Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 318

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 318 – Two Boys, a Knight, and a Dragon and a Dragon

Even after firing dozens of shots, the magical weapons still had plenty of ammunition left. Their miniaturization enabled an ample supply, and the large number of personnel dispatched naturally increased the number of weapons they could carry.

Though the red dragon tanked a few cannon shots, it still had ample reserves—truly befitting a dragon.

In fact, the intensity of its roar only increased with its irritation.

“GGOAAAAAAAH—”

Suddenly, the red dragon spread its wings, grew alert, and gazed in a certain direction at the very edge of the continent. What had it sensed? No one could discern it, yet everyone could only continue their current course of action.

“Batz!”

“Huh!? What!?”

“We’ll never make any headway if we keep retreating like this! Besides, we’re getting close to human settlements!”

“I know that, too! I’m thinking about it right now!”

“Adventurers will be out once dawn breaks!”

“As I said, I’m thinking about it right now!”

“So, I have a proposal. Will you hear me out and consider it?”

“You… You should have said that from the start!”

Looking up at the sky, the border between orange and lapis blue grew brighter. Everyone ran in that direction while firing cannons at the red dragon.

The young dragon seemed to have learned that if it got too close, it would get shot, so it flew at a perfect distance, just out of range of the cannons.

“We’ve learned from our retreat battles so far. Our forces are overwhelmingly superior! It seems we’re benefiting from that dragon’s drawback of forcing itself to grow larger!”

“I couldn’t agree more! So, you’re actually serious about fighting it?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, that’s great. This is going to feel absolutely fantastic.”

Why was he so calm at a time like this? Batz thought, glancing at Leonard’s profile. But the opinion expressed was undeniably correct.

Reinforcements would soon arrive from the port town of Roundheart.

This was undoubtedly a battle with high odds of victory.

“You’re not seriously suggesting we stop and bombard it, are you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’ll just zigzag to maintain distance.”

“What? What the hell are you trying to do? Even if it’s a weak dragon, just try getting hit by its flames. You’ll turn to charcoal in an instant!”

“That’s why we’re setting up a defensive line. That should do the trick.”

“…Huh?”

Leonard must be losing his mind. Batz looked genuinely worried about him. A defensive line? Will it work out? He needed to fix what’s going on inside Leonard’s head. This thought flashed through Batz’s mind, rude as it was.

But Leonard’s mental state was perfectly normal.

“Divide the magical weapons into two groups. By division, I mean by role. A seven-to-three ratio, with one group handling the front and the other handling the rear!”

“Oh, okay. So, what are the roles?”

“One unit will hold them off to keep them out of the red dragon’s flame range. The rest will hit the red dragon directly with artillery fire!”

The seven-person holding unit would fire artillery constantly to prevent the enemy from closing in. Then, from the absolute edge of the artillery’s range, they’d attack with fire.

It was simple, but effective against the young, clumsy red dragon. Batz nodded.

“Sounds good. Though, the question is whether we can pull it off on such short notice.”

“There’s no reason we can’t. We’ve got plenty of veterans from the Heim War.”

“…Then it’s time to put it to the test.”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Upon Leonard’s command, the knights quickly changed formation, understanding his intent. The containment units spread slightly from their column to form a radial cannon fire formation, which prevented the red dragon from advancing toward the vanguard.

Meanwhile, the artillery units reorganized into smaller groups and moved to the edge of the red dragon’s flame reach.

Their fear must be considerable.

“Did Warren-sama’s command anticipate such a situation?”

“Well, now. Even I can’t fathom that man’s thinking.”

“All right then, it’s about time. Batz, would you mind leaving the issuing of orders to me?”

“Yeah, in that regard, you’re better suited than I am.”

To state the outcome, the knights listened to Leonard’s commands and responded skillfully. Leonard’s words were occasionally clumsy, and his timing could have been better at times. Yet he demonstrated a level of command that was truly impressive.

Already, more than half the sky was dyed by the early morning sun.

As Batz looked ahead in the direction they were traveling, he noticed dust swirling up. Ah! They were finally about to meet the reinforcements that had departed from the port town of Roundheart.

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!”

