HTWBB Chapter 39

It felt like the surroundings were full not of mana, but of demonic energy. Darkness loomed overhead like a shadow.

The moment Rietta opened her eyes, she found herself face-to-face with an enormous purple eye with a vertically slit pupil instead of Abel.

Startled, Rietta reached for her waist when warm wind blew across her legs.

『Don't be frightened.』

A familiar voice pierced her ears with an unfamiliar resonance. The purple eyes that had been staring at her slowly moved away. Yet the overwhelming pressure emanating from it was tremendous.

Only then could Rietta identify what had been right before her nose. When she was very young, they hadn't been as rare as they were now. She recalled seeing them a couple of times from a distance.

But currently, the number remaining on land could be counted on one hand. The foundation of magic. Or the connecting link between natural mana and humans. Rietta said in a daze.

"A dragon...?"

Yes. A dragon. Actually, the dragons she knew came in various colors depending on the individual, but they generally had massive bodies and legs, with membrane wings to match, and a pair of horns growing from their heads.

This was different from what stood before her—a serpentine body with four legs and lustrous scales, with a single large horn proudly positioned on its forehead.

But it was undoubtedly a 'dragon.' Abel's true form—he made no attempt to hide the demonic energy that now radiated unmistakably.

"You were a dragon."

At her vacant murmur, Abel's true form very slowly lowered its body. Gradually drawing closer, he lightly touched his nose to Rietta's palm that had been lost in midair. A wordless urging that felt almost affectionate.

Coming to her senses, Rietta wondered why El Nas hadn't detected his identity even after meeting him, then quickly realized.

El Nas had known everything. And still, she had undoubtedly entrusted her to this demon realm dragon.

Rietta drew in a long breath and exhaled. The humid air felt heavy.

"Tell me what I need to say."

『Just repeat after me. I'll handle the conclusion.』

He meant to declare it with her roots and true name. Rietta quietly continued the contract.

"Guardian of the southern seas and the third branch of Doris."

This time, a pale blue light began to seep up from below. Despite there being no passage, it felt as if mana was slowly draining out with each word she spoke.

Rietta pronounced the name she hadn't used in so long, feeling slight fatigue.

"I, 『Amphitrite』."

The blue energy surged up like a stream of water. The moment the vast amount of mana that had been trapped inside her body, unable to be used, finally escaped, dizziness struck in an instant.

What had grown as if devouring the purple mana soon mixed harmoniously, slowly rippling around them in a subtle hue.

After squeezing her eyes shut then opening them, Rietta finally completed the contract.

"Accept companionship with 『Leviathan』."

The mana that had been flowing in soft billows like spreading clouds or paint diluted in water scattered countless lights like stars in the night sky.

Abel, who had returned to human form at some point, cupped Rietta's cheeks as if he'd been waiting. Though it was sudden contact, there was no time to push away or shove him back.

The next moment, his straight face closed the remaining distance. An extremely soft sensation lingered leisurely on her forehead before moving away soundlessly.

A certain pattern appeared vividly on her exposed pale forehead, then vanished. Simultaneously, the mana that had been drifting enchantingly poured into the magic circle drawn on the floor in an instant.

Rietta slowly raised her hand to touch her forehead.

"...Are you insane?"

"Of course not."

"This kind of process was necessary?"

Abel answered in a voice tinged with a faint smile.

"I told you. This is the only method I know."

Taking a leisurely step back, he continued.

"I look forward to working with you, 『Amphitrite』."

Early dawn before the sun had risen. The old man sat perched on one side of a coastal rock, his fishing rod cast, nodding off drowsily.

This rock, hollowed out below the cliff, was unknown to most who weren't locals. Despite the good habitat conditions, strangely no fish were ever caught here, so few visitors came.

But the old man liked this solitude. It was much better to kill time this way than to shut himself away just missing the children he'd sent abroad.

As the horizon beyond gradually brightened, the fishing line that hadn't shown the slightest movement suddenly pulled taut.

"Uh, ungh?"

The old man, who'd been dozing while holding the rod, snapped to attention. The vigorously bent fishing rod proved his hand's sensation wasn't a lie.

It was the first bite in several hours. Fully awakened, the old man sprang up from the rock. Then he pulled on the rod with all his might.

"Oh my, seems like a big one!"

The arm muscles that hadn't diminished even with his white hair bulged prominently. He'd never been lax with his sea work even in his youth.

