"
I heard the voices of Aria and Clark-san.
Supported by Aria, I muttered through tears.
"I... didn't get to say a proper goodbye... Second Generation-sama..."
As my consciousness faded, I felt as if I saw the Second Generation walking away, raising his right hand and waving it lightly.
I felt like I heard him say self-deprecatingly, 'I'm plain, so it's fine if the end is plain too.'