Raid (4)

Philly was honestly surprised.

Really, just as Frondier had said.

-I won't tell you who the culprit is.

-Why not?

-If I tell you now, by the end, you, Miss Philly, will doubt it.

Just as he said, she almost doubted it.

If Frondier had claimed from the start that the culprit was Elysia, she might have wavered at this moment, swayed by Elysia's words.

But the more Elysia spoke, the more certain Philly became.

-Let yourself realize that last answer.

-You, Miss Philly, will come to know it.

The slight tremor that only someone of Elysia's caliber could see in Philly.

The truth is simple.

Philly had deceived Elysia with a tremor that only someone at Elysia's level could detect.

Philly stood up.

She slowly approached Elysia.

"You still haven't fixed the fact that you show your lies when you think you've deceived the other person."

"Ah, no, Mom! It wasn't me!"

As Philly approached, Elysia stepped back.

"Why did you target Aten? Because of the throne? Were you worried Aten would take your place?"

"It's not that! It was Sale who tried to kidnap....!"

Philly's smile deepened.

"Did I say anything about a kidnapping?"

"…! Well, of course, you'd assume there was a kidnapping, aiming for Aten's ransom! That guy Frondier went up here to search! Wouldn't it be better to at least find some evidence and then talk?"

At those words, Philly's movement stopped.

"Evidence."

"Yeah! You won't find anything anyway!"

"I was indeed curious. 'Rafflesia' isn't a rune capable of attracting all monsters. To make that possible, a mediator is needed."

Rafflesia is a spell that can lure monsters, but not all of them.

The more diverse and numerous the targets, the more complex the rune becomes, requiring a specific mediator to identify the monsters.

Without exceptional knowledge about monsters and sufficient monster materials, it's an impossible task.

Elysia's expression hardened at Philly's words.

Mentioning Rafflesia meant Philly was entirely convinced that Elysia was the culprit.

"...I don't know what you're talking about, but go ahead and look for it! The evidence that I'm the culprit!"

Elysia feigned ignorance.

There was no other option at this point.

"Do you know why Frondier went up instead?"

"...? That's to search."

"No. It's because he didn't want to be bothered by you."

At Philly's words, Elysia tilted her head.

Philly, unusually, looked a bit troubled as he spoke.

"I hope I'm wrong about Frondier's thoughts. Just this once."

"What do you mean?"

At that moment.

A rumbling sound that shook the ground echoed.

Philly and Elysia's heads, shoulders, knees, and toes vibrated up and down.

Elysia's face turned pale.

"Why, why? This shouldn't be happening...!"

At her reaction, Philly's eyes turned even colder.

Her gaze shifted upwards.

Towards where Frondier would be.

"...His thoughts were correct."

* * *

As expected, there wasn't much on the top floor of the tower.

The upper floors of the tower were as expected, nothing special. They were simply the quarters of an ordinary magician, strewn with various magical facilities and tools.

To summon multiple magical beasts using Rafflesia, a medium is needed.

That is, materials related to the magical beasts are necessary.

The fresher these materials are, the better; and the more, the better.

If one aims to summon a scale large enough to turn Constel upside down, then naturally, these two conditions must be very satisfactorily met.

However, to maintain freshness, it is better for the medium to be 'alive' until the rune is activated.

Alive, yet at the same time, a source for various magical beasts.

That would mean-

"...Chimera."

I know that Elysia has been synthesizing Chimeras.

It's not something I've seen firsthand. I only learned about it through the news and newspapers during the game.

[Princess Elysia, known to be living in a villa]

[The villa appears to be a massive tower?]

[A secret laboratory discovered in the basement. The purpose of the laboratory is currently being determined.]

[Elysia was synthesizing Chimeras! The magical beasts combined in the Chimera by her were-]

This was the content reported in the newspapers and news during the game.

I clenched the Black Lotus hanging around my neck.

Weaving, Obsidian

Grade - Legendary

Gram

Black droplets gathered around me.

Sigurd's sword, Gram.

The legend that it killed the dragon Fafnir was converted into Gram's characteristic.

[Gram]

• Grade: Legendary

• Description: The renowned sword used by Sigurd. The hero and the weapon's achievements surpass those of several deities.

Ability Details >

- Dragon Slayer: Kills dragons, absorbing their blood. Significantly enhances attack power against dragons and instills fear in dragon species of 'Unique' grade or lower.

The Unique grade is just below the Legendary grade.

Given the presence of the dragon 'Fafnir', slain by Sigurd and classified as legendary, it instills fear in lesser dragon species.

I pointed my sword downward, toward the Chimera that must be lurking somewhere in this underground.

...I know what kind of monster Elysia has created.

A beast of such magnitude that it could engulf Constel.

To summon something of that scale, ordinary monsters wouldn't stand a chance.

─Indeed, even if it's not a proper one,

A 'Dragon' must be summoned at the very least.

Creak, crunch, the sound was distant but clear.

From deep below, it sounded like something was prying open a gap.

Then a brief silence.

Like the quiet between the flash of lightning and the thunder that follows.

ROOOOOOAR──!

A massive earthquake occurred, and I staggered, losing my balance.

Ugh, I unwittingly let out a grunt and braced myself against the wall.

Chimeras were so rare that they could hardly be found even in games.

The voice I heard now was like a scream, as if a blade was stuck to the throat.

"Summoning it was fine but...!"

Where is it?

I opened a nearby window to check outside.

There, impossible to miss, was a massive fissure.

The ground was split open as if torn apart, and from within, a monster's hand reached out.

"...This is no joke."

Indeed, the real thing is different in its oppressive presence. I didn't expect it to be this big.

The creature that eventually pulled itself up by its hands was half the height of this tower.

But it walked on four legs. If it had been standing, it would have met my eyes at the top floor.

The creature's appearance reminded me of an enormous lizard. Perhaps because its base was a dragon, its scales looked incredibly hard, and its pupils glittered gold, showcasing its ferocity.

"Wings, it has none."

All dragon species have wings.

However, this creature was not a dragon but a chimera, containing only elements of one. Fortunately, it seemed incapable of flight.

Now, Elysia's guilt is confirmed.

Since Philly has seen that terribly large body herself.

What remains for me is to deal with that huge body.

...Which is the most troublesome part.

Kruk-

Then, its pupils rolled around. The eyes moved independently, like those of a chameleon.

Its left eye darted about before it spotted me. Or perhaps, confirmed my presence would be more accurate.

I tightened my grip on my sword.

...Can I defeat it?

Truth be told, by physical sensation alone, it feels less frightening than Renzo.

A chimera, simply put, is a being without origin and utterly inferior, unable to develop the characteristics of its species or the imposing presence that comes with time. After all, it was created, not born.

So, it's somewhat better than facing someone of high caliber like Renzo.

But being so brutishly large, I have no clue how to confront it.

'I should target it first with Khryselakatos,'

I was thinking this when,

Kraaaaa-

The creature let out another scream-like roar, and my eyes widened.

"Crazy...!"

My mouth dropped open in astonishment.

The creature did something unbelievable.

As soon as it confirmed my location with its eyes,

It scrambled away from me with all fours, in the complete opposite direction of where I was.

Thud, thump, thump…

I watched it go, dumbstruck, as it kicked up dust and put distance between us.

Then, I finally came to my senses and shouted, “Where do you think you’re going, you damn lizard?!”