Huuu...
Watching the corpse rush toward me, I took a breath, closed my eyes, and tapped my foot on the ground. As the sound echoed, the sensation of being deep in the sea grew stronger. The current that spread out from me licked its way across the surroundings, detecting everything and rendering the sense of sight obsolete.
A total of nineteen corpses. Ten men, nine women. Their weapons were swords, broken pieces of wood, fingernails, and teeth.
I was outnumbered, but I didn't feel like I was at a disadvantage. I quietly recited the command.
"Remove."
The strain that had worsened from excessively spreading my Tide Sense eased slightly. There's probably no need to use water pressure.
CRACK!
"Aaargh!"
All nineteen of them, at the exact same moment, were slammed in every direction as if struck by an invisible hammer. I had converted the currents into swift, light strikes. The effect was greater than I had imagined.
Jiangshi, zombies... whatever they were, these immortal bodies writhed but could not get back up. I walked over to one and flipped it over to get a look.
"Hmm."
It was a rather ghastly sight. The being, which must have been human just a few hours ago, now had unfocused, dazed eyes and kept trying to stand up. I had seen something like this before.
The mummy that kidnapped the noble children, it was similar to that thing. Of course, it was much weaker in comparison... but it was probably made by the same person.
"... Damn it."
An unsettling thought crossed my mind. I had heard that Elysia was safe. Dersia had confirmed it, so she wouldn't have fallen.
But what about Aletus? What would it feel like to see your own father turn into a zombie right before your eyes? For a 10-year-old child, at least, it would be hard to bear.
I ran up the stairs of the still-lit spire. Unlike Red Lotus, I had no desire to increase the number of my comrades.
Elysia had been feeling like she was flying on air lately.
"Haha, do you like it that much?"
"Yes!"
"You can speak casually. There's no one here to listen."
Azelin.
It was a city you couldn't reach at your desired time, even with money or a noble family name. The reason was that reservations were already fully booked for the next three years. Some perverted designer had personally adjusted every single root of Azelin's trees, every single flower.
The reason for such a mad undertaking was to achieve the goal of 'a perfect view no matter where you look'. It was an absurdly preposterous goal, but she had achieved it. And that achievement was proven by the fact that ninety percent of all noble weddings were held in this city.
"Look here, the building is made of flowers!"
Elysia ran along the street, laughing happily. Seeing her look just like any other 10-year-old child, Aletus waved back with a bitter smile. 'This is quite an expense...'
Of course, he hadn't made a reservation. He had bought the rights from another noble for Elysia's sake. And in the process, the other party had wanted not money, but a wine that Aletus truly cherished.
Still, seeing his daughter smile so brightly, he didn't feel a single shred of regret.
"Are you happy?"
"Yes!"
"Good. If you're happy, then what more could I ask for?"
As Aletus approached Elysia, who was looking at the flowers, he recalled what her teacher, Jern, had said. Create happy memories for her. Fulfill your role as a parent, not just with money.
He was telling him how to avoid the Fall, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Because he was so busy, he had often left his motherless child alone. That was why it hit him so hard.
Jern had said nothing more, but the years he had lived as a noble were not in vain, and he could tell there was a sense of reproach in those words. '... His mental strength was incredible.' He was a truly peculiar fellow.
So Aletus thought. The way he had suddenly proposed a deal, and the way he had actively pursued his reward. He was as cold as frozen steel, making it feel like he was dealing with a hundred-year-old monster, not a ten-year-old boy.
Yet, his actions were like those of a saint, lightly risking his life to save children. His true abilities were also on full display by becoming Dersia's disciple. For that socially maladjusted witch to take a liking to him, he had to be more than just talented.
Of course, having fallen into the heart-realm, he knew even with the limited information available that the boy wouldn't last a year and would meet a gruesome end... But he couldn't quite picture that child being crushed to death by his own world.
