Day five of collecting magic stones.
Last night… Ah, I don’t want to remember. I wish I had a manual on how to befriend skeletons.
We’ve reached the nameless pond in the forest, which is our final destination for this collection. It’s about twenty to thirty meters in circumference, and the water is so clear I can see it bubbling from the bottom.
The plan here is to hunt monsters that come to drink. We’ll set up camp a little away from the pond but within sight of it, taking turns to watch and wait for monsters to appear.
Being on lookout is fine at first, but waiting for a monster that might never come is tedious. During my wait, Rhys came to thank me for yesterday. He said that when he was on the verge of losing consciousness from his wounds, he saw the Big Redcap and resigned himself to death. I saved him, so he should fall for me.
Now he’s healed by Sophia’s recovery magic and says his stiff shoulders are even gone. Sophia’s magic really is good for everything.
The White Rose Brigade has been a party for about two years, led by their Captain Rose. I heard some relatable stories about the hardships unique to women, and it made me wonder if the White Lily Corps was the same before I joined.
Interacting with other parties is indeed great. This time it happened to be a party of women, but maybe next time I’ll consider teaming up with a male party.
The monster on the fifth day arrived at night. With every heavy step, the ground trembled.
“It’s here, a Black Flame Dragon.”
Unpleasant memories flooded my mind. I recall it being incredibly tough, deflecting my blade. It also breathed fire, and I barely managed to kill it by cutting its unprotected belly. I broke its leg bones, and even with that, Alana rode it, making the journey back difficult.
I don’t have my Short Sword. I broke it during yesterday’s fight with the Redcap. And I don’t have any spare weapons because we’re carrying the soundproof Tent. Do we really need a soundproof tent that much?!
It can’t be helped, so I took out a knife manufactured by Orietta. Everyone else had already readied their weapons, but the White Lily Corps members looked cool and bored.
“Baron Shin, is this your first time facing a Black Flame Dragon? They can breathe fire, but once they drink water, they can’t for a while. Let’s wait for it to drink.”
Captain Dan seems to know the Black Flame Dragon’s weakness. Does he have a countermeasure for its tough scales too? What about scales that can withstand fires spreading around and even Godspeed slashes?
“Everyone, listen up. When the Black Flame Dragon drinks, Nicole will use water magic. It will likely return to its nest, so we’ll attack it there with water and take it down.”
“A Black Flame Dragon is quite tough, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry about that. Its scales become surprisingly soft when soaked in water, which will allow our swords to pierce it.”
Was there such a hidden trick? I regret not knowing that back then, but as expected of an Adventurer, they know their opponent’s weaknesses and exploit them. This is probably the standard method, unlike the brute force mercenary approach.
It’s unfortunate. Adventurers exploit weaknesses and have the adaptability to use them. But in war, while there might be overarching weaknesses, individual vulnerabilities are non-existent against a collective. War requires the ability for a unit to move as one entity, rather than exploiting personal weaknesses. Can Adventurers do that?
“It’s drinking. Nicole, the magic!”
Under Captain Dan’s command, Nicole unleashed a Water Ball. Startled by the sudden attack and hating the water, the Black Flame Dragon shook its massive body and quickly retreated.
“Let’s pursue!”
At Captain Dan’s command, we grabbed our weapons and chased the Black Flame Dragon. However, we followed quietly, careful not to let it notice us.
Without losing sight of such a massive creature, the forest fell silent after a final sound like digging through earth.
“What do we do now?”
I was interested in the upcoming hunt. They were cornering a Black Flame Dragon that had caused them so much trouble. They must have a plan to win.
“From now on, Nicole will pour water on its nest from above. It will seep into the earth, weakening the Black Flame Dragon until it’s soaked. When the weakened Black Flame Dragon emerges, we’ll kill it all at once.”
The plan was set, and Nicole was already pouring water on the nest. “Pouring” sounds gentle, but it’s a crucial job to weaken the Black Flame Dragon, and Nicole is the only one who can use water magic.
It took an hour for the water to drip into the nest like rain, saturating the Black Flame Dragon without collapsing the nest. Captain Dan called Nicole back, and we discussed the final hunting strategy.
“After this, Nicole will release a Water Ball directly into the nest. This will force the Black Flame Dragon out. Then, we’ll all attack it. I’ll take the front, the White Lily Corps will cover the right flank, and the White Rose Brigade will cover the left flank. Nicole, drink a potion. Once you’re done, we’ll go!”
This is where our turn begins. We have to live up to Nicole’s efforts. Having a knife as my weapon makes me feel a bit uneasy, but it’s made by Orietta. Its durability is no match for a Black Sword.
Nicole finished her potion, and her magic power seemed to surge, even changing her expression. When she launched a massive Water Ball into the Black Flame Dragon’s nest, it let out a roar that threatened to rupture eardrums as it emerged.
The Black Flame Dragon’s scales didn’t appear to have changed visually. Could a sword really pierce its scales and reach its flesh? Priscilla’s and Rose’s Buster Swords could pierce quite deeply, and with Priscilla’s strength, she might even be able to sever a leg.
If given enough time, Christine could probably use her heart explosion technique. With so many people here, there’s no way we can lose!
“That’s a loud roar. ■■■■, Platinum Laser.”
Sophia’s platinum-colored laser passed by at such close range, I thought it was aimed at me. That single strike split the Black Flame Dragon in half with effortless ease.
“Huh?!”
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Wait a minute! Everyone was stunned by the suddenness of it all!
Hold on! You just attacked out of nowhere, finished it off so easily, and that’s it?! That’s not right. What do we do with this atmosphere?
What about everyone’s feelings, who were about to fight after carefully finding its weak points? That feeling of “Let’s all do our best together.”
Of course, Sophia splitting the Black Flame Dragon in half is incredible and deserves praise. It’s not something anyone can do.
But, but, I was expecting a scenario where we’d be saying things like, “We can’t go on anymore!”, “Don’t give up!”, “We’re out of potions,” or “This is our last potion, use it wisely.”
This is just my imagination, and I don’t know if it would have actually happened…
But still, wouldn’t you think about it? Overcoming hardship together… The captain or someone thrusting a sword into the Black Flame Dragon’s head and shouting, “We’ve defeated it!”, followed by cheers of “We did it!” You must have thought of that, right?
Of course, finishing it quickly and having no injured individuals is a good thing. It’s good, but wouldn’t a little injury be fine too? A drama like, “I can’t continue with this wound,” or “Don’t give up!”
You’ve already split it in half, but couldn’t there have been something more?
“That was easy.”
Sophia, you shouldn’t say that. Don’t look at me; I can’t just agree.
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
“Boring.”
Hey, Priscilla! You shouldn’t say that either! You should just stay quiet!
“Everyone, it’s good that everyone is unharmed.”
What am I supposed to do now?
“…Captain, are you alright? Are you crying?”
Thank you, Christine. Was I crying? It’s probably just sweat; I didn’t do anything…
“I’m fine. I’m just relieved it’s over.”
“…Is that so? But the Black Flame Dragon seemed quite weakened. I could have killed it myself if I had ten more minutes.”
You too…
I just looked up at the sky, holding back tears.
