Ch. 142

My ears were already ringing. For a second, I wondered if the reason Annie had been locked in a vault instead of a prison cell was because she cried so much. The destructive force of her wailing made it seem almost plausible.

“Ugh, my ears. Just take her away already! She’s in the way!”

“You look like you can… handle this alone.”

“Sharp observation.”

“Even so, we can’t just leave you.”

Ash was trying to soothe Annie while still watching me with a worried face. Clearly, he didn’t really understand me yet.

“When I say go, you go.”

“No. I can’t.”

“Then go keep Lox and Chad’s mouths shut.”

“I refuse.”

Persistent, aren’t you?

“You know, I can’t stand backtalk.”

[That’s right, that’s right! Master’s specialty is giving orders!]

“So do as you’re told. Go back to the village. I’ve got to finish things here.”

Of course, giving orders was familiar to the young prince too, but not this time.

I stared Ash down for a while and quickly realized there was no way he’d leave me behind willingly. We could go back and forth ten times and still be stuck in the same place. In that case, I had no choice.

“Undaine.”

The best part of being a spirit mage was always being in command.

Everything happened according to my will, surrounded by loyal beings who never betrayed me—an absolute ally, unlike humans.

[Yes, Master.]

“Take them and deliver them to the village.”

[Understood.]

I usually used Undaine for riding, but she was just as useful for forcefully relocating disobedient people. She wrapped only Ash and Annie in her water and lifted them into the air.

With only her head above water, Annie screamed louder the higher she floated, almost convulsing from fright, while Ash could do nothing but cover his ears.

“Uwaaah!”

“Waaah!”

Maybe too fast? I casually waved to the two being carried off against their will.

Thank you for flying Undaine Airlines.

“…So I’m running, right?”

The slave trader left behind asked while bowing, as I stood there with arms crossed.

Once again, I debated whether to kill him or not.

“I-I shouldn’t have asked. I’ll go on my own!”

“If you don’t want to get caught up in this, run far and fast.”

“C-could you at least take this shiny thing off me…”

[The name of this body is!]

“Ador, come here.”

At first, the man probably thought he was cursed to be caught by me, but in the end he was lucky—he was the only one who got to live.

When Ador finally dropped from above, the man looked relieved beyond words. Then, fearing I’d change my mind, he bolted without looking back.

Finally alone, I stretched and loosened my body before throwing off my hood.

Wearing it had been suffocating.

“Now, shall we have some fun?”

I was going to kill them all anyway, so showing my face didn’t matter.

[Master, as Endairon mentioned earlier…]

“Hmm?”

[While you were leisurely chatting, most of them already drowned.]

“What, seriously? Pathetic weaklings. I haven’t even started the torture yet.”

I had plenty of new techniques I’d been saving for practice because the results were too cruel!

[Normal humans can’t breathe underwater, you know.]

“But they can swim!”

[Not against currents like these. Even a lizardman couldn’t survive that…]

The whirlpool spun faster with each passing moment, roaring with a force like the eye of a storm.

“Not my problem.”

I snorted. Why should I care about slave traders’ struggles? I was a spirit mage. Drowning was never an issue for me.

Just as I thought about going back up, Endairon’s wide tail slid in front of me.

It swayed like an invitation to climb aboard. Made of water, of course, but to me it was endlessly soft and familiar.

A tenderness those drowning men would never feel.

I was a spirit mage.

The one beloved by water!

—

Most people in this world didn’t realize it, but the human body was more than half water.

What that meant was, a skilled spirit mage could evaporate or inflate that half with just a flick of a finger.

In the past, I’d only focused on evaporation.

But recently, I wondered—what if I did the opposite and amplified the blood instead?

Testing it on monsters, their limbs had burst.

And now, testing on humans… it worked even better.

“Doesn’t work so well on the head, though.”

[That’s because of the skull.]

“Then maybe I should target the heart, where the most blood pools.”

It turned out amplifying the water inside was much easier and faster than evaporating it.

The downside? It was grotesque.

Blood sprayed everywhere, leaving bodies so shredded they were barely recognizable. Even I, with a strong stomach, didn’t find it pleasant to look at.

After those experiments, the few slave traders still alive were all dead. Only Grak remained.

“You damn bitch!”

“I’m rich, though?”

“Argh! You vile wretch!”

“Oh, thanks for the compliment.”

“Sadistic witch! Rot in hell!”

Listening to his bloody curses, I rolled around laughing atop Endairon’s head.

Oh, silly man, there’s no such thing as hell. When you die, that’s it!

“Puhahaha! My stomach! That’s all you’ve got to say?”

“We wouldn’t even kill someone as cruelly as you!”

