Chapter 347
Chapter 347
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 347
>Chapter Title: Something That Was There But Isn't
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Wyvern.
It was shortly after Bark had led his mercenary band to join the development site that they invaded.
A black shadow looming overhead.
A massive reptile blotting out the sky.
Dozens of wyverns appeared without warning, turned the site into a wasteland, and vanished.
"Casualties number seventy-two. Mostly powerless laborers."
Seventeen laborers had been snatched by wyverns, and five died on the spot. There were no small number of severe injuries that left men unable to move.
"Even that was thanks to the old mage acting as proxy for the overseer."
"Then, the injured..."
Evelyn voiced her concern for the wounded.
"Fortunately, we don't lack for supplies, so they're receiving treatment. The old mage is quite skilled in medicine, too."
"Ah."
Evelyn let out a sigh of relief.
A silver lining in the misfortune.
But as he spoke up to that point, something struck her as odd.
'...Seventy-two casualties?'
It was strange.
The wyvern raids had only begun a week ago.
Seventy-two casualties was an enormous number.
The defenders of the site were, after all, mercenaries from some of the finest bands around.
Inexperienced hires might fall helplessly to flying monsters, but these men's records and skills weren't so meager.
Especially the Stormwing mercenaries, who had been on the monster frontlines until recently.
"This part needs some explaining."
Bark, hearing my suspicions, pressed his temples as if his head ached and continued.
"As I said before, the wyvern raids came without warning. Late response is the first reason."
"They didn't teleport or anything."
"They came straight down from above the clouds. As if... hiding themselves."
"Hm. And?"
Monsters concealing themselves wasn't all that rare.
Like any predator, they knew how to hide from prey.
Of course, dozens of wyverns moving in such unified formation was odd, but that could happen.
But.
'...That's not reason enough.'
If that was the only excuse, it was one of two things.
Either the site's mercenaries were frauds faking their resumes... or they held back to sabotage the development.
The former was unlikely, so I had to eye Bark suspiciously.
Did he notice my gaze?
Bark narrowed his eyes, his expression conflicted, ripples of worry on his face. He spoke soon after.
"I don't know how it'll sound... but in my view, the wyverns were using tactics."
"...Tactics?"
"Yes."
"What..."
It was such nonsense.
I stared at Bark in disbelief. Had the mercenary captain taken an arrow to the head or something?
But his head bore no arrow, not even a scar from one being removed.
So he was saying this stone-cold sober...
Evelyn, who had been listening quietly, voiced her doubt right then.
"Is it strange for monsters to use tactics? I thought goblins and orcs did..."
Of course, seen that way, it wasn't so strange.
As Evelyn said, goblins, orcs, and even trolls used primitive tactics.
But.
"That's the wrong comparison. Think about what those monsters have in common."
"In common..."
"Tribal societies."
"...Ah."
"They're monsters that form groups with some primitive hierarchy. I've heard some remote goblin tribes even have their own civilization..."
Whether goblins or orcs truly had civilizations was unverified.
In any case, monsters that used tactics had high social intelligence.
Wyverns, on the other hand...
"Wyverns don't have high social intelligence. It's a stretch for them to show the kind of unified action Sir Bark described."
Right. It wasn't really about 'tactics'—it was the 'unified action' that was key.
A pack using tactics to hunt was just what beasts did.
But dozens of wyverns hiding in unison to evade seasoned mercenaries' eyes?
Some monsters acted like pack beasts such as wolves, but wyverns weren't among them.
An anomalous event, then...
"It's just speculation. And they haven't shown that behavior in later raids."
"Later raids?"
"Later ones were ordinary. Just like any other wyverns..."
A few hid above the clouds, but only a handful.
That part felt even more suspicious to me.
'A fluke? Pure chance they only did that synchronized move on the first day?'
Fat chance.
My instincts told me otherwise.
Something was up.
"In any case, I don't recommend heading to the site for these reasons. What'll you do? I can guide you to Viscount Dr. Müsi's territory. The viscount may see us as foes, but he'll shelter us for a price."
I took a moment to collect my thoughts at Bark's question.
Truth be told, 'go or not' wasn't worth agonizing over. Wyverns or whatever, I'd smash them all.
I just needed to tuck away the suspicions bubbling in my head.
