I Said Make My Abilities Average! (LN) - Volume 12 - Chapter 91

Chapter 91:

A Summons 

“A summons?” asked Pauline. 

From the guild, the four scurried back to their room at the inn to open the letter. Inside, they found… 

“Well, I’d say the gist of it is a ‘come and meet me behind the bleachers’ sort of vibe,” said Mile. 

“What does that mean? What is a ‘bleacher’ anyway?” 

Reina’s shoulders slumped. Whenever she didn’t get one of Mile’s references, she put it down to her own shortcoming. Mavis, on the other hand, brushed it aside as she always did. 

“It’s a summons from the elder dragons,” clarified Mile. “Either we go to them, or they’re going to come to us.” 

This was clearly a threat, but Mile did not appear to have realized this. 

The others were silent. 

“It seems like Kragon was just the intermediary here,” Mile continued. “It’s someone else who actually has business with us.” 

Reina shrugged wearily. 

“This is definitely bad news, right? I doubt they’d bother contacting us if there wasn’t something wrong, and if they had some update or announcement for us they’d just write it in the letter. Besides, if it was some little matter, that dragon would come here himself, or send some beastman messenger to meet him in the forest or mountains. The fact that we have to meet with some other dragon means something serious is going on.” 

“It’s like, ‘Hey, Big Bro, those are the guys!’ right?” asked Mavis, grimacing. 

Based on their interactions with Kragon, he did not seem the type, but there was no doubting that someone who outranked him was hoping to meet with the Crimson Vow about some less-than-happy matter. 

“If we refuse, a gang of elder dragons is going to come to the capital, which would be a serious problem.” 

“That would never fly!” 

“It’d turn into the Great Human-Dragon War…” 

In fact, the Great Human-Dragon War was a fairy tale depicting an all-out war between humanoids and dragons. However, it was nothing more than a work of fiction, not something that had ever actually happened in the past. Incidentally, it was a fairy tale that had been around for a long time—and for once had nothing to do with Miami Satodele. 

“We had better go.” 

“I guess we have to.” 

“We don’t have much choice.” 

“Let’s go, Pegasus!” 

Who the heck is Pegasus? 

Indeed, the Crimson Vow had no other choice. No matter how little they wanted to go. No matter how much they wished to ignore the letter. No matter how badly they wanted to run. 

Imagine if the elder dragons, infuriated at being ignored, came to the royal capital of Tils… As long as any other choice existed, they would choose that. It was just as that merchant, Galadle, must have felt: they truly had no other options… 

*** 

“So anyway, here we are, back in the south of the Albarn Empire, somewhere fairly close to the sea. Indeed, we are approaching the Village of the Elder Dragons!” 

“Who are you explaining this to?” Reina asked wearily, as Mile proudly narrated their location—a fact of which they were all aware. 

“Why did we have to come all the way out here?” Pauline grumbled. 

“Elder dragons can travel this sort of distance like it’s nothing, so they probably have no concept of how much time and energy it takes other creatures to do the same,” Mavis replied. 

“I guess so. I suppose it’d be a problem if they’d shown up back near the capital…” 

At any rate, the Crimson Vow was back in the Albarnian Empire, now approaching the elder dragons’ village. 

“They only told us to come to this vague area, but we don’t have any landmarks, and they didn’t establish a date and time… Elder dragons are pretty big, so they should be easy to spot, but they’re probably gonna send out some beastman as a point of contact, so finding them is gonna be—” 

“There! Right over there!” Mile piped up, cutting off Reina’s train of thought. 

As usual. 

“Are you the Crimson Vow?” asked a solitary beastman, approaching the four hunters. It seemed he had been waiting here for some days, as there was a tent pitched nearby. 

“Did Kragon send you?” 

“That’s right. Now, could you all look to the sky and shoot up three fireballs?” 

“Can’t they come up with a way for you to signal them yourselves?” the Crimson Vow asked, stunned to find themselves in this position yet again. 

