Chapter 311

The Blue Robe Priestess entered the left tunnel instead of going up towards the fortress, and I chased after him.

The tunnel wasn’t very wide, with seawater soaking the floor and sharp barnacles, shells, and strangely slippery seaweed growing abundantly along the walls.

Splash, splash.

In terms of defense, it was heading in the direction similar to the spot where Aquila was killed, and faintly in the distance, I could hear the sound of waves.

“Gasp, gasp!”

He kept pulling his chin back and running in a manner that seemed comfortable for long-term sprinting.

Unlike the pirates, he seemed to know where he was headed.

Perhaps he knew there were several exits down in this underground.

I took a deep breath and shouted, “Stop right there!”

Then I immediately conjured a flame.

“…There’s no way.”

If only humans could be made to stop so easily, I wouldn’t have to live like this.

Thus, I decided to throw a spear of fire to help him make a more rational decision.

Whoosh!

Flames erupted from my shoulder, extending into the shape of a spear and shooting towards his back.

Szzzap!

Just before the fiery tip could set his robe ablaze, a terrible scream echoed.

“Caaaar!”

Fzzzztt!

A water shield appeared in the air, completely blocking the tunnel.

Beyond the translucent shield, I could vaguely see the Blue Robe Priestess moving further away.

Boom!

The fire spear exploded uselessly, and from the indentation in the wall, a swarm of creatures adapted to the sea began to crawl out.

A warrior of the Undersea People covered in scales, a shaman wielding a coral staff, and even a massive soldier crab that seemed to have wedged itself in here remarkably well.

“Shiiiii!”

“Solletarass!”

Thud, thud!

The soldier crab slammed its eight legs against the wall and floor, blocking the passage, while the shaman recited incantations with its back turned to the soldier crab, and the Undersea People warriors rushed forward brandishing harpoons and knives.

“Caw!”

Their steel-blue scales and fist-sized eyes, along with sharp teeth, glinted menacingly.

Even though I didn’t have the stature to make them cower, they seemed to be a hand or two taller than me.

Grinding my teeth, I shouted, “Is that priest even an Undersea People princess? I will definitely make broth from him!”

In my left hand, I gripped the dagger “Black Scale” in reverse, and in my right hand, I seized the magic sword “Storm” instead of Black Tear.

Woooom!

I infused mana into the sword that had only a handle, and a wind blade surged forth, stabilizing at about 90 cm in length.

Swooooosh!

I carefully added the flames of the incantation.

Whoosh!

I was worried if the Incantation Circuit would hold, but thankfully it held well, whether due to my control or the performance of the magic tool.

In the darkness, the blade of fire blazed brightly.

“Kirrr?”

The Undersea People warriors, charging like a beast that saw meat, abruptly halted like a wild boar that had detected a trap.

I quickly double-checked my numbers and armament.

Fifteen, with harpoons and knives, teeth and claws.

Given the narrowness of the passage, it was impossible to evade them all.

Using high-level magic posed the risk of collapsing the tunnel, the danger of being crushed, and might even set off a dispel from the Undersea People shaman which could shatter my mana circuit.

This much was worth a shot.

“Then shall we go?”

“Kyeyyk!”

The leading Undersea warrior charged in with its mouth gaping wide.

I thrust the flaming sword into its mouth.

“Ha!”

Simultaneously, I drew up my mana and entered the fray.

Imperial Swordsmanship Level 1, All Together.

Clatter!

Mana dashed between muscle fibers, tightly interlinking, repeating resonance and expansion.

Imperial Swordsmanship Level 2, Unburnable.

Wooom!

Mana stimulated my nerves, and at the moment of impact, my body prepared for a semi-automatic counterattack, engraved with the motions from before.

“You ocean waste!”

The flaming sword I had thrust into the mouth of the first Undersea warrior punctured its gills.

Thwoook!

I used it as a shield and kicked off the ground, pushing it back.

“Ha!”

From behind the first Undersea warrior, others ruthlessly hurled harpoons.

Swoosh!

A harpoon shot out from the side of the first creature, piercing me right in my lower abdomen.

The sharp tip grazed just below my navel.

Clang!

A loud metallic sound rang out, and as my torn uniform was re-sewn, my scales trembled.

