Chapter 81

"Wh- What? It's going to be destroyed? Why? Please explain..."

"The dragon will come in half a year!"

"The sub-dragon that uses magic absorption is the second to last..."

"While Kaede was away, we analyzed the ancient documents..."

"The dragon! The dragon!"

Perhaps as a reaction to the sudden silence, everyone started talking loudly at once upon hearing this. As a result, I couldn't quite make out the exact details, but it seemed that a fully grown dragon would appear in about half a year. None of this was in the content I had read. They must have cross-referenced the ancient documents and the content I was reading to analyze the reading method. I was surprised by their speed, but with everyone talking at once, I couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Please don't all talk at once... Could someone explain, please?"

I asked the person who seemed the calmest and most likely to explain, based on what I could hear. It was the one who mentioned the ancient documents.

"Yes, according to the ancient documents, even though the dragon was defeated once, the situation of the dragon's appearance hasn't changed and seems to be worsening. The reason is likely because the dragon was defeated rather than sealed with magic."

"The magic was for sealing, not defeating. So, the worsening situation is due to the sub-dragon's magic absorption attack?"

"Yes. We have almost finished analyzing all the ancient documents we could get our hands on, and it is almost certain that the appearance of the dragon and the increase in the appearance rate of sub-dragons are due to the increase in magical elements in the air. The milder effects of this include a decrease in maximum magic power and an increase in the appearance rate of sub-dragons, while the more severe effects are..."

Indeed, it was a bit strange that the documents specifically mentioned defeating the dragon with 'magic freeze' when there could have been other powerful magical artifacts. So, that was the reason.

"Magic absorption attack, you say."

Thinking about it, a while ago, many mages in Decibattle failed to manage their MP and became a laughingstock. They should be among the top mages even now, so it's unlikely they would easily fail to manage their magic. The decrease in magic might have started back then.

"So, what about the half a year?"

"The time calculated from the ancient documents is the period from when the sub-dragon started using the magic absorption attack until the dragon naturally appears. This time, it is likely that the dragon's breath and the magic that made up the dragon after its death spread into the air, causing the magical elements to increase rapidly and exceed the threshold, so it might actually be shorter."

"I see... So, can we prepare the magic freeze?"

I asked, thinking it was probably impossible. Even if we could make it, it would likely be an artifact, and I don't know of any successful examples of creating combat artifacts.

"Probably not, and certainly not within the time frame. The existence of magical elements has only been a hypothesis until now, and it has never been found. Even with the documents, it would be impossible to handle them in half a year. We would have to start from the basic theory."

As expected, it's impossible. However, the way he said it made it sound like it could be done if we had more time.

"If it were possible, how long would it take?"

"Well, the method of making magic freeze written in the documents is impossible with current technology, and it would be impossible to create the same thing with other methods. Just understanding the theory and knowing what to make would take a considerable amount of time. Then, making it compact enough to transport and manufacturing it... The exact time frame is hard to estimate, but it's physically impossible in half a year."

"...I understand the situation."

I didn't really want to understand. We are almost completely stuck. A single enemy strong enough to destroy the world is coming. So far, so good, we can deal with it if we defeat it. But it will keep appearing, and to stop it, we need to seal it. However, the tool to seal it won't be available until after the world is destroyed.

This is ridiculous. If this were an MMORPG, the developer's Twitter would be on fire, and the community would be flooded with complaints.

Unfortunately, this is probably reality. The only silver lining is that the time since we found out is short, so there might be a solution we haven't found yet. Otherwise, I would have started gathering materials for a shelter in a panic. However, if we can prepare a way to prevent the spread after defeating the dragon without the magic freeze, there might still be a chance. A fully grown dragon is indeed overwhelmingly strong, but we can choose the timing and location of the battle to some extent.

"What about what to do next?"

"There are plans to hold a strategy meeting in the future. They want to hold it as soon as possible, but the date is not set yet."

In the meantime, I decided to do what I could. Specifically, establishing a mass production system for Zunana grass and preparing weapons. The need for increased production is due to the possibility of more monster attacks. There are limits to the forces we can mobilize from places like Decibattle, and we can't leave them open. Therefore, we can't always be fully prepared for another attack like the last one. If we have a drug with such an effect, we can manage to some extent. Of course, the consumption is expected to increase accordingly. However, this is not a big problem because we can just burn the island and hand over the materials and funds to Melcia.

The problem is the weapons. Magic swords are not something that can be easily obtained. They are dangerous enough that ordinary people shouldn't even possess them. Metal lizard metal swords are possible, but they are sufficient against sub-dragons and clearly insufficient against a full dragon. I checked the weapon shops, but there are no ready-made items of that level. Whether we need to prepare backups depends on the results of the meeting.