Even if common sense denied it, the knowledge he had seen and felt only showed him a vision of the boy somehow managing to survive. If that really happened, he was a talent that was truly hard to let go of, even considering he was a commoner.
"It's so pretty... I wish Jern was here too."
Just then, Elysia brought up Jern as she looked down at a flower blooming on the roadside. Aletus cleared his throat, crouched down beside her, and carefully asked.
"Elysia, what do you think of commoners?"
"I like them!"
"... Why?"
"Because Jern is a commoner, right?"
It was an answer as clear as day. Seeing Elysia grinning, he felt a little relieved. It seemed she wouldn't object if he were to adopt him later.
"Then what if Jern were to be adopted into the family and became your..."
Just as Aletus was about to speak on the matter.
"Ah, Lord Aletus!!"
A knight with his sword drawn rushed over breathlessly and knelt. Aletus frowned for a moment, but then he saw the long stab wound piercing the knight's armor on his stomach and the blood flowing ceaselessly, and he shot to his feet.
"What... is going on?!"
"The city is under attack!"
"... What? What crazy bastards would attack Azelin...?"
"The situation is urgent. Take the young lady and flee, quickly!"
"I understand. You..."
"It's already too late for me! I'll buy some time here."
"... Thank you. I will remember you."
The knight, gritting his teeth, raised his sword, and Aletus picked up Elysia, who was still bewildered and hadn't understood the situation.
"Kyaa! D-Dad?"
"I'm sorry. This is not the time for formalities."
What in the world was happening? Aletus tried his best to calm his chaotic mind and take stock of the unbelievable situation. But soon, feeling his daughter's hands wrapping around his neck, he put everything else aside.
I have to protect her. The rest can be thought about later.
"... It'll be alright. It's probably the work of those Red Lotus people who kidnapped you."
"W-Will we be okay?"
"Of course. I've prepared an escape spell in the carriage, so as long as we get there, there's no problem."
"What about the other people?"
"First, I'll send you to a safe place, then I'll lead the knights and rescue them. Just hold on a little longer."
Aletus did his best to reassure Elysia as he ran through the alleyways. The most beautiful city had, in an instant, transformed into hell.
"Grrr, grrrk..."
"A-A monster...! Help me!"
"The commander's lost his mind! Everyone, fall back!"
"Lansel, it's me, Tommy... Why, why are you raising your sword?"
"Snap out of it! Lansel is dead. That thing is an enemy!"
Blood and corpses, smoke and screams. Buildings were ablaze, and the rivers were stained with the blood of knights. The people who were left were transformed into living corpses, tearing into the ones they had loved.
From all around, only screams and groans announcing defeat could be heard. Aletus clenched his fists until they bled, but he did not stop running.
"Close your eyes, we're almost there!"
"Okay..."
Feeling Elysia trembling, Aletus headed for the clearing where the carriage was waiting. He had never run with such all-out effort in his entire life.
He arrived. And...
"So this is it. Why'd you make it so hard to find? Ugh..."
He saw a black-haired girl, completely surrounded by dried-up mummies, rummaging through the carriage.
"..."
"Ah, we have a guest."
The black-haired girl spoke without even looking their way, her attention still on the inside of the carriage. Before her words had even finished, the mummies turned their heads toward them in perfect unison, without the slightest delay. Aletus gently set Elysia down, took off his gloves, and opened his hand.
A small sphere formed, and the air around them vibrated. It was enough mana to shake the nearby buildings, but cold sweat trickled down Aletus's forehead. 'What in the world...'
If his intuition was correct. All of these mummies had mastered body-reinforcement techniques. If so, they could be considered knight-level.
At this distance, against that many knights, the chances of victory were infinitesimally close to zero.
"Why don't you save your strength? It'll only be more painful."
Aletus wasn't the only one who knew that. The girl muttered as if giving advice while pulling a magic stone from the carriage. It was close to mockery, but it wasn't wrong advice.
The moment the situation was set up like this, the outcome was already decided. There was only a difference in how one accepted it.
