When morning arrived, Tisse and Godwin started back down while we continued up
the mountain. There weren't even animal trails left to follow as we hiked across bare
rock and through the underbrush.
Five days had passed since we left Zoltan. When we looked up, the snowy summit
was visible. The snowcap sparkled beautifully in the sunlight. The urge to continue
to the summit started welling up inside me, but that wasn't our plan, and we hadn't
prepared to do it, either.
"Appearing out of nowhere and demanding to join our group. This is why no one
likes elves. Buncha blackguards the lot of you," grumbled Mogrim.
"Pardon me? I've been Red's companion since long before you met him, so wouldn't
that make you the one who joined after?" Yarandrala shot back.
"That's not what I'm talkin' about! We planned this trip for the four of us! Mistorm at
least came ready to hike up in the mountains, but you don't even have the proper
clothes for cold weather."
"There was nothing to be done about that, since I was in a hurry. And besides, Red
was prepared with spare gear, so it isn't a problem."
"This is the issue with you elves!"
"Plans should be properly arranged, but one mustn't merely be bound by a plan.
That's the elven way."
Mogrim and Yarandrala had been at it like that the whole time. I had heard dwarves
and high elves didn't get along well, but I wouldn't have anticipated it to be so
stereotypically bad.
"I heard you last night, too! Yer tryin' to take Red and them away with you to
Kiramin, aren't you?"
"That's on hold for the moment, contingent on what their life is like in Zoltan."
"That! That arrogance! It's a bad habit all your kind share. Out here in Zoltan is way
better than living surrounded by swarms of snooty elves."
"The biased attitude of this dwarf reflects poorly on Zoltan."
When Yarandrala had first found us yesterday, she and Mogrim had kept a tense
distance, but once each understood there wasn't a deep-seated animosity, they
started bickering.
"My mental image of Yarandrala has definitely changed," Rit commented with a wry
smile.
"Despite how it might seem, she actually has a pretty playful personality," I replied.
It was difficult to sum up Yarandrala in just a few words. At times, she set the group's
mood and raised everyone's spirits, but she could also be the reliable, wise one who
supported her more reckless companions. Yet there were occasions when she
conducted herself like a capricious cat, free and selfish. She was perfectly able to
remain indifferent when showered with abuse, but turn that negativity on her
companions, and she would get passionately, violently enraged. As the current
situation demonstrated, she was also prone to childish arguments.
"But don't let that fool you. Yarandrala's a good person, and totally dependable. She's
a true friend," I assured Rit.
She nodded. "Yeah, I trust her."
"Right, after the battle with the demon lord's army, you were on pretty good terms
with her, weren't you? With her personality, she doesn't really let too many people
get that close."
"Heh-heh. That's because we share a common interest we could talk about."
"Oh? You and Yarandrala? I wonder what that is."
Rit fixed her gaze on me as I pondered.
"I expect I'll have a nice, loooong talk with her about it when we get back."
"R-really?"
I tilted my head, puzzled. Rit seemed to have a bounce in her step.
The gem giant village was near the entrance to the jewel mine they had created. All
giants absorbed energy from their environment to maintain themselves in place of
relying solely on the food they consumed. Upper-tier species of giants rivaled
dragons in strength and possessed more developed societies than they. What limited
their sphere of influence was that they grew weaker when they left the environment
they had been born in.
In the gem giants' case, they gained nourishment by cutting and processing jewels.
To them, mining and cutting gems was a necessity for survival.
"We didn't come to fight. We've come to see about negotiating a deal."
I raised my hands, showing I wasn't holding a weapon to express that I bore no ill
will.
When our group approached the entrance of the mine, three gem giants surrounded
us. Each was about three and a half meters tall. Their bodies were boulder-like
masses of muscle with bands of coloration, and they had thick, bushy eyebrows and
smooth, round jaws. Structurally, they vaguely resembled humans, though with some
significant differences. Mole-like claws sprouted from their hands, which the gem
giants used to burrow through bedrock and cut jewels. Each had eyes of a single
solid color, not unlike gems themselves. Growing from their shoulders were small,
winglike crystals. That was apparently where gem giants stored their energy. Those
crystals could be processed like precious stones, so many adventurers hunted gem
giants.
However, the creatures were mid-tier giants and not to be underestimated. Most
everyone knew stories of them destroying towns after adventurers evoked their
wrath.
"Turn back. We have no business with you," one of the gem giants commanded,
brandishing its claws at us in a warning.
Looks like they are on guard.
"As you can see, we've come with glass prepared. Could you not accept us into your
village as guests?" I requested.
