Ch. 141

Dangling high up in the empty air, Grak gnashed his teeth, but I couldn’t have been more comfortable thanks to Endairon, who had just created a cozy chair of water for me.

For a brief moment, I wondered if this was what it felt like to sit on a throne.

A water sofa, not bad!

“Kh… this isn’t how it was supposed to go…”

“Of course not. You must’ve overlooked the fact that I’m not that kid from back then anymore. I can tell just how much you underestimated me.”

“Damn it! I even prepared an archer squad! You’re the monster here!”

“Anyway… from kidnapping Annie, to looking down on me, to daring to mess with me—you’ve stacked up too many crimes. In conclusion, you’re sentenced to death.”

Naturally, a death sentence should be declared with a smile.

“Y-yeah! Right! I surrender!”

“What? Surrender? There’s no way I’d accept—”

“Let me finish! Who said I’m surrendering? The one who should surrender is you, you stupid bitch!”

“…Did you just call me a stupid bitch? You dogshit bastard.”

“That’s right! If you kill me, you’ll never find that little girl again! Muhahaha!”

He suddenly put on a triumphant expression as if he’d realized something, but so that was all it amounted to.

Well, he must’ve kidnapped Annie with that intention from the beginning.

When you make countermeasures, you need to actually consider your opponent… but Grak couldn’t have known I controlled the Spirit of Metal.

I found myself satisfied at the thought that having secrets had its perks.

The less my enemies knew, the less likely I was to fall into a trap.

“Heh, what a cheap threat. Pathetic, Grak.”

“You’ll soon regret that insolent smile!”

“Really?”

“If you think about torturing me, you’d better not! Without the key I’ve hidden, you’ll never! Ever! Find that girl—”

“Big sis!”

From behind, a familiar voice of a young girl rang out. (T/N: I’m not sure if I remember it correctly but in the Unrevised version wasn’t Annie tied up in a tree outside and then we see Geenie going wild? Not sure if it’s this scene…)

Sitting on my chair of water, I turned around to see Annie far below, holding tightly onto Ash’s hand.

I also met eyes with Ash, his mouth hanging open stupidly.

Grak wore a similar expression when I turned back, except at least ten times more idiotic.

“No way! I locked her in the vault! How!”

“Wasn’t hard to find an insider.”

“N-no, impossible! Do you know what kind of vault that is! A dwarf spent over a year making the ultimate—”

“A vault, huh.”

Rai could swallow vaults whole.

Leaving the gasping Grak suspended in the air, I rose from my seat.

Then I slid swiftly down Endairon’s long body.

It was like riding a roller coaster in free fall while standing.

If I had a fear of heights, I’d never manage it, but I had nerves of steel—and besides, I knew I’d never slip. My spirits would never put me in danger.

Well, except for the times Ador singed my hair.

“Ash! Annie!”

Riding Endairon’s body, I reached the ground in an instant and rushed toward Annie and Ash.

They stood a little apart, staring blankly, seemingly daunted by the massive Endairon.

But when I drew closer, Annie let go of Ash’s hand and came running toward me with rapid steps. I, however, went right past her.

Straight to Ash, where I snatched Rai from his hands.

“Rai! I needed you!”

[Master! I missed you too!]

Rai clung to my wrist hard enough to crush it.

Since I just so happened to need an external mana battery, I welcomed him gladly.

[Your mana! Hand it over, mana!]

[Kyaaah! So my mana was your goal all along!]

[Of course!]

[Bad Master!]

Summoning Endairon drained mana to an extreme, so Rai’s presence was precious.

Clutching Rai, I siphoned mana straight from his Dragon Heart until I finally felt alive again.

It was fortunate he’d returned at the perfect time. Endairon consumed about ten times as much mana as summoning all my other spirits—Undine, Undaine, Ador, and Pein—combined.

The difference between high-level and mid-level spirits was monstrously vast.

“B-Big sis…”

“Hmm?”

Right beside me, Annie stood awkwardly with her arms open, looking up at me.

Oh? She thought I’d embrace her? She still doesn’t know me well!

“You’re safe, Annie.”

“I was scared! I thought I was going to die…”

“Then go get comfort over there.”

Placing my hand on Annie’s head, I steered her straight into Ash’s arms.

Ash absentmindedly patted Annie, staring at me with baffled eyes.

Ugh, I really can’t stand sappy stuff.

“I hurried here because I was worried.”

“Really?”

“…But, what in the world is that?”

Ash’s eyes flicked between Endairon and me, fear not quite hidden as he sought an answer. Well, he’d never seen something like that before.

Endairon was massive, towering so high you had to crane your neck, and exuded such pressure that you could just tell no human weapon could hope to touch him.

