episode_0149

“Ploop—”

“Delicious?”

“Yeah, so— delicious!”

Tier, her bottom nestled in a tube, floated on the sea, enjoying a tropical fruit drink in the sunshine.

She laughed, truly relaxed, seemingly content with everything.

The backlight made her eyes shine, and the shade of her wide-brimmed hat darkened her face, yet.

That smile was strikingly clear.

The beach was now a considerable distance away.

The reason we’d come so far was obvious, wasn’t it?

Tier had drawn unwanted attention in the crowded area.

“Wow! A saint!”

“Look at those boobs…”

“I’m a fan! Please, could I have your autograph—?”

She wasn’t even wearing a habit, and her hat was pulled low, making her face hard to see.

She’d forgotten the most important thing.

Her saintly quality assurance certificate, her magnificent double D’s.

Ultimately, we had no choice but to come this far.

“Ploop—”

Clink-

Just the sound of ice hitting a glass made the chill palpable.

Even looking at the vibrant red flesh of the tropical fruit sunk in the sparkling water, I could feel its sweet, almost sharp tang on my tongue.

Naturally, even I, sitting next to her, felt my mouth water and my throat go dry.

“Hey… let me have a sip.”

“No way— Bwhee—”

Tier spun around, hiding her drink, only her eyes on me as she poked out her tongue.

“You said you wouldn’t even touch this thing earlier.”

“No, I didn’t know from the menu picture, when I saw the real thing, is looked super yummy, so…”

“It’s too late. I’m not giving you a single sip!”

Looking towards the beach, I saw the others also had drinks.

They were also lying in the sand enjoying their drinks with sun…

If I were to go all the way over there just for a sip, wouldn’t it be better to just go a little further and get myself a new one?

“Ugh… I can’t. I have to go get another drink…”

“Wait— hold on, where are you—!”

As I turned to swim toward the beach, Tier suddenly grabbed my bikini top string.

Clang-

“What, why…?”

“Are you… going to leave me…?”

“Yeah. Just going to the shop for a sec.”

I turned my head and kicked my legs, but my body didn’t move forward. Tier had gripped my swimsuit so tightly that the straps on my back felt like they might snap any second.

“…Could you let go?”

“Don’t- don’t go… I’m scared to be alone…”

“Then come with me.”

“Ugh… I don’t want to… I just got settled in…”

Why is she suddenly acting like this?

I never thought she was particularly rational, but she seems even more clingy today.

No matter what I say, she disagrees; what am I supposed to do?

“I’m thirsty… I’ll just go get a drink, so let go.”

“Then… let’s just share this.”

This floating-on-the-sea feeling was too good to give up, but apparently, she hated being alone just as much.

Tier cautiously offered her drink.

With both hands, politely.

Her hands holding the glass trembled, and I somehow got the feeling she was stealing a child’s snack. She clung to it as if afraid of losing it, finally releasing it only with difficulty.

This makes me want to just open an Aether portal to the shop and buy one… but the clerk would probably freak out.

In the end, I took a drink from Tier’s beverage.

“Thank… you.”

“Yeah, sob-”

Gulp- Gulp-

So refreshing, so delicious…

The tart sweetness made my nerve endings tingle.

After drinking about half, I desperately wanted more.

“I’ll buy you another one later.”

“…Yeah.”

That little quarrel didn’t last long.

The warm and refreshing feeling of this southern sea wasn’t negatively affected by just the amount of soda.

Think about winter; isn’t it way more pleasant to be in a heated room naked than just under the covers?

For similar reasons, the summer sea has a thrilling feeling.

The sun is hot, but the seawater is pleasantly cool, and the resulting thermal contrast is addictive.

Well, a variety of sensations worked in combination, and I was comfortably relaxing.

Then it happened.

Surge—

A slightly high wave crashed, lifting Tier’s tube into the air.

“Oof-”

It had gone so high that it could easily have capsized.

However, Tier’s first concern was her drink. As a result, the already half-empty drink spilled over, leaving less than a quarter.

“Aaah…”

“Hey, hey. Are you okay? Be careful… you can’t swim.”

Tier, with bright red juice stained across her chest, flustered about, not knowing what to do.

If that juice seeped in, it’d get sticky fast, so I snatched her glass and poured seawater over it.

Splash- Splash-

“Ugh… so clumsy, what is this? You’re not a child.”

“I-It’s fine…? I can do it myself. Jeez…”

Her chest was so large that the gap was as deep as the Mariana Trench. Therefore, a little sprinkle of water wouldn’t be enough to clean it properly.

