——The time was but slightly before the attack of the winged beings.
"I've failed again... I'm truly such a failure..."
Shaking his head slowly, the peachy, wavy locks on top bobbing gently, a young boy walked down the street.
With short pants baring his pale legs, he was a boy who had just emerged from the largest mansion in the city—Shuuto. Wearing a sour expression, Shuuto sighed and clenched and unclenched his thin, soft hands, which held not an ounce of strength.
Still so young, Shuuto had already pledged his life's service to one and only master.
Born in a destitute village, Shuuto had been driven out of his home by the crushing weight of that year's tax collection and should have starved to death on the roadside. Gnawing on mud through hunger and thirst—that was about to become his final meal—when he was saved by a radiant sun passing by.
Saved by that way of living, as though to burn the entire world to cinders, Shuuto was given his present self.
That was precisely why Shuuto genuinely wanted to devote everything he had and everything he would ever have in service to his gracious benefactor.
And yet— "I can't be of any use at all... I despise myself for it."
A deep sigh—though even that sigh came out weaker than most, on account of his meager lung capacity—and Shuuto punished his own inadequacy with his head, his chest, and his heart all at once.
Just the other day, he had scrambled to fulfill a role entrusted to him by his precious mistress, only to fail spectacularly.
It was supposed to be a simple task—filling the bathhouse with water—yet he managed to overflow the tub and mishandle the magical ore meant for heating it, turning everything into utter chaos.
Worse still, he had caused trouble for
"Both Lady Priscilla and Lord Al told me there was no need to rush, and I'm grateful for that truly... but..."
The kindness of Priscilla and the magnanimity of Al in offering such consolation was a comfort.
But Shuuto loathed himself for being unable to give anything in return. On that front, Heinkel— who dealt with Shuuto in a way quite different from the other two—seemed to understand.
When Shuuto had been practicing swordsmanship under Al's tutelage, it was Heinkel who told him that method didn't suit him and taught him a different approach. Thanks to that, the area around his bicep felt just a little bit firmer than before.
"If I practice every day like Heinkel does instead of swinging a sword once and resting for ten days like Al does, it suits me better truly... I don't want to disappoint Lord Al, so I can't tell him, but..."
In any case, with these small signs of growth, Shuuto had gotten a bit carried away.
And the heavens would not forgive such complacency and pride. That was what had led to that catastrophic failure at the bathhouse, and Shuuto reflected on it with deep remorse.
By now, Rem was probably helping their mistress—Priscilla—with her bath in the refilled bathhouse. Rem could do anything, and he admired her from the bottom of his heart.
"She's just like Lady Yae... Lady Yae, I hope you're doing well..."
Suddenly, what surfaced in Shuuto's mind was the memory of Yae Tenzan—a bright, energetic maid who had once served under Priscilla.
She had been in charge of attending to Priscilla's personal needs, always chatting happily with Al, and she had been kind to Shuuto as well. Shuuto had been very fond of her.
However, one day she had received word of a family misfortune and abruptly resigned from her duties at the mansion, returning to the countryside. Shuuto never even had the chance to say goodbye, and the loneliness had been immense. According to Al, who had seen her off, she had asked to send her regards to Shuuto.
Perhaps Rem might become Yae's successor as Priscilla's attendant.
If kind and hardworking Rem filled that role, Shuuto would be truly delighted. She got along well with Priscilla too, so surely Rem would be happy.
Above all— "When you're with Lady Priscilla, everyone is brimming with happiness truly."
His own direct experience was what told Shuuto just how great Priscilla's presence was.
Rem, too, was at the age where worries were plentiful, and she often seemed pensive, lost in thought. Even that dark, troubled expression of hers would surely be brightened by Priscilla's dazzling sun.
"Ah. Shu-ta."
"Hmhm! It is, truly!"
Lost in these thoughts, bobbing his head up and down, Shuuto came to a halt. It was because he recognized a voice and saw the person pointing at him directly ahead.
Walking down the street right in front of him, pointing his way, was a young girl with black hair whose tips were dyed peach. She had a young man with her, and noticing the mutual awareness between Shuuto and the girl, he called out in a cheerful voice: "Well, well!"
"If it isn't the butler boy. The little princess isn't with you, I see?"
"Lady Priscilla is resting at the mansion, truly, Lord Flop. Were you taking a walk with Lady Utakata?"
