Chapter 50

Kengo had bruises and bleeding here and there on his body, but apparently that was because he had run into panicked beastfolk in the tunnel and such. Stopping Iiria, who was about to go get medicinal herbs and the like, Kengo said,

“This is the lord’s mansion, right? In the storehouse, there should be records left behind of the harm monsters caused in the mine in the past. Could you look for them?”

At Kengo’s words, Iiria and Kururu looked at each other.

That was certainly the first thing they should check, and it was painfully obvious that no one’s head was working properly in the face of the sudden situation. Iiria and Kururu ran off, taking Marks and Gorgon with them.

Then the mansion hall suddenly fell quiet, and Kengo sank straight down onto the mansion’s stone floor as if his legs had given out.

And then he let out an enormously long, deep sigh.

“Kengo, are you really okay? Don’t tell me you’re hiding some serious injury.”

All hunched over, Kengo looked every bit as battered as he seemed, but he raised his face and gave a crooked smile.

“It’s been a while since I ran that far… my whole body feels as heavy as lead.”

Even if he told me he actually was seriously injured, there was nothing I could do about it right now, but the moment I saw his mud-covered face and started to move, thinking maybe I should at least draw some water from the well, Kengo grabbed my hand.

“Yorinobu, the composite magic stones?”

His voice was so small, like someone delivering his final words.

“How much stock do we have?”

His voice was quiet, but his eyes were blazing.

Only then did I finally remember.

The most powerful weapon in this world was the magic stones that produced magic.

“If it’s Grade Five, then some. There’s no Grade Four, and I think about two Grade Threes are left… but…”

Grade Three was dangerous even to the user.

Kengo seemed to recall the time he and Kururu had blasted a hole open together, then muttered,

“Then maybe… just barely, we can kill it.”

I caught my breath.

The nuance was that this was assuming the use of a Grade Three magic stone, and even then, it might only just be enough to kill it.

“Wait, Grade Three? More importantly, are monsters really that…?”

Apparently all Kengo could do in response to that question was laugh.

“They really are. No, it was seriously huge.”

“…”

This was something I absolutely couldn’t let the others hear. It would only stir the panic even more.

“In a game, this would be the exciting part.”

Kengo scratched his head, then uneasily scratched his nose too.

“But man… that’s not something muscles can somehow deal with.”

Heroes facing a gigantic monster so huge you could only look up at it, sword in hand.

That made me wonder about the existence of people called adventurers.

“I’ve heard there are adventurers who specialize in slaying monsters, but how do they kill something like that…?”

“I can’t even imagine it. If they can kill dragons too, is it something like whaling?”

There had to be some sort of countermeasure, but maybe it was simply overwhelming force through grand magic.

“Whatever the case, all we can do is pray they find someone competent. Otherwise, we’ll have no choice but to rely on Kururu-chan.”

That was true. There was no mage on this island except Kururu, so if no adventurer could be found, Kururu would have to take composite magic stones and head into the tunnel.

“…Do you think… it’ll work out somehow?”

To that question, Kengo did not give me his usual cheerful answer.

“If you fire magic at a sleeping dragon, it’ll hit a hundred times out of a hundred. But that’s deep inside a tunnel.”

The power of the magic was tremendous, and the tunnel would unquestionably collapse.

If that happened, then even calling it a gamble would be optimistic; the ending would surely be brutal.

“…But what if the dragon wakes up?”

All I had to do was remember that movie where ancient dinosaurs were brought back to life in the modern age.

Even if we had a weapon, it meant nothing if it didn’t hit.

“We might have to prepare to synthesize a Grade Two magic stone.”

If Grade Three had that much power, then using Grade Two promised so much force that the very concept of aiming might become meaningless.

The problem was what would happen to the caster who unleashed magic that enormous.

But if the dragon woke before the adventurers arrived and came out of the mine, then we would have to consider that option.

“…I’ll prepare the glue. I’ve been gathering magic stone powder here and there while cleaning the workshop.”

“I hope it turns out to be a wasted effort…”

All I could do was answer with a sigh of my own.

“If someone runs full speed from the port to Bax Company, looks for people, and then they come here… how long would that take? Even at the absolute fastest, maybe two days… no, three?”

“Bax Company would be the one arranging it, but they’d charge us through the nose.”

Just thinking about it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Jirenu Territory had only just begun to take off, and now it would be forced to shoulder the giant weight of debt.

“But that’s still better than losing everything, right?”

At the very least, Takahashi Workshop was doing even better than I had imagined.

No matter how much debt we took on, it shouldn’t be difficult to repay it.

“Yeah.”

“Besides, right, if we’re prepared to take a huge loss, there’s also the option of using Grade Two magic and casting it from outside the mine.”

If we did that, then the only thing we would have to worry about would be the magical backlash Kururu would suffer.

“Magic… magic, huh… It would’ve been nice if this had happened after we’d gone to the provincial capital and learned magic.”

Things were not always timed conveniently.

But for now, no one had died, and the dragon was still asleep.

