Type-Moon, Does a Minor Cheat Count as a Cheat?

"Utterly untrustworthy, extremely unreliable, heavily swayed by their own emotions, often making decisions on their own and acting on irrational, frenzied impulses; like mindless beasts, they have no sense of right or wrong; they break their word and are bound by no religion or faith."

Simply put, people of this era had already formed a concrete image of the Huns—a construction imposed by outsiders.

Even so, Siegfried did not really care whether the Huns were barbaric or not. After all, he was still in the state of having no interest in anything, yet completing any commission he accepted, and had not found his true purpose in life.

"But then again, if you hadn't said it yourself, Avia, I doubt anyone would know you were a Hun."

Siegfried shifted his gaze from the blazing campfire and looked at Avia beside him, whose complexion was entirely different from the usual brown skin of the Huns.

"I was adopted, so it's normal for there to be differences. Besides, the Huns' reputation truly isn't very good. People say they're all evil-minded barbarians and such, but that's more or less true. Everyone intends to harm others, to wipe their enemies out completely, while seeking prosperity and abundance for their own side."

Siegfried neither frowned nor showed any surprise. He merely listened quietly.

"Invading others for one's own benefit is indeed what people call evil. By human standards, it would be classified as an 'ugly' act. You could say that the most convenient choice for me would be to leave them and join the side that truly suited me..."

Avia loosely crossed his arms and leaned against the hard trunk of a tree. Closing his thin eyelids to rest, he wore the same gentle expression as always, as though he could embrace everything.

Indeed, his entirely different skin tone had caused the adopted boy a few minor troubles within the Hun tribe over the past decade or so.

But the problem had never been serious. They had only been children who loved comparing themselves to others. After he beat them up a few times, they had more or less accepted it.

"But, you see, they adopted me. The kindness they showed me is something I cannot forget or cast aside—"

The flames continuously licked at the firewood, crackling and popping. Sometimes they surged high, sometimes they sank low, as if telling their stories to the night sky. Under the firelight, the wood was dyed orange-red, giving off a faint woody fragrance that mingled with the scent of grass and trees, creating a unique nighttime atmosphere.

He opened his deep blue eyes and raised a finger toward the star-filled night sky. The face of a white-haired girl, those lonely blood-red eyes, flashed through Avia's mind. His lips curved slightly upward as he said:

"Besides, even people branded as those born with evil in their hearts are still kin who can confide in one another, and they fight for the prosperity of their kin. Refusing to give up anything, yet still wanting even more... that is precisely the powerful desire a living being ought to possess, greedy enough to make people cheer at the sight of it. Isn't that right?"

"In other words, as one of their kin, I too am someone born with evil in my heart."

The firelight danced across the silver-haired youth's face, outlining it in gold.

For some reason, Siegfried felt that fourteen-year-old Avia seemed older than himself, despite Siegfried already being eighteen. His face was still youthful, yet there was a sharpness to it. Every word and gesture carried his unique bearing, and more importantly, an unwavering goal.

Yet Siegfried had a feeling that, for Avia, no matter how supreme the honor he obtained or how glorious the path he walked, he would abandon it if it proved unreasonable, without a care, and continue onward forever.

In a boundlessly radiant world, he would keep walking along such a narrow, pitch-black, dangerous path.

Normally, since Avia had said such things, anyone who accepted the Christian faith prevalent in the Western Roman Empire ought to distance themselves from him. But if that were the case, he would not be Siegfried. After all, he was still hollow inside.

Siegfried, who still had not discovered his true dream, was someone who cared far too little for his own life, his own wishes, and the even more important desires within him. Yet the thought that had arisen when he first met Avia now grew stronger and stronger—

Even so, I still want to become friends with you, Avia.

However, Siegfried felt too embarrassed to say that aloud for now. He could only speak calmly in his usual tone.

"Although you said things that sound evil, Avia, I still believe you are someone who shines with justice."

