Chapter 91 - Interception Readiness (1/2)
Translator: Barnnn
Editor: Silavin
Tsutomu went to purchase the Exchange’s excess Magic Stones from the Dwarf girl, and then to the medical unit to convince the Forest Apothecary lady to evacuate the city.
Afterward, he went to meet up with Ealdred Crow, and came up with a plan to lay traps and obstacles along the northern highway. However, when they tried heading out of town, the barrier refused to open.
Rook turned to the raised platform where House Babenberg’s eldest daughter was. Her reaction suggested that she too, did not know why it was happening, which made Rook arrive at a certain conclusion.
“…Tsutomu, we should get out of here.”
“Huh?”
“You there. Halt.” A voice called out to Ealdred Crow’s group just as Rook was about to hurry away.
It was the eldest son of House Babengerg, looking quite stern all the while walking through a group of Explorers as everyone made way for him.
Then he gave a condescending look to the whole Ealdred Crow group and stared specifically at Rook.
“You’re not heading out of town, are you? What are you trying to accomplish?”
“Actually, yes, we are. I’d like to re-confirm the locations of our Golem-construct bases…”
“That is not necessary! Just behave yourselves, stay in the wall, and help the others prepare! Or do you have some other objective? You’re not doubting House Babenberg’s barrier, are you?” The eldest son went on a mini-rant; Rook’s statement was quite suspicious, as apparent from how he averted his eyes.
“Oh, nothing of the sort, sir.” Rook replied calmly.
The eldest son, annoyed further, groaned and proceeded to say, “Then stay put. Devourer Dragon or whatever, it is powerless against our defensive magic. All you need is to be ready to intercept it.”
“Yes, sir. Apologies if we were out of line, sir.”
“Apology accepted. Now get back to work,” the eldest son said, then immediately turned around and walked over to his sister.
Watching the man leave, Tsutomu instinctively took a step forward, and was promptly stopped by Rook.
“You’re better off giving it up, I say.”
“But if things go this way, it might not end well…”
“Please. You were seen with Ealdred Crow, so if you cause any trouble, we’ll be in hot water as well.”
“All right…”
Tsutomu relented, not having any point to argue with. All he could do now was look at House Babenberg’s son walk away, waiting for the latter to finally be out of sight.
Although Tsutomu wanted to do all he could to hinder the Dragon’s progress outside, he knew that going through the official channel would take too long to get an approval, and even then, the nobility’s attitude meant that approval was unlikely.
“…So what should we do now, Tsutomu?”
“I don’t even know where to start. Seeing that guy’s attitude, he wouldn’t let me lay traps inside the barriers either, would he?”
Tsutomu tapped his feet on the stone-paved ground, while Rook stayed silent and only nodded. Getting that non-response, Tsutomu could not help but facepalm and shake his head. He sighed, frustrated that the one strategy he had been counting on may not even go off the planning board.
The Devourer Dragon was a bipedal, wingless creature, similar to a dinosaur. Since it most definitely traveled exclusively on foot, Tsutomu had figured that laying traps would likely be effective.
He had brought along Ealdred Crow’s teams of capable personnel on a plan to set up pitfalls and bogs. But then, that plan had failed to get off the ground, stopped by House Babenberg’s command. If they were to try moving in grounds to lay traps inside the barrier, they would likely be stopped for some other arbitrary faults. Breaking apart the stone-paved ground would be too loud, and the group was too short on numbers to do it any other way. All in all, the plan was impossible to carry out without the nobility knowing.
“But you know, House Babenberg isn’t necessarily wrong to be that confident. Haven’t you seen the barrier in action? It defended against all of the Dragon’s attacks, no problem at all.”
“I did see it, but still, we should do whatever we can. Laying traps is a no-go now, but there are plenty of other options available.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Rook had seen Leon’s obviously unusual reaction, so he decided to go along with Tsutomu’s proposed preparations despite still thinking they were excessive. In the end, they proceeded with making minor preparations that could be carried out in small groups.
An hour later, the Stampede’s monster force appeared, just as Leon had reported they would. They rushed toward Dungeon City, injured and missing a good chunk of their original numbers. In fact, they were more like a pack than an army when their numbers were compared to the standard Stampede.
Moreover, the monsters did not attack and simply went around Dungeon City, heading south as if they were running away from something. This unprecedented turn of events disappointed those who had been anticipating the action quite a bit.
It was a common belief that the monsters of Stampedes were targeting the huge quantity of Magic Stones in Dungeon City, but this time, their actions seemed to contradict that theory. It was clearly different from how Stampedes usually played out.
Once the monsters went past the city, beginner and intermediate-level Explorers were told to evacuate, as advised by Leon. About half of those Explorers stayed behind, however, with the intermediate ones being overconfident of their skills, and the beginners wanting to test their mettle. The Security Team did not take any special action, as a forced evacuation would only create confusion. As such, those Explorers were put to work either in minor attack squads or on miscellaneous tasks.
As the sun began to set and the logistical support team prepared to illuminate the combat areas, a Birdkin man caught sight of the Devourer Dragon that Leon had been so terrified of.
The Dragon ran at a great speed, its body bent over, its head shaking erratically, and its thick legs pulverizing the ground with each step. Its body was dark, giving off a somewhat poisonous impression, and its tongue stuck out constantly from its mouth, from which dripping a waterfall of spit. In stark contrast to its large head and legs, its arms were strangely small.
At a closer look, its overall appearance closely resembled that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, considered at one point to be the greatest carnivorous beast on planet Earth.
Under the reddened evening sky, the Devourer Dragon, its mouth dyed blood red and its feet rumbling the earth, approached Dungeon City.
――▽▽――
Amy was startled at the first sight of the Devourer Dragon, her shoulders shuddering and her tail curling in between her legs. Garm’s indigo dog ears folded back, suggesting that he was upset as well. Other Beaskin and Birdkin also had similar reactions with their tails and ears, perhaps instinctively afraid of the powerful enemy.
Camille and Melchor felt what seemed to be a sinister aura from the Dragon. It was more powerful than Fire Dragons, so Camille felt quite disheartened — but only briefly, as she had attained control over her emotions after being intimidated by a Fire Dragon once. Not to mention that this time, she was not fighting in a group of three. That fact helped Camille to stabilize her mind.
Rook, Bruno, and most of their allies looked calm, apparently not feeling anything in particular. It was the same for the other human Explorers and the military force. Still, they could tell from the others’ reactions and the Devourer Dragon’s appearance that this enemy was going to be a tough one.