The Water Witch's Mercy
My ears were ringing in no time. The destructive power was so intense that I briefly wondered if they'd locked Einy in a safe instead of a prison just because she'd cried too much.
"Ugh, my ears. Hurry up and take her away! She's in the way!"
"You look like you could handle something on your own, at least."
"You know me well."
"Still, we can't just leave you here."
Ash was trying to soothe Einy while shooting me a worried look.
It seemed he still didn't know much about me.
"Just go when I tell you to."
"I can't. I won't go."
"Then at least go tell Lox and Chad to watch their mouths."
"I cannot do that."
You've got some pointless stubbornness in you, don't you?
"Listen. I really, really hate it when people talk back to me."
"Yeah, yeah! Master's specialty is giving orders!"
"So do as you're told. You guys head back to the village. I need to wrap things up here."
Of course, the prince was probably just as used to giving orders, but not right now, right?
I had a brief staring contest with Ash and quickly realized there was no way this guy would obediently leave me behind.
Even if we repeated this conversation ten times, we'd just be going in circles. Guess I have no choice.
"Undain."
One of the best things about being a Spirit Master was that I was always the one giving orders.
Everything happened according to my will, and I was surrounded by loyal beings.
Unlike humans, they would never betray me—an absolute friendly force.
[Yes, Master.]
"Kidnap these two and take them back to the village."
[Understood.]
I mostly used him for riding, but Undain was also useful for forcibly relocating people who wouldn't listen. He precisely wrapped only Ash and Einy's bodies and lifted them into the air.
Einy, whose head was the only thing sticking out of the water, began sobbing hysterically the higher they rose, while Ash could only cover his ears.
"Kyaaaack!"
"Uwaaaaack!"
A bit too fast? I lightly waved at the pair as they moved away against their will.
Thank you for using Undain Airlines.
"...Um, I suppose I'll just run?"
I stood with my arms crossed as the remaining slave trader groveled and asked.
Once again, I found myself debating whether to kill him or let him live.
"Was that a stupid question? I'll see myself out."
"If you don't want to get caught up in this, you'd better get as far away as possible."
"If you could just... remove these shiny things..."
Mid-grade Lightning Spirit
Currently very eager to be used
"Adore, come here."
When he'd first been captured by me, he probably thought his luck was absolute garbage, but in the end he'd been the only one to survive. A surprisingly lucky slave trader.
The man looked utterly delighted when Adore dropped from above his head. Then, as if afraid I'd grab him, he didn't even look back as he sprinted away like his life depended on it.
Finally alone, I stretched comfortably, loosened up my body, and threw back my hood.
Wearing that thing was incredibly stuffy.
"Alright then. Shall we have some fun?"
Since I was going to kill them all anyway, showing my face didn't matter.
"Master, as Endairon mentioned earlier..."
"Hm?"
"While you were leisurely chatting, almost all of them drowned."
"What? What weaklings. I haven't even started the torture yet."
I had more than a few new techniques I'd been saving for practice because they produced such cruel results!
"Normal humans can't breathe underwater, you know."
"But they can swim, can't they!"
"In currents like that, even a lizardman would struggle..."
The whirlpool spun faster as time passed, now roaring like the eye of a typhoon with tremendous force.
"Not my problem."
I snorted, completely indifferent. What did I care about the slave traders' circumstances? I was a water Spirit Master—I wasn't going to drown.
The moment I thought about heading back up, Endairon's wide, flat tail slid smoothly in front of me.
It fluttered as if inviting me to climb on. Naturally, it was made of water, but to me it felt endlessly soft and intimate.
It was a kindness those dying slave traders could never experience.
I am a water Spirit Master.
A person loved by water!
People in this world probably don't realize it, but more than half of the human body is made of water.
What that means is that a skilled water Spirit Master can evaporate or amplify that half with just a flick of a finger.
In the past, I'd only focused on evaporating it.
But recently, I'd started wondering—what would happen if I amplified the blood instead?
When I'd tested it on monsters, I'd seen their limbs burst.
And now that I was experimenting on humans... they burst even better.
"The head isn't working well."
"There's a skull in the way."
"Since the most blood gathers in the heart, shall we target that?"
From my experiments, amplifying water inside a human body was far easier and faster than evaporating it.
The downside was that it looked pretty gruesome?
Blood spraying everywhere until the corpse was unrecognizable.
Even for someone with a strong stomach like me, it wasn't exactly a pleasant sight. All the slave traders who'd barely survived my various experiments were now dead. Only Grack remained.
"You fucking bitch!"
"I'm rich, you know?"
"Aaaargh! You rotten, evil—!"
"Oh, thanks for the compliment."
"You vicious whore! Go rot in hell!"
Listening to Grack's blood-spitting curses, I rolled around on top of Endairon's head, laughing so hard my stomach hurt.
Buddy, there is no such thing as hell. When you die, that's it!
"Puhahaha! Oh man, my sides. Is that all you've got?"
"We won't kill you as cruelly as you killed others!"
"I think I've shown the greatest mercy possible. Sure, I made it a bit painful, but at least I don't buy and sell my own kind."