The giants exchanged whispers as I held out the marbles. They were clearly excited.
Glass was certainly valuable to gem giants, but I hadn't ever received such an excited
reaction before. Maybe that was just because manufactured items hardly ever made
it out to such a remote location.
"…Come…," one of the giants entreated.
"Hey, doesn't this feel a little off?" Yarandrala whispered.
"Indeed. It seems almost like they've been driven into a corner by something,"
Mogrim responded quietly.
The two weren't wrong. The way the gem giants were looking at us wasn't normal.
They led us into the gem mine they had dug out with their bare hands. Right when I
glanced back to ask Mistorm for a light spell, I sensed an intense menace from
behind. I reflexively dodged out of the way, and the next instant, a gem giant's foot
stomped down right where I had been standing. I moved in and knocked the
creature's legs out from under it, breaking its balance and sending it crashing to the
floor. The other two swiped at me with their claws.
"Gragh?!"
A small burst of flame scorched their bodies, and they were forced to pat it out
frantically.
"M-magic?! But they didn't form any seals?!"
The giants panicked because they couldn't understand what had happened. And by
the time they regained their senses, Rit and Ruti had their swords pressed against
the creatures' necks.
"Reserve magic?" I remarked.
It was Mistorm who'd cast the spell. Reserve magic was a technique that those with
higher-tier mage blessings could use. By maintaining a powerful spell right on the
verge of activation, you could use surplus energy to fire off simple attack spells. In
exchange for not requiring a seal, this method couldn't conjure anything beyond
simple energy bolts, and until you actually used the powerful magic you were
holding in your mind, performing other complex spells was impossible. Still, it was
excellent for quick situations.
"Without tricks like that, my magic power wouldn't be much help," Mistorm
answered with a chuckle.
Reserve magic wasn't an actual skill; it was born of practice. Learning to use it
required talent and long years of diligent study. This was the first time I had ever
seen it employed. The old frontier Archmage who had protected Zoltan for decades
possessed abilities worthy of a hero.
"Stop, you fools!" sounded an irate shout.
A brawny gem giant considerably larger than the other three emerged from the dark.
I drew my sword, believing it was yelling at us, but its jewellike eyes were focused on
its kin. The trio that had attacked us looked ashamed and laid their arms out on the
ground as they prostrated themselves before this new giant.
"May I take that to mean you don't intend to fight?"
At my question, the mighty-looking gem giant sat cross-legged on the ground, placed
its fists on the surface of the tunnel, and lowered its head until its brow touched the
ground.
"Hail, humans, high elf, and dwarf. We have committed a grievous offense, and I
humbly beg your pardon."
The enormous creature that easily stood three times taller than us was bowing its
head in apology. Rit and I glanced at each other in shock. Neither of us had seen
anything like it before.
A mix of merit and seniority decided status among giants. Their system was to count
the number of battles that one had participated in and survived. Dishonorable giants
that fled to survive were punished and put into indentured servitude, but those that
stayed and fought to the end with their comrades had their battles tallied regardless
of how many enemies they'd defeated personally.
With that method, leadership would tend to fall to a more prudent, experienced
giant rather than a young, hot-blooded one who just happened to be particularly
strong. And if the leader's strength failed and it reached a point where it would avoid
combat, a new giant would take its place.
"I'm ashamed to say we can't offer anything to make you welcome, but please make
yourselves comfortable."
The sturdy gem giant that had apologized to us was one with many fights under its
belt and the leader of this tribe. We were sitting across from the chief on owlbear
pelts that had been laid on the bedrock for us. Stone cups filled with clear water
were given to us all.
"You have our thanks for your kind consideration," I said before draining my cup. Its
contents were quite cool, water from an underground spring, maybe?
"Red," Rit whispered concernedly.
I was sure she was wary of swallowing anything provided by a group that had been
hostile moments ago.
"It's fine," I assured her.
The gem giants had been holding back, never intending to kill us. Had they been
serious, the first one to strike at me would have used his claws, not his foot.
The more time we spent here, the more evident it became that something unusual
was occurring. Every gem giant I saw looked exhausted, and they were all just
standing there without moving much. There were bones littered all around the floor,
proof that they had been eating a lot. But just consuming was not enough for their
kind to maintain their enormous forms. That was why most species of giants
associated eating with pleasure or thought of it as a pastime. Excluding particularly
slothful varieties like hill giants, traces of past meals lying around was a rare sight in
a giant enclave.
"We came to trade this glass for some of your gems," I explained.
The chief looked remorseful. "I'm sorry, but…"
"Please, take the glass first. You can keep it, even if we don't get anything in
exchange," I urged.
