Tricolor Brothers' Provocation
89th floor. The very layer where that owl monster named Aolras resided.
The moment we entered, we were greeted by SA-rank monsters.
Not just one, but three of them.
Each had feathers in red, blue, and yellow, and aside from the color of those feathers, they looked completely identical.
Giryu seemed to know quite a bit about them.
[The Tricolor Brothers, huh.]
[You know them?]
[They were under me once. I didn't keep them long—their temperaments were too nasty.]
Giryu said this as he flapped his wings once, slowing his speed.
The creatures had noticed us and were approaching slowly.
[Oh my, if it isn't Giryu! How have you been?]
The red one spoke up as their representative.
His tone was fairly polite, but for some reason, it reeked of unpleasantness.
[You're greeting the wrong person first. Can't you see the young lady in your sights?]
[Oh dear, oh dear! Lady Lehatna is with you too! Your presence is so... understated. My apologies.]
The creature grinned broadly and lightly flicked the tip of his wing.
The other two behind him followed suit, flicking their wings toward Lehatna.
It was obvious provocation, plain as day to anyone watching. They wanted us to strike first.
Considering the oath with Le Ganus, they couldn't attack us unless we broke it first.
So they were deliberately baiting us into shattering the oath ourselves.
No need to fall for such cheap tricks...
[Insolent as ever, Redros. Do you need another beating like back then to come to your senses?]
Apparently, the pointless taunting worked all too well on Giryu.
As he subtly raised his aura and flapped his wings ferociously, a sly smile crept across the red one's face.
[Do you still see us as those green kids groveling under you?]
The blue one stepped forward in the red one's place and spoke up.
Giryu's eyes twitched at the creature ramping up his own aura, as if ready to charge at any moment.
A threatening growl, thick with displeasure, poured from his mouth nonstop.
[Calm down, Giryu. We can't strike first. Don't fall for their petty bait.]
[Yeah, Giryu! I'm fine!]
Giryu slowly nodded at my quiet words and Lehatna's.
[My apologies... Sorry, young lady.]
[It's okay! You got mad for my sake!]
Giryu smiled faintly at Lehatna's bright grin.
He still seemed irritated, but he wouldn't fall for their provocations so easily now.
The red one, who had been silently watching our exchange, finally spoke.
[Giryu, you seem much more refined since we last met. Thanks to Lady Lehatna, perhaps?]
He smiled thinly and glanced at Lehatna.
She flinched at his leering, inscrutable gaze.
[Lady Lehatna still seems so fragile. If only she took after Lord Dragon King even a little...]
[That's not a name for the likes of you to utter, Redros.]
[Oh dear. My apologies. I'm just so thrilled to see Giryu after so long—I've made too many slips today. Please forgive me generously!]
I lightly tapped Giryu's neck at the creature's disgustingly cheerful grin.
His gaze flicked toward me.
[Let's go. No need to entertain them.]
[...Right.]
Giryu nodded once and addressed them.
[If you have no further business, step aside. We're leaving.]
[Leaving already, after so long apart? Can't we chat a bit more?]
[We're not the type to chat amicably.]
[Oh... What a shame. Well, it's not just today. We've taken over managing these skies in Aolras's stead—three of us. We'll meet often!]
[...Get lost.]
[Haha, still as prickly as ever!]
The grinning creature surprisingly yielded the path without fuss.
The blue and yellow ones followed the red one's lead.
Their compliance was suspicious, but we couldn't act now.
Striking first would play right into their hands.
[Oh, and is that 'Nix' riding on your back, Giryu?]
The creature, who had ignored me until now, suddenly asked.
He was still smiling that nauseatingly innocent smile.
[Yeah. I'm Nix.]
[Just as I thought! I've wanted to meet you ever since I first heard. Thrilled to make your acquaintance!]
[If it's pointless talk, save it. I'm not interested.]
[Haha, so hasty! Well, I don't particularly want to chat long with a land-dweller either... But this is a message from Lord Le Ganus.]
[...What?]
[He said he'll chew you up nice and slow, so wash up and wait. Haha. I'd love a bite myself!]
Arrogance SS
[Take good care of yourself until then.]
The creatures flinched as a heavy aura engulfed the area.
[...Haha. How frightening. Take care of yourself too, Lord Nix.]
His face was still smiling, but one side had stiffened awkwardly as he flicked his wing.
