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Seething Earth
As I looked down from the top of Ishka’s massive walls, I saw three figures run straight north after they dashed out of the city’s gate.
It goes without saying that they were the trio from Demon Island. Klimt and Gozu’s injuries were treated by priest Sarah’s magic after she rushed here following the roars. They also drank some stamina potions so they probably won’t have any issue with fighting for the time being.
Klimt looked clearly displeased with the role we assigned them after he recovered from his injuries, but he did not make a single complaint out loud. Was he thinking it can’t be helped since it was Gozu’s order? Or was it because of his sister’s persuasion?――Wait, don’t tell me it had something to do with how he went all red in silence after he saw priest Sarah.
Anyway, those three are probably going to become the shield against the stampede that I wanted. Things are going well outside of Ishka.
On the other hand, nothing went as I planned inside Ishka.
That’s because none of my clan members listened to my orders to flee.
Lunamaria is patrolling the city and lending a hand to the people who got injured in the city’s chaos. She had also been subduing any violent people or looters she came across.
“Master. In order for the “Blood Spraying Sword” to become a trusted clan, we have to take action in a time of crisis like this”
The words of the elf sage were right. There was no room for me to object.
However, I made the clan only to piss the guild off in the first place. In the current situation where not just the guild, but even Ishka might cease to exist, I have no intention to raise the social standing of my clan at all.
Also, that’s not something that I need to tell Lunamaria about.
That’s because she’s a founding member of my clan. She knows better than anyone else that I don’t have any emotional attachments or commitment to the clan.
So the way she deliberately brought out the name of our clan still made me wonder why she genuinely decided to stay in Ishka. When I asked her about it, she showed me a bitter smile that I still could not figure out the meaning of even now.
Next is Miroslav. Like Lunamria, she is also helping out in putting the city back in order.
The red-haired magician was barely alive due to her self-destruct magic, but after she escaped death from priest Sarah and Iria’s recovery magic, she drank all the potions she had in one go and began taking action immediately.
“It’s my duty to protect our base in your absence. To lose the first time and then flee the second time…I will not show such unsightliness”
The beastkin, Ciel, was also nodding deeply in agreement next to Miroslav when she declared that strongly.
While Ciel wasn’t hurt as badly as Miroslav was, she had also suffered a serious injury when she protected Suzume from Claira.
Even though her wound closed up thanks to priest Sarah, she isn’t going to gain back the blood she lost right away. She should be staying in bed for a while, but like Miroslav, she drank some stamina potions and immediately forced herself to work.
She probably thought that she can’t be resting on her own when Miroslav who was more injured than she was is helping out.
The injured people were all helping out together. So it doesn’t even need to be said how Suzume, the one the girls protected, acted.
Even though she is probably still feeling scared from being attacked by the trio of Demon Island, she is working hard to lend Miroslav and Ciel a hand. She’s probably concerned about those two’s conditions suddenly getting worse because of the serious injuries those two suffered.
Yup, I knew she was a good girl.
Since she seemed so hung up on the fact that she was the cause of the attack, I told her she doesn’t need to worry about it――but even I can tell that my words didn’t have that much of an effect.
If there was more time, I could have had a long talk with her but time is something that I’m short on more than anything else right now.
For priest Sarah and Iria too, I am responsible for bringing them here at the worst timing. I have the obligation to send them somewhere safe, but there isn’t even enough time for me to do that――Well, although those two did not want to abandon Ishka anyway.
Incidentally, I am covering the bottom half of my face with a white cloth right now. The mask is a measure to protect myself from the monster’s poison, and priest Sarah is also the one who made it.
Of course, just wrapping a normal piece of cloth around my face isn’t going to do much. This is a holy cloth――a cloth that was woven with threads that were made using holy water――Meaning, it has the blessings of the god of law.
“I have no idea how effective this will be against the untreatable poison that violates even the earth. But it’s better than challenging it without using any protection”
A big part of priest Sarah’s sleeve was missing when she said that to me.
The cloth that’s covering my mouth was originally a piece of fabric that belonged to her vestment. She had quickly cut out a piece of her vestment and made it into a mask for me when she understood what I was going to do.
