Chapter 24: The monster appears.

The rain, pouring fiercely overnight, stops by dawn, but the sun doesn’t return.
A thick, troublesome fog blankets everything.

Soldiers head out for the morning hunt, expecting the fog to clear by noon, but the Dokurobaru Clinic is soon packed with injured.
The rain-soaked ground, combined with poor visibility, causes chaos—six soldiers are already carried in, unable to move after sliding down slopes or crashing into rocks and trees.

“Send this one to the academy’s infirmary. These two to army HQ’s doctor…”

Dokurobaru directs transport soldiers to move the wounded.
Simple cuts or fractures she can fully heal, but those with severe internal injuries get emergency treatment to survive transport to senior medics.
One soldier, mistaken for a corpse on arrival—heart stopped—was revived by Dokurobaru using [Magic Attunement] to sustain life while magically forcing the heart to beat.

The three evacuated soldiers would’ve died without her skill.
The army nurse, initially calling her “student healer,” now says “Dr. Dokurobaru,” awestruck.
The gap between a non-magic nurse and a [Magic Attunement] healer is stark.

As morning hunters return, a treatment queue forms, so I help.
Dokurobaru handles magic-based healing, the nurse does initial exams and potion prescriptions, and I treat external wounds.
Army soldiers, lacking under-armor, are prone to cuts.
Fog increases animal encounters—bears and boars usually flee, but surprise meetings in the mist lead to attacks.
One patient I treated locked eyes with a boar through the fog and got charged.

“Dokurobaru, prioritize those who can’t move,” Sanders-senpai says, arriving with his hippogriff.

He wants us ready to flee.
A squad hasn’t returned past schedule, without even a messenger.
As the fog clears, he’ll scout by air.
They might be caught in a landslide, but if something attacked and none escaped, it’s either a highly dangerous monster or a large enemy group.
Anyone who can walk can be treated later.

We wave Sanders off and prioritize leg injuries.
The nurse sorts patients: those who can walk post-treatment, those needing assistance, and those who can wait.
We focus on the first group.

BOOM… CRACKLE-CRACKLE…

A thunderous roar, like lightning despite no rain, shakes us.
Another follows.
It’s Sanders’ thunder spirit at full power—the emergency signal.
One boom means “assemble and stand by”; two means “retreat immediately without waiting.”
Two booms mean he’s found something so dangerous we must flee now.

“Dokurobaru! Pack up!”
“These two!”

She points to her wooden boxes from the dorm, filled with Proserpine’s potent potions—too complex for army supplies, requiring Proserpine’s follow-up care.

“Aray! Fall back to the cabin! Hurry!”
“Go ahead! The Koketris will overtake you anyway!” I shout.
“Exactly!” Tarte adds.

While tying Dokurobaru’s boxes to the saddle, I yell at Sanders.
Seniors will retreat in a single-file line along the path.
Koketris can zip through the forest, easily passing them—separate routes are faster.
Seniors ditch camp gear, grabbing only what they can carry, and bolt.
The army, informed of Sanders’ signal, prioritizes escorting the injured, leaving able-bodied soldiers as rearguard.

“Aray! Still dawdling?”
“Leaving now!”

Sanders’ hippogriff descends from the opposite direction he flew, likely circling to avoid being tailed.

“Sanders-kun, what happened?” an army captain asks, rushing over.

“Sub-dragons. I found several Zilants feeding on soldiers’ corpses.”
“Zilants? Here?”
“They’re not fully grown, but still nearly 10 meters.”

Zilants, snake-like sub-dragons, lack hind legs, unlike true dragons with forelegs, hind legs, and wings.
Wyverns lack forelegs, armored dragons and drakes like Hana-chan lack wings, and Zilants slither like serpents.

“Zilants! Equip shields and spears—swords won’t work! Ready two crossbows and nets!” the captain orders.

Multiple sub-dragons are too much for the army—knights should handle them.

“I didn’t see them all. I’ll warn other units. Aray, move!”

