Clash and Traces
“Ladies?! Look up! Up…!!!” I shouted while sheltered under Sonya’s protection, my eyes fixed on the sky above.
—Flap, flap!
A sudden, violent gust of wind pressed down from above, like a high-pressure blast slamming into the ground. I didn’t need to see it to know what it was. My vision was already filled with countless black silhouettes. A monstrous creature with wings easily five times larger than Sonya’s spread wide across the sky.
“Hah, when did it get up there…?”
That was right. In that brief moment, the monster had not only dodged Eros’s heavy strike but was now soaring through the air. Its speed was so extreme that it was nearly impossible to track with the naked eye. If the sky hadn’t suddenly darkened, I wouldn’t have noticed it so quickly either.
But that wasn’t the real problem.
—Kiiiiiiing…!!!
The creature was charging another magic projectile in midair. A sinister black energy gathered inside its maw, an unpleasant concentration of murderous intent. It looked ready to fire at us any second.
“Tch…! Sonya? I’ll block it again, so this time, tie it down properly!”
—Clack!
Eros immediately adjusted her stance, gripping her mace tightly as she glared upward, poised to launch herself skyward at any moment.
“Completely restraining it in the air is impossible! But I’ll suppress its wings this time, so look for an opening then!”
Sonya clutched her own wrist, condensing a chilling blue frost at her fingertips. She seemed ready to coordinate with Eros right away.
“That’s easy enough! Leave a pathetic monster like that to Lady Eros~!!!”
—Whoosh!
Eros leaped into the sky once more. With a powerful stomp, she soared upward, her Punishment Mace drawn back behind her. She was clearly planning to use the momentum to smash the monster’s head again.
‘Eros… so she’s a character who can both deal damage and tank?’
From what I was seeing, she was practically an all-rounder. Defense strong enough to casually deflect magic projectiles. Raw power capable of shattering the ground. And even the ability to charm her opponents. Well, being SSR-rank, it made sense that she had such versatility.
‘But what’s that?’
—Flap, flap…!
From Eros’s back, a pair of small, adorable purple wings unfurled. They were only about the size of my face, fluttering cutely as they provided extra propulsion. At least the wings didn’t match her SSR status. She might be all-powerful in combat, but her flight capabilities seemed lacking.
“This time, I’ll definitely restrain it! Teacher is watching, so I can’t afford to mess up twice…!!”
Sonya muttered as she stared at the monster still charging its projectile. Her pink eyes looked ready to fire freezing beams.
—Fwoooosh!!!
—Crackle…!!!
Contrary to my expectations, massive ice crystals formed naturally in the air. Huge, crystalline chunks of ice clung to the monster’s wings. In the blink of an eye, its wings were frozen solid. Last time, only small frost particles had appeared, but now large chunks of ice had properly immobilized the creature.
—Stagger!
「Kihihihihit──???!!!」
The monster lost its balance and stumbled in midair.
—Kiiing…! Twak-boom!!!
Panicked by the sudden restraint and the incoming charge, the monster hastily fired its projectile.
“Pfft♡ What’s that? Such a pathetic attack?”
「Kiheeeek-?!!」
As expected, the projectile sliced harmlessly through empty air.
“It was so slow I thought someone had glued wings onto a worm~?”
「Kkakakakakakakak─!!!!!!」
Eros reached the same altitude and immediately taunted the monster. Surprisingly, the provocation worked—the creature let out an ear-splitting screech.
“Huaaah…?! S-So loud! You’re annoying!”
—Swoooosh…!
The moment the taunt ended, Eros followed up with an attack. Her Punishment Mace, pulled back from behind, was already right in front of the monster’s forehead.
“…So! How about you shut up now?!”
With clear irritation in her voice, Eros swung the mace with all her strength. It came crashing down onto the monster’s head. With its wings properly restrained this time, there was no way the strike would miss.
—SKAAAAANG━──!!!
A clear, metallic impact rang out, like striking a home run with a metal bat. This time, it had definitely connected.
—Rumble rumble rumble!!!