Siegfried gently touched his chest, where he had placed the leaf Avia had just given him. Unlike his habitual words of comfort in the past, this was a sincere thought.

Under the firelight, the scenery around them became even more mysterious and enchanting. The branches and leaves swayed lightly in the breeze, as though paying tribute to the campfire. In the distance, the mountains looked especially tranquil and profound beneath the moonlight. The glow of the fire intertwined with the moonlight, forming a painting.

At Siegfried's answer, Avia laughed aloud.

"Come, Siegfried. Let's slay the dragon together—the Fafnir in the Rhine."

He stopped laughing but continued smiling. His blue eyes, like a secluded ocean, stood out vividly in the firelight.

"That is my goal as well. What a coincidence. But Avia, were you also commissioned to slay the dragon?"

"No. It was my own decision."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Siegfried, you should have a decision that belongs only to you as well."

On the Possibility of Contacting Known Machine Wreckage

In utter darkness, at the deepest seabed of the Rhine, where sunlight could scarcely reach.

The waves came and went, went and came, reflecting this seemingly eternal repetition in blurred vision.

Because photosynthesis could not occur at the riverbed, many creatures had lost their chance to survive. Even so, in theory, the variety of fish here should still have been considerable. That, too, could be called a manifestation of the sea's terrifying mystery.

Yet Avia and Siegfried, who had now dived to the seabed, should have been unable to see anything in this lightless place. However, golden radiance glittered there, as though an object mirroring the sun in the sky existed at the very bottom of the Rhine.

Thus, they saw a creature with an extremely black appearance. Enormous magical power rushed toward them like tangible hot wind, heat entirely unlike the familiar light of the sun.

An enormous eighty-meter dragon reeking from head to toe lay hidden at the very bottom of the Rhine. Its eyes were closed as though it were sleeping, and it clutched a massive block of gold tightly in its arms.

Simply existing there sent wave after wave of heat blasting outward as though from an explosion. Even with magecraft reinforcing them, human bodies were inadvertently scorched.

Merely by possessing such an innate ability resembling bounded-field magecraft, it was a top-tier Phantasmal Species beyond human comparison—the strongest monster in the world, an absolute fantasy, a Dragon Kind.

A dwarf who had killed his father out of greed underwent the evil dragon phenomenon and became the Evil Dragon Fafnir.

"So that is Regin's brother—the dragon he commissioned me to kill..."

"Yes. A dragon born from ultimate greed."

Avia nodded.

Judging from the Case Files adventure storyline, whether after the end of the Age of Gods or before it had fully ended, all dragons that manifested upon the earth due to the Dragon Factor originated from Typhon, Greece's primordial dragon. A monster born from Gaia's desire for revenge, it was the source of Dragon Kind in the Western world. Even the Norse pantheon, which divided Europe with the Greek pantheon, could not escape its influence.

However, just as the Greek gods were all machine gods, Typhon possessed a mechanical body as well. Yet, like Set and Osiris, its divine body or fragments had been used for experiments by the magi of the Lostbelt Sea, the immortals of the Mountain Court, and the alchemists of the Atlas Institute.

Typhon's fragments had been devoured by Bai Ruolong, one of the protagonists in the Case Files adventure. Bai Ruolong's true identity was the Greek god of reincarnation, the Prince of the Underworld, the original Dionysus Zagreus—the child of Zeus and the Queen of the Underworld. After his death, Zeus ate his heart and had him reborn through a woman, reviving him. As Dionysus, he became part of Macedon's faith and its guardian deity.

He had also escaped the Texture and fallen into the human world, a god who truly walked upon the earth... Now that was a real example of a minor cheat not counting as a cheat.

Still, a child of Zeus and the Queen of the Underworld... The Greek pantheon was as messy as ever.

Even Avia, who had once received the blessing of all Roman authority, could not help sighing. Fortunately, what he had received was the Roman pantheon after its names had been changed.

