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Kicking down the closed iron door, the person who appeared was the pink-haired one who had hurriedly left just moments before.

It seemed that apart from the sling binding one of her hands, she hadn’t sustained any other injuries. Apparently, she had been lucky enough to avoid the threat attacking the ship.

“Hey, missy, long time no see. What’s going on outside?”
“Dragons… no, wyverns are attacking us in large numbers! The ship is in danger of falling!”
“Heh, we’ve gotten ourselves into one hell of a mess. Why don’t you just escape? That kid could probably get you down safely on their own.”
“No, we have to drive them all away. I’m going to release you now, so please help us.”
“……Huh!?”

Without hesitation, the foolish girl produced a key from who knows where and began unlocking the cage. She showed no sign of reluctance. Had she forgotten that she and the kid were almost killed in that village?

“Hey, wait a minute, are you serious?”
“I’m serious. We need more hands right now. You’re pretty strong, aren’t you, boss?”
“More than pretty strong! The boss used to be quite famous…”
“Shut up, idiot! Do you understand, missy? We’re criminals.”
“But you taught me magecraft. Is that a bad thing?”

No, teaching her magecraft had been a whim. It was too inefficient to watch her struggle. There was no malice or intention to help; it was just unnecessary interference born out of boredom in the cage.

“Sure, you all are criminals, but I don’t think you’re inherently evil. That’s why I trust you.”

With a quick, anticlimactic click, the lock that had been keeping us imprisoned was undone. Once we freed our hands from the ropes, we’d be free. The magecraft restraints would be lifted, too. Yes, we could even kill this defenseless, naive girl and take over the ship.

“…Don’t underestimate us. We’ve committed theft and murder. We can’t just become decent people now.”
“But, the only ones who can save the people on this ship are you, boss.”

I could kill her. No matter how strong this Outlander was, no one could survive without a head. All I had to do was cut down those trusting eyes that believed in us without a shred of doubt.

“If you regret your past, then save the lives you can now. I can’t do it alone. Please.”
“…Tsk, a kid talking like they’re all grown up.”

After all this time, we had committed so many crimes that there was no turning back. Yes, that’s why I…

――――――――…
――――…
――…

“Hey, are we close to hunting down all the wyverns on this continent yet?”
“No, I don’t think we’ve taken down ten thousand yet.”
“Damn it, I’m getting really sick of this…”

We must have shot down at least a thousand, but the wyverns kept coming with no end in sight. I was starting to get out of breath, and sweat stung my eyes painfully. I still had plenty of magic power, but my physical stamina was nearing its limit.

“Hey, Saint, how are you handling it?”
“I’ve allocated everything to defense. I’m sorry, but can the healing wait?”
“If we don’t survive now, there won’t be any later. …Tsk, fine.”

I hadn’t expected much from the start. In the worst case, she might take this opportunity to shoot me in the back. The problem was my stamina. I was managing for now, but once my concentration broke, I’d no longer be able to cast any spells.

Where were all these wyverns coming from, and where had Momo gone? We needed more hands right now, more than anything.

“Gyaoooooooooooooo!!!”
“Damn, another red-scaled one. ‘ce Shield―”
“――Explode!!”

The space in front of me suddenly exploded, engulfing even the magic I had been forming. The wyvern, with its jaws wide open to bite, was caught off guard and fell, unable to maintain its flight.

I recognized the signature of the spell that had just been cast, but it shouldn’t be here. If it were possible, then…

“Heh, we can handle something like wyverns just fine!”
“Master! Reinforcements have arrived!!”
“…Momo, was this your doing?”

From the deck, a conspicuous figure with pink hair waved at me. There was no mistaking it; it was that fool.

What in the world… We did need more hands, but I never expected her to release prisoners…

“D-Don’t be mad! I got permission from Miss Roche and borrowed the key!”
“Hehe, I did give permission.”
“Both of you are idiots! What are you thinking?!”

There was no way we could handle both the wyverns and the bandits. Now we were caught between the thieves on the deck and the wyverns above. Should I just cut off their heads before things got worse…?

“Hey, hey, calm down! We’re on your side. Don’t point that hostility at us!”
“The cooperation lasts only until the wyverns are driven away, right? I won’t be deceived.”
“Wait! We have no intention of making enemies out of monsters like you!”
“―Exactly. If there’s any suspicious behavior, I shall cut them down immediately, so please cooperate.”

A green flash of light trailed from the bandit’s back, as he waved his hands frantically.

The Saint had deployed several protective barriers in advance, and now, using them as platforms, someone leaped through the air, slicing down multiple wyverns and sending them plummeting.

“Oh, you’re late, Astera.”
“My apologies, I prioritized evacuating the non-combatants! Also, I discovered the cause, you will get a lecture later, Princess.”
“Huh?”

The flash of light came from the halfling accompanying the Saint. Upon closer inspection, she held a rapier as thin as a needle. Had she been leaping around at high speed, piercing the wyverns’ vital spots through the gaps in their tough scales? If so, her skill was terrifying.

“Let’s save it for later. For now, let’s deal with the swarm in front of us! The source has been cut off, so only the wyverns you see remain!”
“That’s good news. I think I can manage a bit longer. Hey, you on the deck, put some spirit into it!”
“Heh, try not to get caught up in my flam—ah, I mean, I’m sorry, I’m just a lowly bandit! so I’ll stick to picking off the small fry.”
“Boss!!”

This was a hastily assembled force, but we were ready for battle.

At this point, no matter how many lower-tier wyverns swarmed, they were no match for us. Fire danced, wind howled, and flashes of light streaked through the air. After an hour of fierce combat, we had driven away every last wyvern.