The listless gem giants around us stirred at that.
"P-please wait," the chief said to its kin before addressing us. "Gems have been scarce
of late, and we cannot in good faith accept your offering without trading something
of equal value in return."
One of those types with a rigid sense of duty, huh?
"At this rate, won't your people starve? What's keeping you from mining?" I asked.
"So you've already deduced our problem," the chief stated.
"Only the trouble with digging. That much was apparent from looking around. I can't
guess the cause."
I took out every marble from the bag and lined them up in front of us.
"If you're unable to pay a fair price, then please just accept these as a gift."
"But—"
"People are starving before our eyes. The adventurer's way is to help those in need."
"…Very well. You have my tribe's gratitude both for your magnanimous tolerance of
our indecorous treatment and for bestowing upon us such a blessing in this
desperate time. O, human, high elf, and dwarf friends, I swear our tribe shall hold you
in the highest friendship for as long as we remain."
Swearing such a heavy oath over this felt a tad extreme.
Given the situation, the glass was as precious to the gem giants as water in a desert,
but one bag only cost two quarter payrils. You could buy ten bags with the money it
would take to purchase a single cheap obsidian accessory. Swearing all of the tribe's
future generations to friendly relations over marbles was a bit much. But proud as
the giants were, they likely wouldn't have accepted the glass without that.
"I look forward to a long and fruitful friendship."
I held out my hand, and the giant chief knelt on both knees and reverently took it in
both of its own.
Altogether there were thirty gem giants in this village. Fortunately, that meant there
were enough marbles for each of them, and they wasted no time dexterously cutting
the glass with their claws.
"Why?" Ruti asked softly.
"Why what?" I inquired back.
"Why did Demis give them this sort of nature?"
"You mean deriving energy by cutting gems?"
"Yeah. The other giants, too. Iron giants and copper giants refine high-quality metal.
Flame giants gain nourishment by destroying civilizations with fire. And yet there
are frost giants and sea giants that can subsist purely by existing in an environment
suited to them."
The gem giants were processing the glass happily, ravenously… probably like a
human would eat a big, juicy steak when they were starving. From a nongiant point
of view, it was an odd, illogical scene.
"God created this world. Every living being was crafted with a purpose, just like
blessings. Giants are no different in that regard. Thus Demis must have had some
reason for granting them this nature, right?" said Ruti.
"I imagine so," I replied.
"…What do you think that purpose was, Big Brother?"
"Presumably the same thing you're thinking—to give other species a reason to fight
gem giants."
Why had God created monsters that attacked humans? According to the church's
teachings, it gave humans an enemy to combat, that their blessings might develop
further. If that really was the case, then the gem giants' nature was undoubtedly
derived from the same intent. Besting such a mighty opponent netted you a trove of
jewels.
"Mom! Look at what I made!" a young giant shouted.
A female giant looked down at the child's hands and then laughed out loud as it
rubbed its kid's head playfully.
Seeing that, Ruti smiled. "Monsters and humans have different values. Negotiations
went well this time, but it's more common for them to fail. Fighting may be
unavoidable at times, but I would like to believe that monsters exist to be more than
just fodder for blessings."
"Me too," I added.
If a religious official heard the Hero say as much, it would cause an uproar. However,
if something like the church could stop Ruti, the demon lord's forces wouldn't have
fallen before her at every turn. The only thing that had ever fettered my sister was
the Divine Blessing of the Hero, and that was no longer an issue.
I was pleased that she had found her freedom as I nodded in agreement with her
sentiment.
Two hours later, the gem giant chief returned to where we were waiting.
"My apologies for the delay."
The chief's skin was smoother and tauter than before. Its body was overflowing with
vitality.
"It's been a long time since we've been able to cut our fill. You have my heartfelt
gratitude."
"I'm glad it suited your palate," I replied.
"Indeed. Glass has a bit of an odd flavor, so it can be tiresome in large amounts, but
on an empty stomach, glass is as good as diamond."
"I, uh, I see."
I had no idea what sorts of flavors the energy of gemstones could have. Seeing me
struggling to respond, Yarandrala started giggling.
"It seems you've recovered enough to be able to joke," she remarked, stepping
forward.
Huh? A joke?
The chieftain broke out in a laugh. "Sorry, sorry. It really has been a long time since
I've felt like this."
"You seem much improved," I said.
"Indeed."
I guess the chieftain usually kept a decent sense of humor. It was nothing but smiles
now.
"So what could have happened for a gem giant village to run out of jewels? Did you
exhaust the vein here?" I questioned.
