NOVEL NEXT Chapter 65: Twin Dragon Extermination
I opened up the box lid, then I presented the bracelets to Snow and Chrisse.
“Not magic liquid metal bracelets, I’ve been secretly saving money to properly choose fitting bracelets for both of you.”
“Lute-kun…”
[Onii-chan…]
While looking at each other, we took each others’ hands.
“Young master, madams, please don’t get lovey-dovey in this emergency situation.”
With Shia’s tsukkomi, I cleared my throat and continue talking.
“So, ehem. These bracelets each have a magic stone that can be used once. I’m planning to use them to defeat the twin dragon.”
“However, I don’t think it’s possible to damage those hard scales with something this small.”
Shia pointed it out while apologetically looking at the bracelet.
Don’t say small! Even one of this size costs three gold coins apiece.
It’s one wash toilet, you know! One wash toilet!
But as Shia said, these magic stones are indeed small.
Small enough to be balanced on the tip of a pinky finger.
“It’s okay. On the contrary, I’ll be troubled if it’s any bigger. Because I will make [high-explosive incendiary rounds] out of these stones.”
“High-explosive, incendiary rounds?”
Shia inquired with a bewildered face.
In english, it’s called [explosive incendiary].
It’s a 5.56mm cartridge made by Germany in WW2.
Inside the cartridge’s bullet, there’s a small piece of metal acting as a firing hammer; detonators and yellow phosphorus in turn get stuffed in. The inertia of the bullet’s impact will cause the firing hammer to collide into the detonator and make it explode. Because of that, the incendiary mix (yellow phosphorus) will scatter and burn.
In other words, it’s a bullet that explodes from the inside.
This time, the yellow phosphor will be replaced by the magic stones from the bracelets. Exactly what I needed, 2 pieces; it was really good that I bought them.
“With this, I will make [7.62mm x 51 High Explosive Incendiary Round] for the M700P. Chrisse, I want you to shoot through its eye socket; that will blow its head from the inside.”
With her exceptional skill, I’m sure she can do it!
She nodded with a resolved expression.
[Got it. I’ll do my best.]
Everyone nodded following Chrisse words, then I worked out the details of the strategy’s outline.
After the strategy was decided, I immediately produced [7.62mm x 51 High Explosive Incendiary Rounds] with the remaining magic liquid metal.
After I finished making two rounds, I added a certain function to the knife as insurance.
This, too, is a borrowed idea from [7.62mm x 51 High Explosive Incendiary Round].
I made a prototypical bullet and knife on the spot.
I don’t even have the luxury to test; I can only pray that it works well.
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼
Dawn――.
We were slightly away from the cave wherein we hid.
Snow, Chrisse, Shia were on top of a steep cliff.
Trees were behind them, while bare rock was at the front for peeking.
A cliff, so to say, but it’s not that tall.
As expected, they objected going back to the place where we were attacked by the twin dragons.
Certainly, there is enough space there, but the scattered luggage could be a hindrance. So, we agreed to the Gomugo group’s suggestion and chose a location that heightens our success rate.
While hugging her beloved gun, the M700P, Chrisse closed her eyes and severed her idle thoughts.
Snow and Shia stood next to her as bodyguards.
I hid in the bushes, where I could see the girls,so that I could attack the twin dragon from the back when the time is right.
“OoOooooooOOoOooOoO!!!”
“!, It came. Chrisse-chan, it came!”
Blocking half of the sun and flying through the trees behinds Snow group, the twin dragon showed itself.
A distinctive injury in one eye.
Certainly it’s the dragon from yesterday.
The twin dragon’s attack direction is limited because of the trees behind Snow group. It’s inevitable that it will attack from the front
The prey followed the planned course!
“Madam, be prepared!”
Chrisse’s throat vibrated to Shia’s words.
To increase her concentration power, she sang the [Rifleman’s Creed] song that I taught her.
