First Battle (1)
The situation made sense in an instant. Confusing as it was, I had to understand it. Otherwise I was going to die.
The monster that had appeared on Erinn's side had flown all the way here with Letisia in its grip, then slammed her into the ground and pinned her there…
The fact that Erinn still hadn't shown up even after Letisia had been reduced to this meant something was still keeping her occupied over there.
Which meant we had to handle this ourselves. On our side we had a capable thief whose face-to-face combat left something to be desired, a completely unremarkable porter, and one lizard. That was it.
As for the thing across from us…
Aside from its name and race, every single stat was unreadable. That meant it was a powerful, high-order monster — and given how instantly it had subdued Letisia, its actual combat ability was clearly monstrous as well.
Still, backing down wasn't an option. I couldn't abandon Letisia here, and even if I could, we'd be next.
First I'd call Caesius up to the front line, then have Clara circle around behind it or throw concealed weapons — try some kind of dirty trick…
"…We have to save Letisia."
While I was still analyzing the situation, Clara moved first. I started to stop her — then my eyes fell on Letisia, trapped in the thing's grip, collapsed and unable to so much as twitch — and the words died in my throat.
Thief Clara activates Assassination Art: Wolf Fang
In that same breath, Clara moved at a terrifying speed.
Thud!
A light push off the ground — and a silver knife was already driving into the gap between the monster's neck and the breastplate of its armor.
Fast…!
She was genuinely fast, and precise. Even that monster — Ogdor — seemed to have lost track of her movement.
CLANG!!
But whether it reacted or not made no difference. Clara's dagger never found a way through the armor. It wasn't that she'd stabbed wrong — the problem was that the gap that should have existed between the helmet and the chest plate simply wasn't there.
"…!"
"So… you, too, are a member of the Hero's Party."
Ogdor released Letisia and turned its full attention to Clara. It had decided she was more of a threat than finishing off the already-subdued Letisia.
"I'll dispose of you."
BOOM!!
But Clara's overwhelming agility wasn't an illusion. Ogdor's hand, thrust out at close range, smashed into nothing but empty ground — and by then Clara was already back at my side.
The gauntlet that had struck the street had transformed into something razor-sharp. The road was completely shattered, fragments flying in every direction.
That black, jagged armor it wore was deeply unnatural. It shifted as if unbound by any fixed form. And thinking back to the race listed in the status window a moment ago…
"Clara — that armor is part of its body. You can't strip it off, and there won't be any gaps."
"…Understood."
That armor was essentially Ogdor's skin. Incredibly hard skin that could change shape at will…
"…Does it have a heart?"
Clara asked me that. I watched Ogdor casually pull its hand free of the cratered ground.
"It's a living thing, so something that functions as a heart should exist."
Unlike the Obsidian Golem, its race had clearly been listed as Magical Lifeform. That meant it was a living creature of some kind, so there had to be something serving as a heart.
Clara could fill an assassin's role well enough when she needed to — she ought to be able to find a vital point under most circumstances…
"Can't find it?"
She shook her head.
"…That armor is throwing off my sense of it."
Then we'd have to try something else.
"Caesius!"
At my shout, Caesius emerged from the building at a leisurely stroll. She even had the gall to casually sweep her long hair back over her shoulder, and the sight of it made my blood boil.
"Get out here already!"
"As a rule, the noble do not run, Allen."
You chuuni lunatic — this is not the time.
"We need to find where that thing's heart is! Your eyes should be able to pick something up, right?"
A dragon's eyes were special. Beyond being extraordinarily sensitive to magic, they could detect the pulse of life itself and distinguish living beings from everything else.
Caesius looked at Ogdor at my words.
"Hmm."
"So there was another rat scurrying about."
Ogdor reacted instantly. Young as Caesius was, a dragon was still a dragon — it had clearly registered her as a genuine threat.
THOOM!
Ogdor kicked off the ground in a flash. Or rather — a shockwave erupted beneath its feet and launched it forward almost instantly.
Seeing that, Caesius said something loaded with meaning.
"Allen."
"Why aren't you dodging?!"
"This one is yours to handle."
"What? …Hey, just block it for now!"
BOOM!!
Caesius's hand armored over in hard scales and swept Ogdor's razor-edged hand aside. Then, flowing like water, she slipped free and smoothly swapped positions with the monster.
"Hey! Is your hand okay?!"
"Don't make a fuss, Allen."
It wasn't a fuss — that thing's armor was ridiculously sharp.
But Caesius genuinely looked fine. The hand that had been covered in scales was unmarked, without so much as a scratch.
Come to think of it, this girl had Physical Resistance at a full Level 7. I'd been fretting over nothing.
"I hadn't heard the Hero's Party included a dragon."
I'd worried that would put Ophelia's building in danger, but fortunately the thing showed no interest in the structure at all. It was focused solely on Caesius.
"A dragon… well, no matter."
Even after confirming Caesius, Ogdor still radiated confidence.
"You'll make for decent amusement."
More importantly — what did she mean, this one was mine to handle?
"Caesius, what was that about earlier?"
"That armor itself is magic."
"…What?"