Soaking my hand with seawater and slipping it between the gaps, Tier startled and thrashed around.

“Hey- Hey! What are you doing—”

“I’m cleaning you, just stay still—”

“Kyaak-!!”

I’d been quietly trying to clean only her collarbone area, but another wave pushed her body inward.

My hand went straight into Tier’s swimsuit.

Squish-

“You pervert…!! What if someone sees…?”

Around that time.

I began to feel something strange.

“The surroundings… when did it get so quiet?”

“We drifted too far out.”

There was a definite sense of unease.

The outward current had carried us far from the crowded area.

That meant the water was probably quite deep, and these wildly crashing waves were certainly unnatural.

And as if to confirm that feeling, a creepy sensation crept up from my toes.

“…!!”

“Nari, this is—”

It was Magi.

.

.

.

「Hear me, Aspi?!」

「Yes- I felt it too…!! Are you alright over there-?」

「It’s right in front of me.」

This was on a completely different level from the paltry Magi that those puny Lesser Demons exuded.

It was at least as strong as Moriarty’s , if not stronger.

「I’ll be there right away—」

「Wait-! The safety of the people is priority. Get everyone out of the water immediately, and seal off the area. I’ll hold them off here.」

「Understood…!」

Since the Academy Incident, I had been deploying ‘Oracles’ all over the place like a sickness.

Thanks to this, I was able to reach Aspi quickly and quickly resolve the situation.

“Nari, this is…!!”

“I see it too.”

I quickly hauled myself out of the water and stood on the wind.

The Magi was undoubtedly a large Demon Beast.

Thanks to the exceptionally clear water, the enormous shadow rising from beneath the surface was clearly visible.

Moreover, judging by the amount of Magi, it wasn’t one.

One below, one above, and several more around them.

A precise group of Demon Beasts moving in formation.

“Quickly, take my hand.”

“U-Ugh…!!”

I was carrying Tier, who might drown, but simply running away would be a mistake.

This was the ocean, their home turf.

So, I felt that offering some resistance was a better option.

“Strengthen everything with reinforcement magic.”

“I understand… but don’t let go…!!”

Unlike before, when she didn’t want me to take her drink, the tremor in her hand now was definitely from fear.

I pulled her closer, firmly holding her waist.

The shadow grew darker.

The creatures were now close enough to the surface for their outlines to be clearly visible.

But then I realized.

It wasn’t a group of Demon Beasts.

“Damn it, this is—”

Surge- Surge—

The abnormally strong waves.

The water was swirling violently enough to create tsunami-like waves.

I only realized the creature was enormous, capable of causing such large waves, after its snout broke the surface.

There’s only one marine creature of that size in my memory.

A mammal that lives in the sea, breathes through lungs, and gives birth to live young, not eggs.

Among them, the one famous for its immense size…

A whale.

“Wooooooooooo—”

It unleashed massive waves with its teeth and baleen, and I immediately created an Aether barrier to push back its maw.

However, I couldn’t move freely with Tier in my arms.

Screw it. It’s now or never.

I converted Aether into its water attribute, creating a magic bullet loaded with frost magic on my palm.

I fired it toward the beach, creating a wide sheet of ice stretching far ahead.

And I pushed Tier onto the ice.

“Tier, stay put—!!”

“Kyaaaak-”

Thanks to the well-aimed shot, she was slowly drifting away from the battleground. But then the whale Demon Beast suddenly flipped over.

‘An opening…!’

I couldn’t miss this weakness. I immediately fired a magic bullet at its exposed belly, but apparently, its thick blubber absorbed most of the impact.

And a moment later.

The reason for its unnecessary flip became clear.

“N-Nariit—”

The dark shadow in the water was moving towards Tier.

There was no other reason.

Drawn to the light magic she possessed, it instinctively set her as its priority target.

It flipped its body and quickly brought its tail toward Tier. The ice sheet shattered, and a large wave engulfed her.

“Tier—!!”

As the whale Demon Beast dove back into the water, I also leaped onto the wind.

Tier, who couldn’t swim, began to gulp water and thrash about.

“Gulp- Cough-”

“Don’t panic, Tier!! Your chest will keep you afloat—”

I yelled, but she was in no condition to hear me.

She sank beneath the waves, only her straw hat floating above the surface. And beneath, a dark shadow loomed.

Tchwaaaaaaaaa—

The whale Demon Beast opened its maw, ready to swallow the whole area, inhaling Tier along with the seawater.

“Tier—!!”

She lost consciousness, sliding down its tongue into its throat. There was only one way left.

I jumped into the Demon Beast’s mouth.