Chapter 270 Two Great Dragons ②
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
TH-TH-THOOOOM!!!! !
The tremors originating from the Forest of Ur thundered all the way to the streets of the town Ur-Rie. General Sachet of the Ferguson Kingdom clicked his teeth as he barked orders to the soldiers already busy repelling the monsters that had surged forth in response to the quaking. After a brief moment of silence, the vibrations had begun anew.
THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!
”Dammit…!” Sachet muttered. “They’re in an even better mood than usual today!”
The tremors had already entered their sixth cycle. Normally, they would subside after two to four cycles; the lesser dragons would usually retreat, and they would finish things by mopping up the “Stampede¹,” but not today.
”General Sachet, fresh arrivals!”
”…!” Sachet looked up. “I appreciate the report, Duke Roost!”
At the shout from Duke Roost Badcage, a guest from the Canaria Kingdom, Sachet squinted at the horizon. Two more lesser dragons had joined the fray, bringing their number to twelve. They had already downed two. That meant a total of fourteen dragons had besieged the town today.
Individually, they were manageable. Some were on par with the beasts that had struck the Canaria Kingdom royal capital Canarias, while others were smaller-and some, significantly larger.
However, the creatures lacked any sense of coordination; instead, they lashed out at one another as if embroiled in a territorial dispute. They had been more formidable when they served “Zil Meina,” but perhaps the female’s monopolization by “Ur Hamit” had disrupted their hierarchy.
Consequently, the dragons were on edge, launching erratic charges or spewing plumes of fire in senseless breath attacks. Thanks to the barrier magic of the elite mage corps², the town remained unscathed, but if their numbers continued to swell…
If the tremors didn’t cease, the possibility of that happening was high. Though chilled to the bone, Sachet maintained a calm exterior for his men.
”Mage corps, prepare for rotation!” Sachet shouted. “Withdraw once this new wave stabilizes! The tremors may persist-ensure every man gets his proper rest!”
””””Yes, sir!””””
Once the mage corps had sufficient numbers, they had implemented a three-shift rotation: one unit engaged in combat, one rested, and one remained on standby for emergencies.
It was largely this rotation system that had allowed them to endure twenty hours across five cycles of tremors. Naturally, the ground troops and commanders followed the same protocol. It was nearly time for Sachet himself to stand down.
Yet, even as he briefed his successor, he couldn’t shake a nagging sense of dread. Something about today’s tremors was wrong. Of course, the mere fact that they were continuing this long was abnormal in itself, but…
The quaking did not stop. For twelve cycles-forty-eight hours-they fought through two grueling days.
The sky was now choked with a countess swarm of lesser dragons, and a few managed to break through the lines. The soldiers could not have known it then, but one of those escapees was the very dragon that later ravaged the Nixfen Viscounty.
The three-shift rotation had half-collapsed; two units were now permanently on the front lines. At this rate, the entire force would be deployed indefinitely, and sleep would become a luxury of the past.
A war of attrition like this could only end in total collapse. If Kento had been there, he might have irreverently joked that it was like an endless game of Tetris where the speed just kept increasing.
”Don’t overreach!” Sachet bellowed. “Keep your focus! Total annihilation is impossible! Conserve your strength! Our only goal is to hold the line!!!”
””””OOH!!!””””
Sachet shouted repeatedly, anchoring his men to their objective. The other commanders did the same. With the rotation failing and their time on the field lengthening, exhaustion began to seep into everyone’s marrow.
The warriors of the Ferguson Kingdom fought on, battered and bloody. The battle bled into the third day, then the fourth, until the rotation system had utterly disintegrated.
Was this the “Stampede” described in the ancient myths? Could any living thing truly mate for this long? When would it end? Could they truly protect their homes? Amidst a sea of doubt, fatigue, and terror…
TH-TH-TH-THOOOOOOM!!!! !
A tremor of unprecedented magnitude roared through the earth. Men stumbled, nearly dropping their weapons. But the humans weren’t the only ones who reacted.
The monsters panicked. Some fled in a frenzy, as if realizing that there were far scarier things to worry about than the humans in front of them. Others, driven mad by the sound, charged blindly only to be cut down.
The dragons, sensing something, turned as one and surged back toward the Forest of Ur.
”Did it… stop?” a soldier asked.
Just as he said, the tremors vanished as if the last few days had been a lie. Silence reclaimed the Forest of Ur.
The men exhaled long, heavy breaths of relief, the realization of their survival slowly sinking in. They wanted to celebrate their triumph.
But their arms were leaden, and their feet felt as though they were bolted to the dirt. Victory felt thin. All they could manage was a ragged, collective sigh.
”We… we held them off…” Sachet muttered.
Sachet was among those exhaling. His breath was longer and thinner than most. But his rank wouldn’t allow him the luxury of collapse.
”General Sachet, we must begin the mop-up immediately,” Duke Roost said. “I have a bad feeling about this. Get everyone moving.”
”Yes, of course,” Sachet replied.
He nodded to Duke Roost’s urge and began issuing orders to the mages and archers. The Duke had already sprinted off before Sachet could offer his thanks.
