We live at the foothills of the Dragon Peak.
Anya’s village was behind us, and the capital city of the Yorttenitos Kingdom was drawing near.
“Hmm. Oh my, oh my? The wind is disturbed?”
Nimia flew gracefully through the sky. Alicia, from on Nimia’s back, squinted at the capital city visible in the distance. We, too, were drawn in and gazed intently at the capital city.
However, we couldn’t see the wind. So, we observed the trees in the capital city and the plants growing in the surrounding area, but we couldn’t perceive any visible changes.
Nevertheless, since the wise Alicia mentioned an anomaly, something must be there. As we looked at each other, tilting our heads in confusion, Nimia reached the sky above the capital city. That’s when it happened.
Around us, who should be protected by Nimia’s blessing, the wind began to swirl. Nimia’s long fur fluttered and danced in the wind.
“Whoa, it’s a Wind Spirit,” Priscilla-chan exclaimed, bouncing on my lap.
“I see, Alicia meant the Wind Spirit, didn’t you?” I concentrated, trying to perceive what was unseen. If I did, even I could sense the spirit’s presence. Mistral and the others also sharpened their senses.
In this place, only I, Priscilla-chan, Alicia, and Nimia could sense the presence of spirits that were not manifesting. However, even Mistral and the others, if they concentrated, could feel that the swirling wind around us was intentional.
“It feels like something is in a hurry, doesn’t it?” Alicia said, pointing a finger as she followed Nimia’s long fur dancing in the wind with her eyes, noting the strangeness Mistral had spoken of.
“Mist, exactly right! As a reward, I’ll give you the right to play with Priscilla all day long.”
“Hmm, Priscilla is the prize, then?”
“That’s right. Priscilla, lucky you?”
“Yay!”
No, no. That means only Mistral, who got the answer right, bears the burden, doesn’t it?! Moreover, Priscilla-chan, the prize, inexplicably benefits the most. It’s a mysterious reward. Everyone laughed at Alicia’s proposal. However, this might not be the time for laughter.
I, too, felt a pressing sense of urgency from the swirling wind around me.
“So, Alicia, what is this wind, or rather, spirit, trying to convey?”
Prompted by Mistral, Alicia listened to the wind.
“Hmm, I see. Is that so? Thank you from afar.”
Apparently, the Wind Spirit doesn’t have enough power to manifest. Or perhaps, having flown from somewhere far away, it has exhausted its strength and has no remaining power to manifest?
We watched Alicia, holding our breath. Then, Alicia, having received the situation from the Wind Spirit, looked at me with a rare, serious expression.
“Elnea-kun, please go to the Beastkin village immediately! Something terrible seems to have happened!”
“Eh!?”
I never thought I’d be informed of a crisis befalling the Beastkin above the Yorttenitos Kingdom!
“Alicia-chan, can you tell me more specifically?”
Although I wanted to rush there immediately when she said “immediately,” I first needed to calmly grasp the details. Alicia told me what she heard from the Wind Spirit in response to my question.
“It seems a Yōma that cannot be controlled has appeared in a village of the Deer Breed living in a place called Urangala Forest. And then, Istericia, who was a Mimicho race and went to help, seems to have been swallowed by that Yōma.”
“Eeeek!!”
Since last summer, in the northern lands where the Beastkin live, Istericia had been undergoing training as a miko under Priest Jab. And that Istericia was eaten by a Yōma!? We turned pale at the unexpected report.
“But, according to this little one, it might still be possible to make it if we hurry.”
“So, she’s still holding on somehow, even though she’s swallowed. Then we have to hurry!”
We don’t know how long it took the Wind Spirit to fly from the northern lands to the Yorttenitos Kingdom. Spirit Tree Spirit Ares-chan could travel long distances in an instant, but I don’t think the Wind Spirit has the same abilities as Ares-chan. This means it’s highly likely that a considerable amount of time has passed since the Yōma appeared in the northern lands.
Knowing that there was no time to spare, we felt our blood drain from our bodies. Ruiseine and Madrine, who had guided Istericia to become a miko, were particularly distraught.
“Nimia, I know it will be strenuous, but please hurry to the northern lands!”
“Hurry nyaa!”
Nimia spread her large wings.
“Thank you for informing us, Wind Spirit!”
