After confirming that an explosion had indeed occurred, I immediately
returned to the main camp where Lucy was.
That is because it's where the information should be gathered first.
"Are you all right, Commander?"
"Yes, I'm fine. How about you, Yuushin?"
"I'm fine. I've ordered the available men to continue the work. It seems that
Anastasia's hunch is correct."
When I reported this, she nodded as if relieved I was in good shape.
However, immediately after that, a report came in that announced an
emergency situation.
"An urgent call from Count Derrick in the southern part of the plaza! They
say that a monster they have never seen before has appeared!"
Lucy and I nodded at the words of the staff officer with whom we had
received the report.
It seems that upon discovering that the number of its underlings has
dwindled, the mastermind was forced to emerge.
"I guess all we need to do is to finish this monster, and fast. In order to
prevent further damage to the city."
Putting up a determined expression, Lucy tightened her grip on the sword at
her waist.
"I expect this monster to be a formidable foe. So my troops and I shall deal
against it."
At these words, the staff members shouted in protest.
"Please refrain, Your Excellency! It's too dangerous!"
"If anything should happen to you…"
But Lucy didn't look back; instead, she just went by my side.
"No can do. If we assign a weak force there, they will only fall to the
Chimera's ability to make them into its underlings. We have no choice but
to deal with it with our strongest unit."
The staff members fell silent at her words.
Lucy is the leader of the expeditionary force, but she is also the commander
of the strongest unit in this expeditionary force.
Her bravery and skills have already been proven to many, and her
accomplishments are already enough deterrent to those trying to go against
her.
"Let's go, Yuushin."
"Roger."
Just like that, she rushed to the south with me and her units, where the
'newcomer' had appeared.
There, we saw the 'monster' still rampaging.
It was indeed a Chimera – a fusion of the various beasts Anastasia had told
me about.
It bit the soldiers with its dagger-like fangs and swiped at them with its tail,
which looked as big as a log. If you a re able t o re a d t is mes s age, y ou
are re ding from an una ut ho rized agg re ga te si te. R ead at my Wo rdPr
ess at sta bb ing wi th a sy r inge. hom e. b log to sup port me and my tra nsl
at ions.
Even soldiers in full body armor were helpless in the face of its powerful
bite, and its serpentine tail moved with agility, slithering past defenses to
strike.
(As far as I can see, this is not an enemy that ordinary soldiers can deal
with.)
As we joined up with them, the soldiers around us dropped their line of fire,
creating space between the Chimera and us.
"I'm going. All of you, follow me."
After saying that, Lucy pulled out her sword and slashed at the Chimera.
"Ha!"
The blow was delivered swiftly, only possible by infusing mana-induced
strength on the sword.
The speed was so different from her opponent's that the Chimera's
movement was delayed for a moment.
"Gaaabuuhh! Ggaaaaaaahhhh!!"
Since the Chimera's reaction was delayed, its front leg was sliced open
easily by the passing sword.
It instinctively screamed, but soon it glared at Lucy as if its fighting spirit
was regained.
"…!!"
But just as its attention turned to Lucy, who had inflicted the wound, the
troops escorting her spread out.
"Over here, you monster!"
"GIYAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
The skilled soldiers attacked the Chimera with movements that, although
inferior to Lucy's, were still several steps faster than normal.
The Chimera's body was left with more wounds by the diversion tactic.
The Chimera also attacked, but they were able to keep a sufficient distance
to avoid its hits.
After all, these are the soldiers who have fought many battles in the past.
But the Chimera's attack methods were not limited to fighting with fangs
and claws.
Suddenly, three red magic circles appeared above his head.
"-!! All of you, retreat!"
Lucy gave a sharp command, and everyone fell back.
The next moment, the three magic circles shot a series of fireballs in each
direction.
The fireballs themselves were small in size, but they were a high-speed
barrage of two shots per second.
And because they were shot in three different directions, there was no place
or time to hide.
Immediately after, countless fireballs exploded around the Chimera.
The impact was as if fireworks that were supposed to be launched had
exploded on the ground.
"Kuh… damn…."
I got down on the ground and protected myself from the flames and
pressure of the explosion as much as possible.