It wasn’t just now; over the last four days, Roost had been their salvation. Though he deferred to Sachet out of diplomatic courtesy, Sachet suspected the Duke would have run the defense far more efficiently.
When asked once how he could fight so tirelessly, the Duke had simply laughed. “This? This is nothing compared to a ‘death march³‘ back home.”
As expected of a Great General of the Canaria Kingdom. Sachet didn’t fully grasp the term, but he took it to mean the man had survived countless hells.
Watching him lead from the front was a sight to behold. The silver-haired, red-eyed hero was a beacon; under his gaze, the soldiers found the strength to swing swords and weave spells. Sachet was mesmerized by the man’s sheer charismatic force.
The monsters were being cleared away with clinical speed. Finally, the first act was over. But a General’s work never truly ends. He needed to analyze their failures and plan for tomorrow’s defense.
He didn’t want to admit it, but if this pace became the new normal, the front would shatter within the week. He needed a four-shift rotation, more efficient dragon-slaying tactics-a mountain of tasks.
But in the end, those plans were never needed. The next day, the earth was silent. Then the day after. A week passed. Then ten days.
Hope began to bloom. Perhaps the tremors weren’t mating sounds at all? Perhaps the giants had simply been killing each other? Just as the soldiers began to whisper of peace, it happened.
GU-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!! !
GA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! !
”Wh-What now!?”
”It can’t be…!”
In place of tremors, the roars of two titanic dragons shattered the air. Sachet, Duke Roost, and every soul present felt the shadow of the apocalypse.
The sky vanished behind the mass of the two Great Dragons and their escort of lesser kin. In a cruel mockery of intimacy, the two giants flew in perfect unison, leaning into one another as if sharing the weight of their own existence. They didn’t even flap the wings that faced each other.
The one that looked slightly smaller and more sluggish was surely the legend, “Ur Hamit.” And if Sachet’s eyes didn’t deceive him, the one looking more radiant than ever before was the calamitous female, “Zil Meina.”
If Kento had seen them, the phrase “Inseparable Pair” would have come to mind. As they huddled together in flight, the screeching of their scales rubbing against one another-screeee, screeee-set everyone’s teeth on edge.
Whether they noticed the humans or not, the two dragons didn’t spare them a glance. They simply continued their flight toward the east. From the vantage of Ur-Rie, they were a distant, looming threat, and that distance was slowly, steadily growing.
”P-Pursuit! Everyone, prepare to move!!!” Sachet shouted.
Sachet’s voice cracked as he called to his men. He was driven by duty, but in his heart, he knew it was futile. They couldn’t catch them, let alone kill them.
Because, like everyone else standing on those blood-soaked ramparts, he was thinking only one thing.
”Thank god… thank god they didn’t come for us.”
—
Summary:
The Ferguson Kingdom forces, led by General Sachet and Duke Roost, endure a relentless four-day siege caused by the mating tremors of the Great Dragons. Just as the defense collapses from exhaustion, the tremors stop and the monsters retreat. The chapter ends with the terrifying realization that the dragons have finished mating and are now flying together, radiant and overwhelming, bypassing the town toward the east.
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Trivia:
- The ‘Stampede’ is a recurring disaster caused by the dragons’ mating.
- Duke Roost is a guest from the Canaria Kingdom, not a Ferguson local.
- One of the escaping dragons from this battle is the one that later attacks the Nixfen Viscounty.
- The ‘Death March’ comment from Roost implies his familiarity with Earth-like Japanese slang, likely via Kento.
- The dragons were actually fighting/mating for four full days (96+ hours)
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Character Insight:
General Sachet shows immense logistical competence but admits his own inferiority to Duke Roost’s natural charisma. Duke Roost demonstrates a mysterious level of endurance and modern-world perspective, viewing the carnage through the lens of ‘crunch time’ (Death March).
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Behind the Scenes:
The term ‘Death March’ is a classic meta-joke in Isekai literature, referencing the toxic overwork culture in Japanese IT/game development industries.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Sachet – A General of the Ferguson Kingdom. An old soldier who is deppuri (corpulent/fat) but possesses thick muscle beneath the fat.
• Roost – Duke of Badcage and father of Tina Badcage. He has long silver hair mixed with some white, a cool-headed expression, and red eyes. Despite a relatively slender build, he possesses a strong fighting spirit.
• Nixfen – A viscount aristocrat who has started manufacturing and selling adult goods similar to Kento’s products in the Royal Capital’s pleasure district. He is described as a ‘pretty boy’ or ‘gentle-looking man’ (yasao) but is a territory-holding noble likely trained in combat.
• Kento – The owner of the magic tool shop ‘Harvest,’ which discretely sells adult goods. He’s a former overworked, ordinary salaryman from modern Japan who was suddenly transported (isekai’d) to this fantasy world. He has dark hair and an unremarkable appearance, typically wearing a plain, slightly suspicious-looking shop owner’s clothes looks like Kazuma Satou from certain series. He has a minimal amount of magic power, enough to craft his specialty items.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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