DAR Vol. 6 Chapter 25 Part 2

“You’re always butting in and acting all high and mighty, and you leave Roa’s training to the rest of us! And whenever you do bother to step in, all you ever do is make things worse!”

<You dare speak to me in su…>

“Shut up!!”

<Do you think such an attitude will be allo…>

“I said shut up, didn’t I?! I’m going to tell Roa all sorts of things about you!”

<…>

Even Uncle Gry seemed, for once, to have been struck speechless.

Once Cornelia threatened to tell Roa all sorts of things about him, there was simply too much that came to Uncle Gry’s mind, and he found himself unable to say a word.

Cornelia had become utterly invincible in her rage. The exhilaration of battle was probably mixed into it too, but she had plainly ceased to fear anything.

Even so, the battle with the Sea Serpents continued.

No one could say how many they had already killed.

The sea surrounding the ship had turned red, and the scent of salt now mingled thickly with the smell of blood.

Then, after some time, when the sea had grown unnaturally quiet, as though the number of Sea Serpents had finally begun to dwindle…

<…Well, ah…>

Uncle Gry’s voice rang out again, this time with palpable awkwardness.

“Shut up!”

<…………….No, but…>

“Just be quiet!!”

Still worked up, Cornelia cut him down at once.

The noise around them had died away, and her voice carried clearly across the deck.

The sailors’ gazes all turned toward her, wondering what on earth was going on.

They could not hear Uncle Gry’s voice. The only people here who could hear him were the members of Nostalgia and Captain Sabas.

To everyone else, Cornelia’s shouting must have seemed extremely strange.

<Hm… If you would rather I say nothing, then I can remain silent… no, the brat would scold me! Listen well! No, rather, please listen!>

“What now?!”

<…………….A dragon-class giant is coming. Be careful.>

“What?!”

The moment Cornelia cried out in shock at Uncle Gry’s words, the ship lurched violently.

Everyone lost their footing and instinctively grabbed whatever they could around them to avoid being thrown overboard.

The sea close beside the ship swelled upward.

What emerged from it in a spray of water was a Sea Serpent so enormous it could not even be compared to the ones that had been attacking them until now.

“…It’s… huge…”

Someone’s faint whisper came through with startling clarity.

Even just the head visible above the water looked to be about half the size of a large ship.

Fortunately, those unfocused, fishlike eyes were not turned toward the ship.

They seemed fixed on something else beneath the sea.

<It has become an upper species, I see. What was it called again…? It only has one head, so it is not a Hydra…>

“Leviathan…”

Overlapping Uncle Gry’s casual voice from far above came Captain Sabas’s voice, strained out from the back of his throat.

<That one is larger still. This is, so to speak, something like a nascent Lesser Leviathan.>

For sailors, the Leviathan was known as the worst magic beast imaginable.

Though it was an upper species of Sea Serpent, the gulf in threat was so immense that sailors treated it as an entirely different creature.

A Sea Serpent was something one still had a fair chance of defeating in battle, but sailors said that if you encountered a Leviathan, all you could do was pray to the gods.

Its colossal body could still have length to spare after coiling once around an island, and even the lightest brush of one fin could destroy a large ship. There were even tales of great whirlpools forming in the wake of its swimming and swallowing ships whole.

Compared to that, the creature before them, which Uncle Gry had dubbed a Lesser Leviathan, was certainly much smaller.

To begin with, Leviathans were not creatures that inhabited shallow waters near land.

The thing before them was probably some intermediate breed between a Sea Serpent and a Leviathan.

But whichever it was, there was no real difference in one regard.

It was a being beyond human power.

“Do not attack it!”

Captain Sabas shouted to everyone aboard.

Cornelia and Dietrich had both been on the verge of launching bold attacks, but the instant they heard him, they stopped.

When it came to a giant magic beast on the level of a Leviathan, it was said not to regard humans as prey.

That knowledge was probably why Captain Sabas had shouted.

Humans were simply too small to be worth hunting as food.

It was like a person deliberately going fishing for tiny fry. If there were a huge mass of them gathered in one place and they could be scooped up all at once, that would be another matter, but a mere few dozen people were not worth the bother. Even if they entered its field of vision, it would probably not spare them a second thought.

That was one of the reasons sailors said that if you encountered a Leviathan, all you could do was pray to the gods.

So long as you were not targeted as prey, there was still a chance of survival, provided you were not caught in its movements or did not attack it and draw its notice yourself.