Fortunately, no one died because it possessed no shrapnel that could tear us
to shreds.
However, those in the direct location of the flames and the explosion's
shockwave were severely injured. This ch ap ter tran sla tion i s ma d e
possi ble by sta bb ing wi th a sy ri nge tr anslations. Chec k onl y up -todate tran slati ons on my Wor dp ess si te.
The medics of the allied forces immediately rushed and carried them to the
rear.
In the meantime, the Chimera was dealing with Lucy, who was one of the
first to recover.
"It's just five minutes since we charged in. The reinforcements will take a
little while."
Tilda and Anastasia are continuing to deal with the residents.
But once the front line stabilizes, they will surely come around to aid us.
As I was thinking this, suddenly, I heard thundering and wind noises from
behind me.
"Guuuuuuuh, gavuuuuuuh!"
At the oncoming attack, the Chimera jumped back, perhaps out of animal
instinct.
A moment later, clad in lightning, a spear pierced the cobblestones.
It seems that the two women I mentioned came in as reinforcements.
"So, this guy is the leader this time? Interesting."
"Tilda, don't get too far ahead of us, okay? We don't know what kind of
magic that guy has in store for us yet."
Anastasia immediately urged Tilda to use caution upon arrival, seeing her
companion's arms shaking with excitement.
Anastasia usually would not lose her composure, but when it came to
magic-using opponents, she would always appear more vigilant.
The three of them tried to surround the Chimera.
"Grrrrrrrr… Goooooooooooooooooooo!!! Goooooooooooooo!!!"
But when the Chimera realized it was surrounded, it suddenly began
howling at the sky.
"What the hell?"
Just after I became suspicious, there was a sudden scream from the soldiers
behind me.
I turned around to see what was going on, and there they were: Milena and
Lacy.
Both of them had torn off the ropes that should have restrained them.
And in their hands were dragging a limp allied soldier.
"Damn, they got out before we could splash water on them!"
I swore, but that was no longer relevant.
Lacy's eyes met mine.
"Wuuuuuuuuhh…"
She must have recognized me as her prey, and like a cat, she pounced at my
direction to come at me.
Then I also heard a complaint nearby.
"Oh, come on! Give me a break!"
As I looked at the source, I saw that Milena was also attacking Lucy and the
others, along with newly berserk soldiers in tow.
Her skillful handling of the rabid soldiers was almost like a wolf leader
leading a hungry pack.
But still, because of the Chimera's howl, we can no longer expect backup
from our side.
"Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Lacy slashes at me with her sharp claws while hissing like a cat.
Her claws, extended by the effect of the Chimera's magic, accurately aimed
at my face and joints, where defenses are thin.
It was not hard to imagine how disastrous it would be if I received a blow to
the face.
"Are you kidding me!? There's no way there's… wait. Water?"
I tried to think of something to help me while trying to dodge Lacy's
attacks.
Then I spotted one of the soldiers who was stuck behind me.
Or specifically, what I saw was the hip flask hanging from the waist of his
armor.
Although it is tacitly accepted because there would be an endless need for
inspection to prevent it, some soldiers carry alcoholic beverages with them
as some sort of diversion.
I pulled out the sword from my waist and threw it into a spin at Lacy to
create an opening.
"I borrow this one!"
Then I jumped back from the spot, pulled the flask from the soldier's waist,
uncorked it, and held it at the ready.
"Gyuuuuuh, gauuu!"
Lacy was making cute growls, but soon she pounced at me again.
"This might be a little early, but today is a special day for you, Lacy!"
I splashed Lacy with the flask's contents, and Lacy reacted as if she was
inhaling a pungent smell.
"Nyaaah! Higyuuuhhh!!"
Since she was becoming animal-like, her sense of smell must have been
heightened as well.
The strong smell of alcohol made her miss her pounce mid-air, and she
rolled over to the ground.
I caught her and had a soldier bring a rope to restrain her again.
"Damn. Even though we're already allies, you're still giving me a lot of
trouble."
I wiped away my sweat after I had broken out from the tension and checked
at Lucy and the others.
Thankfully, the battle on the other side was also about to end.