Come to think of it, perhaps because he had received the blessing of all Roman authority, Avia seemed to be able to slowly contact the Moon God Machine, the only one he knew of that should still be beyond the planet. Yet after more than a decade, his progress had only gone from zero to ten.

Unfortunately, Mars's machine body was still drifting toward Japan. Otherwise, he would have liked to try contacting it as well. Compared to an Orbital Cannon meant for strikes against the ground, he preferred red robots.

"Ultimate greed, huh? Killing his father because of desire... Though the odds of victory are low, this is surely an evil that must be killed. No matter what, I will not forgive evil, so long as my values have not gone astray."

Facing such a terrifying enemy, even with Balmung in hand, a sword bearing the traits of Gram, the demon sword of origin, Siegfried could not be certain he would win completely. His odds against Fafnir were roughly two to eight—eight for the dragon, two for Siegfried.

But—

"Siegfried, do you have any ideas on how to defeat Fafnir?"

Avia turned to Siegfried.

He now held an utterly ordinary spear in one hand and an ordinary sword in the other. One of his hands glowed faintly with the light of magecraft. This was the spell he had cast to conceal their presence... It was the same kind of magecraft he had used when infiltrating the Submarine Alexandria Library.

Speaking of how Siegfried had defeated Fafnir in Type-Moon, even Siegfried himself did not know. It was as though, once he came to his senses, he had somehow killed it.

But judging from how Sigurd of the Norse Age of Gods had done it, it was probably something like crouching in a pit on the seabed, waiting for Fafnir to approach, then stabbing it once and killing it...

"No."

Siegfried answered immediately.

"Really? I do not intend to force you, but this is our first time working together. We might hesitate at a critical moment. Depending on the circumstances, that hesitation could lead to death. So I would still like to hear your true thoughts."

Avia's voice did not change as it reached the silver-haired youth.

Although Fafnir was indeed somewhat troublesome for the current Avia, he had fought through life and death alongside the Strongest Dragon on the planet. Naturally, he still had confidence. Yet since he had decided to fight alongside Siegfried, the necessary communication was essential.

"It is not that I am not afraid. On the contrary, I am even somewhat terrified. I can tell that Fafnir is truly far stronger than I am. I feel that my chance of victory is only twenty percent."

The great hero who had yet to slay a dragon spoke frankly.

"But I believe that if Avia and I fight together, then our chance of victory will be one hundred percent. There is absolutely no possibility of losing. We will definitely defeat Fafnir."

Siegfried's resolute words pierced deeply into his own chest like a sharp sword. They sounded so sincere.

"I understand. It seems that doubting your resolve was my mistake. Please forgive me."

"I'm sorry. I apologize for causing you trouble, Avia. I should be the one apologizing."

"I was only speaking casually... All right, it is about time. Prepare yourself."

Avia took a breath and turned his gaze toward the Evil Dragon Fafnir, which clutched Rhine Gold in the distance, ending their conversation.

"This is my first time slaying a dragon."

The next moment.

From the spear and sword in Avia's hands erupted accelerating magecraft circles like spiraling vortices. At the same time, the surrounding water seemed to be sucked into the weapons.

Then, streams of blue and red magical light shot forth like bullets.

Leave It to Me, Rhine Gold

The astonishing projectile swept across the deepest reaches of the Rhine, a red-and-blue vortex like a bullet.

Such shocking magical power could make one mistake it for a Dragon Factor appearing in these waters. Violent and dazzling radiance, magic accelerating without restraint, transformed into destructive particles that annihilated everything they touched—

"Roar!"

Fafnir, awakened by the unexpected attack, let out a roar. A tremor followed as it lunged toward the two of them at incredible speed, its sharp jaws seeking to devour them whole.

Its eighty-meter body was so enormous that Avia had to raise his head to look at it. Its roar violently shook his eardrums and lungs, but its massive size also made it an excellent target.

