Final Chapter: Battle of the Nameless Village

PANAMERA’S MEN WERE SKILLED AND DILIGENT. They split up the work, making sure the measurements were ​accurate and helping the villagers transport materials. In fact, they were such good builders that Esparda’s magical foundation work wasn’t going to catch up.

When he built a portion of the wall, they brought over timberwork and stone to strengthen and fix it into place. I would put on the finishing touches, then make ballistae at the top of the wall. I was far busier than I’d ever been before, but it was fun seeing our village take shape.

After the barbecue party, I considered laying out stones for the ground of the village, but Esparda and Dee caught me.

Shouldn’t they be exhausted by now?

“You weren’t able to fit your studies in yesterday.”

“Same with your sword training!”

“Just to be clear, I can’t do both at once.” I gave up and let them drag me away.

 

Two weeks sped by, and we managed to complete the inner hexagon and two of the road-facing triangles. All we needed to do was make four more triangleshaped village walls, and we’d complete the hexagram. The apkallu’s lake didn’t fit at the moment, so we’d have to build the wall farther out to enclose it.

Also, we currently had fifty two-shot ballistae installed. Once everything was completed, we’d have at least three hundred ready to go. That would take us another week, since we currently didn’t have the necessary materials.

“I know I shouldn’t be saying this, considering I’ve been assisting you, but I can no longer count how many times I’ve been surprised,” Panamera muttered.

She folded her arms and sighed. The movement made her own “village wall” protecting her cleavage stand out more than usual, but I wasn’t foolish enough to remark upon that.

“Ah, yes. The main body of the wall is complete, knockers—er, I mean, knock on wood. If our population increases or merchants and adventurers move here,

I’ll just build some new homes.”

“I am truly jealous. It is my dream to have my own territory, you see, but it takes far too much time and money. I can’t possibly ask the count to accommodate me when he only just had territory taken from him. I’ll have to accomplish so much in the next big battle that money won’t be enough of a prize. When the time comes, I would welcome any kind of help you could give me,” she said lightly, beaming at me with a shake of her shoulders.

Just then, Ortho’s shout tore through the air.

“Heeelp!”

It was uncommon for him to cry out so fearfully. Actually, I’d never seen him this distressed—especially not since I sold him that weapon. He’d been hunting down huge creatures for a while now. Yet there he was, sprinting toward us along with his party. They looked nothing like the pros I knew.

“There’s a dragon behind us!” he hollered, pointing behind him.

“A dragon?”

Does he mean more armored lizards?

I squinted into the distance, trying to get a better look. Trees were ripped out at the roots as a great beast tore through the forest. The dragon appeared before us, flapping its massive wings.

“A dragon!”

“Impossible! This place may be rural, but there’s a road right there!” The villagers and soldiers cried out in surprise.

What does being rural have to do with anything? Is this like how you might see wild boars on the road in the Japanese countryside? No, dragons and wild boars are worlds apart! Little Van needs to calm down.

From snout to tail, the dragon was about fifteen meters long. The last time I’d seen a creature that large was Jinbei, the whale shark at the aquarium. But this dragon was far beefier, its wingspan just as big as its length.

Judging by its green scales, it was a forest dragon. Forest dragons typically made their homes deep within the woods, lording over their domain. They hunted prey with their deadly fangs, claws, and tail. Since they weren’t a very high-level type of dragon, they had no breath weapon.

Regardless, we were being attacked by a flying monster, which meant swords and spears were useless here. We’d have to fight with ballistae and magic.

I switched gears and sucked in a breath, calmly thinking how best to tackle this. “Everyone, evacuate to the inner wall! Once Ortho and his people pass through, shut the gates! Anyone with open hands, move to the top of the wall!”

Despite being faced with the worst-case scenario, the villagers moved quickly and precisely.

“Do as he says! I will head to the top of the wall!”

Panamera told her soldiers to follow my orders, and they swiftly set off.

“Lord Van!” Arte called out to me, her face pale with fright.

