We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Mei’s Fate
“Don’t get cocky in Urangala Forest, humans!”
Without any further discussion, the Tora Shu beast race attacked.
“Lister, I’ll leave the offense to you.”
“Leave it to me.”
I retreated, and Lister stepped forward.
Lister immediately unleashed flames from his holy sword, slashing with intimidation at the beastmen.
“You! Using flames in the forest!?”
Bollard roared in anger.
“If you’re afraid of fire, get out of here. Otherwise, my flames will show no mercy!”
Lister swung his holy sword dramatically so the beastmen could see it. Each time, flames danced, and sparks flew.
The beastmen had no idea that Lister’s flames were completely under his control. They wouldn’t burn what he didn’t want them to, and they wouldn’t harm the forest.
However, the beastmen, unaware of the nature of the sacred flames, became enraged by Lister wielding a flaming sword without restraint in the forest and turned their hostility towards him.
Gawon glanced at me. I conveyed “It’s alright” with just my eyes, and he seemed to understand. Gawon then charged towards Bollard.
I retreated to the side of Ruiseine and her companions and began to perform the Dragon Sword Dance solo.
Now, I wonder how we appear to the beastmen. Lister, recklessly dancing with flames in the forest. Ruiseine and the others calmly administering treatment while a battle begins beside them. And me, dancing with a sword on the battlefield for some reason.
It’s no wonder they think we’re a strange group.
Indeed, some of the Tora Shu beastmen were watching the battle with a bewildered look.
Gawon, of the Inu Shu, was locked in combat with Bollard of the Tora Shu. Gawon’s powerful sword roared as it aimed for Bollard’s neck. Bollard evading with flexible movements, sent a blow back with a fist like a war hammer. Gawon blocked it with his thick left arm.
Five beastmen, furious at Lister’s flames, attacked from the right and left. But whether they were afraid of the flames or afraid the fire might spread to the forest from the aftermath, they couldn’t attack effectively.
And then, the remaining ones advanced towards us.
Their target was not me, but Mei, who was receiving treatment!
“Whoa, this is scary!”
While saying that, Inea deployed a barrier spell. I continued dancing the Dragon Sword Dance outside of it.
“Everyone in the forest. Please cooperate to protect Mei, whom you all love.”
While dancing, I mentally requested help from the trees, animals, and spirits of the forest.
The beastmen, repelled by Inea’s barrier, changed their target to me and attacked. I parried them with fluid movements.
Even if the beastmen’s movements and reaction speed were as excellent as those of the Ryu Shu, they weren’t superior. Furthermore, they didn’t attack desperately like low-level demons, nor were they unpredictable.
In that case, I just dance as usual.
I deflected a heavy blow from a beastman with my Spirit Tree Wooden Sword. I dodged a kick from another direction by staying low. Then, I delivered a sweeping kick at their feet, knocking them down. The other beastmen were shaken by one of them, who looked frail, being so easily defeated by my counterattack, and writhing on the ground clutching their leg.
Despite my frail appearance, I am full of dragon energy. I pride myself on my destructive power being the same as that of the Ryu Shu. The beastman who received the kick had fractured his thick shinbone.
After a moment of hesitation, the beastmen still attacked.
I swung my White Sword diagonally upwards from below. Perhaps wary of the sharp White Sword, the beastman kept his distance to evade, then rushed in. I then rotated my body in a flowing movement and swung the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword upwards from below again.
The beastman was confused by the attack launched twice on the same trajectory. Then, a rain of lightning descended.
“Damn it! What is this guy’s fighting style!?”
“Guh!”
No matter how the beastmen attacked or tried to create distance, I continued to dance. If they tried to observe from a distance, lightning struck. If they approached, they were entangled in my complex dance and defeated. Confusion spread among the Tora Shu beastmen.
Even if they tried to attack from blind spots relying on their speed, because I was dancing, I was aware of my surroundings, whether to the right, left, or even behind me through rotation. There were no openings.
And the true purpose of my Dragon Sword Dance lay elsewhere.
Ruiseine, who usually watches the Dragon Sword Dance, might have noticed the change in my dance since the beginning of the year.
The movements of the White Sword show a sharp intent to attack. The Spirit Tree Wooden Sword has smooth movements that seem to confuse and enchant the viewer. The dance, with its varied tempo, sometimes shows fighting spirit, and sometimes evokes a sense of peace.
Furthermore, the Dragon Sword Dance was not solely directed at the opponent.
“This is all I can offer you in return.”
The night birds were captivated by my dance. Insects held their breath, mesmerized.
The power drawn from the dragon veins in time with the Dragon Sword Dance was gently dispersed into the surroundings. The trees and flowers, receiving the power, overflowed with life force and became vibrant. The spirits also happily absorbed the power and danced joyfully in time with the Dragon Sword Dance.
“Thank you.”
“We’ll cooperate.”
“Her flames are beautiful too.”
It seemed that Lister’s harmlessly flamboyant flames were also a favorite of the spirits. And the forest turned to our side.
From the darkness of the deep forest, the night birds began to cry out. The trees rustled their leaves, and the insects also started chirping in unison.
To the ominous disturbance of the night, a serious disarray began to spread among the Tora Shu beastmen.
“Impossible! The Urangala Forest is filled with rage!?”
“Oh, what a terrifying presence.”
Rage? For those who cannot hear the voices of the forest and animals, it must feel like a terrifying phenomenon.
“Now, while they are in disarray, let’s finish this.”
