Chapter 65: Act 1 – The Burning City
Somewhere on the ceiling inside Tgallodon’s mouth, there was a part without any skeletal bone.
If one targeted that area, it would be relatively easy to kill the creature, but as you know, Tgallodon is a ferocious marine monster that comes charging with an immense underwater force alongside its powerful jaws.
Therefore, for Luke, who lacked a professional harpoon and couldn’t swim, it was a rather tricky weakness to exploit.
In fact, there were only a handful of sailors who attempted to target that weakness in the first place.
However, the cane that had already been chewed halfway and sharpened was no different from a harpoon of appropriate size.
The cumbersome cloth clothes soaked in water and the resistance within the water had been enthusiastically hindering him, but nonetheless, Luke was also a swordmaster capable of finding the optimal path for a strike in any posture.
‘It’s possible.’
Luke exerted his extreme concentration and raised the spear, aiming for the brief moment when the beast lunged forward to devour him.
And.
Thwwack-!
‘It hit!’
There was definitely a gratifying feel in his hand.
The spear should have penetrated Tgallodon’s brain completely.
Immediately after confirming that, Luke gathered all the mana he could muster to manipulate the flow of water and escaped from his path.
Like a skilled bullfighter.
With the hard wooden spear lodged in its mouth instead of Luke’s soft body, Tgallodon passed by Luke at the same speed it had charged.
Luke’s body spun due to the current of water created after the massive object moved past.
The soaked cloth wrapped around Luke’s body tied up his legs, hindering his movements.
‘Oh no!’
He tried to move his legs, but the tangled cloth aquatic debris wouldn’t come undone so easily.
Soon, Luke merely hoped that his attack had been sufficient against Tgallodon as he gazed at its receding figure.
-……!
“……Ugh!”
Tgallodon writhed in pain and let out a scream.
Though it was underwater and he couldn’t discern what sound it made, the powerful vibration was enough to make Luke’s body tremble, causing air bubbles to rise from his mouth.
‘Could it be that wasn’t enough?’
Luke no longer had any physical means to attack.
His legs were tangled, making it nearly impossible to evade or regain a proper stance.
Should he use magic, even if it meant a longer recovery period?
After briefly contemplating, Luke prepared a circle so he could forcibly unleash magic at any time while watching Tgallodon.
‘Come whenever you’re ready.’
-…….
However, Tgallodon’s screams soon ceased.
Before long, the creature’s body, which had stopped moving, began to sink to the bottom.
Seeing that, Luke turned his body to rise to the surface but….
———
“Cough, cough!, Uugh…!”
“Can’t you swim?”
With Shirud’s help, Luke was able to escape from the sea.
Fortunately, Shirud not only knew how to swim from the start, but being a 3rd circle mage, albeit still a novice at magic, it was not difficult for him to rescue Luke from the water.
Luke spent quite a while lying on the ground, spitting out seawater.
This was his second time falling into the water.
Indeed, this was an experience that was absolutely not enjoyable.
He no longer wished to confirm that seawater was salty.
‘I really can’t get used to the sea…’
At least he could say that he benefited from Yerna’s swimming lessons to make it back to the surface.
Unfortunately, that was the extent of it.
Shirud patted Luke’s back and asked.
“Are you okay, Luke?”
“Gah, ha… yeah, thanks to you, I survived.”
“No, it’s thanks to me that you survived…”
“Well then, we both owe each other a life.”
Luke said so with a calm smile, but Shirud couldn’t afford to laugh it off.
Even though Luke bore no visible wounds, he was still unable to comprehend what exactly had just occurred.
“By the way, Luke. How did you manage to defeat that monster?”
“Phew, ha… oh, that? Naturally… I killed it.”
“What? How on earth?”
Shirud was genuinely surprised, with no trace of doubt that Luke could’ve been lying.
Thinking it over, it was clear that Luke wasn’t one to lie.
So, the claim that the giant fish was dead must be true.
“That….”
Luke spat out the salty taste lingering in his mouth and recalled the moment he was swept away into the sea by Tgallodon.
“Ha… cough, to put it simply, I hit its weak spot.”
“That’s too simple!”
“Sorry, but… ugh, right now, I don’t have the mental capacity to elaborate…”
“Oh, my bad. We should focus on catching our breath for now.”
“Yeah, ha… thanks for understanding. I’ll tell you the details later…”
Shirud then resumed patting Luke’s back.
By the way, it was quite surprising to Luke that Shirud knew how to swim.
He’d assumed Luke would be capable of swimming as a basic skill.
Perhaps it’s because he’s a cat at heart?
Well, that seems somewhat reasonable.
But it was probably the first time he saw Luke struggling like this.
Shirud felt a strange pride in having helped Luke.
Then suddenly, Shirud thought Luke’s neck, connecting to his back, looked very slender.