"No, it isn't that. A fell beast that consumes gems has settled into the mine."
A creature that consumed precious stones? And a fell beast, not a monster or a
demon. The term evoked a terrifying, dangerous being whose true nature was
unknown.
"It eats jewels? And so many that gem giants like yourselves can't even mine any?
How many are there?" I questioned.
"Just the one."
"A single beast devouring everything in the mountains?"
"Not only that, it's so powerful that even if all gem giants and other monsters on the
peak joined forces, we would still be slaughtered."
"Even an alliance of all the monsters out here isn't enough?"
"I was born and raised on this mountain, so I can't speak for other places… but for us,
it would be that one-sided. All of our tribe's warriors have already fallen."
Hmmm.
I had intended this to be a sort of easygoing adventure. Yet a mysterious
troublemaker had been lying in wait for us.
Rit and I were out front, Yarandrala, Mogrim, and Mistorm stood in the center, and
Ruti acted as the rear guard as we proceeded down into the mine that the gem giants
had excavated.
"A monster that can transform nearby gemstones and ore into lead just by its mere
presence, huh?" Rit muttered.
The giants had explained as much to us before we left to seek the source of their
recent troubles.
"I've never heard of anything like that."
"An unknown monster…"
Of course, there were still many undocumented creatures, particularly in less
explored regions like the Wall at the End of the World.
"Still, we can't just leave it be," Mistorm declared. "If we don't deal with it now, it will
become a poison to Zoltan."
According to Yarandrala, the presence of this fell beast was what had been
weakening the zoogs' forest. Its ability to change ore into lead was contaminating the
groundwater and weakening trees.
"The landslide was triggered by the earth growing weaker from that transformation,
too," explained the high elf.
Mogrim nodded. "And the rock trolls using lead clubs was due to the lack of iron."
"Perhaps that's why the horses we rode grew so frightened," Mistorm speculated
aloud.
This thing had caused practically all the problems we had encountered on this trip.
"We need to defeat it before the lead poisoning spreads to settlements east of Zoltan
or to Zoltan's river," I said.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Mistorm asked. "I'm the former mayor. Even if
I'm retired now, I still bear some responsibility to protect Zoltan. My taking
responsibility is why I can get away with a bit of throwing my weight around here
and there. But you're different, right? You can't get your gems anymore, and the
enemy is a complete mystery that we have no idea how to handle. There's no reason
for you to risk your life."
"Even so, I don't think that's reason enough to make you go alone," I responded.
"Mages can best wield their strength when working in a party. That's one of the first
things you learn as an adventurer, right?"
Mistorm's brow furrowed. "Still, we're walking in blindly. There's no guaranteeing
your safety."
"This whole world is filled with fighting," Rit said with a grin. "There wasn't ever any
guarantee of safety to begin with. And while I may have retired from adventuring, I
don't see a reason not to protect Zoltan."
Ruti nodded. "I'm a B-rank adventurer here in Zoltan. I'm used to fighting for
someone else's sake… and I've finally gotten to where I can accept doing it once in a
while."
Yarandrala checked the seeds that she used for generating plants. "I need to
determine whether Zoltan truly is a satisfactory place for my friends to live.
Monsters disturbing the peace keeps me from making a fair judgment."
Mogrim glowered at Yarandrala. "This is the problem with high elves. The
companions you're traveling with need help, and you require some bigger reason
than that?!"
"Unlike dwarves, high elves don't need to enumerate such obvious reasons,"
Yarandrala fired back peevishly.
"Who's gonna know if you don't say it? This is why people don't trust your kind."
I did my best to calm things down and turned back to Mistorm.
"Anyway, you don't need to worry about us. We're joining this fight because we want
to."
"…Sheesh, what a brash and reckless bunch. Thank you."
Zoltan was our home, after all.
There was nothing alive in the mines: no bats, insects, or even moss.
"Red, I can't hear the voices of spirits in here… I won't be able to use my magic," Rit
said gravely. Her Spirit Scout blessing drew strength from spirits to enable her to
cast spells. In a place absent of them, her magic was inert.
Yarandrala placed her hand on the wall and shook her head. "I can't sense plants,
either."
"Does that mean your spells won't work, either?" I asked.
"I can produce vegetation, but not any of my other magic."
"No summoning great spirits, then," I remarked. "We'll have to rely on you for
healing, Ruti."
"Leave it to me. There are no issues with my magic or my sword."
"In the end, steel's the great decider, not some elven witchery."
Ruti and Mogrim both looked a little smug.
"What about you, Mistorm…?" I inquired.
