That's how it happened.
Cordelia fired her gun at the turtle with an explanation so simple it was deflating. A black magic bullet embedded in the hard shell.
"What are you doing?"
"Ah, I really can't hit it. What are you doing, hurry up and help!"
The more the turtle monster writhed in pain from being shot, the more the cathedral building collapsed, and other monsters sward in. It was best to finish it quickly. Alastair grabbed Cordelia's elbow and lifted it up. When the magic power that had been hitting the shell went precisely into the nape of the neck, the turtle let out a pained groan.
"Hit it!"
"Maintain the angle of your arm."
The turtle was tenacious. Even though two people were aiming for vital spots with the latest magic bullets, it showed no signs of falling even when its neck was dangling loosely. The ceiling had already been destroyed long ago, and the floor was also destroyed to the point where the underground ceiling materials were exposed in places.
"I'm out of bullets!"
"Use the pipes!"
The veterans faced the monsters with broken pipe organ pieces. It was practically the sa as fighting bare-handed. But there was no other way.
"Is the turtle still far from done?"
"Almost, almost there!"
Alastair shouted. But he couldn't be confident.
"......Will Esperanza co?"
Cordelia asked without realizing it.
Hope was gradually breaking. Could Esperanza, who wouldn't even dream they were trapped in a dungeon, co here in ti? Why couldn't they see hide nor hair of the naval units they said they'd send? Were they even coming?
At least this cathedral was maintaining its form, but the buildings on the streets and squares visible outside the cathedral had already beco nothing but ruins. Were the people who had been outside still alive? They said there were many people at the harbor.
She had boldly co up from underground and stood on the battlefield, but now was so different from when Esperanza had protected the area outside the mansion. Even scraping together every last fragnt of courage, all she could do was stand stiffly and pull the trigger.
No. She'll co.
"Alastair, she'll co, right?"
"She will co."
There wasn't much expectation in Alastair's voice either. However, the two ward themselves with each other's lukewarm hope.
"Right. We just need to hold out until then."
Cordelia pulled the trigger with renewed determination. Until Esperanza ca, she had to take on Esperanza's role. Cordelia, who had lifted her elbow using even her nonexistent strength, pressed the trigger firmly. Just like Esperanza had shown before. Instead of a bullet, magic power stretched out like a line and pierced through the turtle's body.
The magic power missed and hit the shell, but instead of embedding like a bullet, it was piercing deeply inside the shell.
"Wh, what......?"
"Lady Cordelia?"
"Wh, what is this?"
"How would I know? For now, it would be good to continue. I'll provide cover."
Alastair answered while shooting down a small monster trying to crawl up onto the performance platform. The red light marked on Cordelia's gun was gradually diminishing. It ant magic power was being depleted rapidly. What is this? She continued pulling the trigger without understanding.
The turtle's legs, which had been making gurgling sounds while swinging the spines on its back, collapsed.
"Now! Hurry and catch it!"
The veterans wrapped ropes around the struggling turtle's legs and pulled. The turtle twisted its body as if making a final struggle and smashed all the remaining pillars and ceiling with its spines.
Just a little more, just a little more!
The mont the turtle's movents were about to subside, a tall man flew in through the broken wall. The man who positioned himself on the turtle's spines brought down a sword that looked like sothing knights from 500 years ago would use onto the turtle's neck.
That was the end.
"Uh......."
It was fortunate, but....... Cordelia looked back at Alastair with a sowhat disgruntled expression. It didn't feel refreshing, as if sothing had been about to burst but stopped. Just a little more and she would have finished it.
"Did everyone escape?"
"Yes, earlier underground...... Who are you?"
The man who ignored the question strode over and opened the door leading underground.
"Hey, there are still many monsters outside, what if you open the door carelessly?"
"It will end soon. Have the remaining people move to the naval bunker. The navy will provide cover."
It was true. Naval combat units had arrived outside. Cordelia and Alastair helped gather the injured sailors and veterans and load them onto supply wagons.
"Alastair."
"Father?"
Alastair, who had been supporting the last injured person out, rubbed his eyes upon spotting Duke Dunbarton.
"How did you co to be here?"
"When my only son is involved in such an absurd disaster, how could a father just stand by and watch?"
"......I'm sorry for causing you worry."
Separate from being happy and grateful for his father's appearance, Alastair hadn't forgotten the issues between Mabelwood and Dunbarton. How humiliated Cordelia had felt by that incident, and the fact that while she had forgiven him now, she hadn't forgiven his father in the slightest. Alastair quickly turned his eyes to confirm that the supply wagon carrying Cordelia had departed before embracing his father.
"You don't seem to be hurt anywhere. You should go to the naval base too."
"Yes. Father should co along too."
"No, this situation seems to be showing signs of ending soon. I need to talk more with that man called Hunter."
Hunter?
Alastair turned his head to look at the red-haired man who had severed the neck of the monster they had been fighting all day with a single strike. Even holding an archaic greatsword, he was slaughtering monsters with more amazing movents than any gun-wielding soldier. With his sword strike emitting blue light as the finale, the monsters that had covered the square were annihilated.
