When the Observation Team members rushed to the branch leader,
Mizer, Alvin and the others are having a chat over after-dinner tea. As in the
previous day's off, they spent the morning in the archive reading reports, and
are planning to do physical exercise in the afternoon. But just as they are
about to leave, they hear Mizer's sharp voice, which can be heard throughout
the Hateyama branch thanks to the <Loudness> magic.
『This is an
emergency. All personnel in the branch should immediately gather in the main
hall to prepare their equipment』
It's no wonder that Alvin and the others looked at each other and
blinked at the urgent sound of the voice.
「An
emergency... what's going on?」
「Well? I have
no idea」
「We should
go! Tomorrow we're going to climb again. So, it's not like we have nothing to
do with it!」
「Yeah. We
need to know what's going on...」
Shinji and Renka raise their eyebrows, and Alvin leaves the room.
Though the <Running Wolves> aren't called by the Mizer, Shinji also
thinks that Alvin has a point and leaves the room. He then followed by Renka
and Milis.
When Alvin and the others entered the hall beside the cafeteria,
only Mizer is present. The observation team members who had reported in had
returned to monitor Hateyama, and the rest of the team needed to set up their
equipment before moving on, which would take some time.
Just in time, Iren also came out of the archive room and rushed to
Mizer's side.
「Branch
Leader! What is going on...?」
「It's
possible that the dragon came down the mountain. Since it's behaving peculiarly
by coming to the middle layer on foot instead of flying, I don't think it will
return to the upper layer without making a fuss」
「A
dragon...!?」
Iren couldn't hide her surprise at Mizer's words.
After all, she had gathered as much information as she could from
the reports piled up in the archive room about the dragon, which could be
called a bitter enemy. Therefore, she understood the abnormality of the dragon
descending to the middle layer on foot.
（Is it so
strange?）
（Dragons
basically fly in the sky. They walk on the ground very rarely... except to eat
and sleep）
On the other hand, Alvin doesn't understand the anomaly. For Alvin,
a dragon is just a strong monster, big, flies, and breathes fire. Ordinary
adventurers also have the same perception.
But, Shinji,
who eavesdropped on Iren and Mizer, has been studying the dragon in detail.
This was done in case of an accidental encounter (random encounter). Not only
Alvin, but also Milis and Renka listen to Shinji's whispered words so as not to
interfere with the interaction between Mizer and the others.
What is a dragon?
It's a monster about 20 meters tall. It has strong legs to walk on
all fours and a thick body to support them. It has a long tail that can be
wielded at will, and its tail, covered with hard scales, can crush even large
rocks with a single blow. And with its large wings sprouting from its back, it
is a sight to behold as it flies at a tremendous speed despite its enormous
size of over 20 meters.
Its thick neck and head are covered with red scales, and it has a
magnificent horn. Their eyes are very good, and when they find prey walking on
the ground during their flight, they descend and attack them to hunt them. To
do so, they use the sharp claws on both feet and the sharp fangs in their
mouths. They are so sharp that they can pierce through ordinary armor with a
single blow.
Furthermore, dragons possess magic.
They are known to use wind magic together with their wings in order
to fly with their huge bodies. Therefore, it not only flies, but also attacks
with blasts of wind and blades of wind.
Its most powerful attack is the breath of fire it emits from its
mouth. Its fire which is compressed into a super-heated flame, burns away
everything in its path.
If a dragon spits out a breath of fire from the sky, there is
nothing people can do. And because of this, the dragon is truly one of the most
powerful monsters in the world.
While listening to Shinji's explanation, Alvin and the others'
expressions turned grim. They knew it is dangerous, but the more they learned
about it, the more they realized that it's not something to be left alone.
In the meantime, the staff on day's off, who had been summoned by
Mizer's magic, gathered in turn. Everyone has a tense expression on their face,
and the tension in the hall is naturally rising. But, just as Mizer is about to
open his mouth after seeing all the staff in the hall, the observation team
staff rushed into the hall again.
「Branch
Leader! The dragon!」
「Huh!? What's
wrong! It can't be in the lower layer already!」
「No! The
situation is going to get worse! The dragon is trying to push the monsters in
the middle layer to the lower layer! If this continues, there's a chance that
the monsters will flood out of Hateyama...!」
「What, you
say...!?」
Mizer's eyes widened in disbelief.
**a
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
「That's it~
♡ Do it~ ♡ Run, run~ ♡」
The succubus's sweet and joyful voice echoed in Hateyama without a
trace of tension. She is riding on the back of a dragon, attacking the
monster's nest and destroying it.
The dragon is raiding the nest of a two-legged pig-faced monster
called a High Orc. And with one swing of its claws, the dragon's massive body
blows away the shabby houses that shelter it from the wind and rain, and with a
flick of its tail, the high orc is flung away. Of course, the High Orcs ran
away, abandoning their comrades who had been torn apart by the dragon's claws.
After all, if the dragon chases behind the group, the monsters will have no
choice but to flee as hard as they can.
「Fufu~ ♡ It's fun~ ♡」
The monsters that are driven away from the middle layer rush down
into the lower layer. And because the monsters in the lower layer would be no
match for the monster in the middle layer, the monster in the lower layer would
be driven away next.
Then, if there is no place for them in the lower layer, they will
have no choice but to go outside. Naturally, the adventurer's guild, which is
keeping an eye on these monsters, cannot ignore them. After all, the village
beyond Hateyama is in danger if the monsters overrun it.
On the other hand, the succubus who wants to reduce the number of people
in this world doesn’t plan to use dragon alone because it can be surrounded
immediately. So, in order to solve this problem, the succubus plans to use the
monster from Hateyama to their fullest.
And now, the monsters inhabiting the middle and lower layer of
Hateyama are caught up in a frenzy. It is only a matter of time before the
monster lose their composure and try to leave Hateyama.