"I won't have any problems using my magic. But inside a mine, I can't employ
anything too flashy," she explained.
"Looks like we'll have to finish it off at close range, then," I replied.
However, we were up against an opponent that gem giants—which specialized in
close-quarters fighting—couldn't beat. It must have some powerful defenses.
"Still, our attack strength has to be higher than theirs, right?" Mistorm questioned.
"Well, yeah," I answered.
Ruti was the strongest person in the world, and Rit and I were two of the greatest
sword fighters. Even without her spirit magic, Yarandrala was strong enough to fight
a dragon, and Mistorm was an Archmage and an adventurer with decades of
experience. And while Mogrim's power was lesser, he could battle on the same level
as a gem giant. A party as strong as ours was a rare sight indeed.
"Don't worry, no matter what enemy we face, I'll never lose as long as you're with
me, Big Brother," Ruti stated with a glance in my direction.
Smiling, I answered, "Yeah, that's right."
I couldn't shake a vague sense of unease in the back of my mind, however. It almost
felt like we were heading to combat an enemy on the level of one of the four heavenly
kings of the demon lord's army.
We continued through the caverns, the lantern I held illuminating a path devoid of all
life.
And then the fell beast came into view.
A tunnel dug by giants was wide enough for humans to walk through comfortably.
However, the size of this cave was on an entirely different level. It was spacious
enough to house Loggervia's castle. The glow of my lantern didn't reach the ceiling.
Darkness encircled us as we advanced.
"It's so big…," I muttered.
In the gloom was an enormous shadow, massive enough to make this castle-size
chamber feel cramped. The thing's gleaming eyes were as large as I was, and the
head they adorned could probably swallow a giant whole. It was almost like a
dragon… but there were no wings on its back.
"A turtle?" Ruti tilted her head quizzically.
The beast was titanic, and its shell was studded with countless jewels. Ruti was right,
though; it did resemble a turtle.
"I've never seen a monster like this," Ruti admitted.
"Me neither. I fought many creatures in Loggervia, but this is the first I've laid eyes
on a turtle so large," Rit responded.
"In all my years, this is an entirely new sight to me," Yarandrala added.
"It's safe to assume this is the thing that's eating the gems, right?" asked Rit.
"Probably," answered Yarandrala with a glance.
"Still, it's a bit disappointing that the fell beast turned out to be a turtle," Mogrim said
with a huff.
Mistorm narrowed her eyes. "It should have noticed us by now, but there's still no
indication of it attacking."
No.
"It feels like it's just not sure whether to ignore the little bugs flying around it or swat
them down," I stated.
"Bugs? What are you talking about?" questioned Mogrim.
"As far as it's concerned, humans, high elves, dwarves—we're all just insects. That
thing doesn't have an official name, but some refer to it as a gem beast, because of its
appearance."
Rit turned to me. "You know what it is, Red?"
"Only from written accounts. Every record of it is ancient, so I had assumed the story
had been embellished. I never suspected a monster like this genuinely existed."
My data on the gem beast hailed from the era of the wood elves. A record of one such
creature had been left behind by the warrior who had led a clan called the Irukwa,
who had fought alongside the wood elves.
According to that account, the gem beast was responsible for the destruction of the
wood elves' forest. In order to save their home, they had gathered human
mercenaries and high elves in order to slay the gem beast.
The Irukwa had been among those who'd joined the wood elves, and if their
warrior's description was to be believed, the army ran into the horizon.
Mogrim whistled. "So then how'd those warriors defeat a monster like this?"
"They didn't," I answered.
"What?"
"All of the wood elves in the battle died, and only a handful of Irukwa managed to
escape. That's all I know about the gem beast."
"No one has ever defeated that thing?"
"Nope."
Even demon lords had fallen to the Hero, but nothing in history suggested someone
had slain a gem beast. However, a gem beast had never fought the Hero before.
"Rrrrrr."
The great turtle looked stout, but its cry was clear. When it opened its huge mouth, a
horrid stench filled the air and an intense chill went down my spine.
"Something's coming!" I shouted.
The next instant, a bright, white ray erupted from its maw.
"It's okay. Sacred Magic Shield." Ruti stepped in front of us and formed a seal with
her left hand. The gleaming barrier of light deflected the gem beast's attack.
"That's—?!" I exclaimed. The wall the beam had struck was covered in sparkling
diamonds. "A diamond ray? No, it actually turned the wall's surface into diamonds?!"
An attack that transformed whatever it hit into precious stones. Undoubtedly living
things were not excluded from that power.
