Chapter 134 – Disappearance
In the darkness where you can’t see an inch ahead.
Only the coldness that seemed to seep into the bones and the fishy salty taste in the mouth reminded us that this place was under the sea.
You can’t breathe under the sea. And, humans die if they can’t breathe for a long time. It’s the same no matter how powerful a knight is.
Survival instinct ruthlessly rings an alarm at the overly clear truth.
Yes. Now my life is being threatened.
Paradoxically, when you realize that fact, you feel more at ease.
—Thump, pound… !
My heart beats, and the senses that have been dormant since the end of the war are awakened again.
A state of mental awakening that I have experienced numerous times while crossing the line of fire on the battlefield. Another realm that can only be reached if one truly feels life-threatening.
The remnants of the joy he felt while crushing the flesh giant, and the flames of anger that had flared up while dealing with Hameln and the unknown witch quickly faded away.
The torrent of hot emotion subsided, and what took its place was a cold reason.
The rapidly spinning brain grasps the current situation.
A delicate and soft touch that comes from the right hand. Ophelia’s was clear.
As a result of struggling until her last moment, did she somehow succeed in transferring with her?
However, it is so self-evident that the fragile girl’s body cannot last long in such a harsh environment.
Even at this moment, the pulsation of life felt in the wrist of the girl he held onto was quickly cooling down.
We have to get up to the surface quickly.
First of all, from positioning.
—Bugurr…
Given that her body was intact and not crushed by the water pressure, her current location would not be too far from the surface.
Calmly expresses mana to create a spray of water.
And, like a dolphin trying to echolocate, it feels the waves of mana returning with its skin.
As a result, the position of the surface of the water identified is about 55 degrees to the upper right.
I turn her body over toward it, then pull her grasping hand up and hold Ophelia’s body close to mine.
Soon after, as she began to stomp her feet toward the surface of the water, the softly twinkling light of mana illuminated the girl’s pale face.
Ophelia’s face, which always smiled brightly in front of me, had sunk into a cold, expressionless expression.
The thick blonde hair is scattered in a mess on the current. The sight of her not moving with her eyes tightly closed is terribly unfamiliar.
Please be patient with me. You’ll be able to get out of here in no time.
I carefully took the girl’s body into her arms. She was in order not to miss anything. There was no time to feel a sense of incongruity in the feel of her bare skin instead of her armor and cloth clothes colliding.
—Quaaaaagh!
Superhuman leg strength exerts its maximum power and stirs the sea without hesitation.
It was a bridge that could jump up from the ground and play on the clouds. Despite the resistance of the water, it took an instant to reach the surface once I knew the direction.
Before long, her body rises high into the sky, and the sweeter air greets me than ever before.
“Puha! Ofelia, are you okay?”
“…”
I took a deep breath in her and immediately looked at Ophelia’s condition, she was still droopy and could hardly regain her consciousness.
It was a big deal. After all, the environment in the sea was too lethal for a girl who was weak unlike me.
It was just as dangerous. I wish land was near here.
“This, this…!”
However, when I came up to the surface, I could feel it more clearly.
‘Somehow, it felt strangely touching my bare skin…’
Ophelia and I were now naked without a single thread on.
A situation that cannot be achieved with normal teleportation magic. Did the attempt to somehow interfere with the activation of the magic cause something wrong?
—Malkan!
Despite the urgent situation, the face naturally blushes at the touch of a soft woman’s body that can be felt in the arms.
The stage of being ashamed of seeing or touching a woman has already graduated a long time ago, but Ophelia is not an ordinary woman, but a saint of the Celestial Church.
And besides, I’ve always considered her to be nothing more than her immature child. A deep sense of guilt creeps into her.
… By the way, this guy, it’s a fact that she vaguely felt before, but even though she’s doing something like a child, her body has already grown up.
Her voluptuous touch is quite stimulating, to the point of surpassing her master by far and being compared to Alicia…
—Quarleung!
At that time, a thick line of lightning descends from the sky, and I wake up again.
“Damn it. What the hell are you thinking about this urgent thought?”
Significant signs, as if the heavenly gods were rebuking my actions.
I took a slow, deep breath and calmed myself again.
‘Whoa, why are you doing this? Wolfgang… Not like you.’
How long have you been living in the sea? To think he was admiring Ophelia’s female body in such an urgent situation. It can’t be anything but a pathetic act.
—Patter…
I didn’t know it when I was in the water, but on the surface, a storm with thunderstorms was blowing.
If you swim, you will be swept away by the waves.
