Chapter 43: Should I Be Happy?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 43: Should I Be Happy?
"How can it have a ranged attack?"
"The Lake Lord never used ranged attacks before!"
"Could this be a power unique to the female?"
Eluka stared intently at the Lake Lord, which was clearly charging up its power.
Lightning crackled and surged as the beast aimed at Rhode and Tia, who were hovering in the sky.
At that distance, combined with the poor mobility of the Levitation Spell... there was no way they could dodge in time.
Rhode and Tia realized this as well, their faces turning visibly pale.
As for Tia, she didn't know a single defensive spell!
Therefore, right now...
"O Merciful Mother Earth, grant me your protection!"
Eluka poured her mana into her wand with reckless abandon, weaving the spell as fast as she ever had in her life.
Fortunately, she made it.
Before the blinding lightning could reach them, an earthy-yellow shield materialized in front of Rhode and Tia, intercepting the bolt!
But...
"So strong..."
Eluka gripped her wand tightly, veins bulging on her slender hands. If there were a mirror in front of her, she knew her expression would look hideous.
The Lake Lord's lightning wasn't a single burst; it was a continuous discharge!
Like a laser, it relentlessly hammered against the shield she had hastily constructed.
"What is it... a living... generator?"
Eluka felt her mana draining at an alarming rate. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to hold out for long!
"Ah!"
Just as Eluka’s head began to throb from the rapid mana consumption, she heard Tia scream.
The scream startled her. She thought for a moment there might be a third Lake Lord—do these magical beasts really play like that?
A threesome?
Fortunately, a third Lake Lord hadn't appeared.
It was just a stray arc of lightning that had bypassed the shield and struck Tia’s pretty face, leaving a clear, charred mark.
"Ah! My face!"
Feeling the stinging pain, Tia pulled out a small mirror. Her expression darkened instantly.
Her fair, beautiful face had been marred like this—how could she show herself to anyone now?
"Eluka, can't you be more useful?!"
Tia shrieked in a rage. "My face is ruined! How are you going to make this up to me?!"
"Is... now... the... time... for... that?"
Eluka gritted her teeth. "I'm... already... doing... my... best, okay?"
You're the one who didn't bother to learn a single defensive spell, and now you're blaming me?
I don't have the energy to care about your disgusting face right now!
"Stop acting like some frail little girl. You could easily block attacks of this level before," Tia huffed. "I bet you're just jealous of me and doing this on purpose."
"..."
How. Does. She. Dare. Say. That?
She was still under Eluka's protection—how did she have the nerve to say such things?
Wasn't she afraid Eluka would drop the shield and let the Lake Lord kill her?
Ah.
No.
Rhode was still there.
She was a soft, cute, and kind-hearted girl; how could she do something so wicked?
...
Could she really not?
...
"I... can't... hold on..."
"Eh? What are you saying?"
"My mana... is almost gone."
Under Tia’s horrified gaze, the earthy-yellow shield that had been blocking the lethal lightning began to shrink.
The shield, which had originally been large enough to protect both of them, grew smaller and smaller. Now, it wasn't just occasional stray arcs hitting Tia; scattered bolts of lightning grazed her body, instantly leaving numerous charred marks on her skin.
"Wait, Eluka! I was just joking! I didn't mean to blame you! Don't do this..."
The encroaching threat of death sent Tia into an immediate panic. She began to beg Eluka for mercy, as if her previous arrogance had been nothing but a hallucination.
Hmph. As expected of a lowly bitch. Not a shred of dignity.
There's no way Rhode would ever like someone like you.
Eluka thought with a secret sense of satisfaction.
However, she didn't actually intend to kill Tia; she just wanted to teach her a lesson.
Besides, her mana really was almost depleted.
"Tia... don't worry... I'll try harder... I definitely... won't let... anything happen to you..."
The shield stopped shrinking, maintaining a size that perfectly protected Rhode while allowing Tia to be zapped by the occasional stray bolt.
Listening to Tia’s intermittent screams, Eluka felt her mana flow much more smoothly.
However, Eluka failed to notice that in the eyes of the Lake Lord watching from below, a human-like glint of mockery suddenly appeared.
BOOM!
A bolt of lightning, completely different from the previous ones and glowing with a crimson hue, suddenly exploded.
The shockwave from the explosion shook the shield. Eluka instinctively increased her mana output.
But this happened too suddenly. Already low on mana, the sudden massive drain felt like a sledgehammer hitting her head. She saw stars, and her ears began to ring.
Through her blurred vision, she saw a figure flying through the air.
Was that...
Tia?
Eluka’s eyes widened.
Yes, it was Tia. The shockwave from the explosion had sent her hurtling away.
"Tia! Use your Levitation Spell!" Eluka screamed.
But there was no response. Tia’s eyes were tightly shut; she seemed to have been knocked unconscious by the blast.
"How could this happen..."
Eluka’s face turned pale.
She hadn't expected the Lake Lord to suddenly change its attack pattern. Caught off guard, even Rhode, who was right there, probably didn't have time to react.
But she didn't have the strength left to cast two spells at once, so she couldn't save Tia.
No, wait. Even if she flies off, she'll just land in the water. Her life isn't in immediate dan—
That naive thought only flickered in Eluka’s mind for a moment before reality crushed it.
She saw the Lake Lord stop its attack.
Then, it aimed its single horn directly at Tia.
Lightning began to crackle once more.
It was charging up.
"It's over."
Eluka’s mind went blank.
She couldn't think of any way to save Tia. The Lake Lord had planned this; it wouldn't let this opportunity slip away.
Tia was going to die.
"Wait."
"Should I be happy right now?"
...
Of course.
...
"Tia!"
Eluka suddenly heard a shout. Her eyes instinctively darted toward the source of the sound.
Then, she saw it. Rhode had abandoned the safety of the shield and was leaping toward Tia.
"Ah."
It felt like a knife had been driven into her heart.
"Why?"
"Rhode, have you lost your mind?"
"Why would you save that bitch..."
Eluka wanted to scream those words, but they only came out as a weak trembling of her lips.
The mockery in the Lake Lord's eyes deepened. It was waiting.
Waiting for the moment Rhode caught Tia.
That way, it could kill two birds with one stone.