“I’ll go check the old records in the storehouse too.”

As he said that, Kengo—who had probably stayed behind in the mine until the very end so he could get the beastfolk out first and confirm the monster’s identity—hung his head, waved a hand, and then flopped over onto his back just like that.

This might turn into a long ordeal, so it was better to rest when he could.

Thinking that, I was just wondering whether I should go get a blanket for him first when it happened.

I heard a small, dry fluttering sound, and then immediately realized it was footsteps.

By the time Kengo pushed himself up, the company errand boy we had entrusted with the letter came tumbling in through the mansion entrance, nearly pitching forward.

“I-it’s, it’s, terrible!”

Not even sparing the time to get back to his feet after falling, the errand boy said it.

His face was a mess of sweat and tears, and as though he had already fallen again and again, he was covered in dust.

“T-the ships… the ships…!”

“Calm down, what on earth happened?”

I hurried over and helped him up.

Kengo had sat up too, and beyond him were the faces of Kururu and the others, who had come out from the storehouse carrying bundles of parchment and were staring in shock at what was going on.

“The ships, the ships…”

The boy choked on his words, then said between sobs,

His small hand gripped my clothes so tightly it hurt.

“The ships, all of them—”

“Huh?”

“All the ships sank!”

That can’t be, was my first thought. How?

While my mind went blank, Kengo, who had somehow come to be standing beside me, spoke.

“Could it be… everyone was trying to evacuate?”

Maybe the boy had finally managed to spit the words out and lost all restraint over his emotions, because tears spilled down his face as he nodded with trembling lips.

I was about to ask what he meant, and then I finally realized.

Jirenu Territory was an island nation.

And there were only so many ships; no matter how you thought about it, there were not enough for all the residents to board.

A mountain of people had tried to climb aboard, and every ship had sunk.

Right. That was something we should have anticipated.

Only then did I finally understand why, the moment Gorgon had been brought here, he had first asked whether there was anyone with experience subjugating monsters.

What he had meant was whether there was anyone with experience in crisis management.

If there had been police power, then the moment word came of a monster appearing, by the lord’s order soldiers would have been sent at once to the port, the rampaging mob driven back, a ship dispatched safely to the provincial capital to call for help, and various measures taken so the populace would not become a riotous mob; only after that would they have examined countermeasures for the dragon and made preparations.

We had done nothing but panic, completely unable to see the bigger picture.

The only thing that needed to be dealt with was not just the monster.

A panicked crowd, capable of becoming as much of a threat as the monster itself, had also been among the things we needed to handle.

“At this point, even ships that just happened to be out at sea probably won’t be able to dock at the port.”

The moment they got close, people wanting to flee would swarm them and sink them.

“All we can do is pray that the people on those ships go to the provincial capital to ask for help.”

“If there’s a merchant ship, maybe they can do that, but…”

If they were just the crew of fishing boats that only caught fish nearby, they might not even know which direction the provincial capital was in to begin with.

As Kengo and I were both left speechless, there came the thud-thud sound of a bundle of documents dropping to the floor.

When I turned around, there was Iiria, her face deathly pale.

“…D-does that mean no help is coming?”

Her eyes, still wide open, turned toward Kururu.

Smart as she was, Iiria of course understood perfectly what it meant if adventurers might not come.

“N-no, no! Kururu! That’s no good!”

Kururu could say nothing and stood frozen as Iiria clung to her.

Just a moment ago, there had still been a kind of hope—something like, if it came to the worst.

But if now this truly was the only option left, then this reaction was only natural.

And Kururu was, to the core, Kururu.

Because she immediately brought a smile back to her lips and instead hugged Iiria in return.

“It’ll be all right, Lady Iiria.”

Her gaze turned toward me.

“I’ll blast it out of existence with a single strike of my magic.”

Prepare the composite magic stones.

That was what those beautiful green eyes were saying.

Considering the magical backlash, even a Grade Three magic stone would only barely suffice, but that would mean going deep into the tunnel.

With a Grade Two magic stone, she could probably turn everything to cinders from outside the tunnel, but there was no knowing what would happen to the caster from the backlash.

Either way, Kururu would have to stake her life on a losing gamble.

The reason she seemed comparatively calm might have been because Iiria was losing control in her arms.

Still, the calmest person there was Marks.

“All the ships sank? Hey, shut the doors right now! No, this place is bad, first we need to move—”

Just before Marks could finish his panicked words, a huge shadow fell across the mansion entrance.

“Dodol!?”

The hair all over his body was standing on end, and his tongue hung out like a dog’s after a full sprint.

Breathing harshly all over, Dodol paused for about two breaths, then immediately looked back in the direction he had come from and shouted,

“Do not let them through there, no matter what! I do not care! I will bear the responsibility!”

What was happening outside the mansion?

In his agitated state, Dodol looked two sizes larger than usual because his fur was puffed up.

That Dodol stepped into the mansion and said,

“What are you people doing!? A mob of foolish humans is coming here!”

A mob.

Right.

