Twilight Alchemist 54

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54. When The Strategy Is Decided, It Feels Refreshing, Isn't It?

A navy blue sky stretches out.

As the sun sets on the horizon and darkness begins to dominate the world, a group rushes like lightning.

They were well prepared and wanted to try a strategy, so they adjusted the timing to when the sky would darken.

If they could utilize Raidoc's discovery of the Cockatrice's behavior, they might achieve overwhelming victory.

Wearing blue armor is Raidoc, with deep blue hair.

Leading the fully equipped Leafan, the B-rank adventurers charge ahead.

Behind them are jet-black horses.

Of course, it's me and Ed riding them.

"Listen, Ed, keep your head down and hold on tight."

"Yeah!"

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

In the distance, the lookout tower of Golden Dawn comes into view.

At the same time, they spot a vast army of wriggling Cockatrices.

"Raidoc! It's just ahead!"

"Understood!"

Since I'm on horseback, I can see far ahead and point out the direction of the enemy.

Cockatrices, in a frenzy, are heading straight for the town.

Thanks to that, they seem unaware of us.

"All right! Let's try that plan!"

"""Oh!!"""

Utilizing the Cockatrices' behavior noticed by Raidoc.

""[Solar Illumination Sphere]!!""

From outstretched arms, a mass of magic rises into the sky, stops overhead, and suddenly explodes into a burst of light.

It's a small sun created by magic.

The entity wrapped in darkness suddenly brightened as if it were daytime.

I follow up with the same magic twice more, sending them high into the air.

Three illumination spheres illuminate the earth, making the group of Cockatrices clearly visible.

Due to individual differences and varying sizes, it's hard to say for sure, but about five thousand Cockatrices are filling the western side of the town.

And that large army has suddenly begun to panic.

"These damn chickens are really losing it."

I mutter to myself.

The behavior of the Cockatrices noticed by Raidoc was that shining strong light suddenly in dark times would confuse and slow their movements.

It worked perfectly as I expected.

"The effect is remarkable!"

"Good job, Craft! All right! Sluggish Cockatrices are nothing but small fry! Let's crush them!"

"""Ohhhh!!"""

Raidoc and the others unite and charge into the group of Cockatrices. Leifan seems to have no problem coordinating with them.

""[Gale Swordplay]! [Whirlwind Phoenix Slash]! [Vacuum Soaring Slash]! [Mighty Arm Strike]!!""

""[Enlightenment]! [Swift Pierce]! [Flash Fang Assault]! [Thousand Line Flash]!!""

""[Rock Crumble Strike]! [Mighty Arm Strike]! [Rock Shatter Shockwave]!!""

"Hmph! Hmph!"

"[Speed Boost]! [Speed Boost]! [Heat Resistance Boost]! [Heat Resistance Boost]!"

"[Flash]! [Floating Light Orb]!"

Every time Raidoc, bearing the crest of the swordsman, unleashes a technique, several Cockatrices get shredded to pieces. To cover blind spots, Soral, bearing the crest of the ranger, shoots his arrows. Each arrow hits its mark. With arrows stored in my spatial storage, I can shoot endlessly.

Leifan also unleashes powerful hammer techniques, despite not being a combat-oriented crest.

Moda, the warrior, may rely on brute force, but he's steadily reducing the enemy's numbers.

Bep, the priest, immediately grants assistance magic to everyone, while Bardock, the wizard, uses light-related magic to intimidate the Cockatrices.

Not using attack magic is likely to conserve mana, but shining light on their faces' tactic proves highly effective.

"All right, Craft! We've penetrated the enemy lines! We've created a safe zone!"

"Yeah!"

I advance Black Dragon. While Raidoc and the others finish off the Cockatrices groaning on the ground, the black horse tramples them, delivering the final blow, and we enter the vacant area they've created within the enemy lines.

As far as the eye can see, it's all monsters around.

But thanks to the three solar illumination spheres, their movements are sluggish.

"Here we go... [Inferno Hurricane Fury]!!"

Among my offensive magic, this is the highest-tier flame-based magic. It's so powerful that it's even called sorcery rather than magic due to its might. Choosing flame-based magic this time is not only for its high power but also to amplify the light with flames.

After sufficient rest, my energy and stamina are fully charged.

I pour all my magical power into it and unleash a massive one.

The flames of hell consume everything around, turning it all into scorched earth instantly. The Cockatrices turn into roasted chicken in the blink of an eye.

"Whoa!? T-this is insane!"

"Incredible..."

"Craft, you're amazing!"

Raidoc and the others show varied reactions.

"Leave it to me from here! I'll provide support!"

"Yeah! Leave it to me!"

Having burned down the thickest part of the enemy lines, we continue reducing the enemy's numbers.

While I replenished my mana with mana potions, I refrained from using major techniques.

While supporting Raidoc and the others with regular magic, I remain prepared for any changes in the situation.

Movement is spotted towards Golden Dawn.

Using far-sight magic, about ten adventurers dive into the confused Cockatrice group.

