Chapter 36: A Pack of Wyverns
Author: Kurohitsuji
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2086fk/37/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA
I pop out of the hole I dug on the way in, and the sun is still high.
If I head back now I should make the capital by sundown.
…I’m really tired today.
I don’t want to meet monsters, so I fly high.
At this height I can see the surroundings all at once, so I feel safe.
I’ll look at the nice view and go home at a leisurely pace, no rush.
That’s what I thought, but.
There’s a pack of wyverns over that way.
And they seem to be attacking something.
“…Haa. Ring.”
“—Multiple demonfolk: under attack.”
“Demonfolk? Demonfolk, the ones in the war?”
“—Affirmative.”
The long war between humans and demonfolk.
It only ended three years ago; the memory is still fresh.
My town didn’t take damage, so it doesn’t feel real, but.
“Hmm… well, anyway, shall I go.”
I dive straight in at the same altitude.
○○○○○○○○
After a while, the details come into view.
Sure enough, several children are being attacked by wyverns.
They’re trying to fight with swords, but the situation is overwhelmingly against them.
There’s even a kid crouched down screaming.
“Ring!”
“—Sakura-Drive Ready.”
“Ignition!”
I trail sakura-pink mana-light and head even higher.
“Ring. Assault from above.”
“—Understood. Displaying the map, out in front on the right.”
“Copy.”
I hold altitude with Cocytus in the left alone and put mana into Inferno in the right.
Aim is diagonally down. Maximum mana compression.
“All right. Shall we dance. Party time.”
The sakura-pink light loosed with a high sound punches through three wyverns together and puts a small hole in the ground.
I dive diagonally down as I am, ignite boosters at the last moment, ease the landing, and run.
“You lot, stay down!”
A leap, accelerate with verniers. I soar high again and shoot at wyverns.
I use one I punched through as a step, leap, spin, and snipe everything in range.
I knock a wyvern diving from above off course with a gun butt to the head, then shoot it down as it drops, unable to kill its own momentum.
Fighting enemies in the air is inefficient after all.
Even if the range went up, at about fifty meters there are still times it doesn’t reach.
Should I just compress mana from below and snipe?
No, if I’m not moving I’ll get hit.
Well, this time, anyway, I’ll leap.
I ignite verniers on both sides, blast diagonally up, and scatter rounds.
Aiming while moving in the air slips a little.
On the ground it isn’t like that… well, I’ll correct by feel.
One hand for thrust, one hand for attack.
Switch, accelerate, spin, shoot.
I don’t stay in the same place for even a second.
I keep turning, aiming at what I can reach.
Everything I can see. I don’t stop until it’s over.
I just punch through, and through.
In a few tens of seconds I shoot them all down and land.
I sway a little. I flew too much today.
Every time I do a hard brake, the load hits no matter what.
Anti-air combat is the biggest bottleneck right now.
If I could attack from long range without getting counterattacked, that would be good.
“—No hostile readings in the vicinity.”
“Copy. Annihilation complete.”
I seat the handguns in the holster and look for the children in the dancing pale-crimson mana-light.
Ah, there they are. All hiding in the shadow of a rock.
Blue skin, gold eyes. Exactly the demonfolk features I heard about long ago.
…For some reason, I feel like I’m getting glared at hard.
Eh, that isn’t just how their eyes sit, right?
They’re being obviously wary. They’ve got swords up, too.
I’m a bit at a loss when one of them, the tallest, steps forward.
Sword up, glaring at me.
“Oh. From the look of it you aren’t hurt. Good.”
“…You, a human?”
Uoh. That question kind of lands.
“A human. Ish, I guess.”
“…Why did you help us?”
“Eh. What, do I need a reason?”
“Normally humans don’t help demonfolk.”
“That so. The people I know would all help, I think.”
Sister Naria, Glad, the Heroes, and so on.
Everyone in my town too, probably the same.
Part of it is that my town took little damage in the war, but I don’t have any bad feeling about it.
…Ah. Right, I have to take the wyvern proof parts.
The fangs, I think. A pain, but… I’ll try snapping them with a knife.
“Orya. Anyway you lot, your parents? Did you come by yourselves?”
“Dad and Mom died in the war. Humans killed them.”
Ah… I see. That’s why they were glaring.
“Hnn… torya. Can you get home on your own?”
“…That isn’t a problem, but.”
“Then that’s fine. Soorya.”
“…You’re a weird one.”
“Eeh? That so. I think I’m ordinary. Sei!”
Mu. These really, won’t, snap—there!
“For being saved, I’ll say thanks.”
“Nn. Ah, don’t worry about it. More to the point, sorry, but if your hands are free, could you help snap fangs?”
“Ah, I can help with that much.”
“That’s a real help. Tooryaa!”
“…Yoh!”
For a while we all snap wyvern fangs.
Twenty-six in total. A lot.
I’d like to take the hides too, but I can’t carry them back.
Souvenirs for Galette another time.
“Man, that helped. Thanks.”
“…Ah.”
“This is thanks. Here.”
“…What is this.”
I take dried sweet potato from my pouch and hand it out to all of them.
“Dried sweet potato. Don’t want it?”
“…No, I’ll take it.”
“Nn. It’s my own recipe.”
It only works as a snack, but it’s a lot better than gnawing portable rations.
I sit down on the spot and take a bite.
The mokyu texture is just right.
“This is good.”
Oh. First time he’s smiled.
He’s cute when he smiles, this kid.
“Right?”
Yep. Delicious is justice.
This faint sweet and salt is just right for a tired body.
I chew dried sweet potato without talking.
Mugu mugu.
“Nng. Well, I should be going.”
“Ah… you, your name?”
“Ouka. Just a town girl.”
“Freed. I don’t think there’s a town girl like you.”
“…I get that a lot lately.”
Maybe I should give that up soon.
“Then. Don’t go anywhere too dangerous.”
“Ah. If there’s a chance, again.”
I ignite the boosters and soar high.
It took more time than I thought.
I might ought to take an inn in Asura today.
Well, can’t be helped. The mistress’s food is tomorrow.
…If it’s Asura, seafood, I guess.
Flying through the sky, my head is already full of what I’ll eat tonight.