"Huh, being called 'Lady' is unusual. How interesting."
The young man with the soft smile and easy wave—Flop—nodded at Shuuto's question with a "That's right." The girl beside him, Utakata, touched her cheek, looking moved at the way Shuuto addressed her.
Shuuto had first met both Flop and Utakata after coming to
Both of them were fine people with solid footing in the world.
"Oh my? You look rather down, Butler Boy. That face of yours—it makes one think you have a worry, doesn't it?"
"I do?! You're amazing, truly! Lord Flop, you can tell?!"
"Of course I can! After all, most people have worries! Why, even my sister—who looks like she hasn't a care in the world—has her own!"
"Midi, didn't look like she had worries."
"She did! What a surprise!"
Putting his hands on his hips, Flop threw his head back and laughed uproariously. Watching his bright demeanor, Shuuto found his own spirits lifting.
Flop was like Priscilla—a sun who lit up everyone around him. Wherever he went, surely colorful flowers would bloom in abundance.
"Just like a prince from a flower garden, truly."
"Haha, I'm no prince. I'm merely a humble traveling merchant! Now then, Butler Boy, what's got you worried? Won't you tell me about it?"
"Is that all right, truly? You were in the middle of a walk..."
Leaning in with concern, Flop's offer made Shuuto feel sheepish. He glanced toward Utakata, who was supposed to be Flop's walking companion.
But Utakata narrowed her round eyes and shook her head, not looking bothered in the slightest.
"I was bored. Playing with Flop was getting dull, so I'll listen to Shuuto's worries."
"Is that so. Ah, but please don't think of it as mere boredom-killing. Whatever you're worrying about is a serious matter to the person who carries it. So, I shall listen with full attention."
With that, Flop lightly tapped his not-particularly-broad chest and led the two of them to the edge of the street, where a flowerbed's curb ran along the sidewalk.
And so the three of them sat on the curb, letting the breeze wash over them as they began to talk.
Shuuto's worry was, as had been described, the problem of his own inadequacy.
He wanted to become someone far more capable—for Priscilla's sake.
"It just won't work out, truly. Lord Flop, Lady Utakata—how did you both become the wonderful people you are today, truly?"
"Oh my, now that's a deep question! How did we become who we are... How philosophical!"
"Philo... sophical... is it, truly..."
At Flop's answer, Shuuto braced himself at the whiff of learning he hadn't yet acquired.
If he couldn't understand that philosophy, perhaps the answer to his worries would remain out of reach. If so, he would just have to study it as well.
"I became me because Mom made me."
"Mom, you say? That is..."
"Me mom! She was friends with Ta. But she stabbed herself and died."
"Sh-she did, truly...?!"
Utakata, kicking her dangling feet back and forth, spoke of her mother's death with complete nonchalance.
Though her attitude was casual, the content was so unexpected that Shuuto was shocked. On the other side of Utakata, Flop reached across to gently stroke her head.
"I see, your mother went through that. That must have been terrible, Utakata."
"It was harder on Ta than on me. Me was raised by Mii and everyone, so I'm fine. I grew up just like this."
"That's true. Utakata, you've certainly grown into a fine person. I'm sure your mother would be happy to know that."
"—? Mom's dead, so she can't be happy. Flop, you're saying weird things."
As Flop stroked her head, Utakata tilted her with a puzzled look. But she didn't seem to mind his touch, and made no move to stop his hand.
Seeing Utakata's reaction, Flop gently narrowed his blue eyes and said: "Well, Utakata's answer was a very good one. In truth, when it comes to how I became who I am, I think my answer would be much the same."
"The same answer... then Lord Flop, were you also raised by the Shudrak people in the same way as Lady Utakata?"
"If that were the case, I'd have a great many family members, and that would make me very happy! But my family, aside from my sister Medium, are all people who have already passed away. It's terribly sad and lonely, but still."
"I see, truly..."
The first half in his usual cheerful tone, the second half with his voice pitched just slightly lower, Flop delivered his answer. Shuuto cast his eyes down and once again felt the sting of his own failings.
He had asked Utakata and Flop something terribly insensitive.
If someone asked Shuuto about the family that had cast him aside, he wouldn't be able to give them a pleasant answer either. He should have thought more before asking.
