“Meteor?”
“Do meteors scream as they fall?”
“Isn’t that just a big pile of poop!?”
“Ahhh! Poop is falling from the sky!!!”
Hearing the voices filled with scorn without any filter, Dirt-Dirt felt tears welling up.
Poop!
It’s the Great Spirit of Earth, you rude humans!
What on earth happened?
After breaking free from the little one’s command, I clearly gained complete freedom.
Sure, I went through some hardships, but we ended on good terms, forgiving and deciding to stay friends.
But what is this!?
Why am I suddenly soaring into the sky against my will!?
I’ve heard of lower spirits being forcibly summoned by a Spirit Master’s call, but this is my first experience like this.
Usually, it’s just a quick teleport, right? Why am I the only one forced to fly without any prior notice!!!
Experiencing flight for the first time, Dirt-Dirt’s screams echoed everywhere.
[Kyahhh!!!]
Boom!
Dirt-Dirt, flying in a parabola, crashed into the ground.
Soon after, with a twisted expression full of dissatisfaction, it stood up.
“I didn’t expect Dirt-Dirt to be this fast! I didn’t know you’d come so quickly!”
[I didn’t come willingly! I was just about to enjoy some freshly baked pizza! I was dragged here by some unknown force!]
“Hehe. You couldn’t refuse our request that much, huh? Thanks for coming, Dirt-Dirt!”
[No! Ah! Agh! Kyahhh!!!]
I’m literally saying I was ‘forced’ to come!
What nonsense is this little brat talking about!
Dirt-Dirt almost exploded with anger, but in front of Charlotte’s bright smile, it couldn’t say a word and froze instead.
It couldn’t bring itself to curse at her smiling face.
So, this time, Dirt-Dirt decided to let it slide, claiming it came willingly.
Just this once!
“You answered my call! Thanks, Dirt-Dirt!”
[Kyah! It’s nothing! But what kind of magic did you use this time? To make me fly this far instantly!]
“Huh? Wasn’t Dirt-Dirt flying by itself?”
Julia tilted her head in confusion.
Asking if Dirt-Dirt could come to her for a moment, she was impressed to see such a talent from Dirt-Dirt.
But it didn’t fly by its own power?
‘That’s definitely an amazing talent.’
Aslan’s mouth slowly opened.
A command language is not just a means to communicate with spirits.
The reason mana is consumed when using command language is that it also possesses the power to distort reality like magic.
Most Spirit Masters overlook this power, using command language solely to command spirits.
However, in special situations, command language can produce power far surpassing magic.
Since Dirt-Dirt existed in a material form rather than an ethereal one, instead of transferring the command language’s power to an ethereal entity, it physically moved Dirt-Dirt’s body.
It was an unprecedented case.
Perhaps it’s because there is only one spirit like Dirt-Dirt that prefers to act with a physical body.
‘If I use this well, it could be like artillery!’
Dirt-Dirt is very heavy for its size, and its round shape makes it perfect as a projectile.
If I toss it into enemy territory and bring it back, then toss it again, it could be an incredibly terrifying weapon.
Aslan licked his lips while looking at Dirt-Dirt. Dirt-Dirt’s face showed a glimmer of horror.
[Kyah! You! You’re planning to exploit me again!!!]
“How did you know… No, I have a request, Dirt-Dirt. A horde of wyvern monsters is coming. I want to set a trap to significantly reduce their numbers. Can you cooperate?”
[If you want to exploit me, you need to offer a price that’s worth giving up a hot, cheesy pizza!]
Dirt-Dirt angrily demanded a price.
This guy, who initially felt humiliated receiving orders from a human, now naturally expected to be compensated for its labor.
Dirt-Dirt had finally become a valuable resource for Vermont. Aslan secretly smiled with satisfaction.
“Have you heard of Hawaiian pizza?”
[Hawaiian pizza? What’s that?]
“It’s pizza topped with grilled pineapple. When grilled, the sourness decreases while the sweetness is maximized, creating an exquisite flavor.”
[What…!?]
Dirt-Dirt frowned, reacting intensely.
I was just joking, man.
Even a dog wouldn’t eat that.
Just as I was about to present a proper price.
“Just kidding…”
[Kyah! Grilled fruit! I can’t imagine what it would taste like, but it must be fantastic!]
“…”
Oh no.
It has become irretrievable.
Aslan immediately closed his mouth, swallowing the joke he was about to make.
Well, at least he could get Dirt-Dirt’s help, so that was good. Turning around, he spotted Sylvia looking at him with a contemptuous glare, as if he were trash.
Well, he wasn’t exactly lying.
For someone, Hawaiian pizza could indeed be the pinnacle of flavor.
[What should I do? Just say the word!]
“The plan is similar to the last time. We’ll lure the wyverns with lights underground and set a trap to bury them when they gather enough. The light will be created with flash magic, making it much brighter than a torch.”
[So my job is to dig the ground and time it right to collapse the dirt! Kyah! That’ll be a piece of cake!]
A simple task of just moving some dirt in exchange for a new delicacy!
This is practically free, right?
Dirt-Dirt eagerly accepted the proposal and immediately burrowed into the ground to start working.
The digging location was in the distant plains outside the walls.