Our thanks and Nimia’s rapid acceleration coincided. In an instant, the capital city we had seen below receded behind us. Without time to ponder why the spirit of the northern lands knew our whereabouts in the Yorttenitos Kingdom, we left the Yorttenitos Kingdom behind.
“Jab!”
Thanks to Nimia, who flew without rest, we arrived at the Deer Breed village in Urangala Forest by midnight that same day. And, without much ceremony, we immediately faced the Yōma after greeting Jab, who had been awaiting our arrival.
“Be careful. That thing will melt and devour anything that touches its muddy body.”
“Our magic doesn’t work on it either…”
Under the moonlight. A being that clearly looked like a lump of mud, with a giant body larger than any house, cast a shadow. We listened to the warnings of the Beastkin warriors, weapons at the ready.
“I am ashamed that I could not protect the Mimicho girl despite taking on the role of bodyguard…”
A Wolf-type Beastkin hung his head. We learned that it had already been more than two days since Istericia was swallowed by the Yōma. All the Beastkin warriors looked haggard and disheartened. They must have tried every possible method before we arrived, but they couldn’t defeat the Yōma, let alone harm it. All the Beastkin warriors could do was keep watch on the Yōma from a distance. They couldn’t find a solution, and they couldn’t rescue Istericia.
The Beastkin warriors seemed to have given up hope for Istericia’s survival, more than two days after she was swallowed by the Yōma. Jab also looked at us, who had arrived, with a complex expression.
However, I was convinced as soon as we arrived.
“It’s alright. We can still make it!”
I declared, glaring at the Yōma. Then, Alicia and Priscilla nodded with confident expressions.
“Nyan.”
Nimia, having shrunk down and burrowed into my pocket, meowed in affirmation.
“Perhaps the Yōma hasn’t moved since swallowing Istericia?”
To the Beastkin warrior who looked at me with questioning eyes, asking how I knew, I said:
“Istericia is still holding on inside! That’s why the Yōma isn’t moving, trying to completely melt the swallowed Istericia. But it’s been over two days, so we need to rescue her quickly.”
Istericia is of the Mimicho race. Even if swallowed by a Yōma, she should be able to escape using Spatial Jump if she wanted to. Yet, she remains swallowed and has been unable to move for over two days. This means she is enduring something inside for some reason. Enduring within a Yōma for over two days must be an unimaginable hardship. So, we have to rescue her quickly!
At my signal, everyone in my family moved.
“Haa!”
Mistral took the lead, launching a Dragon Lance. The Dragon Lance, which shone beautifully in emerald green even in the night, struck the mud Yōma, causing a localized explosion. However, it only caused a small part of the surface mud to flake off and had little effect. It’s understandable. If Istericia is inside, we can’t use a drastic measure like obliterating the Yōma along with her. We have no choice but to attack cautiously, ensuring no harm comes to Istericia.
“Yufi and…”
“Nina’s…”
“Dragon Wind Annihilation!”
The Dragon Arts of Yufilia and Nina were unleashed, targeting the area where the surface had been scattered by Mistral’s Dragon Lance. Countless wind blades, modeled after dragon scales, appeared and continuously gouged the muddy surface of the Yōma. However, the surrounding mud surged in, closing the opened holes, and it didn’t have the desired effect.
“Then, this is it!”
Laira raised her Spirit Tree two-handed staff high above her head. Receiving Laira’s Dragon Energy, the two-handed staff began to glow brilliantly. The radiance then converged at the top, becoming a single shining light.
“Haa.”
Laira swung the two-handed staff down. The light sphere that had converged at the tip flew towards the Yōma. Upon impact, the converged light scattered, blowing away the surrounding mud. However, the effect was limited. Like Mistral’s Dragon Lance and Yufilia and Nina’s Dragon Wind Annihilation, Laira’s Dragon Art only gouged the surface of the mud Yōma slightly, not inflicting significant damage.
Conversely, when the Yōma recognized the appearance of an enemy, it retaliated by throwing lumps of mud at us. We dodged while observing the mud Yōma. The flying mud, having lost its target, fell to the ground. With an ear-grating sizzle and a pungent odor, the mud melted the ground slightly and evaporated.
“Well, what should I do…”
As the Beastkin warned, touching the Yōma’s mud seemed to melt everything. I immediately thought, “What about White Sword and Spirit Tree Wooden Sword?” but I must absolutely not do that. Dangerous adventures must not be undertaken. If by any chance they melt, it would be a disaster.