“Most beastfolk can’t use magic. What d’you want from us?! Are you gonna wait around while I go gather up a bunch of kindling and dried logs and twigs and get a great big signal fire going? Huh?” 

“Our apologies. Please allow me to shoot the fireballs…” 

Mile fired three fireballs up into the sky, and a short time later, a group of elder dragons appeared—nine of them. 

“Whoa, the whole gang’s here!” 

“That’s way too many!” 

If this many people—er, dragons—were showing up, then it was clearly a good thing the Crimson Vow had traveled here instead of the dragons going into Tils to meet them. Having this many elder dragons show up near any human settlement would be enough to send the entire continent into a panic. Every nation in the world would probably start gathering their forces and announce a state of emergency… 

Thwoom, thwoom, thwoom. 

One by one, the dragons landed in front of the Crimson Vow. The nine then split into three groups of six, two, and one. One side of the group of two faced the Crimson Vow and began to speak. 

“It’s been a while, Crimson Vow…” 

Supreme Leader Dessler?! 

Even at times like this, Mile was functioning as normal. 

“But we just saw you a little while ago, Mr. Kragon…” 

“It’s me! Berdetice!!” 

“I’m sure you can’t tell, but I’m Kragon…” said the other half of the pair. 

“If you know that we can’t tell you all apart, then just give your names from the start!” harrumphed Reina. 

The dragon pair looked annoyed, but there was nothing to be done for it. 

“And those fresh faces over there would be…?” 

Prompted by Mile’s question, the pair finally remembered their role here. Kragon, the senior of the pair and the one who had sent the letter, introduced the others. 

“Here before you is our leader, Lord Laylen. The other six here are our most elite warrior squad.” 

“Oh, the group that you used to be part of!” 

“Don’t mention that!” 

Apparently, it was still a sore subject for him. 

The other three members of the Crimson Vow sighed, stunned as always at Mile’s utter lack of social awareness. That’s not something you should ever bring up… 

“Um… Can I ask something?” Mile asked suddenly. 

“What is it?” Kragon replied, warmly gesturing for her to proceed. 

Frankly, Mile asked the question that was on her mind. 

“Umm, if you’re facing us down, shouldn’t all the warriors be standing guard around your leader?” 

The group of six was silent. Kragon and Berdetice’s faces twitched in shock. 

The six warriors froze in place. Then, eight dragon heads swiveled slowly towards their leader, with an almost audible creaking. 

He was angry. 

The leader was furious. 

Mile had as good as said, “You’re about to be attacked by a group of four little human girls, so you should probably have your fellow dragons guarding you.” In fact, that was exactly what she was saying. 

These were not the sort of words that a proud young elder dragon could abide… 

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-wha–?” 

Oh no… 

She had done it. The other three members of the Crimson Vow were acutely aware of Mile’s mistake. 

The other eight elder dragons’ faced twitched as well…or at least they seemed to. It was difficult for a human to read an elder dragon’s expressions. 

“Cr-cr-cr…” 

What’s that sound? Sounds a bit like a chicken. Come to think of it, I’ve heard that chickens are descended from dinosaurs… 

“You CRETIIIINS!!!” 

Ah. 

The other three members of the Crimson Vow hung their heads. This was hopeless. Their conversation had broken down from the very start. Fortunately, it was time for someone older, with far more experience, to make their debut. 

“Gracious leader, it behooves us to smile kindly upon the foolish words of these lower life forms.” 

“Hm… I suppose that’s true.” 

The leader seemed to perk back up at this advice from the leader of the battle squad… Clearly, he was a simple sort. 

I wonder if it really is true that elder dragons are smarter than humans. 

Doubt began to bubble up in the backs of the Crimson Vow’s minds. That said, as Berdetice had previously explained, this leader was a juvenile, and possessed the characteristic ailments of youth, one of which was that he was all too confident in his own abilities. Obviously, he was convinced that he was a smart and powerful elder dragon, one who would rule the world and guide the fools who dwelled upon it—but perhaps this was more of an individual condition. Especially since he was no longer an adolescent but still seemed to behave in a thoroughly juvenile way… 

Calm once more, the leader began to speak again. 

