Chapter 74

“First, I contacted the Gnome government for plan approval.”

No matter how much they said it first and how they claimed it was unutilized land, this was Gnome territory.

A person in my position shouldn’t just waltz around however they liked.

Besides, we’d need someone who knew we were going in there.

It’s like writing up a plan and leaving contact details for family before heading into the deep mountains. We should have some folks ready to help us in case anything goes south.

Of course, the Gnomes who came to assist us would probably be of no use if we got stuck in that lake.

Lee Si-yoon stays back at the lodging. Some of the Knight Order and most of the Hunters also decided to remain to keep an eye on things.

One of the chocolates made from holy relics is probably with Lee Si-yoon. I gave him two pieces when we parted with Han Yu-ri yesterday. He probably got at least one of them.

“Hoo.”

I let out a long breath.

“Feeling nervous?”

“Well, yeah.”

I released a small sigh.

“Still, it’s a bit better than last time.”

“Oh, really? Has experience improved you?”

“Well, it’s not my first time, and I remember Ria protected me really well back then.”

“……”

Ria’s cheeks turned slightly red at my words. Praise really gets to her.

Simple compliments about wielding a sword don’t count for much; that’s just a fact. But expressing personal gratitude can definitely fluster her.

It was good to have another form of attack besides my face-on approach.

However, Ria’s face didn’t turn as red as before.

“Pp?”

Suddenly, Ria cupped my cheeks with both hands, and I widened my eyes.

When I shot her a reproachful glare, she chuckled.

…It seems Ria is figuring out how to respond in her own way.

Before executing our plan, I warned my party several times.

There was a high probability we might end up fighting monsters up there. So everyone prepared earnestly. The Knights donned armor fortified by my power and held weapons and shields, while the Hunters each prepped thoroughly.

But honestly, I might not have needed to warn them at all. Hunters are specialists in confronting unknown entities.

Like any plan, I thought this one was going relatively well at first.

First off, the bridge made of ice was sturdier than I expected. It wasn’t as pretty as something out of an anime, but it could hold multiple people without breaking.

There were even ice pillars forming above the lake!

Glaria and Han Yu-ri were creating ice as if competing with each other, and surprisingly, that competition was beneficial for us.

Things remained fine even while tearing a sandbag and tossing it into the river.

“……”

I looked up at the sky.

Bright sunlight.

However, there was something else above my face that seemed to be coming down as well.

If it were a typical day, I would have waved my hand to make that light disappear, but— not this time.

For some reason, this time I felt like I would need a lot of the power being sent from that entity up there.

“Everyone.”

I said.

Burble.

Bubbles were rising from the sandbag we had tossed. The tar was bubbling up like it was boiling.

But I thought of it as a kind of premonition.

“Get ready.”

At my words, Ria promptly drew her sword.

Swoosh.

As the Knights drew their swords in unison and the Hunters pulled out their weapons, a wave arose from the lake.

A sight that seemed impossible in an oasis was emerging from the dark lake. The surface of the water trembled as if an earthquake had occurred, then spread out like a tsunami towards the shore.

Fortunately, that area had been purified by me beforehand, so an immediate major problem didn’t occur.

“Monsters!”

I heard someone shout.

It seemed they judged that our sandbags suffused with Saint Power posed some danger as monsters slowly began to rise from within the lake.

Some looked human, while others resembled beasts. However, they all appeared doused in something that looked like black tar.

Boom—

The ice bridge shook as if the very bottom of the lake was trembling.

“Everyone jump!”

Ria shouted, and everyone simultaneously raced towards the edge of the lake. Ria had already grabbed my arm, pulling me along.

Those at the shoreline, meaning the ones connected by the bridge, were fending off the creatures trying to invade the bridge. Light reflected off their fortified blades, and monster heads rolled to the ground.

But even as those monsters became sand and then dissolved into transparent water, new ones continued to rise from the lake.

Moreover, as time passed, their sizes increased overall. What started as humans now looked like elephants, rhinos, or absurdly huge crocodiles.

Gunshots echoed. The Gnomes waiting at the hillside opened fire at us. Unfortunately, it didn’t help that much. What they used was heavily based on magic power.

At least some of the priests among them could be seen issuing white Saint Power here and there.

“Ah…!”

Han Yu-ri staggered and stopped in fright.

Glaria managed to pull Han Yu-ri back just before she slid forward—

Thud.

Something large began to push up from beneath the lake, knocking our solid bridge into pieces.

The severed bridge groaned with a loud crash before vanishing like the remnants of a broken glacier, drifting on the water’s surface.

And as my body twisted back, I finally locked eyes with a massive gaze staring directly at me.

“……”

It was a magic sphere.

But this time, it was properly inside the eye socket.

Only a giant eye remained on its face.

Even in a life-or-death moment, all the people around me seemed to forget to scream.

The lake’s half-submerged eye slowly rose, and a black waterfall cascaded down, revealing a skeletal body beyond the falling water.

“……Heh.”

I exhaled as I noticed the light falling on my face growing even stronger.

Ria looked at me as if astonished.

Well, this isn’t the best situation. The best would have been to eliminate that lake before such a thing appeared.

But it wasn’t the worst either.

Given that it’s only ‘bone’ that’s been formed here, there’s still hope.

They are still assembling something.

“Ria.”

“…You want to fight something like that?”

Ria said, sounding incredulous.

But despite saying that, Ria was already standing by my side.

I pulled out my gun and blasted the monster’s head that was about to rise onto the ice, shouting.

“Glaria, Yuri! Can you help us!? And everyone else too!”

“That’s a rather ridiculous request.”

Glaria responded, looking astonished.

“Well, running away isn’t all that ideal either, so we have no choice.”

“Alright, let’s do this!”

Just the other day, Han Yu-ri had been addressing me formally.

Well, I was more used to this kind of attitude; it was a common sight in novels.

That made me a bit happy.

Ria charged ahead with all her might.

As if stepping on empty air, stairs made of ice began to form below her.

I followed behind, shooting down every monster head that tried to climb the stairs.

Of course, spells were flying from behind, obliterating the monsters’ heads, and the Knights in the back dealt with those climbing after us.

A rush of wind cut through.

A gigantic hand was approaching us. If it connected, it would smash us, stairs and all.

Who do you think you are?

I tossed a small pebble at that hand.

“———!”

The tiny stone shot forth, radiating white light, erasing the monster’s hand. The process looked almost like a small explosion. It was only natural as it crumbled from the inside and became liquid, dropping away.

Still, there’s no way I made it this far empty-handed.

I picked up a few more pebbles.

“Anna.”

Ria said to me.

“Let the next hand come in peace.”

“What?”

Before I could reply, Ria hugged my waist as if she had an idea.

“Huh?”

No, wait, Ria—

Seeing her, those behind us moved in unison, pulling back.

Once again, the creature’s eye turned towards us.

Thin spear-like projections sprouted around that eye, then shot towards us. Ria elegantly slashed through the spear with her sword and—