Chapter 73

There were a few challenges in purifying the lake that looked pretty dangerous just sitting there.

First off, what about the nearby sand? It’s probably contaminated with magic power. The sand blowing in the wind would definitely have a significant impact on the human body.

With everything around us seemingly on fire from the sun, wearing a mask over my face wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.

And under such conditions, we had to set up camp in the sandy desert.

The distance from the gnome settlement to here was quite far. Yet spending just a few hours working each day and then going back wasn’t nearly enough to purify the whole lake.

Back then, the magic sphere had been rising up from the ground, but now it wasn’t like that at all. I couldn’t tell if it was inside the lake or if the magic sphere hadn’t formed yet, but the only way to calm the situation was to recklessly unleash Saint Power.

At least there was a way to protect where we were living. I placed the small relics I had worked hard to create in the center and stuck the Knight Order’s sword into that boundary. That way, at least in the space we occupied, it would only have ‘just sand’ left.

The purification method I chose was to bless the sand around us.

If magic power draws water into the ground, then conversely, I was blessing the sand that would mix into the water.

And it worked to some extent. As for the edges of the lake, a very small amount of clear water returned to the area I purified. It vanished almost immediately as if it were mixed with black dye, but a tiny spray of water consistently rose around the sand, steadily purifying it.

“Are you okay?”

The problem was that doing such things drained my strength.

Ria held onto my arm to support me. No, she wasn’t just holding my arm; she was leaning her entire body against me.

Well, I had been cradled by the princess before, so it might not be a big deal, but still, the feeling of her body touching mine was different than being close to someone I didn’t know.

It’s like the difference between a hairdresser touching my hair to style it and someone just petting my hair.

But I couldn’t just lean on someone else, and that made it even more awkward.

“This way, it’ll be hard to purify the entire lake.”

“Well, we can still purify the area around the land. We can slow down the rate of contamination.”

“……”

Upon hearing my words, Ria narrowed her eyes.

She understood my feelings, but she looked like she was questioning whether it was worth going this far.

If we didn’t stop this, it would definitely cause a big problem someday.

In my story, there was even a case of gnome refugees. Putting aside societal chaos, thinking about the people who would die, it couldn’t just be ignored.

Most importantly, it was bound to lead to a major disaster on Earth in the end too.

“If we could just get up onto the lake, we could somehow pour the sand in.”

“…… All electronic devices or those powered by magic would break down, so we’d have to row over on a wooden boat.”

“I know….”

But just in case, I was still purifying the sand steadily. Even if we didn’t necessarily pour it into the lake, it would still be useful to have it prepared.

“Ugh.”

Ria let out a deep sigh on purpose, as if to show me.

“At this rate, you’d probably pass out in a real fight.”

“I’m counting on you.”

When I replied that way, Ria looked at me intently. I stuck my tongue out playfully.

For some reason, Ria turned her face away, blushing.

Well. It seems like this face still had some usefulness.

I thought it had become utterly useless when I was dancing.

*

Ria said it was too dangerous, but my idea was still shared.

“I think a girl could solve this issue,” Glaria said with a smile.

“It’s simple. We just need to create thick ice over the lake! There’s no need to freeze the whole thing or maintain it permanently. Just throwing in some sandbags should do.”

“It would work, but… are you sure it’s okay? All electronic devices and magic-powered things would just break down against powerful magic.”

“Pfft.”

However, in response to my concern, Glaria lifted her chin defiantly.

“It doesn’t matter. The most effective means against magic is ‘a living thing’. If we can’t withstand that much, how can we call ourselves the kingdom’s top sorcerers?”

Even the kingdom’s top sorcerers would be helpless against poison.

Well, that’s why they likely tried to remove the poison primarily, to begin with.

And while listening to Glaria, there was a snorting sound from beside her.

“Do you think one person can do it?”

The person saying that, with a look just like Glaria’s, was none other than Han Yu-ri.

In defiance of Glaria, Yu-ri willingly expressed her desire to join the plan. In fact, she had already followed Glaria even before the proposal was made.

Was she trying to impress Lee Si-yoon?

Unfortunately, Lee Si-yoon himself couldn’t join this.

Even though Han Yu-ri had a slightly lower rank, she was already a well-known genius. Simply starting at Rank 6 already showed how remarkable she was since there’s a time limit to rank up.