「これぞ我がライフル。世に多くの似たものあれど、これぞ我唯一のもの
《This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.》」
「我がライフルこそ、我が親友、そして我が命。我は己の命を統べるかのようにそれを意のままとする
《My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.》」
「我がライフルは我無くしては無意味。ライフルを持たぬ我も無意味。我は正しくライフルを解き放つべし。我は我を殺めんとする敵よりも正しくその身を射貫くべし。我は敵を撃つべし、敵が我を討つその前に
《My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will……》」
「我がライフルと我は知る、この戦争にて大切なものは、我々が放った弾丸、我々が起こした爆発音、我々によって作られた煙、その何れでも無いことを。我々は理解する――それは数発の命中であるということを
《My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit……》」
「我がライフルは我と同じく人である。それは我が命そのもの、そして我が兄弟。我は、その弱さ、その強さ、その部品、その付属品、その照準器、そして銃身――それら全てを知るであろう。我は我自身をそうするように、ライフルを清潔にし万全に保ち、我らは互いにその一部となる
《My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will》」
「神の前に、我は我が信仰を誓う。我がライフルそして我は我が家の守護者なり。我々は敵を打ち倒す者、我が命の救済者なり
《Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my family. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life》」
「そう、勝利は我々のもの。そして我々の勝利の後、敵なき世界が訪れるであろう
《So be it, until victory is ours and there is no enemy》」
Lately, Chrisse, who has been unable to speak because of bullying, could talk in front of us little by little.
To let her rehabilitate slowly, we didn’t urge her on; she didn’t even pick up the mini blackboard.
She is now singing “Rifleman’s Creed” with her beautiful voice.
“OoOooooooOOoOooOoO!!!”
The twin dragons roared, overpowering Chrisse’s fairy-like voice.
Then it let out a breath of fire from the head with the wounded eye.
In response to the incoming breath, Snow and Shia raised both of their hands and shouted loudly!
”Dragons of snow and ice, heed my call. Let a world of glaciers come forth before me! Permafrost!” x2
A composite magic of ice and water.
Snow and Shia cooperated and chanted magic.
Because Shia is weak at ice magic, the spell was limited to intermediate-level magic. But by combining the power of two people, they are able to defend against the dragon breath.
In the case of both heads attacking simultaneously, it’s probably impossible to stop it.
However, the collision between the breath and ice magic created large quantities of steam.
Concealing the figure of twin dragon
“Suu~”
But, Chrisse was unconcerned and breathed in.
“Haa~”
Breathe out.
In an off-hand stance, the M700P gun’s muzzle pointed toward the steam.
In an instant — the twin dragon which hated the steam flapped its wings. With just one motion, the steam was blown off, but the opponent’s movement was also suspended.
Like frost descending on a dark night… Chrisse squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
A bullet with an initial velocity of 838m/s, which is more than twice the speed of sound, had an impact like it was sucked into the eye socket of the twin dragon which wasn’t releasing its breath.
“OoOooooooOOoOooOoO!!!”
Internal explosion!
A large quantity of blood poured out from the eyes, nose and mouth of the uninjured head of the twin dragon.
Unable to endure the pain, it violently slammed into the ground.
Chrisse pulled the bolt back and forth, releasing an empty case.
Snow immediately performed additional magic
“Gather ,O spirit of ice; dance and submerge that evil being into the ground! Freezing Ice Barrier!”
A composite binding magic of ice and water.
The ground sank, restraining the twin dragon’s arm, wings, legs and neck within a lump of ice.
With this, Snow expended a considerable amount of magical power.
Sweat formed around her forehead, and she breathed roughly.
But, the enemy already used its breath once.
Continuous use is unlikely.
Furthermore, the ice-binding restricts its movement.
Our victory is assured!
“C- Chrisse-chan, I’ll leave it to you!”
Chrisse nodded reassuringly to Snow, who was panting and soaked with sweat.
Chrisse once again took her aim and squeezed the trigger.
[OoOooooooOOoOoooOoO!!!]