"Cease fire!"
"Zone 3 cleanup completed."
With the soldiers' shouts, the square fell silent. The two fixed their gaze on the figure of the man standing straight in the middle of the square. They couldn't help but recall it. The na of the person Cordelia and Alastair had been waiting for.
Hunter Esperanza. And that man called Hunter. What relationship could there be?
Questions surged, but now wasn't the ti to resolve such questions. Alastair boarded the supply wagon as his father led.
"Father, are you really sure it's okay not to co along?"
"Don't worry about . I have an entire unit attached as my escort."
The Duke, watching his son's anxious face, casually asked the question he hadn't been able to ask Major Renfrew earlier.
"By the way Alastair, who was that blonde lady with you earlier?"
"Pardon?"
"She had remarkable courage. It's not ordinary for a young lady to calmly raise a gun even in combat situations. When this situation ends safely, it might be good to invite her to the mansion. If her background is decent......."
Duke Dunbarton's eyes overflowed with favorable feelings toward that blonde young lady as he spoke. A frustration he hadn't felt even during battle welled up.
"Do you really not know?"
Duke Dunbarton raised his head. Questions arose on his wrinkled face. Alastair recalled Mabelwood Mansion. Cordelia's face as she admitted to fleeing from society's scandal. His father couldn't even rember the person who had caused such great wounds. How much, how much.......
In the middle of the ruins. Alastair exhaled deeply. He felt suffocated as if his insides were completely blocked.
"It's Cordelia Mabelwood."
??????°??☆????°??????
A giant kraken wrapped around Esperanza's body and dragged her underwater. Contrary to what the people on the warship thought, Esperanza was relaxed.
Underwater combat wasn't familiar. Not being able to use firearms was also a major weakness. But she couldn't breathe either.
'If I had known this would happen, should I have worn a rmaid dress?'
A rmaid dress was equipnt that, true to its na, made underwater combat very easy, but it wasn't worth enduring the discomfort during battle. Instead, Esperanza took out a uniquely colored magic stone from her inventory and bit it in her mouth. They said it was a magic stone found in the sea, and while she didn't know the principle, it could last about an hour. It would have been nice to have breathing apparatus, but this wasn't bad either.
When she swung the scythe imbued with deep blue magic power, the kraken's leg was severed. She kicked through the current, rolled her body in a circle using that recoil, went deep and then surged up while blocking fierce attacks.
Swept far away by the surging waves, she approached using only the wing's power. While striking down other monsters creeping up from the sea floor, she climbed onto the kraken's thick leg. Sensing danger, the kraken wildly swung its legs to shake off Esperanza.
She could have just cut it off. But that was only a rudintary combat thod. If she had plenty of ti, she might have indulged in such luxury. However, the strange uneasiness that had been grating on her nerves bothered her.
'Losing one out of all those legs wouldn't matter. Rather than that.'
She couldn't just keep cutting legs forever. Esperanza clung to the boneless, squishy leg. She wrapped her arms and legs tightly around the tentacle and waited until the swinging force beca sufficiently strong.
When flas of anger sparked in the monster's lightless black eyes, when it swung its leg powerfully overcoming water resistance in the deep sea, Esperanza used that recoil to land on the kraken's head. And without hesitation, she tore off a chunk of her remaining magic power and deeply stabbed the monster's head.
A thick stream of magic power penetrated from the head to the tips of the legs. The monster that had been extending tentacles in all directions, squeezing and twisting its body, gradually lost strength. Esperanza felt the monster that had been holding out like a king in the center of the deep sea slowly sinking.
She had no intention of collecting and taking the corpse. It wasn't needed anyway, and there was no ti for that. Esperanza infused magic power into her wet wings.
When the parts that had been turning a bit slowly underwater began turning at sufficient speed, she jumped high using the monster's corpse as a foothold. Water resistance seed to bind her arms and legs. But the next mont, she could breathe even without the magic stone in her mouth. Taking a deep breath and shaking off the water from her soaked, heavy body, Esperanza cut off the tentacle of an approaching monster with her scythe. Standing atop the monster's head that rose like an island, she looked around.
How much ti had passed? She estimated the ti by glancing at the notification window she rarely looked at anymore. It seed quite a bit more ti had passed than expected. Esperanza alternately looked at the half-collapsed pirate ships and the warship that was responding calmly but was in an equally bad situation.
Both sides had been faithful to the response thods Esperanza had told them. Nevertheless, they were struggling. It was incomparable to the military from 13 years later that had beco accustod to dungeon combat.
'It can't be helped. There's no answer except to end it quickly.'
Esperanza's gaze, which had been continuing her thoughts indifferently, stopped on the warship's deck.
Uneasiness.
The substance of that dark premonition that had been gnawing at a corner of her heart throughout the battle was revealed.
Golden hair, and an appearance that revealed elegance despite exhaustion, a tall, slender figure that looked graceful even while leaning against a wall. There was no way she could be mistaken. Her vision spun.
"Why, why are you here......."
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