I racked my brain for a way to make her feel safe, but with a dragon on our doorstep, I wouldn’t be able to assuage her fears so easily. I needed to explain things clearly and concisely.

“That beast is a forest dragon. They live deep in the woods. They can fly, but they shouldn’t be able to use their breath against us because they’re only midtier dragons. Remember, we have my ballistae and Esparda, an elemental mage. And Lady Panamera also, I’m sure.”

I glanced at the top of the village wall, where Panamera stood at the edge, chanting.

“We might not be able to defeat it, but we won’t lose,” I said with a smile.

Arte clasped both hands in front of her, as though in prayer, then nodded. “I-I know! May victory shine upon you…and please don’t die!”

“Ha ha ha. They won’t let me up on the wall, so no worries. Till, can you take Lady Arte to the manor?”

“Uh, got it! I’ll be back in a moment. Come now, Lady Arte. Right this way,” my maid told the young girl as they hurried back to the manor.

Just as everyone had moved behind the walls, Ortho’s party arrived.

“D-don’t shut us out, okay?! We’re coming!”

They were panicked and extremely winded. The dragon was so close that I wasn’t sure we’d be able to close the doors in time even if Ortho’s party made it to them.

“Ballistae, ready! Do not hit the adventurers! To start, let’s knock that dragon to the ground! Aim for its wings!”

Everyone on the ballistae adjusted their aim at once.

At that moment, one of the smaller members of Ortho’s party tripped and fell over. It was Pluriel.

“Ngh! Go on without me!”

The party had stopped, but she told them to keep going. Ortho hesitated for a brief moment, then took a fighting stance with his sword.

“Get up, Pluriel! Come on! This way, you scaly bastard!” Ortho cried out, smacking his sword and shield together and moving away from the road.

The gargantuan forest dragon turned its gaze on Ortho, but it continued to move in Pluriel’s direction.

“Tch, guess I have no choice!”

Kusala tossed his knife at the beast despite his reservations. It flew through the air like an arrow, zipping toward the dragon’s head—but one flap of its monstrous wings was enough to change its trajectory.

The knife bounced off the dragon’s wing without leaving a mark, yet it was enough for the dragon to pivot toward Kusala. The massive creature opened its mouth and let out a guttural roar, eyes glowing with rage.

“Ah, damn it all! I’m done for! Guys, go on without me! Go!”

“All right, to the village wall!”

“Really, Boss?! Aren’t you treating me a little differently?!” Kusala complained as he ran around the road, the dragon closing in on him.

Ortho nodded his head firmly. “You’re the fastest one in the party! I know you’ll make it back alive, so hurry and get your ass over here once Pluriel gets to the wall!”

“You better not be screwing around, Boss! It sure sounds like you’re abandoning me!”

“Don’t let Kusala’s sacrifice be in vain, guys!”

“Oh, I am gonna destroy you if I make it out of this!”

The pair sounded like they were joking with each other, but their faces were dead serious. I mean, they were being attacked by a dragon.

“Ballistae! Once you take aim, fire! Kusala’s about to be devoured like a scrumptious meal! Take that thing out before it can even taste him!”

“Ain’t that a bit rude, little lord?!”

Kusala was waving both fists in the air in anger. He had a lot more energy than I’d expected.

Activating her magic, Panamera cut in, “I’m best suited to stop it in its tracks.

I’ll keep it in check with one move!”

I had assumed as much. After all, the count had found her useful at such a young age and even promoted her due to her successes in battle. She was undoubtedly a first-rate elemental mage, and in a moment, I would find out what aptitude she had.

“Fire Javelin!”

With that single utterance, a giant ball of flames appeared from Panamera’s extended hand, taking the form of a spear that launched into the air. The flaming projectile was larger than her body, and it hurtled toward the dragon.

To dodge the incoming attack, the forest dragon folded its wings and dropped to the ground. It then kicked off the earth with all four limbs, springing to the side. Once the javelin had safely passed, the dragon then broke into a run on all fours. It looked just like a Komodo dragon, but its body was so huge that it was absolutely terrifying. Even as it slowed down a little, it was about as fast as my top running speed.