My nerves screamed.

“F – damn it!”

I cursed angrily and swung the sword I had drawn from where it had emerged between the gills.

The flaming sword tore through the mouth of the first warrior while plunging into the eye of the second.

Chiiiii!

“Kyyaaa!”

The second one screamed, and the smell of cooking fish filled the tunnel.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The third and fourth harpoons were thrust in my direction.

I swung my flaming sword, slicing through and deflecting them.

The wind magic sword Storm, infused with the flames of incantation and mana blade, shattered the ordinary harpoons like twigs.

Clatter!

However, the Undersea People’s weapon, perhaps inscribed with magic, withstood a hit or two while spitting sparks.

I conjured flames up close.

Boom!

This wasn’t an attack, but an attempt to blind them, even for just a moment.

Flames soared to the ceiling, distracting the Undersea People warriors who filled the passage, and I took that moment to kick off the wall and leap upwards.

“!”

“Caarrr!”

I stomped on the eye of one that stared at me, moaned as I was pierced by the Undersea People’s blade that weaved between the scales, erupted a spear of fire in close range, crushed harpoons with my scaled claws, and lopped off a thick neck with a single strike of the flaming sword…

“I broke through!”

The moment I breached their wall, a massive surge of water flew towards me.

* * *

The Undersea People shaman swung its coral staff ahead.

“Choke to death!”

Massive water droplets, two to three times the size of my head, floated in the air, one flying towards me and engulfing my head.

Splash!

My vision blurred, and I felt like I was about to drown on dry land.

“Cough!”

Gurgle!

I tried to claw it away with my scaled hands, but it was a spell prepared for too long, and even my magical resistance couldn’t shake it off completely.

Each time I scraped at the droplet with my hands, only a few droplets of seawater dripped down.

“Cough.”

I staggered towards the Undersea People shaman and, unable to hold out any longer, leaned into the wall while he smirked at me wickedly.

The Undersea People shaman drew a ceremonial dagger from his waist.

Just as it aimed to stab beneath my ear, I kicked up between its legs.

Thud!

“!”

Its already large eyes bulged as if they would pop out, and I snatched the dagger, jabbing it into that eye.

Whoooosh!

The sensation of the dagger entering his brain was vivid.

Both the Undersea People shaman’s body and the water droplet covering my head dissolved at the same time, and I spat out the “Merfolk’s Kiss” talisman I’d had in my mouth, putting it back into my pocket.

“This belonged to that Aquila punk… washed well in seawater, so it should be fine.”

Now there was only one soldier crab left.

It threatened me while foaming at the mouth.

Bubbling! Bubbling! Bubbling!

“So very huge.”

It was as big as my cart and was fully blocking the tunnel, with claws as long as a spear and thick as a shield aimed at me.

Swoosh.

I sheathed the flaming sword, firmly gripped the Black Scale dagger, and jumped a couple of times to get limbered up.

Thud!

“Ha!”

As my feet hit the ground, the giant claw of the soldier crab came barreling towards me in an instant.

Boom!

I embraced that claw, but stopping it was impossible, and I crashed into the wall filled with barnacles and shells.

Crack!

“Ugh-!”

A thick crack formed in the wall, and stones thundered down.

The tremendous impact made my vision go dark for a moment.

However, I succeeded in driving the Black Scale into the joint of its claw.

“…For now, I’ve cut off its arm.”

The Black Scale was a dagger that possessed the power to manipulate water.

Using blood magic, I swiftly pulled out the Black Scale.

“Blood Surge!”

A significant amount of mana flowed out, but it wasn’t enough to burden me at the moment.

Pwaaaah-!

A translucent fluid spewed from the joint of the claw like a fountain.

The salty, fishy, and thick liquid drenched my head, and I felt a chill from that sensation.

The soldier crab panicked, and the giant claw fell away.

It had been cut off at the joint to prevent all its blood from draining.

Now it was a living shield.

Whoosh!

I drew the flaming sword and infused it with a hefty amount of mana, extending the blade.

The blade, now mixed with flames, wind, and mana blade, scraped and burned the ceiling while producing a foul smoke.

“Is this enough?”

“Kirrr!”

The soldier crab foamed at the mouth.