Covered by hair until now, he had not noticed the red spots on Luke’s neck.
“Ha… by the way, your clothes are soaked with seawater, too. Mmm, that’s a bit of a problem…”
“Uwah!”
Shirud was startled and a bit confused as Luke suddenly revealed his chest.
Why was he in such a defenseless position?
If not for his circle association’s custom to avoid such provocations, how would other boys react?
Just as Shirud was about to say something to Luke, he suddenly realized another fact.
The wet clothing made it very transparent…
“……”
He didn’t want to look, yet his eyes wandered.
For some reason, it wasn’t easy to divert his gaze.
It felt as though his mind was going blank.
Finally, after gathering himself enough to speak, Luke addressed Shirud.
“Why are you staring so intently?”
“Huh.”
After staring at Luke’s body for a while, Shirud suddenly met Luke’s eyes and quickly raised his hands to cover his gaze.
“S-Sorry!”
“What’s wrong? What did I do?”
“Um… it’s just… it’s partially see-through…”
“Oh, this?”
Luke glanced down at his body.
The white cloth clung to his body after soaking, revealing the clothing underneath.
However, Shirud didn’t need to feel embarrassed about it.
“Don’t worry. This is a swimsuit. We are at the beach, after all.”
Luke deliberately exposed more of his chest to confirm this for Shirud.
Since he wasn’t showing his belly button, there were no issues whatsoever.
However, Shirud exclaimed upon seeing this image of Luke.
“Even if that’s the case, you don’t have to show it off like that!”
His heart hadn’t hurt like this in quite some time.
—–
As Luke wrung out the water from his hair, he felt the sea breeze becoming increasingly chilly and asked Shirud.
“It’s best to dry off wet clothes, right?”
Shirud replied, turning his back to Luke.
“Yeah, you might catch a cold. I’ll ask Grandfather to bring towels when he comes.”
“Hmm.”
He was well aware that overwhelming emotions affected the circle.
Yet Luke couldn’t figure out what had just caused that overwhelming feeling.
Now, Luke understood how swimsuits were fundamentally treated differently from underwear.
‘Even though I specifically explained not to be surprised, why is that?’
Being startled or embarrassed over seeing a swimsuit in this era wasn’t unusual.
But if one reacts like that, doesn’t it feel as if they saw someone in their underwear?
He distinctly recalled being told it wasn’t underwear.
In fact, no one had ever given him strange looks over his attire.
But why was Shirud reacting so intensely?
‘Hmm, I truly cannot comprehend the emotions of this era.’
Some say there’s no need to feel shy at all, while others insist it must be hidden due to its shamefulness.
The same clothes yet treated entirely differently.
What an inconsistent age it was.
Luke let out a chuckle toward Shirud.
“You’re a 3rd circle now, yet you still can’t control your emotions?”
“L-Let it go!”
Oh dear, Shirud sounded very distressed. He replied so brusquely to Luke.
As Shirud built his circles, his attitude toward Luke had become less defensive, but this was like a reaction akin to their first meeting.
Luke soon thought that drying the clothes quickly was likely the fastest route and approached Shirud from behind.
“Wait a moment.”
“W-What?!”
Surprised by the gentle and warm sensation suddenly felt from behind, Shirud gasped.
However, Luke further embraced Shirud, holding onto his chest while saying.
“Just hold on a sec while I dry off my clothes.”
“Wha-what? Huh?”
What on earth did this mean? To embrace him from behind like this while drying off clothes?
“Shirud, how do you feel right now?”
“W-What feeling?”
“The warm energy spreading outwards. Now, close your eyes and focus on it.”
“Uh…”
Shirud followed Luke’s gentle voice and closed his eyes, concentrating on the sensations in his body.
He could soon feel the heartbeat resonating through his back, alongside the oddly calm heartbeat and the warming body temperature of both himself and Luke.
“……”
Perhaps this too was Luke’s way of expressing affection?
In that sense, it was a substitute for the kiss they had bet on.
With that thought, Shirud simply decided to be still and feel the moment.
Then, a peculiar warmth enveloped him deeply, growing distinctly apparent.
It felt as if every vein within him was warming up, an enjoyable heat.
“Yeah, I can feel it.”
Is this what it feels like to be hugged by a girl?
As that thought crossed his mind, he wished the warm sensation would continue.
Then Luke spoke up.
“Good. Then remember this feeling well. It’s a spell I use often.”
Shirud’s eyes widened at Luke’s words.
“Huh? Magic?”
“Yeah, I used the magic that dries water while stabilizing the circle. With your circle, of course.”
That’s right.
Luke embracing Shirud from behind was simply a means to control the lower-level opponent’s circle instead.
Normally, he would just achieve this by physically touching, but originally, the most efficient and effective method was to connect their circles.
