When Ryo and Abel arrived at Bemberton Village, it was utter confusion.
It stands to reason that even in the frontier, encounters with wyverns were something that doesnât happen even once in a lifetime.
If such a beast was seen right next to the village where they live, it would naturally cause a clamor.
Nonetheless, there was no way they could hear decent information from the villagers who had lost their composure, but thankfully when the two of them reached their destination, a man who appeared to be a soldier came running over.
âYouâre from the Adventurerâs Guild in Rune, arenât you? A swordsman and a magician.â
The soldier-like man came up to them and asked with conviction.
Two adventurer-like men who he had never seen before appeared at this timing and with advanced notice from the guild that two adventurers would be coming, anyone would be confident to claim so.
âYes, we are.â
Abel answered as the representative.
âThank god, weâve been waiting for you. Iâm a subordinate of Baron Plage and Iâm appointed as the garrison commander of this manor. My name is Lines.â
âWell met. This time, itâs a classified request, so we canât tell you our name.â
âI understand. Iâm sorry to jump straight to business, but regarding the wyvern âŠâ
The place where it was seen was about 500 meters south of the village.
Only one grazing cow was killed and no one had been injured yet.
âOkay. Then the two of us will head there. Please let the guild carriage rest. The coachman will take care of the horses and maintenance, so just help to find a place.â
âUnderstood.â
Is that really enough? Garrison Commander Linesâ eyes spoke volumes of his thoughts.
However, both Abel and Ryo deliberately ignored his gaze.
Then they started walking south.
âThe garrison captain a while ago was young, wasnât he? Probably in his twenties?â
âYeah, I suspect the garrison consists of just two people, or he might even be the only person in it.â
âA one-man garrisonâŠâ
It sounded like it could be the title for something, but when he thought about it, it was somewhat sadâŠ
That said, even on modern Earth, police officers and doctors on remote islands were often posted alone⊠so itâs not strange.
Ryo forcibly decided to think about it that way.
âThe Rogue Wyvern and the Rogue Garrison.â
âWhatâs going through your mind again? You think youâre writing a story?â
When Ryo said something that sounded like the title of a novel that somehow came to mind, Abel sharply retorted.
Abel is a capable man.
They didnât have to walk far before they caught a glimpse of the wyvern in flight.
âItâs flying without any care in the world.â
âWell, of course. It would have been a huge hassle if we didnât see it from here, so itâs great news that we spotted it.â
âHow big do you think it is?â
âSurprisingly, this stray wyvern is as good as an adult. Usually, most stray wyverns are juveniles. I heard that the one Niels and his party defeated was also a juvenile.â
âI see.â
It looked about the same size as the wyverns that Ryo and Abel overhunted in Rondo Forest.
Adult wyverns must have nested in that mountain.
âSo, are there any conditions imposed on this subjugation?â
âConditions?â
âLike how to defeat it, submission of evidence, and such.â
âNo. It seems that the magic stone will belong to the two of us. As for the proof of subjugation⊠normally, a wyvernâs right eye is cut out as proof, but⊠whether itâs the garrison captain or the people of the village, I donât think they can identify a wyvernâs eyeâŠâ
âHmmâŠâŠâ
Ryo was thinking about something, but then he nodded once.
âWell, letâs drop it to the ground for now.â
âO-oh.â
â<Icicle Lance 2>â
When Ryo chanted, two extremely thick ice spears formed in the sky, piercing the wyvernâs wings and crucifying its body to the ground.
âOkay!â
âAs always, you make it seem so easy⊠it makes me think that the Wyvernâs âWind Protection Membraneâ is a lie.â
âItâs more normal than a swordsman flying in the sky.â
âYeah, thatâs certainly absurd too. In the first place, people arenât meant to fly. Not just swordsmen.â
When Abel said that, Ryo glanced sideways at him.
It looked like ⊠there was a sparkle in his eyes.
âAbel, thatâs too ignorant. There is a technique called Breakdown Rush in the world.â
âOoh, thatâs nostalgic. Breakdown rush, is that, isnât it? That delusional tactic Ryo used to speak of.â
âDelusional tactic⊠what a way to put it.â
Ryo knew the pain of not being understood.
The world is cold, the world is harsh.
But he wonât lose to it!
âOkay! That ignorance, I shall enlighten you! Take a good look.â
Saying so, Ryo took out Murasame from the scabbard and created the blade.
And announced.
