Chapter 232
–Aegir POV–
The dragon roars once again .
It feels strong enough to send my consciousness flying if I loosen up my abdominal muscles even just a little bit .
Perhaps sensing he could not make me faint like Christoph, the Dragon stops roaring and approaches me instead .
It probably wants to use a more direct method .
「L-Lintbloom…… chief…… this dragon is not an opponent you can fight!」
Gido is trembling while in a ready stance with his sword as he appeals to me with a tear-stained face .
n.o.body can blame him, asking him to stay calm in front of a giant dragon dozens of meters tall is impossible .
That reminds me, I remember hearing about some dragon of legends .
I don’t know if this is the same one, but it may be intelligent .
I’ll try talking to it .
「We’re sorry for disturbing your place of slumber . We’ll be leaving now so you can continue your afternoon nap……」
When I was still in mid-sentence, the dragon raises its front leg and swipes at me sideways .
I was able to jump backwards to barely avoid being hit but the wind pressure was enough to send me tumbling backwards three times .
「……it doesn’t look like talking works . Everyone, spread out . 」
The difference in size is too great so if we group together, it’ll just squash us all at once .
One person will have to dodge its attacks while the others counterattack .
Fortunately, it isn’t very fast based on that previous strike .
Everyone, aside from Christoph, should be fast enough to dodge .
With that said, it’s hard to believe regular swords can get through the tough-looking scales covering its entire giant body .
The only weapons that look effective are my hammer and Balbano’s axe .
「You guys don’t have to worry about attacking, just focus on evading . Balbano and I will attack so escape to the top when we create an opening . 」
I use a forceful tone while raising my hammer .
The highest point I can reach with my attack is its front legs at best .
I’m not looking to deal a fatal blow, but it might writhe in pain if I crush its finger or something .
Even I feel tremendous pain when I stub my toe on a desk .
「I don’t care if you’re Lintbloom or whoever, but getting hit with a hammer while you’re sleeping isn’t-……」
I pause .
I guess I would also feel like killing someone out of frustration if that happened to me .
「It’s coming!!」
As if understanding my thoughts, the dragon roars angrily and swipes its foreleg at us again .
The trajectory of its claw leads toward Celia and Kroll . I hope they can dodge it .
「Kuh! Can’t hit me!」
Celia hops sideways and tumbles to evade the claw .
Meanwhile, Kroll closes his eyes and stands still .
「Idiot, dodge it!」
I instinctively shout at him .
The large claw looked to tear Kroll apart .
「I see it!」
At that moment, Kroll’s eyes shoot wide open, then he dodges the claw by a hair’s breadth before jumping forward, of all things .
He slashes at the dragon’s giant tree trunk of an arm with his unsheathed sword and a sharp clang reverberates throughout the cave .
「There is nothing my sword can’t cut . 」
At the same time Kroll finished his sentence, the blade of his glittering sword stabs into the ground .
「Your sword broke . 」
「Huh……?」
Kroll’s sword snapped in half right in the middle .
「How mortifying……」
「Like I said, you don’t have to attack . If you don’t listen to what I say, you’ll get b.u.t.tf.u.c.ked!」
「Hey pal, so you swing that way after all?」
Argh, this is not the time for that, Balbano .
That thing is attacking again .
The dragon does not even care about Kroll’s weak counterattack, instead it gets upset, probably from swinging at air, and raises its front leg up high .
「It wants to crush us! Jump backwards . 」
It aimed for Gido .
The limb swinging down was even more lethargic than before
「C-c’mon……guwah!」
The arm that slammed into the ground with unbelievable power sent rock shards scattering in all directions .
Gido tries hastily to block with his s.h.i.+eld but wasn’t able to cover his entire body as he collapses after countless stones pelted his limbs .
「Let’s go, pal . 」
「Right . 」
The movement that limb made as it came down to the ground made a rather large opening .
Balbano and I run simultaneously at the dragon .
Its aim did not deviate from being Gido .
After all, it would only take one more attack to finish him off .
