Chapter 39

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It ended up being this long because I couldn't summarize it... I'll check for typos and other issues later.

The location is a short distance from the port town of Magna by boat. This is the site of the recent sea dragon appearance, and the area where the expedition led by Chris was dispatched.

In Ishatarika, there are many adventurers. In terms of quality, they are far superior to those in Heim.

However, regarding the sea dragon extermination, they were hesitant to participate.

A naval battle is overwhelmingly disadvantageous for humanoids, and above all, the strength of the sea dragon. It was considered akin to throwing away one's life to fight such a dominant creature of the sea on a battlefield where it has the upper hand.

Despite this, many adventurers responded to Ishatarika's request and participated in the extermination. Thanks to their efforts, the damage was somewhat less than expected.

The fact that several warships had already been sunk would be a significant loss in a war-like scenario. However, considering that they hadn't lost half their forces and were facing a sea dragon, it was thought to be relatively favorable.

"Commander! The sea dragon is diving back into the sea and seems to be observing us!"

"I don't need a damage report! Get ready to counterattack, you guys!"

"Keep pouring oil! The sea will get polluted, but there's no choice! Burn it, burn it!"

The sea dragon strongly dislikes fire. Whether this is a weakness or just a dislike is unknown.

However, it has been learned from previous sea dragon defenses that it is effective. The sea will get polluted, but there's no time to worry about that. By throwing a lot of oil into the sea and setting it on fire, they can guide the sea dragon into a position where it is easier to attack. This is the best strategy for dealing with the sea dragon.

Even a slight restriction on movement is significant. The range of attack from a ship is very limited. Although many mages are also present, the distance is too great and it's difficult to confirm the sea dragon's position underwater, so their attacks often miss.

Chris, who is in charge of this operation, felt a slight sense of relief that things were going smoothly so far.

"...One of them is quite injured. The other has no major damage."

One of the two sea dragons has been hit by several spells and has lost an eye and part of its fin. However, the other has not sustained any significant damage.

More than half of the total forces are still functional. Given this, it is certain that they can take down one of them.

However, when it comes to the second one, Chris could only show a stern expression.

"Commander! The sea dragon is surfacing!"

The sea dragon would naturally charge at the ship's bottom from underwater or bite it.

However, Ishatarika has not been idle in developing countermeasures.

They have several means of defense, such as artillery and magic devices that emit electric shocks.

The sea dragon, disliking these, began to surface and attack by pouncing or biting the masts.

Even the sturdy warships of Ishatarika cannot withstand repeated attacks from the sea dragon's massive body.

Upon receiving the report that the sea dragon was surfacing, Chris also headed to the area. Before the sea dragon could attack the ship, it was necessary to target its eyes, throat, and the magic stone on its forehead to reduce its health.

Unless many attacks hit the same spot by luck, it would be impossible to blind the other eye as they did with the first one. Therefore, it was important to gradually but consistently reduce its health.

"Artillery team, aim for the throat! Those who can use magic, continue to target the magic stone on the forehead with me!"

Following Chris's command, the targets were set. If it continued to approach without backing down, they would also throw spears at the sea dragon to inflict damage.

The one that surfaced was the one with the blinded eye. It charged with all its might, faster than ever before.

"Don't stop attacking! It's on the verge of death! Keep it up!"

The sea dragon's desperate charge was terrifying. Not only for the knights participating in the extermination, but also for the adventurers who risk their lives hunting monsters.

The sea dragon continued its charge while emitting a roar like a death cry. The attacks continued, hoping that the sea dragon would fall.

Then the moment arrived. The exhausted and heavily wounded sea dragon failed to protect its forehead.

Disliking the artillery from the fleet, the sea dragon tried to protect its throat and failed to notice that the magic stone on its forehead was being targeted. It was hit head-on by the magic attack led by Chris.

The coordination between the artillery and magic teams paid off, and the magic stone of one of the sea dragons finally cracked.

Once this happened, the magic stone would only break. Its life force would gradually drain away.

"We did it... We did it! We broke the magic stone!"

"Yesss! How's that, you bastard!"

"There's one more, but at this rate, we can do it!"

Chris also felt relieved. At this rate, it might be possible. Many of the mages' magic power was running out, and the number of cannonballs was dwindling. However, with this morale and remaining forces, there was hope that they could manage.

"...H-Hey, what's he doing?"

"The sea dragon is flying...?"

The sea dragon's magic stone had almost lost its glow. It seemed to sink slightly into the sea, then jumped out like a dolphin. Chris, who was momentarily puzzled by why it was flying, quickly realized what was happening when he looked below.

