How to Cross the Desert (7)
And so, the next day arrived.
The long episode was finally drawing to a close.
We trudged across the desert, our bodies weary from the journey.
As we walked, vigilant of our surroundings, Regia, who was beside me, suddenly murmured,
"...It's strange today."
It was unusually quiet.
If it had been like the past few days, we would have been ambushed at least three or four times by now, but today, nothing had happened.
Even the scorpions, which we had encountered so frequently, were nowhere to be seen.
"I, I've never seen the desert this quiet."
"Isn't it odd? This shouldn't be a place we can pass through so easily... It's like the calm before a storm."
"Let's take this opportunity to conserve our energy."
"Good idea. We're not far from our destination anyway."
I responded to them, pretending not to know.
This was the pattern of the final wave.
At least during the day, there would be no attacks.
Instead, when the sun set and night fell, the final wave that would determine the outcome would begin.
Probably enemies of a completely different scale would come swarming in.
'It's going to be tough if we continue like this.'
To be honest, the difficulty of this episode was high.
Originally, it was a level that one could only attempt after gaining experience at the Academy and reaching the position of chief assistant.
In our current state, we would likely be utterly crushed.
'I entered for Regia's growth, but... was it too much after all?'
The Summoner's abilities were still nowhere to be seen.
There were no signs of awakening either, so it seemed like it would be difficult for a while.
Well, it wasn't something to rush.
As I said last time, I believed in Regia.
There would be plenty of opportunities, even if it wasn't this time.
From the beginning, it was a profitable deal just to get the items that came as rewards.
The protagonist had suffered enough in the past few days, so I was thinking of taking care of the last part for him.
We walked through the silent desert.
"..."
Time flowed peacefully.
The day passed quickly.
The sun, which had been high in the sky, eventually set beyond the horizon, and the sky was filled with dark shadows.
At last, the pitch-black night descended upon the world.
As we were sleeping, following the scheduled itinerary,
"Yo, Young Master!! Wake up...!"
A scream suddenly rang out.
It was Regia's voice, who had been on watch.
I got up as if I had been waiting, and leisurely looked around.
Only the pitch-black desert surrounded us.
Screech!
Click-
Crack, crack...!
It wasn't just dark because of the lack of light.
The ground wriggled with grotesque noises.
It was a massive number of scorpions, enough to cover the entire sandy surface.
They were swarming from all directions, blocking our escape route without leaving a single gap.
It was a truly despairing sight.
"Young Master! Hurry...!"
The pilot shouted urgently.
"Is this the end...?"
The old man loaded his crossbow with a resigned voice.
Whoosh-
Amidst the chaotic situation, I drew a single sword.
I muttered softly, so that they couldn't hear.
"Finally, it's the end."
It was finally the finale.
***
Screech-
The scorpions poured in as if on cue.
It was a wave that offered no glimmer of hope.
They ground everything around them to dust.
We had to defend our meager remaining position with all our might, fighting a desperate defensive battle.
Sparks flew incessantly in the darkness.
"Huff...!"
Clang! Thud-
Mindless monsters charged at us. I roughly deflected the torrent of venomous stingers.
Intense explosions erupted with each clash.
I tried to seize the initiative with a graceful flow, but it didn't seem to have much meaning.
The overwhelming numbers remained unresolved.
Slash-
I cleanly cut down a single mob.
Before its corpse could even roll on the ground, the next ones swarmed in.
It had been this pattern from the beginning.
Kill one, and ten more come.
Kill ten, and a hundred come.
As I sighed at the nauseating sight, a shout suddenly came from behind me.
It was the old man's voice.
"Duck!!"
Whoosh, whizz-
I ducked as soon as I heard the signal.
Immediately after, dozens of arrows, scattered like buckshot, flew over my head.
Boom-
The bodies of the scorpions were mercilessly crushed.
I quickly retreated and said to the old man who was reloading his mana,
It was a lighthearted joke.
"That was a great attack, wasn't it? If you could do that a thousand more times, I think we'd be done."
"Unfortunately, the ones I'm loading now are the last arrows."
