Chapter 64: – Small Magic Stone (1/2)
Translators :
Yuushin
Laverdy
Rainie Dai
Editors/TLcs :
yuushin
Laverdy
Naero
rei_hunter
We departed from Mining Town Vesta on the next day, just before noon.
I had guessed it was about 10 in the morning.
The road on this side was clear of forestry, as it exposed part of the mountainside bare.
The lumber was probably used as fuel or material.
But after an hour of traveling passed, it led to a pathway that went through the woods.
We were on the back of the merchant caravan, as we kept watch all around.
We might have been lucky, but we managed to have a peaceful journey without encountering a single monster.
The first problem happened on the second day after we left the mining town, when we reached a camping ground.
When we reached it, we noticed that there were two or three destroyed wagons in horrible state.
We got down from the wagon and checked the situation.
“Oi oi, so there’s someone like the Twin Magicians on this side, too?”
“Probably not humans but monsters. See this? These are bite marks. It’s likely from a day ago.”
Shia made her guess from the state of the wagons.
“Oi, you lot, there might still be monsters looming to hurt us as we go forward, so we’re going out to exterminate them right away. Don’t interfere.”
Symil said so and led his group.
“They’re Level II and have still done it. We Level III ranks should be able to do it with ease.”
Looks like since we defeated the Twin Magicians and Orges too easily, they were under the misunderstanding that even they could do it.
And their eyes were radiating for the reward money.
“I’m just saying, but we have A- and B+ magicians; that’s why we were able to defeat them. Your no-magician 3-man group better not be reckless.”
“Annoying! Shut up! I won’t let you snatch my prey! You lot shut up and wait here!”
Like that, Symil’s group made a disastrous scene and disappeared into the forest to search for the monsters.
“Lute-kun, what do we do ?”
Looking back, I saw that Gomugo and everyone were looking at me with anxious faces.
Since Symil’s group has already went in, we had to ensure their safety.
“Until they return, you should be ready to move at any time. Snow and Chrisse, protect Gomugo-san, and Shia and I will go around to check the surroundings to see if there are any survivors.”
Everyone replied to me and proceeded to carry out my instructions.
In the worst case that they wouldn’t return by tomorrow morning, we might have to have spent one night there. And thus we maybe would be better off discussing rotation nightwatch by then with just us.
I silently decided that I would discuss it later while we were eating dinner or something.
Shia and I, with full equipment and AK47, went around checking for the damage and survivors.
We went one round around the forest near the open ground, but there was nothing we had to be specially vigilant for.
Not even survivors’ footprints or traces.
We went back to the open ground and signaled to Snow & Chrisse that there was no problem.
The girls then said to Gomugo’s still-anxious group, “looks like no danger in the surroundings,” as their faces relaxed a little.
Next, Shia and I confirmed the conditions of the destroyed wagons.
They were common wooden wagons.
Axles were broken, and even the wheels were broken in half.
Even an amateur could tell that repair was impossible.
The loaded cargo was safe, it seemed.
The contents seemed to be raw materials that were bought from Mining Town Vesta.
Just by one look, we couldn’t tell if it was iron ore, precious metal, or something else.
“…………..”
Shia stared seriously at the wreckage of the destroyed wagons with a stern expression.
With one knee on the ground, she picked up something that looked like a jigsaw puzzle.
“…….Young master, look at this.”
“Which one?”
Thereupon being told so, I went next to her and took a look.
It was one part of the wagon that she has been fiddling with since a while ago.
“Here, do you see these sharp bite marks?”
Certainly just like Shia point out, there were marks to suggest that it was bitten by sharp fangs.
“I see. So what’s the problem?”
“Young master, look closely. This is the same part of the wagon, yet the bite marks are this close to each other; it’s like they intentionally bit them a second time next to the first one. Why do you think they would purposely do so?”
“Maybe it was done by a monster. I mean, there’s no way I would know.”
“Also, these burn marks……if my guess is right, it’s something very bad.”
“Something bad as in, this disastrous scene was caused by a dragon or something?”
Indeed, there were bite marks and burn marks.
I was kinda sure that it was attacked by a group of Orges and other monsters. The burn mark, too, came from the lamp, or so I thought.
“Could it be have been red dragons ?”
Red dragon is the representative of monsters, the generic dragon that has wings, flies in the sky, and spews flames.
Very rarely will one or two red dragons stray away from the herd and attack the town or country.
Defeating red dragons was one of the requirements to create a legion.
And in the demon continent and other continents, there were varieties superior to red dragons.
“No, my guess is more than th–!?”
Not only Shia and I reacted.
Everyone here shuddered, too.
A roar echoed from afar.
It was from something absolutely strong.
The direction the voice came from aligned with the direction Symil’s group went in.
After I put myself on guard for a while, the ground trembled and I heard the sound of trees falling down.
I unconsciously broke a cold sweat and swallowed my saliva.
I flipped the safety switch off my AK-47.
It shifted to full automatic.
I pulled the cocking handle and loaded a cartridge into the chamber.
Not only me but Shia and Snow & Chrisse also.
The ground-trembling distance got closer.
From the forest, I saw silhouettes of people running for their lives.
It’s Symil!
He’s soaked with sweat and tears that were flowing, and he was holding his right arm.
The right hand that held the proud sword was gone.
While holding it with his left hand, he ran back here with a pale face.
“He- eeelp!”
Instantly…
His upper body was then decimated.
Blood spurt out from his lower half of the torso, and it twitched violently as it fell over.
“!!!”
I bit down my lips and averted my eyes from the overly shocking scene.
“Young master, you can’t look away. We don’t know what will come next.”
“So..sorry. But–!”
Due to that overly miserable death, I felt something sour coming up my throat.
I held it back and lift my face up.
In an instant, the monster that ate Symil leapt into the sky.
[OoOooooooOOoOooOooooO!!!]
Dancing high in the sky, it roared as if to intimidate us.
Its overall length is about 10 meters.
Sharp scales that seemed that they would cut your hand if touched were covered all over its body, and its wide wings on its back let it fly freely in the sky.
And there was the different trait from normal dragons — 2 heads, it once again emitted a roar that would rumble even your core.
[OoOooooooOOoOooOooooO!!!]
“Hey hey hey, what the hell is that …”
I raised my voice unintentionally.
Shia whispered with an unpleasant face.
“Looks like my prediction is head-on. It’s the red dragon’s superior species: the twin dragon …”
Because the dragon was here, that must be why all the monsters disappeared!
I thought for sure it was because of the Twin Magicians and the Orges; I was mistaken.
As if we were answering to her, it landed on the ground in a position in front of us, and its two pairs of eyes fixed in on us.
“–! Snow, Chrisse! You two evacuate Gomugo-san’s group! Shia and I will shoot it to attract its attention!”
On my command, the girls moved out.
Bang! Bababababababababang!
I unloaded the AK47’s full auto.
But I couldn’t even do so much as put a scratch on the scales of that monster called the twin dragon.
Even so, Shia and I still kept shooting to draw its attention.
One of the heads of the twin dragon looked at us like annoying pest and breathed in as if it was inhaling a large quantity of air.
“!? Young master! Breath incoming! Dodge!”
“…..!!”
A thunderous roar emitted from one of the twin dragon’s head, then fire started coming out.
On Shia’s point-out, I immediately enhanced my body with magic and jumped away from that spot.