Chapter 24

"Yo!"

"Gyahh!"

Just by swinging the Black Circle around carelessly, I cut off the lives of several lizardmen. This is just a routine task; if I think of it as a one-man army, it can be fun.

"Well, I'm getting tired of this game, I guess."

Still, the sheer number of these things is starting to get on my nerves. I don't want to see any more scales for a while.

"Alright, let's finish off the source!"

I sweep away the lizardmen swarming around me with a spinning slash from the Black Circle. Using the time I gained, I put all my strength into my legs and jumped as hard as I could.

At the landing point, I swept them away again, planted my feet, and jumped once more. Repeating this, I finally reached the cave entrance hidden among the trees on the cliff.

The area around the entrance is particularly dense with these things. I swing the Black Circle a couple of times to cut them down in one go, but more of them keep pouring out. It's probably an infinite spawn, isn't it?

(Then... I'll break through a single point.)

Ducking and dodging the lizardmen's attacks, which seem to move in slow motion, I put all my strength into my legs again and jump straight forward, unlike the upward jump earlier. With a loud thud, my body is propelled forward, and the Black Circle, thrust forward, destroys all the lizardmen in its path.

The dragon's nest, being a place where dragons live, is quite large. The entrance is substantial, but the depth is so vast that you could play baseball in it. Normally, a hole this big would collapse, but parts of it are reinforced with dragon scales. Given that I've never heard of a dragon's nest collapsing, this hole must be quite strong. It seems I can afford to cause a bit of chaos...

"...What the hell is this?"

Deep in the dragon's nest. After jumping and kicking the ground several times to get here, I find a purple sphere. It's about half my size and gives off a somewhat ominous aura.

(That's a lot of magic power... comparable to a magic pool?)

A magic pool is a phenomenon where magic power accumulates in the air. When this happens, nearby monsters become stronger or appear in large numbers...

(This isn't a magic pool... there's too much accumulated magic power, and it's odd that only lizardmen appear.)

It's clearly something artificial. It couldn't have occurred naturally, and this sphere is too perfectly formed. A magic pool is more unstable and can even disappear with a strong wind... considering this, the abnormality of this perfectly shaped and stable sphere is evident.

---But, I'll think about it later.

"Guhh!!"

"Annoying!!"

I sever the head of a lizardman who just swings his curved sword without thinking.

I need to deal with that sphere somehow. Will cutting it stop it?

I raise my sword high and channel a bit of magic power into the Black Circle.

"Flying Sword... Yoisho!!"

With all my might, I swing it down, and I can see a shockwave-like force fly out from the sword.

Flying Sword---as the name suggests, it's a technique to launch a sword. More accurately, it's a slash.

In this world, using magic to launch a slash is relatively easy, and anyone with enough magic power and sword skills can do it. However, the ones who can cut through even the incredibly high ceiling are rare.

The slash, gouging the ground as it moves forward, destroys the blocking lizardmen and sometimes blows them away, approaching the sphere and cleaving it in two.

The two halves of the purple sphere disintegrate in mid-air, dispersing the accumulated magic power and vanishing.

...At the same time.

"...The surrounding lizardmen disappeared too... What's going on?"

I'm a bit stunned by the scene before me. The numerous lizardmen that were here are now completely gone, leaving only the slash marks on the ceiling that I made.

This is also unusual. When monsters appear due to a magic pool, they don't disappear just because the magic pool is gone. The relationship between the monsters and the magic pool is severed the moment the monsters appear.

But in this case? I've never seen a phenomenon where the disappearance of a magic pool causes the monsters it created to disappear. It must be some kind of manipulation...

"Well... There's no point in thinking about it here..."

First, I should report that I've done what needed to be done. I don't need to clean up this nest; the floating magic power will eventually dissipate.

Since I feel like I took a bit of time, I quicken my pace and head back to where Levi and Armer are waiting.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Setsu!!"

"Huh?"

While thinking about whether I could collect any materials from the lizardmen, Levi and Armer are running towards me.

Levi seems a bit anxious, and Armer's face is pale. From this, I can tell something serious has happened.

"What happened?"

"...A dragon."

"...What?"

"That's right! The dragon that owns this nest has returned!! And it's flying towards the village!!"

...That's not good.

Probably, it saw the nest filled with unfamiliar lizardmen and assumed it was the work of humans---

If the village is destroyed as collateral damage, that would be terrible. Especially since the honey wine is at risk.

"You really don't change, do you!! If that's the case, we need to get back quickly!!"

"Right!! Let's hurry back!!"

I pick up the slightly trembling Armer and run as fast as I can. The distance is considerable, but with my full effort, it won't take long.

(Damn... I didn't notice the outside because the magic power was so concentrated in there...)

If I hadn't destroyed that sphere, I would have noticed the dragon's appearance. It's too late now, but the timing was really bad.

It's almost like it was planned---

"Now isn't the time to think about that...!"

I kick the ground so hard it almost collapses and accelerate even more. I want to believe everything will be fine as long as Alize is there, but...

◇ ◇ ◇

"The lizardmen... "

"...Disappeared. I don't know how, but... well done, Master."

"..."

While Setsu and the others were panicking about the dragon's appearance, the village was enjoying a rare moment of peace. This was because all the monsters around the village had vanished in an instant. The village was celebrating, and both Alize and Lamer were deeply relieved.

"Huh? You seem unhappy. The village is finally at peace, after all."

"...You wouldn't understand, Alize."

Actually, every time she talks about Setsu, Lamer's mood worsens. This is a typical reaction of a man in love. In reality, Alize respects Setsu, but nothing more or less. However, men can be complicated in such situations.

"? I don't get it. Well, it's time for us to head back. The threat of the lizardmen seems to be gone."

"Be careful, Alize! Complacency is dangerous!"

Alize's face twists slightly at the warning from a man of lower rank. Alize suggested leaving not out of complacency but because the presence of the monsters had completely disappeared. However, the less experienced Lamer interpreted it as complacency.

"But the presence of the monsters is already---"

"Then I'll stay at the gate for a while! Alize, please take a break first!"

This stubborn man! I try to suppress my anger. She wanted to suggest that they have tea together and wait for Setsu and the others to return, but Lamer, wanting to show his reliability to Alize, insisted on staying. He doesn't realize that he's missing a golden opportunity.

"Alright... I understand."

Feeling a bit disappointed that she can't spend time with him, and wondering why she feels this way, Alize leaves the scene. She realizes that she has been spending a lot of time with Lamer. She hasn't yet realized that she is gradually being drawn to him, and that this has developed into a full-fledged love. Her lack of experience in such matters makes her quite insensitive.

(By the way, I need to prepare the wine to give to Master...)

Suddenly remembering this, her thoughts are interrupted. Thinking about how good the wine from that house was, she starts walking through the village---

At that moment,

Shiver!

"!?"

A sudden chill runs through her body. She immediately senses a terrible presence approaching. Turning around, she sees a shadow flying from the direction of the dragon's nest, heading towards her.

"D...D...Dragon..."

Alize instinctively presses her shoulder, where an old wound is causing intense pain.

To her, the dragon is a source of trauma and...

A symbol of despair.

Next time, the difference in power in various ways.