Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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"Ah."
Instinctively, I checked myself.
Since I was playing with bubbles, my wet blouse wasn't revealing anything.
Instead, he was in a simple shirt and pants and didn't seem to bother covering himself.
I subtly sent bubbles toward him using Water Manipulation.
Dielo's smile gained a hint of amusement.
But it's water… Is Argenta okay with this much?
"The water, is it alright?"
Argenta couldn't possibly like this much water.
But Dielo nodded with a light expression.
"Of course. No matter how much Argenta dislikes water, it's fundamental to life."
He scooped up water in one hand and let it flow through his fingers.
—Drip, drip.
The sound of water droplets was clear.
Well, if he hated touching it altogether, how would he wash?
"But I heard he doesn't welcome large amounts of water."
He was the one struggling to block the Endless Sea in the first place, so it seemed likely.
Dielo didn't deny my words.
"But it seems to be alright here."
His smile was radiant, making the swimming pool feel like a resort beach under bright sunlight.
He parted the water a bit more and approached, then poked the bubble wall I was playing with, lifting it with his fingertip.
Then he gently placed the bubble on my shoulder, a playful smile on his face.
"Besides, I needed to practice."
"Practice?"
What kind of practice would he do here?
"Swimming practice?"
Dielo chuckled at my words.
Then he smoothly continued.
"At the gathering, the question Elin Kartiel asked. Do you remember?"
I nodded at his words.
"She asked how we fell in love."
"Yes, Krua said we fell in love in the water."
Dielo softly took my words. Then he turned to me.
"It was natural."
He wasn't here to compliment me. As I waited for his next words, he smiled.
"But if I had received that question, I wouldn't have been confident in answering properly. So."
He approached me. As I widened my eyes, the ripples he created reached me.
The ripples, felt more intensely in the water, swept over my entire body.
"I'm going to create real memories. So I can remember and say the moment I looked at you lovingly."
My eyes widened.
And at that moment, perhaps because my mind was distracted.
"!"
The water stairs I was standing on scattered, and my body plunged downward.
The moment water covered my vision.
The moment I panicked, having nothing to grab onto.
'Scared? You won't die from being submerged in this much water.'
Suddenly, a clear voice echoed in my head. It was a familiar voice, but buried in my memories.
This isn't Krua's memory…
'You're not going to go around telling people, are you?'
'Are you going to spread rumors that you almost drowned in a kiddie pool?'
Voices filled with laughter flashed through my mind.
Ah.
This is my memory from before the possession.
I felt like I was suffocating.
—Splash!
Then a strong man's hand firmly grabbed mine.
It was different from the memory of flailing until I lost consciousness in the water.
The moment I clearly recognized that fact.
My mind cleared.
Get out of the water.
I can get out.
Moving the water is better than swimming.
Instinctively, I was about to move the water again.
—Splash!
I thought I saw Dielo move.
The next moment, he was already holding me. His strong arms touched my back and legs.
"Puhah!"
As soon as I came out of the water, I gasped for air. Dielo's calm voice echoed through my rough breaths.
"Are you alright?"
I didn't know when I had started trembling.
I realized that only after Dielo hugged me slightly.
The stream of water flowing down his sharp jawline touched me.
Perhaps because I was tightly gripping his thin shirt, I could clearly feel his body temperature.
"…Ah."
As I let out a short exclamation, Dielo led me with a slightly surprised expression.
He naturally parted the water and took me to a shallow area.
"…It seems you're not used to swimming."
He must have noticed right away during that brief moment.
That I can control water but can't swim.
"…The water guides me anyway, so there's no need to learn how to swim."
To be exact, I didn't have time to learn how to swim after the possession, and before the possession…
I didn't have the luxury to learn how to swim.
As I closed my mouth, Dielo, who was examining me, smiled lightly.
"I see."
Then, thankfully, he didn't ask any further.
I looked at him and said.
"I thought Dielo disliked water, but it seems you've practiced swimming a lot?"
His movements in the water were certainly natural.
Dielo replied lightly to my words.
"It would be troublesome if the one who protects the Endless Sea couldn't swim."
…Well, he can't drown while fighting. There are many naval battles, after all.
"Not only that, but I need to become more skilled if I want to be with Krua."
I looked at Dielo at the sudden words.
In that moment, Dielo's face came closer.
—Hoo.
I didn't even realize the breath he exhaled blew away the bubbles that were on my ear.
The fluffy bubbles floated up and burst in the air.
He laughed softly.
"Since you're the one who controls water, I need to get even closer to you in this water."
Our eyes met, his who can control fire, which is the opposite of water, but is good at swimming, and mine who can control water but can't swim.
My cheeks flushed for a moment.
"The bubbles are more persistent than I thought."
He casually brushed off the bubbles that had flown back onto his hair.
We both burst into laughter.
* * *
We played in the water for a long time, like when we were young.
But the swimming practice was a complete failure.
Perhaps because the memories from before the possession came back so vividly.
When I was completely submerged in the water, I couldn't come to my senses because of the overwhelming feeling.
'You don't have to practice if it's too hard, Krua.'
Dielo said softly to me.
'Krua will never fall into the water.'
'If Krua ever falls into the water and can't do anything, that would be the worst-case scenario.'
'That should never happen. No, it won't happen.'
At his words, I eventually gave up swimming. Instead, I focused on practicing controlling the water.
"Just understanding the flow of water without abilities will help with ability practice."
Dielo advised.
So I decided to train here often.
"Are you alright?"
I nodded at the question.
"Of course."
I had driven out the poison early on, and I had been in the water for so long, so it was natural.
Besides.
"And, it might be difficult, but it would be good to create an environment like this for Argenta too. Not just a hot place, but a place where fire can easily ignite."
I moved the water to create a large wolf and then scattered it. It was the wolf I had seen when saving Nirua.
—Splash!
"It seems that the power is amplified in places with many sources, after all."
As I watched the wolf form return to water, Dielo turned to me.
"I don't know if you heard or saw, but Kartiel was also found using the same method."
"In that case…"
Dielo widened his eyes at my words.
"Yes, maybe we can create a battlefield that is advantageous when fighting Alloze or Kartiel."
Argenta was looking for ways to use his abilities efficiently until the unawakened head of the family awakened.
If my words were true, it would be a revolution for Argenta.
"Of course, we need to investigate whether most ability users are like that… Ah."
I was about to say that I couldn't go to Alloze and ask, but then I thought of something.
Isn't Alloze here on this land too?
"I'll ask Lord Nirua too."
I said I would ask, but I knew for sure.
They become stronger in places with many sources of their attribute.
Aside from the fact that it was clearly written in the original work, I was a witness myself.
I clearly remembered feeling strong confidence and power in front of the infinitely spread sea.
"We need to approach carefully, but if it's true…"
Dielo's eyes sparkled with a happy expression.
It was natural since it would be such a boon for Argenta's forces if it were true.
"I hope it's true."
I said, wiping the bubbles off his cheek.
"I don't know if enough memories have been made."
Dielo widened his eyes as if asking what I meant.
"Next time, if Elin asks how we fell in love, will you be able to answer?"
Dielo blinked at my words and then burst into laughter.
"Of course."
Then he kissed my knee, which was sitting on the edge of the pool.
Thanks to his movements in the water, a sensual wave touched my toes once again.
"I can definitely say how I was captivated by Krua."
The whispering breath touched my wet knee, creating a strange sensation.
He looked so normal that I only realized later that he felt pain when he touched my Magical Power-infused water.