Fortunately, a volley of bolts went flying from the wall; the ballistae must have finished loading. The creature surely had excellent vision, as it proceeded to try and evade the wave of bolts—but it couldn’t escape dozens of them all at once. Bolts pierced the beast’s body, wings, and feet. I counted maybe five in total. I wouldn’t have known what to do if the bolts had merely bounced off its scales, but thankfully, they pierced through with no problem.

But I felt like the ballistae took a lot longer to fire since they’d been upsized. They used the principle of leverage to pull the drawstring, so I’d made the rod longer and increased the number of gears. Apparently, it needed more strength to set up than before.

As I thought about modifications, I watched the dragon through the half-open doors. It lost its balance and crashed to the ground with a cry of pain, stopping near the road.

“Hurry with the second volley! Once you’re ready, fire at will!”

As soon as I issued the command, a second volley of bolts went flying. Just as much time passed in between. We had fifty ballistae set up in total, but the front-facing wall had only fifteen. At best, we could shoot fifteen bolts.

The dragon made a huge leap to the side, blood gushing freely from its wounds. This time, it dodged all of the projectiles. The bolts plunged into the road, and the dragon took no damage. On the bright side, the first volley had done a real number on it. With a groan, the dragon dropped low to the ground.

“W-we’re saved!”

“I-I can’t believe we got back in one piece…”

Ortho’s party had made it safely to the wall. They were relieved, but we had yet to drive back the dragon. Finally, Kusala arrived at the wall, looking half dead and panting heavily.

“I-I ain’t never gonna forget how you treated me…”

Behind him, the dragon kicked off the ground again. It was then that a second fiery projectile appeared.

“Fire Javelin!”

As before, a giant ball of fire materialized in Panamera’s hands and took the form of a spear.

“I’ll stop it in its tracks with this next javelin! Everyone, retreat to the village! We’re lacking in numbers!”

Having spoken her command, she fired the spear. The dragon prepared to dodge, but her weapon changed trajectory just before it hit the target, chasing it like a heat-seeking missile.

It exploded in a near-direct hit.

The fierce column of flames burned the dragon’s face and part of its body, causing it to roar in pain and bend backward, retreating two steps.

So that’s the true strength behind fire magic, eh?

If we weren’t fighting a dragon, it would have had even more tremendous destructive power and versatility. This kind of flashy ​attack usually brought with it good results on the battlefield. I’d been so surprised by the dragon’s appearance that I was slow to act in comparison. I definitely lacked real combat experience.

“All right! Everyone, retreat to the village!”

I repeated Panamera’s orders—again, I was one step behind. We all dashed back to the village with the soldiers leading the way, and the villagers who had come to help build the wall were running as fast as they could.

“Leave the rear to me, Lord Van!”

Dee left his men around us as he stayed at the back.

“You can’t! I said we’re fleeing to the village!” I shouted angrily. “People in front, get the villagers who stayed behind to ready the ballistae!” It was then that I ran past Esparda, who stopped in his tracks.

“Esparda?!”

I spun around to see him face the incoming dragon and prepare a magic spell.

When the dragon arrived at the village wall, it kicked the ground and leapt up, perching atop the structure while digging its front claws into the inner wall. My breath caught at the way it sat there, glaring as it waited for our next move.

I’d let myself get a big head after our victory over the armored lizards. They were small fry compared to this monster. Even though its wings were damaged, forcing it to run on land, it hadn’t become any less threatening.

“Esparda, we’re running!” I shouted, but he didn’t budge. “All right—if you’re staying, then I’m staying!”

The butler looked my way, lips quirked up ever so slightly. “Well, that would be a problem. Allow me to buy some time just once. You may go ahead, my lord.”

I held my ground despite the urgency. “I told you, I’m not going back without you!”

Esparda forced a smile and activated his magic.

The dragon launched itself from the wall only to smack straight into a giant earthen barrier, bashing its head against the structure. The ground shook, and Esparda’s wall collapsed on the dragon, stopping it in its tracks.