"Oh dear."
Thud-
I thrust my sword into a scorpion falling from the air.
Judging by the appearance of winged variants, it seemed that even the mid-level monsters had all gathered.
I brushed off the bloodstains on my sleeve.
"Let's go again."
"I'll cover you."
"Yo, Young Master! They're flying in from behind...!"
We fought with all our might.
The tip of the Serpent's Sword cut down enemies from all directions, and the old man's crossbow relentlessly fired arrows and flames.
The pilot also continued to assist, creating a favorable combat environment.
I think we held out pretty well.
We had far exceeded the time I had initially anticipated.
"Whew..."
Of course, that didn't change anything.
It just delayed the inevitable end.
In the end, we were surrounded by scorpions, battered and bruised.
I quietly glanced around.
Both of them were slumped on the ground.
The crossbow was now rolling on the ground.
It seemed like he had run out of arrows.
The blade of the sword, which had been sharpened to a razor's edge with shadows, was now completely chipped.
It wouldn't be able to cut even a piece of wood now.
"Oh dear, oh dear... Unfortunately, it seems like we can't go on any longer."
I also let go of my sword.
Thud.
The fallen black fragment stuck into the sand and soon scattered into a handful of dust.
With this, we had no means of resistance left.
I caught my breath.
'I wanted to test our limits to the very end.'
Judging by the protagonist's condition, it seemed like this was it.
Regia was curled up, sobbing.
I knelt on one knee and met her tearful green eyes.
The girl was trembling.
"Regia."
"Yo, Young Master."
"It's alright now. It's all over."
"I, I'm sorry. If I had been a little better, if it weren't for me, you two..."
"Shh."
I covered her crying lips.
I held Regia's hand.
And as if to soothe a frightened child, I gently stroked her head.
It was to calm her emotions.
"You did well enough."
"Bu, But...!"
"Remember what I said a few days ago? I always believe in you, Regia."
"..."
I carefully wiped away the tears that had welled up.
Her slender shoulders trembled pitifully.
I smiled faintly.
"That belief hasn't changed."
"..."
"It was true then, and it will always be true."
The girl stared blankly up at me.
She bit her lip as if thinking about something.
I wanted to comfort her more, but the rampaging scorpions prevented me from speaking.
Grotesque screams filled my ears.
Screech-
Crackle!
Squawk!!
A jet-black storm raged.
The monsters, craving slaughter, bared their fangs and charged towards the children.
Thousands of scorpions surged like waves.
Just as we were about to be swallowed whole,
A low voice brushed past my ears.
"...Ephri."
Immediately after, a streak of lightning fell from the sky.
"Ugh...?!"
Beep-
A deafening ringing filled my ears.
As I blinked away the sudden flash of light, I soon spotted something huge flying in the sky.
It was a gigantic wing, large enough to cover the entire vicinity.
"What is that...?"
I muttered to myself involuntarily.
It was because of its flamboyant appearance.
Graceful wingbeats, a massive body, a spiked tail, and flames blazing with each breath.
It was undoubtedly the form of the Summoned Beast I had seen during the entrance exam.
"...Wyvern."
Roar-
The divine beast roared thunderously.
The entire desert trembled.
The creature opened its mouth wide and unleashed the contents it had been holding back without hesitation.
The so-called Dragon's Breath.
Boom-
Following the overwhelming firepower, the densely packed scorpions were swept away in an instant.
The blazing blue flames painted the area in brilliant hues.
Not even a speck of ash remained.
In the blink of an eye, more than 30% of the scorpions had been annihilated.
I looked to the side.
"Ha, ha...!"
There, a girl was gasping for breath.
Her pink hair was drenched in cold sweat.
Regia, still holding my hand tightly, was smiling through her tears.
Her frail body swayed.
"Regia."
I quickly caught her as she collapsed.
Even as she lay in my arms, the girl's eyes shone brightly, fixed solely on me.
Her pupils were filled with joy and affection.
"Fi, Finally... I did it."
Regia murmured with difficulty.
Her smile shone more brilliantly than the Dragon's Breath.
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