“I’ll help too. I’m confident if it’s something that requires freezing.”

Unfortunately, making something like air conditioning with magic would waste too much power, but I believed in her abilities.

Plus, with a few high-level Hunters and some Knights to protect us added to the mix, the number of people who could reinforce Glaria and Han Yu-ri’s magic also increased.

On the surface, it seemed promising. It looked like all we had to do was make a big bridge of ice over the lake and carry sandbags across it.

Yet, for some reason, it felt like it might not be that simple.

“…There are also monsters born from magic, you know.”

I said.

“Right now, we’re just gradually purifying the outskirts, so there might not be any major reactions, but who knows what might happen when we reach the center of the lake?”

The magic sphere looked like a huge beast’s eye. As soon as it caught sight of me and Ria, it had attacked, implying it probably had some intelligence.

I wasn’t sure exactly what that magic sphere was.

“Is it really okay? It could be dangerous.”

“It seems you think it’s fine.”

Ria spoke as if she was shooting daggers at my back.

“Do you really think you’d be fine, even if you go right into the center of the lake? It wouldn’t just be dangerous for you.”

Given the ‘lake’s’ center, it would be a rational and reasonable choice for me, who was favored by the higher being up there, to go along, just in case.

But emotions don’t always accept that kind of logic fully.

For Ria, friends were precious beings. Even the other heroines, who had clashed initially, became worth protecting for Ria later on.

Especially the Saintess. They argued the most, but if something happened to the Saintess, Ria would completely lose her sanity.

…The same went for the Saintess.

Well, since it was a web novel, it might have ended with a harem ending with all the heroines reconciling and marrying Lee Si-yoon—

…

Hmm.

I knew I would be left out of that picture anyway, but the thought of Ria being mixed in there soured my mood, so I dropped that train of thought.

Right?

I mean, the heroine is my childhood friend. I don’t need any other heroine.

“Anna.”

Since I hadn’t answered, Ria called me urgently.

“…Honestly, I’m not okay with it. Emotionally speaking, I don’t really want to do this.”

“But?”

“But this is something that can’t be done by anyone else. It could turn into a big problem down the line.”

It’s not that it might turn into a big problem; the fact is ‘it will’ is the issue.

Ria watched me quietly, then took a small breath and nodded.

Thus, our operation became a ‘let’s do it’ plan.

*

“I want to ask you one thing.”

After the brief meeting ended, as everyone was heading out of the tent, Glaria turned to me and asked.

“You rescued goblins last time… no, you saved the Goblins.”

Ugh.

That memory that I didn’t particularly want to recall was surfacing.

Do they still treat me like a goddess over there? Hmm, better not ask. Not knowing is probably better.

“This time, you’re trying to save gnomes. Moreover, they didn’t even show any signs of wanting your help, and they even rejected your suggestion to throw in the relics you mentioned. So why are you trying to save them?”

“Trying to save them,” huh.

Well, I didn’t think that much of it. If I had to break it down, it was more about handling a future issue quickly that could cause a lot of problems down the road.

In the end, you could say it was saving a lot of lives—though still, I couldn’t be sure. Who knows how things will unfold with events in this world?

Maybe Lee Si-yoon would awaken suddenly and take care of everything. That higher being could find a more suitable creature than me and create a marvelous Saintess to save the world.

But that was all still undecided.

I can’t just ignore the stones on the road when no one has tripped over them.

I will just clean up what I see myself.

I waved my hand dismissively at that being that was shining blindingly in my face and looked back at Glaria.

“Glaria, it’s the same reason I helped you.”

I answered like that.

“People facing dangers that can’t be resolved without my help requested my assistance, so I’m just lending a hand.”

“……”

After my answer, Glaria fell silent for a moment, contemplating, before nodding her head.

“Is that so.”

“Exactly.”

If I hadn’t had any strength, I probably wouldn’t even have thought of helping. If there were people trapped under a bus or barely clutching onto a mudslide, I wouldn’t have been able to help either.

However, if I could help without much effort, I would want to assist.

If that help could save the world, that would be even better.

I glanced slightly at Ria. Confused by my sudden gaze, Ria blinked.

…At first, I was only thinking about living comfortably, but now that I had a goal, things had changed.

In this world, you can’t only live by fulfilling your own desires, right?