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𝐄𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐃𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 (3)
Sometimes built up fame can also shackle one’s ankles.
“. . .Despite my inadequate abilities, I will daringly take on the command.”
At those words, the elves and dwarves seated roared in unison. They were beings who could never fully understand each other, but at this moment, their thoughts aligned.
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“The only consolation is that the basilisk took them instead of killing them.”
At Jyanina’s words, the elves and dwarves glared at her. If she hadn’t been Johan’s subordinate, they would have lashed out at her.
Realizing belatedly, Jyanina hurriedly changed her words.
“I mean, I didn’t say it’s fortunate they were captured. . . I mean. . .”
‘𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘵. . .’
“Does it mean there’s a higher chance they’re still alive since the basilisk took them?”
“Yes! That’s exactly what I meant!”
The basilisk had the power of petrification in its eyes to turn its enemies into stone. But it too was a living creature. It couldn’t turn its prey completely into stone for food.
So usually it would petrify its enemies to death, but subdue its prey with its thick body and tail to take them.
If they were dead, they would be left petrified into stone. So the high chance is that those who were taken still have intact flesh, bones and blood.
“What’s more fortunate is. . .”
Johan beckoned Jyanina to come closer. Jyanina stopped speaking and approached him puzzledly.
“If you don’t want to be left behind, it’s better not to talk about good fortune.”
“. . .Y-Yes. Since basilisks go hunting when they are hungry, there’s a chance the captured ones are still intact until it digests its meal. . .”
It was the only piece of good news. Johan nodded.
“It’s not very difficult to track it down. There are excellent hunters here, and dwarves who know the terrain well. Plus my wolf is good at picking up the scent of monsters. The basilisk is a brutal magical beast but it doesn’t have the skill to cover its tracks.”
The stronger the monster, the clumsier it is at hiding its trail.
On the other hand, there were overwhelmingly many here who were skilled at tracking. Tracking it down wasn’t the issue.
“The problem is how to capture it. . .”
Silence fell over the place. Not only capturing the basilisk, but they had to rescue the hostages it took as well. An already difficult task became several times more difficult.
“Your Excellency. If Sir Lauren becomes a hindrance, you don’t have to rescue him. Sir Lauren is already prepared. He would feel more humiliated if he becomes a hindrance to you.”
‘𝘐𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?’
But surprisingly, none of the elves objected. And honestly, Johan thought Lauren would think that way.
On the other hand, the dwarves couldn’t bring themselves to say it so lightly. A child was captured. Johan spoke considerately for them.
“I have no plans to give up rescuing the hostages. Rest assured I have no plans to demand sacrifice.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency!”
“How were you knights originally planning to capture it?”
The elves took out bronze mirrors from their bags. Though they called them mirrors, they were almost as big as small shields. The finely polished mirrors radiated dazzling light.
As the most basic method against magical beasts with petrification, there were of course mirrors.
“Does it die if it looks into the mirror?”
“No. It has resistance so it won’t die even if it looks into the mirror, only stunned for a moment.”
“But that’s enough.”
The elven knights took out their spears. Faint traces of magic pulsated through them, as if they were weapons passed down through generations of the families.
They would bind and surround the beast and stab at it from all sides like a hunting party. It was a simple and daring method, one that elves would choose. In the first place, methods to capture magical beasts without casualties were rare. It was a life-or-death fight of whether the beast died or the knights died.
“How do dwarves fight such monsters?”
“We have weapons made specifically to fight such beasts.”
As expected of the skilled dwarven race, they took out siege weapons. Not to break castle walls or buildings, but smaller in size to capture large monsters.
They looked like huge iron ballistas, but were modified with dwarven techniques to be automatic repeating ballistas. Attached to the arrows were ropes, specially barbed arrowheads that wouldn’t come out easily once lodged in.
‘𝘛𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘴?’
This too was a daring method. The will to capture it even if several died could be felt.
Of course, if Johan was satisfied with such crude methods, he wouldn’t have asked in the first place.
As Johan was pondering, he suddenly recalled the clock in his pocket, the one with the siren’s song sealed within. He had never used it before but was certain it would have an effect.
“Jyanina, if the basilisk were to hear a siren’s song, do you think it’ll be enchanted? Bewitched?”
“Your Excellency, why ask such a childish question at a time like this?”
“. . .Just answer the question.”
“Um. . . it might be? Since sirens turn into stone too if they meet a basilisk’s eyes.”
“Is that so.”
Hearing that, Johan felt the outline of a plan forming.
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The trail of the basilisk ended abruptly in a dark and gloomy cave. Johan instinctively felt that there was a monster inside. Karamaf seemed to sense it too, growling fiercely.
“Settle down. I don’t want to wake it up yet.”
“You think something’s in there?”
“Looks like it. Good work.”
The two rangers bowed their heads. They were relieved they didn’t lose face in front of Johan. Outwardly they were calmly tracking the basilisk, but inside they were desperate.
“Silence your steps and get into position.”
The dwarves nodded and began placing the large iron nets they had brought in their carts around the cave. The elf knights asked excitedly and nervously:
“Isn’t this unnecessarily provoking it?”
“I won’t use them until its movements completely stop, so don’t worry.”
Johan looked around with a frown. A nearby tree branch had turned to stone. The bird-shaped fragments still attached told of what had happened.
“Suetlg-nim, if you could assure me your magic could revive even those turned to stone, it would set my mind at ease.”
