novelraw Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Ch.86 They’re… not dead, are they?
Wait—hold on… That cargo hold contains a Concept Artifact!?
Before I could even react in my shock,
I suddenly felt my body yanked sharply downward.
No way… it can’t be! This seriously can’t be happening!
But contrary to my desperate hope, the ship’s hull tilted—and seawater began flooding into the cargo hold.
Watching the ocean slowly rise, I screamed,
“You son of a bitch!!”
***
The moment Selena burst through the ceiling, she swung the Trident of the Sea God.
At her gesture, seawater surged over the ship, dragging it down into the depths.
“What… what’s going on?! Why is the ship sinking again?! Selena?! Where’s Nekhuf?!”
From afar, Nephert saw the vessel being swallowed by the sea and cried out in horror, her face pale.
But Selena, as if she hadn’t heard a word, expressionlessly tucked the Trident of the Sea God into her spatial bag.
Then she pulled out a black staff embedded with a dark crimson orb, gazing sorrowfully at the ship vanishing into the deep.
‘Hans… goodbye… When the end of the world comes and our shackles are broken—when we finally gain freedom… I’ll apologize then. I’m sorry. I love you.’
As she brimmed with silent grief,
Hans’s smile suddenly flashed in her mind.
Tears spilled from Selena’s eyes.
“Teleport.”
The moment her incantation ended, she vanished without a trace—as if she’d never been there at all.
***
The instant the ship was sucked beneath the waves,
Leah sensed something was wrong.
Why was her master sinking deeper and deeper?
If it were just the sea, he should be near her current position—but the location-tracking spell on Hans showed him being pulled rapidly downward.
Which could only mean…
“Guys! Something’s terribly wrong! Master’s drowning!”
At Leah’s shout, everyone jumped in alarm.
“What?! What are you talking about?!”
“Leah, explain clearly!”
“What’s happened to the Sage?!”
Seeing their confusion, Leah cried urgently,
“Master’s position is dropping—fast! Really fast!”
“You don’t mean… the ship sank?!”
“No time to waste! We have to save him now!”
“But how?! Even I can’t run across the ocean!”
As panic spread, Leah bit her lip hard.
The distance was considerable—but not impossible if she pushed herself.
“I’ll fly there with the Fly spell.”
“Wait! You can’t go alone—you’ll be useless by yourself! I can cast divine magic to support you! Please take me with you!”
Cecilia’s suggestion made Leah nod.
Though Cecilia’s head was usually full of flowers, as the saintess, her divine magic would let them move faster.
“If he’s sinking deep underwater, you’ll need me. I can summon the King of Water Spirits.”
Mia was right—though they didn’t know why Hans was being dragged underwater, her spirit magic would be crucial to rescue him.
“Fine. You three come with me—”
As Leah moved to take Cecilia and Mia, Scarlet asked anxiously,
“Then… what about me?”
Scarlet didn’t seem essential in this situation—and all three knew it.
‘But leaving Scarlet behind feels wrong…’
‘She’s still a hero… maybe she’ll be useful?’
‘Ugh… every extra person just makes it harder.’
Realizing they had no time to spare, Leah quickly pulled a staff from midair and shouted,
“Fine! Fly!”
Immediately, the three women rose into the air and shot off in one direction.
***
“Damn it… we’re screwed.”
My barrier is holding back the water—for now—
—but I can see it cracking.
—Creeeak…
I knew it was truly over.
The water pressure must be too intense for the barrier to withstand.
I’m pressing my hand against Nekhuf’s chest to stop the bleeding, but without divine magic, I can’t heal him further.
Because of this world’s cursed rule—you can’t use magic and divine power simultaneously—I’ve had to delay his treatment.
I used divine magic in a rush earlier to stabilize him, but the wound hasn’t fully closed.
If I recklessly try to heal him now, both Nekhuf and I will end up as fish food—so I’m barely holding on with the barrier, though it won’t last much longer.
“Death, huh… What happens to me when I die?”
This world has both Hell and Heaven—but those aren’t destinations for ordinary human souls after death, so I won’t be going there.
“Ugh… Selena…”
Now that death is near, I feel not just fear—but emptiness.
Maybe because I was betrayed by someone I trusted?
Honestly, I want to grab Selena and ask:
Why did you betray me? Was this your plan from the very beginning?
Well… this is it.
Looking back on my life, I feel a little bitter.
Stuck with a prickly disciple?
Stuck playing nursemaid to a broke hero party?
A high elf who keeps sending me letters despite hating humans?
And a saintess demanding I confess my love to her?
Compared to this, those complaints seem trivial—but now that I’m actually dying, I regret it a little.
I’d hoped to live peacefully here once the world settled down…
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
Of course someone like me wouldn’t randomly win the heart of a beauty like her—there had to be a reason.
