Chapter 41 : Chapter 41
Volume 1
Chapter 41 : A Maiden's Little Troubles
“Once I finish this mission, I’ll confess to him.”
...
“Eluca, what are you spacing out for? Cast a healing spell, now! I can’t hold on much longer!”
“Oh—right!”
Eluca snapped back to her senses and swung her wand, pouring a great amount of Mana into it.
“【Heal】!”
A brilliant magic circle took shape in an instant, and its vitality-filled power turned into a green radiance that flowed into the body of the man wearing fitted armor.
“Hah!”
Strength surging back into him, Rod let out a roar.
The bloodstained longsword in his hand burst forth with a sharp sword aura as he slashed fiercely at the violently churning surface of the lake beneath his feet.
The lake was torn apart by brute force, revealing the giant beast coiled beneath the deep water.
It was a massive black fish at least twenty meters long.
Its body was covered in scales as hard as cold iron and savage bony spikes.
Its head was protected by a rigid exoskeleton, and a sharp horn jutted up from its crown toward the sky, giving it a strange and terrifying beauty that made one’s skin crawl.
This was the tyrant-class magical beast, the lord of Bepor Lake!
Even after being an adventurer for three years and seeing countless terrifying monsters, Eluca still could not help but feel her legs go weak at the sight of such a dreadful beast.
“So I still haven’t gotten used to being an adventurer after all?”
Taking advantage of the brief gap between spells, Eluca twined a strand of hair around her finger and looked with complicated emotions at the man standing at the very front, constantly clashing with the lord of the lake.
Rod.
His epithet was the Ironblood Knight.
He had become an adventurer three years ago, and like a dragon soaring into the sky, he had risen with astonishing speed, becoming a genius B-rank adventurer in only three years.
In Belland, he was already somewhat well known.
As for her, Eluca was Rod’s childhood friend and also the one who had been carrying an unrequited love for him.
“I became an adventurer because I liked him, and yet I’m still afraid...”
“I’ve been in love with him for eight years, but I still don’t even have the courage to confess. Am I really that useless?”
“If I’m this useless, will Rod end up hating me?”
“Will he think I’m not worthy of standing by his side?”
“What am I supposed to do...?”
Today as well, Eluca remained trapped in a young girl’s little troubles.
But those were far from her only troubles.
“Now!”
Having forced the lord of the lake out of the water, Rod gave another order.
“Use attack magic, now!”
“O-Okay!”
All distracting thoughts were instantly driven from her mind.
Thanks to the instincts she had built over the past three years, Eluca immediately raised her wand and began chanting.
“O heavenly god who rules over ice and snow, please—”
“Explosion Magic!”
Someone was faster than her.
At Eluca’s side, a beautiful female mage with a striking face, a lovely figure, and especially a very ample chest seemed to have prepared in advance.
The moment Rod spoke, she unleashed a powerful spell without even going through the chant.
Blazing firelight drove away the darkness brought by the storm clouds.
In a single instant, the terrifying heat vaporized a massive amount of lake water and pierced through the lord of the lake’s hard scales.
“Well done, Tia!”
Seeing the lord of the lake’s defenses pierced through, Rod’s face lit up with delight.
He praised her, then seized this rare opening and thrust the longsword in his hand into the giant wound that had been scorched black.
“ROAR!”
The lord of the lake howled and struggled violently.
Lightning flashed, and torrential rain came pouring down.
But anyone could see that this fearsome tyrant-class magical beast was already at the end of its strength.
This was merely its final desperate struggle.
Because Rod’s sword had pierced its heart with perfect accuracy.
Starting tomorrow, after slaying a tyrant-class magical beast, the fame of Rod, the Ironblood Knight, would surely rise to an even greater height throughout Belland.
But Eluca was not especially happy.
She carefully glanced at the female mage named Tia and muttered:
“You thanked her, but you didn’t say anything to me?”
How unfair.
Is it just because I’m not good at attacking magic, so I can’t help much in a situation like this?
But aren’t I your childhood friend?
“I’ve liked you for so long...”
Eluca took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the thing surging up from the depths of her heart.
“Die!”
Over there, Rod viciously twisted the sword, and at last the lord of the lake gradually stopped struggling.
Rod pulled out his sword and let the lord of the lake sink into the water.
The lake was dyed red with blood, and then the giant fish’s corpse, white belly turned upward, slowly floated up from the deep crimson water.
“It’s finally over.”
Rod dispelled his floating spell and landed atop the lord of the lake’s corpse.
He let out a sigh of relief, but he could not stop the joy from appearing on his face.
After taking down this tyrant-class magical beast, his merit points would finally be enough for him to advance to A-rank!
Once he reached A-rank, both his wealth and his reputation would increase tremendously!
At least this dangerous mission had not been for nothing.
“You two did well.”
Rod raised his head and flashed the two girls a frank, hearty smile.
“Your magic was perfectly timed. Looks like I was saved by the two of you again today.”
“N-Not at all...”
Looking down at the tips of her shoes, Eluca blushed slightly and said shyly:
“It was because you were so amazing, Rod...”
Looks like he still does care about me.
A trace of sweetness welled up in Eluca’s heart.
“Ah, you’re bleeding.”
Before she could savor that sweetness, Eluca heard Tia’s concerned voice beside her.
Tia flew to Rod’s side and looked worriedly at the wound on his arm.
It was a cut left by one of the bone spikes during the fight.
“Haha, it’s just a minor wound. It’s nothing serious.”
“It has to be treated right away. What if it gets infected?”
Tia chided him softly, then took out a fragrant handkerchief and carefully wiped away the blood before bandaging the wound.
“Rod, you may always be a little careless, but you still need to take care of your body. Otherwise, the people who care about you will be heartbroken.”
Rod could not help showing a touched expression. “Tia, you’re so gentle. Having a teammate like you is wonderful...”
Tia’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Not at all. I’m only doing what I should. If anything, as long as Rod is here, everyone feels at ease no matter what happens.”
“...”
Watching the two of them getting all lovey-dovey, Eluca nearly snapped the wand in her hand in half.
What kind of deep comradeship are you two acting out right in front of me, the healing mage?
If he’s hurt, couldn’t you just let me heal him? Weren’t you quick enough to think of that during the battle?
And you, Tia—if you’re going to bandage him, then just bandage him.
But your chest was obviously rubbing against Rod’s arm.
Did you do that on purpose?
What exactly are you showing off, huh?
“If only there were something that could punish that bitch.”
Eluca could not help thinking bitterly to herself.
But that was all it was—a thought.
After all, the image she had always maintained in front of Rod was that of a soft, adorable, kind-hearted girl.
And kind-hearted girls were not supposed to have evil thoughts.
Yes, they were not supposed to.
...
Were they?
Could they really not?
...
“Hm? It sounds like there’s some kind of strange noise?”
Rod, who had been enjoying the service of being bandaged by a beautiful girl, suddenly turned serious and looked around.
But the torrential rain, along with the water vapor produced when the Explosion Magic had just evaporated the lake water, obscured their vision so thoroughly that nothing could be seen.
“Oh, hold still. I’m bandaging you.”
Tia scolded lightly:
“It must have just been your imagination, Rod. Didn’t the lord of the lake already die? What strange sound could there still be? There’s no way two tyrant-class magical beasts would appear at the same time. If there really were two of them, then with their territorial instincts, wouldn’t they have started fighting each other before we even made a move?”