[Um... by the end of this year... Am I going to be okay? I ask myself.]
Chapter 454: Dragons, O Dragons! Part Thirty-One
Yashirobird: “By the way, I kind of just came along on impulse, but do you actually have a plan for beating Siegwurm?”
Sunraku: “More or less. I’ve got a personal connection—or rather, I heard some things from someone who knows a lot about him.”
Yashirobird: “Oh?”
I wasn’t going to mention Vash’s name, but I still needed to share the information.
Though, strictly speaking, we could probably manage without knowing any of this...
Sunraku: “Siegwurm is an artificial dragon. His body is built around a furnace core—or something like one—and made from some kind of magical power that destroys other magic. So basically, he’s the type of enemy you can’t defeat normally.”
Josette: “...If that became widely known, far fewer people would continue trying to defeat him. Is that why you kept quiet?”
Sunraku: “No. I wasn’t finished. According to my source, there are two ways to stop Siegwurm from functioning. The first is to force him to use magic until he can’t move anymore. Basically, make him run out of fuel. The second is to pierce his reverse scale after he starts fighting with no regard for himself.”
Yashirobird: “No regard for himself... So something like a final form?”
Sunraku: “Probably. And there’s only one way to get Siegwurm fired up enough to do that.”
The answer had been there from the very beginning.
From the moment Siegwurm appeared at this frontline base, everything around him had already been pulled into his golden gravity.
Sunraku: “Roleplay. We have to raise his excitement by acting like heroes. That’s how you clear this Unique Monster fight.”
Yashirobird: “That sounds...”
It sounded simple, but it was difficult.
Still, it was far from impossible.
And once you knew that condition, certain people’s strange behavior started to look very suspicious.
Josette: “Is something the matter?”
Sunraku: “Not at all. Nothing whatsoever.”
The Shining Knights of the Holy Shield (Saint-chan’s personal guard) were dedicated roleplayers.
They normally refused to leave Saint-chan’s side even during an EX Scenario.
If they joined the EX Scenario now, then merely having Josette—the Maximum Defense: Defense Holder—take part in the battle should be enough to keep B.I.G. from giving a negative score.
Had the AI side noticed that and acted on its own?
Could it really do something like that?
Actually... it probably could.
Josette seemed to have noticed something too, but she said nothing.
As long as she continued her roleplay, she probably had no intention of leaving Saint-chan’s side.
Saint-chan stood calmly in the middle of the battlefield, a quiet smile on her face.
She raised one slender arm and pointed toward Siegwurm.
Eristella: “I came because there was something I wished to ask the Dragon King... But now there is something I wish to ask the black dragon as well. Josette, will you protect me from Siegwurm while I do so?”
Josette: “If that is your command.”
Eristella: “Then please do. Sunraku-sama, Yashirobird-sama... and Saina-sama, is that acceptable to all of you?”
Sunraku: “I was already planning to go knock him flat. Nothing changes for me.”
Yashirobird: “I only came along on impulse, but my clan is targeting Siegwurm too... Ahem. Your wish is my command, Saint-sama.”
Saina: “There is no change to the mission objectives.”
Each of us gave our own answer to the important NPC’s question.
This party had been thrown together on the spot, but random parties were normal in online games.
As long as everyone was facing the same way, we would manage somehow.
Sunraku: “All right, let’s storm—”
Eristella: “Ah, please wait, Sunraku-sama.”
Sunraku: “Huh?!”
You’re stopping my momentum now?
Wasn’t this the part where we charged in while screaming like mad warriors?
Cut that whole shitty scene, idiot.
Eristella: “I still have not thanked you for granting my earlier request... I wished to offer some small help before you enter the battle.”
Sunraku: “What kind of help?”
Eristella: “That wound was carved by the Emperor of the Night through a powerful desire. A prayer from someone such as myself could never overcome it... But I can still calm the lingering shadow of those raging fangs for a short time.”
Saint-chan placed a finger against the savage marks running across my body like tattoos and scars.
Josette was making the face of a demon behind her, so I seriously wished she would stop.