Leading them is a burly tiger demi-human. He must be quite skilled, having participated in dragon subjugation before.

"The enemy is in disarray! Now's the time to strike! Don't hesitate! These immobilized chickens are no match for us!"

"""Ohhhhh!!"""

They're likely selected adventurers. They charge into the Cockatrice group as if this were their time to attack.

"All right, we can win!"

And thus, we, with the full force of the town, continue to exterminate the Cockatrices.

◆

The morning glow dyed the earth red.

But the most significant reason for the redness wasn't just that. I could understand it by looking at the number of Cockatrice carcasses.

Adventurers who didn't directly participate in the battle were collecting Cockatrice magic stones and carcasses.

"Wow, it's like a field of magic stones."

"Hurry, hurry! It'll be troublesome if they start rotting!"

"While Craft-san sprinkles the deodorant he made, throw the bodies into the pit!"

"Got it!"

Since I dug a large hole with magic, we gather them there, then incinerate them.

Of course, I'm the one responsible for making the incineration fuel.

The incineration fuel utilizes the technology of magic bombs, so it requires a considerable amount of magic stones. However, we won't have trouble with materials since we're receiving some Cockatrice magic stones.

We discussed such arrangements with Synos, the Adventurers Guildmaster. But halfway through, we heard something strange.

It seems that the magic stones obtained from the Cockatrices were of considerably higher quality than usual.

Of course, it's common for there to be variations due to the significant individual differences among magical creatures. But Synos was puzzled because it wasn't just one or two, but the overall quality was high.

The questions were endless, but we decided to put this discussion on hold.

With that, we roughly finished cleaning up, and I ended up falling asleep like a log.

◆

"Hmm... night already?"

I woke up because of the noisy sounds, but it was still just after dusk.

"I wanted to sleep until tomorrow morning."

Although it was noisy, it wasn't urgent, and laughter mixed in, so I got up with relief.

At the same time, there was a knock on the door.

"Master, pardon the intrusion."

"Yeah."

My maid Ryuuko entered the room and promptly prepared my clothes without a sound.

"What about preparing a bath?"

"Hmm, I'll ask for it when I get back. Just wiping myself is fine."

"Understood. I'll bring the bucket and hot water. Let me assist you."

"No, just the preparation."

"Understood."

Even though she said she'd prepare it, she had already prepared it, as she brought out a bucket filled with warm water and a towel from the corridor.

After quickly wiping myself off and changing into my usual robe, I went outside.

"Oh, I see."

I quickly understood the situation.

It seems that the townspeople have brought food and are treating the adventurers.

Free stalls are set up around the central square of the town.

"Ah! Craft-san! I heard you were a great help this time too! Have some skewers!"

"I just did what I could. I'll gratefully accept them."

As I moved forward, I grabbed the food offered to me and headed towards the center of the festival.

If there's a downside to the legendary stamina potion, it's probably because people get incredibly hungry the next day after giving their all.

While gratefully accepting various contributions, I watched the festival and headed toward the Kyle mansion.

"Kyaa! Craft-sama!"

"Craft-sama, won't you have a drink with us?"

Two glamorous women about my age made advances, leaning close to me. Both were quite beautiful, but I tried to gracefully extricate myself from their grasp.

"Sorry, I have somewhere to go."

"Oh, really? That's a shame."

"Well, if you have time later, please come!"

"I-if I have time."

As I escaped from their soft attacks, I breathed a sigh of relief. If I got involved, I might get caught off guard.

Feeling a bit regretful, I chose a strategic retreat.

"Huh? Craft-kun, do you like girls with big... personalities?"

A voice I knew suddenly spoke from behind.

When I turned around, Leafan, with her hand on her waist, was looking up at me with a moist gaze.

"Leafan!? When did you get here!?"

"I found someone who seemed to be enjoying the attention of cute girls."

"N-no, that's... I wasn't doing anything suspicious!"

"Hmm?"

"A-are you mad or something!?"

"Not really?"

"Hey! Leefan!? Are you listening to this conversation!?"

"I'm listening!"

"No, you're definitely ignoring it! Hey! Leafan!?"

"Oh, right, Kyle-sama was calling."

"I'm just about to go there, but please listen to me! Please!"

Oh no, did Leifan think I was a womanizer? He's unusually cold!

As I headed towards the Kyle mansion, I continued to try to persuade Leifan to clear up the misunderstanding.

I'm guided by a maid when I enter Kyle's room. For some reason, Myrna was giving me an even more annoyed look than usual.

"......(hmph)"

And then, with her cheeks puffed out, she came over to me and turned her face away with a pout.

"Um, maybe Myrna-sama was watching from the window?"

I understood the situation from Leafan's words.

(nod nod)

While still facing sideways, Myrna nodded her head skillfully.

"Oh, that's, it's Craft-kun's fault, isn't it?"

(nodding)

Myrna silently agreed.

I understood the situation, but I didn't understand Myrna's attitude.

Unbelievable... Unbelievable...