Volume 17 Chapter 3 The Solution
Thanks to Mr. Sein, we arrived smoothly at the front of the Great Holy Castle.
But...
"...The problem starts from here."
"...Yeah."
We had managed to get close to the Great Holy Castle.
However, from here on, there was no foothold to reach the castle. The Great Holy Castle was floating in the middle of a lake, surrounded by monsters.
The distance to the Great Holy Castle is at least 300 meters or more (≈984 feet).
"...It's farther than I thought."
"...Just a little more."
If we could just rescue Miss Fuuko, a path to survival would open up...
but our hands were just out of reach.
The fact that the Holy City hasn't sunk yet means Miss Fuuko is still holding on, but... the Great Holy Castle in the center of the lake is already swarming with monsters.
The narrow entrance is our only hope....
"Is this something we can't swim through?"
"I can't swim without a flotation device, you know?"
'I'm great at swimming! I'll not hide it, but I'm the 'Little Mermaid of the Holy City'!'
"You've been treated like a UMA (Unidentified Mysterious Animal) for a while now, haven't you, Juju?"
"Anyway, we can't swim with all these monsters around..."
"...If only Cirrul were here."
If only she hadn't transformed into a dragon back then. If only I had taken Ravuri's cursed equipment....
There are a number of such "if"....
'Calmdown Punch!'
Spang! Juju hits me on the head.
"...Isn't that a punch?"
'It doesn't matter what it is.'
"Yeah, I really think it doesn't matter."
'Anyway, we don't have time to worry about that. Just focus on what's ahead.'
"Focus on what's ahead..."
That's right, this isn't the time to think about unnecessary things.
To get through this situation, we need to focus on what's ahead.
I look back at the lake again. The lake is pitch black, teeming with monsters....
No matter where I look, there's no path to follow. And swimming across is impossible too.
"Hmm...it seems like preparing a boat and advancing through this would be tough."
"We'll get crushed by the monsters and turned into dust, won't we?"
It's not enough to just have a boat.
Even if it doesn't get damaged, it'll still get swallowed up by the monster's waves and capsize.
We need a more sturdy and heavier vessel. That's why...
"...I'm willing to take the risk."
I took out something from the Gluttony Mimic Bag.
"This is..."
Miss Miimo's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait, isn't that the Kraken's corpse we used during training?"
"Yes."
The Kraken's corpse, white and stiff.
I got it on the way to the holy city.
The Kraken's outer skin is as hard as rock, and its massive body is heavy too.
But I'm not sure if it can withstand the monster's waves...
"Sui, turn into armor!"
"...This is a new genre, the Octopus Armor!"
I wrapped the Slime Shield around the Kraken, reinforcing its durability.
If we do this, we might just make it to the Great Holy Castle.
"Are you serious? Using a Kraken as a boat...?"
When I climbed onto the Kraken's back, Miss Miimo's face contorted.
"This is crazy. No matter how sturdy it is, if we enter the monster's group, we'll definitely get flipped over..."
"We won't know unless we try."
"It's unbelievable, but..."
'There's no other way, is there?'
"Sigh..."
Miss Miimo let out a deep sigh, then resolutely climbed onto the Kraken.
"Please drive safely."
"I will."
I replied while putting on the Reign Helia Crown.
"With the Reign Helia Crown, I command the dead to carry us――."
As I gave the order, the Kraken began to move powerfully, its tentacles squirming.
It jumped into the lake with a loud "Whoa!" and dove in with a massive splash.
"Whoa! Did it just jump?!"
The Kraken dove into the lake with a loud "Splash!" and was swept away by the monster's waves with incredible force.
"――Aaaaahhh! Aaaaahhh!"
Miss Miimo's eyes welled up with tears as she let out a girly shriek.
Although she usually acts tough, it seems she's not good at handling this kind of situation.
"Hold on tight, please!"
She clung to Kraken's body, trying not to fall off.
The speed and swaying motion were terrifying, like having my internal organs scrambled.
I hadn't expected a comfortable ride, but this was ridiculous.
As Miss Miimo had predicted, Kraken flipped over multiple times, and each time, we got drenched in a massive amount of water.
However, this also allowed us to quickly approach the Great Holy Castle.
"We're almost there, just a little more!"
"U, un..."
The Great Holy Castle was now right in front of us.
Just as we were about to reach it safely, suddenly...