"…This isn't good…" Ruti arched her eyebrows, looking a little concerned. Cracks
were forming in her spell. "It's breaking."
"Wait, your Sacred Magic Shield is shattering?!" I cried in disbelief.
Magic that had withstood even Ares's spells was crumbling before my very eyes. Just
as I was about to grab everyone and dash away…
"Thorn Bind!"
…Yarandrala created dozens of thorny vines that constricted the gem beast.
With its mouth bound shut, the force of the attack exploded inside the massive
creature's throat and blood started flowing from its ears and eyes.
"Oooh! Not bad for an elf!" Mogrim was genuinely impressed that she had dealt real
damage to such an enormous monster.
"Kh…"
However, Yarandrala looked pained and dropped to a knee without responding. The
briars she had created turned brown and withered. The gem beast raised its right
foreleg to stomp on Yarandrala in retaliation.
"Rit!" I cried.
"Got it!"
Rit leaped out, her shotels slicing into the beast's raised limb. It reflexively drew
back from the pain. Its big eyes fell to Rit as it loosed a screeching howl.
"Hiyaahhh!"
Ruti brought an attack down on the gem beast's left foreleg while it was distracted.
As it had been supporting itself with that limb, it crashed to the ground.
"I can't put as much power into it as Ruti, but…" I readied my sword beneath where
the gem beast's head was falling, staring up at the giant target overhead. Timing my
swing against the creature's fall, I combined my own strength with the force of its
descent. My blade penetrated its tough skin, ripping through and severing a blood
vessel in its neck.
Every monster had a few vulnerable points on its body. That was just the nature of
living things. A tiny razor could prove fatal to a human if it cut open an artery in the
neck.
There was a jangle as something exploded out of the gem beast's wound.
"J-jewels?" I said with incredulity.
Vibrant gems of all colors were spilling from the gash. I suddenly wasn't so sure that
it really was a living creature.
"Oops."
I dashed away from beneath the gem beast's head with my Lightning Speed before it
could crush me.
"That's my Red!" Rit praised me.
"It was only because of all of your support! It felt like I landed a clean hit."
Mogrim pointed at the gem beast. "H-hey! It's recovering!"
The wounds Ruti and I had inflicted were mending before our eyes.
"Ah, ghh…!" Yarandrala collapsed with a muffled cry.
"Mrgh." Ruti seemed similarly weakened, her face pained.
Was that why Ruti's and Yarandrala's spells were broken? Had the creature absorbed
the magic power they were composed of? I'd never heard of stealing energy from the
casters themselves.
"Are you okay, Yarandrala?!" I called.
"I—I think so."
She had run dry on magic power and was undoubtedly suffering extreme fatigue. Her
face looked deathly pale.
I looked to my sister. "Ruti?!"
"Enduring things is a specialty of mine."
She had to be feeling the same weakness that Yarandrala was, but she only looked a
little annoyed as she readied her sword.
"Red! The jewels!" Rit shouted.
I glanced around and saw that all the diamonds created by the gem beast's attacks
were dimming and transforming into lead.
"It's eating the gems it made? That's awfully convenient!" I exclaimed. The diamonds
were fueling its recovery. In no time at all, the creature looked good as new. "Now I
understand! I had wondered why there weren't any corpses from the gem giants and
other monsters who fought it!"
It didn't just consume the ore and gems in the earth; it also used that ray to
transform living creatures into jewels and eat them, transforming the diamond into
lead.
"The standard tactic for huge things like this is to draw blood from vital points to
weaken it. However, magic doesn't work and it can recover with the gems made from
its own attack. A typical strategy won't work!" Rit cried as she readied her sword.
She was right. This was a more dangerous enemy than any I had fought before.
"Rrrr."
The gem beast's body shuddered as it moved toward where Yarandrala had
collapsed, the ground quaking with each step. Its mere steps alone seemed heavy
enough to trample the hardiest warrior.
"Stop it!"
"Right!"
Rit and I charged the monster again. It glanced over at us. Its huge black eyes
gleamed red.
"Wh—?!"
Vines sprung up around us.
"Yarandrala's Thorn Bind!"
The spell caught us off guard. We weren't able to dodge it and got entangled.
Ruti leaped over our heads with her sword raised. "I'll—"
Clang!
There was a loud crash. Ruti's attack was stopped in midair.
"My Sacred Magic Shield…!"
A barrier of light had caught my sister's blow. The strongest human's protection
magic had blocked her own strike.
"Not good!"
All three of our attacks had been stymied, and the gem beast was not stopping.
"R-run away!" Yarandrala struggled to shout, urging Mistorm and Mogrim to escape.
