The Thornshell Scorpion Highlord who was locked in a fierce battle with the Bigdareio army…he actually wanted us to help him tame it. That was Prince Zahar’s order, or rather, his request.
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Sudden Quest: “The Prince’s Whim” has been accepted.
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Yes, that’s right. It seems our party has already accepted the quest. It was my fault for responding in a way that made it official. It was a reckless quest, no doubt… and surely all party members must have been notified by now… How should I explain this to them?
Moreover, calling it “The Prince’s Whim” while accurate, seemed a bit too direct. Were we just being tossed around by a child’s whims then?
“Isam… about this…”
“Ah, we can’t just cancel it, can we?”
Anyway, since we accepted the quest, we had to try our best to complete it. But was it really possible to subdue the rampaging beast below us?
“For now, let’s meet up with Jigoro and the others who are approaching in the war chariot. Hopefully, we can come up with a good strategy…”
“But what about Prince Zahar?”
“Hm? Oh, let me off here! I must join the battle!”
Following the prince’s instructions, Karl gently set him down near the Bigdareio army’s mage unit. The soldiers seemed relieved, yet no one rushed over to show his concern. This lack of reaction was the same even for King Salman and Mahd, the chief court mage. Perhaps this was typical of a warrior nation.
“Uooooh!”
“He’s… really energetic, isn’t he…”
As soon as we set him down, Prince Zahar sprinted towards the battlefield. It was hard to believe he was the same person who could have died from a fall just moments ago. Watching him charge off, we flew through the sky to meet up with Jigor.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
“Things have gotten pretty weird, huh, brother?”
That was the first thing Jigoro who was riding in the cargo bed of the chariot said while grinning. Damn, this isn’t my fault, is it?! If anything, I deserve praise for saving the prince who could very well have been dead by now!
“But what are we actually going to do?”
“I think it would be ridiculously difficult to incapacitate that thing without killing it, right?”
That’s the problem… It’s easy enough to find ways to simply kill a strong enemy. I’m comfortable using even the most cowardly tactics. But capturing is a different story. Our options have become severely limited.
“For now, we need to wear down that monster’s strength. Let’s fight as usual until we corner it.”
“Heh, now that’s more like it! My blood is boiling!”
“…Looks like this is as close as we can get with the chariot. The scale camel is getting nervous. Actually, it’s completely freaked out.” Eiji said.
Oh, looks like this is where our easy ride ends. Even a trained monster instinctively resists charging towards an overwhelming opponent. So, it seems everyone will have to proceed on foot from here. We’ll need to come up with a clever way to maintain speed.
“Iris, Karl… you think you can handle it?”
“We should be fine. Right, Karl-kun?”
“Grrrrrr!”
“Eh? Eeh? Eeeeeeeh!?”
Iris instantly grasped my idea and she extended her tentacles while Karl crept up on Eiji. The latter seemed bewildered, but Iris mercilessly reached out her tentacles towards him before coiling them around him in a swift motion and effectively binding him. Then, Karl effortlessly lifted the now ensnared Eiji with both hands. Eiji could do nothing but scream.
“Nice, that works too. A countermeasure for slow movement, isn’t it?” Usaji said.
“That sounds fun! Let’s do it too when we have some free time.” Jigoro added.
“That’s the plan, Usagi. And Jigoro, please relay this request to Karl.”
Eiji was the slowest among us. But, just as we had done with Prince Zahar, having Karl carry him would solve the problem instantly. Eiji was making a fuss, but it wouldn’t matter; he would reach our destination in no time. I hope he enjoys the air express trip in the sky!
“Wait! Waiiiiiiiiiiit!? Waaaaaaahhhh!?”
◆◇◆◇◆◇
While soaring through the sky, I used the [Enchantement] skill to strengthen everyone. It was a precautionary measure to ensure we were ready for battle at any moment. Fortunately, thanks to the strength of the Bigdareio army, we managed to approach quite close without attracting much attention from the monster.
“I-I thought I was going to die…”
Before the fight had even begun, Eiji was already reeling from the experience. It seemed that the high-speed journey through the air had not been to his liking. He was a bit unsteady on his feet. However, it didn’t seem like he suffered from any game-like status effects, so he should be fine!
“Well done, both of you.”
“Grrrooo.”
After we set Eiji down on the ground, Iris tenderly stroked both Karl and Eiji with her tentacles. Karl purred contentedly, while Eiji remained unresponsive. He was probably overwhelmed by the experience.
“How pathetic…” Usaji said.
“You okay there? The real challenge starts now.” Jigoro added.
Usaji shook her head in disbelief at Eiji’s condition while Jigoro looked concerned. It seemed that Jigoro was kind to his juniors. Still, the training I had seen on the weekdays was so harsh that even I, a mere observer, was taken aback…
“Ugh…! He-here it comes!”
It didn’t seem like the enemy would be waiting for us to finish our chatter. We had circled to the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord’s rear, but one of its tails was rapidly approaching us at a terrifying speed.
“Great Shield Repel! Nuuoooh!?”
At the moment the tail was about to hit us, Eiji used the martial technique of his [Shield Mastery] skill to deflect it. The creaking of his shield was loud enough, and he was sent flying backward. He seemed to have lost a bit of his health, but he was not dead. He managed to defend the attack successfully.
“Nice one, Eiji!”
“I-it’s just a coincidence!”
“Still, that’s enough!”