I sat casually atop Endairon's head, looking down at the fragments of corpses floating in the currents below.
A strange smile crept across my face because every time I burst another slave trader, Grack grew that much more terrified and desperate. It was incredibly satisfying.
Maybe my true nature really is wicked.
"Master, you've got blood on your face."
"Where?"
"I'll wipe it for you!"
Rai, who had been hanging on my shoulder, used his tail to vigorously scrub one of my cheeks. Using my own collar, no less.
Why was this guy suddenly being so nice?
"To be honest..."
Of course he had an ulterior motive. Like the snake he was, Rai immediately began whispering in my ear.
"I'm better than Endairon, aren't I? I'm this cute and adorable, and I'm useful too, right? Don't you think, Master?"
Apparently thinking his act was both cute and clever, he sparkled his round eyes and wagged his tail as if begging for praise.
What a transparent little guy.
Whether it was because they had similar forms or because Endairon was so overwhelmingly powerful, Rai openly regarded him as a rival.
Honestly, there wasn't a single spirit Rai didn't see as competition. He treated them all like rivals.
This kid has personality issues too...
"Handling snakes! You wicked witch! Just wait until I get out of here alive! I'll report you and have you burned at the stake! You hear me? I'll kill you! Burn you! Kill—mmph."
"God, you're so damn loud. If I were a fire Spirit Master, I'd have burned you first! I'm only putting up with water torture because I'm a water Spirit Master!"
"If you'd become a fire Spirit Master, you probably would've become even more notorious."
"And you think you'll get out of here alive? Don't even dream about it! I'll make sure to kill you in the most painful way possible..."
"Let's send him off mercifully!"
"Painful..."
"Mercy!"
"Rai! I told you not to interrupt me when I'm speaking!"
Why was he suddenly going on about mercy? It didn't suit him at all.
There is no such word as 'mercy' in Jeanie Crowell's dictionary! And if you keep talking to a snake, people are going to call me a witch!
When I glared at him with wide eyes, Rai made a sly expression and flicked his tongue.
"Ugh... You're so mean! You could at least consider my opinion once in a while!"
"Consider, my ass! You're just hoping I'll let you bite his eyes out! I know exactly what you're after!"
"You caught me!"
"Did you think I wouldn't? I'm not going to order that, so don't get your hopes up! I want to keep my own eyes too!"
"Oh, then let's go with the painful route. I'm all for it."
"...You know you switched sides way too quickly, right?"
"What do I care? It's not my problem. Lalala~"
This guy's behavior reminds me of someone. That rotten personality is just like... No, it can't be me. I'm not that bad.
My pointless bickering with Rai was just another everyday occurrence.
"Then shall we start with the arm?"
"Let's go!"
I sat comfortably on a chair made of water and crossed my legs.
With one hand, I wrapped Rai tightly around my fingers to supply mana, and used the other to signal Endairon.
Snapping two fingers together was the signal.
With a small click, Grack's palm burst like a balloon. Selectively exploding only certain parts was actually quite difficult.
His hand slowly swelled from the inside of the skin until it reached its limit and exploded. The remnants of bone mixed messily with veins and tendons in a ragged clump.
There wasn't much bleeding right after the explosion, but soon a rush of red blood gushed out. That seemed to be the most painful moment. The instant the pain truly hit.
"Kuaaaaagh!"
"Oof, that must hurt."
My eyes might have been narrowed, but my lips were probably smiling.
"Huk... Huuu... You damn... Who the hell are you to judge me! Are you the emperor?! Or a god?! Who are you to do this to me!"
"You're asking because you don't know? I'm a victim. One of yours."
When I answered with a gentle smile, realizing he might genuinely be confused, he looked like he couldn't believe it. If you don't even know that, you deserve to die.
Still smiling, I snapped my fingers again.
This time, his left foot exploded.
Everything felt so effortless that I had to remind myself that I might actually be terrifying to someone. Ah, maybe I'm just stepping on ants.
"Agh! Uwaaagh...!"
"Isn't that reason enough for me to judge you?"
If anything, there was too much reason, not too little. Because of you, my already foul temper got even worse, my life gained more stains, and I hate owing people more than anything—yet you even made me end up in their debt.
By my standards, Grack's sins were too great to be repaid even with death. That was why, even as I scared him and slowly killed him, I still didn't feel satisfied.
"You crazy bitch!"
"Oh my? I'm perfectly normal. You're the ones who keep bothering me when I just want to be left alone."
"No normal person takes revenge like this!"
"Well... that's because I have the power to do so. In my world, I'm the king, and you fucked with me. Why should I feel any guilt for killing you?
That would be the strange thing. This is that kind of world, isn't it? A world where the weak die. I survived instead of dying to you, and that might just be the privilege to kill you."
"That's right! Exactly! Anyway, I love that our Master has no conscience at all!"
"My anger is completely justified."
If I had to feel guilt every single time I killed someone, I wouldn't be able to do anything. That would only make me weak.
"If it's easier for you to just resent me without thinking about what you brought on yourself, then go ahead. I don't care either way."
I sank deeper into the water chair and spoke languidly. It was one of the ways I protected myself.
By acknowledging that I was selfish and cruel.