I’m Counting On You

“All right… is everyone ready?”

We rode on the backs of Wheel-san and Catherine-san—me behind Catherine, while Aira and Nadja shared the space behind Wheel. Together, we approached the Tycoon Wolf’s territory.

The monster lay sprawled across the ground, its enormous body half-buried in the sand.

Its eyes were closed—it appeared to be resting.

There was no sign of vigilance in its posture.

However, several Forest Wolves patrolled the area around it, pacing in slow circles.

So it was true—the Tycoon Wolf could control the Forest Wolves at will.

“Well then, good luck,” Wheel-san said.

“Please, be careful,” Catherine added softly.

“W-we shall be cheering for you from afar…” the noble-born guinea pig murmured.

After dismounting in the desert, we had the Divine Beasts withdraw to a safe distance, far enough to assist our retreat if things went south.

And for some reason, the little noble guinea pig had come along to see us off.

“Thanks, fluffball,” I said, running my fingers through her fur.

“D-desuwaaa…”

Her voice melted into a soft coo as I rubbed gently under her chin. Cute as ever—and oddly calming before the battle.

Once the Divine Beasts had retreated, I turned around to face my two companions.

They said nothing, only exchanged a brief glance and nodded firmly.

Their readiness spoke for itself.

Good. Then it was time—time for the great hunt to begin!

“First strike’s ours—attack before it wakes! Aira, with me!”

“You reckless brute… fine, I’ll match your pace!”

Nadja shot forward, and Aira immediately began her incantation to synchronize with her.

Despite their constant bickering, their teamwork was flawless.

No—perhaps because they argued so much, they understood each other’s rhythm perfectly.

“Grrraaagh!!”

Nadja sprinted straight toward the Tycoon Wolf, covering the shortest distance possible.

Naturally, the Forest Wolves took notice.

But even at full speed, they couldn’t come close to matching her pace.

The distance between her and the pack only grew wider.

“Take this, you oversized mutt!”

Reaching the beast’s massive, sleeping muzzle, Nadja bent her knees, gathering strength—

—and unleashed her blade in a single, devastating motion.

“ZEAAAAAAAHHHH!!”

The Sword Saint’s strike cut through the air faster than sound.

The vast desert held only silence—so absolute that even the one being struck hadn’t realized it yet.

Then, slowly, a perfect line appeared across the Tycoon Wolf’s body.

The ground trembled—

DOOOOOOOOON!!

Its enormous frame split clean in two, the upper half crashing heavily into the sand.

But even that wasn’t the end. Aira wasn’t done yet.

“Now… Hailstorm!”

Raising her hands skyward, Aira unleashed the spell she’d been preparing all this time.

A flash of light split the sky—then a countless barrage of ice shards appeared overhead.

For anyone with trypophobia, the sight alone would have been pure horror: thousands upon thousands of icy projectiles floating above the desert.

And just as the Tycoon Wolf’s body was cleaved open, Aira brought her arm down.

“GAAAAAARRRRHHHH!!”

The wolf’s roar of agony was drowned out by the deafening hail of ice.

Each shard pierced through its sandy outer shell, pounding into the layers beneath and crushing them without pause.

“Not done yet!”

Through the storm of ice, Nadja darted and struck relentlessly, her sword flashing between shards that narrowly missed her.

It wasn’t just her reflexes—Aira was subtly adjusting her magic’s trajectory, ensuring none of her attacks hit Nadja.

A breathtaking display of coordination.

Even compared to the famed Silver Wings adventuring party, they were every bit as formidable.

“GRAAAAHHHH!!”

The Tycoon Wolf was no mere wolf—it was a tree-type monster.

And it proved that now.

Its severed upper half began to writhe and move.

From the torn surface, countless vines uncoiled, snaking toward the lower half of its body.

“Haahhhhhh!”

“Haaaaaahhhh!!”

Aira’s water magic and Nadja’s sword both struck it again and again, tearing into its hide—but still, it refused to die.

The sand coating its body fell away, revealing the material beneath.

I’d assumed it was rusted metal, but it wasn’t. The vines themselves grew directly from it.

Wood—dense and hard as iron.

That was the Tycoon Wolf’s true nature.

“Ooooooooooonnnn!!”

It howled again, its massive body re-forming into a complete wolf shape.

Then—

BOBOBOBOOM!

Its back bulged grotesquely, and several massive pods shot out.

Each one was the size of my own height.

The pods slammed into the ground and burst open with a sharp PAAAN!

And from within—

“Grrrrrr!!”

“Gauuuhh!!”

—Forest Wolves emerged, fully formed.

So that was how it spawned them!

While Nadja and Aira engaged the main body, the freshly spawned Forest Wolves began charging straight toward me.

“Woody! I’m counting on you!”

“Got it! Leave them to me!”

Nadja’s voice rang out across the battlefield—calling on me.

For the first time in my life, someone was counting on me in a real fight.

Even in this dire moment, I couldn’t help but feel my heart soar.

“All right, let’s do this!”

I summoned every last Wood Golem I could muster—

—and sent them charging into battle.