"There's no need to blame yourself so much, Butler Boy. You can learn going forward. That's really just a continuation of what I said a moment ago."
"Your earlier answer... the same one as Lady Utakata's, you mean, truly?"
"Exactly. What I mean by being the same as Utakata is that I, too, was shaped by the influence of the people around me into the person I am today."
Opening both arms wide, Flop laughed as if showing off his present self.
That bright smile and reassuring voice—both were quintessentially Flop, essential parts of who he was. And those traits, too, had been cultivated through the influence of others.
"Once upon a time, my sister and I lived in truly awful conditions. It was an orphanage of sorts, collecting parentless children, but the food was scarce, we weren't paid for working, and the adults in the place would beat children at the drop of a hat. A horrible place."
"Th-that's awful, truly! What were children supposed to do in a place like that?!"
"If it were me, I'd burn it down."
"Burn it down, truly!"
"Haha, that might have been one option. But that's not how it went."
Shuuto empathized with Utakata's fiery proposal in the face of Flop's harsh past. But Flop, laughing at the two of them, had long since passed through that history.
How had he overcome it— "Well, it was the kindness of others. There was a benefactor who saved us. He became the family my sister and I had after they'd all died."
"You were... saved, truly? That's wonderful, truly."
"Can you understand that, Butler Boy?"
"I can, truly... I was saved by Lady Priscilla as well."
Gently pressing a hand to his chest, he felt at his fingertips the fact that it was no longer a body of nothing but bone and skin. That was proof of everything Priscilla had given him up to this day.
The brighter and stronger and more capable Shuuto became, the more it proved that Priscilla's actions on that day were not wrong. That she would have no cause for regret.
Seeing the light shine in Shuuto's red eyes, Flop smiled gently.
"For my part, I felt much the same. That's why I'm working hard to achieve my own grand goal. The path is steep, but I want to keep going without giving up."
"I don't want you to give up, truly! Ah—but I'd like to hear a little more concretely, truly. How are you working hard, Lord Flop?"
"Hmm, let me see. I've thought about it in various ways... Tell you what, instead of talking about myself, I'll tell you about my sister. About my sister who's taller than me, stronger, and full of spirit."
"Ohh, truly!"
The grand gesture Flop made with his hands was perhaps because the sister in question was that much larger.
This wasn't the first time Shuuto had heard stories of Flop's sister, but he had never met her in person. When he had come to Guaral with Heinkel to rendezvous with Priscilla, Flop's sister had already departed for parts unknown.
In any case— "Midi is big and strong. Even I was impressed."
"What sells her most is that big voice and fearless nature, of course! And naturally, as her brother, I'm proud that she's strong. She worked hard to get that way."
"To get stronger... truly?! That's admirable, truly!"
Surely, she had pursued strength with a positive outlook, never losing her drive to improve.
Not giving up and continuing to work hard—perhaps that was the key to getting better, Shuuto thought. But Flop shook his head with a "No, no."
"You'd think so, wouldn't you? But as it happens, Medium became strong for a slightly more... backwards reason."
"Backwards, truly? What do you mean?"
"It's simple, really. When adults used to hit me, Medium would always gently stroke my wounds."
With a soft, nostalgic look in his eyes, Flop spoke of the past.
Shuuto was bewildered by the contrast between that gentle tone and the unsettling content. Being beaten and having someone stroke your wounds—what did that have to do with becoming stronger?
"Getting hit sounds terrible, truly. But when your sister was gently stroking your wounds, Lord Flop—what were you doing, truly?"
"Me? I was smiling. Medium's feelings made me happy, and if I hadn't smiled, Medium—who had been shielded by me—would have felt guilty."
"————"
"So the very first time I couldn't shield her and she was struck by an adult, Medium was shocked to her core. When someone strokes your wounds after you've been hit, it hurts. It doesn't heal, and the pain doesn't go away. That's what's so regrettable."
Shaking his head slowly, Flop answered with a touch of sadness.
Hearing that answer, even the slow-to-catch-on Shuuto finally understood the true meaning behind his words. And why his sister had been able to resolve herself to become strong without ever giving up.
"It hurt, so the only choice was not to get hit. Midi thought that?"
"Well put! For all that she's my sister, that's a remarkably simple and good answer. Thanks to it, Medium grew strong, and our travels as siblings became safe!"