She tried to stand up but couldn't muster the strength and was moving too slowly.
She's not going to make it in time!
"Rrrr?!" the gem beast suddenly howled in agony. An arrow of ice was blooming from
its right eye.
"So if I use reserve magic, only the higher-tier magic being held back gets absorbed. I
guess that makes sense since I'm not providing the magic power directly… A couple
ice arrows for a single high-tier spell is hardly a fair exchange, but you can't make an
omelet without breaking a few eggs!"
"This gem beast isn't so different from a drake! Smashing an ax into something'll
generally solve the problem!"
Mistorm was holding up her walking stick while Mogrim stood before her, the
vanguard to her rearguard caster. An elderly mage and dwarf didn't look too
formidable when facing off against a beast the size of a castle, however.
The damage Mistorm had caused was swiftly undone, and the gem beast continued
its march, but the two of them did not run.
"Who the hell'd run from such a sweet setup?" said Mogrim.
"A powerful foe before and a fallen comrade behind. When would an adventurer ever
show their stuff if not now?" remarked Mistorm before unleashing several ice arrows
to curb the gem beast's advance. Stopping such a large monster with a few
projectiles was going to be difficult, however. "Eyes, nose, ears, mouth… none of
them are enough, huh?"
Even against this overwhelming foe, Mistorm responded like a consummate veteran,
accurately hitting every weak spot she could with her low-powered magic. Yet while
the gem beast flinched from the blows, every injury quickly mended itself.
"Dorrrryaaaa!" Mogrim roared as he hurled his ax with both hands. There was a
whistling sound as it cut through the air and slammed between the gem beast's eyes.
Clang!
The weapon bounced off. The gem beast tilted its head slightly but showed no sign of
having been hurt by the impact.
"Hrm. That woulda been enough for something like a rock troll," Mogrim muttered in
disappointment as he reached for the spear at his back.
"Please… you have no hope of winning, so just run," pleaded Yarandrala.
"Hmph. You've been too strong for too long, high elf," Mogrim remarked with a sniff.
"What are you saying…?"
"Ordinary people have their own way of fighting, too!"
As the dwarf made his declaration, Rit and I sprinted up the gem beast's legs.
"Thanks, Mogrim!" I said. His ax had rebounded and torn through the vines binding
us. "It shouldn't be able to summon Thorn Bind against something so close to it!"
Rit sliced into the back of the massive creature's head with her shotels. "Tough… but
I can keep going!" She tenaciously slashed the same place over and over, and before
long, the gem beast couldn't take it, pausing its advance to try shaking Rit off.
"There!" I swung my sword down against the gem beast's neck. "Without martial arts
or magic, I had to develop several tricks for dealing with monsters like this one
where common skills couldn't cut it."
My using the gem beast's weight to cut its neck before had been one such example,
and this was another—an attack that sent a shock wave through armor and skin into
the opponent's innards.
The beast let out a screech like something shattering, finally stopping. I could feel
blood vessels inside its skin rupturing.
Its regenerative abilities far outstripped my attack power. No matter what I did, I
wouldn't be able to defeat it with my strength. Yet if its nervous system was
damaged, it would pass out like any other living creature. Even if that damage was
healed, it would still take time for the gem beast to regain consciousness. It might
only be for a short moment, but the creature came to a halt and dropped to the
ground.
"Big Brother, can I use all of my power?"
And just like I'd hoped, the Sacred Magic Shield blocking Ruti vanished when the
monster lost consciousness.
"Yeah, even if they see you, I'm sure it will be fine. Go wild."
"Okay."
Ruti was always holding back for fear of being revealed as the Hero and having her
slow life come to an end. Not that she wasn't already superhuman even when
restraining herself, but that was her attempt to keep herself within the realm of a
regular adventurer.
There was no sword in her hand. She just clenched her fist as she leaped over the
gem beast's head.
"Sacred Magic Shield."
She summoned a barrier of light above her in the air, not for protection but to kick
off. And when she did, Ruti rocketed toward the gem beast as surely as any arrow.
"Haaaaaaaaah!!!!"
Her fist slammed into the creature's head, sending out a thundering shock wave.
The gem beast's corpse collapsed to the ground as a river of gems flowed from the
gaping wound where its head had been. A tremor shook the earth, and a crater
formed as the bedrock shattered from the force of Ruti landing.
"That's… Heh, nothing to do but be amazed, I guess. What do they make adventurers
of nowadays?" Mistorm commented.
A small girl had punched a giant, castle-size monster into the ground.
The gem beast was limp in the crater, its neck sticking out over the side. A small
mountain of gems was quickly building behind Ruti.