As expected, the monster was driven straight into the ground by Eros’s blow. Another cloud of dust and a powerful tremor shook the earth. The creature’s fall left yet another deep crater in the ground. Remarkably, a single strike had been enough to subdue it.
—Tap!
“Sonya? Nice support! The pathetic monster’s been dealt with by Lady Eros, so relax~!”
“Y-You did great, Eros! We actually handled a monster by ourselves…? I-I can’t believe it!”
“Hmph! With my skills, it’s only natural!”
Eros landed and immediately puffed out her chest, shrugging her shoulders proudly.
“Eros? Does this mean we might get a special vacation?”
“Huh? Then I can finally escape last place……?!”
—Rustle!
“Kyaa-? E-Eros…?!”
Eros pulled Sonya into a hug at the mention of a special vacation. It wasn’t surprising she was excited. Who could stay calm in front of a reward vacation? It was like catching a spy while on guard duty in the military. Apparently, the academy had its own reward system. Even the dormitories had a shop system, after all.
“I just want to rest for about a month, nothing more, nothing less…!”
“Eros? Then when we go out this time, let’s go to the continent together─!”
Just as Sonya and Eros were happily chattering away, lost in their pleasant fantasies—
「…Grrrrr!!!」
A low, ominous howl echoed once more.
“Uh, ladies? I don’t think it’s over yet……”
“What?! T-That can’t be! I definitely felt the impact earlier???”
“Was our power not enough…?”
—Stumble!
The monster, which had been staggering, rose back to its feet. This was the consequence of not finishing it off after subduing it. At the very least, we should have reported to the academy during that opening. Judging by its condition, it was still perfectly fine. It seemed to have only been temporarily stunned. This thing had far more vitality than I’d expected.
“Kuh, so we really have no choice but to borrow the seniors’ strength?”
“Sonya! Get ready! We might have to either run or fight……!”
The moment the monster stood up again, another ominous sign filled the air. Damn it. So that’s why the quest window back then had said [Complete the reconnaissance mission safely without any damage]……?
—Flap, flap…!
Red wings sliced smoothly through the clouds as they descended. Having reached their destination, they were preparing to land. The crimson wings flew low toward a dome-shaped training ground surrounded by foliage.
“Senior Sofia? There’s no trace near the outpost……. Do you sense anything?”
Voices could be heard from those scanning the ground while flying low. Everyone was searching the area with intense focus, as if they had become one.
“No, I don’t feel Breeder’s presence here either.”
“Huat? Did he move again, desu-yong…?”
Their goal was, of course, Breeder. Sofia had been tracking his presence. But she couldn’t seem to close the distance. Just when she thought she was getting closer, the gap kept widening for some reason. Until yesterday, she had thought they would spend their entire lives together.
“This is really strange. At this time, he should still be here……”
“He really is like the wind, oppa-!”
“Anyway, Senior Sofia? Should we head to the next outpost right away?”
“W-Wait! Raylin…?! Look over there!”
“Huh? Where are you talking about─?”
“Let’s go down first, quickly!”
Sofia, who had been clinging to Raylin’s arm, suddenly shouted while looking downward. And for good reason—
“Hohwaat? These traces……?!”
As they flew closer to the ground, two deep black pits came into view.
“An unholy energy I never want to approach is everywhere……?”
The moment Raylin landed, Sofia rushed toward the pits to examine the traces.
“It’s possible that a monster really did invade the academy.”
“Hohwah-?! A m-monster? Is that true?!”
“Yes. You’ve encountered monsters before too, Raylin, so you’d know. The area is filled with impure energy. I haven’t met one in a long time either, so I was confused at first……. But with this much energy, it’s definitely certain.”
Sofia nodded with conviction after confirming the traces with her golden eyes flashing. Her expression was already clouded with anxiety.
“Huaaht-?! Come over here, desu-yong! I can smell Breeder oppa, desu-yong…!”
""……?!""
Derke’s voice rang out from deep within the forest. She had gone off alone to search for Breeder’s traces, unable to wait any longer.
“What? Derke, is that true?”
“Let’s go check it out right away!”
At those words, Sofia and Raylin moved in unison. When they arrived at the place where Derke’s voice had come from……