It should retreat if we’re able to bash its leg before it can complete its attack .
However, the dragon didn’t continue its attack mindlessly .
It quickly turned its attention to us, trying to mow us down with its right leg .
「Nnuuun!」
The targeted Balbano deftly rolls out of the way .
You would think as a dwarf he would move slow, but he actually isn’t that sluggish .
「You’re mine!」
Balbano, who reached the dragon before me, took a heavy swing at the dragon’s leg with his axe .
The dwarven axe should be able to split that leg even if it has the same thickness as the trunk of giant tree .
A sharp metallic sound rung out .
「……what the-」
「So that’s not good enough?」
Balbano’s axe snapped in half from the handle portion .
The blade which danced in the air before falling to the ground was also dented with the shape of the dragon’s scale .
Even as axe made with dwarven metal can’t come close to getting through that thing’s scales .
And now I’m the only one with a decent weapon .
Das.h.i.+ng towards the dragon one beat later, I take a swing with my hammer, utilizing the momentum from my run as well .
I purposely aim for the tip of its foot .
The hammer I’m holding is made with the same material as the axe that broke, so it will probably produce the same result even if I get a decent hit in .
「I’ll hammer your toe!」
Not straying from the spot I aimed, the hammer accurately pounded the base of the dragon’s giant claw .
The impact made a dull sound and the recoil made my hands feel numb .
When I look at the hammer, I find that it has become flat and the handle was bent .
However, I can tell the blow was effective .
No blood was shed and the claw didn’t snap off but its body definitely shook when my attack hit its mark .
Its face warped with anger and pain as it glared at me, disregarding both the fleeing Balbano as well as the fallen Gido .
So a dragon feels pain when it stubs its toe too .
I’ll need to use this chance to let everyone escape .
「Run away Balbano, I’ll figure something out . 」
As I say that, I hold the crooked hammer in my left hand so I can wield the Dual Crater with my right hand .
「Sorry . I’m powerless here . 」
Balbano listens obediently, putting Gido on his shoulder before falling back .
Don’t worry about it, it’s already hard enough to fight when I have to be mindful of Celia or Kroll .
It’s easier if that thing aims only at me .
The dragon roars again, though I’ve already gotten used to it by the third time .
「Here I go . 」
I run straight ahead with my hammer and sword in hand .
First, it swipes at me horizontally with its right hand .
I crouch to the ground as low as possible to avoid being hit .
Next, it swings its left hand down at me .
I change course and take a diagonal route .
I use the hammer only to destroy the larger rocks flung at me from the shockwave of the attack, taking the hits from the small rocks with my body .
Naturally, it really hurts but it shouldn’t cause any major damage so long as it doesn’t hit my head .
Now, how will this guy react when I get within range of its feet while avoiding attacks from both of its arms?
It would make things easy if it just moved back, though I doubt it would do something like that after getting enraged from the hit on its toe .
Sure enough, as I get up close, the dragon attempts to bite me, sticking out its neck and opening its large mouth .
「Right there!」
I hurl my hammer as its jaws separate .
The heavy object spins in the air several times before cras.h.i.+ng into one of its teeth .
Take that, you don’t have scales inside your mouth .
The weapon makes a dull thud before that one tooth snaps at the root .
「Oww……」
I hear Celia moan in pain behind me .
Oh right, she recently fixed her cavity .
「I’m not done yet!」
I swing my Dual Crater at the snout of the dragon whose movements stopped due to pain .
It reflexively closes its mouth so I would be slas.h.i.+ng at its scales . It better not break my sword .
If the Dual Crater breaks, Nonna will cry while headb.u.t.ting me a hundred times .
A dull clang rings out on impact, then something falls to the ground a few moments later .
It was a dragon’s scale .
「You did it!」「It shed blood!!」
Celia and Balbano cheer .
The Dual Crater cuts into the dragon’s snout and red blood sprays out .
「……」
However, I’m not happy .
The Dual Crater definitely slashed its body .
