Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Mage Who Controls Water
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Merald briefly summed up the situation at the lake.
"The magical water construct that just appeared is a manifestation of the water itself. To control it with such precision and power, the mage must be somewhere in contact with the water. But there's no sign of anyone on the surface. Therefore, we can conclude the mage is somewhere beneath the lake."
Near the water's surface, the aquatic plants with water orbs still bobbed gently, and once more a water giant rose.
The group was positioned about twenty paces from the shore, so the giants couldn't reach them with their attacks. Yet they didn't retreat either.
The water giant patrolled back and forth along the lakeshore like a well-trained guardsman.
"Is this the work of that Watercon or Watercontr whatever?"
Jade asked.
"That name crossed my mind too, but I'm not jumping to conclusions."
Merald replied.
Ruby stared piercingly at the water giant's movements before speaking.
"Strange magic. The application is sloppy, like a flower without a stem."
"Why do you think that? I was just thinking the opposite—that it's powerful magic."
Merald asked.
"If they have the skill to form such a precise shape from water, they could have killed me with a single spell. Just make a sharp needle like this and pierce my throat—why bother creating that thing?"
Ruby poked her finger against her own neck.
"Of course, I have no intention of letting it hit me."
"Makes sense."
Merald nodded slightly in admiration.
*She looks like she only charges ahead without thinking when excited, but surprisingly, she can judge situations coolly. She says odd things sometimes, but it doesn't seem like she's dim-witted.*
But Merald didn't want to show his admiration for Ruby, so he deliberately offered a counter opinion.
"It might be the mage's personal aesthetic. Flaunting the patrol like that could be a show of confidence."
"To me, it looks like a warning to stay away."
Jade said cautiously.
Ruby snapped her fingers with a click.
"You nailed it! Isn't that even stranger? If they wanted to kill us, they'd ambush."
Merald stared at the water giant floating on the surface for a long while.
As he fell silent, Ruby urged him on.
"Don't overthink it! Mages often get stubborn about weird things. Hurry up and spill the plan to Jade."
Merald spoke as if he were being forced to reveal his thoughts, even though it was his own idea.
"I'm thinking Ruby and I should team up."
Merald wasn't keen on a joint operation. After fighting alone for the past few centuries, suddenly combining forces with someone felt like tasting unfamiliar food for the first time.
Ruby clearly preferred fighting solo and had little experience teaming up.
*Am I doing the right thing? She'll probably refuse anyway.*
Jade glanced back and forth between Merald and Ruby before asking.
"What's the method?"
"I'll go into the water and lure it out."
Merald said.
"That sounds dangerous just from the start. At least finish explaining."
"Our destination is that island."
Merald pointed at it with his index finger.
That the island was their base was still just circumstantial evidence. So Merald somewhat agreed with Ruby's approach. Go knock and ask, "Is Cawking home?"
It seemed reckless, but strategically, it wasn't a bad move right now.
In ancient elven warfare, it was practically an official tactic. "Come out, enemy commander!"
Even if the commander didn't appear, you could at least gather some information.
"But the water in this swamp lake is so light it sinks all floating debris. That means we can't cross to the island by boat or even swim. On the flip side, arrows fired from inside will fly through the water like they're shot in air."
"You can shoot arrows underwater? You sure?"
Jade asked skeptically.
"I confirmed the trajectory of the arrows that hit the water giants earlier—they passed right into the surface. If you can draw a bow and hold your breath long enough..., it means you can fight underwater."
"The mage over there is confident fighting in the water, so they're hiding in it."
Merald glanced at Ruby before continuing.
"So here's the thing: I'll lure the mage out up to that point, then hand it over to Ruby."
"Tell Ruby yourself."
Jade looked at Ruby, but Merald pressed him.
"No, you tell her for me."
Jade frowned and asked Ruby.
"What about teaming up with Merald?"
"Ooh..."
Ruby crossed her arms and pondered. It was impossible to tell if she was pretending or seriously considering it.
After a groan, Ruby answered.
"Fine, since you asked, Jade."
Jade relayed to Merald.
"Ruby's in."
Merald crossed his arms too.
"Good."
Jade eyed them both before bursting out.
"What kind of idiot meeting is this? It feels like I'm stuck mediating between two prideful classmates trying to make peace!"
Merald agreed inwardly but didn't show it.
*Why? It's stupid like Jade said, but for some reason, this situation feels fun. Granny would tease me if she saw this.*
The thought made Merald quickly add.
"Before I explain the details, one request: don't tell Sage I planned this joint operation."