I snorted at him and urged Giryu onward.
Three pairs of eyes glared at our backs from behind.
[I get they're doing it on purpose, but those bastards are insufferable.]
[They've always been troublemakers. Especially Redros—that one's the sleaziest.]
[Yeah. He gave off that vibe.]
I nodded at Giryu's words, glancing back.
We were already far enough that they were out of sight.
Staring at the empty sky, I spoke.
[What do you think those guys will pull next?]
[Who knows. Too many possibilities—it's a problem.]
[Can't they move easily because of the oath with Le Ganus?]
[As I said, minor interference is within limits. That's why he sent them. They've always excelled at slimy schemes.]
Giryu suddenly frowned, looking ahead.
I followed his gaze. At the edge of the sky loomed a massive shape.
Bigger than my true form, it wasn't some floating island.
Clearly a living creature.
Not one, but thousands—tens of thousands—clustered into a colossal swarm.
[...What the hell is that?]
[A flock of Hunger Crows. They devour everything in their path. No real intelligence, no one's control—lawless scavengers.]
[...So that's what they prepared?]
[...If that's all, we'd be lucky.]
Giryu flapped his wings powerfully.
As his mana began to boil, I quickly said,
[Detour around them?]
[Impossible. They've spotted us—we're prey now.]
Giryu flapped again.
Fierce winds whipped up a storm in seconds.
[Stay behind me, young lady. It's dangerous.]
[Shouldn't I help?]
Giryu shook his head slightly at Lehatna's question.
[No need for you against a flock like that. Leave this to me.]
[...Okay! I trust you, Giryu! Be careful!]
Giryu smiled faintly at her cheer.
He flapped vigorously, becoming a streak of storm hurtling toward the swarm.
His acceleration nearly flung me off his shoulder.
A dizzying moment.
[...Warn me next time you speed up.]
[My bad. Slipped my mind.]
[Your face says otherwise.]
[Enough chit-chat. Focus on the fight, Nix.]
I sighed softly at his curt tone.
Hard to believe this was the same ferocious beast from our first meeting.
Of course, when we clashed with the crows for real, I saw it wasn't an act.
The Hunger Crow flock was a massive group of those D-to-A-rank monsters.
Sizes varied from normal crow to 2-3 meters.
"Kaaak—!"
"Kaak— Kaaak—!"
"Kaak—!"
The cries of thousands echoed chaotically through the sky.
Individually weak, but united, they were no joke.
I couldn't help but admire how they withstood Giryu's storm.
[No time to gawk like an idiot!]
Giryu's storm tore through the flock's center.
Many plummeted helplessly, but the swarm barely faltered.
After watching briefly, I joined the attack.
Human form limits my magic, so Magic Eye it is.
Instant Death Magic Eye.
Deadly to a swarm with low mana resistance.
As I activated it quietly, a chunk of the flock rained down.
[Effective.]
[Useless against high-resistance foes, though.]
I rubbed my slightly sore eye and scanned the remnants.
Still an insane number left.
[So many.]
[They don't usually cluster this big. The Tricolors must've done something.]
I nodded thoughtfully.
Threatening, sure—but not to two SS-ranks.
A minor annoyance; we had options aplenty.
The brothers knew that.
So why this tactic?
Limited options without direct involvement.
Using Hunger Crows was decent—time-consuming without real danger.
That's what they wanted.
Delay us.
We had only ten days.
After that, the oath ends, and war begins.
They knew.
Not to kill us—just stall.
Crows weren't lethal but demanded time to clear.
That was their big play.
They might not know about Leysia, but stalling prevents anything else.
This flock was part of the plan.
Realizing that, I pictured the red one's sleazy grin—and chuckled.
[Quit grinning creepily and clean them up! Don't let a single one near the young lady!]
I nodded at Giryu's bark and handed control to my right head.
I'd used Magic Eye; his turn.
[Hungryyyy...]
Petrification swept the flock.
Stone crows plummeted endlessly.
Staring at them, I vowed silently.
Those three. Especially that red bastard. What a pain. Next time, I'll chew them to bits.
The others, whatever—but that red one gets crunched for sure.
No timeline, but soon.
Imagining it, I fended off the onslaught with Giryu.
Their numbers were absurd; even together, it took ages.
Just as those three wanted. Infuriating.