kaystranslations
patreon
"Skill elements" Chapter 34: The Monster
🕑 Added 2023-06-07 07:11:48 +0000 UTC--- On the day of the public execution
The weather was calm and windless, not suitable for a public execution but perfect for our departure.
The potion I bought yesterday was enhanced with the "Tampering" skill, increasing its healing effect from 10 to 90. Since a High Potion usually restores around 60, this enhancement is more than sufficient.
◇
We are currently standing a little away from the central square where the public execution is taking place.
I have my lightsaber attached to my waist, concealed under my robe.
The crowd keeps growing larger and larger. Has the public execution been announced throughout the capital city? It's like inviting the demons to "come and rescue the princess."
"Hey, I heard they're executing some demons."
"Yeah, they caught them attacking and eating people in a human village."
Haa……
This is definitely the work of the elves spreading the news. They gather a large number of people here to provoke the demons and create victims, leaving behind the seeds of chaos.
Oh, Arthur and Mary are here.
Both of them are wearing armor with cloaks. The plate armor is predominantly white with accents of deep, cool blue. Their cloaks are the same shade of blue. They aren't wearing helmets.
That particular detail makes them stand out like characters from a Hollywood movie, completely distinct from their surroundings.
We put our hoods on and moved to a position where they couldn't see us.
Fortunately, it seems that the party of eight from yesterday is not present.
After a while, a commotion arose in the venue.
Four demons were brought to the square, surrounded by about ten knights for security.
The crowd in the central square had swelled to about a thousand people.
The captured demons were made to kneel in front of the crowd, looking like warriors in their thirties or forties, with one woman in her mid-twenties. Their eyes are red, but otherwise, they don't look any different from humans.
Gags were placed over their mouths, preventing them from speaking.
A man dressed as a knight stepped forward in front of the crowd.
"We will now execute the demons who have committed crimes."
No charges were read out. In this world, it wasn't customary to do so.
The fact that there wasn't a single elf present there indicated that this situation had been orchestrated.
"Ugh, mmm, mmm... Grrrr!"
The demons desperately tried to say something, but their words were muffled by the gags. After a while, they seemed to give up and stopped shouting.
As if waiting for that, a man with a mask on his face appears with an axe.
Was he the executioner?
Mia had been tightly gripping my sleeve this whole time. I could feel her anxiousness.
Damn it, what was Gale doing? The execution was about to begin, and we might not make it in time.
I felt a sense of urgency, but if we moved, we might ruin Gale's plan.
I couldn't move... What a dilemma.
The executioner stood next to the demon kneeling at the far end.
"Kill the cannibal!"
"The demons are the enemy!"
I could hear stirring voices coming from here and there, cursing against the demons filling the square.
Mia pulled my sleeve hard.
I'm at the limit of my patience...
"Rooooaaarrrrr!"
Suddenly, a roar echoed from the sky, shaking the ground. The sound pierced through my body like a shockwave. What was this? My chest tightened, and sweat poured down.
A warning bell rang in my head, telling me to run away as fast as possible.
"Kyaaaa!"
"Run!"
"It's a dragon! A dragon from the sky!”
Screams and shouts echoed through the square.
I hurriedly looked up at the sky and there, suddenly appearing, was a large red-black dragon spreading its enormous wings and gliding down to a location about 100 meters away from the square.
With a reptilian appearance and bat-like wings, it was a Western-style dragon.
When it was up in the sky, I couldn't tell, but as it approached, I was astonished by the dragon's absurd size.
It must be around 20 meters tall.
It's way too big... It's like a monster.
BOOOOOM!
The ground trembled greatly. The dragon landed with both feet.
The buildings around the landing area were blown away, and white smoke rose.
We crouched down, unable to withstand the vibrations.
Looking toward the dragon, I could see its head above the white smoke.
The dragon took a deep breath.
Scales from its neck to its mouth began to glow red, as if transparent.
What should I do... I have a bad feeling about this.
There are still people and demons who haven't escaped in this square.
I turned around and looked at the spot where the demons were kneeling.
There were only a few knights collapsed there, and no demons.
They must have been rescued when everyone was focused on the dragon. Gale, you did it.
That means the dragon can attack this place without hesitation...
"Oh no!"
I grab Mia's hand and run away from the square.
At that moment, a large mass of fire was shot from the dragon's mouth toward the square.
Just when I thought this area would turn into a picture of hell, a bluish-white flash of light cut the large mass of fire vertically in half.
And then, the bluish flash cut through the huge dragon's chest.
The scales were torn, and blood sprayed out from the places where the flesh was gouged out.
"!!"
Wha... What just happened?
At the remnants of the pale blue flash, I saw the figure of a man swinging down a sword.
It's Arthur. Mary was behind him.
What incredible power... That's the "Sword Saint."
The strongest man among humans is a monster.
"Gwaaaaaaaah!"
The dragon let out a roar.
I took my eyes off Arthur and when I tried to look at the dragon...
I noticed a group of about ten people, taking a detour to avoid Arthur's field of view and heading towards the dragon.
It's Gale and the others. I see, their plan is to escape by riding the dragon.
But if things continue as they are now, Arthur will defeat the dragon, and they won't be able to escape.
I looked at Mia.
"Let's go too!"
I didn't know what we could do, but we decided to follow Gale and the others.