"No way. I'm so thrilled you two are cooperating without fighting that I'll record it for posterity! I'll write it up like an official report on a one-pfon scroll for Sage."
Jade muttered angrily.
Saf, who had been listening silently, spoke up.
"Speaking of Sage, remember what she said when we parted?"
"What?"
Jade asked.
"...Be careful of the mage."
Merald could read the fear hidden in her expressionless face.
"Of course we'll be careful."
Merald hoped the mage Sage warned about was some vile demon. That way, he could go all out and kill them.
Merald strode into the water. There was some buoyancy, but it was negligible.
*Charging in without intel on the enemy isn't my style...
The water giant standing on the surface slid toward him quickly, but Merald dove in first. As expected, once fully submerged, it couldn't attack.
Merald walked along the lake bottom toward the island.
The water pressure felt like slight weights on his wrists and ankles—nothing major for normal movement. But he didn't know how much of a hindrance it would be in combat. And of course, he couldn't breathe.
His shirt and sleeves billowed largely with the water's flow as he walked. Normally, he'd tie them tight with rope to avoid interference, but now he let them flap on purpose. The key to this plan was how naturally he could conceal what was hidden in his sleeve.
Scattered across the lake bottom were ruins of an ancient elven city. Crumbled stone walls, house foundations buried in lake mud, fat columns likely from temples, and marble statue fragments dotted the area.
*This place was worth exploring before all this. Maybe after it's over...
About one dupon inward from the shore, a woman's voice echoed.
"Withdraw."
The reverb made it hard to pinpoint the location.
Merald stopped and nocked an arrow. Without opening his lips, he spoke.
"Show yourself."
"You can even speak underwater?"
The woman asked.
It was a skill he'd learned over two hundred years ago for underwater missions, though he'd rarely used it.
Not wanting to waste breath on chit-chat, Merald ignored the question. Hoping to draw out more words and reveal her position, he simply advanced.
"Stop. You cannot pass here."
The voice sounded young, but the speech was mature, and the subtle awkward pronunciation and intonation matched that girl from back then.
To confirm if she was the same elf, Merald referenced the incident three years ago.
"You withdrew at Whispering Marshes, but today you can't."
A moment later, a large air bubble appeared behind a tilted pillar embedded in the lake bottom.
The girl stood inside the air bubble. It seemed to create reverb that bounced her voice, making her position hard to pinpoint.
"If I let your body live and move after three years, you should be grateful and keep living quietly. Why show up again?"
Her face was still small, pale, and round. He'd wanted to meet her again since then, but not like this.
*What I feared has come to pass.*
Merald would have preferred a hulking hunter like Buffalord, a swamp fish-man monster, the Watercon they always dismissed as a boss, or even Cawking himself.
*If Byuren was right, her name's Paz. But better not mention it now.*
Merald held his words, placing his hand on the bowstring. He deliberately turned the hand holding the arrow away from her view. To focus her on the arrow, not his bulging sleeve.
The girl immediately raised her staff.
"Didn't I tell you not to do anything foolish?"
"Have you heard the news?"
Merald continued without releasing the string.
"Heldra and Buffalord are dead."
"Of course I know."
"Then we should continue the conversation from three years ago."
The girl aimed her staff but didn't cast.
*Breath's getting short—maybe stop talking? The plan worked; she's revealed herself. But...
Merald knew better but couldn't hold back what he wanted to say.
"You said back then: 'You can't even kill Buffalord...' Remember?"
Recalling his confessional moment with Saf, Merald pressed on.
"Now it's time for the follow-up. I killed Buffalord and came here. What's your next line?"
Talking so long had made him short of breath.
*At this rate, I'll have to surface mid-fight to breathe.*
Merald expected relief, joy, anger, or sorrow from the girl. But she smirked and prepared her magic.
"My line? Did you come expecting praise for being impressive?"
Merald cut straight to it.
"I came to kill Cawking."
"Are those young pups up top your allies fighting together? How foolish. I thought highly of the Darkwood Poacher from rumors, but meeting you, I didn't expect such idiocy."
The air bubble enveloping the girl shifted with her steps.
Merald's eyes and the hand on his bowstring unwittingly targeted her head.
*Focus, Merald. No need to hit. Don't hit.*
Merald steeled his concentration.
"Conversation's over. If you have a packed lunch, I'll give you time to eat it. Finish up, clean your trash, and head back to Granny Darkwood's embrace."
"I don't want to fight you."
"Same."
"I could force my way through."
"Try it."
The girl glared arrogantly and swung her staff. A strong current surged, shoving Merald back fiercely.
It wasn't a huge impact, but the distance between them widened from twenty paces to thirty.