<Hm. If it were a true Leviathan, refraining from attack would likely be effective, but will that principle really apply to one this small? Its intelligence does not seem especially high, either.>

At that ominous remark, those who could hear Uncle Gry all looked up into the heavens and glared at him despite themselves, as though wanting to say, Don’t say useless things.

At that very instant, the Lesser Leviathan moved.

It lowered its head into the water and slid around the ship.

That motion alone stirred up waves, and the ship rocked violently again.

Then the Lesser Leviathan’s head rose above the surface once more.

The moment those on deck saw it, they froze in horror.

“…Gh…”

Someone could be heard choking back a scream.

Something writhed from the closed jaws of the Lesser Leviathan as it emerged from the water once more.

<It seems this one came here for the purpose of cannibalism. Did it acquire a taste for its own kind somewhere? What a vulgar creature.>

While no one else could so much as find their voice, Uncle Gry’s exasperated tone echoed overhead.

At this moment, he was probably the only one here calm enough to speak.

What the Lesser Leviathan held in its mouth was a Sea Serpent.

Several Sea Serpents, even as they were being chewed, writhed desperately in an attempt to escape.

Faced with that hideous sight, those on deck could do nothing but stare in mute horror.

Though there was a difference between upper and lower species, the Lesser Leviathan and the Sea Serpents were still kin.

Just as Captain Sabas had said, Sea Serpents could descend into cannibalism in the midst of battling over their favored prey, whales.

That had been thought to happen only when they became frenzied while fighting over food, but this appeared to be different.

This Lesser Leviathan had plainly come here for cannibalism from the start.

Cannibalism was, by nature, something its kind ought to recoil from instinctively, but perhaps upon becoming an upper species, the fetters placed upon its race had fallen away.

Its instinctive taboo no longer functioned as a taboo.

Whether the flesh of its own kind was actually delicious or not, the Lesser Leviathan before them paid no attention to anything else as it greedily devoured Sea Serpents.

Each time it chewed, a great quantity of Sea Serpent blood spilled from its mouth.

The sea, already stained red, deepened further into the thick, viscous hue of blood.

<Now then, what should be done? Our objective of stopping the horde of snakes has likely been accomplished by this alone. As long as this hideous upper-species serpent remains here, the others will not dare approach. However, there is a possibility this one may stay.>

“…”

To Uncle Gry’s voice, which sounded as though he were almost enjoying the situation, no one could reply.

The Lesser Leviathan continued preying on the Sea Serpents.

Those aboard the ship could only stand there on the rocking deck, unable even to move, forced to watch the nightmarish spectacle of a creature devouring its own kind.

<Shall I lend you a hand?>

For the members of Nostalgia, those words were wholly unexpected.

<I do have an agreement with that woman, but even so, this opponent is surely beyond your capacity. Even the queen would hardly insist that you defeat this thing by your own power alone. I shall overlay my magic upon your attacks. In that case, even if you cannot kill it, you should at least be able to drive it off.>

“…Really?”

The one who instinctively asked that was Dietrich.

No matter how one looked at it, the Lesser Leviathan before them was not something human beings could defeat.

Without Uncle Gry’s assistance, it was impossible.

And yet Dietrich could not bring himself to trust Uncle Gry, that ill-natured Gryphon, completely.

No matter how he looked at it, it felt as though there had to be some ulterior motive, and so he could not help but be suspicious.

<Rest easy. I shall demand no compensation.> 

“…”

Even hearing that, there was no way Dietrich could simply nod and accept it.

He turned a suspicious gaze upward.

Uncle Gry was only a tiny dot in the sky, but Gryphons had excellent vision. Uncle Gry could probably read Dietrich’s expression perfectly well from up there.

<Think nothing of it. I absolutely will not tell you to offer something up, so rest easy. If, however, you are moved by my goodwill, then all I ask is that you refrain from saying certain unnecessary things to the brat.>

Hearing that, Dietrich remembered the exchange between Cornelia and Uncle Gry from a little while earlier.

Cornelia had said to Uncle Gry, “I’m going to tell Roa all sorts of things about you.”

That was what the ill-natured Gryphon was worried about.

And he had decided this was a perfect opportunity to buy their silence.

True, as stated, he was not asking for any material compensation, but in practical terms, their silence was the price.

Dietrich could almost see the nasty grin Uncle Gry must be wearing as he rejoiced at this unexpected stroke of good fortune.