"Did we do it?!" Mogrim approached cautiously, his spear still in hand.
Meanwhile, Rit and I climbed down from atop the gem beast with our swords still
drawn.
"What do you think?" Rit asked.
"I don't know. Hydras can recover after the loss of a head, but there's not enough
information about gem beasts to say," I replied.
The massive thing certainly appeared slain.
"It's dead, isn't it? Ooooh!" Mogrim finally reached Ruti's side, his eyes drawn to the
river of jewels. "Look at this, Red! Mistorm! It's earth crystal! I've never seen one this
big!" The dwarf looked like he might start dancing for joy as he held up a dusky
yellow gem the size of a fist. With that much, he could make a knife and have plenty
of earth crystal left over.
"Is this one of those all's-well-that-ends-well sort of things?" Rit questioned as she
watched him.
"I guess so. And with that many precious stones, we can probably find the blue
sapphire I'm looking for, too. And that's probably enough for the gem giant village to
live off for the next ten years."
"A happy ending for all," Rit said as we grinned at each other.
"Wait," Yarandrala called out weakly.
"It's okay, Yarandrala. You and Mistorm should pull back for a bit. The gem beast
consumed your magic power, so it will take some time for you to recover."
"No…"
"Huh? What is it?"
There was a thud, then a whoosh of something slipping past us and rushing toward
the gem beast.
"Aaaaah!" Mogrim screamed. The earth crystal he had been holding lost its gleam
and transformed into dull, gray lead.
"It's still alive?!" I exclaimed.
I started to attack the gem beast again, but…
Bam!!!
A violent tremor shook the ground.
Looking all around, I shouted, "What is it now?!"
"Above us!" Yarandrala cried.
Looking up, I spotted several slivers of light running through the high ceiling.
"What's that?" I wondered aloud. A crashing sound rang out as light tore through the
darkness. "That's impossible! Meteo?!"
It was Ares's specialty, an enormous spell that brought a meteor crashing down.
Sunlight was pouring in from the gaping hole torn by the meteor. This wasn't an
attack to be used in an enclosed space, yet it had barreled through the mountain
itself to crash down on us.
"The ceiling's collapsing!" I warned.
With Ruti's or Yarandrala's magic we could defend against it, but the odds were
hardly in our favor. At this rate, I was going to have to use my last resort. But before I
could take action, Mistorm raised her staff overhead and directed it at the meteorite.
"Guess I'll play the ace up my sleeve!" Magic power surged around the old woman. It
was so intense it surpassed the power of a top-tier spell. Whatever she was
attempting demanded every ounce of her energy. "Blackened blood, words of
annihilation, pierce paradise overlord's spear! The time of destruction has come!
Demon's Flare!"
A dark inferno burst forth from Mistorm's staff. The flames slammed into the
meteorite, engulfing it in swirling shadow. It and the falling rocks were quickly
consumed.
Even Rit couldn't hide her astonishment. "Amazing…"
This was a massive spell the likes of which even an adventurer of Rit's caliber had
never seen before. I had only seen it once before myself.
Why can she use that magic? No, save it for later. With that much power, it should be
able to counter Meteo.
Unfortunately…
"Kh. You can even absorb magic power not directed at you…?" Mistorm muttered in
disgust.
The ebon blaze swallowing the meteorite was being drawn toward the gem beast.
About half of the meteor had been seared away, but it was still powerful enough to
destroy this mine. Even knowing it was pointless, Mogrim stood in front of Mistorm
with his spear to protect her.
"Is this how it ends?" The despair was starting to show on the dwarf's face.
Ruti could smash the falling rock, but the fragments would still annihilate everything
around us. We needed magic for everyone to get out of this intact.
"…I guess there really isn't any other choice…," I muttered.
"Is there something you can do, Red?!" Rit asked frantically.
"Yeah… I don't know what will come of it, but we hardly have a choice now." I steeled
my resolve. "Rit, um, sorry."
"Huh?"
I dashed over to Yarandrala with my Lightning Speed. She was gritting her teeth,
mortified at her helplessness.
"Yarandrala!"
"Red…!"
I scooped her up in my arms and pressed my lips against hers.
"Mhm?!"
I created a mental image of my own body's warmth and her body's merging just like I
had been taught long ago. And then I imagined a flame lighting inside me. The heat of
it poured into Yarandrala.
If my body starts feeling colder, that means it's working… There!
"Haah."
A powerful wave of exhaustion hit me as I pulled away from Yarandrala to keep from
getting in her way. However, her arms firmly drew me in.