Chapter 71
Chapter 71
====
"Krua?"”
Dielo seemed a little surprised to see us beyond the curtain.
Then he let out a low laugh.
“Are you suggesting I guess which one is the real Krua?”
I didn’t answer. Pielle also remained still as I had ordered.
Then Dielo slowly approached us.
The black silhouette beyond the curtain stood exactly between the two of us.
“In my opinion, Krua is…”
Tap. He came a little closer and turned his body.
Exactly towards me.
“This one.”
Then, without hesitation, he reached out from beyond the curtain and pulled me in.
“!”
Before I could widen my eyes, I was instantly pulled into his arms.
Dielo, his eyes narrowed, kissed the tip of my nose.
A confident smile spread across his lips.
“Correct.”
“How did you know?”
More than that, what if it had been Pielle you pulled in? Why are you kissing me first like that?
As I blinked, Dielo laughed.
“I’m already a lacking husband, it would be troubling if I couldn’t even recognize my bride.”
He whispered in a soft voice.
And he slightly loosened the firm arms that had pulled me in.
“Ah.”
He steadied me, who almost lost my balance, and kissed the back of my hand.
“Even if there were a hundred people behind the curtain who looked the same, there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize Krua.”
It’s not like I’ve only seen you standing, the way you look at me, once or twice.
More than anything.
He whispered in a low voice.
“There’s no way there could be two people in the world with such refreshing Magical Power.”
His voice, reaching me, strangely echoed in my head.
That voice, as if saying that you are unique to me.
Ah, just as I let out a short breath.
Kiss, Dielo, who had kissed the inside of my wrist, laughed.
“Then, shall we move according to the plan?”
As he gestured to Pielle, Pielle bowed to me and stepped outside.
* * *
A huge Argenta ship dropped anchor on the vast sea.
Standing at the bow of the ship, I smoothed my hair, which was blowing in the wind. Dielo approached me from behind.
“They will be waiting for the supply fleet in the Argenta waters.”
Dielo said in a calm voice.
Their goal was to cut off our supplies and demoralize our troops.
“The reason they bothered to send the troops alive, even on the water, is because they judged that it would be a greater loss to Argenta’s forces if they returned alive than if they died.”
His expression was not good.
I frowned at his words.
“Because the rear troops are moving to treat the injured?”
“Yes.”
Dielo answered simply.
It was a strategy worthy of Alloze.
For them, ‘Alloze’s power can simply be granted anew by the head of the family,’ so they would ruthlessly abandon the injured.
But Argenta was different.
They never abandoned those who had once become Argenta and sworn allegiance.
Because they were Argenta, people risked their lives, and Argenta returned much in kind through Shadow Supply and other means.
It became more than just a relationship between a knight and a lord.
‘So this is not a loss for Argenta, but rather a gain.’
I looked out at the endless sea. Somewhere out there, there would be an Alloze ship.
Confident that they would be able to further demoralize our troops and lower their morale.
But they would never get what they wanted.
Argenta would treat the injured soldiers, further fueling their loyalty to Argenta.
And their desire for revenge against Alloze as well. Argenta never forgets favors, nor revenge.
“Reconnaissance troops have been dispatched, dividing the area.”
Rick bowed his head.
“I will report immediately when we have news of a sighting.”
At those words, I turned back to the distant sea.
The languid, reddish-orange sunset was telling us that the sun would soon set.
The night sea is dangerous.
Especially in Argenta, where there are monsters.
“I think we need to find them quickly.”
“I will hurry.”
Rick bowed his head. But I looked down at the sea.
I feel like I can find them faster than sending people.
…Me.
I took one step at a time.
The closer I got to the end of the bow, the stronger the wind blew.
But I was confident.
Reaching the end of the bow, I reached out from the railing of the deck.
“Krua?”
Dielo, surprised, hugged me. As if worried that I would fall.
“…Will you hold me?”
It’s not like I would die if I was swept away by the water, but there would be no good reason for me, who can’t swim, to fall into the sea.
At my words, Dielo grabbed the railing with one hand and held me tightly.
In the middle of the noisy and cold sea, his breath and warmth felt particularly intense.
I took a short breath and clenched my fist tightly.