The red dragon’s roar lacked the power it had held near the ruins.

But…

“Leonard, did you notice?”

“Yeah. That red dragon’s body has gotten even bigger.”

“Those muscles that looked like balloons are sinewy now.”

“Growing while fighting is strange. Could we be affecting it somehow?”

“All we’re doing is firing magic stone cannons.”

“…Right. Maybe…”

Leonard had a sudden realization while on horseback. What lay behind this abrupt growth?

He stared at the black stone embedded in the red dragon to confirm his suspicions. Then, as cannon fire erupted, he saw it begin to flicker faintly within his vision, like fireflies.

“Even I hate this prediction. If this battle drags on, we could all be wiped out.”

He said this even though he had room to spare.

Batz asked for clarification.

“Hey, what do you mean?!”

“Could it be absorbing the magic power from the magic stone cannon while taking damage?”

Then, Batz gazed at the black stone, just as Leonard had done.

Seeing it flicker, he flicked away a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek, and his expression changed completely.

“This is the worst. It’s not only feeding on magic stones to grow; it’s also absorbing from external sources!”

“We no longer have the luxury of a leisurely retreat. Reinforcements are coming, but the flames it spews are extremely problematic. We’ll suffer heavy casualties.”

The distance to the gradually approaching reinforcements was shortening. Even visually, it was clear that they were transporting numerous magical weapons.

“Come to think of it, Warren-sama said to use the coastal battleships in situations like this.”

“Right… battleships! A battleship’s artillery would make short work of that dragon!”

“Ah! We’ll launch signal flares to lure it in!”

“That’s our only option. All right, change course!”

The battlefield shifted fluidly, and the knights’ ability to respond to it was impressive.

As Leonard said, they launched the beacon flares into the sky.

But the moment they changed course, the red dragon demonstrated the true power of its kind.

“GAFAH… GAAAAAAAAAH!”

A roar louder than any before.

The crimson inferno unleashed in its wake incinerated countless magical weapons and knights.

“Wha—?”

Leonard gasped in shock.

The inferno spread over an unprecedented area, far more powerful than the one unleashed near the ruins. Dazed yet resolute, knights left their charred comrades behind and spurred their horses onward.

The size of the rising dust cloud seemed to mirror everyone’s desperate emotions.

Growth in the midst of battle. The crimson dragon still looked pained after spewing the inferno.

If attacks like that could be unleashed regularly, though, total annihilation would be imminent.

“Leonard!”

“Dammit! Without the magic weapons, we don’t stand a chance. Head for the coast at full speed! Cease intercepting with the remaining magic weapons! Use them only to maintain distance!”

“Aye!” responses echoed from all directions. The knights had also realized that the situation was growing dire.

That said, this was by no means a failure on Leonard and Batz’s part. It was because the red dragon was assaulting them while undergoing growth beyond human comprehension in the midst of battle.

There was no choice but to follow Warren’s advice and proceed along the coast.

Leonard held onto the thought that if Warren were here, he would surely have prepared a battleship with powerful artillery for this very purpose.

Soon, the combined forces advanced along the coastal path.

“The terrain around here is…cliffside, right?! Be careful not to fall off if you move recklessly!”

“Aye, roger that!”

“Just a little further. We should see the battleship soon!”

Nearly half an hour had passed since they had released the beacon. But even for a battleship, it was impossible to reach from the port town of Roundheart in such a short time.

Haa… haa… Though they were aware of their ragged breaths, escaping from tension and fear, the two desperately continued to command their forces.

For them and the knights, battleships were the ultimate magical weapons. In fact, if they were facing an enemy capable of defeating such ships, they might smile and accept defeat.

After emerging from the dense forest and passing through the hilly region, they reached the edge of the continent—the cliffs near the sea. Batz spoke.

“Hah, hah… This is bad…”

“What?! That can’t be…! Didn’t Warren-sama dispatch more battleships to this side!?”

But only two battleships were visible. They were outdated models, relics that had survived the Sea Dragon Incident.

