The northern gate had been breached, and a horde of monsters poured through with orcs at the front.
Facing them, Aria leveled her spear.
The barriers set up just inside the gate held, and the pit trap swallowed the charging orcs. The beasts that plummeted were impaled on the stakes below, but as the pit filled with bodies, the survivors clambered over their fallen comrades and clawed at the barriers.
Soldiers and knights wielding spears stabbed at the monsters, but unlike the eastern side, this position had more manpower. They hadn't even had time to prepare oil — the pit traps were all they could manage.
A running messenger arrived to relay the situation at the center.
"A Griffon is in the center! Hippogriffs on the east side too!"
Aria grabbed the panicked messenger and demanded clarification.
"Explain properly! There were only two Hippogriffs, right? Where did the third one go?!"
The messenger, gasping for breath, answered.
"The Griffon and the Hippogriffs went after the Acting Captain…"
Acting Captain — that would be Lyle.
(Both at once? I thought all three would come together…)
When Aria looked skyward, neither the Griffon nor the Hippogriffs were visible. She could see the flashes of magic, and all she could do was trust that Lyle was handling it.
"We're holding here, so tell them we're fine! Reinforcements are coming from the east—"
That was when the barrier was shoved over and monsters poured through.
Aria spun around and thrust her spear at a Goblin that had gotten close, then swept the spear sideways and hurled the creature away.
The messenger stared, aghast, but Aria barked.
"I'll handle this — just deliver the message! Go!"
As the messenger sprinted off, Aria spotted an Orc wielding one of the logs from the barrier. It had just swatted aside a nearby soldier and was charging right at her.
(Keep your distance, damn it!)
"Fall back!"
The hastily built barrier was weaker than expected, and the pit was already choked with monsters. Aria leveled her spear at the Orc, but nearby, soldiers had already been drawn into a chaotic melee with the monsters. More and more troublesome Orcs poured in — until an arrow embedded itself in one's skull.
"Clark?"
From a scaffolding on the wall, Clark climbed down. He had knights and soldiers arrayed in front of him, firing bolts from his crossbow into the monsters. Then he set the crossbow down and drew the sword at his hip.
"We're out of arrows! Get your shields up!"
He pushed forward soldiers bearing crude wooden shields, then ordered the charge. Through the gaps, knights with spears drove into the monsters.
They pushed the creatures back while Clark himself took on an Orc.
"Not bad!" Aria exclaimed.
She activated a Skill and cleaved through an Orc with her spear. Blood spread across the ground, and the clashing of metal, screams, and war cries merged into a deafening roar.
"Wounded, get back! Never engage one-on-one!"
Clark issued orders, and the surrounding knights and soldiers rallied. That freed Aria to move as she pleased.
From there, it became Aria's show.
"Aha! Got you!"
Emboldened by the favorable situation and the sight of blood, Aria swung her spear with wild abandon. A body enhanced by her Skill. A spear hardened to devastating power. Her speed climbed, and she cut down monster after monster.
Clark watched and muttered.
"…What incredible valor. If only she were a boy."
What a waste, he sighed —
The Griffon dove in a steep plunge, and Lyle dodged its claws, but the bow and quiver strapped to his back caught on something and went tumbling through the air.
The Griffon tried to gain altitude with a beat of its wings, but the quiver exploded from the impact, and the creature's attention drifted toward the detonation.
(Did it explode? I need to be more careful with how I handle things from now on.)
Relieved that his back hadn't taken the blast, I looked at the quiver of explosive arrows and raised my left hand.
"Lightning!"
A magic bolt empowered by my Skill struck home.
But the Griffon touched down, shook its body, and recovered as if nothing had happened.
(Not enough? Should I have gone straight for my trump card?)
The one who offered advice, sensing I was questioning whether the attack had worked, was the Second Generation.
'It didn't fly right back up into the sky… Looks like it's working. Well, it'll regain free movement soon enough.'
The Fifth Generation spoke up.
'Ah, right — Griffons have magic resistance. But it does seem stronger than I expected.'
"Then I'll go all out—"
I was about to use my trump card when the Second Generation cut in.
'Don't be an idiot. They can move around on the ground too, you know. Look — it's coming.'
The Griffon bounded toward me with startling speed, its lion body moving with fluid grace as it lunged.
I sprinted forward and rolled, passing right underneath the Griffon.
The Second Generation spoke.
'A magic one-hit kill… My Skill could do it, Lyle.'