However, that limits our options. How can we defeat the Yōma without harming Istericia, who we believe is still alive inside? Normally, we could try various things, keeping long battles in mind, but this time, our time is limited.
“If it comes down to it, we have no choice but to blow away the mud completely with the storm of the Dragon Sword Dance!”
I declared sharply and, as promised, began to perform the Dragon Sword Dance.
“Oh dear, Elnea-kun has started rampaging.”
Ruiseine looked at me with a troubled expression!
“I-I’m not rampaging. It’s because there’s no other way…”
I said, and then… I thought of something. And I immediately realized that my turn would be a little later.
“Ruiseine, here we go!”
“Yes!”
In response to Madrine’s call, Ruiseine fired a Moonbeam Arrow. A total of seven magic arrows, jointly released by the two, struck the mud Yōma directly. That’s when it happened. The Yōma, which had been unfazed by any attack so far, let out a scream. An unpleasant scream echoed through the night in Urangala Forest. Some Beastkin instinctively covered their ears and cowered.
“Oh! Could it be that magic is its weakness!?”
“Yes. Jab said that.”
“W-What!?”
Jab would not abandon his disciple to the Yōma in vain. Jab had also been desperately trying before we arrived. As expected, in times of urgency, we should listen carefully to what people say. We calmly listened to Alicia’s words in the Yorttenitos Kingdom, but it seems we were too hasty in our panic upon seeing Istericia’s crisis.
“However, single-shot magic doesn’t seem to have enough power to destroy the Yōma. Besides, we can’t defeat it without rescuing Istericia-san…”
To Ruiseine, whose face clouded over, I smiled and said.
“Leave Istericia’s rescue to me! And, does that mean there’s a way to defeat the Yōma if it’s not single-shot magic?”
To my question, Ruiseine and Madrine nodded.
Alright, I’ve devised a plan to defeat the Yōma. Now, all that’s left is to rescue Istericia! Everyone watched me, wondering how I would rescue Istericia, who had been swallowed by the Yōma. I interrupted my Dragon Sword Dance and concentrated. Then, I casually activated Spatial Jump. The next moment, I was above the Yōma’s head. The Yōma, sensing my approach sensitively, began to writhe ominously, preparing to spit mud towards me from above. As I kept an eye on the Yōma’s movements, I reached into my pocket with my right hand. And then, I took out my trump card!
“Nimia!”
“Nyan!”
What I took out of my pocket was Nimia, the Snow Dragon. Nimia, understanding my intent, let out a short meow. Then, the peak of the Yōma, which had piled up like a mountain, along with the mud it was about to spit at me, turned into white ash. I brandished the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword. The ash was swept away by the wind pressure. I then jumped into the Yōma through the hole that opened at the summit.
“Istericia!!”
I shouted.
“Elnea!”
A faint reply came from below my feet.
“I’m sorry for making you wait, but you’re safe now!”
Even without looking closely, I could see the terrible situation. Istericia’s back was in a state that looked like a severe burn. Her miko’s attire was scorched, her skin was peeling, and even her flesh was melting. She had probably been melted by the Yōma’s mud. However, besides her back, her injuries weren’t that severe. At that moment, I noticed Istericia’s unnatural posture. She was hunched over, as if protecting something precious. I focused the pupils of my Dragon Energy-infused eyes to confirm. And then, I noticed. A young girl of the Deer Breed was being held and protected by Istericia. Istericia had endured the intense pain on her back for over two days to protect the girl from harm. It must have been unimaginable suffering. In a desperate situation, trapped within a Yōma, if she faltered, not only she but also the girl would be melted and devoured by the Yōma’s mud. She didn’t know when rescue would come. It was possible that rescue might not come at all. In such a desperate situation, Istericia had continued to protect not only her own life but also the life of the Deer Breed girl. I wanted to relieve Istericia, who had endured so much, of her suffering quickly. I drew my White Sword and gazed at the hole above, which was on the verge of closing. With the young, weakened Deer Breed girl present, I couldn’t use Spatial Jump. However, now that I had reached them, there was no need to hold back. Infusing my White Sword and Spirit Tree Wooden Sword with my anger towards the Yōma, I swung them down!