It felt like I needed to start preparing a command for begging for my life.
Whether she noticed or not, Saint-chan stared seriously at Lycagon’s Contusion.
Eristella: “Wolf King of the Night Raid, who permits none to hide their proof... For just a short while, please grant this warrior permission to wear armor... [────]”
Even though I was standing right beside her, I couldn’t hear what Saint-chan said at the end.
But I could tell what happened.
Sunraku: “Whoa.”
Some kind of light began crawling across my body from the tip of Saint-chan’s finger.
It looked questionable, but it wasn’t slimy or tentacle-like.
When the light faded, a strange pattern like flowers wrapped around chains had spread over Lycagon’s Contusion.
Eristella: “For a short time, until this dragon disaster has ended, I have sealed the effects caused by that wound. Unfortunately, I was also forced to seal the protection it grants you.”
Sunraku: “No, no, this is excellent. Absolutely wonderful. Where do I make my donation?”
Who was the idiot treating her like some mysterious, overpowered character earlier?
I’d punch him.
Unfortunately, I didn’t own a time machine, so I lowered my fist.
Lycagon’s Contusion had been temporarily disabled?
That was a dream come true.
The floral look made it seem even more twisted—honestly, like something a pervert would wear—but I no longer cared what my bare skin looked like.
Sunraku: “All this does is let me put on armor without having to destroy it first, so why does it feel like I just beat the entire game...?!”
I didn’t fully understand why, but I was getting fired up!
This meant I had no choice but to bring out my finest outfit too!
Countless encounters.
Countless defeats.
And victories.
I hadn’t managed to sell so many scorpion materials to the Golden Scales through my own strength alone.
Scorpions were my best friends.
And among them, there was one I had been especially close with.
To be exact, we were both so eager to fight that we attacked each other whenever we met.
The Golden Scorpion that devoured its own kind.
If Siegwurm was the one and only gold known as a Unique Monster, then this was another rare gold that shone beneath the moonlight.
Armor made with plenty of its materials had been sleeping inside Inventoria while I dreamed of the day I could finally wear it—
Yashirobird: “Whoa, that thing is seriously glittering.”
Sunraku: “Behold! The Golden Crystal Battle Garb: Exile Cross series, made from Golden Scorpion materials!”
A Cazzeria jeweler had used a secret art that wove minerals into cloth to create the golden fabric.
According to Bilac, the jeweler had accepted the request “for some reason” without any trouble.
The result was black-and-gold...
Well, clothing made from all kinds of materials I had chosen while thinking up every nasty trick I could.
It was clothing.
What else could I call it?
It wasn’t my fault!
I told Bilac, “I don’t care about hardness! Just make it as easy to move in as possible!”
Then she got angry on her own and made armor that looked like nothing more than a long-sleeved shirt and jeans!
Sure, it had protective plates over the important areas!
But the overall shape looked exactly like something you would wear while relaxing on a slightly chilly day off!
Yashirobird: “It just looks like ordinary clothes...”
Sunraku: “I’ll have you know its equipment VIT is higher than some heavy armor.”
Josette: “What materials were used to make it?”
Sunraku: “Rare Golden Scorpion materials and a bunch of rare ores. If I sold everything that went into it, I could probably get around two hundred million.”
Yashirobird: “Two hundred million.”
Josette: “Haa... This is really worth that much...”
I hadn’t been ready to wear it until it fell apart, so I had shoved it into the back of my closet—Inventoria.
But now that I didn’t have to fear Lycagon’s Contusion, it was time to wear my finest clothes.
Sunraku: “If I put on the Lapistella Cloak too, doesn’t it make me look a little more like a warrior?”
Yashirobird: “...Maybe, if I really try to see it that way?”
Josette: “Well, with that face... no one would mistake you for an ordinary person.”
Sunraku: “All right! Now let’s go crash this fight properly!!”
Gwooom.
The eight eye-shaped parts of my iron mask lit up.
Now then, time to launch a proper assault.
...
Didn’t I just change from an exhibitionist into a suspicious stranger?