As Flop laughed with exaggerated cheer, he struck Shuuto as looking slightly different.
Not just bright—proud. Flop clearly cherished his sister from the bottom of his heart. It was something Shuuto found deeply enviable.
"I want to become strong too, just like Lord Flop's sister, truly...!"
"If she heard that, I'm sure Medium would be delighted. Or perhaps a little embarrassed. She's probably never had anyone look up to her as a role model before, and it sounds like quite the fun experience."
Flop gave Shuuto's tightly clenched small fists a warm smile of approval.
Listening to their exchange, Utakata looked at Shuuto and said: "Shu? If you want to get strong, want to train with me? Archery practice."
"Archery, truly? But I've also been practicing swordsmanship—no, I'll do both, truly! That way I can become twice as strong, truly!"
"If you pull off both, then truly so! Smart!"
Raising both fists to the sky with burning determination, Shuuto was met with Flop's enthusiastic support. And at the promise to train together, Utakata puffed out her small nose and stood tall.
She showed Shuuto the bow slung across her back and said: "Me too, working hard like Shu. I'll become an expert like Ta."
"I'd like to meet that Ta person too, truly. Lady Utakata, why do you want to become an expert with the bow and arrow, truly?"
"Mom told me. Travelers—I kill them with arrows."
"I see, truly... What, truly?!"
The answer was more extreme than he expected, and Shuuto's comprehension lagged for a moment.
She had said it was to kill travelers—but what did that mean, exactly? Was it okay to ask for details? Having just reflected on his own insensitivity, Shuuto hesitated.
——And while Shuuto hesitated, the time to question was snatched away.
"—Butler Boy! Utakata!"
"—!?"
"Flop?"
Without warning, Flop's expression changed, and a sharp voice cut through to Shuuto and Utakata. The force of it made Shuuto's shoulders jump, and Flop's hand clamped down hard on those shoulders.
Then, pulling the two of them on the curb toward him, Flop shouted.
"The sky's looking dangerous! Let's get out of here, quickly!"
△▼△▼△▼△ ——When the swarm was first sighted in the distant sky, Heinkel was at the city hall.
Present were the de facto commanders of the forces stationed in the castle city.
Originally dispatched to the city, they had joined the campaign to capture the castle city under the banner of Priscilla—more precisely, a man called Abel—Zikr and Osman, the two generals, along with their subordinates.
And though fewer in number than the imperial soldiers, each one was a force to be reckoned with: the jungle hunter-gatherers of the Shudrak tribe, led by their acting chief, Mizelda.
When Heinkel had arrived at the hall, the two leaders had already put their heads together and were deep in discussion about the way forward.
Heinkel had heard Priscilla's prophecy-like premonition and did not believe she possessed the power to foresee the future, but he knew better than to underestimate the sharp eyes of those who were extraordinary beings.
It was not just Priscilla—those who bore special powers or destinies saw the world from a different height than ordinary people.
Different height of vision meant a different landscape in view. Those who could see further, who could perceive what was invisible to the common eye—the common man, no, the mediocre man, could never truly understand them.
Heinkel had learned that lesson through more than forty years of life, painfully well.
And so, he would not dismiss something out of hand simply because he could not comprehend it.
That was why he had not cast aside Priscilla's words and had made his way to the city hall.
And then— "Mizelda!"
It was Mizelda who first sensed the anomaly outside the window. She had flared her nostrils, her expression shifting as if struck by intuition.
The former chief of the Shudrak who had lost a leg in the battle for the castle city. She had replaced her missing right leg below the knee with a staff-like rod, using it in place of her limb.
The sound of it tapping the ground with each step was audible, and it sounded again as she turned.
The keen-eyed beauty's sharp profile hardened in an instant, and Heinkel and Zikr, present in the same room, instantly grasped the abnormality and looked in the same direction.
And when they saw the mass of black dots swelling from the far sky, Zikr murmured: "—A swarm of wyverns."
"—! Zikr! Alert the troops! I'll mobilize the Shudrak!"
Almost immediately, Mizelda—comprehending the severity of the situation—shouldered past Zikr's round frame and kicked off the floor with tremendous force, bursting out through the city hall's rooftop.
That said, she had only recently lost her leg. Rather than launching herself out the window, she bounded down the stairs at full speed, racing outside.