â<Avatar 2>â
Then, to the left and right of Ryo, two more Ryo appeared. Clones.
âImpossibleâŠâ
Abel was at a loss for words.
However, that was not the end.
â<Icicle Lance Shower> <Water Jet Thruster>â
Including Ryoâs true body, the three Ryos fired countless ice spears at the wyvern that had fallen to the ground. At the same time, water gushed out from the backs of all three Ryos and they rushed forward at the same speed as the ice spears.
The impact of the ice spears and the slashing attacks from the three Ryos, it all happened in an instant and converged all at once.
What remained was the corpse of a wyvern riddled with countless ice spears with its head and legs removed.
âBody double avatars, an icicle lance shower, and a rush with water jets âŠa Water-Attribute Magicianâs version of a breakdown rush.â
Ryo explained with a proud look.
However, Abel remained frozen even after the explanation was over.
âUm? Abel?â
What the heck was that?! Ryo, expecting a reaction along those lines, asked once more, perturbed by the lack of reaction.
âAh, Iâm sorry, I must have been dreamingâŠâ
âNo, this is reality~â
(No, no matter how abnormal Ryo is as a magician, from creating clones to charging as though instantaneous teleportation⊠No, no, no, I must have been seeing things. Yup, letâs pretend I didnât see it.)
Abel made a secret pact with his heart.
That said, he had no choice but to acknowledge the wreckage of the Wyvern in front of him.
He decided to just say something about that.
âRyoâs Icicle Lances really does ignore the Wyvernâs âWind Protection Membraneâ.â
He was repeating himself but he glossed it over.
The wyvern in front of them still had its wind protection membrane even after it was grounded. And yet, countless spears of ice pierced the wyvernâs body.
âAh⊠I think thatâs probably because my Icicle Lances use constant acceleration compared to the magic that other magicians use.â
âAccele⊠what?â
âI guess you wonât understand even if I explain it as the difference between a bullet and a missile. How do I put it ⊠right, the Wind Protection Membrane is maintained by the Wyvern constantly blowing wind out from its body surface, right?â
âYeah, thatâs apparently the case.â
Abel also had knowledge of Wind Protection Membrane.
âSo, attack magic from chanting is probably given the power to move forward only at the moment it is released. Itâs like a bow and arrow. Itâs given the force to travel forward, and after that itâs just inertia, that is, it continues to fly forward with the remainder of the initial force, right?â
âWell, yes.â
âBut in that case, the wind that keeps blowing from the Wyvernâs body, in other words, the headwind, will continue to resist, until the strike eventually loses the force to travel forward. But my magic continues to accelerate even after itâs released. Itâs like holding a spear in your hand and running toward your opponent. Even if thereâs a little wind, youâll keep going forward, right? Thatâs probably the difference.â
âI see. I somewhat understand.â
Ryo remembered the constant acceleration he learned in science class in elementary school. Luckily he listened to the lesson properly.
As for magic cast through chanting, he just arbitrarily thought it was probably something like that.
If he had the chance someday, he would love to meet the âTrue Ancestorâ who created the chanting magic of the Central Nations and try to challenge his current hypothesis.
(That said, to have created all the chants, the True Ancestor is amazing.)
The countless icicle lances were calculated precisely, so the wyvernâs magic stone was completely intact.
Moreover, its body was cut open with a spear and the magic stone was easily taken out.
Putting the magic stone in his bag, Ryo declared.
âSubjugation complete!â
âOhhâŠâ
ââŠâŠOops.â
âWhatâs wrong?â
Ryo involuntarily muttered, and Abel asked if anything was wrong.
âThis subjugation, Abel did not do any workâŠâ
âAhâŠâŠâ
Previously, Abel was the one who finished off the wyverns during their wyvern hunt, but this time the wyvern fell victim to Ryoâs âBreakdown Rushâ, so AbelâŠ
âAn A-rank swordsman leeching a C-rank magicianâŠâ
Ryou mumbled vaguely.
âHey, itâs not my fault!â
Abel claimed that it was not in his control.
âAbel, it canât be helped. Letâs bring the wyvernâs head as evidence of the subjugation. Iâll have Abel carry it.â
âTh-thisâŠ?â
It easily weighed over 100 kg.
âAm I seriously going to carry thisâŠâ
An air called despair covered Abel.
Abel was pulling the Wyvernâs head with one hand.
Obviously, Ryo wasnât a demon, so he laid an Ice Bahn under the wyvernâs head.