Yet I thought I would have made a deep and clean cut from its snout to its chin .
「What impressive scales . 」
I was able to tear off a single scale .
In exchange, it deflects my Dual Crater and prevents me from slas.h.i.+ng its face .
「This will be a tough fight . 」
I settle my heart down and think calmly .
If I can’t tear its body apart, then I’ll have to aim for its vitals .
I don’t know where the vitals are on a dragon specifically, but like all living things, probably its head or heart .
It’s impossible to cut off its head so I either have to pierce straight through the top of its head or through its heart .
The Dual Crater is by no means a small sword, yet it still isn’t long enough for this particular opponent .
Moreover it is hard, even with my strength, to make deep cuts on its body through the hard scales .
「What do I do?」
If I take a clean hit from the enemy’s attacks, I’ll be squished like a little insect .
This fight is a little too unfair .
「Aegir-sama…… is smiling . 」
I unconsciously grin .
This kind of fight probably sets my soul on fire more so than crus.h.i.+ng goblins .
Despite going crazy with rage from getting a tooth broken and shedding blood from its snout, the dragon seems to have recognized me as more than just an insect .
It spreads its previously folded wings, flaps them once and pushes itself backwards .
The gust of wind created from the single beat of its wings makes me lose my footing .
「Uooh, what a strong wind . 」
「C-chief…… Lintbloom…… can fly……」
Gido, who is being carried by Balbano, frantically tries to inform me .
Don’t push yourself, besides it’s already too late .
The dragon rises into the air then dives down toward me .
Its speed is worlds apart from before .
「I won’t make it if I use my head . 」
I don’t have time to think about how to dodge .
I lock my eyes on that thing and rely on my instincts to twist my body out of the way .
I evade its claw, its fangs, and avoid getting pinned by its body, but still get hit by its tail .
Just when I thought I got hit, I rolled on the ground rapidly .
「Aah! I’m going back!」
「You’d only get in the way if you go back! Just go back up . 」
I can see Balbano carrying the shouting Celia as he returns to the rope even as the world spins around me .
After tumbling for a while, I crash into the wall .
I check my body while enduring the sharp pain .
No bones were broken and my innards didn’t fly out of my chest .
It looks like I tripped over the tail rather than getting hit by it .
Fortunately for me, I rolled quite a bit so the speed dropped .
「Gaboh! Gebo!」1
All I know is that the pain hurts and my eyes are spinning and everything in my stomach has now come out .
Because of that though, I’ve sobered up as well .
The dragon doesn’t have any intention to wait for me to recover after throwing up on the ground .
Its earth-shaking steps carry it forward toward me and then it slowly raises its leg .
So it wants to crush me underfoot .
I keep track of its movements while pretending to continue throwing up .
Right when its foot was about to come down on me, I roll to the side and narrowly escape .
「This is an uncool attack but……it hurts!」
As soon as I get up, I swing my sword at its lowered leg .
The razor-sharp blade of my Dual Crater perfectly cuts into the area between its finger and claw .
Unlike its earlier roars of intimidation, it lets out a more of a whining scream .
Fufufu, it hurts, doesn’t it .
I’ve done the same thing accidentally when cutting my nails with a small knife .
I really wanted to cry when that happened .
The dragon spreads its wings once again and dances in the air, putting some distance between us .
I swiftly retreat until I’m close to the wall of the cave .
As long as I’m here, it can’t make a rapid descent and fly towards me .
Or else, it will crash into the wall .
The dragon hovers in the air but doesn’t approach me .
I thought it was scared of the wall but something seems strange .
It’s facing this way while sucking in air .
「C-chief…… Lintbloom can…… guh……」
The injured Gido shouts again .
「Lintbloom can…… breathe fire……」
「Too late!!」
Right as Gido finishes his sentence, an intense stream of fire shoots out of the dragon’s mouth .
Its power makes even Alice’s magic seem like a child playing around with fire and it doesn’t look like I can avoid it .
