IBTRFL Chapter 35

The moon tilted, indifferent.

In the heavy silence, Aer let her head drop, then lifted it, slowly. The violet eyes gazing at Djite shone with a bold, cheeky light.

"Then I'll pour for you."

"…What?"

"I said I'll pour for you."

Aer's eyes crinkled at the corners as she broke into a wide grin. Djite blinked, staring at her clear, unblemished face.

What in the world was this little thing on about, now. His head throbbed as though he'd been struck from behind.

"A drink! I'll pour you one."

Aer mimed tipping back a cup.

"…"

Djite couldn't help the deflated laugh that escaped him. He raised a fist and gave the forehead beneath her hood a light knock.

"You little runt, ears barely dry, and you're talking about drinks?"

Aer rubbed her forehead with one hand and shot up to her feet.

"I'm not just saying it. Wait right here."

Before he could so much as reach out to stop her, Aer had vanished between the tree trunks.

A spring breeze, blowing from somewhere, stirred his thick beard.

His rough hand smoothed down the white beard. He hadn't even noticed his own beard had grown so long.

Djite sat quietly and waited for the child to return. It wasn't boring.

He only worried about her tripping on the way back.

By the time the moon had moved the width of a finger, Aer poked her head out from between the tree trunks.

In her hand, a small cup; wedged between her arm and her body, an oak cask.

"Where did you even get that—"

"Took it from the bandits' cave. It's the water of life, no less."

"…What?"

Djite's eyes widened.

'Sorry, Uncle.'

She'd meant to pour this for Valor when she saw him again. Whenever that might be, at least she wouldn't be scolded for getting drunk on it by then.

But well—what could she do, she'd met someone more urgent.

She'd just buy him better liquor later. Aer, revising a promise only she knew about, carefully worked the stopper loose.

The wooden plug, cut to fit the hole exactly, came free with a bright pop. Through the thumb-sized opening, a rich, mellow scent of liquor rose up.

"So, how about it. Isn't it amazing?"

"…Huh, you little thing, honestly."

"Come on, hold up your cup. Quick."

Aer held the cup out to him, cocksure. Djite hesitated for a long moment, staring at the cup, before at last taking it without a word.

Tipping the oak cask slowly, a liquid like melted gold poured out.

Once the cup was about half full, Aer set the cask upright.

"It's strong, so just that much."

"You're pouring me a drink and telling me that?"

"Just my last shred of conscience."

At the cheeky remark, Djite clicked his tongue. The liquor filling the cup gave a small ripple in response.

The moon floated on the golden surface. Perhaps because the moon was in it, the cup in his hand felt only heavy.

Djite hesitated a moment longer, then, without a word, tipped the cup back. He poured it down without leaving a single drop.

Holding her breath as she watched, Aer asked.

"How is it?"

Djite laughed.

"Bitter."

Aer's eyes snapped open, and she sat up without a sound.

Night had passed its peak and was ripening into full maturity, and the people lay deep in a satisfied, exhausted sleep.

Everyone looked far more comfortable, laid out on the cloth and bundles of fabric taken from the cave.

Djite was among them. Between the potent liquor and the exhaustion of days piled on top of days, he'd dropped off before he knew it.

'You're not to go near the village. It's too dangerous.'

Sorry, but not listening is one thing I'm an authority on.

Rising carefully, Aer pressed forward, deeper into the mountain, without hesitation.

Her destination was the place with running water and a stand of chestnut trees—the fugitives' village, now occupied by a chaos beast.

She'd heard about the beast's identity from Djite.

A beast with a hide hard as stone, shaped like a giant lizard. Its tail, he'd said, ended in something like a massive iron mace.

As far as she knew, there was only one beast with that shape.

Ertorix. A ferocious monster called the King of the Earth, or the Earth Dragon. If it was a monster of that caliber, then everything fit, neatly.

"Where in the world did it come from."

Aer murmured, genuinely at a loss.

It had apparently appeared out of nowhere. And that, in a state of severe injury, its throat slashed to ribbons.

It was a beast rare enough to be spotted only well past Saksum. One that dozens of seasoned mercenaries could throw themselves at and still struggle to bring down. For a thing like that to show up already so grievously wounded—

There was no way to account for it except that it had fled here, chased down by something even stronger.

Aer irritably tore off her robe and threw it aside. She'd dyed her hair, but the habit of pulling the hood down low over her eyes had stuck.

She idly twisted a strand of hair around her finger. The white was already starting to show through—the dye was already fading.

"Guess I'll have to redye it again soon."

'If I make it out alive.'

Water falling from the waterfall scattered like clouds.

Aer passed through the mist and cut across the chestnut grove. Before long, the fugitives' village came into view.

The wreckage of shattered buildings, chaotic bloodstains. Chunks of flesh belonging to no one identifiable, and shattered fragments of bone.

The closer she got to the abandoned mine where Ertorix was said to be hiding, the thicker those traces grew.

"…Damn it."

Aer swallowed against a dry throat, clenching and unclenching her fists a few times.

Her palms had gone damp. A pressure entirely different in scale from the bandit-knight bore down on her whole body.

King of the Earth. Earth-Dragon. Grand nicknames weren't given out for nothing. Even using every bit of her magic, she couldn't be sure of victory. If it were in a normal state, uninjured.