Caught up in that momentum, Zikr sharpened his dopey expression into something fierce: "Ring the bells! Enemy attack! They're coming from the sky!"
He roared, kicking his aide in the back, spreading word of the crisis across the entirety of the castle city.
After taking in those reactions, Heinkel too placed a hand on the sword at his hip. And to rival the pealing alarm bells, he let out a sharp, resonant click of his tongue.
"Heinkel! Where's Priscilla—"
"She's at her mansion. She had a feeling something was coming. She'll get moving soon enough."
Responding to Zikr's glance over his shoulder, Heinkel fixed his gaze on the enemy shadows in the sky.
In mere seconds they had grown visibly darker and larger, descending toward the city at terrifying speed. There was no longer a moment to spare.
"If it's an enemy assault, any idea who's behind it?"
"Those wyvern numbers are far from ordinary. The only forces capable of fielding that many wyvern riders, even in the capital... If that's the case, there's only one possibility."
"Well, what is that possibility?!"
Heinkel's voice roughened with impatience at Zikr's roundabout manner.
After a beat, Zikr said: "'Wyvern General' Madeline Eschart... She commands wyverns. In other words—"
"Damn it all. One of the Nine Divine Generals..."
At the name he knew, Heinkel raked his fingers through his hair.
He was no expert on the Empire's inner workings, but he was, after all, the vice-captain of the Royal Guard of the
He had at least heard the names and epithets of the Empire's supreme combat force—the Nine Divine Generals.
Each was said to be a warrior of extraordinary power, capable of standing alone against a thousand. In the Kingdom, only the highest echelon of fighters, led by Royal Guard Captain Marcos, could hope to match them.
And then there was, of course, the Kingdom's strongest—the Sword Saint—but— "I hear there's some monster out there who can go toe-to-toe with Reinhard..."
The strongest swordmaster of the Volakia Empire was said to possess power on par with Reinhard's.
Naturally, the Nine Divine Generals varied in strength, but the fact that a being bearing that title was coming to attack was, for Heinkel, nothing short of a nightmare.
Heinkel had never had the slightest intention of coming to the Empire in the first place.
Priscilla had up and decided to head to Volakia, and he had been dragged along by circumstance. He couldn't have cared less about the fate of this castle city.
But— "I can't afford to get on Priscilla's bad side... Even if Priscilla becomes queen, it's meaningless if I've been thrown out."
Priscilla was capricious, and at the core, impossible to read.
By some quirk of fate, she was keeping Heinkel around for the time being, but if he failed to prove his usefulness, he could well be tossed aside without so much as a word.
That was the one thing he absolutely could not allow. At this point, Priscilla was the only person who held the thread Heinkel clung to.
"There's no time to stand around talking. We drive off the wyvern swarm. Zikr, you handle overall command from here!"
"That's my intention, but what will you do, Heinkel?"
"—I'll do as I please."
Unlike Zikr or Mizelda, Heinkel had neither soldiers nor comrades to lead.
Even if he did, his title of vice-captain of the Royal Guard was purely decorative. He had learned the fundamentals of military command ages ago, and more importantly, no one would listen to his orders anyway.
There was only one thing Heinkel could do from the start.
"————"
With that decision made, Heinkel didn't wait for Zikr's response. He sprinted to the balcony of city hall and leapt from it, dropping toward the city below.
Touching his toes to the peaks of tall buildings, kicking off rooftops to run, leaping to the next—and the next—he repeated the process with the wind at his back, heading for the castle wall encircling the city.
The western sky, where the wyvern swarm approached, and the wall rising toward it—he landed atop it and steadied his breath.
Alarm bells already pealed across the city, and everywhere confusion among the populace mingled with the furious shouts of guards trying to restore order and direct evacuations.
"...Ah, damn."
The scent in the air had changed unmistakably, and the taste of saliva on his tongue had gone bitter.
As the stench of the battlefield—the smell of blood and steel—drew closer, Heinkel was cursed with the phantom ringing of a high-pitched whine deep in his ears.
He was not the only one racing toward the western wall. Imperial soldiers were pouring in from every direction.
If Zikr's guess was correct, the attacker was one of the Nine Divine Generals. What resolve drove them to stand against a being of such stature?
Gathered under the same flag, did they feel no dissonance? Was fighting all that mattered? If they fought and died, was that satisfaction enough?