「But still……」
I swing my Dual Crater .
「It’s not as bad as that time . 」
Compared to the calamity at Dard mountain, this similarly seems like child’s play .
I swing my Dual Crater down as the flames approach me .
The fire in front of me is split apart, separating the fire into three walls, one on top and one on either side of me .
I managed to avoid getting hit directly, but it still felt really hot .
「Aegir-samaaaaaa!! Nooooooooo!!」
「D-don’t struggle, you’ll fall! Ooh!」
Celia must have brushed away Balbano’s hand .
The screaming voice is getting closer .
The flames were split apart but it still seemed to engulf me so she probably thought I got burned to death when she couldn’t see me from the outside .
Don’t worry, there’s nothing in the cave that will cause the fire to spread .
The fire around me will eventually die down too so you’ll see me come out of this alive .
I can hear that thing roar during the short time before the fire vanishes .
Following that, there was a continuous deep rumbling and shaking from something resembling a cave-in before it eventually becomes quiet .
Celia jumps at me crying when the flames peter out and as I look around me, I don’t see any sign of that thing anymore .
「Huh? Where did it go?」
Balbano points to the ceiling with a blank look on his face .
「Hanging like a bat…… -wait, what’s that!?」
A large hole opened up in the ceiling of the cave and a ray of light s.h.i.+nes down almost like G.o.d was about to descend down from the heavens .
It’s just sunlight .
「So it escaped above ground……」
「It made a hole just by bas.h.i.+ng its head once against the wall . Its original entrance might have been sealed off by a cave-in . 」
「It probably left after thinking Aegir-sama got burned to death . 」
If the Dual Crater didn’t cut apart the flames, I would have become a piece of steak .
Woah, the rocks have turned red and are melting .
How powerful were those flames?
「Because you made it angry, it didn’t pay any attention to us at all . 」
「It wasn’t anything more than a little pestering . 」
With me and Balbano safe, we could relax and make jokes .
Celia is clinging to my waist with my relieved smile on her face .
Phew, that was close, really close .
「Did that dragon leave to the surface?」
What’s wrong, Kroll . Should I hug you too?
「……that thing went outside and I believe it had the city of Lintbloom in its eyes . 」
Kroll and I look at each other .
Celia also got in the mix while still grabbing onto me and the three of us stare silently .
「Hurry! Let’s head back to the city!!」
If that thing gets to the city, it won’t end with just a few casualties .
More importantly, Leah plus Claire and her company are there .
They can’t put up any resistance, let alone run away .
「Balbano, lend me the best and heaviest weapon you have!」
「Sure! We’ll all head to the city as well . We can’t sit back and drink while that thing’s around . 」
We rush out of the cave and run along the tunnel .
Balbano kicks the drunk dwarves along the way while shouting to gather his friends .
「This is the best thing I got, though it’s not light enough for a human to carry . 」
Ignoring all he said, I grab the giant warhammer in my left hand and run out the exit .
「In one hand? As expected of my pal……」
Argh, this isn’t time for talking .
「Aegir-sama, the dragon flies in the air . You won’t be able to reach it with a sword or hammer if there’s no ceiling . 」
「You’re probably right . On top of that, it has those scales . Arrows won’t have any effect on it . 」
To be honest, I have no idea how to fight it .
It might just burn down the entire city .
I still have to let the girls escape somehow, along with the other citizens too .
「It looks like Claire-san is going to be ruined . 」
I want to do something but I unfortunately can’t fly .
Balbano, who is stroking his beard after shutting up, spoke up .
「Can you win if its wings are taken away?」
「I’ll figure something out if it falls to the ground . 」
「In that case, I have an idea!!」
Balbano shouts happily in a certain direction .
「Fufufu, the time has come for our masterpiece to be of use!!」
Interesting, I’m certain ‘that’ can penetrate the dragon’s scales in spite of how hard they hard .
Let’s drag that thing out of the sky .
–Third Person POV–
Battle of White City . Arrival of Reinforcements . White City Royal Palace .