"Did you not hear me?"
As Caesius glanced back at me, Ogdor launched itself again. The shockwave under its feet looked different from before, even at a glance.
And then—
"It is magic, so your power can neutralize it—"
"Your prattling is noisy."
"!"
Neither I nor Caesius managed to react. Ogdor was already right on top of us, both arms transformed into blades as sharp as swords. There wasn't even time for me to give Caesius an order.
"Cae—!"
Thief Clara activates Assassination Art: Searing Passion
SHING! Screeeeech!!!
A sharp dagger jammed itself between Caesius and Ogdor. It was Clara. She'd twisted her arm and driven the blade into the narrow gap, forcing them apart.
The moment I saw it, I barked an order at Caesius.
"…Caesius — knock it away!"
BOOM!
Caesius's scale-armored hand-blade slammed into Ogdor hard. Unable to take a dragon's power head-on, Ogdor was driven sideways into the ground.
Given that its entire body was armor, the actual damage was probably minimal…
"Clara, are you okay?!"
"…Yeah. I'm fine."
She said she was fine, but her expression was far from good. Just stopping that one blow must have cost her something significant.
Disgustingly fast, and strong on top of it…
No wonder Letisia had gone down like that. I looked at Caesius.
"That armor is magic?"
"So you finally heard me properly."
"I was a little distracted…"
It hadn't felt like magic when I'd looked at it earlier, but a dragon had said it, so it couldn't be wrong. And that gave me an idea. I finally understood why Caesius had said this one was mine to handle.
"Clara."
"…Yeah?"
"I know it's a lot to ask, but can you move one more time?"
At my request, Clara looked at me for a moment, then nodded.
"…What do I need to do?"
"That is…"
I started to explain it simply — then felt a vibration and turned my head.
"…Clara, you'll figure it out the second you see it."
There wasn't going to be time to explain. And just as I'd expected, Ogdor — the one Caesius had sent flying — was already moving again.
THOOM!!
The impact sounded at the same instant I raised my magic.
Magic Condensation has triggered!
The trait-activation message appeared — and in that same instant, Ogdor's charge toward Caesius visibly slowed.
Its razor-edged armor lost its shape and went soft, rippling as if it were about to be sucked into my magic at any second.
"This is…"
"Now!"
The moment I shouted, Clara shot forward. Sharp-eyed thief that she was — she'd already read my intent.
Thief Clara activates Assassination Art: Wolf Fang
CRUNCH!
Armor that had lost its form couldn't do its job. With that protection gone, Clara's dagger sank into flesh as easily as if it were nothing.
Slash!
Her blades tore through both of the creature's arms like a wolf's fangs. With both arms gone, Ogdor had nothing left to attack Caesius with as she closed in.
Caesius brought her fist down on the thing and said,
"Well now. You've become a rather dull punching bag."
BOOOOM!!!!
Ogdor went flying backward under the force of Caesius's punch.
The moment Caesius and Clara landed that hit on the monster, I used the opening to sprint to the collapsed Letisia and shake her awake.
"Letisia!"
"……"
I called her name loudly, but she still hadn't come to. Whether she'd lost too much blood or the impact had been too severe, I couldn't tell.
There had to be some way to treat her…
"…What have you done?"
"!"
I hastily scooped Letisia into my arms and backed away. But contrary to my expectations, Ogdor's arms still hadn't regenerated — so it couldn't charge me either.
"This is the invincible armor bestowed by the Magic Corps Commander. Ordinary attacks should never have been able to touch it."
Ogdor looked shaken. Not so much by its own injuries as by the fact that the armor still couldn't hold its shape — that seemed to matter more to it.
"What are you doing, human?"
"…Who knows?"
I still had no idea why I'd ended up with a trait like this — but if it worked even on a Corps Commander's subordinate, it was clearly extremely useful.
"Caesius!"
With the armor broken down, this was our chance. Both that absurd defense and that threatening offense came from the armor.
"Finish it now!"
"Understood."
This was the moment to end it. Caesius charged Ogdor on my command, and Clara moved to take its rear without needing a word from me.
Arms severed, armor neutralized — it didn't look like it could stop both of them. I was already certain of an easy win.
"…Did you think cutting off my arms would accomplish something?"
And yet somehow, the monster still hadn't given up. As if it had no reason to.
A powerful Magic Condensation is occurring.
"…!"
Magic Condensation!? Don't tell me — because it's a Magical Lifeform, it can use magic too?
I thought it was just a brawler that fought with that armor…!
Everything it had shown so far had pointed that way. But thinking about it calmly — it was a subordinate of the Magic Corps Commander. Of course it would know magic.
I'd just been too focused on how threatening its physical combat was to consider it.
Still, if it was magic…
War Armor Ogdor activates Spear of Slaughter
The skill message appeared without any chant. Whether that was because it was a Magical Lifeform or not, the fact that it had even skipped the incantation was astonishing.
But no matter how fast the activation, magic was still magic.
Fwoooooosh——————
I wrung every last drop of magic power from my body. Then I rapidly spoke a short chant.
"Dispel!"
Dispel has been activated!