I was completely unaware of the thing which was approaching us.?


    ?


    A huge shadow which not only covered me and Zerry-san but also the magic ship and the warship that were a little farther away — the magic airship lowered its altitude and gradually drew closer.?


    ?


    「W-W-What is that, bocchan!? Is that a new enemy!?」?


    ?


    「Aren’t you glad, Zerry-san?」?


    ?


    「What!?」?


    ?


    「It looks like we’re saved.」?


    ?


    The person who leaned out from the deck of the magic airship was a person I knew very well. It was dangerous to lean out like that, but I felt like her actions were getting bolder each time.?


    ?


    「—Reiji-saaaan!」?


    ?


    I saw a High Elf royal waving at me.?


    ?


    「Asha! Magic!」?


    ?


    Umibozu seems to have felt that the magic airship in the sky was a threat, and directed the light towards the sky.?


    ?


    I don’t know why Asha was here, or anything about that magic airship which flew a flag I have never seen, but we have to prioritise taking care of this situation first.?


    ?


    「I just have to defeat that, right?」Asha asked nonchalantly.?


    ?


    「Eh……」?


    ?


    A chill ran down my spine at that moment. Far colder than the chill I felt when the second Umibozu appeared.?


    ?


    「Zerry-san!! Let’s get outta here!!」?


    ?


    「Huf? Isn’t that airship going to defeat–」?


    ?


    「Just go!!」?


    ?


    I hurriedly used【Water Magic】to create a water current.?


    ?


    「We’re gonna get caught up in it!!」?


    ?


    I pushed our bodies forward with a magic boost that prioritised speed, not caring about balance. We barely, just barely got out of the way.?


    ?


    Umibozu shot a laser beam into the sky.?


    ?


    At the same time, Asha also cast a spell.?


    ?


    The flame spear created by Asha was so huge that it could penetrate any castle wall or castle gate.?


    ?


    The two collided in mid-air. The shock wave from the collision pushed us down from above.?


    ?


    「Gabubo!?」?


    ?


    Zerry-san and I sank into the sea. The intense light resulting from the collision illuminated even the depths of the seabed.?


    ?


    The dead Umibozu’s carcass swaying in the curtain of light underwater, seemed almost magical.?


    ?


    「Gaho— Uwaaha!?」?


    ?


    Reality awaited us when we returned to the surface of the sea.?


    ?


    The sea bellowed, pushing our bodies in one direction without our control, and the tremendous amount of heat from Asha’s magic evaporated the surrounding water, resulting in a sudden deterioration in visibility.?


    ?


    The laser light and the spear of flame seemed to have disappeared after colliding, but the flames scattered to the surroundings and burst on the surface of the sea.?


    ?


    「Zerry-san!」?


    ?


    「Bo-bocchan… you’re safe…」?


    ?


    「Pull yourself together. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.」?


    ?


    「………Is something else going to happen?」?


    ?


    「The next time Asha shoots her magic, the surrounding area will turn into boiling water.」?


    ?


    「Shit! Let’s ruuuuuun!」?


    ?


    Zerry-san quickly started swimming away with overarm strokes—this woman is eager to leave me behind, isn’t she!??


    ?


    I had recovered to the point where I could swim as well, so I hurried up and chased after her.?


    ?


    「I can’t see anything at all, but flames are effective against sea enemies… Isn’t that right, Reiji-san!」?


    ?


    A terrifying voice echoed down from above.?


    ?


    However, if I stop Asha, Umibozu’s tentacles will attack us. So I can’t stop her.?


    ?


    The only thing I can tell her is–?


    ?


    「Asha! Please narrow the range as much as possible!!」?


    ?


    「—I understand!」?


    ?


    A flame spear of the exact same size appeared on the other side of the fog.?


    ?


    No, no, t-that’s not it!?


    ?


    The image of Asha wearing black sunglasses came to mind.?


    ?


    「—Reiji-san, I’ll save you!」?


    ?


    The flame spear, which was the biggest threat to my life today, pierced the surface of the sea.?


    ?


    **?


    ?


    「I’m sorry…」?


    ?


    Asha seemed to be seriously remorseful.?


    ?


    We were at the mayor’s mansion. Asha, a High Elf royal, was welcomed here.?


    ?


    Since the battle with Umibozus, a whole day has passed. Lark had spent all her energy and had been asleep.?


    ?


    「It is wonderful news that we were able to defeat Umibozu. And the only harm was to Reiji-dono and Zerry-dono. So, we can call it a success, right?」the mayor said, trying to excuse Asha.?


    ?


    Asha’s【Fire Magic】killed the second Umibozu, or rather, it obliterated the jellyfish leaving nothing behind, and the seawater temperature in the surrounding area rose abnormally.?


    ?


    Thanks to Zerry-san screaming “Dive!”, I wasn’t caught in the explosion or the boiling water, but I was caught in a turbulent stream of water and sank to the depths of the sea. I started seeing the Grim Reaper’s face at that moment. But I managed to regain my composure, and returned back to the surface of the sea.?


    ?


    Steam was rising and the fish caught in the explosion were floating on the surface, which was quite a hellish scene. The magic ship and warship were swept far away, so instead of swimming there, I flickered a faint【Light Magic】and waited for the rescue party.?


    ?


    「No, it is not okay! We almost died! Isn’t that right, bocchan!? And I can’t work for a while because of that, so I have to receive due compensation— Ouch!」?


    ?


    I landed a chop on the back of Zerry-san’s head as she acted like an accident faker trying to extort money.?


    ?


    「If Asha didn’t come, we would have been killed by Umibozu. So considering that, I don’t think she was mistaken.」I said?


    ?


    「Reiji-san!」?


    ?


    Asha looked at me like a scolded child who was suddenly praised.?


    ?


    「…But you need to learn to control your magic, alright?」?


    ?


    「Y-Yes…」?


    ?


    She nodded dejectedly, like a puppy who was scolded.?


    ?


    Though, I am glad that she has become able to express her emotions as such.?


    ?


    「So, why are you here, Asha? And who does that magic airship belong to? More importantly, though, who are these people?」?


    ?


    Three elves stood behind Asha, who was sitting. All three wore a green-based combat uniform. Their high laced leather boots were also matching.?


    ?


    One of them was familiar to me too.?


    ?


    「One of them is Polina-san, right?」?


    ?


    The first time I met her was when she was a member of the Golden Brigade party.?


    ?


    An elf who was a part of Leon’s party.?


    ?


    But she seems to have joined the Golden Brigade just to enter the Lev Magic Empire. And the last time I saw her was when I sneaked into Asha’s room to remove her skill orbs.?


    ?


    She mistook me for a thief and poisoned me with paralysis poison.?


    ?


    I clearly remember that time with【World Ruler】.?


    ?


    ——What is your reason for attacking Her Highness Anastasia??


    ?


    She questioned me, aiming with a bow.?


    ?


    ——Reiji-san, I’ll let you go if you didn’t hurt Her Highness. But I won’t go easy on you if you approach her again.?


    ?


    She said before leaving.?


    ?


    She seemed to be on a “secret business” or something, and since the appearance of the Red Gate, I hadn’t seen her at all. It was quite a surprise to encounter her here.