I mocked my own foolishness for trusting Selena—when a groan reached my ears.
“Ugh…!”
Nekhuf, beside me, let out a pained sound.
I felt a pang of guilt for him.
He should’ve been enjoying life with Nephert—not dying because of me.
“Sorry… this is my fault.”
If I hadn’t interfered, Nekhuf wouldn’t have conquered Set’s Temple so soon.
By stepping in, I’d rushed him straight to his death.
But… what happens to the King of the Dead if I die?
In the original story, players were supposed to stop him—but if I’m gone?
Cecilia, who was meant to die in the original plot, is still alive…
So maybe things will work out even without me.
After all, the King of the Dead is weak against divine power.
His true threat isn’t personal strength—it’s his endless undead army.
Just the thought of that horde makes your knees shake.
But with Cecilia—whose divine power is absurdly strong—still alive, they’ll probably manage somehow.
Plus, Scarlet, Leah, and Mia are all here too.
The situation isn’t completely hopeless.
Still… I won’t be around to see how it ends.
—Crack…!
The barrier slowly fractures, and water begins seeping through the gaps.
—Gulp.
It’s going to hurt.
After my ordeal with the Queen of the Ocean, I know exactly how agonizing drowning is.
“I wanted to die peacefully in my sleep…”
Why is Selena making me suffer like this?
What did I do wrong?
Or is there something else going on?
And why take my spatial bag?
Was it for the money?
Or did she recognize the value of the Trident of the Sea God?
Thoughts spiraled, one after another.
I clung to these meaningless questions, trying to distract myself from the terror of death.
—Thump… thump…!
My heart pounded wildly at the thought of imminent death, making it harder to think clearly.
And then—
—Clang!
—Whoosh!
The barrier shattered completely—and a torrent of water crashed over me.
***
Leah’s group tore across the sky at incredible speed.
—Peeeek!
Pipi, the blue phoenix, screeched as if spotting something. Leah scanned the ocean below.
“There! Look—there’s a ship!”
That grand, ornate vessel must be the one carrying her master.
—Whoosh!
They landed on the deck in a hurry.
“Huh… Nekhuf! What do I do?!”
A familiar elf sat collapsed on the deck, sobbing.
Leah recognized her—Nephert, the sand elf with chocolate-brown skin they’d met in the Sand Elf village.
“Nephert! Did you see Master?!”
Nephert looked dazed—but clung to a sliver of hope: maybe Leah, a grand mage, could still save Nekhuf.
“Nekhuf and Hans are in the sea! Hwaaaah!”
Overwhelmed by grief, Nephert couldn’t even form proper words—terrified Nekhuf might already be dead.
Mia, watching, tossed her golden hair back and said calmly,
“Step aside. I’ll retrieve the Sage.”
“Nekhuf! Save Nekhuf too!”
A sand elf speaking informally to a high elf was a shocking breach of etiquette—but sand elves had been isolated from other elves for so long, Nephert didn’t grasp the gravity of it.
“O King of Water Spirits! By the covenant with the World Tree, heed my plea!”
At Mia’s invocation, the sea churned violently—and the sky darkened.
—Rumble…
Clouds gathered as if a storm were coming.
Just moments ago, the weather had been perfectly calm and clear.
And then—
“What… what is this?!”
“What on earth is happening?!”
As passengers panicked at the sudden change,
—ROOOAR!
—FWOOOSH!
The seawater coalesced into a massive, translucent, muscular giant.
—It’s been a while, High Elf Mia. Tell me—why have you summoned me?
“I lost my beloved to the depths! Retrieve him before he dies!”
(When did Hans become her ‘beloved’…?)
The Water Spirit King looked surprised.
—You’re already married? It feels like just yesterday I blessed you at your birth… Well, fine. I sense two people below. Which one should I save?
At the Spirit King’s question, Nephert shouted,
“Nekhuf! Save Nekhuf too!”
Annoyed that this brown elf was interrupting her rare reunion with the Spirit King, Mia still waved her hand impatiently— she didn’t have the strength to maintain the summoning for long.
“Just hurry and save both of them! I can’t hold your summoning much longer.”
—Ah… understood.
The Spirit King extended his hand—
—Splash!
Part of the sunken ship erupted onto the surface.
“What are you waiting for?! Go save them already?!”
Exhausted from maintaining the summoning, Mia snapped at the hero party.
“Huh? Got it! Leah—where’s Patron Hans?!”
Scarlet’s question made Leah point urgently at the wreckage.
“There! Right where I’m pointing!”
In that instant, Scarlet’s body blurred—
—BOOM!
A hole tore through the wreckage—and she reappeared, two limp men slung over her arms.
“They’re… not dead, are they?”
“They’re still alive.”
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