Chapter 155 : Chapter 155
Chapter 155. What Was in the Lake
The sinister sound was coming from deep within the lake.
“Who are you?”
Radel asked.
Since it was speaking, he thought it must be an existence capable of conversation.
An ordinary opponent would not be able to manipulate the minds of children who had been sleeping soundly at home and lure them into the lake. Gusto, who had arrived late with the Apprentice Holy Knight Order, took his place beside Radel.
“Your Highness, I do not sense any demonic energy.”
Radel nodded.
Indeed, he could not feel any malicious aura. That meant it was neither undead nor heretical.
Radel directed his voice toward the depths of the lake once more.
“Who are you, to cause something like this?”
Then the sinister voice responded.
I do not remember.
It did not remember?
Radel made a baffled expression.
If it did not remember, did that mean it was allowed to abduct children from someone else’s territory? He suspected this was the very voice the laborers constructing the 3rd Imperial Consort’s villa had heard.
This is my lake. There is a child who should come to find me. But why does no one come to find me?
Despite claiming it had no memory, the sinister voice kept muttering incomprehensible words.
Meanwhile, the Apprentice Holy Knights cast Heal on the children rescued from the lake.
FLASH!
Fortunately, the children quickly regained consciousness.
“Where are we?”
“Mom, Dad!”
Seeing that most of the children had been taken care of, Radel gestured to Chariot.
It was a signal to evacuate the territory residents immediately.
Chariot approached the residents who had come looking for their children.
“We must evacuate at once.”
The residents, trembling with fear, rose while holding their children who had regained consciousness. At that moment, as if it sensed something, the sinister voice surged violently.
Where is the child!
SPLASH!
In the still dawn, with not a hint of wind.
Though this was a lake, not the sea, waves rose.
Radel sensed something ominous. It was the same aura as the mana he felt from the lake itself.
‘Has it assimilated with the lake’s mana?’
SPLASH!
Where is the child!
Once again, waves surged from the center of the lake.
Just as the rising water was about to crash down on the people, the Apprentice Holy Knight Order swiftly formed a formation.
“Shield of the Lord God!”
SHAAAH!
The massive shield formed by the Apprentice Holy Knights blocked the wave surging from the lake. Water splashed outward like rain in all directions.
“Now! Run!”
Radel shouted to the residents.
This was their chance to escape while the attack was blocked.
Soaked residents hurriedly carried their children on their backs and ran away from the lake. As Chariot guided them, he turned back toward Radel.
“Your Highness!”
No matter how desperately he called out, Radel did not retreat.
Neither did the others.
Inette pulled off her glove and drew forth flames. Gusto wrapped holy power around his sword.
Armandy took out his staff, preparing to chant a spell, and Pirenzo drew a dagger and gripped it in his hand.
Including the Apprentice Holy Knights chanting blessings and raising their swords, no one present had any intention of backing down.
Where is the child?
The sinister voice grew loud enough to shake the entire lake.
Where is the child?!
Radel shouted back against the voice that kept searching for a child.
“You claim you don’t remember, yet you drag children who were sleeping peacefully into the lake? We have returned them all to their parents, so abandon your obsession now!”
He could hardly believe it truly had no memory.
The territory lord himself was standing right here, yet it was trying to kidnap children right before his eyes.
Silence! If you do not bring the child immediately, I will kill all of you!
The lake began to boil.
It seemed the owner of the voice was about to reveal itself.
SHAAAAA!
Soon, a powerful vortex formed in the center of the lake, and a massive pillar of water shot up into the sky.
“W-What is that?”
“Oh Lord God!”
Even the Apprentice Holy Knights hesitated at its sheer size.
You will no longer be safe.
What rose into the sky was not a pillar of water.
It was a water dragon so enormous that it merely looked like a pillar of water.
***
“It doesn’t look like a monster, does it?”
Radel asked Armandy.
Armandy replied with an expression that said the question was obvious.
“Right. Honestly, I wish it were a monster.”
“I just wanted to be sure.”
Radel pulled out a Hayden-style beginner potion from his chest. Without a boost, he had no confidence in facing that thing.
Watching Radel down the potion in one gulp, Armandy spoke.
“I do have a guess. It’s only speculation, but it may be an ancient spirit. Possibly an entity that once guarded the village submerged beneath the lake.”
Radel recalled the submerged village he had seen with Armandy.
Could it be that great spirit from the old legends?
Was it searching for its contractor from back then?
But that was far too long ago.
There was no way the contractor could still be alive.
Armandy closed his eyes and cast a scan spell on the water dragon. No matter how he checked, it was nothing but the very mana he felt from the lake itself.
“It’s possible the lake itself was formed because of this spirit.”
“So you’re saying that thing itself might have been the lake.”
Radel immediately understood what Armandy meant.
At that scale, it was possible the entire lake was the body of the great spirit.
Seeing the water dragon before his eyes, it seemed plausible.
“You can beat monsters, but I have no idea where to even start hitting something like that.”
Still, retreat was not an option.
Handing children over as the great spirit demanded was unthinkable.
‘That’s no different from offering human sacrifices.’