The movements of the monsters around us came to a complete halt.
"...W, what's going on?"
A shadow fell over our heads, making us puzzled.
"――Oh, I'm surprised...you've come this far..."
A voice accompanied the appearance of a figure before our eyes ―― it was the White Dragon.
With empty, unreasonable eyes, it glared at us.
And on its back was...
"...Ravuri."
"...Princess Ravuri?"
Miss Miimo, who was about to ready her gun, was stopped by my hand.
She had finally caught up to us. This might be our last chance to persuade her.
"...Ravuri, let's talk."
"T-talk? More than that, Noo! You're in danger, you have to get out of here...!"
"No, you're the one in danger."
"I mean, w...? What are you riding? You look like you're having fun, but... you have to escape...!"
She was quite flustered.
Even in this situation, she was still worried about me. She had taken a risk to come this far just to warn me.
My lips relaxed, and I felt a little relieved. It seemed she was still the Ravuri I knew.
"Uu...why won't you escape? Why do you want to fight? Rav doesn't want to fight..."
"Ravuri...if the Holy King is killed, the Holy Capital will sink."
"......Eh?"
She's at a loss for words.
'Are you saying you didn't know?'
"What's going on...?"
"There's a barrier created by the Holy King at the foundation of this holy city. So if the Holy King dies, the barrier will disappear..."
'If that happens, this city will sink along with us, and even Glasses Beam will be dragged down!'
"No way, that's a lie... I've never heard of such a thing!"
Ravuri's face turned pale, and she looked back and forth between the monsters below and us, shaking her head as if in denial.
"No way, that's a lie! Noo is lying!"
"It's not a lie! Believe me!"
"But this is the best plan to avoid anyone getting hurt... this is the plan that will make everyone happy... Glasses Beam said so!"
'That's why even Glasses Beam doesn't know!'
"But Glasses Beam has researched the barrier of this city thoroughly!"
'Is Glasses Beam is more trustworthy than us?"
"Well, but... Noo and Jujju are enemies now... and the only one on Rav's side is Glasses Beam..."
'What's with Glasses Beam...?'
"Can we just ignore Glasses Beam for now?"
I couldn't focus on the conversation.
"Anyway, Ravuri... stop this. Even if your plan succeeds, no one will be happy in the end."
"...It's too late."
Ravuri let out a sigh and seemed to give up, as if she had abandoned all hope.
"It's too late... Rav has come this far, and there's no way to turn back now..."
"That's..."
Ravuri was right, after all.
Once one is exposed as "Cursed Users," it's a death sentence.
And on top of that, she has attempted to assassinate the Holy King.
Ravuri has no room for leniency ―― she's a major criminal.
But still...
"I'll do something about it...!"
"What can you do, Noo...?"
"I think I can protect you..."
"What are you talking about?"
Ravuri laughed in self-mockery.
"Rav is the enemy of the world, right? It's a disaster. Just by existing, Rav makes everyone unhappy. And yet, Noo is saying that you'll make the world your enemy to protect Rav...?"
"That's..."
"I mean, who said Rav wanted to be protected in the first place?"
"..."
The voice was cold and distant, like a slap in the face.
But that's not true... Ravuri did say it.
――Someone, please... protect love...
When she was trapped in that nightmare, she definitely said she wanted to be protected.
So why is she rejecting me now?
Is it because she doesn't want to trouble me?
"Even so, I..."
No use. My emotions are getting ahead of me, and I can't put my thoughts into words.
I said I'd aim for an ending where no one gets hurt.
But somehow, I just can't seem to move Ravuri's heart.
And in the meantime...
"Sorry, I'll play the flute again soon..."
"Ah..."
Ravuri put her mouth to the flute.
Before I could say another word, the White Dragon took off.
In an instant, it soared to heights where my voice couldn't reach...
"It looks like convincing her is impossible now."
"Ugh..."
I had a chance to persuade her, but I blew it.
And to make matters worse, Ravuri has put up an even thicker wall against us.
At a time like this, I'm powerless to do anything.
'Don't worry about it. No one was expecting you to have any persuasive skills anyway.'
"Hmph, let's switch gears... anyway, for now, it's Her Majesty."
"Yes..."
I look ahead once more. The Great Holy Castle is just up ahead.
...I know the weakness of Ravuri's cursed equipment.
If we can rescue the Holy King, we might be able to counterattack against Ravuri.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)