[Leviathan #4]
The full story of the incident was as follows.
Once I had pinpointed the location of the Leviathan, I moved immediately. There was no benefit in wasting time.
Finding the Leviathan wasn't difficult.
I just had to run straight to the coordinates.
“Kyaaaaak! Kyaaaaak!”
There was the minor detail of Serena, whom I was carrying in my arms, nearly fainting from the ordeal, but that was a sacrifice I was willing to make.
When we finally reached the place where the Leviathan resided:
“Oh my god.”
Serena covered her mouth with her hands.
It was a bizarre sight. A massive entity of ‘water’ was soaring through the impossibly high sky.
Every time it shifted in the heavens, rain clouds moved with it, pouring down torrential rain like a waterfall right before our eyes.
It was as if I were looking at a living, breathing natural disaster.
Serena’s pupils trembled violently as she gazed at it.
“……You want me to do what with that?”
“Soothe it and send it home.”
“Me??”
Oh dear.
Serena had begun to deny reality.
“We’ve come all this way, so why the hesitation?”
“You didn’t tell me it would be this big!”
Well, I did just say it was a whale that flew in the sky.
I suppose I neglected to mention that it wasn’t an ordinary whale, but one the size of a small island.
I patted Serena’s shoulder to calm her down.
“Don’t worry. The creature will likely be favorable toward you.”
“R-really?”
Probably? I couldn’t be certain.
But if I were honest here, she’d probably burst into tears, so I decided to keep that to myself.
“Hmm.”
Anyway.
I’d made it this far, but how was I supposed to talk to the Leviathan up in the sky?
It was just as that thought crossed my mind.
“Y-Your Majesty, look.”
“Hm?”
Serena’s voice was trembling with terror. I felt a piercing gaze. I lifted my head toward the source of that pressure.
The whale, which had been gliding leisurely in the distant, high atmosphere, was slowly descending toward me.
Whoosh-!
A powerful gust of wind erupted.
“Eek!”
Serena clung to my chest, shivering. I held onto her tightly, just in case she got blown away.
Even with its slow movements, the sheer scale of its body was enough to whip up a gale.
Soon, the whale, which had looked like a mere sphere from the ground, came close enough for us to distinguish its true form with the naked eye.
The Leviathan spoke.
“Eh, is that what’s happening, Your Majesty?”
No, it isn’t.
*
……Anyway, that was the full story of the incident.
As you might have guessed, I didn’t do anything. The Leviathan just started slandering me with all its might the moment it saw my face.
I crossed my arms and looked up at the Leviathan.
Let’s assess the situation.
If I were to use my full power…….
“Hmm.”
That would be a disaster. The Leviathan’s rank was higher than I had anticipated. If we fought, I would win 100 out of 100 times, but the surrounding area would likely be reduced to scorched earth in the process.
“I had intended to fight if there was no other way, but that would cause a massive problem. Great Spirit, do you wish to fight me?”
The Leviathan’s emotions washed over me. The air in the vicinity became incredibly humid. I was being influenced by the feelings the Leviathan was experiencing: fear, perhaps, or anger and sorrow.
And its aura shifted as well. True to its nature as a water spirit, the somewhat calm atmosphere began to turn rough, as if preparing for a battle against me.
I hurriedly waved my hand.
“Stop, stop. I don’t know why you’re under such a misunderstanding, but I don’t want to fight you either. So, calm down. The more agitated you become, the more the humans’ habitats will be destroyed.”
The voice was filled with surprise. The pure Great Spirit didn’t seem to realize the magnitude of the impact its existence had. Well, it had been thousands of years since it was last summoned to the human realm, after all.
Immediately after the Leviathan said that, the rapidly rising humidity began to drop. It must have been controlling it directly.
“Great Spirit. That is a strange thing to say. This is the territory I govern, and aren’t you the one who is the uninvited guest?”
What’s the problem with a landlord visiting an uninvited guest?
“I accept your apology.”
“Not as long as you don’t continue to ruin my territory.”
I don’t know why it keeps calling me by such a strange name. I’ll check on that later. For now, it seems the hostility toward me has subsided.
So, now.
“Serena, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes?!”
Serena, who had been hiding behind my back, jumped.
“What am I supposed to do here……!”
“I’ll give you a vacation.”
“I’m going to die before I can even take that vacation……!”
That didn’t work.
“Why are you calling?”
I’m a human too, you know?
“…I think I can take that as an insult.”
“P-please, contain yourself, Your Majesty.”
That’s basically a slur against my existence.
As I narrowed my eyes in displeasure, the Leviathan expressed doubt.
But that made me feel even worse. It meant it had asked that question out of pure, genuine curiosity.
“Tsk.”
I couldn’t really say anything more when it apologized.
“If you weren’t calling me, then you must be calling Serena.”
“M-me? W-wait a minute, Your Majesty! Eek!”
I pushed the back of Serena, who had a bewildered look on her face.
Suddenly faced with the giant whale, Serena froze stiff.
“U-uh, uh.”
“H-h-hello…?”
She bowed her head with a smile, proving she was the female protagonist after all. Most people wouldn’t be able to say a word with that kind of courage. She wasn’t the lead for nothing.
“G-Great Spirit-nim?”
“Leviathan-nim…? I’m just an ordinary girl, so I won’t taste like anything at all….”
…
The Leviathan fell silent.
A long time later, the answer returned.
The voice was filled with bewilderment.
Does it look fearsome? I examined the Leviathan closely. Its overall appearance was quite cool. If you looked at it in miniature size, there was even room for it to be considered cute.
However.
“It would be rarer to find someone who isn’t afraid of that size.”
It had to be a normal size for that to be the case.
But my words seemed to be quite a shock. The Leviathan’s massive body seemed to ripple, as if it were agitated.
That’s not it.
What human would approach a whale flying in the sky? Anyway, maybe it’s because it only lived in the Spirit Realm, but it lacked common sense.
“Yes? You’re helping me?”
Serena looked bewildered. I was, too. The Leviathan was helping Serena?
“On me?”
I feel like I just heard something I can’t just let slide.
Anyway, I roughly understood what the Leviathan meant.
Just as Hecate knew the essence of this world, it seemed the Leviathan had also recognized the special nature of Serena, the female protagonist.
Serena looked bewildered.
She had claimed to be an ordinary girl—though, of course, she was anything but—so that was how she felt.
I spoke on behalf of Serena, who seemed lost in thought.
“So, Leviathan. How exactly do you intend to help?”
That’s possible?
But, does that mean Serena will no longer be the female protagonist?
……Then what about the world’s destruction?
“Wait.”
“Serena, cover your ears for a moment.”
“Y-yes?”
I briefly covered Serena’s ears with my palms.
“Is it really okay to do that?”
If I mess this up, the world might end.
Fortunately, my worries seemed unfounded, as the Leviathan answered calmly.
“Merely?”
“Hmm.”
I pondered for a moment before finally losing my patience and speaking.
“Speak so I can understand. Don’t make it difficult. Do you want to die?”
That guy just sighed, didn’t it?
“Twisted one. I do not know if you are aware, but the girl is currently in a state where countless possibilities of the future are overlapping.”
I understood that.
So, it means there are many endings.
And?
“I understand.”
Isn’t that the very reason why Serena has lost all interest in men, like a woman in menopause whose romantic cells have all died off?
“So you’re saying she’ll be interested in dating now.”
“Tsk. Useless thing.”
I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.