"Damn, damn, damn—every last one of you, damn it all...!"
Bubbling up from the depths of his chest, a thick, ink-black heat flowed through his entire body.
Starting from his heart, it coiled through his organs and lower abdomen, spreading to his fingertips, and Heinkel clenched his teeth until they creaked.
That hand moved slowly, reaching for the sword at his waist—the one bearing the name "Astrea"—and Heinkel gripped the hilt tight.
And then— "——Every last one of you, DROP DEAD!!"
With a howl that vented his unbearable fury, Heinkel's blade flashed once. The thick neck of a diving wyvern sprayed blood and was flung aside with savage force.
△▼△▼△▼△ The pealing alarm bells, the shrieks of fleeing crowds—these overlaid one another in a grotesque harmony as Castle City Guaral was transformed into a battlefield of pandemonium.
The wyvern army descending en masse from the western sky—hundreds of them, at minimum—their terrible majesty shattered the fragile sense of security that the city's walls on all sides had once provided.
If the walls could withstand even the destructive force of powerful magitek cannons, then the only weakness such a wall could possess was a threat great enough to surmount it entirely.
A being that could stride over the wall, or an aerial dominion that could soar above it.
It was no exaggeration to say that the castle city had, on this day, been assailed by its greatest foe.
"This is... very not good."
Flop wrinkled his brow, peering out from an alley to avoid the main thoroughfares where screams echoed.
Only minutes had passed since he spotted the wyverns in the far sky, yet the situation had spiraled downward. The castle city had forgotten its brief peace and been remade into the same battlefield it had been ten days ago.
Only, this time was worse than before.
Because— "The Boss was trying to minimize casualties last time... but this opponent doesn't seem to share that kind of consideration."
Subaru, who had resorted to the audacious measure of cross-dressing, had aimed for a "bloodless conquest" of the city.
That objective had been derailed by unexpected interlopers, but even so, had any strategy other than Subaru's been adopted, the amount of blood spilled would have been incomparably greater.
The fact that the castle city's residents and the stationed imperial soldiers hadn't descended into extreme hostility was, Flop believed, the result of Subaru's thoughtfulness bearing fruit.
But this enemy apparently harbored no such gentlemanly concern.
"Heek—"
A tremendous roar and ground-shaking shockwave rippled outward, and Shuuto screamed beside Flop.
It was only natural. The enemy's assault, backed by wyverns, was ferocious and devastatingly effective.
"All they're doing is having wyverns carry boulders and drop them from high up."
The tactic was brutally simple—nothing more than this one primitive method of attack.
Yet even a boulder the size of a man's head could inflict serious injury, and the boulders being dropped now were the size of a grown man's embrace or larger.
Their force shattered stone buildings and blasted great craters in the street. Naturally, anyone caught by one would meet a gruesome end.
Flop and the others had scrambled into an alley, but there was no guarantee it was safe.
If safety existed at all, it lay in fleeing underground, or making for the side of an individual of overwhelming power.
"Me and the others are in the big building at the center."
"L-Lady Priscilla is at the mansion...!"
"That's right. You're both very clever, and I agree entirely. The problem is that the place we're in right now happens to be about equidistant from both locations!"
Mizelda and Zikr—those who held the city's defensive power and could be relied upon.
And then there was Priscilla herself—not merely an individual combatant, but someone whose strength had not yielded even to the Nine Divine Generals.
Which direction should they rush toward? It was a genuine dilemma for Flop.
And even as he wrestled with it— "H-help... uwaahhh!!"
Just beyond the mouth of their alley, a figure fleeing down the street screamed and vanished. No—not vanished. A shadow moving at tremendous speed had snatched the man's body, spiriting him skyward in one swift motion.
It seemed the attacking wyverns had divided roles. Some formed the boulder-dropping unit, while others carried out direct assaults.
There might even be wyverns serving yet other functions.
"That person just now..."
"I want to help, but it's impossible! And we can't carelessly step out either. If wyvern claws and fangs catch us, all three of us will be carried off into the sky together."
"I have my bow! I can shoot down wyverns with this!"
In his arms, Utakata was fired up, brandishing her bow. If the one holding it had been Holy, or Kuna, or an adult Shudrak warrior, Flop might have reconsidered.