"Wait, that place is...!"

The fleet was in formation to deal with the sea dragon. The sea dragon jumped up a short distance behind the warship Chris was on, and was about to fall back into the sea. If there was nothing below, Chris wouldn't have thought anything of it.

But there was something below. A fleet of three ships in formation, a fleet that could only wait to be crushed by the falling sea dragon.

The cries of the knights and adventurers, who were about to be crushed by the sea dragon, echoed even from a distance. Many managed to escape into the sea, but their chances of survival were not high.

As the screams grew louder, the sea dragon finally fell onto the fleet. Its massive body was very heavy, and when it fell from a high place with momentum, even the ships of Ishatarika couldn't withstand it.

"Such a thing..."

In the past, there had never been an instance of a sea dragon jumping out of the sea. It was unknown whether this was a coincidence or if the sea dragon had thought of this action on the spot.

But perhaps, just as Ishatarika had evolved, the sea dragon had also evolved over its long history.

"Commander, the other one is surfacing!"

The sea dragon attacked at the moment the extermination team was in great confusion and had lost a significant portion of their forces.

Seeing this, Chris felt that it had indeed evolved.

"...Attack in the same way as before! Get ready!"

They couldn't just stand by, she was the commander.

Although she couldn't shake off the shock, if they took the same action, they could at least buy time while reducing the enemy's health.

"It's changing course and heading for another ship!"

The fire on the sea, which had been spread and ignited, was extinguished due to the sea dragon's jump, causing the guidance to be off. The sea dragon was not stupid; it understood that the ship Chris was on had the highest combat power. That's why it aimed to eliminate the surrounding obstacles.

Chris launched a fierce attack to force it to change course.

But the momentum didn't stop, and it continued to attack other warships.

On that warship, the mages who could use fire were desperately casting flames at the sea dragon.

However, unlike the wide range of fire spread on the sea, the narrow range of the fire magic was not enough to stop its momentum. The sea dragon only needed to slightly avoid while aiming for the ship.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Why is this happening..."

"Run! Please run! I beg you!"

Around Chris, the knights were crying out in anguish, but their voices reached no one.

The other sea dragon, still full of energy, easily turned the ship into debris.

This tipped the balance. They had barely managed to guide and counter the charges so far. With their forces reduced to this extent, there was no next move.

"...Get ready!"

Despite everything, Chris remained resolute. She couldn't give up, and she tried to maintain her composure.

The sea dragon, having sunk one ship, dived back into the sea. Observing the direction it was heading, it seemed to be moving towards the warship Chris was on again.

The sea dragon understood. With so much of the enemy's forces reduced, it was now safe to attack the boss.

Taking advantage of the opportunity created by the other sea dragon, it could now defeat the enemy trying to slay it.

The sea dragon resurfaced, aiming to destroy the warship Chris was on with its massive body.

"(I wish I could have seen the forest of my homeland one last time. And Olivia, I'm sorry, Olivia.)"

Thoughts she couldn't express. Although she didn't show her despair to the knights, Chris thought about the things she regretted in her heart.

"(Ain, just one word... I wanted to hear your voice one last time. Please, Olivia, be happy with Crown and for a long time.)"

This morning, after sending Ain to school as usual, things turned out this way. Thinking about the bright days she spent with Olivia and Ain, tears welled up in her eyes.

She tried to hide her face and give orders so that the others wouldn't see her.

"Everyone, pour all your strength into one final blow! For our homeland, the Unified Nation of Ishatarika, created by the first emperor!"

The extermination team shouted strongly upon hearing this. Their hearts were filled with fear, excitement, thoughts of their families, and the determination to encourage themselves.

They wouldn't die in vain. Even if they couldn't kill it, they would gouge out its eyes like the other one! They prepared to face the sea dragon.

The resurfaced sea dragon set its target. The target was the warship Chris was on.

The sea dragon, determined, charged at the boss. As the sea dragon started moving, something strange happened on the sea.

"...Fog?"

A thick fog appeared. It seemed to be only around the sea dragon, and the confused sea dragon let out a roar different from before.

It created a unique atmosphere. The fog was white and thick, with a slightly sweet scent.

Many adventurers and Chris recognized it. In deep forests and dangerous areas where monsters lived, there were plant-type monsters that deceived and preyed on living beings.

It was impossible for such a monster from the forest to appear on the sea. The unusual situation caused the extermination team to stop moving.

For about ten seconds, both the extermination team and the sea dragon were confused, and the battlefield was at a standstill. Then a loud explosion was heard, followed by the sea dragon's roar, and the fog cleared.