If so, I have no choice but to try it after a long time. I started pouring mana into the soles of my feet.
‘Disciple, it must be very difficult with your big and heavy body, but isn’t there such a thing as a ‘what if’? A true strongman doesn’t cover the battlefield, so I hope you learn it well.’
The method of renewal that my master taught me in the past.
‘Hey, Master. Where the hell did you get this bizarre technology? ‘
‘Sup.’
‘… There must be something to write about. I’ll do my best to learn it.’
It reminds me of a timid rebellion when my hair was just getting thicker.
It’s a skill I thought would be useless since I don’t have to go to the sea for a while, but I didn’t think I’d get a chance to use it like this in the last ten years.
Also, Master’s foresight cannot be ignored. He was indeed a high elf who had lived for a thousand years.
‘Disciple, why are you drooping like this? Are you tired already? Can’t I get it right now?’
‘S, Master… Please… ‘
I’ll have to do my best next time. In bed, of course.
It reminds me of Master’s white thighs, sweet lips, and small breasts that fit perfectly in one hand and are easy to tease. That night was truly magical…
“No. Why are you doing this, really?”
But why do I keep having such naughty thoughts? Not some kind of adolescent boy.
It’s been only a few minutes since he showed his composure like a great view in the sea, but to think that such a drastic change could come in such a short time.
Even to myself, this was obviously not normal.
Could it be that I was subjected to a new mental attack without my knowledge? Otherwise, it cannot be explained.
It’s clear that Hameln or a monster wearing a girl’s mask was playing some kind of prank on me…
Worry later. First of all, let’s find the land, the land.
“Maybe it’s because I like to eat. It’s a bit heavier than Alicia.”
I put Ophelia on my back, trying hard not to be conscious of the strange feeling.
—Sueuuu…
Then, I put the soles of my feet on top of the rolling waves.
Arien Ryu Shinjutsu — Water Monument
When mana is spread widely and shallowly around one’s feet and then comes into contact with the surface of the water, the mana particles resonate with the water and a very thin film is instantly created.
Then, using it as a stepping stone, step on it and quickly repeat the same process with the opposite foot.
It’s easy to say, but it’s extremely tricky, and since I’m not single, it’s even harder to get a feel for it.
It’s a skill you’ve already learned. After wandering around a couple of times, I was able to get used to it.
“Yes…”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Eventually, Ophelia let out a low moan as if she would wake up soon.
It really was a fortunate thing out of misfortune. Around that time, he urgently checked on the girl’s safety.
The dark clouds dissipated in an instant, and although it was very brief, it seemed that a sandy field could be seen vaguely near the horizon in the distance.
If the weather is like this, the possibility of a mirage is very small. It’s probably real land.
— Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa… !
I steered right away and started running over the waves without hesitation.
If someone saw me, I would be quite embarrassed, but since I was in the middle of the vast sea, no one was watching, so it didn’t matter anyway.
A terrifying, scar-covered giant running across the water at breakneck speed with a slender girl on his back.
Isn’t it a bizarre figure that could come out of a nightmare?
In the midst of trying to keep the mental state as positive as possible, he somehow found something to laugh at and forcibly raised the corners of his mouth.
Suddenly, an undeniably depressing thought crosses my mind.
‘Oh, by now there must have been an uproar in the mainland of the Empire…’
The saintess and I who disappeared together during the mission.
Even the cause of the disappearance was exposure to the teleport magic of the enemy forces, and even life and death could not be confirmed.
If so, I couldn’t even imagine what kind of reaction the Tenshinkyo would show.
Also, the circumstances of the imperial military and the imperial family would not be very different.
A saintess who appeared after a hiatus of over a hundred years.
And the apprentice of the general and the lover of the princess evaporated cleanly at the same time.
Alicia, Agnes, Master, and my men… Everyone must be very worried. It was a big deal.
If I could just let them know that I’m alive and well, my worries would be greatly relieved. The problem was that there was no way to do that.
When Ophelia wakes up, can she try anything? I honestly don’t know.
In the midst of running on the water with such a disturbed heart.
—Kki-look-ki-look!
The sound of seagulls ringing in your ears.
Thank god. It doesn’t look like I was wrong either. A sandy beach could be seen from far away.
* * *
Same time.
“Gee, what did you just say? Say it again, again.”
“…The commander of the Knights of the Black Lion, His Excellency Wolfgang von Schwartz and the saintess are said to have gone missing during the mission.”
— Wheezing
“Ahhh…”
“Princess, Princess!”
A major upheaval began to unfold in the system.