But having accompanied Utakata in her archery practice, Flop knew her strength was not up to the demands of this battlefield.
"—The best thing for children. I know that."
Shutting his eyes tight, Flop thought of the benefactor who had pulled him and his sister from the depths of despair.
Gruff and rough in manner, yet that benefactor had stubbornly refused to bend his principles. And so, Flop too wanted to be an "adult" worthy of that legacy.
They could not stay hidden here forever. Whether they headed for the city hall or the mansion, some kind of strategy was needed.
To get Shuuto and Utakata to safety— "—Listen, both of you. What I'm going to do now is—"
Drawing a quiet breath, Flop steeled himself and prepared to tell them his plan.
The two youngsters turned to look at him. And in that very instant— "Oooohhhh—!!"
"——!!"
With a bloodcurdling roar, something enormous came crashing down from the sky onto the street. What had been hurled to the ground—tangled in a knot of screams and fury—was a wyvern, its entire body streaming dark, viscous blood.
Spreading its wings—which spanned some three to four meters—the massive wyvern thrashed the wings broken in the fall, desperately trying to flee.
And into that— "Don't you run! Don't you dare run, you bastard!"
The figure that had fallen with the wyvern tumbled violently, then launched itself onto the beast's back. It drove a sword in and pierced the heart clean through from behind.
The wyvern's shriek stretched long, tears of blood streaming from its eyes as it collapsed on the spot.
Once Heinkel had confirmed the wyvern's breath had stopped, he— "Damn it, you piece of—"
—climbed down from the dead wyvern's back, his shoulders heaving. The sight of the red-haired man made Shuuto cry out from within Flop's arms.
"Heinkel! You're all right, truly?!"
"Hah?"
At the high-pitched call, the red-haired man turned with a surly look. In that instant, seeing the figure drenched entirely in crimson from head to toe, Shuuto's voice caught in his throat.
Eyes wide, Shuuto wriggled free of Flop's arms and dashed to the man's side. The man—wiping his blood-smeared face with a sleeve—looked down at the approaching boy and said: "What, it's you, runt."
"Y-you're covered in blood, truly! Are you hurt anywhere, truly?!"
"Hurt? Yeah, this blood's splatter. Even if I were, it'd just be scratches."
"R-really? Truly?!"
Rolling his eyes back and forth, Shuuto patted the blood-soaked man's body all over to check, heedless of getting his own hands and clothes filthy. Looking down at him, the man sighed.
Watching their exchange, Flop released the breath he'd been holding from his earlier moment of resolve: "Butler Boy, I don't think there's cause for worry. It seems it's not bravado— he really isn't injured."
"You... you're a strange one. Were you the one looking after these runts?"
'I'm a bit hurt by "strange," but yes, that's right! Though really, we were just running around with Butler Boy and Utakata here. I was relieved when you showed up."
When Flop smiled at him, the blood-soaked man—Heinkel—averted his gaze.
Not from embarrassment; it was an unpleasant reaction. He had, in fact, clicked his tongue. But the fact remained that he had taken down a wyvern, and that had done much to ease Shuuto's worry.
From the way he carried a sword and his manner toward Shuuto, he appeared to be another retainer in Priscilla's service. Heinkel's prowess had exceeded expectations.
The prodigious quantity of blood staining his body was far too much to be splatter from the single wyvern he had just slain. It was proof that he had been bathed in the blood of multiple wyverns.
"I was going to Lady Priscilla's mansion just now, truly! What will you do, Heinkel?"
"Priscilla's mansion? ...You'd probably be safer there. But—"
"There are very few places in the city right now that could be called safe. If our enemy consists entirely of wyverns, I would think heading underground, or to wherever spices are stored, would be the wisest course."
"Spices...?"
Flop interjected into the conversation between Shuuto and Heinkel, and Utakata tilted her head at the puzzling suggestion. Even Heinkel shot Flop the same suspicious look.
If you didn't know much about wyvern behavior, the reasoning might not click.
"Wyverns have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. They can pick up the scent of blood from considerable distances. On the other hand, strong smells are something they can't stand. So if we covered ourselves in pepper or similar spices, it might just keep us from being caught."
"...You know a lot about this."
"Well, I am a traveling merchant who visits all sorts of places, after all! As for wyverns specifically, I happened to know someone very knowledgeable. Possibly the foremost expert in the Empire!"