“Now then, let’s get down to the crux of the matter. For repeatedly daring to oppose we elder dragons, you lot will be sentenced to death.” 

Clearly, there had been no point in calming him down, if it was going to come to this. 

Hey, Nanos. How many feet up in the air do you all exist? 

Realizing their situation was hopeless, Mile began a covert conversation with the nanomachines. Because in her previous life, her father had worked in the field of aviation, Mile (or rather Misato) had grown accustomed to referring to heights in feet instead of meters. 

THERE IS NO MEANING IN US EXISTING IN LOCATIONS WHERE THERE ARE NO LIVING CREATURES TO RESPOND TO. THEREFORE, WE DO NOT EXIST ANY HIGHER THAN BIRDS AND WYVERNS FLY. 

But you could go even higher than you are now? 

YES, OF COURSE! AT YOUR COMMAND, LADY MILE, WITH YOUR LEVEL-5 AUTHORIZATION, WE CAN DISPATCH A TEMPORARY AERONAUTICS TEAM OUTSIDE OF OUR ESTABLISHED SERVICE AREA. FURTHERMORE, AS IT IS YOU, EVEN IF WE SHOULD EXIT THE AREA WHICH CAN BE DIRECTLY REACHED BY YOUR THOUGHT PULSES, WE CAN CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN YOUR PREVIOUS COMMANDS. AND OF COURSE, NEARBY UNITS CAN TRANSMIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS TO THE UNITS MAINTAINING THOSE COMMANDS, AND… 

So you’re saying I can send conditional commands to nanomachines tens of thousands of feet up in the air… 

THAT’S CORRECT. 

Okay, in that case, anyone who’s free right now, up into the air with you! 

With that, a number of nanomachines sped toward the sky. 

Up, up, and away… 

“I don’t get you all! First the dragon Wence comes rushing in, then Kragon and company launch a one-sided attack on us, and still we helped you deceive the Empire to stop a war between them and the demi-humans! You should be thanking us! Why is it you have to kill us? This doesn’t make any sense!” Reina argued, indignant, as the other three nodded along. 

However, the leader of the elder dragons did not appear to be paying the Crimson Vow any mind. 

“Have you no sense?! You must face the consequences of your own actions, for daring to spit in the faces of the great and powerful elder dragons! Would you not squash a mosquito or fly that buzzed around your face without a care?” 

“………” 

Mosquito or fly? 

If that was how the dragons saw them, there was nothing they could do. 

Berdetice and Kragon seemed to think of humans as defenseless lesser life forms, while that young girl dragon, Shelala, seemed to regard them on the level of kittens. This leader, however, considered them nothing more than irritating insects. Clearly, it would be pointless to try to reason with him. He had not come here to talk, after all. He had come seeking the satisfaction of watching the Crimson Vow squirm as he handed down their death sentence. He’d brought them all the way out here because it would be unwise for so many dragons to show up near a human settlement and also because it would simply be a bother for him to make the trip. Everything was going exactly as he had intended. 

Of course, the Crimson Vow had anticipated this might happen. Even Kragon had warned them of the possibility. So, naturally, they had not come unprepared. 

Ultra-Super Deluxe Hot Magic activate… Crimson Inferno, Full Power! 

Burn, heart of mine, tremble, my spirit… In the name of Mile, and in my own, I, Mavis, command you! Beloved sword of mine, to your original form!!! 

Mavis gripped a capsule of micros within her pocket. 

In the name of Kurihara Misato, Adele von Ascham, and Mile, I command… Nanomachines! Je vous commande! 

Oil, thickener, compressed air… Blazing firebomb, ready fire! 

As Reina made her protest, the others began silently preparing their attacks. Once she was finished, she joined in on the preparations as well. 