The people of the island had rushed at every ship anchored in the harbor looking for a way to escape, so what would they seek next?

Wouldn’t it only be a matter of time before they remembered the existence of the island’s only mage?

“Dodol, can we get out of town?”

At Marks’s question, Dodol regained a little composure and said while sweeping a glaring look around the hall,

“No matter how many humans block the way, they are no obstacle to us. If we lose the Cat Princess of the Iron Hammer now, then every hope will be crushed. We leave at once.”

Thick muscles, enormous claws.

He could probably rip through humans like butter.

“Take everything you can carry! We depart immediately!”

Food? No. Magic stones.

The composite magic stones were in the underground storehouse of the workshop in the second mansion over.

But from outside the mansion, the angry shouts and screams of people could already be heard clearly.

Dodol’s beastfolk companions were probably blocking the road, but there was no knowing how long they could hold out.

“The monster is still asleep, yes? Then, Cat Princess, we will lead the way. This is the time to show your pride!”

I didn’t think Dodol knew much about magic, but there was no way he could fail to understand what it meant to use grand magic deep inside a tunnel.

And yet Dodol had said he would lead Kururu. In other words, it meant, I’ll die, so you die too.

Still, the reason Kururu stared at Dodol with widened eyes was probably not because he had told her to die.

During the uproar over Nodon’s expulsion, Dodol had very clearly been an enemy of humans, and had regarded Kururu as being on the enemy’s side.

And that Dodol was now saying he was prepared to die alongside her.

Even with Iiria still in her arms, no other words could have made Kururu’s face tighten quite like that.

“Dodol, I hate you for being barbaric, coarse, and narrow-minded… but in this moment, I can respect you.”

At Kururu’s words, Dodol narrowed his eyes, bared his fangs, then let out a great sigh.

“I understand what matters by the law of blood. Everything else is trivial.”

If Dodol took Kururu deep into the tunnel, the number of casualties could be kept to a minimum.

That was probably what he was thinking, but the problem was Iiria, frozen stiff.

One more shock, and she would explode.

Even Kururu could not bring herself to turn her gaze toward an Iiria like that.

Even if Kururu died, if Iiria remained, then Jirenu Territory could be rebuilt through the workshop and the magic stones. A mage could be hired again, but when it came to a lord, it would not be so simple.

It was an easy equation, but not everyone could act rationally.

To make theory and reality line up, someone had to stand in between and become the villain.

The one who stood up was the new head of the company, in the place where until recently a villain had sat in the chair.

“Lady Iiria, we’re going.”

While no one else could move, I alone circled behind Iiria as though time-stop magic had no effect on me, took her hand, found her hand clutching Kururu’s clothes so rigidly it had gone stiff, forcibly pried those slender fingers loose, and pulled her away as though embracing her shoulders.

Iiria did not take her gaze off Kururu, and Kururu finally turned her gaze to Iiria.

Kururu was incredible, forcing a smile even now, and the glance she flicked my way was gentle, as though she were thanking me.

“Kururu!”

A scream of anguish burst from Iiria, and her small body exploded into motion.

I held back Iiria, who struggled with all her might, butting the back of her head into me and clawing at my arm hard enough to gouge flesh, and dragged her away from Kururu.

If Marks, who came to his senses partway through, had not helped, she might have broken free.

But faced with Iiria, calling desperately for Kururu in sounds that were no longer even words, it felt as though my own heart might die too.

Kururu stood frozen, unable to take her eyes off Iiria. The one who shoved her shoulder was Dodol, and with that she began to walk, one step, then two.

Kengo finally came over and took Iiria from me in my place, then pointed outside the mansion.

It meant go to the workshop and get the magic stones.

I had no idea whether this was the right thing, whether it was the best way, but nothing else came to mind.

We had finally driven Nodon out, founded the workshop, solved the overflowing logistics problems of the company—and for this to happen.

Come to think of it, we had been planning to go to the provincial capital, I thought as I watched Kururu’s retreating back.

If she had learned from a mage and become a full-fledged mage herself, what kind of life might Kururu have opened up for herself?

This Jirenu Territory rising to prosperity, and the sight of Iiria and Kururu standing fully on their own, were probably something I would never… see.

“Kururu—!”

I heard a voice so hoarse and painful it sounded as if the throat had been crushed.

Kururu could not bear it and turned around.

Dodol did not stop her either, perhaps because he knew Kururu would not change her mind, and because he knew this was the last time.

Iiria, who had been held down by both Kengo and Marks together, collapsed to the floor the moment she was released.

Kururu ran over to her and embraced her.

The two of them had endured bitter days together all this time.

What in the world could possibly be done—?

At that point, nothing short of a god descending and resolving everything in perfect harmony could help.

I was thinking that in anger, so that—so that, I truly thought it was a god.

“Sorry to interrupt when things are so busy.”

From behind Dodol, who stood at the mansion entrance, someone casually poked his head into view.

“I had a feeling you people might be looking for an adventurer.”

He was a middle-aged man with a beard and a large scar over half his face, giving off an air that made him seem anything but decent.