Dragon Kind possessed powerful resistance to magecraft. Magecraft cast upon them would all fail. It was said that even magecraft from the Age of Gods could be ignored. Though physical damage could still be inflicted upon their bodies, those bodies would regenerate almost instantly.

Avia stood alone before Fafnir and barely halted the frenzied attack of the immensely powerful Phantasmal Species with only his arms.

The top-tier Phantasmal Species, its core functioning at full power like a magical furnace, roared wildly. Its strength was no trivial matter. This was simply a collision of force against force between human and dragon.

After all, in Avia's eyes, Fafnir's strength still fell far short of Attila's when she flew into a rage from being "annoyed."

Seeing its attack blocked by a human, Fafnir roared again in fury.

Holding his spear and sword, Avia slashed through its thick hide with a thrust of his spear. Its entire body was covered in solid, heavy armor capable of resisting both physical and fantastical attacks. Even arrows that could cut iron like mud could not pierce it, yet Avia's weapon still carved into it solidly and even drew blood.

Yet it regenerated in an instant—but that had long been within Avia's expectations.

Taking Avia's spear strike as a signal, Siegfried moved at the same time. He ran from the Evil Dragon's tail toward its head, repeatedly hacking Fafnir with Balmung.

The dragon immediately shifted its target to Siegfried on its body and began preparing an attack.

In an instant, Avia adjusted his stride and kicked Fafnir in the stomach, using the force to leap high into the water.

He closed the distance and reached Fafnir's head. The pressure around him intensified as he hurled the sword overflowing with dense magical power. Like a blade cutting through space, it ultimately pierced one of Fafnir's eyes.

Though it could recover instantly, its massive body left it unable to advance or retreat freely. However, the intense pain still drove the Evil Dragon into madness. Determined to bite the human before it to death, it roared wildly and rampaged madly, continuously firing enormous beams of magical heat toward Avia's position.

Avia ran around it, avoiding the sweep of magical power. Yet in only a few seconds, the edges of his clothes were struck by the heat beams several times.

But as long as his body was unharmed, it did not matter. The two of them repeatedly attacked the Evil Dragon from its front and rear.

Thus, the Dragon Kind, blessed with powerful defenses, was subjected to a seemingly endless tide of swords and spears sweeping across its entire body.

After two strikes, three attacks stabbed out simultaneously at its head, stomach, and back. Three impacts rang out. Before the sounds had fully faded, another four slashes struck Fafnir—six thrusts, ten swings...

The speed of destruction even surpassed its recovery for a time. The dragon's ribs were shattered, several of its internal organs were damaged, its posture twisted, and its body began to tremble. Fafnir, whose mind had once contained only greed and madness, formed a thought.

I am going to die.

It did not go mad again, nor did it tremble before the intense death looming before it. Its eyes lost their former vicious gleam, replaced by deep sorrow and helplessness.

The dwarf who had killed his father out of greed, become a dragon, and driven away his brother had finally reached his deserved end.

Moreover, the two people who had come to kill it were destined to become just as unfortunate as it had.

"This treasure is cursed. You will become like me as well."

The dying dragon spoke those words with a hint of interest.

In the gap after it spoke, Avia and Siegfried stood side by side. The young man raised the golden-glowing magic sword high, while the boy extended his ordinary spear.

"I understand, Fafnir."

"This is an act of justice."

With those words of execution, gold and silver light flashed, then passed together through the flickering deep-blue magical glow in the Evil Dragon's chest.

The deepest reaches of the Rhine fell into brief silence. The dragon's enormous body trembled upon the ground, and each tremor seemed to stir the Rhine itself.

At the moment the Evil Dragon was slain, its body began to emit intense light. Within that radiance, the scales on its body could be seen trembling faintly.

And at the instant of the dragon's death, dragon blood released from its chest eclipsed the glow of the surrounding Rhine Gold.

Thick, scorching dragon blood gushed forth. It seemed as though it would dye the surrounding seabed red, yet with no one there to receive it, it swiftly dissipated.