Chapter 181

Chapter 181. Underwater Battle (2)

To ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍be honest, it wasn’t a problem Anagin had never anticipated at all.

Getting ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍discovered by the Barbaroi Cult while approaching the island.

It ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍was only because Horse-head and the subordinate woman had sounded so confident that he hadn’t brought it up, not because he had truly believed they would never be discovered.

After ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍all, how many things in this world could anyone be one hundred percent certain about?

Even ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Anagin himself had once firmly believed he would grow old and die in his hometown, yet here he was now.

That ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍was why Anagin never discarded the possibility of being discovered and kept it in mind the entire time. Thanks to that, he was able to calmly accept reality without panicking.

Things got tangled up, and we got caught.

However, it seemed these two weren’t the same.

Horse-head and the subordinate woman, that is.

“.......”

“That’s impossible... how? Don’t tell me, the half-breed....... Already?”

Horse-head fell silent in apparent shock upon seeing the fish-men chasing them, while the subordinate woman muttered something as if deeply shaken.

Judging from words like ‘half-breed’ and ‘already?’, it looked like they had some idea of what was going on.

It was truly irritating.

Even in a situation like this, they were still hiding something. It wasn’t entirely unexpected, but that didn’t stop it from being irritating.

The urge to demand an explanation right this instant boiled up inside him, but for now, he endured it.

It wouldn’t be too late after dealing with the fish-men in front of them first.

‘No, maybe it’s already too late? Might as well ask.’

“If we kill those bastards, won’t more pursuers show up?”

Anagin asked Sphinx, who had transformed into a cat and was perched on his shoulder.

He didn’t expect Sphinx to suddenly produce the right answer, but out of everyone here, she was the only one he could properly discuss things with.

Sphinx answered.

“Who knows. Logically speaking, haven’t they already alerted everyone to our presence?”

Anagin nodded as though he agreed.

The role of sentries was not only to watch the surroundings and stop intruders, but more importantly, to alert others to the existence of intruders.

Thinking about it logically, there was a high chance they had already informed the main force of their presence somehow. Unless their heads really were just fish, that is.

‘Let’s think positively.’

Anagin tried to find something good in a situation that had nothing positive about it.

For example, the fact that there was no need to rush to kill the fish-men chasing them.

If it had been a situation where they absolutely needed to eliminate the fish-men quickly, then Anagin himself would have had to do something, but thankfully that wasn’t necessary.

To begin with, he didn’t really have a good method for quickly killing fish-men underwater.

‘Sphinx’s magic rapidly loses effectiveness underwater, making it unsuitable, and me swimming around personally is inefficient too. Using the scrolls the mages gave us would work, but those need to be conserved as much as possible.’

The scrolls they had received, [Underwater Walk] and [Underwater Breathing], were both single-use items with time limits, so they had to be saved for truly critical moments.

Like when facing the fisherman mage, the ugly one, or perhaps both of them together.

The only reason they were even calculating whether to fight or not was because they had those scrolls. Without them, attempting battle at all would have been difficult.

How were they supposed to fight when they couldn’t walk on water or even breathe underwater?

So using the scrolls just to catch fish-men was out of the question.

In other words, there was nothing Anagin himself could really do right now, which meant the one who had to solve this was Horse-head.

To begin with, this bastard had confidently claimed there would be no problems, so it was only logical that he deal with it himself.

Yet this Horse-head bastard still kept his mouth tightly shut.

“.......”

Not only that, but perhaps because he was startled, even his pace had slowed, allowing the fish-men to gradually catch up.

Just as they were about to be completely overtaken—

Fwish-!

Horse-head suddenly turned his head back and condensed seawater into spears, instantly piercing the pursuing fish-men.

One shot per fish-man.

The fish-men, who had been chasing them without issue, failed to react to the unexpected counterattack. Their bodies were pierced clean through, and they died on the spot. Spraying dark red blood, they sank straight down into the deep sea.

Turns out Horse-head had been waiting for an opening.

“Princess. Please do not worry! The thing you fear most likely has not happened!”

It seemed Horse-head also had some idea of what was going on, as he urgently called out to the subordinate woman and tried to calm her down.

Seeing that reaction, Anagin felt like he roughly understood.

“Brother, I think maybe.......”

Sphinx, still transformed into a cat, whispered softly near Anagin’s ear, seemingly thinking the same thing he was.

It probably had something to do with her younger siblings.

Well, in this situation, the only thing the subordinate woman could possibly be worried about was her siblings.

The problem was what specific danger had befallen them, and why that was connected to their infiltration being discovered.

A possibility came to mind.......