The instant he said it, I dropped my Saber, seized the tail of the Griffon — which had lost sight of its quarry — and activated my Skill.
"If I use Full Burst!"
Skill: Full Burst — a Skill that doubles one's own abilities. I gripped the tail and tried to hurl it, but the Griffon's hind legs lashed out at my face.
I caught them with my left arm, and my body lifted off the ground. Even then, my right hand never let go of the tail.
Perhaps because I'd gone airborne at the moment of impact, I absorbed the momentum. The Griffon's back came into view, and I released the tail.
My left arm throbbed, but the bone wasn't broken. I drew my spare Saber just as the Griffon, with me on its back, began thrashing wildly.
The Griffon's back reeked powerfully of beast.
The Sixth Generation declared.
'A one-on-one battle between men! This is what I've been waiting for!'
"Shut up, you're annoying!"
My left hand grabbed the Griffon's neck. Clenching the Saber between my teeth, I pulled a rope from the pouch at my waist — something I'd prepared on the Sixth Generation's suggestion, though it gave me a strange sense of defeat.
The rope already had a loop on it. I swung it around the Griffon's neck — it wouldn't turn to face me — and yanked hard, garroting the creature.
The Griffon's shrill cry pierced my ears, but I tried wrapping the rope around my left arm to keep hold and winced in pain.
"Tch. Right hand then."
I wound the rope around my right arm and gripped the Saber as the Griffon flapped its wings.
"You want to fly? I'll finish this in no—"
The Third Generation offered a warning.
'Ah, don't try to finish it in one strike. Blood spray makes everything slippery. And if it takes to the sky, make sure you're over a spot where you can land when you go for the killing blow—'
"Why are you so calm?! I'm in a life-or-death situation here!"
The Seventh Generation then chimed in. I could tell from his voice that he was enjoying this.
'Lyle, a man grows by fighting strong enemies. It's because the powerful exist that one can grow stronger. Besides, any man of House Walt should be able to handle something like this.'
Muttering about everything being wrong with those statements, I mounted the ascending Griffon, clamped my legs around its torso, and held on for dear life.
If I was thrown out over open sky, even gripping the rope wouldn't save me.
I yanked the rope coiled on my right arm as the Griffon soared into the air.
The wind up here was colder than on the ground.
On the thrashing Griffon's back, I looked around. The scenery tumbled — sky below, ground above — and I realized the Griffon had flipped itself upside down mid-air.
"If I fall from this height, I'm dead! You bastard!"
Still holding my Saber, I cast magic, and purple lightning crackled from my body. The Griffon writhed at altitude, the landscape spinning like a wheel.
It thrashed and bucked, trying to throw me off. I clung on with everything I had.
When I cast magic, the Griffon's movements seemed to slow, but it wouldn't lose altitude. It intended to drop me from as high as possible.
The Third Generation remarked.
'That's high.'
The Fourth Generation added.
'If you could do this at will, it'd be worth a fortune… Entertainment, transport — all kinds of uses…'
Will you people worry about me for once! I bit back the retort and pulled a cloth from my bundled cargo.
I sheathed the Saber, soaked the cloth in water with magic, then hurled it at the Griffon's head. It successfully blinded the creature.
The Sixth Generation commented.
'Soaked it and slapped it on. Nice move!'
The Fifth Generation said.
'If you'd wet it from the start, it never would've flown this high in the first place, right?'
"…You could have told me that sooner!!"
I screamed, thrashed, used my Skills to force myself onto the Griffon's back —
Being high in the sky meant experiencing sensations I'd never felt before, over and over.
It wasn't just that the ground was far away — I never imagined the fear would be this intense. The sensation of falling, yes, but also the inability to brace yourself — it was utterly—
"Hurry up and… fall!!"
I channeled purple lightning with magic.
The reason I hadn't used water earlier was that the cold up here was absolutely brutal.
My body could barely endure it — the cold was sapping my ability to move. Hanging on was becoming impossible.
The Griffon's body wasn't burning, but it was clearly weakening — the force behind its neck swings diminished.
As the creature spiraled downward, I struggled to control it with the rope cinched around its neck and my legs clamped around its torso.
(There's the village. I need to go for the heart — wait, where is it?!)
I couldn't locate the heart, and the Second Generation offered advice.
'Lyle, it's pretty much the same across the board. Protected by bone on the inside. Just jam it between the ribs and you're good.'
"I don't know where that is!"
'Dummy, what do you think the Skill is for?'