Esparda stroked his chin. “Hrm, I think I’ve bought us a bit of time.” He then turned on his heel and started walking toward me…slowly. Too slowly.

“Let’s go! Pick up the pace! If you run, I’ll buy you your favorite red wine!”

“You know how much it aches for these old bones to sprint, but fine, I will do my best.”

My pep talk was enough to get Esparda jogging.

Khamsin whirled to face me. “I’ll run with Esparda, so you go on ahead!”

I swapped places with him and broke into a sprint. I was close to the village gate, yet it felt abnormally far away. Ortho’s party had run the entire way here, so they were slowing down too.

“We’re in position, boy!” Panamera said from atop the protective wall.

Villagers were posted at all the ballistae.

“Load the bolts and prepare to fire!” I replied as I ran. “If we don’t lure it in first, we won’t hit it! Just be ready!”

The villagers prepared themselves. They had ballista operation down pat, so it took them no time at all.

“What should I do?” Panamera cried out. “Do I have your permission to move independently?”

I’m surprised she even asked.

“Use your magic to stop it in its tracks one last time! Then the ballistae will take care of the rest!”

The viscount grinned. “Excellent. This is the first time my magic has been used to stall for time!”

“I’m terribly sorry about that! I’ll give you some dragon meat, so please forgive me!”

“Gah ha ha ha! Fine with me! Now then, our meat is on the move!”

I checked behind me to see that the dragon was indeed pulling itself out from the rubble.

“It’s coming!” I shouted, setting my sights back on the village gate.

As we got closer and closer to the protective wall, the ground trembled underfoot and a roar sounded behind us. The dragon was creating these fierce tremors with each stomp of its feet.

Esparda and Khamsin were a little ways behind me. I thought about asking the butler to use his magic, but he wouldn’t be able to cast it in time. If anything, we would be better off baiting the dragon as close as we could for the ballistae to fire upon it.

The problem was this awkward distance. If the dragon dodged the first volley —as it had earlier—it would take time to reload. We could stop it in its tracks, but then everything would depend on Panamera’s magic.

In that case, is it better to stick to the plan and have Panamera use her magic to stall the dragon, then blast it away with the ballistae? No, the range is off for that too. The farther away it is, the more of a delay there’ll be.

“If we can just buy enough time for Esparda and the others to get away, then

—”

Something zoomed by me with incredible speed.

“Leave it to me!”

The blur turned out to be Dee, who was brandishing the large sword I’d made for him. Even though he was in full armor and carrying his sword with both hands, he was running faster than I could.

“I shall handle this!”

“Deputy Commander, you’re too fast!”

Arb and Lowe followed after him, equipped with large shields and long swords.

“Are you three going to be okay?!” I blurted out, but he’d already passed Esparda.

Dee swung his sword down from above. “Hiyaaah!”

At the same time, the dragon sought to deliver death with a swipe of its foreleg. Blade and claw clashed in perfect tandem. A low but tremendous boom sounded, and Dee’s sword sliced into the ground.

Two of the dragon’s claws were cleaved in half, and the chunks fell to the ground. The dragon unleashed an earsplitting scream, shook its head in rage, and spun its large body around.

“T-take this!”

“C’moooon!”

Arb and Lowe rushed around the defenseless Dee, shields thrust out—but one snap of the dragon’s tail sent them flying. Since Dee was next to them, he was hit as well. The three men rolled along the ground, and Esparda began casting a spell. A dirt wall rose up to protect the knights, but the dragon destroyed it with one foreleg.

“Everybody, run!” I yelled.

Esparda and Khamsin were the first to come running my way.

That’s fine and all, but the knights are the ones in trouble here!

Much to my surprise, they had already regrouped. It was downright superhuman.

“Retreat!” “Yes, sir!”

At Dee’s command, the three men started running back toward the village.

Funnily enough, the oldest man present was the fastest of the bunch. Arb and Lowe were close behind him, but the dragon was hot on their heels. In fact, it was poised to go after Arb.

“Eeek!” Arb squealed, half in tears.