The moment Eiji deflected the attack, Jigoro dashed forward like an arrow. Karl, who was carrying both me and Iris, also jumped up and began attacking from above.
“Crescent Magic Circle, Minor Soul Healing! Star Magic Circle, Spell Adjustment, Sleep!”
“Ooooooh! Going all out from the start!”
While I cast continuous healing magic on the ground team and harassed the enemy with a [Curse] spell, Jigoro used his gauntlet’s skill, [Armor-Breaking Fist], right away. This technique, which ignores defense and shatters armor, had proven effective in the battle against the Tarrasque monster. He aimed this strike at the tip of the tail, where the poisonous stinger was located.
“Gigiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!?”
Jigoro’s arm sank up to the elbow into the massive tail joint, causing the monster to scream. Judging from the decrease in its health, the damage didn’t seem to be that great. However, it was surprising that other than King Salman and Prince Jahar, Jigoro had been the first to break the enemy’s exoskeleton.
As the monster panicked and tried to pull back, Jigoro grabbed its thorny tail and tried to restrain it. However, despite his considerable strength, Jigoro was no match for the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord. He was promptly flung aside.
“Whoa! Hehe, not bad at all!”
Jigoro twisted his body in mid-air, controlling his posture, and landed on all fours like a cat.
“Guyiiiiiiiiii!”
“Not so fast! Holy Shield!”
Seemingly disliking the direct tail attack, the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord switched to using a beam of venom. However, my Holy Shield didn’t allow it through. Since the venom beam was not a continuous attack, it failed to break my shield and caused no damage to those on the ground.
“Giiiiii!”
Perhaps the monster realized its ranged attacks were ineffective, or perhaps because the earlier attack didn’t cause enough damage to impede its combat abilities, the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord resumed its tail attacks without hesitation. The target was Jigoro. The creature seemed intent on quickly eliminating Jigoro, who had shown the ability to break its exoskeleton.
“I won’t let you! Guardian! Great Shield Repel! Ugaa!”
Eiji stepped in front of Jigoro and used the martial technique of his [Shield Mastery] skill to block the attack. While he couldn’t completely stop it, he managed to deflect its trajectory, causing the tail to stab into the ground.
“Thanks! Here I go! Piercing Fist!”
“Now’s the time! Quadruple Thrust!”
Jigoro struck at the exoskeleton-covered parts. It might have seemed ineffective, but he employed a martial technique from the [Martial Arts] skill that penetrated the monster’s defenses and dealt damage. The damage inflicted was minimal, but it was a useful martial technique that could be used to fight against powerful opponents.
Usaji, on the other hand, wouldn’t be able to damage the hard exoskeleton with her attacks under normal circumstances. However, she could strike effectively at the parts Jigoro had broken. With the swords in her hands, she precisely delivered a quadruple thrust to the shattered section.
The damage was minor, but the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord couldn’t hide its irritation at being wounded by such inferior foes. However, focusing solely on us was a mistake, wasn’t it? After all, we weren’t its only opponents.
“This side is getting neglected!”
“Giiiiiiii!?”
.
It seemed that King Salman and the Bigdareio army had been neglected. And accompanied by the king’s mighty roar, there echoed the sound of something being shattered. Apparently, the pincers had been torn apart once again. Should I say, as expected of King Salman’s strength?
“We’re doing well! Let’s keep chipping away at its health!”
Admittedly, it was a somewhat pathetic approach, but it was our role and, for now, our only way of fighting. We were determined to chip away at our enemy relentlessly!
◆◇◆◇◆◇
About two hours had passed since then, and the battle continued. The situation was still a stalemate, with both sides reaching their peak exhaustion.
“Eiyyy! Yaaa!”
“Guoooooon!”
With a hearty battle cry, Iris threw an iron ball which was one of her throwing items, while Karl used his [Evil Magic] skill to generate hallucinations. These weren’t attacks that directly influenced the outcome of the battle, but as the saying goes, “Even dust if piled can become a mountain”. Accumulating this kind of harassment would lead us to victory.
“Giiii!?”
“Huh?”
At that moment, something strange happened. The moment Iris’s thrown iron ball struck the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord, its body stiffened and it even raised one of its pincers as if to shield itself. The damage inflicted was trivial, so what exactly happened for it to react like that?
“Isam?”
“Yes. Let’s test this.”
Clearly, Iris was on the same wavelength as me. Though baffled by the unexpected pincer movement, she interpreted it as an opening provided by our support and capitalized on it to launch an attack of her own. The only ones who had a clear grasp of the situation were us who were observing from above.
“First, aim at a different spot than before.”
“Understood!”
Without delay, Iris prepared to throw another item, once again opting for the same iron ball. It was necessary to use the same item for a proper comparison.
Iris’s thrown iron ball caused only minor damage and was deflected off the exoskeleton of the Thornshell Scorpion Highlord. However, this time, the monster didn’t raise its pincers in response.
“…Enchantment update complete. Karl, cast your spell there.”
“Guooooon!”
After reapplying the [Enchantment] to my allies, I gave my instructions to Karl. He then accurately unleashed the [Witchcraft] spell at the spot I indicated with my staff. Once again, the creature raised its pincers in defense. Could this be… maybe a weakness has been discovered?
“Iris, let’s regroup with everyone.”
“What will we do?”
“We’ll smash its weakness!”
“Alright!”
If things went well, we might be able to turn the tide of the battle in our favor. With that aim, I gave instructions to Karl and set off towards Jigoro and the others.
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