Episode 100: “Drake Deficient”
Apparently, Shio is off today, so I’ll capture her and ask what she’s up to.
By the way, I just finished setting the bones of a child who had a fracture.
Hmm, it really is tough work.
“So, what’s the target for this expedition?”
“Hmm, what was it… in the tribe’s language, it’s called ‘Drake Deficient’… um, like a big lizard without wings…”
…Eh?
“Seriously?! A Drake showed up?!”
“That’s it! Drake!”
Drake…
Something like a Dragon without wings.
A Magic Beast that uses magic, a type of “Greater Magic Beast.”
Its size, from the tip of its head to the tip of its tail, easily exceeds ten meters even for the smaller species. It’s big enough to swallow a person whole without a second thought.
On top of that, it runs fast with strides unique to its massive body and crushes with its muscle strength…
To put it simply, no, it’s practically a “dinosaur.”
And on top of that, it uses magic, breathing fire or blizzards from its mouth.
Naturally, half-hearted attacks won’t work, and it’s a monster among monsters that can destroy villages and towns…
It’s a formidable enemy that even armies don’t want to deal with.
“Seriously… you fought a Drake and came out without any casualties?”
“Well, I got a little burned~”
“That’s all? A burn means it was a Fire Drake… dealing with a Fire Drake requires a suicide squad of a hundred soldiers, you know? And you did it with just you guys?”
“Yeah! We’re a little strong, you know!”
Haa… amazing.
They really are strong, the Blue Comet…
“Tell me specifically, what was it like? Tell me the story.”
“Okay~, so, um…”
Listening to the story, it seems it went something like this…
First of all.
The job this time was apparently to reduce the number of Magic Beasts in this area.
There are many powerful Magic Beasts in the untouched forests. There’s plenty of food in the forest, so why are there bears in the forest? It’s the same reason.
Of course, just like bears, when food becomes scarce, they come down to human settlements, which is exactly the same. That’s just a side note, though.
So, they reduce the number of Magic Beasts in the forest.
They want to cultivate this area of the forest, build roads, and connect it to the northern frontier towns.
That’s why they want to reduce the number of Magic Beasts, even if just a little.
That’s the story.
That’s why the Magic Beasts that appear are all strong ones.
Owl bears, hellhounds, that kind of thing?
Well, these are honestly easy targets, and while the sturdy Shio and other tank-like girls support the front line, if a high-firepower girl like Kaede attacks from the rear or flanks, they can usually manage somehow.
Indeed, this is more severe than in games…
You know… in MMORPGs, no matter how many times you stab those random mobs with a spiky, cool-looking sword, they don’t die, right?
But this world is, well, reality after all…
So… if a blade pierces them, the Magic Beasts mostly groan in pain, and if you hit their weak points, like their eyes or the tip of their nose, they cry out.
If they bleed, they gradually weaken and eventually die, and there’s almost no such thing as self-regeneration with mysterious power!
Of course, that also applies to our side, and even if humans can self-enhance with Magic Skills, they die easily when they die. HP doesn’t exist…
So even strong Magic Beasts die if they’re suddenly punched from the side.
These guys don’t have a scale like HP either, so if you do it right, they can die instantly with one hit, so it doesn’t drag on like a boss battle in an MMORPG.
Besides, the weapons are different this time.
Shio, Margot, and Kaede have been given my specially made Demon Swords, and they’re using them.
Shio’s Demon Sword is an extra-large sword called Glenburle…
The guard part of this sword is shaped like a Dragon’s skull, and a single-edged blade made of bone grows from the Dragon bone’s mouth. Well, just imagine a Greatsword from a monster-hunting game.
And this, as a Demon Sword, its only ability is that “the blade regenerates.”
Sounds lame, right? But it’s incredibly compatible with Shio.
That regeneration is also unique; when the blade extending from the Dragon bone’s mouth breaks, the Dragon bone grows larger and starts devouring things nearby. Then, using the devoured material, it creates a new blade…
In other words, it’s an interesting item that can theoretically create a blade sturdier than the opponent you’re fighting if you feed it the opponent you’re fighting! In theory!
On the other hand, what I gave to Margot was the Magic Staff “Reinforce.”
This is based on a certain magical girl anime, with a cartridge attached to the staff where you can charge Magical Power in advance, and use the charged Magical Power in emergencies. If you thought, “Isn’t that a unison device?” you’re an old man, so let’s die together?
Since that alone isn’t enough, it can also produce a Magical Power beam shield and a Magical Power beam spear. If you thought, “Isn’t that Reinforce Jr.?” you’re an old man, so let’s die together?
So, with the Demon Sword element, their battle power has doubled, and they were smashing the Magic Beasts to pieces…
And then, the Fire Drake.
It suddenly appeared.
Without any warning.
In the first place, Fire Drakes don’t appear in such cold lands. They’re Magic Beasts that appear in volcanic areas.
Temperature-wise, well, it’s summer… so it’s not entirely impossible to understand, but the possibility of them living in this area is definitely 0%.
When something like that suddenly came crashing out of the forest while breathing fire, everyone was understandably shocked.
But…
———”Don’t panic! Front line, move forward! This is where you risk your lives! Back line, retreat far back! You’ll die!”
As expected, the one who should be praised is the leader.
It was Katrina.
Katrina didn’t panic at all even in such an unexpected situation and issued instructions immediately.
According to Shio, if confusion had spread here, everyone would have died.
So, Shio, who moved forward the fastest, recklessly wrapped herself in Magical Power with all her might and charged while wielding her Greatsword.
Can you believe it? She charged at a giant lizard, no, something almost like a Dragon, that was ten meters long?
Saying it’s a Dragon makes it sound like a fantasy and doesn’t convey the reality… in human terms, it’s like crashing head-on into a bullet train car.
At least, I can’t do it. Too scary.
With that full-force attack from Shio, the Greatsword “Glenburle” broke in one hit, but at the same time, the Fire Drake’s charge stopped.
Then, the archers in the back line and Margot’s merciless magic attacks.
The Fire Drake, riddled with holes… Kaede, with the “Anything-Cutting Katana” I gave her, the “Daikoku Rope,” slashed at it with all her might and annihilated it… (As a side note, “Daikoku Rope” is read as “Ookuronawa.”)
That’s how it was.
But well, it’s a great achievement.
Completely defeating a Fire Drake with this force, without any sacrifices, is a big deal, a heroic tale.
And… today, they’re carrying the corpse of that defeated Fire Drake over here.
Well, the hide, fangs, claws, internal organs, and eyes? They sell for a considerable amount.
I see, no wonder it’s been so hectic since morning… huh?
Oh, the corpse of the Fire Drake is being carried over…