With one sidelong glance at him, I decided that the dragon was close enough.

“Panamera!”

“Got it!”

When I called her name, she popped off a swift reply and raised one hand.

“Fire Javelin!”

The magic activated, sending a flaming spear toward the dragon’s face. The beast slowed down and wrapped its wings around itself, strengthening its defenses. The spear collided with it, exploding in a pillar of flames.

I had a bad feeling about this. “Ngh! Ballistae! Half the force on the western side, fire!”

Right afterward, the dragon spread its wings wide, dispersing the flames. Then the bolts rained down from above. The creature evaded most of them and only a handful made contact, striking its shoulder, hind leg, and the tip of its tail. They did a good deal of damage, though. The dragon tilted and collapsed to the ground.

I issued the next command: “All ballistae, fire your remaining bolts!”

The next instant, the last set of bolts flew toward the dragon. It tried to dodge even in its prone state, moving its head out of the way. Several of my Van-made bolts pierced the beast’s body, wing joints, and legs.

A fatal blow.

With a great death rattle, the dragon collapsed for good.

“Ballistae, reload and stay ready!”

Just to be safe, I had the ballistae keep their guard up. Panamera also began to chant her magic.

“Dee, can you check the body?”

Given that he was fairly close to the beast, I asked Dee to confirm the kill. He raised his sword in response. We all watched with bated breath as he carefully approached the large body. As soon as he was within reach, he took a stance and stabbed the dragon’s bloody arm.

Immediately, the fallen beast whipped its head toward Dee to try and swallow him whole.

“Ngh!”

Without hesitation, Dee dodged the dragon and brought his large sword down on its neck. He decapitated it in one stroke, and its head rolled across the ground.

After it fell, Lowe shouted, “W-we won!” Yeah, we’re okay now.

Once I saw it with my own eyes, I turned to the villagers on the wall and yelled as loudly as I could.

“Victory is ours! Let our voices cry out in triumph!” The village filled with joyful cheers of victory.

 

“Are you okay, my lord?!”

“Are you hurt?!”

When we returned to the village, both Till and Arte came running up to me.

“Don’t worry, I’m okay. If anything, you should ask poor Esparda because he was running this whole time. Oh, and the knights took a real hit.”

“Got it! But you’re first, Lord Van. Come, this way.”

Till dragged me into a nearby house and sat me down on a chair. Quite frankly, I was exhausted, so it was nice.

“Excellent leadership, boy,” Panamera said, sauntering over. “And congratulations on slaying the dragon. A beast like that could ​annihilate a midsize town. Word that you’ve defeated one will soon spread.”

The soldiers looked pleased as they chatted with their comrades on their way into the village. The villagers themselves were laughing together with a casual air.

Honestly, I think everybody was more excited during the armored lizard attack.

“We slew a dragon, huh? It was too close for comfort. If you, Esparda, or Dee hadn’t been there… Heck, if your men hadn’t been there…”

I hinted that we were lucky, but Panamera broke into a grin. “If that forest dragon had attacked the big city in Ferdinatto County, half the place would’ve been destroyed. Part of the wall would have collapsed, and there would’ve been hundreds of casualties.”

“Really?” I said, “I always figured the count would have proper defenses in place.”

“Hah. There aren’t many like your butler, Esparda. And certainly not like Dee, who was able to cut the dragon’s head off in one slice. Not to mention those absurdly powerful ballistae! I never thought they’d pierce a dragon’s scales,” she said, somewhat exasperated.

I smiled and nodded. “I’m very proud of all of them. Arb, Lowe, and Khamsin plan on becoming as strong as Dee, you know. Also, I have to modify the ballistae. I’d like them to be able to fire ten bolts in a row.”

“I feel like you’ve just said something terrifying, but all right. Anyway, our first priority is to celebrate the dragon’s defeat. First, Dee should be granted the title of Dragonslayer. Second, we must commend your leadership on the battlefield.

And something for Esparda as well.”

Wait, Dee’s getting upgraded to “Dragonslayer” now?!