Merald quickly loosed an arrow.
It didn't have the power he wanted, but enough to embed in stone. Yet with one swing of her staff, the arrow lost trajectory and thudded into the lake bottom.
He hadn't aimed at her anyway, but the attack fizzling so anticlimactically drained his energy.
The next instant, the water current reversed, dragging Merald toward her. The fierce flow tossed his body about, preventing him from steadying himself.
When the current stopped and he finally planted his feet, he was right back where their conversation began.
"Force your way? Go ahead. By the way..."
The girl narrowed her eyes like a villain in a play and continued.
"How long can you hold your breath?"
Merald looked up at the lake surface.
To breathe, he'd need to leap about ten pons high, and she clearly had no intention of letting him.
Her air bubble drifted slowly left and right with the water flow, like a swordsman subtly shifting feet and knees to respond flexibly to attacks.
Merald used his last breath to calm his mind.
*Paz, I hope you're on Sage's level. So you'll react to my moves.*
Merald leaped backward without warning.
A normal mage wouldn't even see the motion. A skilled one might see it but couldn't cast. But Paz reversed the water flow the instant he jumped, trapping him.
*Perfect.*
Merald used the changing current to charge toward her.
She quickly reversed it again, pushing him back. Without prior calculation, he'd have ended up like before, but his accelerating body pierced the flow, closing in on the bubble to within ten paces.
It was farther than planned—supposed to reach right in front—but still enough.
Merald fired an arrow.
The air bubble darted behind a ruin pillar. The arrow flew astray.
"Ruby."
Merald muttered softly, nocking a second arrow. Ruby emerged from his sleeve, where she'd hidden all along.
From the start, Ruby had been in his sleeve. While the enemy fixated on his thick arm muscles and flapping sleeve underwater, she'd clung motionless.
Ruby grabbed the arrowhead as soon as she emerged.
Merald loosed with angle and force accounting for her weight.
The arrow with Ruby flew past the pillar.
Mid-flight, Ruby released and leaped toward the girl hiding behind.
Stunned by the unexpected intruder, the girl calmly swung her staff. Her magic instantly manipulated the water to repel Ruby.
Ruby flew twenty paces before barely landing. But a chain was already in his hand, its shackle clamped on her ankle.
She belatedly noticed the shackle on her ankle.
"When did you—?"
Panicking, she struck the chain with her staff. Whatever spell it was, it ignited blue flames even underwater—powerful magic. But the Umpaluton chain repelled her staff.
Ruby began pulling her in with force.
*Got her.*
No matter how strong her magic, she couldn't withstand Ruby's strength.
Merald and Ruby's plan was simple.
Merald draws the enemy mage's attention.
At the right moment, hurl Ruby at the target.
Just now, he'd adapted by shooting her via arrow.
Then, Ruby grabs the foe...
Once Ruby had hold, the rest was easy, so Merald's only worry was keeping her hidden.
Shooting a shackled foe would be simple! But Merald wanted her alive. If Ruby used lethal force, it wouldn't do, so he'd planned to say "just hold her."
Then the mage girl pointed her staff not at the chain, but at the lakebed dirt where Merald stood.
*Huh?*
Blue light flowed from the staff into the mud. The lake slime bubbled up, forming a human shape. Human-sized like Ruby—not as big as the surface giants, but much faster.
Merald took a mud-man's punch and crashed to the bottom, expelling his breath in shock. He couldn't last underwater any longer.
*No good. I'll drown if I stay.*
Merald crawled to escape.
A mud-man formed near Ruby too.
Ruby casually blocked or dodged its attacks while steadily pulling the chain. The air bubble with mage Paz dragged toward him.
Paz kept spawning mud-men from the bottom.
Nearly ten charged; Ruby dodged about. Paz, chained, swung wildly with them.
Unable to break free, Paz moved the entire surrounding water. Starting as a whirl around her, it grew, making the whole lake feel like a vortex.
Merald flattened against the bottom, clutching anything to avoid the current, but failed. Swept into the spiral, his body rose toward the surface.
Ruby smashed the mud giants barehanded. But even he couldn't resist the vortex and ascended. Still, he didn't release the chain; the small girl at its end, shackled, rose with him.
The lake surface erupted, a water pillar twenty times Merald's height shooting up. Merald tumbled skyward at its tip.
His head spun dizzily. At least he could finally exhale.
Paz and Ruby burst above the surface almost simultaneously.
Incredibly, they kept fighting in midair.
Ruby battling wasn't surprising—he always exceeded expectations. But Paz matched him, responding in the air.