I realized with a start and activated the Second Generation's Skill, though the Full Over effect was already wearing off.
It consumed a massive amount of mana, but I could now pinpoint the creature's heart — a strong pulse of light. The brightest point within the glow. I gripped the Saber in my left hand, took aim, and—
(Damn it, I'm getting dizzy.)
Using multiple Skills was draining my mana in a grinding cascade. As I lost altitude and the village drew near, I noticed that the battle on the ground was winding down.
The distance to the ground was closing. At this range, I could do it — and I drove the Saber deep into the Griffon.
It let out a scream unlike anything before, piercing my ears. When I wrenched the blade free, blood sprayed in a torrent, and the Griffon plummeted toward the northern gate.
"This thing—"
Then, in the next instant.
'Lyle!'
The Second Generation's voice rang out, and I turned my gaze toward the village center.
The Griffon crashed into the wall, and my body was flung into the air.
The battle was nearing its end.
The number of monsters had thinned. In the sky, Shannon could see Lyle crackling with magic. On the east side, where her sister Miranda was watching with growing concern, a Hippogriff lay in a wretched state.
"…I'm pulling back a little."
Shannon resolved to be more cautious around her sister than ever. She glanced at Norma nearby.
She'd been focused on Miranda until now, but Norma stood close, gazing upward at the sky, only turning to receive reports from arriving messengers.
Norma said, "So that's how he fights."
Shannon shot back, "Normal people would never do that in a million years. Is he out of his mind?"
Norma nodded, but in her view, if Lyle defeated the Griffon, it was her ticket to advancement. No — he would absolutely advance. This was a feat of that magnitude.
Norma was grinning.
"Now that I think about it, he was lucky. The number of monsters the Griffon led was larger than expected, but the overall scale was small. Facing a Griffon in a normal situation — this battlefield would've been a feast."
Shannon stared at Norma, dumbfounded.
Then she said, "I'm not one to talk, but maybe you should be a little better at what you do? That kind of approach is going to catch up with you someday."
For just an instant, Norma's expression flickered to something that looked almost sad, before settling back into her usual look of contempt for everyone else.
"Are you stupid? This world doesn't run on fairy tales. The ones who get deceived only have themselves to blame. That blue-haired guy who handed me the credit — he'll regret it someday."
Shannon thought, (I really don't think he cares that much.)
In truth, Lyle's values were wildly off-center. This whole episode was a prime example — he simply saw things from a different perspective.
Shannon recalled the six lights that seemed to float around Lyle.
The battlefield was gradually quieting. At the center, Novem was busy treating the wounded, and Monica was rushing about with cooking and errands.
The battle was ending. Eager villagers were already poking their heads out.
"They shouldn't be coming outside yet," Norma said. "The fighting's over, but someone should tell them to go back inside."
Norma ordered a nearby messenger to instruct the villagers to return to shelter.
Shannon looked toward the north.
She hadn't been particularly worried, since her sister Miranda was on the east side, but the north had no Hippogriff and the best concentration of forces.
Rather than feeling relieved, Shannon had simply rated it as lower danger.
Now, as she gazed northward —
"Huh? It's alive."
She murmured, and Norma asked, "What? A wounded person or something—"
But Shannon cut her off with a shout.
"The Hippogriff is alive!"
Norma's eyes went wide—
The surroundings fell quiet, and the evacuated villagers emerged.
As the adults stepped outside, Luka went out with the other children.
"We won… We actually won!"
"We held them! Our village was saved!"
"Thank goodness… truly, thank goodness…"
Luka glanced sideways at the adults shouting and weeping, then scanned the area. There, Lyle's bow stood embedded in the ground.
The string was severed. Worried, Luka dashed toward it — just as a messenger soldier arrived, telling everyone to go back inside. The crowd retreated.
Luka ran up to the bow and, seeing that Lyle wasn't lying on the ground nearby, felt a wave of relief.
"Thank goodness. Master Lyle is safe."
But patches of ground were blackened, and the quiver lay scattered in pieces.
"Y-you're okay, right?"
He picked up the bow and looked around. From the north, he heard a tremendous noise.
There, atop the motionless Griffon, Lyle was moving his hand.
Luka thought he was waving, so he waved back.
"Incredible! Master Lyle really is incredible!"
Nearby, the Hippogriff was slowly rising to its feet—
In the central part of the village, on slightly higher ground.
The Griffon that had smashed through the northern wall now lay utterly still.
And Lyle had spotted Luka, who had gone outside.