That said, the stories he'd heard from that person had mostly been about the positive aspects of wyverns, and he certainly hadn't anticipated actually confronting them as a threat.
At the very least, if the knowledge he'd gathered wasn't wrong, the strategy of coating themselves in spices to evade wyverns was not without merit.
Joining forces with Heinkel—who could hold his own against wyverns—was a stroke of luck for Flop and the two children. But luck was hard to call it when the battle for this castle city was concerned.
"I can't in good conscience use Red here as our escort."
Heinkel, who could face a wyvern single-handedly, was a precious combat asset in a city swarmed by countless wyverns.
However the battle turned from here on, he would likely become one of the factors determining its outcome. Keeping him tethered to three noncombatants was not ideal.
Therefore— "I think we three should make for the underground while staying out of the wyverns' sight. Would Red mind accompanying us to a nearby restaurant or warehouse? We can use it as a decoy—a scent decoy. Once that's done, we'll manage on our own."
"Flop..."
The idea of parting ways apparently hadn't occurred to Shuuto at all, and Flop's proposal made him gape. But in place of Shuuto's surprise, Utakata nodded: "Me too, same thinking. We'll protect Shuuto. Don't worry."
"Lady Utakata too... truly?"
As Utakata nodded firmly, Shuuto lowered his round eyes. A few seconds later, he raised his head with a look of resolve and gazed at Heinkel.
"I understand, truly. I'll do my best together with Lord Flop and the others. So please, Heinkel, take care of yourself and—"
"—Stop talking as if you get to decide. Since when do I have to do what you lot say?"
"Wh—what?!"
But Shuuto's resolve was cut short as Heinkel scowled and shot back.
Scraping the dried blood from his sword with his cloak, he jerked his chin to indicate the surroundings: "Let me make one thing clear. I owe this city nothing. And honestly, failing to protect this runt is more likely to get on Priscilla's bad side than anything. I want no part of that."
"W-wait, wait, wait, Red! Hold on! Are you saying that protecting the little princess's mood matters more to you than protecting the city? That's—"
"—Yeah. It is."
"————"
The blunt, definitive reply left Flop momentarily speechless. Staring at Flop's face, Heinkel's blue eyes gleamed from within his blood-caked features: "There's something more precious to me than this city, more precious than anyone's life. And it's not this runt. It's something I had to pry away from Priscilla—Priscilla, who dotes on this runt. To get it back, I don't care how many people die."
"Red..."
"And besides, neither you nor I are some great personage. Know your place. There's only so much we can do. Don't reach beyond that. You'll only make a fool of yourself."
"————"
"No one can become a sword."
Spat out like a curse, and then Heinkel's hand reached for Shuuto's shoulder.
Shuuto's small, thin shoulder was seized in his grip, and the young boy looked up at Heinkel with glistening eyes. What filled those eyes was not fear— "Heinkel, you're suffering..."
—no, not fear, but what could only be called compassion.
Meeting the boy's earnest gaze, Heinkel's cheek stiffened ever so slightly. But it was not enough to move his already-set heart.
"I'll take this runt to Priscilla. If you want to follow, suit yourselves. But don't get it into your heads that I'm protecting you."
With that, Heinkel turned his back on Flop and the others, still gripping Shuuto, and stepped out into the street, heading for Priscilla's mansion.
Flop hesitated—wondering if he should follow as Heinkel had suggested— "—You. You're the one killing the dragons."
—when that single voice, accompanied by a plummeting shadow, struck the ground with a thunderous impact.
"————"
Dust billowed outward, and the sudden intruder stood amid the crater it had torn in the earth.
Before Heinkel—who had been about to carry Shuuto away—it stood with its short arms crossed, blocking the street.
It took a moment to understand what one was looking at.
Because the event that had just occurred and the impression given by that figure were so wildly at odds.
Small in stature, with a lovely face, flawless white skin, and an outfit of sky-blue that only enhanced its delicate beauty. It did not look so different from Shuuto or Utakata, and the fact that it had just appeared amid an earth-shattering impact was impossible to reconcile with that appearance.
But what had happened was what had happened, and no one could deny it.
The figure narrowed its golden eyes, surveyed the four people standing in the street, and gave a single nod.
And then— "For making a dragon bleed—bleed it dry as payment. —Fools."