The mage of the Santea Imperial family.
One of the Archmages belonging to Santea, and a strong man on the same level as the Five Stars.
It was not known how they came into conflict with such a strong man.
But soon a guess flashed through my mind.
...Hunting races?
In the Imperial House of Santea, hunting of non-human races was carried out in secret. Just like how they hunted the White Moon tribe of Asher.
It was the emperor’s twisted beliefs, and it was a setting that occupied a fairly large part in RaSa’s main story.
And if it’s the Seawater tribe, obviously…
One setting about the Seawater people also came to mind.
The reason they were a special race was that it was very difficult to see them, but there was one more reason.
Magic Crystal.
Perhaps it was called by that name.
It was said that when the Seawater people almost reached their set lifespan and died, they create a ‘Magic Crystal’ just before they died.
It was like the inner core of a spirit beast in any martial arts novel.
Magic crystal had an extremely high purity compared to ordinary mana stones, for mages, they were nothing less than heavenly treasures.
'Then I can understand roughly.'
I wanted to ask more details, but I decided not to mention the magic crystal.
That would be a very sensitive issue for them as well, so it would be bad if I mentioned it since I was an outsider.
“How did you come across such a person?”
To my question, the chieftain drank tea and answered.
“We met him on our way back to our hometown in the sea.”
“Did he attack your tribe for no reason?”
“It’s not that… it’s just the result of greed. There were various circumstances.”
It didn’t seem like he was going to explain any more by saying that with a smirk.
The result of greed.
Again, I was convinced that my guess about the magic crystal was correct.
The woman who had been listening to the conversation with dissatisfied eyes intervened.
“What is Grandpa saying so uselessly? What if he goes around and talks about it to other humans?”
“Tsk, did the person who cares about that saved a human and even brought him all the way here?”
“...No, when did I bring him here! He was just chasing after me!”
I wanted to tease her that she should not have meddled in the first place, but I resisted.
It’s a pity that I needed her to be on my side, so there was nothing good about getting on her nerves.
The chieftain stroked his beard and continued.
“Anyway, that’s why I got hurt like this. All the members of the tribes escaped into the water and barely saved their lives.”
I could imagine how the situation at that time must be.
The chieftain came forward to buy time for other members of the tribe to escape, but eventually got attacked.
If his enemy was the mage of the Santea Imperial Family, he had to be at his level to compete with him at all.
“Well, I have little time left anyway, so I’m glad that all the members of the tribe survived…”
“Grandpa!”
Suddenly, the woman screamed and glared at the chieftain.
“...I told you not to talk like that!”
“Child, don’t shout, it’s painful in the ears.”
The chieftain simply drank his tea.
An awkward silence fell for a moment.
I felt the warmth in my hands as I fiddled with the teacup, then opened my mouth again.
“The wounds appear to be very serious.”
“Honestly, yes. There is no sign of getting better.”
“I don’t know how much it will help, but I have one remedy.”
At that, the woman looked at me in amazement.
“Re, a remedy?”
The chieftain also opened his eyes and asked me.
“If it’s a remedy… are you talking about a healing potion?”
“Exactly.”
So, they’re familiar with it.
Because they lived in the wild, I thought they would not know about potions, so it was a surprise.
I immediately took out Scarlet, which I always carry in my arms.
I had used it quite a bit so far, so I had less than half left, but it’s a good enough amount.
I said while looking at the woman whose eyes were completely fixed on the potion.
“This is the best potion among the potions floating around in the world.”
“...”
“If you tell me where the place I’m looking for is, I’ll give it to you.”
I seek a place of mystery, and the chieftain has his wounds healed.
It was a suggestion that benefit everyone.
“How can we believe in what humans give…”
After muttering like that, she shut her mouth again, glanced at the chieftain, and changed her words quickly.
“Oh, no. I’ll believe it, so give it to me.”
“Can you tell me where the place is?”
“Yeah! I’ll tell you, so hurry!”
It was a desperate cry.
It was a more intense reaction than I had expected, so I continued to speak, even though I was a little perplexed.
“Then make a promise.”