“There is one.”

Anagin muttered as someone came to mind. That person was none other than the fisherman mage.

Though it was only speculation, the fisherman mage seemed to covet the power of mermaids. The ugly one mentioned the mermaids while trying to persuade the fisherman mage, which was proof enough of that. On top of that, the ugly one had once spoken of an innate limitation.

At the time, Anagin had wondered what she meant by that... but somehow, it also seemed connected to the ‘half-breed’ the subordinate woman had mentioned.

It was merely a guess based on intuition, but guesses like these rarely miss.

‘This was more important than I thought, and they kept it secret?’

Anagin felt irritation rising again, but endured it. That wasn’t what mattered right now.

“Princes—”

“Hey, Horse-head. Watch the front! Stop worrying about this one.”

After finishing his thoughts and returning to reality, Anagin shouted at Horse-head, who was still trying to calm the subordinate woman.

Naturally, Horse-head, still sulking over the way Anagin addressed him, snapped back instead of obediently listening.

“Stay out of this. Right now—”

“Enemies are coming from every direction right now, and you still have time to fool around?!”

Anagin cut Horse-head off and pointed both ahead and behind them.

Just as expected, the fish-men who had chased them at the start hadn’t forgotten to notify the main force. In the distance ahead, new fish-men had appeared and were swimming toward them.

And that wasn’t all. Behind them, monstrous fish with razor-sharp teeth were chasing after them in packs.

“......!”

Horse-head, too distracted by the subordinate woman to notice the enemies approaching, shut his mouth in shock.

He knew it himself. There was no way he could shake off the pursuit while also worrying about some whining girl.

“Leave her to me and focus on your own job!”

Shouting that, Anagin clenched his fist without hesitation and flicked the subordinate woman hard on the forehead.

Thunk!

A clear and refreshing sound echoed through the sea.

“You crazy—!”

Horse-head shouted in shock, while the subordinate woman glared at Anagin with eyes filled half with surprise and half with fury.

“That look in your eyes suits you. Keep it that way. Instead of mumbling things only you understand.”

Anagin looked straight down at the subordinate woman glaring at him and gave his advice.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but if you want to save your siblings, keep your eyes open like that. If you act like an idiot, Horse-head can’t focus, and if Horse-head can’t focus, we won’t reach the island. If we don’t reach the island, your chance to save your siblings disappears completely....... Understand?”

“.......”

“Answer me!”

“...I get it!”

“Good! Horse-head, you heard that?!”

“.......”

“I asked if you heard, you Horse-head bastard!!”

“I heard...!”

“Then break through somehow!”

At Anagin’s shout, Horse-head forcibly accelerated forward.

Meanwhile, the fish-men approaching from the front had drawn even closer, and especially the monstrous fish approaching from behind had nearly reached them.

Just as one of the monstrous fish opened its jaws wide, about to bite the mackerel-shaped rowboat’s tail—

“Hold tight. We’re going to tip over!”

Horse-head spoke briefly before accelerating even further.

Brrrrooom-!

Perhaps because they were underwater, the rowboat produced a strange sound unlike anything heard above the surface as it surged forward.

The monstrous fishes’ teeth grew distant.

Meanwhile, the fish-men approaching from the front closed in until they were right before them.

At this rate, it looked like they would collide, but just like before, Horse-head condensed seawater into spears and began piercing the approaching fish-men.

Pabababababat-!

However, he did not pierce all of them.

There were simply too many.

The fish-men Horse-head targeted were limited to those directly blocking their path, while the others were merely shoved aside by manipulating the current. Horse-head then slipped through the openings he created.

After that, he used their speed to attempt a forceful breakthrough.

Kugugugugung-! Kkiiik!! Kwagak!!

Naturally, such a reckless breakthrough did not go smoothly.

Several times, they crashed into fish-men, and attacks grazed past them.

If Horse-head had been alone, he probably could have slipped through without any friction at all, but that became impossible with the rowboat dragging behind him like baggage.

“Still, this thing’s tougher than I expected.”

If there was one silver lining, it was that the air bubble surrounding the rowboat was sturdier than expected.

At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a giant bubble of air, yet it was durable enough to block a fair number of the fish-men’s attacks.

Well, if it could withstand the pressure of the deep sea, then that made sense.

‘Would’ve been nice if it had offensive functions too.......’

Before boarding the rowboat, Anagin had asked just in case, but apparently it had no such features.

Then again, since it had originally been given as a gift for mingling with the Nereid Fishing Village people, having attack functions would have been stranger.

Watching the fish-men attacking from all directions, Anagin considered plucking feathers from the wing guards and throwing them, but Horse-head stopped him.

