Report
Chapter 3: Wyverns
"How many are there?"
"Three in total, and they're brimming with hostility."
"This is bad..."
Alicia bit her lip, her face tense.
Her party, Dawn's Blade, was composed of four high-ranked adventurers. Judging by the quality of their equipment, they could probably handle a single wyvern. But three all at once? That would likely be a bit too much.
"Misha! Henry! Aim for their wings and bring them down! Gans, protect Lord Viktor!”
"And you, Leader?"
"I’ll engage them when they land!"
As she spoke, Alicia drew her sword. At that moment, a sharp, piercing screech echoed from the sky.
The wyverns are here!
Soon, large shadows began to materialize under the moonlight.
"Let my golems join the fight too!"
"You have golems for combat?"
"Yes! Failnaught, come forth!"
At my command, a golem in the shape of a turtle emerged. Mounted on its back was a massive ballista.
Failnaught was a combat golem I designed to protect the town.
Essentially, it’s a mobile, fully automated ballista. Its arrows should be more than enough to pierce wyvern hide.
"You’ve got something like that, too…? What a lifesaver!"
"Here they come!! Fire!!"
The wyverns dove down in a vicious attack.
Immediately, Misha launched her fireballs, while Henry let loose a barrage of arrows.
As expected from top-tier adventurers, they instantly and naturally attacked in splendid fashion.
"Failnaught, fire!"
I too quickly commanded my golem.
The large bowstring drew back, automatically loading a bolt.
—WHOOSH!!
The massive bolt tore through the air with a shrill howl.
It struck the wing of one of the wyverns, tearing through its membrane. The beast lost balance and began to spiral helplessly toward the ground.
And then—
"HAHHH!!"
A flash of vigor.
Alicia’s sword traced a gleaming arc, slicing through the wyvern’s scales in a single motion.
Blood sprayed through the air as the massive creature thrashed in agony.
Failnaught, wasting no time, fired again.
"GRYAAAAHH!!"
The arrow pierced right between the wyvern’s eyes, and its massive body crumpled to the ground.
That’s one down!
With one of the three felled, the remaining wyverns were clearly unsettled. Their movements grew sluggish and hesitant.
"Henry! Misha! Focus on the one to the left! Bring it down!"
"On it!"
"Okay!"
Misha’s magic and Henry’s arrows were unleashed simultaneously.
A fireball struck a wyvern’s head, blocking its vision. In that brief moment, Henry’s arrow found its mark, piercing the creature’s wing.
As it faltered, another bolt struck.
"SHRAAAAA!!"
The remaining wyvern, sensing its companion’s danger, rushed forward in a desperate dive.
"Failnaught!"
Without hesitation, the ballista loosened another bolt, this time piercing the base of the diving wyvern’s wing and halting its momentum.
"Thanks!!"
Alicia immediately closed in and plunged her sword into the wyvern’s chest. Pivoting, she drove her blade into the second fallen wyvern.
—SLASH!!
As the wyvern lunged to devour Alicia, she thrusted her sword upward in a swift, precise strike. The blade pierced through its jaw up into its skull, causing the light to fade from its eyes.
"Amazing!"
"Alicia’s a first-rate swordswoman and our party's pride and joy."
Gans, who had been tasked with protecting me, crossed arms as he nodded with pride.
With skills like those, it’s no wonder they’re proud of her. The party’s coordination was impeccable too. They even worked seamlessly with my golem.
It seems this Dawn’s Blade party is far more capable than I first thought.
"That was a close one, but thanks to everyone, we made it through alive!"
"Your golem was a great help too. It’s quite the impressive creation."
"Oh no, this is just an outdated model."
"Really? It seemed powerful enough to me…"
Alicia gave me a puzzled look.
But honestly, Failnaught isn’t all that impressive as far as golems go. It wouldn’t stand a chance in the Sariel Great Forest.
In that great wilderness, wyverns are considered mid-tier threats at best.
"Hmm... Maybe His Grace, the Count, truly intends for Lord Viktor to succeed in the land development. But no matter how many golems he has with him, sending him alone still seems far too strange."
Alicia, muttering something to herself, was lost in thought.
Well, whatever. For now, let’s rest. We still have a long way to go before reaching the Great Forest.
Just as I was making my way back to the cabin with the maid golem I’d been working on, a deafening roar shook the air.
"W-What was that?!"
"That cry… No way!!"
The adventurers immediately drew their weapons, their eyes scanning the surroundings with grim intensity. Tension filled the air as an eerie silence settled over us.
And then—
"DRAGON!!!!"
Soon we were covered by a shadow large enough to blot out the sky.