“What else?!”
“I don’t know how effective this potion will be for the chieftain’s wounds. So even if the effect is minimal, you must still guide me to that place.”
Scarlet was definitely a great potion.
But I wasn’t completely sure if it could heal the chieftain’s wounds.
Because, first, he was not a human, and if it was a wound from an Archmage, something could be a little different from normal.
To be honest, I was reluctant to put conditions on the treatment of an injured person, but I couldn’t help it.
The woman also looked at me without saying a word, and answered.
“I understand, so give it to me. I will guide you to places like that 100 more times.”
Originally, I was going to hand over the potion after being guided to the location, but I changed my mind.
The order didn’t really matter even if it’s possible that she could change her mind later.
'Well, I hope that’s not the case.'
I handed her Scarlet.
After accepting it, she stood still and looked at the chieftain.
He gestured
“Give it to me.”
The chieftain opened the potion bottle and glanced at the contents.
Then he looked surprised and nodded.
“Seeing that the scent of magical power is so strong, it’s definitely not an ordinary thing. Can I really accept this?”
“I get something in return, so I didn’t just give it for nothing.”
“Well, I guess the place you’re looking for is quite important to you. Anyway, I’ll put it to good use.”
The woman snatched the potion from him again.
“Show me your back, Grandpa. I’ll treat you right now.”
“Do you know how to use it?
“...Well, can’t it just be poured into the wound?”
She turned to look at me.
“Just let me do it.”
However, having used it a few times, I know how to use it better.
After laying the chieftain on his seat, I examined the wounds on his back.
The wound was torn at an oblique line, and there were black marks around it. The color was like that of a bruise, but the severity was incomparable to it.
Crooked.
I poured the potion little by little from top to bottom along the wounded area.
Contrary to expectations, the effect appeared shortly after.
It was a little slow, but the wounds slowly healed.
“...Ah!”
The woman who was watching the scene, restless next to him, let out a sigh.
When the wounds disappeared without a trace, the chief rose again. And he looked at me with bewildered eyes.
I asked him.
“How are you?”
“...There are still some wounds left, but the trauma seems to have completely healed. This is a really great thing.”
I nodded and gave him all the potions I had left.
“Drink all that’s left. Those wounds will recover to some extent.”
The chieftain drank all the remaining potions at once and set the empty bottle on the floor.
Then, with a much more lively face than before, he smiled and looked back at the woman.
“Child, what are you crying about?”
As he said, the woman’s eyes were red as if she was about to cry.
“...Are all better, Grandpa?
“Yeah. Now we can head to the sea again. Without exception, everyone.”
“Uhhh!”
She rushed into the chieftain’s arms and hugged him, and burst out crying like a child.
The chieftain patted her on the head.
As I didn’t know the details of what had happened to them, I just sat still and watched the scene awkwardly.
***
After exiting the cave, we returned to the carriage.
After receiving the underwater breathing magic enchantment, I headed straight to the designated place by myself.
After sitting with my back against a tree and waiting for a while, a woman appeared from within the forest.
“...What you looking at?”
The corners of her eyes were still red, so when I looked up, the blunt words returned.
I shook my head and got up from my seat.
“Let’s right away.”
The woman threw down her clothes and walked towards the lake. I followed her too.
Now it was time to go find the mystery of [Space Leap].
She, who had been staring at the water surface, glanced at me and asked.
“But you’re human. You can’t stay in the water for long, can you?”
“It doesn’t matter because I had someone put magic on me.”
“Oh yeah...”
She hesitated as if she had something else to say, then said in a crawling voice.
“Thank you.”
“...?”
“Thank you, for treating my grandfather. Thank you so much.”
“It’s fine.”
I answered briefly.
There was nothing she had to say thank you for since I got something back for it.
As she spoke, she wiped her face with a sullen look, then stuttered and shouted.
“...It’s fine? I’m just saying thank you! Because I’m not as brazen as you!”
Was she thanking me or asking for a fight?
I sighed and said.
“Before we go in, tell me about the place I’m looking for. Somewhere in the lake.”