But add in the experience she'd had before her return, along with a bit of cunning, and there was no reason she couldn't win.

As she steadied her breathing, Aer's eyes caught a plant jutting out from the mouth's entrance. Bracing her knees and pulling with all her strength, it didn't budge an inch.

Sure enough—devil's-grip weed, as tenacious as the legend claimed, the plant said to have been sown by a devil to obstruct the building of a church.

"…Might be able to use this."

Resting her chin in thought, Aer stepped into the mine. The stale, lukewarm air seeped into her skin.

With every step she took, the strange resonant hum grew larger, too.

Aer stopped abruptly.

Turning back, she gauged the distance to the entrance, then pulled tools out of her pocket.

Chains, iron stakes, a hammer. All of it had been gathering dust in a corner of the bandits' cave.

She drove the stakes deep into either end of the mine wall. Every strike of the hammer rang out with a sharp, metallic clang.

Even as she kept her eyes on the depths of the mine, her hands moved quickly. A clattering iron chain was fastened to the top of the firmly driven stakes.

Aer wiped the sweat from her forehead and pulled the chain taut, securing it. Even kicking at it with her foot, it held without so much as a tremor.

"Hope it doesn't get this far."

Leaving that small wish behind, Aer headed for the place where the monster slept.

How far had she walked. Even the faint starlight from the entrance had disappeared entirely.

Sweat poured down like rain from the heat rising up out of the deep earth.

Aer wiped away the sweat trailing down her chin and walked on, and on.

And then, at last, in the darkness, she came face to face with the sleeping King of the Earth.

Her eyes, trembling with tension, examined Ertorix closely. It was far smaller than the one she'd seen, long ago.

Whether something bigger than five bulls fused together could really be called small, though, she wasn't sure.

'There.'

It was hard to see clearly due to the angle, but there was a hollow, sunken spot at the back of the beast's neck.

Time had passed and it had healed over, but it looked softer and weaker than the rest.

Aer pulled a large wooden cask from her pocket. An unmistakably foul smell seeped through the gap.

The window-sized eyelids of the beast rose. The ferocious yellow eyes swept the surroundings before fixing on the prey standing before it.

Holding her breath, Aer hurled the cask over the beast's head. The cask, striking the hard hide, burst open, and a sticky liquid soaked the massive body.

At the stench reaching its sensitive nose, the yellow eyes flared with violence.

Aer answered by waving her hand.

"Fucking scorcher of a night. Stupid lizard."

A fireball, shot from her fingertip, caught the oil dripping down.

A thick ice wall rose to block Aer off just as a massive flame roared to life, radiating destructive heat.

Aer watched the flames carefully and stepped back as far as she could. The beast burst through the fire and choking smoke.

The oil, clinging thick and stubborn, gave the fire strength, heating the beast's whole body.

Ertorix's eyes flashed with unmistakable killing intent. The enraged beast reared back and swung its mace-like tail.

Aer flung herself back in alarm. The mine wall struck by the tail collapsed catastrophically.

Her spine, rolling across bare earth, rang out dully. Sharp fragments of rock dug into soft skin.

Aer gritted her teeth and pushed herself up. The last remaining flames sputtered out.

Amid the searing heat, a thread of cold bloomed. Frost formed on the hot, hardened hide, freezing it over.

Sensing it, Ertorix thrashed its body against the walls, this way and that.

"Fuck, I'm gonna get crushed at this rate."

Aer summoned her power, fleeing from the dust and debris.

Red blood spread across skin drenched in sweat.

"Would you just—stop!"

Frost scattered through the air and massive ice grew, climbing over the beast.

The giant lizard sneered with cold contempt and twisted its body lightly. Ertorix let out a throaty growl laced with amusement and charged at the prey that had drawn away.

At this rate, it would catch up with her in no time.

Aer dragged her heels, slowing her pace. Then she turned and charged straight at the beast. Whatever it read in that action, the beast's eyes narrowed with unpleasant satisfaction.

This fucking lizard.

Grinding her teeth savagely, Aer kicked off the wall and leapt. Her hair whipped past the mine's ceiling, and her body, drenched in sweat and blood, crashed down onto the beast's back.

"…Ah, damn it."

She'd barely made it, but her situation wasn't looking good. Her ribs, fully exposed to the impact, ached so badly she couldn't even breathe.

In the middle of the agony, the beast let out a shriek and thrashed side to side.

"…All hell's broken loose."

Aer muttered in pain, desperately clinging to the smooth surface.

Her nails, scraping against the stone-like hide, broke, and blood ran out.

Sliding on her own blood, Aer reached out and pressed her hand against the sunken spot. Heat, radiating from her hand, seared into the wound.

Ertorix roared and thrashed even more violently.

Heat, then cold. Heat again, then cold again. From the rapid, repeated heating and cooling of the wound, a deep, clear crack formed.

Even through her dizziness, Aer spotted it and drew her sword. And with all the strength she had, she drove it in.

"Shit."

The half-buried sword shattered with a sharp, metallic ring.

A shard of metal grazed her cheek, leaving a thin, thread-like trail of red.

At the sound of a violent rush of wind behind her, Aer snapped her rigid head around. What her stunned eyes reflected was—

It was a mace, flying straight at her.