“I think I was merciful enough. Sure, I made it painful, but at least I didn’t trade people like livestock.”

I sat leisurely atop Endairon’s head, glancing down at the floating remains below.

A strange laughter bubbled up in me. Every time I burst another slave trader, Grak’s terrified thrashing made it that much more satisfying.

Maybe my true nature leaned more toward the wicked.

[Master, you’ve got blood on your face.]

“Where?”

[Here, I’ll wipe it for you!]

Rai, hanging from my shoulder, scrubbed my cheek noisily with his tail—using my own collar, no less.

Why was he suddenly being so helpful?

[To be blunt…]

So he wanted something, of course. Rai slithered closer, whispering in my ear like the snake he was.

[Aren’t I better than Endairon? I’m cute, handy, and useful! Don’t you agree, Master?]

He blinked his round eyes and wagged his tail as if begging for praise.

What a transparent creature.

Maybe it was because he and Endairon looked similar, or maybe because Endairon was just too powerful—but Rai openly saw him as a rival.

Honestly, Rai considered every spirit a rival.

Definitely a personality problem there…

“To think you’d handle snakes, you wicked witch! If I get out of here, I’ll report you and have you burned at the stake! You hear me? Burned! To! Death—mph!”

“Damn, you’re noisy. If I were a fire spirit mage, I’d have roasted you already! Be grateful I’m a water spirit mage giving you water torture instead!”

[If you’d been a fire spirit mage, you’d be even greater, I think.]

“And you think you’re getting out alive? Dream on! I’ll give you a death more painful than anyone’s—”

[Let’s be merciful!]

“Pain—”

[Mercy!]

“Rai! Didn’t I tell you not to interrupt me!”

Why was he suddenly spouting nonsense about mercy?

There’s no such word in Geenie Crowell’s dictionary! And chatting with a snake only makes people call me a witch!

When I glared furiously, Rai flicked his tongue with a sly look.

[Kuh… you’re too cruel! Couldn’t you consider my opinion just once?]

“As if! You just want me to let you bite him, don’t you? I know you too well!”

[Busted!]

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Not happening. I value my eyes, thank you very much.”

[Oh, then let’s go with the painful route. I’m all for it.]

“…You know you switched sides way too fast, right?”

[Who cares? Not my problem. Lululu.]

The way he acted reminded me of someone. Nasty, just like… no, not me. I wasn’t that bad.

Though Rai and I squabbled pointlessly, it was just part of daily life.

“Shall we start with an arm, then?”

[Let’s go!]

I sat back comfortably in my water chair, legs crossed.

With one hand, I clutched Rai to keep the mana flowing. With the other, I signaled Endairon.

A simple snap of two fingers was the sign.

With a small pop, Grak’s palm ballooned like a water-filled bladder before bursting apart.

Targeting specific body parts was tricky.

His hand swelled from the inside out, reaching its limit before exploding, leaving bone fragments dangling grotesquely with torn veins.

At first, there was little bleeding, but then blood gushed out in spurts, the moment when the pain hit hardest.

“Gyaaaahhh!”

“Ooh, that must hurt.”

My eyes squinted, but I was probably smiling.

“Ugh… argh… you bitch… who do you think you are to judge me! You think you’re an emperor? A god? What gives you the right!”

“Don’t you know? I’m your victim.”

It occurred to me he might actually wonder, so I smiled kindly and answered. Imagine not even knowing that—you really do deserve death.

Then I snapped my fingers again.

This time, his left foot burst.

Everything felt too easy. I had to acknowledge that maybe to others, I was terrifying. Was I just crushing ants underfoot?

“Aaaghhh!”

“Isn’t that reason enough for me to judge you?”

If anything, it was more than enough. Because of him, my temper worsened, my life was stained, and I was forced into debts I hated.

By my standards, Grak’s crimes couldn’t be repaid even with death. That’s why even dragging this out didn’t feel satisfying.

“You lunatic!”

“Oh my? I’m perfectly sane. It’s always you people who provoke me.”

“No sane person takes revenge like you!”

“Well… I’ve got power. This is my world, I’m its ruler, and you crossed me. Why should I feel guilt for killing you? That’d be the weirder thing. This is the kind of world where the weak die. I survived you, and that survival gives me the right to kill you.”

[That’s right! That’s it! Our Master’s the best—no pesky conscience holding her back!]

“My rage is justified.”

If I felt guilty every time I killed someone, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. That would only weaken me.

“If it’s easier for you to resent me than admit you brought this on yourself, go ahead. I don’t care.”

I sank deep into my chair of water, speaking lazily.

Admitting I was selfish and cruel was one way of protecting myself.