Chapter 102 : Chapter 102
Chapter 102
“One skilled with a bow? Why do you ask?”
Tesser stepped forward, calming the murmuring Blue Scale Descendants.
Aquila Reschenhardt, who had returned to Senetalia, was clearly not in the same state as when he had left.
The expression that once seemed indifferent at all times now carried suppressed anger.
Aquila’s black eyes met Tesser’s yellow, vertically slit pupils.
“If you answer my question first, I will tell you.”
Though Aquila maintained a cold gaze, he was slightly irritated by being met with another question instead of an answer.
A brief standoff.
Tesser took one step forward.
“The one who leads the Blue Scale Descendants must be the strongest mage and warrior. And must also be wise.”
“Ah. Yes. I am already aware that the leader here is such a person…….”
The one who led the Blue Scale Descendants was Tesser.
But Aquila let his words trail off briefly before exhaling and softening his expression.
“I will rephrase the question. Who here can strike a target most accurately under any circumstance?”
“A fixed target?”
“Anything. Even a moving opponent.”
Tesser, who stood at the front, fell into thought.
He could have claimed himself, but he could not lie. Instead, he stepped aside and gestured behind him.
“Fiana. Among us, the one who can aim without the slightest tremor is Fiana.”
A Blue Scale Descendant with orange hair stepped forward.
She had been one of those who came to meet Aquila’s group the previous evening alongside Tesser and Zelik.
As before, Fiana stood barely over one hundred fifty centimeters tall—no more than thirteen or fourteen by human standards.
“If it is moving, how fast and how large?”
“Slightly smaller than the bees of Washerd Forest. About the same speed. Have you ever struck one?”
“The bees of Washerd Forest are no different from stationary targets.”
Fiana stretched out both arms and shrugged.
The bees of Washerd Forest were no larger than a thumb, but they were monsters nonetheless, and they flew faster than those in other regions.
They also moved in swarms—encountering one meant a cluster was nearby.
Since Aquila did not actually intend to deal with bees, he merely nodded.
If they acknowledged her skill and she claimed it, then it must be so.
“You have been answered. Now it is your turn, blood of Reschenhardt.”
Tesser added sternly, his brow faintly furrowed.
If Aquila failed to answer again, he would not let it pass.
Aquila nodded readily and reached behind his back, retrieving a small box no larger than his palm from his bag.
Tesser’s gaze sharpened.
“What is that?”
“Mithril Arrowheads.”
“Mithril……?”
The Blue Scale Descendants murmured as they stared at the small object resting in his palm.
Mithril was a rare mineral, even for them.
Tesser quieted them once more.
“What do you intend to do with that?”
“Is it not obvious? We only need to fire this and strike Fenrir’s body. The most effective place would be where its core lies—so aiming precisely at the center of its forehead would be ideal.”
Aquila tapped his own forehead lightly with his index finger.
He spoke as though it were nothing, yet his words sent ripples through the crowd once more.
“Blood of Reschenhardt, are you saying…….”
“You intend to face Fenrir?”
Porzelin gasped in shock, while Heinen asked in a voice turned rigid.
Aquila looked down at the finely crafted Mithril Arrowheads before lifting his gaze.
“Yes.”
“……I believe you are aware, Lord Aquila Reschenhardt, that this demonic beast is no ordinary monster.”
“Yes. I am not ignorant of that. If my father were here, perhaps it would be different—but we are not enough on our own.”
“Young Master, it would be better to ask the Sword Master in the east for aid.”
Porzelin stepped forward to counter Heinen’s words, calling the situation reckless.
But at that last suggestion, it was Tesser—not Aquila—who shook his head.
“That man does not move from one place. And there is no way to send word now.”
The paths north and west were blocked.
If Fenrir lurked nearby, there would be no way to break through. They would be torn apart by its claws or ripped to pieces by its fangs the moment they were discovered.
Porzelin grimaced.
“Even if we cannot request aid, that does not mean we can step forward. Even if Mithril Arrowheads could pierce its fur, I cannot believe they would inflict a deep enough wound—”
“I have one method.”
Heinen tried once more to dissuade him, but Aquila shook his head again.
This time, he withdrew two vials from his bag.
One contained a dark crimson liquid. The other, a dark bluish one.
“If mixed together, they become a poison.”
“……What?”
“Of course, I cannot guarantee it will work perfectly on Fenrir. But it will not be entirely ineffective.”
Aquila looked down at the two vials in his hand.
Strictly speaking, this poison had been meant to kill the Demonic Dragon—reborn as an undead monster after being submerged in the Black Swamp.
A monster that had lain dormant deep within the Egoril Mountain Range, awakened upon contact with corrupted divinity.
As the poison seeped into its mana-saturated corpse, it shattered the flow of mana entirely.
Every living being relied upon the circulation of mana.