「Ivan Galchenko Defense Supreme Commander . 」
「Yes, Your Majesty!」
High officials dressed in fancy attire have gathered here in the royal palace while the battle of White City continues .
Sitting on the throne with his eyes closed in the center is Jutland II .
Everyone’s eyes are concentrated on Galchenko .
He led as many troops as possible to White City amidst the chaos caused by the fall of Albens .
「Those Imperial savages have regrettably forced my nation to fight a difficult war . 」
「Right……」
Cannons could be heard echoing sporadically in between their words .
Skirmishes would continue in some area of the wall regardless of the time of day .
「The west has completely fallen into their hands, and even the eternal capital in Jutlandgrad has also been ravaged by the war . 」
Galchenko keeps his head lowered in silence .
「And that blame should fall on you as the supreme commander, do you have any objections to that?」
「I have none . Military Minister, Your Excellency . 」
The Cabinet Minister of military affairs nods, taking a breath before saying what he has to .
However Jutland II casually raises his hand to interrupt him .
「Galchenko, I don’t think you are incompetent or disloyal . Everything just didn’t go your way, that’s all . 」
「I-…… I am unworthy of your words . 」
Galchenko sheds tears as he falls to his knees dejectedly .
He wasn’t able to protect his fatherland, he allowed harm to befall the citizens and he even let the capital be turned into a battlefield .
As a soldier, there is no greater shame than that .
The ruler governing Olga Federation lets out a single sigh .
This particular incident was also painful for him .
「But sure punishment or reward is the fate of a military official, responsibility must be taken . 」
After saying that, the King signals for the Military Minister to continue .
「Ivan Galchenko, you will be dismissed as the Supreme Commander of Defense . Further, you will a.s.sume responsibility for suffering defeat and a trial will be held…… tomorrow morning . 」
Galchenko doesn’t say anything as he lifts his body up and bows his head deeply .
「I cannot imagine you will flee after all the achievements you have brought about . Someone will be sent to your home to get you tomorrow morning, so you are free to do as you wish until then . You will return the medal of commander bestowed upon you . 」
After a final bow, low enough to touch his head to the ground, Galchenko begins to leave the throne room .
The King spontaneously stands up and shouts towards the doors .
「Galchenko! ……farewell . 」
「Your Majesty as well, take care . Victory to the Olga Federation!」
The general, slightly more than 50 years old, executes a perfect salute before taking his leave .
The King burns the last image of his retainer of more than 20 years into his eyes .
Everybody in the room knew that the trial could not be held tomorrow .
The reason a trial was deliberately scheduled on the day right after he was dismissed was to protect the man’s honor .
The defeat began with the annihilation of the naval fleet in the first battle, a place outside of Galchenko’s authority .
In order to prevent him from losing any more honor than he already has, Jutland II himself made arrangements for him .
「Your Majesty, subsequently please nominate the new Supreme Commander of Defense . 」
「Stessel broke through the blockade in the north, didn’t he…… . Alright, make it quick . 」
The King covers his reddened eyes for a bit before composing himself .
Post-nomination . White City Headquarters .
「I’m Martin Stessel . I was appointed to be the Supreme Commander of Defense starting from today . 」
He stands upright and salutes to everyone in the headquarters .
Meanwhile, all those present seem to have the slightest amount of anxiety within their eyes .
That is probably because the person who took over the position of Supreme Commander in place of Galchenko was a young man, who looks to be in his mid-thirties .
The man was das.h.i.+ng and handsome enough to star as the lead actor on stage during peace times, but that thin and unreliable look to him fostered more doubt in a place like the battlefield .
Paying no mind to the insecurity in the eyes of his new subordinates, the man with his nicely trimmed blond hair scanned the entire room with his beautiful blue eyes .
「Everyone, your eyes are bloodshot . How many days have you not slept?」
Everybody looks at each other .
