Ch. 163 🔒 The Witch and the Black Knight (40)
by Afuhfuihgs
Chapter 163 – The Witch and the Black Knight (40)
“Who would win in a fight, the boss from Part 1 or the boss from Part 2?”
A common topic of debate among fans of game series and other media.
Aria Chronicle was no exception.
With over ten installments, the game had no shortage of bosses to compare, sparking endless arguments.
In the past, I might’ve munched on popcorn while watching the Black Knight and the Kraken duke it out.
But right now? I couldn’t enjoy this situation at all.
Far from it, my blood ran cold as I frantically scanned the water’s surface, hoping Edel would reappear.
Because this was Edel, the one I was teaching about pure love.
Because this was Edel, who somehow charmed everything female, from fish to sirens.
Because this was Edel… who was supposed to be on a date with me.
Why the Kraken—sealed until 200 years later—had appeared now, why it had swallowed Edel and dragged him underwater… None of that mattered.
Only one thought consumed me:
What if he’s getting defiled by tentacles right now?!
The ocean’s eerie calm only fed my paranoia.
There was a good reason I hadn’t jumped in after him yet:
Edel’s pranks were getting out of hand lately.
For all I knew, he was faking it just to get mouth-to-mouth underwater.
Plus, I knew he wouldn’t lose to the Kraken.
Think I’ll fall for it twice? Not this time.
“E-Edel! Listen up! I’m not helping you! Come out now, or I won’t feed you!”
I infused my voice with mana so he’d hear it underwater.
If there was one thing Edel feared, it was missing a meal. He should’ve popped up like a dolphin by now…
But why?
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes.
I stood there, arms crossed, tapping my foot impatiently.
What the hell?
He wasn’t some rookie, he was the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings!
If not for the gnawing dread in my chest, I’d have waited another hour.
But what if…
What if the Kraken’s female too?!
Given how every fish, and even that siren, had thrown themselves at him earlier…
The mental image of Edel, clueless about mating, being violated by tentacles refused to leave my mind.
“Papa, what’s that creature with only two legs?”
“A witch who once taught me about pure love.”
“Oh! Mama says dinner’s ready!”
“I see. I hope it’s sperm whale today. Sorry, Estelle. My lovely family awaits.”
The vision of Edel coldly walking past me, surrounded by baby Krakens, flashed before my eyes—
“EDEL!?!? H-HANG ON!! I’M COMING TO SAVE YOU!!!”
I couldn’t let that delusion become reality.
Did they think I taught him pure love just to lose him to a Kraken?!
With a scream, I dove into the sea.
I couldn’t let some squid take his purity, or his pure love!
The Ocean’s Mercy, a treasure allowing its bearer to breathe underwater and commune with sea life.
Clutching the gem that shielded me from the crushing depths, I plunged deeper.
Past the sunlit zone, into the abyssal darkness where no light reached.
The Kraken’s nest lay in the Lavinia Trench, between the southern and eastern continents, even further down.
“Edel, please tell me you’re not getting tentacle-trained or awakening to weird fetishes right now?!”
The deeper I went, the more grotesque my imagination ran wild.
Pink mana flared around me, propelling me faster.
Hurry.
Men usually lasted five to ten minutes. Any longer, and I might witness the Kraken getting pregnant.
Over my dead body!
Like hell I’d let that happen!
Reaching the trench’s depths, I activated a magic circle to locate the Kraken’s nest.
As the pink glow illuminated the abyss, I froze at the unexpected sight.
Severed tentacles oozed crimson, sinking slowly.
Familiar demonic energy, Edel’s, lingered on the torn flesh.
Of course!
Did I really think he’d lose?!
I exhaled in relief.
Somehow, I’d assumed the worst—that Edel had been overpowered and defiled.
But who was I kidding?
This is Edel we’re talking about!
Losing to tentacles would’ve been a disgrace to his title as the first arc’s final boss!
Just as my heart lightened, another horrifying thought struck me.
…Where is he?
We were in the abyss.
No human—or even demon—could survive here unprotected for long.
“EDEEEEEL!! IF I FIND YOU, A BEATING WON’T BE ENOUGH!!!”
My mana-infused shout echoed through the crushing silence, met only by the ocean’s mockery.
Yet, defying the abyss’s taunts, I found Edel surprisingly fast.
Thanks to a sperm whale I’d met snacking on a giant squid, I was led to an underwater cave—an air pocket within the ruins of the Atilla Kingdom, known as the Siren’s Sanctuary.
“Estelle, can we eat this?”
“……”
There he stood—perfectly fine—in an air pocket within the sunken ruins of the Atilla Kingdom, cradling a Kraken tentacle like a bouquet.
That alone would’ve been fine.
Had he not been surrounded by dozens of lustful sirens, I might’ve hugged him in relief.
“…I was an idiot for worrying.”
“Did you think I’d lose to a Kraken? Hah. I’m the Black Knight—stronger than ever, thanks to learning pure love. Ah, sorry about the fishing rod. It broke during the fight.”
I’d thought sirens were better than tentacles, but seeing him like this just irritated me.
After all my panic, he’d been flirting with sirens this whole time?!
“Having fun with your harem? Why not just live here?”
“Estelle, calm down. It was my first time this deep. The pressure was no joke. The sirens helped me reach this air pocket to rest. Trust me…”
His voice shrank like a cheating husband caught red-handed.
Siren’s Blessing, a skill granting freedom underwater to one they love.
Meaning at least one of them adored him. Probably all of them. The younger siren, ostracized at the edge of the group, gazed at him longingly.
“Man…! Look at me!”
The same brat who’d tried to bite Edel’s neck earlier now desperately vied for his attention.
I nearly lost it but held back.
Patience.
At least they’d kept him safe.
And saved me an elixir.
Still, did he have to be this handsome?
I could almost forgive their attraction—as the Witch of Love, I understood yearning for the unattainable.
The fact Edel remained unaffected, speaking to me normally despite the sirens’ allure, helped too.
Most importantly, he’d barred their advances with a barrier of demonic energy, his eyes fixed solely on me, never once straying to their exposed torsos.
A smug smile tugged at my lips.
“I believe you. You’re not the lying type. Let’s go—we still have a date to finish.”
I wanted off this cursed ocean ASAP.
Maybe I should implant a tracker in him…
If he kept vanishing like this, my heart wouldn’t survive.
“Woman. Can’t take man.”
A violet-scaled siren—Violet, from the original game, blocked my path.
Under different circumstances, meeting a canon character would’ve thrilled me.
But right now?
She was just another homewrecker trying to steal Edel’s pure love.
“I’m not used to fish language. Care to repeat that?”
The mana I’d suppressed until now erupted, tightening around Violet’s throat.
Lucent
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