The Saintess in the Birdcage Knew Love, and Then She Fell Into Madness - Chapter 08: Wyvern

Chapter 08: Wyvern

The rage of monsters, it’s something akin to a calamity that occurs occasionally. Although the kingdom is protected by the barrier generated by Aria-san, this primarily serves to repel invasions from the outside. Of course, it doesn’t extend its power to monsters that originate from within.

“Laurent… Are we going to be okay?”

“We’ll be fine.”

Now, when such a disaster strikes, our roles differ from the usual.

The battle against the monsters approaching the royal capital is mainly handled by the knights, but we, mere soldiers, also get summoned to the battlefield… Well, not to the front lines, but to transport supplies, which keeps us quite busy.

It’s hectic, but it’s safe to say that there’s hardly any danger to our lives.

Yet, I can’t help but give a wry smile at Luke, who is scared next to me. After all, one can never be too certain; nothing is absolutely guaranteed.

“Well, I can’t say ‘don’t worry about anything’ with total confidence since I’m not that strong, and I can’t make irresponsible claims. But still, it will be okay – the knights are fighting for us.”

“That’s right… Let’s do what we can!”

Good, it seems he’s calmed down. From where we are, we can see the knights battling the monsters… The number of monsters is staggering, but there seem to be no formidable foes, as no signs of struggle are visible.

“Yaaaaaaaah!!”

At that moment, an exceptionally commanding female voice echoed throughout.

Not just me, but other soldiers and knights alike, turned their gaze towards the source of the voice – a woman with red hair clad in shining silver armor. She was Lyza-sama, the first princess of this kingdom.

Although questions linger about why a princess would be in battle, it’s said that this suits her nature better – fighting to protect the royal capital. She’s fully utilizing her exceptional sense of swordsmanship and magic without any restraint.

“Listen! These monsters are not a serious threat, but do not show them any small opening. Remember, behind us are the people we must protect. Keep in mind, everyone has someone precious to them—now, let’s go!”

Such a brave woman, and understandably, she enjoys immense popularity among the people. Like a dazzling sun illuminating everything around, she truly is an indispensable figure for this country.

Inspired by Lyza-sama’s words, the knights raised their voices and seemed more energized as they mowed down the monsters one after another.

“Amazing… I really admire her. To be able to fight like that.”

“Yeah…”

While we continued with our duties, we waited for the end of the cleanup. 

In the midst of this battle… I knew I shouldn’t be distracted, yet I couldn’t help but glance towards the upper levels of the castle.

It was already past the time I usually visit Aria-san, and it seemed I wouldn’t be able to see her today.

(Well, we’ve only met a few days ago… It’s not strange to have days like this, so it can’t be helped.)

I’d be happy if she missed me, but perhaps that’s just me being overly self-conscious. 

Although I sympathize with her difficult situation, I was surprised at how much I had opened up to Aria-san.

“W-What is that…” 

At that moment, a shadow danced across the sky. Looking up slowly, there was a wyvern, larger than a person, flapping its wings in the air.

Wyverns, typically residing only in dragon-inhabited valleys, must have come this far influenced by the rage.

“Lyza-sama!”

“I know. I’ll bring it down with magic.”

But no one panicked, no matter how gigantic the monster that appeared. The ones protecting our home, right here, would do their utmost to defeat the imminent threat.

Lyza-sama’s magic poured down from the heavens, piercing the wyvern’s wings and slamming it into the ground, followed by a barrage of attacks from the knights.

“…Incredible.”

I found myself reacting just like Luke did earlier. The wyvern let out a pained groan and stopped moving, signaling the end of the monsters’ onslaught.

“It’s over!”

“All hail Lyza-sama and the knights!”

“Long live the Furyas Kingdom!”

While the surroundings were engulfed in joy and relief, I couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease. 

It was hard to explain… What was this feeling? Just then, a boy burst out of the crowd. Clutching a toy sword, he might have been admiring the knights.

“I understand how he feels, but there’s cleanup to be done, I need to stop him.”

He wouldn’t be harshly dismissed, but it was better to calm the boy down for now. To prevent any disturbance, I quickly approached him.

“You can’t go closer yet.”

“…Really, I can’t?”

“Yeah, you can’t.”

“Alright… then maybe I can talk to them later!”

…Kids really are pure and adorable, aren’t they? As I nostalgically wondered if I had been like that as a child, the wyvern in the corner of my vision opened its mouth… Huh?

“…Wha…?”

Flames gathered in the mouth of the seemingly dying wyvern and, in an instant, were launched towards us. It wasn’t dead? But even so… Such thoughts flashed through my mind in a bizarrely brief moment, and it was a miracle I could move my body under these circumstances.

“Onii-cha…!”

I grabbed the nearby boy, pulling him close to protect him. With my back turned to the wyvern, I felt the sensation of the fireball gradually scorching my back.

It was just a moment… Yet, in such a brief moment, I had managed to move like this. It’s kind of like giving up, but doesn’t it prove that as long as humans keep their consciousness, even in the face of death, they’ll be alright?

With that thought, I clenched my teeth against the impending shock and pain. The sounds around me, including screams, faded away, and just when I thought it was the end, strangely, nothing happened.

“…Huh?”

“Uh…?”

The boy in my arms had his eyes wide open, and both of us were clueless about what had just happened. Many, including Lyza-sama, looked at us with surprised expressions, but then something even more astonishing occurred.

“Huh?”

The sky literally split open… and what appeared to be a magical shield—Aria-san’s barrier—cracked, and from it, tentacle-like entities extended, entangling the wyvern. These tendrils not only bound the wyvern but also constricted it with such force that it was torn apart.

“What is this…?”

The gruesomeness of its demise was such that no one raised their voice about the strange occurrence. Everyone was at a loss, unable to comprehend what had just happened. 

However, somewhere within me, I felt a certain sense of relief about the bizarre event that had just unfolded.

“…Ah, it’s happened again… But it’s worse than yesterday… My chest hurts. Laurent-kun, why didn’t you come to see me?”