Sanders takes off again.
I secure my two artifacts in my belt pouch for quick access and mount Black Scale.
Dokurobaru and Tarte ride Illegal Pitch.

“I’ll steer. Dokuro-bitch, hold tight!” Tarte says.

Tarte claims she’ll control Illegal Pitch, but can her tiny limbs manage the reins?

“Alright, let’s go. Stay close.”

I urge Illegal Pitch to follow, avoiding the crowded path and cutting through the forest.
At a jogging pace, Black Scale nimbly dodges trees.
Soon, Illegal Pitch pulls alongside—cheeky Tarte, matching my Koketris-handling skills?

But I can’t focus on her.
My Rolling senses pick up a pursuing killing intent.
No animal would hunt with sub-dragons nearby—it’s a Zilant, closing in.
Veering slightly off the path, it follows.
We’re definitely targeted.
The foot-bound seniors seem unnoticed.
Outrunning it is possible, but if it loses us, it might turn on them.
Leading it to the cabin is no good, so I’ll shake it after pulling it far enough.

“Minion, you noticed?” Tarte calls, as I edge Black Scale closer.

She sensed it too.

“I’ll speed up away from the seniors. You okay?”
“I’m worried you’ll fall behind!”

Cheeky toddler…
Far from the path, I glance at Dokurobaru—she’s gripping tightly, fine.
I plan to outrun the Zilant, but its killing intent sharpens—it’s noticed we’re fleeing and dropped stealth, charging at full speed.
The Koketris sense the predator, lowering heads and racing in a ground-hugging stance.
Shaking it before the cabin seems tough.
Then, the ground ahead drops into a cliff-like edge.

—Dead end?
—Cornered?

“Dead end?!” Dokurobaru screams.

Peering down, it’s not sheer—a landslide from last night’s rain left a treeless, steep slope over 100 meters long.
Perfect.

“Koketris can handle this! Hold on tight!”
“Eeeek!”
“Wings make it easy!” Tarte says.

Koketris wings can’t sustain flight but slow falls and stabilize midair.
Rolling tribe lunatics race down slopes like this for sport.
My lolicon sister, “Fastest Tsurupeta Pass,” threw me down a chasm the moment I could ride.
In the all-mountain Dwarf Kingdom, this slope’s nothing—she’d call it “weak.”
Ideal for a time attack, though I’ll ease up for Dokurobaru.
The Koketris can handle it.

“Trust Illegal Pitch!”

I leap off the edge, Dokurobaru’s scream trailing.
Zigzagging diagonally, I control speed.
I think I’m going easy, but her screams turn desperate, so I flap to slow down.
Glancing up, a massive snake—Zilant—leaps off the cliff, rolling straight at us like a boulder, not stopping.

—That’s a Zilant?!

Not slender, but thick, with a head big enough to swallow me.
It’s planning to crash us down the slope.

“Back off, Illegal Pitch!”

I won’t let it hurt Dokurobaru.
Positioning Black Scale ahead, I grab the artifact with the grip end.
Tarte said still water is like an iron wall.

—If it’s charging, I’ll slam it into that wall.

I channel magic into the artifact, aiming at the Zilant, now inches away, jaws wide with massive fangs.
Hurry!

“Aray-kun!”

Dokurobaru’s cry and the water wall’s formation are simultaneous.
My plan to crash it headfirst fails—the Zilant’s extended neck beats the wall by a split second.
Just a split second…

“…So that’s how it works…”

I get it.
Magic can’t affect bodies directly.
The water wall formed around the Zilant’s neck, shaping a collar-like gap.
It locks the neck in place.
Momentum unchecked, the Zilant’s body arches over the wall, and at full extension, its weight and inertia snap and hang its neck simultaneously.
Its tongue lolls, vertical pupils blind, no longer seeing me.
The wall dissolves, freeing the collar, and it rolls down the slope.

“Did you know it’d act like a collar, not a wall?” Tarte asks, curious.

She knew and kept it secret?

“Of course, I noticed during the test!”

Too proud to admit ignorance, I strike my best smug pose.