“…Fine. If we leave it alone, this Lesser Leviathan or whatever it is might end up making its home in Nereus’s coastal waters. If we can drive it off, that’s for the best.”

Dietrich decided to accept Uncle Gry’s proposal.

If they left it alone, there was a possibility the Lesser Leviathan would eventually leave the Kingdom of Nereus’s waters on its own.

But there was no telling when that would happen, nor was it guaranteed.

If they could drive it away now, there was no question that would be better.

If a monster like this kept roaming the nearby seas, the problem would be far worse than merely losing use of the harbor.

<Good! Then who will launch the attack?>

“Cornelia, can I leave it to you?”

“Yes…”

After all, a harpoon strike would probably be the most efficient method.

Thinking that, Dietrich chose to leave it to Cornelia.

Cornelia wore a grim expression.

<Then, noisy woman! Any time you like! I am magnanimous, you see! I shall help you without taking offense at the abuse you hurled at me earlier! All I shall do is add power to your attack. Assume you cannot bring it down unless you strike with everything you have! Understood? Noisy woman!!>

As if exacting revenge for having been called noisy, Uncle Gry put pointed emphasis on noisy woman.

“Tch. Fine…”

Cornelia clicked her tongue lightly as she answered.

Her eyes were sharper than ever, lit by a dark gleam. One felt as though that gaze alone might skewer a person to death.

She was probably furious beyond measure with the smug Uncle Gry.

Even so, Cornelia also understood that this attack could affect the kingdom’s interests going forward, and that the responsibility was immense.

She did not lash out in anger.

Instead, she took one deep breath and, in an instant, regained her usual composure.

“I’m going.”

Declaring that shortly, Cornelia raised her harpoon.

<Manipulating its trajectory is no different from moving my own harpoon. I shall merely increase its penetrative force.>

At Uncle Gry’s words, black particles began gathering around the tip of the harpoon Cornelia held at the ready.

They began to swirl around the point, and before long became a dark cloud shrouding the harpoon tip.

Cornelia, Dietrich, and Bernhart, the three members of Nostalgia, had seen that phenomenon before.

It was strikingly similar to the magic Uncle Gry had used when he intercepted the two Gryphons during their journey through the Citadel Dungeon.

At the time, Uncle Gry had explained that it was a cloud of iron dust.

To the eye, it looked as though only a black cloud clung around the harpoon, but inside it, minute grains of iron must have been moving at speeds too fast to see. If touched, every one of those grains would pierce flesh like a needle, grinding away meat and bone far faster than any file ever could.

When he had used it against the two Gryphons, Uncle Gry had added lightning magic to it as well, but this time it was iron dust alone.

Since Cornelia was wielding an iron harpoon, it was probably Uncle Gry’s way of ensuring she would not be electrocuted.

With this, the harpoon in Cornelia’s hands had become a weapon that could pierce anything.

No matter how tough the Lesser Leviathan’s skin or bones might be, it no longer mattered.

Once Cornelia confirmed that the harpoon had been cloaked in magic, she slowly drew in a breath.

She pushed her Body Reinforcement Magic to its utmost limit.

Her target was the very center of the Lesser Leviathan’s head.

With Uncle Gry’s magic supporting her, there was no need to force herself to aim for a softer point like the eye.

All she needed to think about was landing the strike with certainty.

As Cornelia stared, fixing her aim, the Lesser Leviathan’s head moved.

Had it noticed Uncle Gry’s magic, or had it been drawn by Cornelia’s killing intent?

As though only just now becoming aware of her existence, it slowly turned its head toward Cornelia.

In those unfocused, fishlike eyes, Cornelia was reflected.

There was no question of it.

At that moment, the Lesser Leviathan was aware of Cornelia.

Its mouth opened slowly.

From its gaping jaws, half-chewed Sea Serpent flesh and blood dripped down.

Kyu…

A sound rang out, impossible to tell whether it was a breath or a cry.

At the instant everyone thought the Lesser Leviathan was about to attack, Cornelia moved.

She took a few light steps as if launching into a run, then put her whole body into the throw.

A beautiful throwing form.

“Hah!!”

Cornelia exhaled sharply, and the instant the harpoon left her hand, she pitched forward.

She had poured the full momentum of her body into the harpoon and converted it all into the force of the attack.

The harpoon flew so fast that the sound of it cutting through the air came a beat late, and it was drawn straight into the Lesser Leviathan’s open mouth.

“Yes!”

Watching that, Dietrich let out an involuntary cry of triumph.