“. . .While I can’t guarantee anything else, if you were to be injured, I pledge my honor I would certainly revive you.”
“That’s somewhat comforting.”
Johan grabbed his Giant Slayer. He was strangely amazed at how, even in this situation, calmness took precedence over fear. He felt as if he had completely become a person of this world.
“Plug your ears. Have your mirrors ready. If anyone draws their sword before I signal, I will take it as an insult to my honor.”
The elf knights nodded. They were about to enter the cave where the basilisk resided. As knights walking the path of glory and danger, they had no choice but to believe in the one at the vanguard.
The light disappeared and darkness emerged. Johan strained all his senses to get a feel for the inside of the cave. The Vitality Blessing he had received in the temple of an unknown pagan god amplified Johan’s senses.
‘𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱. . . 𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦? 𝘐𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸.’
It was unfortunate the beast wasn’t in a deep sleep, but there was no use complaining. At least it was asleep at all. Johan opened his pocket watch and let a song spill out.
“. . .??”
The elf knights following behind looked at Johan in confusion. In the darkness where they could barely see, Johan’s sudden actions seemed abrupt.
What was this young count thinking?
‘𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩.’
Count Puakonyu unhesitatingly followed Johan. They had pledged to follow the vanguard knight with their elf hearts and lives.
As time passed, the siren song grew sadder and more wicked. Its power was nothing like what he had heard in front of Volandrunt.
As the echo of the siren song flowed through the cave, even with their ears plugged, the spirits inside Johan writhed in agony. Valkalmur and Teshuka screamed to be set free.
‘𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘢.’
Feeling goosebumps rise on his skin, Johan walked forward. The basilisk’s breathing was growing deeper.
Whoosh!
Johan boldly lit the torch. The knights bit their lips in dismay. Blood seeped out.
But no angry roars of the basilisk were heard. What they saw was the long, gigantic snake filling up the inside of the cave.
‘𝘎𝘢𝘴𝘱.’
One of the elf knights nearly stepped on the basilisk, they were so close. Cold sweat covered his body.
Johan gestured. While everyone was distracted by the basilisk, only Johan had checked inside. Count Puakonyu felt a thrill bordering on admiration at the young count’s composure.
Even with a monster in front of him that could kill him in three different ways in a second, what he felt was confidence rather than fear. He had never seen any knight display such a bearing.
Inside where Johan pointed, there was a deep pit with an elf and dwarf trapped. They too seemed out of their minds from the siren song. Johan grabbed a rope and climbed down, seizing the two.
‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰?’
Bewildered, they couldn’t convey words or stop mistakes from happening while coming out. The elf knights wondered how Johan was going to take the two out.
𝐓𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐜𝐤!
“. . . . . .”
With a dull sound, the elf and dwarf collapsed. Johan plugged their ears and tied them up with rope before carrying them out.
‘𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.’
Despite not even being inside the cave for a full hour, it felt like decades had passed. The knights slowly took steps, feeling like the massive snake would come shrieking and chasing after them at any moment.
𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐝━
Suddenly, the song ended and the spirit fell silent. The song contained in the clock had finished. At the same time, the basilisk’s breathing changed sharply.
As the beast began to seethe noisily, Johan hurriedly sent a signal.
𝐑𝐮𝐧!
Seeing the knights emerge unharmed with anxious expressions, they unconsciously clenched their fists without realizing.
What’s more, the young Count had even brought the captured people with him!
It was an unbelievable feat. Not only did he catch the basilisk, but he entered its lair and brought back the captured people alive.
Shocked by witnessing something straight out of legend with their own two eyes, it was Johan who awakened them. Johan threw off the earmuffs and shouted.
“Get ready!”
“!”
The dwarves hurriedly aimed the giant iron cannon. The bronze mirrors were arranged like a shield wall. Sunlight flashed and shot into the cave.
The basilisk would be attacked as soon as it came out, and if it stopped moving, its body would be pierced by arrows.
From inside came the sounds of furious screams and rolling. People swallowed their saliva and waited.
“. . .”
However, the beast did not come out immediately.
‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴? 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦?’
━𝐑𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞!
Karamaf began howling and pounding the floor. At that moment, Johan instinctively picked up the Giant Slayer. Everyone was surprised by Johan abruptly grabbing the Giant Slayer and turned their gazes.
Following the inexplicable superhuman intuition, Johan swung the Giant Slayer with all his might. The basilisk, who was trying to melt through the poisonous hard rock and burst out, shrieked as it was struck by the powerful blow from above.
“It appeared on this side!”
Seeing the basilisk moving by digging through the ground for the first time, people were horrified and hurriedly moved. Who would’ve thought the arrogant tyrant basilisk was capable of such sly tricks.
“Close your eyes!”
However, there was no need. The basilisk’s head was half blown off at the top. People who unconsciously glanced at its hideous missing piece couldn’t close their mouths.
They didn’t know whether to be shocked by Johan’s monstrous strength, landing such a degree of damage despite a grazing blow, or by the vitality of the basilisk that was still alive and moving despite having its head and eyes blown off.
“Were you aiming for that!??!”
“Would I aim for that? Stop it from escaping!”
Even in that injured state, it tried to escape by throwing its body into the hole. In an instant, half its body disappeared inside.
As the knights were confused about what to do, Johan grabbed its tail with both arms. And pulled.
“Count! What kind of crazy. . .”
The elf knight tried to stop him, but blinked.
It was being dragged out of the hole.