DAR Vol. 4 Chapter 15 Part 1

Chapter 15 – The Battle on the Plains

For a while after their departure, things had gone smoothly.

The open plains gave the horses plenty of space to run, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Dietrich rode double with Kristoff, and Cornelia with Bernhart, but it didn’t seem to burden the horses at all.

Thanks to the Purification Barrier device, no undead approached them. Even ordinary monsters avoided them entirely, intimidated by Uncle Gry’s overwhelming presence. As a result, they were able to ride uninterrupted.

“Huh?”

The one who suddenly raised their voice was Roa.

“Uncle Gry, is there something out there?”

Riding atop the red magic wolf, Roa tilted his head curiously. He seemed unsure, but had felt something. Uncle Gry, seeing this, gave a satisfied nod.

<So the brat was the first to notice. I was wondering who it would be. Yes, something is here. A foe worthy of being taken down has dwelled in this place since ancient times.>

That declaration drew everyone’s attention to Uncle Gry.

Even amid the noise of the galloping hooves, his voice reached them clearly. As long as it was within visible range, distance didn’t matter much.

“What!? Say that sooner! Everyone, stop!”

The first to react was Kristoff. He handed the reins to Dietrich, he had been scanning the area for threats the entire time.

At his shout, the group moved to halt their mounts. But—

<Too late. Even though the brat noticed, it was still too late. We’ve already been marked as targets.>

The ground began to shake.

Startled, the horses started to panic, but the members of Nostalgia leapt off before they could be thrown.

“What the hell!?”

Struggling to calm his horse, Dietrich shot a glare at Uncle Gry. Something unknown was nearby, and that was all they knew.

<I expected the so-called veteran adventurers to notice it first. Especially that professional scout who’s constantly scanning the area; I didn’t think he’d miss this. For the record, the twins noticed ages ago.>

“Don’t act like this is some joke, you damn shady gryphon! Just tell us what it is already!”

<Quiet, sleepyhead. I hear in the human world, frantic men are considered unattractive. Relax. That one always shows itself when I get close. It doesn’t have the brains for a surprise attack. You can deal with it once it appears.>

“That’s not the issue!”

“I can’t see it! Whatever it is, I can’t detect it!”

Kristoff, who had been carefully scanning with more precision, admitted defeat in frustration; his statement overlapping with Dietrich’s shout.

<It’s an undead that hasn’t taken physical form yet. It’s practically a mass of mana. Those who specialize in sensing magic, like mages or alchemists, would be better suited to detecting it. That said, it’ll materialize soon enough. Once it does, even your methods will catch it.>

“Then say that earlier! It’s not like I can sense mana or anything!”

Clearly irritated by Uncle Gry’s mocking tone, Kristoff slumped his shoulders and gave up on scanning.

Meanwhile, the trembling of the ground continued. Several hundred meters ahead, the earth cracked and began to bulge upward.

“It’s coming out!”

With Cornelia’s shout, the thing broke through the surface, pushing aside the soil as it slowly rose.

A towering humanoid figure.

Its murky white limbs came into view as the heavy dirt slid off with a deep rumble.

“Damn it! Is popping out of the ground the new monster trend!?”

Dietrich’s exasperated remark referred to the giant slime Roa and his familiars had fought over a month ago; another enormous foe that had emerged from underground.

<The bigger they are, the fewer places there are for them to hide. This is a natural outcome.>

“Stop analyzing this like it’s a lecture!”

<There’s still distance between us. Even with its size, there’s no need to panic. Honestly, you’re such a coward, sleepyhead.>

“…Gigant Skeleton…”

Someone muttered the name.

And sure enough, what had emerged from the ground was a colossal Skeleton: an undead known as a Gigant Skeleton.

A massive, human-shaped skeleton radiating a sinister aura despite its white color.

It was the kind of monster that made the idea of “looking up at it” sound laughable; it was simply that huge.

<Seventeen… no, maybe eighteen meters tall? It’s really grown.>

“‘Grown’?”

Driven by curiosity rather than fear, Roa turned to Uncle Gry with a question.

Rather than panic at the sight of a new monster, Roa was more fascinated. The presence of Uncle Gry and the twin magic wolves nearby likely gave him a sense of security. His eyes were gleaming with wonder.

<It’s a mass of vengeful souls. When many Skeletons lose their humanity over time, they melt together into something like that. The deeper the grudge, the bigger it gets.>

“A creature that massive… what could it possibly be holding a grudge about in a place like this?”

Kristoff gawked at the Gigant Skeleton, mouth agape.

<Me, of course!>

Uncle Gry’s casual reply made everyone’s eyes go wide.

<It started out just a few meters tall, but after using it as a spell target and throwing the chicks at it for training, it slowly grew. Even if you defeat it, as long as enough miasma gathers again, it’ll come back. It’s a reusable training dummy—very handy! I haven’t been near this place in a while, but I suppose the grudge just kept building on its own. What a discovery!>

“Grudges are such mysterious things…” he added to himself with a nod, earning thoroughly exasperated stares from the entire group.