"D-Dad..."
Grit- However, Aletus had a reason not to back down. He took a step forward.
"How foolish."
Aletus had chosen the most painful method. And until the very end, the girl didn't even spare him a single glance.
Crrunch...!
I sighed as I heard the sound of a human head being crushed.
"He's not undead, is he..."
Sometimes, you have to give things up for the sake of efficiency. Especially when you're running to save a captured princess.
"Gack, kieck."
"... If you're not dead, my apologies."
As I climbed the spire stairs, I pushed all the attacking corpses with the currents, sending them tumbling over the railing. Thud, squish, thoomp... sounds like that followed each time. It was inhuman, but I had no choice.
If I dealt with all of them, I would be far too late. I sighed and ran without rest. And yet, this damn spire, I wonder how tall it was built; even after running for five minutes, I was only about halfway up.
"Agh, seriously-" It wasn't tiring.
Thanks to the extreme training I did in the library. But the stride of a 10-year-old is short. I wondered if I could use the currents to push myself up faster, and just as I was thinking that- "H-Hey, over there...!"
"?"
In the middle of my run, a skinny, brown-haired man was leaning against a nearby door, clutching a knee that was bleeding profusely, tears streaming down his face.
"I-I don't know who you are, but please save me! Please, I beg you... I'll do anything!"
"Yes, I understand."
"Thank you, thank you so much...! I, I thought I was going to die just like this..."
"Yes. And you'll die just like that."
"Huh?"
I grabbed the legs of the man, who was reacting as if he'd seen a savior, with a current and threw him right off the stairs. But this time, I didn't hear any sound. I guess this won't work.
Still, it should take him a while to get back up, so before then- "What the."
Whoosh-!
With a sound like a missile flying by. The man who had leaped up from outside the railing landed in front of me. Unlike before I threw him, his entire body was muscular.
It was as if he had transformed into a different person. He questioned me with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"No, how did you know?"
I answered calmly.
"First off, can you guys stop with that damn 'pretending to be an injured ally' act? You do it all the time."
"Well, there aren't many of us. Making you lower your guard is our basic tactic. But did you really figure it out just from that?"
"No. Please, take a look at me."
I spread my arms wide. To use potential energy, that is, until I had climbed a certain height up the stairs, it was a bit difficult to use the method of pushing them off the railing to finish them. They'd get me from behind.
And if I used my heart-realm abilities too freely, I didn't know how many enemies were in the spire, so it was a bit risky. The strain could hit me at a critical moment. So, I beat them up.
I turned on Remove and Shape and used my strength to beat the corpses until they were unconscious. Thanks to that, I was quite a sight to behold.
"What kind of person would ask for help from a ten-year-old boy who's running up covered in enough blood to look like he just beat several people to death with his bare fists?"
"If I were injured and a guy like that came near, I'd immediately close the door and not even breathe so I wouldn't be discovered."
"... Ah, I see. That makes sense."
The man nodded with a slightly sour expression, then got into a stance. I sighed and tried to start a conversation.
"Excuse me, could we possibly do this later? I'm a little busy right now."
"No can do. I knew it the moment I saw you. At that age, with those accomplishments... I have to make you fall."
"I don't know where you popped out from, but if I offer you up, becoming an officer won't be just a dream."
"You'll regret this in hell."
"You'll regret it in heaven."
As I said that, I observed the man. Was it simple muscle enhancement? He didn't seem to be using magic.
If he's not a heart-realm mage, he's no match for me. I sent a current flowing toward the man, who was smiling strangely.
"...?"
"How do you like it? Feeling happy?"
It didn't work.
I blinked.
Something had changed. Really, really drastically.
"No, what is this."
Forgetting I was in the middle of a fight, I scanned the empty air. The hateful deep sea creatures were no longer visible. The muffled sounds were now crystal clear.
I couldn't believe it, but. In other words- "...
I've escaped?"
This was not the Deep Sea.