Arc 16: Attack (4)

Philly was honestly surprised. It really was just as Frondier had said.

["I won't tell you who the culprit is."]

["Why not?"]

["Because if I tell you, you'll still have doubts at the very last moment."]

Just as he had predicted, she had nearly doubted him. Had Frondier accused Elysia from the start, Elysia's words would instead have swayed her now.

But the more Elysia spoke, the more certain Philly became.

["Please arrive at that final answer yourself."]

["I'm sure you'll figure it out, Philly."]

That faint wavering in Philly, something only someone of Elysia's caliber could detect.

The truth was simple. Philly had merely deceived Elysia with a show of uncertainty subtle enough that only someone like Elysia would notice.

Philly rose and slowly approached Elysia.

"You still haven't broken that habit of letting your lies show once you think you've fooled someone."

"N-no, Mom! I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"

Elysia backed away with every step Philly took toward her.

"Why did you target Aten? For the throne? Were you afraid she'd take your place?"

"I told you, I didn't! Sale was the one who tried to kidnap her, not—!"

Philly's smile deepened.

"Did I say anything about kidnapping?"

"...! W-well, of course I'd assume it was a kidnapping! They'd want a ransom for Aten! That Frondier fellow went upstairs to search the place, didn't he? Why don't you at least find some evidence before you accuse me?"

Philly stopped at those words.

"Evidence, you say."

"Y-yes! He won't find anything anyway!"

"I was curious about that, actually. Rafflesia isn't a magic circle that can lure every kind of monster. It needs a medium to make that possible."

Rafflesia was a spell for luring monsters, but it couldn't attract every kind. The greater their variety and number, the more formulas had to be added to the magic circle, increasing its complexity. It also required a medium to specify the monsters.

Without exceptional knowledge of monsters and enough materials taken from them, it was impossible.

Elysia's expression stiffened at Philly's words. Bringing up Rafflesia meant she was utterly convinced of Elysia's guilt.

"... I don't know what you're talking about, but go ahead and look! Find your proof that I'm the culprit!"

For now, Elysia played innocent. There was nothing else she could do.

"Do you know why Frondier went upstairs?"

"...? Like I said, to search the place."

"No. He simply didn't want you interfering."

Elysia tilted her head at Philly's words.

With a rare, slightly troubled expression, Philly said, "I hope Frondier is wrong. Just this once."

"What does that mean?"

At that moment, a ground-shaking rumble rang out.

RRRUMBLE

Philly and Elysia bounced up and down—heads, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes.

Elysia went deathly pale.

"Wh-why? This can't be...!"

At that reaction, Philly's eyes turned utterly cold.

She looked upward, toward where Frondier would be.

"... He was right."

* * *

As expected, there was nothing remarkable on the tower's upper floors. They were an ordinary mage's laboratory, filled with the usual assortment of equipment and tools.

Luring large numbers of monsters with Rafflesia required a medium. In other words, materials taken from monsters.

The fresher they were, the better. The more there were, the better. To summon enough monsters to overrun Constel, both requirements naturally had to be met exceedingly well.

But to keep the medium fresh, it was best for it to remain alive until the magic circle activated.

Something alive, yet made up of multiple kinds of monsters.

And for that—

'... A chimera.'

I knew Elysia was creating a chimera. This, at least, wasn't something I had seen firsthand. I had only learned about it through news reports and newspapers while playing the game.

[Imperial Princess Elysia Reportedly Living at a Private Retreat]

[A Retreat Shaped Like a Giant Tower?]

[Secret Underground Laboratory Discovered. Its Purpose Currently Under Investigation.]

[Elysia Was Creating a Chimera! The Monsters She Combined Within It Were—]

Those were the reports the newspapers and news programs had carried in the game.

I grasped Black Lotus around my neck.

Fabrication, Black River

Grade - Legendary

Gram

Black droplets gathered around me.

Gram, Sigurd's sword.

The legend that it had slain the dragon Fafnir had become one of Gram's traits.

[Gram]

? Grade: Legendary

? Description: A renowned sword wielded by Sigurd. The achievements of both hero and weapon are so great that it surpasses some Divine weapons.

Ability Details >

- Dragonslayer: Having slain a dragon, it absorbed its blood. Increases attack power against dragons and inflicts fear on dragonkind of Unique Grade or lower.

Unique Grade was the grade immediately below Legendary. Since Fafnir, the dragon Sigurd had killed, was Legendary Grade, the sword instilled fear in dragonkind below that grade.

I pointed the sword downward, toward the chimera somewhere underground.

... I knew what sort of monster Elysia had created.

An army of monsters vast enough to engulf Constel. To summon that many, ordinary monsters wouldn't even come close to being enough.

Yes, even if it wasn't a proper specimen, she would need to summon something on the level of a dragon.

The distant cracking and snapping were unmistakable. From far below came a sound like something forcing open a gap.

Then a brief silence.

Like the stillness between a flash of lightning and the thunder that followed.

ROOOAAAR!

A tremendous tremor struck, and I staggered, losing my balance. An involuntary grunt escaped me as I braced a hand against the wall.

Chimeras were extremely rare, seldom seen even in the game. The creature's voice sounded like a scream forced through a throat clogged with blades.

"Well, I managed to draw it out...!"

Where was it?

I opened a nearby window and looked outside.

There was a gigantic fissure I couldn't have missed even if I'd tried. The ground had split like torn clothing, and a monster's hand reached out from within.

"... That's no joke."

Seeing it in person really was a different kind of intimidating. I hadn't realized it would be that big.

