Chapter 85: Sea Dragon and Wyvern

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Translator: Soafp

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“I'm going to the strategy meeting to discuss the operation to retake Klaus Port with the commander of the knight order. Please enjoy some private time together as mother and son.”

“Sure.”

“Your consideration is most appreciated, Princess Christina.”

Christina still looked like she wanted to talk with Gina, but she hurried off out of consideration for me.

“So, Mom, why are you here? Weren't you on a business trip abroad?”

“I had just returned to the kingdom by sea when the monsters attacked. I ended up treating the wounded soldiers as things unfolded.”

I see.

For the soldiers whose port was suddenly attacked, she must have been a very reassuring ally.

When it comes to healing magic, Gina is even better than Nee-san.

…The fact that even Gina had worked until her mana was completely depleted tells me just how harsh this battlefield is.

“By the way, Ask, there's something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“That fluffy thing you've been holding in your arms this whole time… what exactly is it?”

“Oh, this is Kutama. I started raising it recently. Cute, right?”

“M-May I pet it?”

I held Kutama out to her, and her eyes sparkled as she started fluffing it.

Nee-san also looked like she wanted to touch Garu's fluff before, so maybe the Medicus family just really loves fluffy things.

“This texture is absolutely wonderful…”

“Kyu!!”

“Ah.”

Maybe Kutama didn't like her petting.

At first it stayed still, but then it slipped out of Gina's hands, returned to my arms, and demanded to be petted.

Heh, looks like I, the owner, know the best spots to make Kutama feel good.

At that moment, Gina cleared her throat.

“Ahem… Ask, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“With your physical ability, you should be able to carry many wounded at once. Could you transport those injured on the front lines back to the camp by the fastest, shortest route?”

Hmm?

“I would go myself, but I'm the only one here capable of using high-level healing magic…”

“Understood.”

Perfect timing.

I can secretly treat the critically wounded on the front lines, and bring the others back to Gina.

By day I'll act as a member of the Medicus family, and by night as No-Face.

Just as I settled on that plan—

A bell began to ring in a steady clang-clang rhythm, and the soldiers around us grew noisy.

“Mom, Mom, what's that sound?”

“It's an attack. The wyverns take off from the back of a sea dragon beyond Klaus Port and drop rocks indiscriminately from the sky.”

“Wow, that's terrifying.”

If you think of the sea dragon as an aircraft carrier and the wyverns and other flying monsters as aircraft, you understand how scary it is.

The fact that they've only let a few monsters like that giant bird Byak slip through while being attacked from the air is actually impressive.

“…This one seems close. Shall we step outside for a moment?”

Gina casually walked out of the tent.

Looking up, we saw wyverns flying in formation.

Thanks to the dense forest, it seemed the camp the knights built couldn't be seen from above…

But the wyverns were dropping rocks methodically, and several were falling toward the camp.

One especially large rock was about to hit a tent full of patients.

Gina activated a body-strengthening spell.

“—Physical Boost.”

She kicked off the ground, leapt into the air, and punched the rock with all her strength.

It shattered into tiny fragments.

Some of the knights and soldiers who saw it began whispering.

“Gina-sama is beautiful and kind, and she's got huge b00bs, but… she's scary.”

“I know, right? Crushing a rock with her fist isn't human.”

“But honestly, part of me wants to be stepped on by a super-strong busty beauty.”

“She's a married woman, you know?”

“There's no man alive who wouldn't want to be stepped on by a busty, beautiful married woman.”

…Please don't look at someone's mother in a sexual way.

“Phew, dealing with the rubble is a hassle. Ask, help clear the rocks.”

“Aye aye.”

I started clearing the shattered rocks.

But if I finished too quickly, I'd have nothing to do.

Maybe I can use these rocks for something.

“Ask, what are you doing?”

“I made a wyvern statue. Thought it might sell as a stress-relief punching bag for the soldiers.”

“…You're as skillful with your hands as ever.”

“It's nothing special.”

At that moment, Christina came back—apparently the strategy meeting had just ended.

Her expression looked a little anxious… or rather, dark.

“Princess Christina, what's wrong?”

“The operation to retake Klaus Port has been decided.”

“Oh, that's good.”

“It's not good at all. It's a plan that assumes many knights will be sacrificed.”

“What kind of plan is it?”

“…Did you know that wyverns need a long run-up to take flight?”

“I didn't.”

Needing a run-up really does make them like aircraft.

“…It seems the wyverns that attacked Klaus Port are using the sea dragon's back as their runway.”

“The sea dragon really is like an aircraft carrier… Oh, then if you defeat the sea dragon, problem solved?”

Even flying monsters don't have infinite stamina.

If the sea dragon is taken down, the wyverns lose their place to rest their wings at sea.

They'll be forced to land somewhere on the ground.

Once they're on the ground, we can launch a full assault and have a good chance of winning.

“Exactly. That's why it's been decided that I will go and kill the sea dragon, but…”

“Is there a problem?”

“…The problem is whether I can cross the obstacle-free plain and reach Klaus Port. The knight commander said he would mobilize all the knights to create a diversion on the plain, but…”

“That would result in an unimaginable number of deaths.”

“Yes. Just as Gina-sama said, on the plain there's no way to avoid the wyverns' falling rocks. And we'll still need forces to defeat the wyverns after they land…”

I see, I see.

“We could minimize losses and wait while fighting for reinforcements from all over the kingdom to gather before launching the operation… but considering the damage we'll take while waiting…”

“Reinforcements from the Empire?”

“…Unlikely. The Empire also has to prepare for its own battles against monsters.”

I see, I see, I see.

“Princess Christina.”

“What is it, Ask-sama?”

“I stopped understanding halfway through. Please summarize in three lines.”

“The kingdom. Is in. Big trouble.”

Oh, very easy to understand.

“Hm? Ask-sama, that statue there…”

“It's a wyvern statue I made to kill time. Want one?”

“…Ask-sama, how much for this stone statue?”

“How about one gold coin each?”

“N-not the price!! How long did it take you to make this!?”

Christina stared at the wyvern statue I made, breathing heavily through her nose.

What's with her all of a sudden?

“About thirty minutes. Give me an hour and I can make it look just like the real thing.”

“A-Ask-sama!! I have a request!!”

“Hm?”

Before I knew it, Christina's expression had brightened—just like when she talks about Nee-san.