Moreover, if such a great spirit remained entrenched in the lake, it would severely disrupt Radel’s tourism plans.
Just when the territory was finally starting to shine, something this outrageous appeared.
Radel had no intention of giving up his one and only territory because of a spirit making unreasonable demands.
Bring me the child.
The water dragon moved its massive body and summoned slimes from the lake.
Formed from the mana-rich water of the lake, the slimes were extremely aggressive.
WRIGGLE!
“In the name of the Lord God!”
The Apprentice Holy Knights wrapped their blades in holy power and struck, but it was ineffective against slimes made of pure water.
“Damn it, what is this!”
Pirenzo was shocked when the throwing knife he launched was simply swallowed by a slime.
Against ordinary monsters, the attack would have worked, but the slimes summoned by the great spirit seemed incapable of feeling pain.
Among the group, Inette was holding out the best.
“Take this!”
WHOOSH!
Inette sent flames flying in all directions, threatening the slimes. Perhaps instinctively fearing fire, the slimes hesitated before her flames.
WRIGGLE!
But it was only momentary.
The slimes gathered together, merged, and became larger slimes that lunged at the people.
THUD!
An Apprentice Holy Knight was struck and sent flying. The slimes, now twice as large, assaulted people relentlessly, growing even bigger.
At that moment, reinforcements arrived from afar.
“That’s far enough!”
Chariot, having evacuated the residents, arrived with the Lizardman warriors. Seeing the writhing slimes before them, the Lizardmen drew their swords and charged.
“You should’ve called us sooner!”
“Kwaahah! Small fry like these are no match for us!”
BAM!
However, the Lizardmen were also struck and sent flying by the slimes.
“Kuh,why is a slime this strong?!”
When the Lizardmen saw the water dragon looming over the lake, they were even more horrified.
“H-How are we supposed to fight something like that?”
“A spirit? Is it even possible to beat that?”
So much for being tough warriors.
Seeing the Lizardmen panic, Radel let out a sigh.
He had even signed a mercenary contract, yet this was the result…….
“It feels like the human lord is underestimating us, brother!”
“Grr, I feel it too. At this rate, the honor of the Lizardmen will be dragged through the mud.”
Seeing Radel’s reaction, the Lizardmen tightened their grips on their swords. They could not live while being looked down on by a human lord!
“Do not fear, warriors! We simply do not yet know the method. We can win!”
“Fight! Victory is ours!”
And so, the Lizardmen charged once more.
***
“……I have a bad feeling.”
Shartea suddenly rose to her feet.
The Lord’s Castle was strangely quiet.
Outside, however, there was chaos.
People were shouting and running.
“Evacuate quickly!”
“A monster appeared at the lake! Everyone, run to the shelters!”
A monster? The lake?
Shartea immediately grabbed her sword and rushed outside.
The Lord’s Castle was empty.
Radel and the others seemed to have gone to handle the situation.
“They must be at the lake.”
Shartea ran at full speed.
“Heinrich. You’re there, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Princess.”
At her call, her escort knight appeared.
“Explain what’s going on.”
“An unidentified entity has appeared. It manipulated children and lured them away. Ten minutes ago, the 8th Prince led a group after the children toward the lake.”
Ten minutes.
Shartea acknowledged that she had been careless.
Perhaps she had grown too accustomed to this peaceful territory.
She had slept more deeply than usual.
Shartea arrived at the lake.
After telling her escort knight not to draw attention, she saw the massive water dragon, the slimes, and the people fighting against them.
“Move!”
WHOOSH!
Inette hurled the largest flames she could summon at the water dragon.
HISSS!
But it was not enough.
The water dragon extinguished Inette’s flames with ease and fired several jets of water.
BOOM! BOOM!
Armandy quickly deployed defensive magic, but he could not block everything.
One jet grazed Inette’s waist.
“Ugh!”
Inette collapsed, clutching her side. More than the injury, the shock that her ability had failed her was greater.
The Lizardmen and the Apprentice Holy Knight Order were barely holding back the slimes.
Radel supported Inette along with Gusto.
“Please stay still. I will cast Heal.”
Throughout the healing, Inette kept her lips tightly shut.
Bring me the child! Or everything will be submerged!
The great spirit roared in a sinister voice, shaking the lake.
The water level rose rapidly. If left unchecked, it was enough to submerge the entire territory.
‘Let’s try talking again.’
Just as Radel resolved this,
Shartea appeared before the water dragon. She unfastened the sword at her waist, bent her knees, kicked off the ground, and leapt.
She drove her fist straight into the water dragon’s flank.
BOOM!
The water dragon burst apart. It happened in an instant.
With a massive hole torn into its side, the water dragon staggered, barely maintaining its form.
Human… how can a human…!
Punching a hole through a great spirit with a single fist?
Radel stared at Shartea in shock.
There was not a single person present who was not staring at her.
“The 3rd Princess used her ability!”
Armandy gaped in astonishment. No agent of the Ability Management Bureau had ever seen Shartea use her ability before.
Shartea Kudente Cretian.
The ability of the Empire’s 3rd Princess was monstrous strength.
Power that vastly surpassed the limits of humanity.