Clark rushed over, worried about him.
Lyle knew Clark was concerned about him being thrown from the Griffon that had hit the wall. But something far more important demanded his attention.
"Lyle, you need to stay down!"
Still dizzy from the impact, Lyle nonetheless bellowed at Luka with all his strength.
"Run! Get out of there!!"
Aria was helping him stand, but Luka — thinking he was being waved at — waved back, bow in hand.
Around them, many of the knights and soldiers believed the battle was over. Some were arguing about who had struck down which monster.
They were convinced it was done.
Behind Luka, the Hippogriff was slowly rising.
The Second Generation spoke.
'Hey — you understand what's going on, right…?!'
A memory the Second Generation had shown him before came flooding back — the image of him cradling his dead eldest son, screaming in anguish.
No one here had noticed.
And even if they did, it would be too late.
I clenched my teeth.
(Why… everything was going so well… So why?!)
'Stop agonizing! There's something you can do — you can save that kid!'
The Second Generation's voice was desperate.
'Are you going to show me that sight a second time?! If you do that, I will never, ever forgive you! Lyle! Please… save him!'
I lowered my head and drove strength into my legs.
(I know.)
Aria called out, worried.
"Lyle, you need to lie down and rest—"
(I knew that!)
I raised my head, staggered away from Aria, and stood under my own power. Then I heard the Second Generation scream.
'Don't weigh the dead against the living! I'm already dead! I've already told you everything I wanted to tell you! So — so — don't you dare let another child die in front of me!'
Steadying my resolve, I clenched the Jewel in my aching left hand and tore it from my neck. But the chain, once freed, wrapped around my left arm, and the Jewel blazed with light.
The silver ornament swelled and took the shape of a great bow — a Silver Bow. The Jewel sat at its center.
But this Silver Bow had no string.
The crowd erupted in commotion, and Aria exclaimed.
"The Silver Bow? But before, that was a greatsword, wasn't it—"
Clark was stunned as well.
I brought my right hand toward the Jewel, and it emitted a brilliant glow. A string of blue light materialized.
I drew, and an arrow of magic appeared. The pale, luminous arrow grew sharper and more defined the harder I pulled.
'That's right. Just like that. Use my Skill… Lyle. That Skill is yours now.'
Drawing the bow, I bit down hard. Frustration and grief churned inside me.
I hated this.
Because—
"That's right… I… I didn't want to say goodbye…"
Aria said softly.
"Lyle, you're crying…"
Then one of the knights shouted.
"Hippogriff!"
Everyone looked. Behind the dazed child, the Hippogriff was on its feet and about to pounce.
'Thanks, Lyle… That was fun.'
The Second Generation's face flashed before me — that bashful, grinning expression — and I activated my Skill.
"Select—"
It was a Skill that chose the target of your other Skills.
No matter how chaotic the battlefield — friend and foe tangled together — it allowed you to target only allies with your Skills. A true support ability.
Conversely, you could also target only enemies.
It could identify friend and foe in motion and land your Skills or magic precisely. Not a guaranteed hit, but the accuracy was remarkably high.
The Second Generation had used this Skill to nock multiple arrows at once and strike different targets separately — a third-tier Skill of the Second Generation's arsenal—
I aimed at the Hippogriff and released the string.
The Second Generation said.
'…Hang in there.'
(Why…)
The arrow of light shot straight toward the Hippogriff. The moment it left the bow, a gust of wind erupted around me.
(Luka sensed the Hippogriff lunging from behind and turned to face it.)
(Why do you sound so calm? I wanted to learn so much more from you… I can't even say "don't disappear"…)
The light arrow left a trail of luminance in its wake, streaked unerringly toward the Hippogriff, pierced its body, and continued skyward until it punched a hole through the clouds.
The impaled Hippogriff burst into flames, a gaping wound torn through its torso.
Luka sat on the ground, stunned. I lowered my stance, and the Silver Bow vanished. The chain coiled around my left arm.
The Jewel glowed blue as I dropped to my knees.
"L-Lyle!"
"Get a stretcher! Quickly — Lyle needs help!"
I heard Aria and Clark shouting.
Supported by Aria, tears streamed down my face as I whispered.
"I… I didn't even get to say goodbye properly… Second Generation…"
As consciousness faded, I thought I glimpsed the Second Generation walking away, his right hand raised, waving softly.
In a self-deprecating tone, I thought I heard him say, 'I was always so plain — a plain ending is just fine for me.'