「Well, that’s because those guys from the Empire are attacking us incessantly……」
「We’ve only taken brief naps whenever it gets quiet……」
「How many days have you not slept? Answer the question . 」
「Three days!」「Five for me!」
After all the subordinates provide their answers in a hurry, Martin’s expression relaxes and he smiles
「Alright, then here’s your first order . All of you will sleep soundly until tomorrow morning . You do not need wake up for anything unless I call for you . You will also fill your stomachs . 」
The subordinates were puzzled at the sudden order, but Martin continues with a smile .
「What, the enemy is only sending out small detachments because they have no other way to attack . The last all-out offensive was three days ago, so it will take at least four days for them to reorganize . 」
「But how can we sleep with no care in the world while the enemy stands before us……」
Martin continues, interrupting the subordinates who continue to express their worries .
「Put yourself in the place of the enemy commander . 」
His slow and imposing tone echoed throughout the once murderous headquarters .
「Your opponent is a man with red eyes who is both lacking sleep and starving . 」
After saying that, he lightly prods the forehead of one of his subordinates .
「Then you have a man who is full of energy, well-rested and well-fed . Which one would you rather not have as your enemy?」
Then Martin adds one final order in a joking tone .
The strained mood loosens up slightly .
「You have to learn when to be vigilant and when to relax . You’ll just tire yourself out if you remain tense for so long . 」
Martin proceeds to tap the shoulder of each subordinate .
「You’re too skinny . Meat, go eat some meat . 」
「Haha, I’m ashamed . 」
「You stink . Go take a bath before you sleep, but don’t sleep in the water . Don’t drown before going out to war . 」
「Pfft, understood sir . 」
「You look like you’re in need of a woman . Go visit an operating brothel . 」
「I-I’m a virgin . 」
「You have bags under your eyes . What a waste of your lady-killing skills, go sleep right away . 」
「Yessir! I will do so for an entire day!」
After making his way around to everyone, Martin got everyone’s attention once again .
「Don’t worry, we will win . I brought a trump card as our reinforcements!」
The window was opened at the same time those words were spoken .
“Reinforcements”, a word everybody wanted to hear .
All of the subordinates crowd around the window .
「Where are the reinforcements……?」
They couldn’t see the much antic.i.p.ated reinforcements waiting for them outside the window .
The only thing there was the 20,000 troops that accompanied Martin when he broke through the blockade to get into White City from the north .
That was already a well-known fact among all those in the headquarters and they could not expect reinforcements of a mere 20,000 to greatly influence the state of battle .
Seeing everyone’s confused faces, Martin opens his mouth and laughs .
「Hahahaha! Just as I thought from sleep-deprived people, your heads are not thinking clearly! Look carefully . Not on the ground, but in the air!」
The men looked up at the cloudy sky and their expressions changed from surprise to delight .
Something white was floating down from the gray sky .
When that substance touched the window or the faces of the men peeking out, it melted quietly and turned into water .
It goes without saying that it was snow, winter has finally come .
「Look gentlemen, it’s snowing . Winter is here! The Federation’s winter is upon us!」
The murmuring turns into cheers .
It’s the first time the Imperial army has stepped so far inside the Federation, so they have not experienced the h.e.l.lish cold of the Federation winters .
They might be equipped with iron armor but they shouldn’t have carried fur pelts with them .
In addition, the military slaves might as well be half-naked in this weather .
「Gentlemen, eat! Sleep! Prepare for the soon-approaching time to counterattack . 」
The generals in the headquarters rush to fill their stomachs and get rest in bed like they were charging towards an enemy .
The snow falls indiscriminately on both armies, welcoming the harsh winter .
Federation VS . Empire – Comparison of Military Forces (Current + Losses = Max Mobilization . In the case where numbers don’t match, it means there are spare forces . )
Olga Federation
Military Strength – Current: 600 000, Max Mobilization: 2 550 000, Losses: 1 170 000, Civilian Victims: 940 000
Garland Empire
Military Strength – Current: 2 110 000, Max Mobilization: 3 100 000, Losses: 990 000 (Military slaves not included)