Their main weaponry was vastly more powerful than transportable magical weapons. However, in the current situation, none could nod in agreement that it was truly sufficient to bring down a flying red dragon. Unless the first shot hit, that is…

Meanwhile, the red dragon continued to soar through the sky, growing stronger with each magical bombardment meant to keep it at bay. Some time had passed since the inferno that claimed the lives of so many magical weapons and knights.

It was thought that the dragon’s stamina would have recovered by now.

The unusually quick arrival of the battleship was welcome, but that was all.

“You better not give up! With the battleship’s firepower and our magical weapons, we should be able to shoot down that red lizard! Come on! Come on! Come on! Don’t make that sour face, old geezer!”

Though Batz put on a brave front, he radiated a vitality that made it seem like things could really work out.

Though the rookie commander’s words were full of insolence, they were the perfect rallying cry for a moment like this.

Leonard, running beside him, let out a soft chuckle and said.

“Everyone! Keep running straight toward the battleship! If the Prime Minister’s assessment is correct, our forces should be sufficient.”

That’s right. His Excellency Warren would never use us as mere pawns.

The knights rallied with renewed vigor.

“G… Gah! Ahhh!”

The instant they did, the red dragon froze, its entire body stiffening as it stared toward the shore. Having stopped flapping its wings, it began to descend. Mid-fall, it realized this and frantically began flapping its wings again.

“Wh-what startled it?”

“It’s obviously the battleships! There are two huge chunks of metal out there!”

“No! That fear wasn’t from something like that!”

“Then what the hell was it?! If the red dragon’s scared, that’s fine by me!”

Ignoring the bickering pair, the red dragon arched its body, bending its neck backward like a bow.

Everyone was gripped by terror, expecting to be incinerated by its intensified inferno. Just then, the dragon turned its face away from Leonard, Batz, and the retreating troops and gazed out to sea.

Just as they wondered what it would do, the dragon unleashed its inferno toward the battleship.

“That’s bad… Dammit!”

“Wait, no, hold on… Could that possibly be…!?”

Batz clicked his tongue and looked down.

Without the battleship, things would get really bad. Just as he thought that—

“I see! The ocean currents! That’s why the ship arrived so quickly. Hahahaha!”

Leonard’s hearty laughter echoed.

What the hell? Batz peered at his face.

“I figured it out: I know why the battleship moved so fast and why the red dragon looked out to sea and flinched twice. But how the hell do you fight from the sea?”

“So why did you—”

No sooner had he asked than the sea surface around the battleship began to swell.

The swelling formed a towering wall of water that easily extinguished the inferno.

Soon, the roar of two dragons echoed from beneath the waves.

Unlike the red dragon’s roar, this one was high-pitched and carried a sense of sacredness.

“Warren-sama surely intended to use naval forces if land forces couldn’t arrive in time…from the very beginning. After all, it was impossible to transport more forces than we led.”

“Gaaaah…!”

The red dragon stopped pursuing the knight and hovered in the air.

Its body trembled visibly; its fear was plain to see.

“That’s likely why there were only two battleships.”

Leonard spoke shortly after.

Suddenly, a wall of water rose from the sea, enveloping the entire visible continent.

Within the wall, the sea surface surged upward, revealing the entity the red dragon feared.

It had two heads, and their color was now polished like crystal. They were different from their childhood forms and unlike the one that appeared in Magna. Whether influenced by the First Princess’s magic stone diet or the Crown Prince they revered as a father, the two heads were now the unrivaled kings of the sea, their supremacy beyond question.

“Who would have thought they possessed such a technique? Truly, they are worthy children of Ain-sama.”

El and Al stretched their necks, showing their displeasure at the red dragon gazing down from the sky.

As if to say, “How arrogant,” Al, the younger brother, let out a roar.

“GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—”

It shook the heavens and made the red dragon’s roar seem like a child’s cry.

The disparity between water and fire, as well as the aura of battle-hardened experience it carried, made the knights who had participated in the sea dragon hunt recall the terror of that time.

“What… El and Al…!?”

But soon, Batz and the knights running behind him let out cheers.

The utterly frightened red dragon was no longer an enemy.

The greatest naval force in Ishtalika wass not Leviathan. It must be the twin sea dragons, who have grown considerably.

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