“Since it’s on the water, I think I can find them faster.”
And instead of explaining, I scattered my Magical Power over the sea.
—Splash.
The moment the water droplet-shaped Magical Power fell onto the sea.
With a strangely echoing sound, my Magical Power spread out in all directions, as if ripples were forming in the middle of a lake.
“!”
Perhaps he felt the Magical Power wave.
I could feel Rick, surprised, turning around. At the same time, the Argenta people buzzed.
“This power is…”
“It’s spreading widely into the sea.”
It was a sea that was incomparably larger and rougher than a lake, but the ripples clearly spread throughout the Argenta sea.
Even when I came to the sea to find Mirta before, I couldn’t manipulate the water this much.
But now it was different.
The strong Magical Power moved forward with clear ripples even in the rough sea.
And it told me all the information on the sea.
“……”
I closed my eyes and focused on the information.
Monsters rising and falling on the sea surface, fish and sea creatures avoiding the group.
And.
“Found them.”
…Even the presence of an unfamiliar ship.
I smiled and opened my eyes.
* * *
“Look at them running away with their tails between their legs!”
Laughter spread across the Alloze ship.
It was directed at Argenta.
To show them that dealing with fire is useless at sea.
The Alloze Assassins had rarely experienced failure.
That’s only natural.
Those who failed died on the spot or committed suicide to keep their mouths shut.
Therefore, every time they carried out a mission and succeeded, their confidence soared to the sky.
Moreover, they had played with Argenta, who had been an eyesore, so the atmosphere on the deck was festive.
“Argenta can’t do anything by lighting a fire on the sea.”
“To see them huddling together and running away with their tails between their legs. If it weren’t for the order not to kill them, I wouldn’t have let them live!”
The orders they received were as follows.
Disguise themselves as pirates to block and plunder Argenta’s supply fleet, but do not kill them.
“But why did they tell us not to kill them?”
Wouldn’t it be better to kill all the troops?
At someone’s tactless question, laughter erupted from somewhere.
“The Argenta guys are stupidly protective of their troops.”
A veteran Assassin said.
“If they die, they can just be burned, but if they are sent back alive, they will pull out far more people to treat them.”
He clicked his tongue.
“An Assassin who moves without knowing the Lord’s will.”
“I, I’m sorry.”
The Assassin, whose confidence had been soaring, shrank back a little.
But soon he straightened his shoulders again.
“Ah! We should have celebratory drinks to commemorate the victory at times like this! More supplies will be coming soon, right?”
They had no idea that the group disguised as bandits had been annihilated.
“The last report we received was that they successfully attacked the land supply, so of course they will come.”
Unless they want to starve as a group soon.
The veteran Assassin laughed.
How long did they wait for the battle at sea?
—Kroooo……!
A cry that didn’t seem human was heard.
The youngest Assassin, who had been dozing off, opened his eyes.
“What’s that sound?”
And as soon as he came out of the cabin and onto the deck, he gaped.
“W, what is that!”
A huge eel-like creature was heading straight for the ship with its mouth open.
“Monster attack!”
The surprised youngest Assassin reached out his hand.
—Whoong!
The surrounding seawater, reacting to his Water Manipulation, gathered around the monster.
—Kooong!
A heavy sound echoed through the ship.
The youngest Assassin, who had been tense and created a water barrier, sighed in relief.
“I didn’t think I could stop it.”
Strangely, I feel like my strength has improved since I came to the sea.
Just as the youngest Assassin, who had never worked in a place with so much water, tilted his head.
“So this is the monster that the Argenta guys catch?”
“How boring. How weak is the Argenta Lord that he’s struggling with something like this?”
From behind, the Alloze Assassins joined the battle one after another.
They all had confident faces.
“They’re just guys in the water!”
In front of them, who had gained confidence from several battles on the water, the Endless Sea monsters were nothing special.
—Kiiiek!
The monsters were helpless as the water turned sharp and began to stab them, even though they were only big.
“It’s over like this—”
Just as one of the Assassins laughed like that.
They felt a strange sensation from behind.
To be exact, a dizzying feeling as if standing in front of a towering cliff.
“?”
The Alloze Assassins, who turned around, gaped.
They were about to be engulfed by a wave the size of a house.
