Volume 17 Chapter 7 Underwater
"...Whoa!"
When I looked back, I was underwater.
The surface of the water was shining like a mirror above me, and I could feel the weight of my sword in my hand. If the berserk state has been solved, then....
I had finally defeated the monster group, just like I had planned.
So, it's over now.
It seemed like my plan had worked out. To defeat the monsters, I had to use my Bloodsucker Blade while keeping my eyes open, which meant I had to dive into the water with my sword drawn.
From underwater, I can't see what's happening above the surface. I learned this when I fell into a canal before. So, I used the lake to my advantage to reduce the risk of hurting my friends or the townspeople.
But it wasn't a risk-free battle.
Even though it was a short fight, I had to hold my breath and fight underwater. It was hard to breathe, and my consciousness was getting blurry.
'...Bubububa! Boboe!'
Juju was saying something, but I couldn't understand. Then, Juju seemed to give up and swam back up to the surface. Juju must have been running out of breath too.
I wanted to swim up quickly, but my body felt weak and I couldn't move.
Oh, right. I forgot I couldn't swim. If only I had a flotation device like the Slime equipment... wait, I had attached the Slime equipment to Cirrul's body, not mine.
The others... I couldn't think straight, my head was spinning.
I started to sink to the bottom of the lake. For some reason, it felt nostalgic, like I had been in this situation before... a long time ago.
Oh, I see. This place is like the dream I always had...
As I was thinking this, someone grabbed my hand.
When I looked up, I saw a girl-like figure.
For a moment, I thought it was "her" who had come to save me, but it wasn't.
The girl took my hand and pulled me up to the surface.
And then...
"...Puha!"
I broke through the surface, and air rushed into my lungs, making me cough.
"Are you okay, Noo?"
"...Ravuri?"
After wiping my eyes, I saw Ravuri's face right in front of me, holding my body up like a hug.
So, Ravuri pulled me out of the water, right?
"Jujju told me. Noo was drowning!"
"...Juju..."
'Seriously, you should practice swimming more!'
Juju, who was sitting on Ravuri's shoulder, suddenly turned away.
"But it's good that nothing bad happened. I thought you were going to die. Cil was crying so hard too..."
"Sorry, sorry..."
I didn't have time to explain, so I'm sorry if I scared her.
"Anyway, there might still be monsters around... let's swim away!"
"...Wait!"
I hugged Ravuri tightly as she tried to leave.
'Noroa!?' "N-Noo!?"
"...Ravuri, I need you. I want you to stay with me forever."
"Eh, what?! You're being so dramatic all of a sudden..."
"...I can't swim!"
"Huh?"
"I'm scared of the water, Ravuri! It's terrifying If I let go now, I'll sink again!"
"...Okay..."
I tried to be brave and dive into the lake, but water is still my enemy. I almost died twice already.
I've decided, I'll never go into the water again...
"...Is that cool or bad?"
Ravuri suddenly smiled.
"But I understand how Cil feels when she's really into something..."
"Huh?"
"Ah, yeah... my hair's all messy now. Don't look at me, Noo."
"Okay..."
Ravuri changed the subject, looking a bit embarrassed.
"We defeated the monster, but now I can't assassinate the Holy King. It's a loss for Rav."
Even though she said that, she looked relieved.
She wasn't really into it from the beginning, anyway.
"So, what about you, Noo? Now that the monster is gone, you can kill Rav without any problems, right?"
"No, I can't. Because I'll drown."
"Oh, right..."
"And didn't I say I'd protect you?"
"...Uh, yeah..."
"I won't kill anyone, and I won't let anyone kill others. I want a happy ending where no one gets hurt."
As Miss Miimo said, deep down, everyone wants a happy ending. We all want a happy conclusion without any sacrifices or costs.
But in reality, things don't always go as planned, and we often give up, saying "it can't be helped."
That's why we need heroes in this world.
I'm not yet brave enough to save the world like a hero, but... I think I can at least help the people around me.
"Okay... this is the final task."
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