What they saw was a confused sea dragon that had just been attacked and hadn't fully understood what had happened, and a large ship.

Voices could be heard from the ship. Although the sound didn't carry well over the sea, Chris and some of the adventurers noticed it.

"Ain, was that fog? You should have told us first!"

"Ah, sorry. But look, the sea dragon stopped, so it's fine, right?"

The conversation was so out of place for such a situation.

It was the moment when one of Chris's wishes came true.

---

"By the way, Ain, you should have continued attacking in the fog."

"No, I don't think that would have worked. It could have just dived to avoid it."

Ain and his companions arrived at the battlefield. The situation was clearly desperate.

Thinking about what would have happened if the last attack had been stopped, Ain felt a chill of fear.

"I see... Now that you mention it, that makes sense. Well, as soon as I said that... it dove."

"Alright, let's move a bit closer."

"Up to the front of the warship Chris is on?"

"That's right. I'll take care of it, so Dill, protect this ship."

"Guarding a ship is a bit ridiculous, but..."

"This isn't the time to worry about that. Let's move at full speed."

Dill gave orders to the crew to move the ship closer to where Chris's warship was. It was thought that this would be manageable since the sea dragon was just observing the situation. The Glacier family's ship boasted high offensive capabilities and had several bottom-attack options, which the sea dragon avoided.

With the furnace running at full capacity, the ship approached the fleet at a fierce speed. They moved to a distance where they could hear each other's voices clearly.

"A-Ain...!?"

"Chris! It's been since this morning. I heard it was tough, so I came to help. I'll take care of that thing, so let's go back to the capital together!"

Not only Chris, but the knights and adventurers also wondered what he was talking about.

What Ain was doing was absurd. Coming into such a dangerous area with just one ship and saying he would take care of it, they couldn't believe it.

"Why... Why did you come here! Did His Majesty and Olivia and Lloyd stop you?"

"They couldn't! I came here by force!"

Thinking about how Ain had broken through Lloyd's defenses and used the royal family's private train to get here, they wondered why he would do such a thing and how he managed to do it.

But the means didn't matter at this point. The most important thing was that the prince, whom they cared about, had come to such a place.

"Then, even now!"

"Even now, there's no way I'm going back! You know it's impossible!"

Ain was right. It would be impossible to return to the port now. Still, he hoped Ain would take a chance and go back.

"Why such a reckless...! No matter how skilled Ain is, the sea dragon is just too much of a mismatch!"

Comparing the Durahan and the sea dragon in terms of pure strength, the Durahan would win. The Durahan was that strong and dangerous a monster.

However, in a naval battle, things wouldn't be so simple. After all, the sea is the sea dragon's home.

And another thing, Ain was not a Durahan. No matter how powerful the Dark Knight skill was, that didn't change.

"Ain, it's time."

"Ah, I understand. ...Chris!"

"Yes, I hear you! Please, go back to the port! I beg you!"

Upon receiving the report from Dill, Ain decided to convey his thoughts to Chris.

But since Chris wasn't listening to Ain, he decided to be more assertive.

"...Deputy Commander of the Royal Guard, Christina! As the prince, I give you your first order, Chris! To prevent the Glacier family's ship from being swept away, support it from behind with your ship!"

"Ain! What are you...!"

Chris was taken aback by Ain's sudden order. Ain had never exercised his authority as the prince before.

And yet, he was doing it for the first time in such a place. It threw her off.

The adventurers and knights were also taken aback.

For a prince to appear in such a dangerous place and suddenly give orders was unexpected.

"Dill, I'll leave the ship to you."

"As you command. Ain... I mean, Your Highness."

Ain took the helm and took a deep breath. Seeing this, Chris called out to him.

"Ain, what are you... Please stop!"

"Chris! As the prince, I can't allow you to disobey my order as the deputy commander of the Royal Guard. Follow my order, and I will..."

The sea dragon resurfaced. From a slightly distant position, it confirmed Ain and then started charging.

Chris, who didn't understand what was happening, understood that she had been given an order. In a battlefield like this, the absolute word of the one she served. She managed to calm down a little and gave the order to carry it out.

"...It's the prince's order! Support the Glacier family's ship!"

The large warship Chris was on moved to support the Glacier family's ship from behind. Using the forward thrust, it prevented the ship from being swept away.

"I will fight this thing."

Absorbing the mysterious magic stone, Ain had grown significantly. Although the details were unknown, he was confident that his magic power had increased, allowing him to use the Illusionary Hand more powerfully than before.

He summoned six Illusionary Hands from his back and struck the sea dragon between its nose and forehead.

The six tentacle-like hands, somewhat muscular and slightly grotesque,