Chapter 23

The Wyvern extermination team, including Barbarotto, had almost reached the Wyvern's nest.

According to the report from the investigation team, there were twenty-eight Wyverns. Including the young, there were thirty-two Wyverns in total.

The young ones were not a threat, but the adult ones, especially the females, were. They had become nervous, trying to protect the young Wyverns, and were recognizing everything that approached as an enemy, increasing their aggressiveness.

"Are the magic and archery units in position?"

"Yes! They are already in position."

"Good. Then we will commence the Wyvern extermination operation. All units, prepare for the charge!"

The captain, mounted on a horse, drew his sword and pointed it in the direction of the Wyverns, giving a loud command to his subordinates.

The knights, upon receiving the order, charged forward. Barbarotto led the charge, leaping and slashing the head off a Wyvern in one swift motion.

The Wyverns, enraged by the death of their comrade, roared at the approaching knights and immediately tried to take flight. However, a rain of arrows descended upon them. The Wyverns, unable to withstand the arrows, let out cries of pain. The Wyverns that managed to escape the rain of arrows fled to the sky, glaring at the direction from which the arrows came.

Spotting the knight with a bow, the Wyvern, still enraged from the attack, charged at the knight. However, just as the Wyvern was about to reach the knight, tragedy struck the Wyvern. The first Wyvern to attack was hit by a fireball and turned into a charred mass. Seeing their comrade charred, the other Wyverns fled to the sky again.

"Don't let them escape! Fire!"

The knight commanding the magic unit gave the order, and they launched a counterattack on the Wyverns fleeing to the sky. Fireballs continued to fly at the Wyverns, but after taking down the first one, they missed. It wasn't that the knights were bad; the accuracy of magic itself was not very high. After all, in training, they practiced on stationary targets, making it difficult to hit the constantly moving Wyverns.

On the other hand, Barbarotto was steadily reducing the number of Wyverns. This was partly due to his efforts, but mainly because the Wyverns protecting the young were too cautious to attack, leaving the knights on the defensive.

"Hmm... So far, so good. Can we push through like this?"

The captain, observing the battle, analyzed the situation calmly. Currently, the knights, with Barbarotto at the forefront, were slowly but surely defeating the Wyverns, and the Wyverns that had fled to the sky were being held back by the magic and archery units. He believed that, although it would take time, they would surely win. However, he couldn't shake off his unease.

"However, it's strange... Even if female Wyverns protect their young, would they hold on this long? The young are important, but Wyverns are not stupid. It wouldn't be unusual for some to flee..."

His unease was about to be confirmed.

"ROOOAAARRRRR!!!"

A deafening roar echoed, frightening the knights.

"What, what is that!? That roar!"

"Ugh... It's an incredible roar!"

The roar alone caused the ground to shake, and the knights were paralyzed. Only the captain, who had been observing the battle, was unaffected by the roar and quickly understood what had happened.

"Impossible! That's a Red Wyvern!? It wasn't in the report!"

The Red Wyvern. There are different types of Wyverns, and the Red Wyvern is a higher-level individual. While a regular Wyvern is about 3 to 4 meters in size as an adult, a Red Wyvern boasts a body length of 6 to 7 meters. They also look different; regular Wyverns have gray skin, while Red Wyverns are red, as their name suggests. However, the biggest difference lies in their ability to—

"Prepare for fire! Everyone, dodge!"

Yes, they can breathe fire. Regular Wyverns can only attack directly with their claws and sharp teeth, but the higher-level Red Wyvern can also breathe fire in addition to these two methods.

"The Wyverns didn't flee because the nest's boss was a Red Wyvern! This is unexpected...!"

The reason why the Wyverns didn't flee was now clear, but the situation was dire. The appearance of the Red Wyvern, which was not mentioned in the report, had caused panic among the knights, and the tide of battle had shifted.

If they didn't quickly regain their composure, they might be overwhelmed and defeated. The captain quickly gave orders to Barbarotto, their strongest asset.

"Barbarotto! Target the Red Wyvern! The magic unit, support Barbarotto! The archery unit, continue to keep the Wyverns at bay!"

The knights, who had been thrown off by the appearance of the Red Wyvern, quickly regrouped under the captain's orders. Barbarotto leaped at a Wyvern that was about to attack him, using its head as a stepping stone to reach the Red Wyvern roaring in the sky.

"Haah!"

However, Barbarotto's strike missed. In the air, the Red Wyvern, which could fly freely, easily evaded his attack.

"Damn...!"

No matter how skilled he was with a sword, Barbarotto was at a disadvantage in the air and could do nothing but clench his teeth in frustration. Unable to fly, he was pulled down by gravity. Just as he was about to hit the ground, a Wyvern tried to bite him. However, the Wyvern was hit by a magic spell and fell, burning.

"Safe!"

"Don't worry about the surroundings, focus on the Red Wyvern!"

"Leave it to me!!!"

Barbarotto, landing on the ground, leaped again and charged at the Red Wyvern.