“I’ve held out long enough!”

Swoosh!

The soldier crab extended its smaller claw, and I sliced its massive body in half.

* * *

“Stop right there!”

I shouted as if I were a third-rate security guard from a story where outlaws appear, sprinting through the tunnel.

Ahead, I could vaguely see the exit at the right end.

When society descends into chaos, thieving dogs claiming to be outlaws go wild, most of them turning into bandits a year or two later, so they all had to be dealt with.

Thinking back, most of Justianus’ soldiers were…

As the chaotic thoughts crept in, I realized just how dire the situation had become.

The Blue Robe Priestess I had nearly captured was now just a distant shadow.

I dashed out of the tunnel like a madman.

Thunder and lightning hammered the sky filled with dark clouds.

Pwaaaah!

It felt like rain was pouring down as if the sky had been pierced open.

Whoosh!

The wind was fierce enough to blow a person away.

It seemed like Cariosa’s prepared magic was finally showcasing its power.

“…Ah.”

It was still a chilly spring night.

With this much rain, the pirate stragglers hiding inland would freeze to death by nightfall, and the pirate survivors who fled to the sea and the settlers would all drown.

“The footprints have completely vanished.”

However, what drove me mad now was the fact that the Blue Robe Priestess’s footprints had completely disappeared.

I calmly surveyed my surroundings.

Splash!

To the left was a shoreline with a drop of 2 to 3 meters, while the right and front were giant hills full of brushwood.

Splash!

As I glanced towards the shoreline, the waves were raging madly.

Every time the dark blue sea wailed, a white wall would rise, revealing sharp rocks between them.

No matter what the identity of the Blue Robe Priestess was, they couldn’t swim across that sea.

“The defense suggests that the city should be on top of this hill… are they planning to take a long detour?”

As I scanned the hill thoroughly, I spotted a navy robe in the distance.

“I said it! I’ll boil you alive for soup!”

I shouted as loudly as I could, enough to be heard over the thunder, and chased up the hill after him.

“!”

He was startled and quickened his pace.

Thud, thud!

The now muddy hill was sliding away as I ran, and the thorny branches would come off at the slightest touch.

However, no matter what, I was more physically capable than the Blue Robe Priestess, and the distance between us was closing.

Just as I became confident that I would catch him and uproot his legs in under three minutes, I heard a loud commotion from up the hill.

“Brother! This way!”

“Damn knights are coming!”

“Run! Run!”

From what I could gather, they sounded like pirate stragglers.

“What the hell are they?!”

But there seemed to be quite a few of them.

“Va-Valencius!”

“Royal family?”

“Now that it’s come to this, we fight to the death! Capture them!”

Pirates were swarming on the hill.

It looked to be at least 500 strong.

“The Blue Robe Priestess is with them.”

“What’s that punk doing showing his face in front of me? Suspicious bastard. Capture him too!”

“Did everyone hear that? Capture those two!”

The pirates, who had crowded around the hill, turned to look our way.

A thousand eyes and scruffy faces staring at us was horrifically surreal.

The Blue Robe Priestess and I simultaneously gasped.

“Uwaaaah!”

“Kyyaaa!”

I was surprised at how clear their voices sounded.

“Kill them all!”

“Throw them into the sea!”

“Duke Valencius’s knight, Trentia, has arrived!”

From behind the pirates came a welcome voice.

It seemed Trentia had left the fortress to chase after them as the pirates surrendered to Peijin.

“Lady!”

Pwaaaah!

Rain poured from the sky, and the ocean down below roared fiercely, while the hill was slippery and kept sliding.

The Blue Robe Priestess was mere steps ahead now, and the pirates trying to capture us began descending the hill, while Trentia and the knights from the Eastern region ambushed them from behind.

If I could secure just the Blue Robe Priestess, this chaos would come to an end.

Aquila was dead, and Cariosa would soon finish off the remaining Undersea People.

Victory was within reach.

As the cold raindrops cooled my chaotic thoughts, the Blue Robe Priestess looked up at the sky.

In the next moment, the Blue Robe Priestess began to sing.

“Ra-.”

As soon as I heard that clear voice, I instinctively realized.

It seemed that this night would drag on much longer.