She glanced around the lake, pointed in one direction, and said:
“See over there? You have to go over there and go down to the point where you can almost see the bottom. It’s pretty deep.”
I also looked where she was pointing and nodded my head.
“Well, what worries me is that if you go that deep, you might run into those damn spiny fish…”
“A spiny fish?”
“Yeah, it has a dirty long, pointed nose, and it’s twice as big as you.”
If it’s a fish monster with a long and pointed nose…
She’s talking about a charging fish.
Their level was not high, but hundreds of them flock together and hunt.
Their whole body is covered with hard scales, and they use sharp thorns protruding in front of them as weapons to charge and attack as their name suggested, so the greater the number, the more lethal.
“Well, it’s fine. There are only a few, I can handle them easily. You just have to trust me and follow me.”
She said smirking.
I looked at the level above her head.
39 wasn’t a level where one could be so confident, but…
As she continued to speak, she asked as if she was curious.
“But why are you looking for that place? Are there any hidden treasures?”
She must be thinking of gold and silver treasures.
There was a hidden treasure that couldn’t be compared with anything like that.
“I don’t know.”
“Aha, I see. Are you trying to find a treasure ship? I’ve seen a lot of people like that when I was living at the beach… Wait, but this is a lake. You’re not doing anything stupid to find a treasure ship in the lake, are you?”
“Stop talking and guide me now.”
At that, she snorted and jumped right into the water. I followed and jumped in.
Splash!
Seeing her in the water, she instantly changed into a figure covered with scales.
I looked closely and I couldn’t see any gills under her ears. It’s interesting.
As if she was telling me to follow her, she swam first, waving her fingers and moving.
She’s too fast.
I worked hard to pursue her, but of course I had no choice but to fall behind.
'How can I, as a human being, caught up with a race that lives in water?'
She shouted when she saw that I was lagging behind. Even though she was underwater, her voice was clearly pierced in my ears.
– Why are you so slow! come fast! Do you want me to leave you alone?!
Were the Seawater people capable of raising their voices underwater?
Anyway, while saying that, she started moving slowly at the same pace as me.
As we got to a fairly deep place, big fish appeared and passed by.
– It’s okay, these aren’t the kind that attack first…
The expression on her complexion, who had been speaking with ease, hardened for a moment.
Something huge was approaching fast from below.
A monster with black scales that look hard like armor, and thorns pointed forward like a lance.
Damn.
I also looked at it and frowned.
It was the charging fish she mentioned before going into the water. We were really encountering this now.
– Be careful!
Whoops!
She flew in as if she was shooting at the guy who was charging towards this side and smashed it with her fists.
Even in the water, it was as fast as running on the ground.
A charging fish that had been properly hit in the body spit out blood and sank down the shaft.
Unlike her, who was relieved, I looked around.
This was because they were much more likely to travel in groups than as single individuals.
I could feel a huge amount of presence starting to gather around me.
– Huh, huh?
She also looked around with a puzzled face.
The charging fish that flocked in an instant surrounded us and spun around like a tornado.
The number gradually increased and soon passed hundreds. It was like a black wave.
I watched the scene as if tired.
This was the way they hunted.
They surrounded their prey and spun around to prevent it from escaping, and they stabbed from all directions at once.
After all, it was a hunting method that could be done because they did not get hurt because of their hard scales.
– Me, get your mind right.
A trembling voice was heard.
Looking to the side, she was completely in panic.
Now who was going to save whom?
– Hold my waist. I’ll try to pierce the top somehow…
– What are you doing just floating there, hurry up…!
I smiled, ignoring her words, and placed my hand over my head.
The blood that oozes out of my palms was lumped together in the form of a sphere.
She was about to shout again, but stopped when she saw blood cells floating on the palm of my hand.
Shall we properly test my [Blood Art]?
As a swarm of charging fish spinning around us rushed towards us, blood cells exploded like a bomb.
Whoops!
Drops of blood that burst out in all directions broke through the current and shot at them.
And that was the end of it.
The black waves that rushed in like a suffocation lost their strength and sank to the bottom of the water. It was annihilation.