Once sorted.
I spoke.
"Let's go."
Bark nodded and rose at my answer.
"Understood. I'll guide you to Viscount Dr. Müsi's territory."
What?
"To the development site. The site."
"...?"
Bark tilted his head, uncomprehending.
Thinking I hadn't grasped his words, he opened his mouth to repeat himself, but I cut in first with a question.
"Something that was there, but disappears. Know what that is?"
"What..."
The answer was simple.
"Wyvern."
Because.
I'd make it so.
* * *
Bark tried dissuading us a few more times, but as hired hands, he couldn't override our will.
And so, we arrived at the development site.
"Hmm..."
Evelyn groaned at the site's more wretched state than expected.
"Grave."
Collapsed buildings.
Signs of fire everywhere, as if it had blazed.
On the cold ground, dark red bloodstains—dried or frozen, hard to tell—clung stubbornly.
"This way."
We crossed the site following Bark's lead.
Construction materials strewn about.
'That's gotta cost a fortune.'
No doubt. Some buildings had collapsed entirely. But that damage was nothing.
The greater loss was...
"Urgh... ugh..."
How long had we walked?
Groans reached our ears.
Yes, the true great loss was people.
More than crumbled buildings or their cost... what hit me hardest was the human toll.
In a building used as barracks, those moaning in agony.
I stopped, peering into the building where the wounded groaned.
"This one's a makeshift ward. And this way..."
Bark moved ahead, but I didn't budge. Neither did Evelyn.
"...Aster."
"Yeah."
Evelyn added nothing more, but I knew what she wanted.
Same as me.
...Entering the building, a sharp tang of blood and acrid medicine stung my nose.
The first floor, once a mess hall, held the wounded laid out. My eyes settled on the one deepest in: a patient wrapped head to toe in blood-soaked bandages.
Callused hands. Not from swords—labor, surely.
"...Bitten by a wyvern. The old mage did what he could, but no hope left. Severe fractures from the fall, and the fangs hit a bad spot. Not long now."
Bark had approached unnoticed.
I glanced at him briefly after his explanation, then took in each patient on the first floor.
Hammer-grip, sword-grip. Men who'd clutched different tools to earn their keep, all groaning in pain now.
It hurts... hurts so much...
...Ugly sight.
That was my honest feeling.
Bearded men wailing like children.
So my next actions weren't from pity or sympathy.
Just...
Because it was ugly.
"Something that was there, but isn't. Thought of another one."
"...?"
I reached toward the man said to be at death's door from the wyvern bite.
Light bloomed from my hand.
It grew, enveloping him.
His groans quieted at once.
Soon after.
I withdrew the Light of Healing and looked down at him.
"Now that's more like it."
But plenty of ugly men remained.
Ugly was...
Easy enough to fix.
Of course.
* * *
After healing every wounded soul at the site, Aster had Bark call an assembly.
Not that it was a grand affair.
To prepare for wyvern raids, the site's key figures already bunked in one building.
They blinked in confusion at the sudden summons, curiosity flickering about Bark's reason.
"The overseer?"
"Hmm, doubtful. No reason for him at this time."
"You never know. Maybe found a way to deal with the wyverns."
"Would be nice..."
Even as they spoke, they held little real hope.
Even the famed Stormwing captain wouldn't have a magic bullet.
Thus gathered three deputies, mercenary captains, labor chiefs, and other ranking personnel.
Bark entered the space soon after.
"Thanks for gathering. I've called you to introduce someone."
Who to introduce at a time like this?
Doubt flickered in their eyes.
Some reinforcements to turn the tide?
Eyes mixing suspicion and hope fixed on Bark as someone appeared from the door he'd entered.
And.
"...Hm?"
A sigh from somewhere.
Some tilted heads at Bark.
No wonder. The one Bark brought to introduce was a boyish-faced youth.
At a glance, a young man in his early twenties, but boy or youth mattered little.
Just that he was awfully young.
Feeling those stares, Bark glanced at Aster.
Aster's mouth opened right then.
"Aster. Total head of the development project."
Unlike his polite tone with Bark, his voice came out curt.
He was displeased.
"Wyverns? We'll crush 'em."
These damn wyverns.
"...Ha!"
For some reason.
One of those gathered burst out laughing.
In utter disbelief.