CH 42.2

A note. It was an act rarely used by orcs and fairies alike. There were only a few orcs and fairies who could write. Zell, however, could read and write. There were only a handful of fairies who could read, and even fewer who could write. And if they could write in a handwriting that other fairies could recognize, they could be counted on one hand or less. Therefore, Zell had earned the title “Zell the Writing Prodigy” in the fairy land.

“I think this will be enough… although I’m a little worried about this situation.”

“I’ll let you know if I run into any human soldiers.”

“Yes!”

If it had been wartime, the two of them would have sensed the danger from the state of the fortress and returned to their homelands to inform them of the situation. But now they were not at war, and they had a purpose. With that in mind, they could not make it a priority to tell anyone that the fort was empty.

“So, let’s go.”

“Aye, Captain!”

Bash sheathed his sword on his back and walked into the storm. The rain, which had picked up speed due to the storm, pounded Bash’s body, but it was only raindrops, nothing more than a drizzle compared to the water magic he had been subjected to during the war. Still, the rain was enough to blur Bash’s vision.

“Hm!” When he felt a sensation of discomfort, it was too late. Was it caused by the rain, or was it caused when someone attacked the fortress? There was a large crack running across the stone bridge. And the crack widened with a crackling sound the moment Bash put his foot on it…

The bridge collapsed.

“Mi-Mister!?”

Bash heard Zell’s cries and fell helplessly into the river.

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Bash was a warrior of many battles. He had fought and defeated all sorts of enemies. But he was neither invincible nor immortal.

This is not good…

The river, which had grown in size due to the storm, had turned into a river of mud, spinning Bash’s body violently and slamming him helplessly against the rock wall again and again. Was he weak against the water? No, he was not. Orcs were forest people, but during the war there were many battlefields near water. There were few warriors who could not swim. However, when he was swallowed by the muddy water in a place where he could not stand, even Bash could not free his body.

My breath…

Orcs could hold their breath many times longer than humans. Among the many orcs who could hold their breath, Bash was one of the best. Whether it was in a place where the oxygen had been severely depleted by fire or in water, it was the same. Holding one’s breath in this way was also an important quality for an Orc warrior. But there were limits.

“Gwabo…”

Soon, a puff of air came from Bash’s mouth. His eyes widened and strength left his stiff body. Bash’s body, which had been kicking at the bottom of the river at every opportunity, trying to get up even a little, sank under the weight of the sword and began to roll along the bottom of the river. Bash would never float on the surface again.

Or so he thought.

“…?”

Suddenly, Bash’s body stopped spinning.

In his fading consciousness, Bash saw something. Something was moving in the water. Though he strained his eyes, he could not make out its shape. Was it merging with the water, or was it the water itself? But the presence gently enveloped Bash. Breathing, which should have been painful, suddenly became easier. His stance stabilized, and he no longer hit the river bottom or the rocks.

Was it… a spirit…? Was it from the river, the clouds, or the storm? He didn’t know what it was, but he knew it was a spirit that belonged to the water. Bash had never seen spirits, but he had heard of their existence. They were all over the world, free and unrestrained, sometimes helping people, sometimes taking revenge. Whatever it is, I should be grateful. Bash thanked the spirit as he was swept through the water of the dreamscape. It laughed, though he didn’t know if the spirit had received his words or not. For some reason, Bash thought the spirit was trying to tell him something.

The nature of spirits was capricious. They did not help people willingly. Except for those who were loved by the spirits, even those people had interacted with them repeatedly from a young age. But Bash had never had this experience.

But even those who were not loved by the spirits might have to grant them a wish. Those who disregarded this wish were doomed to great misfortune. Such a legend existed in the land of the orcs.

So Bash tried to listen to the Water Spirit’s words.

What does it say?

How could he understand it? Only those who had repeatedly interacted with spirits since childhood could understand their language.

Or if it was a wind spirit, Zell would have heard it. The fairy was not afraid to say that she was a friend of the wind spirits.

Guh…

Bash’s consciousness faded. The spirit in front of him made movements as if it wanted to communicate, but he still couldn’t understand it. Was this really reality, or was it just an illusion he was seeing on the brink of death? Without knowing it, Bash’s consciousness fell into a deep darkness.