Upon mounting Claimh Soras and flying to the north, I first noticed that Kanaria’s soldiers had already formed a triple-layered barrier of ditches and fences to block off the main road and constructed a simple watchtower. They couldn’t have accomplished that much in such a short time with human labor alone, so they’d probably used magic to speed up the process.
As Claimh Soras sailed high over their heads, I saw the soldiers on the ground look up at the sky in surprise, and seconds later, they let out whoops of joy. They weren’t directed at me, of course, but at my wyvern, who’d grown incredibly popular among the townsfolk. But even though I knew that, I felt my spirits lift all the same. After all, I’d never once experienced being cheered for like this since becoming an adventurer. Reveling in the praise, I continued to head north until I spotted a rising plume of smoke just ahead. There were occasional flashes of red within the smoke, so it was probably caused by explosions from fire magic.
Squinting, I could see several human figures swinging swords and spears below the smoke. Since their gear wasn’t uniform, it was obvious at a glance that they weren’t official soldiers. Most likely, these were the adventurers Elgart had dispatched to the forest. And judging by how many there were, the guildmaster must have predicted there’d be a big fight.
As I watched them battle, the corners of my mouth turned up into a grin. “All right, Claimh Soras, let’s take a little detour!” I cried out, loud enough to be heard over the din below. My reliable steed responded with a spirited chirp. Apparently the cries of praise and admiration had invigorated the creature as well. We truly were kindred spirits.
Without further ado, we charged into the fray like a fierce gust of wind. But I didn’t draw my blade and just start cutting enemies down. For one, as long as I was on the wyvern’s back, my katana wouldn’t reach the enemy. According to what Astrid had told me in the royal capital, Kanaria’s dragon knights favored long spears and crossbows precisely for that reason. Normally I would have considered using one of those as well, but I could fire my vigor like a projectile, plus I’d learned a few fire spells of my own from Lunamaria and Miroslav, so there was no need for me to use a weapon I wasn’t familiar with. The biggest reason, though, was that Claimh Soras’s attacks were so strong I usually didn’t need anything else. Here, too, all I needed to do was sit back and let my wyvern do its thing.
“GROOOAAARRR!” Claimh Soras roared, landing in the middle of the monster stampede. Or more like crashing into it, really. I’ve mentioned it before, but wyverns didn’t just fly with the power of their wings; they also used the mana in their bodies. And whenever they hovered, took off straight up into the air, or landed straight down, they didn’t use their wings at all, only mana. Before crashing down on the ground, Claimh Soras had raised its own output of mana and slammed into the ground at nearly maximum speed.
The impact was similar to a large boulder touching down on the ground after being launched from a catapult. With a thunderous roar, the monsters underneath were eradicated without a trace, and the monsters in the area, along with scattered clumps of earth, were blown into the sky. The blood and guts mixed in with the downpour of sediment, staining the ground scarlet.
The other monsters who’d been attacking the adventurers in a frenzy suddenly froze, as though flabbergasted. The adventurers, too, looked like they were in awe. Silence filled the battlefield. I didn’t miss the opportunity to shout out to them.
“Adventurers, I come bearing a message! The Bloodstained Blades will take care of this incident from here on! Retreat immediately!” Though my voice sounded resolute and confident, inwardly I was on cloud nine. I’ll hold them off here, so you guys go on—though I worded it differently, I’d always wanted to say a cool line like that at least once! Even though I knew now wasn’t the proper time for it, I couldn’t help but feel giddy.
Still, I didn’t have much time to revel in it. The monster horde wasn’t stopping. While the sudden appearance of Claimh Soras had surprised and intimidated many of the monsters into stopping in their tracks, some in the rear continued to advance, shoving through and trampling those that had frozen in front on their way to me and the wyvern. In fact, more than a few ended up squashed and killed by their allies.
I urged Claimh Soras to fly upward. If we stayed on the ground, the monsters would surround us and we wouldn’t be able to move. “Time for the next one,” I said. “This time, instead of landing on the ground, dive down to ground level and sweep through the horde.”
The wyvern chirped affirmatively and spread its wings wide. However, since we’d lost our momentum from the first attack, we first needed to circle around the horde in a wide turn in order to regain the necessary speed for the second one. And the newly arrived monsters from the rear were moving so fast that at this rate, they’d easily reach the adventurers before we could even finish circling around.
I clicked my tongue in frustration. Up against such a large group of monsters, making my wyvern sacrifice its momentum had been a mistake. I had no choice but to acknowledge my inexperience in combat as a dragon knight. Pascal or Astrid Dragonaut would have fought this battle with much more finesse.
“Well, no use crying over spilled milk. Right now I just need to focus on keeping these guys from advancing. O plant that breathes in flame! Grow, ripen, and bear fruit so large it falls off the vine!” It was a Category 2 fire spell that Miroslav had taught me just recently. Put simply, it was a spell meant for stopping enemies in their tracks. “Let your explosions ring out continuously—Phoenix Fruit of Flame!”
Red balls resembling round fruits appeared in the air, each about as large as my head. There were thirty fruits in all. Then, as though unable to support their own weight, they dropped to the ground in quick succession. The moment they touched down, they exploded into blazing columns of fire, spitting embers and scattering them all over. A heat intense enough to burn human flesh quickly engulfed the area.
The spell was more useful than I’d expected. While it wasn’t powerful enough to incinerate a monster or anything, it was perfect for keeping them at bay. And the incantation was short too, so I didn’t have to worry about getting interrupted while chanting and inadvertently casting a less effective version of the spell. I could also increase its power by adding my own vigor, and if I used it while on my wyvern, no enemy would be able to withstand it. I had to tip my hat to Miroslav for finding a spell appropriate for a dragon knight and teaching it to me.