Chapter 402: The Battle to Repel 6

Second time diving into the sea. I was thinking I’d want at least a snorkel for the next time if possible, but unfortunately, I didn’t make it in time.

Feeling the resistance with my entire body, I felt the sea against my skin. The sound changed, and from the bubbling noises and the pain of water entering my nose, I understood that I was already underwater. Even when I opened my eyes, I could only see blurrily, but I still opened them out of concern for everyone’s safety.

It seems I hadn’t let go of Arte and Till’s hands. And Khamsin was also clinging to me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. This time, all four of us were in the sea together. Well, it might not be a point of reassurance, but I felt somewhat relieved. Being the second time, I was strangely calm for some reason.

“Bububobobubo~”

I tried making a comment like “What should we do~”, but I couldn’t speak. Naturally. As I was kicking my legs while watching Till and Arte’s hair drift in the sea like kelp, suddenly, golden kelp appeared.

It was Rilda. Largus and the others also appeared, and in the blink of an eye, nearly ten mermaids had gathered. Then, supporting our bodies, they brought us up to the surface. By the way, my body was being held and carried by Largus, not Rilda. Well, there’s no hidden meaning behind that information, though.

“Pah!”

Surfacing on the sea, we all inhaled at the same time. Taking in the fresh air, I felt like I had been brought back to life.

“Haa… thank you.”

When I told that to Rilda and the others while looking at them, they nodded with smiles. Cute. After thanking Rilda and the others, I immediately checked everyone’s faces and thanked Khamsin as well.

“Khamsin, thank you. You saved us.”

“N-No…!”

Khamsin narrowed his eyes looking truly happy and answered. I smiled at that and turned my eyes to the Hydra. The battle was still continuing there, and a scene straight out of a monster movie was unfolding.

“Ah, Mr. Ortho and the others came back too, huh.”

Seeing bolts flying from places other than the fort’s ballistae, I muttered softly. I had intended to order them to evacuate, but it seemed Panamera’s figure was also on top of the fort. After all, once the ballistae fired all at once, magic attacks were being unleashed while the bolts were being prepared.

“Could it be that because I fell into the sea, they are hurriedly trying to repel the Hydra?”

Saying that, I finally started to panic. If this continues, the Hydra will undoubtedly achieve landing. I thought that, but Dee’s angry roar echoed as if to shatter that concern.

“Begone…!”

Did he seriously tell the Hydra to back off? As I was thinking that while being moved near the land, I lost my voice at the scene unfolding onshore.

Dee, with a ghastly expression, caught my eye as he leaped, using one of the Hydra’s necks as a stepping stone. No, on top of that, he was even slashing at the neck that had stopped moving. He swept his sword upward from below against the neck he had originally inflicted a deep wound on.

This was the decisive blow.

Dee’s greatsword sank its blade deep into the Hydra’s neck and finally cleaved it in two. The Hydra’s large head fell to the ground, and its main body also reared back and retreated toward the sea.

“Ooh! One Hydra head acquired!”

It’s the ultimate material. No doubt about it. Could this mean I might be able to make dream armor like Hydra gear?

While my heart was throbbing over the dream materials, Till raised her voice excitedly.

“Th-The Hydra is going back! To the sea!”

Raising my face at those words, the Hydra, having lost one of its heads, moved its massive body and headed toward the sea. And then, it went headfirst right into the water.

“Y-Ya…!”

I was going to say “Yay!”. But as it returned to the sea, the Hydra’s tail bursting out of the water surface destroyed the beach house, leaving me speechless. Staring at the beach house that was destroyed as an afterthought, my joy halved.

“W-What an outrageous magic beast it was…”

When Till gave a dry laugh and muttered that, Arte nodded repeatedly with teary eyes.

I hate Hydras.

Escorted by Rilda and the others, we were able to safely return to land.

“Lord Van! Are you safe!”

“Lord Vaaan!”

Dee came running while still carrying his greatsword, and Arb and Law arrived a moment later. On the fort’s roof, Panamera was visible, looking vigilant in case the Hydra returned, but she glanced this way and formed a smile.

“Thank you, everyone.”

I looked at everyone in the Seatoh Knights one by one and expressed my heartfelt gratitude. Although everyone smiled bashfully, they shared their joy by giving high fives and the like. It meant the enemy was just that formidable. If anything, I felt my life was in more danger than when we faced the entire Yellinetta Kingdom.

Large magic beasts are truly fearsome.

While I was thinking such things, Dee, Arb, and the others swarmed around Khamsin.

“Khamsin, you did well.”

“Not bad at all!”

“Fantastic work!”

Dee and the others called out to Khamsin one after another, patting his shoulders and back. To that, Khamsin responded with a beaming smile.