Chapter 52
Melody said that and pushed a magic tool forward.
“This is… a tool that gathers water, isn’t it?”
“Baby Kelts hatch when it rains. They’re born in standing water.”
“You mean with just a bucket of water you’re going to make it rain?”
“I can’t make it fall from the sky. But I can make it flow down.”
Melody pointed at the eroded area on the map.
“That makes no sense. There’s no rain now. You mean you’ll collect dew and fill that huge place? Are we wasting time on this nonsense?”
“I think it makes sense.”
The priest who was arguing with Deonis narrowed his eyes.
“Hmm. Even if that’s true, how can we trust this woman’s tool and plan our battle around it?”
“If I fail, then you can just use your original plan. The one you already had.”
The priest, who actually had no other plan, closed his mouth.
“How long to prepare the tool?”
“About an hour.”
“Then we need to buy some time.”
Deonis nodded.
“Even if the ground is only half filled with water, it will be enough.”
At that, Deonis shook his head.
“Even if it fails, it’s fine. We can just cut everything down.”
Melody watched the serious exchange of looks between the two men, then started drawing magic formulas on paper.
Melody’s first stop was Riheline.
“You said you know where water is?”
“There’s a stream over there. Not very big though.”
Riheline pointed into the middle of the forest. Melody confirmed the stream and then went to Gersson.
“From there to here, can you make pipes for water to flow through?”
Gersson raised his hammer.
“If wooden pipes are fine, I can finish on time.”
“That’s enough.”
Inside the temporary tent, Melody poured magic stones onto the table. She couldn’t fill the entire corrupted land with water. So she planned to also draw up the water soaked deep in the ground. For that, two tools were needed.
“Do you need help? I studied magic formulas at the temple.”
A young priest had entered her tent.
“Over there—I wrote down the formulas. Just carve them exactly as they are.”
“I’ll try.”
She was desperate enough to accept even a cat’s help.
“What about me?”
Anna carefully raised her hand.
“Then check the formulas written on the stones.”
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
Anna quickly ran to help the priest.
An hour later, Melody came out of the tent carrying two tools the size of her own body.
“Just on time.”
Deonis had taken off his helmet and pushed back his messy hair. His armor was stained with black monster blood from fighting.
“Let’s begin.”
—Water flows.
Standing on a hill overlooking the corrupted ground, Melody activated the tool. Water from the stream poured through the wooden pipes and fell down like a waterfall onto the blackened earth. At the same time, the ground shook, and round drops of water rose up into the air.
“Wow…”
The water drops gathered, forming a pool over the corrupted land.
“Prepare for battle!”
Crack! Hard, thick shells started breaking all around. A terrible stench spread—the smell of hatching eggs.
“Hatching has begun!”
From the whitish eggs, dark creatures began crawling out. Not one or two, but countless. Melody swallowed nervously.
Deonis and the knights had already killed hundreds of adult monsters, but even more remained. Now the newborns joined in, blackening the whole land so there was not even a place to step.
“When the mother appears, we strike. Move out.”
Before Deonis went back to battle, Melody stopped him. She handed him a bracelet tool like the one she gave Anna.
“This activates when the wearer’s life is in danger.”
She looked straight at him.
“This tool is unapproved. If the priests find out, I might be arrested. So… please come back alive.”
Deonis put the bracelet on his wrist and nodded.
“We will lead the charge.”
Ahwin spoke to Deonis. His gaze flicked briefly toward the tool in Deonis’s hand before passing Melody. She didn’t notice and instead pleaded earnestly:
“Both of you, please be careful.”
“The goddess will protect this one.”
At those words, Ahwin flinched and narrowed his eyes.
“I’ll be back.”
“Come back.”
As the two men walked away, Melody clutched her necklace tightly.
“Block them!”
“They’re coming from the side!”
Deonis charged forward with his sword. Each swing shattered the weak shells of the baby Kelt ants. Crack! He cut down even surviving adults along the way.
Screeech!
The monsters’ cries rang loudly in his ears. But there were too many. The newly born Kelts once again covered the corrupted land.
“If we can reach the barrier stone, we can restore it temporarily.”
Ahwin cut through monsters as he spoke. Holy knights shone with divine power, lighting up their surroundings. Deonis fought while moving a step farther from him.
“Then we head for the barrier stone. This won’t end otherwise. How long will restoration take?”
“Without priests, at least half a day. And most of our holy knights would have to leave the battle line. Can you allow that?”
Deonis cut through the legs of a charging Kelt.
“We’ll have to make it possible.”
Slash, slash!
He wiped the black fluids off his face with his hand.
“This way.”
Ahwin checked his monster-detection tool and chose a path.
“Damn it, they just keep coming.”
During a brief pause, one knight cursed. Others lay exhausted on untainted ground, their faces tired.
“But isn’t this thanks to the water? Otherwise…”
As the tool’s maker predicted, the baby monsters were eating the mother, reducing their numbers. Also, newborns were weaker and their shells soft. They could be easily killed with a simple strike.
“For a moment I thought I was watching a miracle. When I saw round water drops rising into the air.”
“Me too. I didn’t know tools could do that. I thought they just lit fires and kept food cold.”
“Exactly. That was like real magic…”
He stopped speaking. The sudden killing intent made him freeze. Turning his head, he saw Deonis glaring fiercely.
“The temple will hear about this.”
Rohan spoke, sensing Deonis’s worry.
“…Yes, they will.”