The ground was hardened, packed with mana, but in front of the Great Spirit of Earth, it began to be easily unearthed like sand.
“We’ll dig deep trenches in a line in front of the castle walls. The dirt we dig up will be used to bury the wyverns, so leave it next to the holes.”
[Kyah! I know!]
Wyverns have very low intelligence.
They’re often referred to as flying lizards.
Since their intelligence would have decreased further due to their mutation into monsters, this trap used for hunting typical wyverns should work without fail.
‘This trap usually takes forever to prepare, but it can be made this quickly?’
According to what he read in literature; it took a skilled mercenary unit a whole day just to create a wyvern burial trap.
Yet, Dirt-Dirt had completely dug the first deep hole in less than a minute, with the ground already out of sight, and was now starting on the second hole.
[Kyah! There’s something strange here!]
“…?”
While digging, Dirt-Dirt suddenly popped its head out of the ground and shouted.
What could possibly be in the hole?
Julia approached the hole quickly, peered inside, and gasped.
“Kyaaaaaaaaah!!!”
.
.
.
‘Phew. The carriage and the coachman are all safe.’
Thud.
Closing the door of the small bomb shelter, Yuri let out a sigh of relief.
The carriage they arrived in bore the Vermont family crest.
If this crest were damaged or taken by an unexpected enemy, the honor of Vermont would suffer greatly.
Thus, the order given from Aslan to Yuri was to either move the carriage to a safe location or, if that proved difficult, to destroy it and recover only the crest.
And the most important thing was.
‘If the wyvern monster attack alert goes off, throw away the crest and run for your life…’
It was an utterly incomprehensible order.
She was in a position where she might have to sacrifice her life for the client and the family head.
She knew this well, and she had steeled herself to hear such harsh commands when she came here.
But to abandon the crest, which was far more important than the lives of guards like flies?
Could this truly be an order from the notorious Aslan Vermont?
Yuri became confused.
Maybe.
Maybe. Just one in a million.
What if Aslan Vermont wasn’t such a bad person…?
Just as that thought crossed Yuri’s mind, the memory of Aslan using charm tactics shattered all those assumptions.
‘Yep. Definitely a bad person. An irritating person. A maddening person…!’
Ah. I should stop thinking about that.
The more I recall it, the more annoyed I get.
Above all, it was infuriating that the charm tactics actually worked on a noblewoman.
Yuri, suppressing her deep irritation, stepped out into the empty street.
Having completed her mission, she needed to reunite with her party…
“Ah! Yuria! There you are!”
“P-Princess!?”
At the sound of a voice that shouldn’t be heard here, Yuri felt her hair stand on end.
When she turned around, it was as expected.
Princess Merilda was running towards her with an innocent face.
Is that really the princess?
The one who had been showing her disgust toward Aslan with a grimace?
Why does it seem like her expression softens whenever she sees her…?
More importantly, why is the princess here?
Yuri realized that it had already been a while since the evacuation order was issued and was taken aback.
“Your Highness! Why aren’t you in the shelter?!”
“I came out because I didn’t see you there, Yuri. What are you doing here?”
“I had an urgent task to carry out…”
“Fufu. Isn’t guarding me part of your duties? I’ve decided to follow you to the capital now.”
Ah! This is driving me crazy! What is wrong with this princess!?
Yuri recalled the piercing gaze of the Northern Archduke that had relentlessly swooped in during the banquet, sending chills down her spine.
There was no way the Archduke would allow the princess to be out and about after the evacuation order had been issued.
If this scene were to be discovered, how terrifying would the Archduke’s glare be?
If the princess were to get hurt…?
‘I would die. Even Aslan Vermont wouldn’t be able to protect me.’
That would mean certain death.
It wouldn’t matter whether she was an employee of the count’s business or not; she would be at the mercy of the duke’s wrath.
The princess must not have even a scratch on her…!
Just as Yuri was gritting her teeth and making that vow, a piercing scream echoed.
“Kyaaahhh!!!”
“Julia…?”
The blood-curdling scream resounded as it climbed the walls.
Yuri’s eyes widened in shock. At that moment, Merilda whispered with a serious expression.
“It seems one of your comrades is in danger. We should hurry.”
“But, Your Highness, you need to go to the shelter…”
“You can see the sky. There’s still time before the monsters arrive. And even if the monsters do show up, Yuri will protect me, so I’m not too worried.”
“…”
Why does this princess trust me so much…?
Yuri let out a deep sigh and extended her hand.
“It’s urgent! Should we hug and jump, or hold hands and run?”
“Uh, um… hugging right away feels a bit much… Let’s start with holding hands…”
“Understood!”
“Eep!?”
Merilda’s cheeks flushed as she shyly took Yuri’s hand.
Yuri gripped that hand firmly and began to run quickly.
The scream had clearly come from beyond the walls.
As Yuri and Merilda hurried up the walls, they finally reached the top and looked down.
“It’s okay, Julia! They’re really well-behaved!”
“Kyahhh! No, no! I’m scared of the skeletons!!!”
“…?”
From the deep pit below, a horde of skeletons began to crawl up one by one.
Their numbers swelled into the dozens, then hundreds, as they lined up in formation—a bizarre sight unfolding before them.
Could those possibly be undead…?
Yuri and Merilda’s pupils shook wildly.