“Don’t do pointless things! If you mess around carelessly, the barrier could get contaminated and break!”

Horse-head shouted while gasping for breath, likely because he was pushing their speed so hard.

It was a reasonable point, so Anagin gave up on the idea.

There was no reason to create unnecessary problems.

Anagin raised both hands as though saying he would behave, and Horse-head focused ahead as he sped onward even faster.

Before they knew it, they had broken through the swarm of fish-men surrounding the front.

The result of tremendous speed, penetration power, and sheer determination combined together.

Of course, it was far too early to relax.

Just looking behind them, the fish-men and monstrous fishes they had shaken off were still stubbornly pursuing them, and there was no telling what else might appear ahead.

Perhaps thinking the same thing, Sphinx muttered quietly.

“At this point, it almost feels like they were waiting for us.”

The subordinate woman, who had only barely calmed down, flinched again.

Realizing her mistake too late, Sphinx hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand, but Anagin casually cut in.

“Well, maybe the Nereid Fishing Village bastards tipped them off.”

He considered the possibility unlikely, but he didn’t care and simply threw the excuse out there.

If the subordinate woman became anxious again, Horse-head would start worrying about her, and that was exactly what had to be prevented.

Right now, Horse-head was already struggling just to focus on moving forward.

Look at that. A giant octopus hidden among the rocks ahead suddenly emerged and tried to ambush them again.

Horse-head barely avoided it with movements bordering on miraculous, but there was no room for complacency.

“This is starting to feel like we’re the bait instead.”

Anagin spoke with self-mockery at how much worse the situation had become than expected, and Sphinx agreed.

The plan had originally been to use the mages as bait and infiltrate the island relatively safely, but now it felt as though the situation had reversed completely.

As though to reinforce that thought, more obstacles kept appearing, and each time Horse-head displayed another trick to shake them off.

Blinding speed, nimble directional changes, water spears, sometimes even using the currents themselves to shove enemies aside—it felt like he was displaying every trick he had.

Naturally, because of that, Horse-head’s stamina was visibly draining away.

Meanwhile, the number of pursuers behind them had doubled compared to the beginning.

Just enduring that relentless chase alone seemed to be putting tremendous physical and mental strain on him. And as if to prove it wasn’t merely Anagin’s imagination, the distance between them and their pursuers gradually shrank.

“We need to shake them off at least once.”

As though making a decision, Anagin reached into empty air and summoned Longbald.

“Brother, what are you planning?”

“They said it’d take half a day to reach the island, but at this rate, I don’t think we’ll even get close.”

It felt like they had been running for a very long time, but that was only a feeling.

Not long after leaving the Nereid Fishing Village, the pursuers had begun chasing them, leading to this prolonged pursuit.

Naturally, they hadn’t been able to travel in a straight line and had been forced to detour repeatedly.

At this rate, even if they used the scrolls, it felt more likely they would end up back at the Nereid Fishing Village instead of reaching the island.

“So I think it’d be better to wipe out at least the bastards chasing us and catch our breath for a moment.”

Who knew? Maybe if they suffered a major loss once, their momentum would weaken.

“Though I’m not sure it’ll show the same overwhelming power as before.......”

Anagin spoke while looking at the subordinate woman, who stared silently at Longbald.

“Actually, I don’t think there’ll be any problem.”

Seeing the subordinate woman once again wearing a look that suggested she alone knew something, Anagin became certain.

When he had swung it underwater before, even Anagin himself had been shocked by the tremendous power it displayed. Apparently, the subordinate woman knew why that was.

This might be something else he’d need to interrogate her about later when they had the time.......

Anyway, having made his decision, Anagin tied a bronze rope to the rowboat and connected it to his own body before jumping backward, preparing to swing Longbald with all his strength.

Horse-head, who inwardly seemed to want the pursuers shaken off as well, said nothing.

Once it seemed everyone had roughly agreed on the plan, Anagin jumped as intended, and at that moment—

Brrrrrrrk-!

Bubbles suddenly boiled up among the pursuing school of fish, and a man emerged from within.

It was the fisherman mage, now looking slightly different than before.

Like the ugly one when she had imitated a mermaid, the fisherman mage’s ears had transformed into fin-like shapes.

The bastard placed a hand atop one of the nearby fish-men and transformed it into the shape of a horse before climbing onto it. Then he stretched out his hand and formed a gigantic trident from seawater.

And without hesitation, he aimed it straight at Anagin and charged.

“Damn it, not a single thing’s going the way I want.”

Anagin leapt from the rowboat and swung Longbald.