In accordance with my will, the spirits of the forest began to move. As if to blind them, colorful sparks exploded around the beastmen.
“It’s anger.”
“The Urangala Forest is in a raging fury!”
“Eek! This is terrifying.”
The beastmen were terrified and no longer capable of attacking us. Looking around, Bollard had also stopped fighting and was frowning at the strange events around him. Gawon also showed signs of distress.
While the forest was in an uproar and many spirits were blinding them, the rulers of the night, the dark spirits, crept up on the Tora Shu beastmen.
“My eyes! Ahhh!”
“Guh! I can’t see anything!?”
The beastmen, trapped in darkness, fell into a panic and began to thrash about wildly. Some even hit their allies nearby or fell down themselves, hitting their heads.
“Tch, retreat!”
Bollard gave the order, but it was too late.
“Good children, let’s sleep.”
“Sleep, sleep.”
A gentle breeze blew around the Tora Shu beastmen, and the darkness luring them into sleep.
One after another, the beastmen lost consciousness and fell.
“What in the world is happening…”
A flash suddenly flickered before my eyes, then darkness spread, and Bollard and the other Tora Shu beastmen collapsed. Moreover, they all had peaceful sleeping faces. It’s no wonder they were confused.
“Elnea, we’ll get an explanation later.”
“Uh, it’s because the forest loves Mei, so everyone helped!”
“No, Lady Mei doesn’t have such abilities.”
Lister and Gawon looked at me as if to ask what I had done.
That’s strange. I didn’t think I did anything unusual.
“Elnea-kun, it’s not normal to charm plants and animals, or to get spirits to cooperate without having spirit power like the Mimicho Race, you know?”
“Ugh…”
Luzaine’s calm retort made me understand everyone’s confusion.
Right. This isn’t how people usually fight. It had become normal for me, so I had forgotten…
“N-no matter what. Thanks to the three of you, this child’s condition has stabilized.”
“Shall we finish them off while we can?”
I received the most terrifying words from Inea, the Miko!
We, except for Gawon, exchanged glances and gave a bitter smile.
“No, the victory is decided. Then there is no need for unnecessary killing.”
Lister asked, “But,” to Gawon’s words.
“If we go easy on them now, they will surely come after us again?”
“Nevertheless. We beastmen do not kill after a victory is decided. Dying in battle is unavoidable, but to lay hands on those who survived the fight is not something to be proud of as a race.”
“This is the land of the beastmen, so let’s follow their customs. But let’s tie them up so we can buy as much time as possible!”
“Let’s do that, let’s do that.”
Ares-chan manifested and bound all the fallen Tora Shu beastmen with vines.
“…And that child?”
“Apologies for the introduction. This is Ares-chan. She’s a child of the spirits.”
“I see.”
Gawon seemed slightly interested in Ares-chan, who could manipulate nature. Gawon looked down at Ares-chan closely after my introduction.
“You people are truly strange. It’s rare enough to have humans in this forest.”
“Haha, we’re a little aware of that.”
“Just a little, huh!”
Ignoring Lister’s retort.
“So, what happens now? Even though we’ve tied them up, we can’t stay here like this.”
“That’s right. Mei-sama and I must go to Priest Jaballayan.”
“Then we’ll accompany you there.”
“You’ll come with us? While I would be encouraged by your presence, we cannot involve you further in the beastmen’s problems…”
“We’re already involved.”
“Elnea-kun, you thrust yourself into this, didn’t you?”
“Ugh, Ruiseine. Don’t bully me.”
“Fufufu. However, I think Elnea-kun’s approach is good. We also need to find clues about the Full Moon Flower somewhere.”
“Yes, that’s right. I wonder if any of the beastmen might have information about the Full Moon Flower?”
“I don’t know… Perhaps the knowledgeable Jaballayan might know something.”
“Alright then, let’s go meet him!”
And so, we decided to move.
I can perform Spatial Jump with Ruiseine, but Lister and the others can only travel conventionally. So, it’s difficult, but we’ll go on foot.
Gawon, holding Mei carefully, led the way.
Mei received treatment from Ruiseine and her companions, but she still hasn’t woken up. Her complexion is good, so I think the poison has been removed, which is a relief.
“How long will they be unconscious?”
In response to Gawon’s question, I asked the spirits.
“It seems they will remain asleep under the control of the dark spirits until it gets dark.”
“Then they’ll wake up at dawn. From then until they break free from these restraints and regroup will be… We’ll have until around noon.”
“What kind of business do you have with Jaballayan? I thought you were going to see Apothecary Foucher first.”
“Now that Mei-sama’s treatment is complete, it’s better to go to Jaballayan than to Master Foucher. If Mei-sama can receive her baptism there, they won’t be able to easily lay hands on her.”
“Baptism? That sounds like us Miko.”
“Miko-sama receive baptism after their basic training, right?”
“Yes. By receiving baptism, we Miko gain the ability to use magic.”
“I believe it’s different from human rituals, but we beastmen also have a Rite of Baptism. It’s a ritual performed by those who will become the supreme leader of the beastmen.”
“What! Does that mean Mei is the next leader of the beastmen?”
“That’s how it is. Priest Jaballayan chose her through divination. And yet, they are not convinced… It’s not just Bollard and the Tora Shu. Many martial tribes, like the Shishi Shu and Wani Shu, are not convinced. My tribe, the Inu Shu, are also not convinced.”
As we advanced through the deep Urangala Forest, Gawon spoke of shocking circumstances, and we exchanged bitter smiles, realizing we had stumbled into a tremendous problem.