“It worked on the Demonic Dragon. It worked on humans. Surely it would not fail entirely against Fenrir.”
By the time he had learned this formula, he had already perfected strategies for each scenario, so he had never used the poison on anything other than the Demonic Dragon.
But there was no doubt this was why Ark Batchel had specifically mentioned Mithril Arrowheads and poison.
“……May I ask what this poison is made from?”
Zelik stepped forward.
Among the Blue Scale Descendants, he was the most knowledgeable in herbs and thoroughly versed in magical theory.
Perhaps his position resembled Erzet Reschenhardt’s.
Aquila glanced around before drawing Zelik aside and explaining the ingredients quietly.
In case the formula were ever abused.
After hearing the combination, Zelik’s eyes widened in shock before he regained composure and nodded.
“It may be possible. Without precise information about the beast, I cannot promise the arrow coated in this will take its life, but…….”
He pointed at the two vials in Aquila’s hand and raised his voice to the others.
“The crystals embedded in Fenrir’s body act as vessels for mana. With this medicine, we should at least be able to neutralize that. It would then be unable to use magic—or erect a barrier.”
One reason Fenrir was called a legendary demonic beast was its ability to use magic.
It could even deploy a barrier capable of blocking most spells.
But if its mana flow were severed, it would be nothing more than a monster with thick silver fur as hard as bristling spikes.
Aura-infused blades could cut it.
And here stood a clan of exceptional magic users—and swordsmen who had entered the ranks of Sword Expert.
The plaza fell silent in an instant.
“……Are you saying that, so long as we avoid its fangs, we may be able to defeat it?”
Breaking the silence, Heinen spoke.
In the midst of their confusion, his words pierced directly at the faint thread of hope that had risen within them.
“Yes. I cannot do it alone. But with assistance.”
Aquila’s gaze swept across the Blue Scale Descendants before returning to Heinen.
Though his eyes were hidden by his helmet, the holy knight seemed troubled.
“How do you…….”
Heinen’s lips parted and closed several times.
He appeared to have many questions, but ultimately shook his head.
“For now, the path is blocked so no one may approach. But once it begins to move, those who dwell in the forest will be harmed. If there is an opportunity to subjugate it, I believe it is right to seize it.”
This time, he drew the shield and weapon strapped to his back and gripped them firmly.
“I will assist. My shield will be of use at the front.”
Heinen stepped to Aquila’s side.
Porzelin looked between them in confusion.
He could not understand why the young master of House Reschenhardt possessed such poison.
Porzelin had participated in this year’s Frost Forest subjugation and had only heard reports of Aquila’s actions.
Yet the young master who had nearly died and returned seemed different.
Especially his eyes…… they resembled Lexenbert Fad Reschenhardt when he was resolute.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Porzelin made his decision.
Without hesitation, he drew the sword at his waist along with its scabbard and extended it so that the emblem of House Reschenhardt on the hilt was clearly visible.
“My skill is lacking, but I, Porzelin, will assist Young Master Aquila. So long as my eyes remain open, you will not fall before I do.”
He pressed the hilt against the place where his heart lay and bowed his head.
It was an oath.
Aquila observed the solemn vow before lifting one corner of his mouth faintly.
“There is no need to speak so gravely.”
“I am quite serious. As sincere as Shen was.”
“Using Shen as an example makes it far less serious…….”
At Aquila’s light remark, Heinen’s rigid expression softened.
“And what of the Blue Scale Descendants? If you would lend me a bow and arrows, I will attempt it regardless.”
Aquila turned to face those gathered in the plaza.
They studied the three humans standing together for a long moment.
“You asked for the one most skilled with a bow, did you not? If requested, I cannot abstain.”
Fiana stepped forward first.
She left the gathered Blue Scale Descendants and moved to stand beside Aquila.
Zelik followed calmly behind her.
“If you require support, please inform me. I have potions.”
Tesser remained silent for a moment.
Then the leader of the Blue Scale Descendants inhaled deeply and turned.
“I will accept volunteers for the battle. The rest will remain in Senetalia.”
Several among them raised their hands.
Tesser approached and exchanged a few words with them.
“……The number does not look bad. But we cannot charge blindly. We must form a strategy.”
“Agreed. Do we know Fenrir’s condition? Its exact location?”
“The boundary is broad. The paths north and west are wide.”
“Shall we ask the spirits? If we say we intend to fight the beast, they may tell us.”
Heinen, Porzelin, Fiana, and Zelik spoke in turn.
Aquila listened silently before shifting his gaze.
“Do you know?”
He addressed the large, shimmering light that had been hovering around him all this time—visible even to his own eyes.
The light froze mid-drift at his question.
Then—
Ding!
【Note from Joreumi: ...zZzz】
“You are sleeping now?”
“……The spirits say Fenrir is sleeping.”