From long experience, this much strength and weight meant this was no ordinary catch. Perhaps he could finally buy his granddaughter a toy after so long.

While the old man was struggling to lift the rod with all his might, something strange suddenly caught his eye.

The water surface was churning far too violently to be just a fish caught on the rod thrashing about.

"Wh-what?"

It was clearly an abnormal phenomenon, yet he didn't consider letting go. His face reddening from exertion, the old man looked questioningly at the water, which had quickly calmed. Splash! In that instant, a massive pillar of water shot up.

He screamed and tumbled backward. Something vividly colored flashed briefly within the pitch-black water pillar. Before he could examine it closely, a tremendous torrent became a wave and crashed over the old man.

Washed some distance away, the old man wiped his wet face and blinked, barely coming to his senses. The water pillar was nowhere to be seen; an unfamiliar woman and man were standing there.

"This doesn't seem like the right place."

"It looks like the passageway isn't connected where we entered."

The brown-haired woman wrung out the water from her clothes while looking around.

The old man stared blankly at the scene he couldn't comprehend. Maybe because he'd fallen hard, his mind wasn't working clearly.

Around then, the woman who'd been checking the opposite side turned her head toward the old man. Their eyes met directly.

"Oh. There was someone here."

"A-are you folks alright?"

After thinking for a while, the old man concluded they must have been swept here by the spray like himself. There was no other way they could have suddenly appeared on the rock that had been empty until just now, as if dropping from the sky.

The black-haired man finally seemed to notice the old man and strode forward. His completely soaked hair instantly dried thoroughly and fell softly behind him.

The old man rubbed his eyes as if seeing things. The woman warned in a firm voice.

"Don't do anything, just stay there."

"How mean."

Though expressing disappointment, the man faithfully followed her words. Leaving him behind, the woman approached the old man and extended her hand as if to help him up.

She was a rare beauty, but her face contained no expression whatsoever. Only her voice flowed out with an enchanting resonance.

"Sorry to startle you. This is our first time on this route. Is this Clémora?"

"Y-yes. It's the outskirts, but it is Clémora."

"Thank you for telling us."

The old man nodded in bewilderment.

"Can I move now, Rietta?"

"Yes."

The man who'd drawn closer at some point lifted the old man sitting dumbfounded with one arm. After confirming he had no serious injuries, the two walked toward the village without farewell.

Everything had swept by too quickly. Shaking his head sharply, the old man belatedly groaned at the rushing pain.

His whole body felt like it had been beaten. Only then did he remember the heavy bite. Worried about his only fishing rod, the old man hurriedly searched the ground despite his pain.

Fortunately, it lay sprawled carelessly near the rock without a single broken part.

"Confound it! Ended up with nothing after all."

Click. The old man who grabbed the rod while clicking his tongue was startled by the absurd weight and reflexively tensed his arms. A fish as long as his arm dangled from the fishing line that had been submerged in the sea.

"What the...!"

At the unexpected windfall, the old man's wrinkled face smoothed out completely. After struggling to haul the still flopping fish onto the rock, the old man turned around. The two had vanished without a trace just as they'd appeared, leaving only an empty path.

"Dear, eat this."

"Thank you."

"Still no news from your sister? It's already been two weeks."

Melian nodded as he received the freshly baked bread.

Hot wind poured in through the open window. The servant who emerged from the kitchen also handed over milk contained in a glass bottle with a worried look.

The boy immediately reached for his pocket, but the servant firmly shook her head. She smiled across her wrinkled face, saying it was pure goodwill, and pushed his back to send Melian upstairs.

The now-familiar old stairs creaked softly. Melian looked down at the warm breakfast. Going to return it would only earn him a scolding, so he headed to his room as the servant wished.

[It might take longer, so use the additional funds from the backpack.]

The boy who'd carelessly placed the received bread and milk on the table unfolded the note he'd already read dozens of times.

From the innkeeper to the long-term guests, at least once a day someone asked Melian the exact same question. Generally similar to what the servant had offered along with the bread just now.

The boy wasn't unaware of their intentions. If he were truly the young age of twelve or so, it might be different, but he was a full-grown adult with only his coming-of-age ceremony remaining.

The reason they consistently gave him one free meal out of three without payment was no mystery.

Rietta, who had come with him, had vanished without a trace the next day. As if she'd abandoned the bothersome child and run away alone.