This was the only way their hearts could come closest to one another.
However, hugging from the front might be too much pressure for Shirud to see his attire, so Luke calmly explained that he had embraced from behind to operate the circle instead, causing Shirud to momentarily stand dumbfounded.
“What…?”
Then, of course…
——–
“……And that’s how I killed Tgallodon.”
Luke briefly explained how he fought and defeated Tgallodon while managing Shirud’s Circle.
Shirud thought it felt fresh, like listening to a past hero’s tale told by an elder.
The sensations felt in his heart were already of secondary concern.
“Wow, how did you do that? Where did you learn?”
“Hmm… just a lot of practical experience and a few things from books.”
“I see, but more books again…”
“Which is why I say, read more when you’re young, no matter the genre.”
“But books are so boring.”
Shirud grumbled a bit.
Then he suddenly spotted a fishing rod carelessly left behind and turned to Luke.
“Oh, speaking of which, what about our bet?”
Luke brushed off his clothes and asked in return.
“Hmm, are you still thinking of the bet?”
“The result hasn’t been decided yet! You killed that giant fish, right? Then isn’t the sea safe now? There shouldn’t be any more like that, right?”
“…….”
That was true. Tgallodon was a solitary marine monster.
If two met, one would certainly lose its life, so catching one in the sea meant there would be a relatively quiet and smooth sailing for a while.
However, to still want to go fishing after witnessing all that was rather…
“Very mage-like and cool, I like it.”
Luke nodded in happiness at his apprentice’s development.
“R-Really?”
Seeing that, Shirud thought.
Indeed, it was clear Luke liked him.
But just as they got a bit closer to the sea, waves suddenly started crashing violently.
“The waves are pretty fierce… I don’t think we can fish here.”
“Hmm.”
However, Luke couldn’t shake the feeling that the waves seemed artificial.
Such relentless waves shouldn’t ordinarily occur in this coastal magical structure…
‘Unless there’s another Narwhal…’
Clouded by confusion, as he hesitated, high waves rushed in.
Splash!
Suddenly drenched by seawater, Shirud spat out the seawater that had entered his mouth and shouted.
“Ugh, what’s going on! It came out of nowhere! I’m wet again!”
Luke turned back, curious about what was going on, and saw that he had somehow sheltered Shirud from the wave almost completely.
Seeing Shirud wet while he was dry ignited a feeling of jealousy within him.
“Did you use me as a shield?”
“……Shirud, hold still for a moment.”
With that, Luke once again embraced Shirud from behind.
Shirud promptly closed his mouth.
It was unfair to hug him while angry….
However, shortly after, the strange sensation he felt in his chest was oddly familiar.
“You’re using my circle to cast magic again!”
“Shh, quiet.”
“…….”
Shirud fell silent again.
It was unfair to speak in such a serious tone suddenly.
“Here it comes.”
“It’s coming? What?”
Luke’s statements had far too much left unsaid.
“It’s Tgallodon.”
“Huh? Didn’t you say you killed it?”
“I thought so too, but apparently not. Prepare yourself; I’ll draw it out.”
“What?”
Shirud didn’t immediately understand what Luke meant, wondering if he had perhaps misunderstood something.
But it was then that he perceived it was crystal clear and utterly truthful.
-Wham!!
-Guooohhh–!
A tremendous noise like an explosion of water rang out, combined with a terrifying roar that could shred eardrums.
—–
Indeed, the artificial wave was the result of Tgallodon that had consumed the Narwhal’s horn.
And Shirud was nearly in shock.
The shock from the series of events unfolding before his eyes was overwhelming.
First, he watched as Luke connected the mana wire to the ceiling of the creature’s mouth and pulled up the enormous Tgallodon as if he were fishing.
And then witnessed it being thrust into the seabed.
If anyone were to see that mere meters away, who could keep their composure?
Moreover, due to Tgallodon’s influence after consuming the horn, the fishing spot had almost entirely turned into a sea.
Once again, he was soaked through.
But Luke laughed heartily and shouted.
“Hahaha! That was some amazing fishing! Shirud, you really caught a huge fish!”
Seeing Shirud staring blankly, Luke assumed it was solely from the joy of victory.
“Yeah, it seems you won the bet. Since it was a fish caught with your circle after all.”
“…….”
“Now, state your wish!”
Shirud turned his stiff neck to gaze at the enormous fish lying belly up next to him.
Covered entirely in blood, a girl with an exuberant laugh was also visible.
Shirud deeply uttered a heartfelt response.
“I want to go home.”
“Eh? Is that your wish?”
“And I’ll never go to the sea again! And I won’t fish ever again!”
“Why on earth?”
Just as Shirud shouted that, the tardily arriving Solid rushed over, panting, and asked.
“What in the world is going on? Huh? What’s that enormous fish?!”