Again? said their eyes.

Nobody even wanted to comment anymore. Everyone just let out a long, tired sigh.

“…Anyway. We won’t be moving forward until that thing’s dealt with.”

“Right.”

“Yeah.”

“…”

Dietrich grumbled in resignation, and the rest of Nostalgia followed with equally defeated agreement.

“And of course, that pain-in-the-neck gryphon who picks fights with everything under the sun is definitely going to—”

<I wouldn’t dream of robbing you of such a fine training opportunity! Naturally, don’t expect the twins to help you either.>

Before Dietrich could finish, Uncle Gry interrupted with a smug declaration.

He clearly had no intention of helping defeat the Gigant Skeleton.

<Don’t worry. I’ll step in if you’re about to die.>

“How touching. I could cry.”

Kristoff really did look like he might cry.

“I don’t think I can stall that thing,” Cornelia added. “With a body that size, even if I threw a spear, it’d never reach a vital spot…”

“Then I’ll do it!”

While Cornelia was daunted by the sheer size of the Gigant Skeleton, Roa’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

When it came to fighting undead, Roa was practically unmatched. Even in the face of such a giant figure, he didn’t seem particularly afraid.

<No using magic potions or large-scale magic. If the brat does it, the fight could be over in one hit. That won’t do the sleepyheads any good in terms of training.>

“Look, potions are one thing, but magic is impossible anyway.”

<What nonsense. With the mana we share and the brat’s skill in mana control, he should be able to unleash spells nearly on par with mine. And yet, here you are making excuses just because it’s borrowed power…>

Ever since forming the familiar contract and beginning to share mana, Uncle Gry had encouraged Roa to train in offensive magic.

However, Roa always hesitated; he considered the mana borrowed and not truly his, and so had little motivation to use it for attack spells.

Yet his control of mana and construction of spell formulas was second to none. Though he did it with such ease it went unnoticed, Roa was an alchemist with skills well beyond the norm.

In fact, even other alchemists were often said to possess superior technical abilities compared to most mages. If only they had the mana reserves, many could become top-tier spellcasters.

The only real flaw of an alchemist was low mana capacity.

Of course, Roa wouldn’t hesitate to use magic if someone’s life was on the line. But as long as he was traveling with Uncle Gry and the twin magic wolves, he had little reason to believe that would ever be necessary.

“Well… maybe… if I use that, I might be able to at least stall it…”

Muttering to himself, Roa reached into the Magic Bag slung over his shoulder.

He already seemed to have an idea of how to slow the Gigant Skeleton down without using potions or magic.

His expression was cheerful, like he was getting ready for a game.

The Gigant Skeleton had fully emerged now and was staring down at them.

Its eye sockets were empty pits filled with stagnant darkness, yet there was no doubt it was watching them.

There was a vengeful intensity in its gaze, as if it might move at any moment to attack.

The weight of that hostility sent a chill down the spines of Nostalgia’s members.

Gwoooooohhhhhh—

The Gigant Skeleton let out a mournful howl.

The sound reverberated through the air, making everyone’s hair stand on end.

The twin magic wolves dropped to the ground, covering their ears with their front paws.

As if in response to the scream, black storm clouds began to swirl in the sky.

Heavy with impending rain, they seemed a manifestation of the creature’s deep-seated grudge.

<Here it comes.>

Uncle Gry grinned wickedly.

“A-Anyway! Get away from this shady gryphon! That thing’s grudge is aimed at him, right!?”

<It’s pointless. The sleepyheads are already recognized as companions.>

“Damn it! That roar scared the horses stiff!”

“Let them go! We’ll retrieve them later!”

“Wait, I’m not even armed yet!”

“Bernhart! Can you cast something—”

Nostalgia’s members were, for once, truly flustered.

Normally, none of them would lose their composure even in a life-threatening situation.

But with Uncle Gry watching over them and ensuring a minimum level of safety, it had dulled their nerves.

The laid-back air exuded by Roa and his familiars wasn’t helping, either.

<At this rate, you’ll be useless before you even do anything.>

Uncle Gry spoke like he was watching a game, grooming his feathers leisurely with his beak.

“I swear, one day I’m gonna make you cry!”

Dietrich spat the words at the smirking Uncle Gry.

“It’s easy enough to make him cry…” Roa chimed in, “But it’s a pain to deal with afterward. Here, throw this at the Gigant Skeleton’s feet.”

Roa, calm as ever, was the only human in the group who still wore a composed expression.

He probably thought that if things went truly south, he could always chuck an ultra-high-grade healing potion and end it.

Until then, he seemed happy to abide by Uncle Gry’s “rules.”

What he handed Dietrich was a perfectly round sphere, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.

“Huh? What is this?”

“It’s for slowing it down. I’d throw it myself, but I don’t think I can get it that far. You’ve got the stronger arm, so I’m counting on you. Once it’s close enough, aim for its feet and toss it.”