The harpoon carried through with all the force of the throw and burst out through the back of the Lesser Leviathan’s head.

The Lesser Leviathan’s body wavered as the harpoon pierced through it. Cornelia, who had fallen when she threw it, stared at the creature while propping herself up on her upper body alone.

It swayed so violently that it looked as though it might collapse at any moment, but after giving its head a slight shake, the Lesser Leviathan steadied itself.

“What…?”

Cornelia, who had felt certain she had landed a decisive blow, gasped at the sight and stared in wide-eyed shock.

The Lesser Leviathan looked around as though it did not understand what had happened, then, without even glancing at Cornelia, whom it had been focused on moments earlier, lowered its head beneath the water.

At the same time, the sea heaved violently, and a single white wake rose on the surface and gradually receded into the distance.

“…What was that? Cornelia’s harpoon went straight through its head, didn’t it?”

As everyone watched that white wake vanish, Dietrich finally voiced the question.

It was only natural that he would.

“““…”””

No one could answer him.

All of them exchanged bewildered looks.

Everyone aboard the ship had seen Cornelia’s harpoon pierce the Lesser Leviathan’s head. It had entered through that gaping mouth, punched out through the back of its skull, and dropped into the sea behind it.

And yet the Lesser Leviathan had looked perfectly fine.

Ordinarily, that should have been impossible.

“…Could it be that that huge bastard is just stupid?”

Captain Sabas muttered it as though the thought had only just occurred to him.

“Huh? This really isn’t the time to be saying something like that, is it?”

As though speaking for everyone present, Dietrich shot back at him.

At this moment, Dietrich was the only one here in any position to argue with Captain Sabas directly.

But the others were all staring at him with the exact same thought in their eyes.

“No, not stupid exactly. More like… short on brain…”

Even Captain Sabas himself seemed only half-convinced by what he was saying.

He sounded oddly reluctant to put it into words.

“Brain?”

“What I mean is, that head was probably almost nothing but bone, and there may have been hardly any vital spots in there to begin with. Sea snakes… fish brains are small compared to the size of their heads in the first place. So if the thing’s body just kept getting bigger while the insides hardly developed at all, then what?”

“…You mean that gigantic head was almost empty inside?”

Still sounding unconvinced, Dietrich pressed a hand to his head and thought it over.

“Fish heads are practically lumps of bone! Just because it’s a giant fish doesn’t mean it’s got a giant brain stuffed in there, right?”

At that, everyone remembered gutting fish.

Any sailor had done it at least once.

But even searching their memory, none of them could recall ever seeing a large fish and thinking it had a particularly large brain inside its head.

If anything, they had to stop and wonder where the brain had been at all.

With animals, perhaps, but no one had ever paid attention to a fish’s brain to begin with.

The head had mostly been bone, and the only soft part that really stood out was the eyeball.

“…No…”

Cornelia, still sprawled where she had fallen, slumped down and could not bring herself to rise.

Part of it was the recoil from throwing the harpoon with everything she had.

But hearing the exchange between Captain Sabas and Dietrich had also drained the fight out of her.

More than anything, hearing that her attack had failed for such a ridiculous reason utterly crushed her.

If the reason she had failed to finish it off was “because the opponent was an idiot with barely any brain,” then despair was only natural.

“Well, still… we drove it off, didn’t we? That means we achieved the objective, right?”

Seeing Cornelia like that, Dietrich placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to console her.

What Cornelia had done was by no means pointless.

The Lesser Leviathan had left the area.

If anything, she had been tremendously useful. There should have been no reason for her to be so dejected.

“That’s right! Why’re you so down?! Thanks to you, young lady, the harbor was saved! Be proud, be proud!!”

Captain Sabas, unable to watch any longer, patted Cornelia on the back in encouragement.

He looked fearsome, but Captain Sabas was a considerate man.

Especially toward women.

“You’re right… you’re right…”

And just as Cornelia was trying to accept that.

<I hate to interrupt this moving display of weaklings licking one another’s wounds, but…>

Uncle Gry’s voice rang out, carrying the distinct impression that he was snickering.

“What is it now?”

His mood soured at once, and Dietrich glared up at Uncle Gry overhead.

Same rotten bastard as ever, he thought bitterly.

<That snake seems to be heading toward the brat and the others. It appears it merely abandoned the feeding ground with the strange lot and switched to another feeding ground instead.>

It did not look as though the Sea Serpent and Lesser Leviathan turmoil was going to end anytime soon.

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