Chapter 353: Intervention
Soon, the Metal Dragon Serpent emerged from the depths of the Forest of Enchantment.
“Wow, it’s bigger than I expected!”
“At that size, it could probably swallow a two or three-meter monster whole.”
Though its diameter was about one meter, the serpent’s mouth opened wider than anticipated.
“…It could easily eat a human too.”
“If it comes to that, we’ll have to step in.”
With a wry smile, Rio shrugged. If it was a matter of being swallowed whole, there might still be time to save someone even after they were eaten.
Noticing the adventurers lying in wait, the serpent raised its head, eyeing the armed humans below with caution. The silence was shattered by a spell cast from a diagonal position. A fireball, exceeding one meter in diameter, hurtled toward the serpent’s head at high speed. Moments later, arrows flew from the opposite side, and an adventurer wielding a massive mace burst forth from the forest behind.
“Oh, it’s starting, it’s starting!”
“They’re better than I thought.”
The A-rank adventurer party consisted of thirteen members, while around fifty soldiers had been dispatched from the military. Having never witnessed the adventurers in action before, I couldn’t say for sure, but they certainly seemed to be moving with some difficulty.
“Is that so?”
“Um, I meant the military.”
“Oh, right.”
I had heard that the military struggled against monsters, but it didn’t seem that bad. They might be an elite unit within the army. Still, they were no match for the adventurers. It was clear they were hindering the fight rather than helping.
Before long, several soldiers were sent flying, retiring from the battle. The serpent, while not using magic, was relentless, attacking with its hard exterior and physical prowess. Even the adventurers’ katana, which looked sharp, seemed ineffective against it.
“It doesn’t seem like they can break through its defenses.”
“Yeah… I wonder if they’re going to be okay?”
It had been about thirty minutes since the battle began. Just as half of the soldiers had retreated, a swarm of Red Ants emerged from the depths of the forest.
“Oh no, reinforcements for the monsters!”
“This is getting tough…”
In a situation where they hadn’t yet landed a decisive blow, reinforcements were a heavy burden. The appearance of the Red Ants sent ripples of panic through the military ranks. With their movements hampered, the adventurers found themselves in a worsening situation as well. The serpent’s tail lashed out like a whip, sending both adventurers and soldiers soaring into the air.
“Oh?”
From a short distance away, the Guild Master unleashed a fire spell.
“Looks like the signal has been given.”
“Yeah.”
As the humans were flung into the air, the serpent opened its massive mouth wide. It seemed that Rikyou was the one about to be devoured. Informing Rio that I was heading in, I set my coordinates with a glance and teleported just above the serpent.
As I descended toward the serpent, its mouth closed, and Rikyou’s figure vanished from sight. It seemed he had indeed been swallowed.
“Rikyou!”
A scream erupted from one of the party members, but there was still time to save him. I retrieved the Orichalcum katana from the Dimensional Box, channeling magic power into both the scabbard and the blade. Adjusting my fall to get closer to the serpent, I drew the katana with force and immediately sheathed it as I landed on the ground.
“Did I make it in time?”
I felt confident since I had swung the blade without any resistance. Looking up, I saw the serpent, eerily still, staring into the void.
“Huh?”
An adventurer, who had been watching from a distance, muttered in shock as he shifted his gaze between me and the serpent. After a moment, he seemed to regain his composure, focusing his attention back on the serpent.
After a while, it appeared that the Red Ants that had interrupted us were dealt with, and cautiously, people began to gather around the serpent.
“Ah!”
As someone shouted, all eyes turned to the serpent, which began to open its mouth slowly—
“That was close… I thought I was going to—Whoa!”
As Rikyou emerged with his line, the severed head of the serpent fell to the ground.
“—What!?”
“W-Who are you!?”
Surrounded by expressions of shock, the military personnel demanded answers. Just then, the Guild Master hurried over.
“I’m glad you made it in time. You saved us.”
“Yeah, really.”
As I nodded in agreement with the Guild Master, Rikyou crawled out from the serpent’s mouth.
“That was seriously surprising…”
He stood up with a grunt, glaring at the serpent before scanning the surroundings until our eyes met.
“Ah… so that’s what happened…”
He placed a hand on his forehead and looked up at the sky, letting out a deep sigh filled with frustration.
“You use a katana too, huh? Mine didn’t stand a chance against it.”
The silver-haired man with spiky hair compared his katana to mine.
“I thought I’d feel secure with support, but actually being supported is pretty frustrating.”
The red-haired woman, clutching a massive staff, wore a sullen expression. Perhaps she was dissatisfied since I had delivered the final blow instead of her.
“Ugh, to suddenly appear and steal the glory—who are you, anyway?”
The soldier, clearly irked at being ignored by the main members, slammed his sword into the ground in a show of intimidation. While he had gathered attention, he was now cowering under the glares from those around him. Objectively speaking, it was the military’s blunder that had led to Rikyou almost being eaten.
“Well then, my job here is done, so I’ll leave the rest to you.”
That said, I had merely followed the Guild Master’s request, so I was more than happy to leave the troublesome negotiations with the military to someone else.
“Wait!”
There was no way I was going to stop just because someone told me to. I brushed past them and headed toward Rio.
“Hold on!”
Just as I thought I was free to go, the Guild Master stopped me. I felt a surge of irritation at the grinning soldier, but the Guild Master returned the smile.
“I need you to transport the spoils back to the main camp.”
“Ah, understood.”
Hearing that the military would get no share of the spoils, I smirked back at the soldier, swiftly storing the defeated Metal Dragon Serpent into the Dimensional Box before making my exit.