“!?” x3
Unexpectedly — the twin dragon breathed flames again.
“Madams! It’s dangerous!”
Shia supported her body with body-enhancing magic, hugged the tired Snow and the concentrating Chrisse, and jumped down the cliff to avoid the breath.
The flame engulfed the bullet and curved its trajectory, as it hit off the mark.
Then it exploded.
[OoOooooooOOoOoooOoO!!!]
The twin dragon put power into its limbs as if to escape from the binding.
Cracks appeared on the ice that bounded the dragon; I predicted it toonly last for a few more seconds.
“Like I’d let you!”
Before the dragon escaped from the binding, I jumped out from the bush to stop it.
I enhanced my entire body!
I used all my magic power and approached the dragon in one second.
I raised the knife over my head and jumped.
“Got it!”
[OoOooooooOOoOoooOoO!!!]
One second later, the twin dragon escaped from the ice-binding, then it repelled the knife, which was swinging down while aimed at its eye, with its forehead.
I couldn’t endure the impact and thus let go of the knife.
The final trump card, which was the knife I made as an insurance, danced in the air.
‘Shit! To think I made such a blunder at the end!’
As I was regretting letting go of the knife, a shadow flew past me overhead.
It’s Shia!
Shia caught the knife that was spinning in the air!
Just like that, the knife pierced through the twin dragon’s eye socket.
But, just the knife in the eye alone isn’t much damage.
The knife blade is short, and there’s no poison smeared on it either.
But the real thing started from there!
“Shia! Just like that press the switch on the knife!”
“Understood, young master!”
Recalling the way to handle the knife, which I taught everyone as insurance beforehand, Shia pressed the switch.
‘Pashu!’, a little dull sound like something flew out, the gas made with magic compressed inside the knife’s handle propulsed, and it tore the inside of the head to shreds.
The twin dragon’s head was destroyed from the inside,as blood spout out, it was completely dead.
As we realized the dragon has become completely silent, everyone flopped down from wherever they were.
We were completely exhausted from fatigue and using too much magic.
I tried to stand up and walk to where Shia and everyone were.
“Thanks, Shia, for covering my mistake. You really helped me”
“Yeah, really. At the end, when Lute-kun’s knife got repelled, I broke into a cold sweat.”
[Me too.]
“I didn’t do anything to deserve praising. I only did what was natural, as young master’s servant. Rather than that, to have brought down the twin dragon with just one click, this is an amazing knife.”
She was staring at the knife she pulled out from the dragon’s head.
The knife in Shia’s hand is the [スズメバチナイフ] I made with what little magic liquid metal left–literal translation would be [wasp knife]
As the name implies, just like the hornet, you stab the knife in and the highly pressurized gas inside the knife handle (carbonated gas cylinder, this time I used magic as substitute) will travel through the blade to the tip with the press of the switch. Because of this, the stabbed internal organs or object will be pulverized into smithereens. It’s that fearsome of a knife.
Long ago, I’ve seen a video where the [wasp knife] stabbed a watermelon and blew it up from inside.
Originally, it was created to fight sharks underwater. Nowadays, only hunters that fight bears or aircraft pilots are allowed to buy it.
It was really good that I made it as insurance.
Shia really likes the knife, and she praised it repeatedly.
“I’ve used many knives, but this really is a good one.”
“If you like the knife that much, I’ll give it to you.”
“Is it okay, young master?”
“Of course! What are you saying? The one who played the most active role was Shia”
Actually, the one who played the most active role was Chrisse, but I personally wanted to give the MVP position to Shia.
Since the magic-stone idea was inspired from Shia’s words, and she saved Snow and Chrisse from the fire breath, then covered up my mistake at the end.
Thereupon hearing my words, a soft smile appeared on her face for the first time.
“Thank you, young master. I will use this knife with great care.”
Like this, we escaped from the twin-dragon crisis safely.
And we returned to Gomugo’s group, who were dying to know the result.