Oh, and from how Iria was looking up at the sky in silence when priest Sarah did that, I think priest Sarah’s vestment is something that’s pretty valuable.
――Seriously, the number of reasons why I cannot afford to lose only increases.
I had initially planned for a fight that didn’t have as much pressure.
As I thought about something like that, I looked in the northern direction once again.
Something that wasn’t there until just a little ago is now there.
In the far north, a huge vermillion-colored tower extended into the sky from the Titis forest.
Depending on how I look at it, it could look like a massive tree or something similar to a tornado.
I can only see about a fist-size of it from where I am, but considering the distance between Ishka and the depths of the Titis forest, the actual size of that thing is probably big enough to swallow the entire city of Ishka.
The earth, trees, and water of that area’s surroundings were being sucked into the sky. Of course, live animals and demonic beasts were also mixed in there. I suspect that its vermillion color comes from the color of the deep region’s soil mixing together with the blood of many living creatures.
「A disaster of flesh and blood, huh? What a perfectly fitting description」
It was clear that the anomaly was caused by the mythical creature.
Even getting close to it won’t be easy, let alone defeating it there. If an army of a million were to surround it, they would all be blown away into the sky and get completely annihilated.
Did the mythical creature deploy a defense barrier intentionally? Or is that the earth crying out because of its existence?
Either way, I can feel a presence that’s on a totally different scale compared to all the monsters I had fought against in the past. It’s befitting of the dragon race that is at the top of the mythical species that reigns as the strongest of all species.
――That being said, I wasn’t afraid in the slightest. On the contrary, my whole body was trembling as if it was screaming at me to quickly devour that thing.
The next moment, I jumped from the top of the walls.
My body paused in the air for a moment before I began to descend. Without hitting the ground, I landed on the indigo wyvern’s back as it flew up from the bottom of the walls.
Then, we soared upwards into the air with great momentum.
「Let’s go, Clau Soras」
Clau Soras responded energetically to my command with a “Puiii!”.
Originally, wyverns are kinfolk of dragons. I have been wondering if Clau Soras would refuse to fight a dragon or at least show some signs of fear.
However, Clau Soras did not show any signs of such behaviors. He obeyed my orders with a resolute attitude and headed directly towards the vermillion-colored tornado.
I smiled bitterly as I sat on the wyvern’s saddle.
It seems that I have misunderstood many things about both Clau Soras and my clan members. I can’t refute it even if I’m told that I don’t have a keen eye for others. Let’s learn to read the ones around me a bit better from now on.
While I was thinking about that, Clau Soras was rapidly approaching the destination. We came across many types of flying demonic beasts on the way, but they all either avoided Clau Soras or were repelled after coming in contact with the mana barrier that Clau Soras made.
When we came near the depths of the Titis forest, there were no more monsters in the sky.
Instead, reddish-purple dust particles became the center of my attention. The debris of earth that swirled up in the air because of the mythical creature’s mana was pouring down on the surrounding area.
The clear field of vision I had until now was covered by pebbles in an instant. Perhaps there is poison mixed into the pebbles as well. Maybe it’s because of the influence of the wind barrier, Clau Soras seems to be fine for now, but――
「Puiii!」
「Hm, so you’ll go? I’ll be counting on you then」
「Puii!」
I stroked his back lightly after his delighted response.
The moment we flew in the tornado, my ears ached. It was the echoing sound of roaring wind. Soil and trees were flying through the air as they got sucked up from the bottom to the top.
I understand that Clau Soras was desperately controlling his body so that he won’t be swallowed by the current.
Visibility right now is close to zero. However, we should be very close to our destination. I’m sure that I would be able to see the target right away if the wind goes away――When that thought crossed my mind, my field of vision suddenly cleared up as if something had read my mind.
The inside of the tornado was not violent like the outside was.
And as I expected, there it is.
◆◆◆
It only makes sense that it has the title “mythical”.
An ancient monster with eight heads, eight tails, and a bloodstained torso.
Its red eyes were filled with hatred, harboring hostility toward all living things.
The blood that runs through its body is like a corrosive poison that can melt the entire world.
A manifestation of impurity, the embodiment of the cycle of life and death, the king of poison that denies immortality.
The Hydra.