While hunting and gathering information at the place where the sub-dragon appeared, the date for the meeting was set, and soon the day of the meeting arrived. I didn't count the days, but it felt like it came very quickly. I was included in the participants because I almost single-handedly defeated the small dragon last time and am expected to be a key player if there is another battle.

"First, we need to find a way to buy time."

The meeting started with greetings, and it was explained that even a one-day delay in response would increase the dragon's strength, and the change would not be negligible. Therefore, we need to start acting as quickly as possible, and this meeting has the authority to proceed with decisions independently. The announcement of the meeting's authority caused a stir in the room, indicating that it was an unusual privilege. The discussion then moved to the progress of the analysis of magic freeze, the required time (even with the shutdown of all other functions, it would take half a year), the estimated amount of magical elements in the air and the longest period before a dragon naturally appears, and the damage prediction if a dragon naturally appears (extinction), and eventually focused on finding a way to prevent natural appearance.

This was the conclusion the chairperson reached. I have no objections, and it seems that none of the other participants do either. However, it appears that no one has come up with a method. A heavy silence dominated the room, similar to when the sub-dragon's magic absorption attack was announced. Eventually, one of the participants broke the silence.

"Perhaps, if we can defeat it, we can buy some time with the means we have."

The voice came from a thin man, who I believe was the representative of some research institute.

"What do you mean?"

The chairperson asked. One of the biggest problems in buying time is that even if we summon and defeat the dragon early, the magical elements in the air won't decrease. In fact, if it uses its breath, the magical elements in the trees it burns could be released into the air. The breath from the last battle burned a wide area of the monster's territory, and in some places, the burn marks reached closer to Broken than the dragon's appearance point. The increase in magical elements in the air was largely due to this. If we can buy time just by defeating it, for example, by somehow preparing a magic sword to cut off its head in one strike, it might be possible. That would be a significant breakthrough.

"Magic freeze is too complex to make in a short time, but there is a magical artifact that can collect magical elements from the air and regenerate depleted magic stones or wisp cores. After the dragon dies, we could use it to recover the magical elements that would otherwise disperse."

"Would that seal them? If it were possible, wouldn't they have done it in the era of the ancient documents?"

"It's not possible to completely seal them. The attraction power is likely insufficient, and even with a large number, it might not absorb more than 20% of the dragon's magical elements."

"Then, if it uses its breath, the magical elements would increase even more... But the burn marks from the last time. Yes, that makes sense."

The dragon's magic power is extremely large. That's why sealing it can buy a lot of time. However, if the magical elements in the trees are released all at once, it could be equivalent to half a small dragon per breath. Sealing 20% would actually increase the magical elements. However, this time, there is already a burned area. Considering this, the conditions are relatively lenient. Incidentally, if the dragon is summoned over the sea, it will go to the nearest land, so that option doesn't exist. However, the atmosphere brightened as a way to buy time seemed to be within reach, but it was suddenly dampened.

"It sounds like you're saying we can defeat it..."

The one who dampened the mood was a relatively young man, who I believe was also a researcher.

It was a problem everyone had noticed from the beginning, but solving it was difficult. I thought everyone would look down again, but they didn't. They were all looking in one direction. I turned to see what was there, but there was only a wall.

"Me?"

I realized a moment later that the gaze was directed at me.

"I heard you cut off the head in one strike last time. Even a fully grown dragon can be defeated by cutting off its head. I don't think there are any other possibilities, so could you do it?"

Almost everyone in the room, including the chairperson, was looking at me with hopeful eyes. So, it comes down to me? It sounds good to say it's trust, but can't we have a more strategic plan? More importantly,

"I don't have the weapon from last time anymore."

Last time, I didn't cut off the head in one strike from the start. The dragon's strength can be mitigated to some extent now that we can freely use magic. However, to cut off a thick neck, we would need a giant magic sword or a large number of magic swords. According to the data, at least ten swords like the one I used last time would be needed. I haven't seen any others besides the ones I had, and it seems impossible to get that many.

"Hmm, was that an overpowered magic sword?"

"Yes, I think a considerable number would be needed."

"Of course, we will provide as much support as possible. We will prepare as many magic artifacts and wisp cores as we can. ...How many do you need?"

"At least ten, and it could be unlimited depending on the situation. There are no examples of defeating a dragon with a sword in the ancient documents."

I answered, knowing I would be told it was impossible. I'm not against fighting; if no one else can do it, I'm willing to try. But I was hoping there might be other possibilities. However, the answer I received was unexpected.

"I see, then that's not a problem. I had been investigating the whereabouts of the overpowered magic swords after receiving reports that they were broken, and it seems we can prepare about 200 of them."

...It seems the scale was off by an order of magnitude.