“Oh, that? Just summoned a little water.”

Hardly any human had ever seen a high-level water spirit like Endairon. Without explanation, no one would know what it was.

And I had no intention of telling them—maybe I was the only human alive who could command such a being.

I preferred not to leave behind any information that could single me out.

It only got in the way when I wanted to run wild.

“Something that overwhelming… you really are human, right?”

“I am. Weren’t you impressed with how cute I looked as a kid? Didn’t you see it?”

“…And you’re younger than me, right? You’re that girl from back then…”

“There are others around, so how about we stop talking about my personal details? Take Annie back to the village.”

“I can’t! I won’t leave you here alone!”

Did I beat around the bush too much? This guy’s dense.

“You’re just in the way, really.”

“…”

“Seriously.”

“But…”

“Because what’s coming next is R-rated brutal gore.”

Would he understand if I said “blender mode”?

It was a devastating technique that shredded everything within range under immense water pressure.

Living or dead, all were ground into bits. Undaine couldn’t manage it, but Endairon could.

Buildings, people—it tore them into pieces no bigger than mice. Not something kids should watch.

“So leave. Annie gets traumatized if she sees people’s guts.”

“Honored one! I can’t watch that either! I’ve got a weak heart, you know!”

The whiny voice butting in belonged to the nameless slave trader still held at Ador’s mercy.

Still alive, huh. I narrowed my eyes.

“You’ve got a weak heart and yet you’re a slave trader? You belong in there too.”

Behind me was a massive artificial pool.

It floated in midair, its miraculous structure letting outsiders see clearly inside. The drowning men flailing as the currents dragged them down were all too visible.

[Friend, humans are dying while we chat.]

“Let them wait a little.”

[I see.]

From above, Endairon calmly watched humans drown, and I crossed my arms, indifferent to whether they lived or died.

The ones good at swimming might survive.

“H-how could you! We had an agreement! You said if I helped find the girl, you’d set me free!”

“Did I?”

“You did! I searched so hard!”

[Yes, you did. This human did almost all the work, Master.]

Rai had to chime in, ruining my feigned ignorance.

Honestly, agreement or not, I just didn’t feel like letting him live.

Slave traders should be wiped out. I wasn’t about to hunt them down one by one, but whenever they popped up, I’d clear them out.

Then I remembered a use for him. Lucky bastard.

“Fine. I’ll spare you. But you’ll spread a rumor in town for me. That’s the condition.”

“A rumor? What kind?”

“That the stupid slave traders in the mountains dared to kidnap a dark elf—and got slaughtered by said dark elf.”

“…What?”

“Are you stupid?”

“Y-yes…”

Sigh. I stripped off my glove, and the slave trader flinched like he expected a beating.

His face twisted into a cringe, and I said irritably:

“With this chaos, someone’s bound to look for the culprit. I don’t want them pointing at me. So spread a false rumor. Dark elves, perfect scapegoat. They’re extraterritorial, a branch of elves, and skilled with spirits.”

“Ah! Y-yes! Understood!”

“Got it? The culprit is a dark elf. You’re the sole survivor and witness.”

“Yes ma’am.”

I wondered if this idiot even knew what a dark elf looked like. Pulling off a perfect cover-up required brains, and he didn’t inspire confidence.

“You’ve seen a dark elf before?”

“Of course! Went to see one in prison once! Gray skin, catlike eyes, ears sharper than elves’!”

“Good. If even one person hears the culprit was a young human woman instead, I’ll find you and kill your family down to the third generation.”

“Uh… m-my family’s innocent…”

“You’re a slave trader. Don’t whine. And like I said, stop sweating the small stuff.”

I needed to issue at least this much of a threat.

High-level spirit mages were incredibly rare, and if the word got out that one was a young woman, suspicions would narrow quickly.

Geenie Crowell was publicly known as only a mid-level spirit mage, but who knew how long that would hold.

After blocking a dragon’s attack at the founding party, some people might already suspect the truth.

That I was a high-level spirit mage. And once word spread that I was alive, suspicions would only deepen.

“By the way, you didn’t see my face, did you? Because if you did, I’ll have to kill you.”

Snapping my glove against my palm, I asked with narrowed eyes. Maybe I should just kill him. That would be the simplest solution.

“N-no! Never! Didn’t even see a strand of hair! I swear! Believe me!”

“Hm… funny how you get a bit smarter when your life’s on the line.”

“Of course!”

“I need someone to spread the rumor, so I’ll let you go. But if I ever see you again… you’re dead.”

At that, Annie broke into tears again. Annoying. Always crying.

“Nooo! Big sis, you’re scary! Waaahhh!”