“R-Right…”

Not understanding the details, Dietrich accepted the sphere.

It felt squishy, like it was packed with something soft. Yet it had a surprising weight to it.

As he examined the texture, Dietrich realized what it was—frogskin.

It was a large frog’s hide sewn into a sphere, stuffed with some kind of liquid.

“Is it in range yet?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah!”

Caught up examining the ball, he had failed to notice the Gigant Skeleton approaching.

It was walking slowly, but with each massive step, the distance between them shrank rapidly.

“Alright—here goes!”

Prompted by Roa, Dietrich hurled the ball at the creature’s feet.

It burst on contact with the ground.

“Yes!”

Roa’s voice rang with triumph; it had worked as intended.

The sticky liquid sprayed out, clinging to the Gigant Skeleton’s feet.

“More, please.”

“Got it!”

Roa handed him more spheres one after another, and Dietrich kept throwing them without pause.

Each one burst on impact, further entangling the creature’s legs with the thick, sticky substance.

The Gigant Skeleton flailed its legs, trying to shake off the unpleasant goo, but the substance clung fast.

Worse still, it stuck to the ground, anchoring the massive limbs and slowing its movements.

“Nice shot!”

“Incredible… you actually stopped that thing…”

Kristoff and Cornelia had caught on to Roa’s plan and now watched with admiration.

And then—

With a thunderous crash, the Gigant Skeleton lost its footing and toppled backward.

“This is the last one!”

When Roa handed over the final sphere, the Gigant Skeleton lay flat on its back, completely immobilized.

It could barely move its head or arms; its whole body was glued to the earth.

The more it struggled, the more the adhesive spread, tightening its hold.

“It’s like a mouse stuck in a glue trap… Roa, what is that stuff?”

Cornelia asked, staring at the once-fearsome creature now rendered helpless.

“I managed to get a large quantity of slime materials, so I used those as the base, then mixed in sap from the wheel tree and fine-tuned the consistency with other ingredients. It’s essentially a stronger variant of a rodent adhesive trap made with wheel tree sap. I packed it into a giant toad’s hide and shaped it into a ball so it’d be easier to throw. The hardest part was adjusting the tanning process of the hide so it would burst upon impact with something solid. And also—”

<That substance is a menace… Once it sticks, it’s impossible to remove. Even using fluid-manipulation magic to peel it off proves troublesome—probably due to the slime content. The dissolving agent the kid made does work, but it strips the oils from feathers and smells absolutely atrocious. No matter how many times I bathe, the stench lingers…>

Just as Roa was proudly explaining, Uncle Gry began muttering a grim litany of complaints.

Unfazed, Roa continued enthusiastically, keeping his gaze fixed on the immobilized Gigant Skeleton as he elaborated for Cornelia.

<Truly, I’m grateful it’s finally used up…>

“Huh?”

Only Kristoff, who happened to be nearby, caught that barely audible whisper. Observing the rare weariness in Uncle Gry’s expression, Kristoff sensed something unusual. He leaned in and murmured discreetly.

“You didn’t seriously sic us on the Gigant Skeleton just to get rid of that stuff, did you?”

<…Not just for that, but… Don’t tell the kid. That was one of the reasons. Now imagine what would happen if he used it inside the tower, in an enclosed space.>

Kristoff imagined the resulting havoc. Upon impact, the ball would rupture, and the adhesive would splatter everywhere: floor, walls, ceiling, and any creature unfortunate enough to be nearby. If a monster got caught in it and flailed around, it would only exacerbate the mess. In the end, even their own party would become ensnared. Though Uncle Gry claimed there was a solvent, by his own admission, it was horrendous.

“Then just stop him from using it.”

<How could I?! That concoction was the result of the kid’s soul-searching after the incident in the monster forest. He made it to increase our survival rate!>

Roa had, in fact, spoken to the members of Nostalgia about integrating hunting techniques, such as traps, into combat tactics the day they resolved to enter the Citadel Dungeon. Though considered underhanded by most, and outright despised by Roa’s former party of heroes, he now prioritized survival over dogma. His adhesive bombs were a product of that shift in mindset.

<Do you have any idea how long it took him to make that stuff? And the joy on his face when he finished? How could I forbid it? Even knowing I’d be the guinea pig—again—I couldn’t say no. I don’t have the heart for such cruelty!>

“…Really?” Kristoff had to fight the urge to scoff. Coming from a creature who embodied ruthlessness, those words rang oddly hollow. Then again, when it came to Roa and the twin magic wolves, Uncle Gry treated them entirely differently. It was unfair to compare.

<Letting him use it here and now was the only way out. And thank the heavens, my plan worked.>

“You… really do have your own struggles, huh…”

Never in his life did Kristoff expect to sympathize with Uncle Gry. Casting a glance at Roa, he saw the boy still gleefully lecturing Cornelia about the concoction, oblivious to the hushed conversation.

Of course, Kristoff failed to realize that Uncle Gry’s suffering inevitably trickled down… to them.

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