At last, the creature hauled itself up on its forelimbs. It stood half as tall as the tower—and that was on all fours. Had it stood upright, it would have been eye to eye with me on the top floor.

It resembled an enormous lizard. Perhaps because a dragon formed its base, the scales covering its body looked incredibly hard, and its gleaming golden eyes flaunted its ferocity.

"No wings, then."

All dragonkind had wings. But this was no dragon, merely a chimera containing dragon parts. Fortunately, it didn't seem capable of flight.

Elysia's guilt was now certain. Philly had seen that hideously enormous creature for herself.

All I had left to do was deal with it.

... Which was the most difficult part, admittedly.

GRRR...

Its eyes swiveled about, each moving independently, like a chameleon's. The left one darted this way and that before finding me. Or perhaps confirming my location would be more accurate.

I adjusted my grip on Gram.

... Could I beat it?

To be honest, the fear I felt in my body was less intense than it had been with Renzo.

Simply put, a chimera was an utterly inferior creature with no true foundation. It couldn't develop the innate traits of a species or the intimidating presence an individual accumulated over time. It had been made, not born.

That made it somewhat easier to face than someone of Renzo's inherent caliber.

But with something that absurdly huge, I had no idea how to fight it.

'First, I'll snipe it with Chryselakatos—'

That was as far as I got.

RAAAH!

It let out another scream-like roar, and my eyes flew wide.

"What the fuck...!"

My mouth fell open in shock. The creature had done something unbelievable.

The instant its eye confirmed my location, it scrambled away on all fours in the exact opposite direction.

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD...

For a long while, I could only stare dumbfounded as its flailing legs kicked up dust and carried it farther away.

Finally coming to my senses, I shouted,

"Where the hell do you think you're running, you lizard bastard?!"

* * *

The attack on Constel had begun in earnest.

It was unfolding completely differently from Elysia's original plan. The monsters were supposed to launch a surprise assault before students and teachers could respond, causing massive casualties.

But thanks to Elodie's spectacular initial response, Constel had finished preparing before the monsters arrived. The teachers' advance knowledge of the attack also helped speed up their response.

Still, their preparations couldn't cover everything.

Elodie's magic had killed a considerable number of monsters, but more kept pouring in over their corpses.

Constel was far from small. Young people gathered from all over the continent to enroll there, which was why it had extensive dormitory facilities.

The monsters swarming Constel posed a deadly threat to those residents.

"Aaaagh!"

Screams erupted wherever people were gathered. They might be studying combat, but they were still beginners who had barely taken their first steps. Many had never faced a real monster before, making it difficult even to put their existing skills to use.

"Help me!"

Gafri, a first-year boy, had fled the room where he lived alone after being awakened from sleep. It had been sheer luck that he'd quickly detected and killed the first goblin that broke in.

Then monsters had poured in after it.

He ran headlong.

"Hah!"

Gafri had reached a dead end. An ordinary high wall he might have vaulted, but a sheer marble building blocked his way.

He turned. Creatures resembling wild dogs, except for their three eyes, glared at him. They were closing in like a whole pack of hounds.

'I-I'm going to die.'

One wild dog might have been manageable, but there were dozens.

Why the hell did Constel have to build everything at right angles?

With thoroughly doglike barks, the monsters charged Gafri.

Then—

CRUNCH! CRACK!

A young man dropped from above, driving one foot into each of the two leading creatures.

"H-huh?"

A handsome face framed by golden hair. There was no one at Constel who didn't recognize it.

"... Aster Evans?"

"You held out well."

Aster smiled, a sword in hand. For the first time in a while, he felt a little exhilarated.

All those days spent growing stronger at Constel. Apart from sessions in the measurement rooms, most of that training prohibited him from using Divine Power.

Here, though, there wasn't the slightest need for restraint.

"Lord Baldur."

Grant me strength.

Divine Power Release

Lord of Light and Justice

Baldur

Aster's eyes shone. His clothes flared as though wreathed in wind, and his power surged outward as if hammering the ground.

A vivid blue light enveloped his entire body, displaying its majesty.

The wild dogs lunged at Aster.

He swung his sword once, severing each dog by precisely as much as its body overlapped the blade's path. With his free hand, he seized the dogs by their heads, stabbed them, and tossed them aside wherever they fell.

It was savagery in its purest form. His swordsmanship resembled his usual style, but was far more brutal.

Perhaps that sheer brutality worked: the dogs began to whimper in apparent fear.

"What filthy noises."

Aster launched himself forward. His push-off left a great fissure in the ground as he plunged into their midst.

He slashed, stabbed, and hurled whatever he saw. Even when a few dogs bit and clawed him, he continued his assault as though it meant nothing.

Baldur's power.

The power of the one called the most perfect god in Norse mythology was truly simple.

Feeble attacks could not scratch his body. Feeble defenses could not stop his attacks.

Violence in its purest form.

Once such a simple power passed a certain threshold, it left enemies utterly helpless.

Aster slaughtered the dogs swiftly and thoroughly.

"Whew."

His light sigh swept over the corpses. Behind him, Gafri stared blankly at the scene.

"Th-that was amazing."

"It was nothing."

Gafri approached Aster with a sigh of relief. As the tension left him, his back slumped slightly.

"Thank goodness you were here. If you'd been in class, I'd have been dead for sure."

A peculiar expression crossed Aster's face.

"Actually, I was supposed to be in class."

"What? Then why are you here?"

The dormitories were a fair distance from Constel's classroom buildings.

Aster scratched his cheek.

"My sister sent me on an errand."