“Gracious leader, please wait a moment! Harming defenseless creatures without reason goes against the teachings of our elders!” 

“They’ve only lived but a handful of years—they are mere infants! Have some mercy!” 

Berdetice and Kragon tried to stall him, but the leader had no intention of listening. He was already beyond all admonition or advice. “Silence! Now then, kneel before me and beg for your lives—though I have no intention of sparing you!” 

The Crimson Vow resigned themselves to what they had to do. The dragons might speak the human tongue, but there would be no communication with this one. 

Despite the thorough thrashing that Berdetice and Kragon had received at their hands, both dragons had still shown the members of the Crimson Vow kindness later. However, something told the hunters that these two were simply more inclined to indulgent compassion for lower life forms. Just as a human might throw their arms around a dog or cat who had saved them in a pinch… 

Now, Berdetice and Kragon looked resigned. The six warriors seemed troubled as well, but none of them were ready to risk their own position by admonishing their leader for the sake of four lesser creatures’ lives. 

Even if Berdetice and Kragon stayed out of the fight, as per their agreement with the Crimson Vow—and even if the leader only stood by on the sidelines, they’d still be up against six elder dragon warriors. And, unlike the one-by-one battle of the time before, this would likely be all six of them, all at once… 

This is hopeless. 

The four signaled to each other with their eyes, silently agreeing to abandon all efforts to resolve this peacefully. 

All that remained was… 

“Goodness, what an ignorant little brat. So spoiled and pampered by all the adults around him!” 

“I don’t envy your task, dear babysitters. I can imagine just how you feel…” 

“I suppose even elder dragons can be fools…” 

“Should we chop off your tail, too?” 

“Eee!” 

At Mavis’s threat, a certain dragon instinctively clutched his own tail. 

If battle could not be avoided, it was advantageous to rile up one’s opponent. Even if one couldn’t unsettle the actual combatants, it might help at least a little to rob their commander of any rational decision-making capabilities. 

“Wha…? K-kill theeeem!!!” 

The six warrior dragons immediately took thudding steps towards the Crimson Vow. 

“Perfect. We’ve got a leader there who just senselessly ordered our deaths, and six of his warriors are coming directly towards us. I’d say this is legitimate grounds for self-defense!” 

Indeed, just as Mile was implying—even if they killed the young leader now, they could plead self-defense, meaning the rest of the dragons probably would not declare war on humanity in retaliation. Elder dragons, after all, were a wise and compassionate race—save for those youths possessed of an unshakeable belief in elder dragon supremacy, of course. If they reflected on the manner in which they had failed to educate or guide this leader “beloved by the spirits of magic,” it would be clear to them that the elder dragons were at fault, not the humans, who had merely reacted to their attack. Indeed, the Crimson Vow hoped they might even give them a few scales in apology—though this was the sort of thing that only happened once every few decades, or centuries. 

And so… 

“It’s no holds barred!” Mile announced. 

Without even a word of acknowledgment, Reina and Pauline fired off the completed spells they had been holding. Mavis pulled the micros from her pocket and swallowed them in one gulp. To save her popping capsules one-by-one, this time she had been provided with a special large vial, containing three times the usual amount of micros. The bottle was colored red, indicative of the risk… Three times the dose, after all, was serious business. 

In fact, Mile had been incredibly hesitant when Mavis first requested such a large dosage, but she could not refute Mavis’s point that, “There’s no point in me dying just to avoid damage to my body, is there?” Plus, if she maneuvered her now artificial left arm to reduce the load on the rest of her, then she should be more or less fine. Only because of this was Mile willing to reluctantly oblige. 

“Blazing firebomb, fire!” 

“Crimson Inferno!” 

“EX True Godspeed Blade Third Form, ‘Dragon Guillotine’!!!” 

“Phaser Beam, fire!” 

Ka-shoom! 

Bwooow! 

Ka-slash! 

Pew! Pew! Pew! 

And thus, the Great Human-Dragon Wars were underway…