“How can it be a ranged attack?!”

“The Lake Master just now never used ranged attacks before!”

“Could it be... this is a power unique to the female?”

Ailuka stared hard at the Lake Master, which was clearly charging up energy.

Lightning flickered—it was aiming at Rode and Tia, who were floating in the sky.

At that distance, and given how poor Float Spell was in maneuverability... there was no way they could dodge in time.

Rode and Tia realized it too—the color drained from their faces.

Especially Tia. She didn’t even know any defensive spells!

Which meant that now—

“Merciful Mother Earth, grant me your sheltering power!”

Ailuka shoved mana into her staff like her life depended on it, constructing a spell at the fastest speed of her entire life.

Fortunately, she made it in time.

Before that blinding lightning reached them, a yellowish earthen shield appeared in front of Rode and Tia, intercepting the blast.

But—

“So strong...”

Ailuka gripped her staff tight, blue veins bulging across her slender palm. If there were a mirror in front of her now, she knew she’d see her own face twisted into a grimace.

The Lake Master’s lightning wasn’t a single discharge—it was continuous!

Like a laser, it kept hammering against the shield she had thrown together on the fly.

“What kind of... biological... generator... is this?!”

Ailuka felt her mana draining at an insane rate. At this pace, she wouldn’t last long at all!

“Ah!”

Just as the pain in her skull started pounding from the mana depletion, she suddenly heard Tia scream.

The scream startled her so badly she nearly panicked.

What, is there a third Lake Master now? Are these magical beasts really that kinky?

A threesome?

Thankfully, it wasn’t a third Lake Master.

It was just a crackling arc of lightning that had splashed off to the side, slipped around the shield, and struck Tia’s pretty face—leaving a clear, blackened burn.

“Ah—my face!”

Feeling the stinging pain, Tia whipped out a small mirror to check—and her expression instantly darkened.

Her soft, fair, beautiful face—mangled like this? How was she supposed to show herself in public now?

“Ailuka! Can’t you be even a little useful?!”

Tia shrieked, her voice sharp with fury.

“My face is ruined like this—how are you going to make it up to me?!”

“Is this... [N O V E L I G H T] really... the time... for that...?” Ailuka ground her teeth.

“I’m already... doing... everything I can... okay?!”

You’re the one who didn’t even bother to learn a single defensive spell, and you’re blaming me?

Like I’ve got time to care about that disgusting face of yours!

“What are you pretending to be all weak and sweet for? You’ve clearly been able to block this kind of attack before.”

Tia snorted coldly.

“You’re just jealous of me, admit it—you did it on purpose.”

“......”

How. Dare. She. Say. That?

Even now, under my protection—how the hell did she get the nerve to say that?

Is she not afraid I’ll just cancel the shield and let the Lake Master fry her alive?

Ah...

No. I can’t.

Rode’s still here.

I’m supposed to be the soft, lovable, kindhearted girl. How could I possibly do something so evil?

...Could I really not?

...

“I... can’t... hold on...”

“Eh? What did you say?”

“My mana... is almost gone...”

Under Tia’s horrified gaze, the earthy yellow shield that had been holding back the deadly lightning began to shrink.

What had once been large enough to shield two people was now rapidly shrinking. No longer was Tia only getting grazed by occasional arcs of lightning—now scattered flashes were licking across her body, leaving a growing number of charred, black marks.

“Wait—Ailuka, I was just joking! I didn’t mean to blame you—don’t do this...”

Faced with the encroaching crisis of death, Tia immediately panicked. She started begging Ailuka for mercy, as if the arrogant tone from earlier had all been someone else’s illusion.

Hmph. Just like the filthy little whore she is—not a shred of dignity when it matters.

Rode would never go for someone like her.

Ailuka thought gleefully to herself.

Still, she didn’t actually intend to let Tia die from this—just teach her a little lesson.

Besides, she really was nearly out of mana.

“Tia... don’t worry... I’ll try harder... I definitely... won’t let anything... happen to you...”

The shield stopped shrinking, now stabilized at a size that fully protected Rode... but left Tia exposed just enough for stray arcs of lightning to hit her every now and then.

Every time Tia let out a scream of pain, Ailuka felt the flow of her mana run just a little smoother.

She didn’t notice it—but down below, the Lake Master, watching all this unfold, suddenly showed a distinctly human expression... one of amusement.

BOOM!

A flash of red lightning—completely different from the ones before—exploded into the air.

The shockwave from the blast rattled the shield. Ailuka instinctively pumped in more mana.

But the event had come so suddenly—her reserves were already low—and the moment she pulled more magic, she felt like a hammer slammed into her skull. Stars danced in her vision. Her ears rang.

Through her blurry sight, she saw a human figure flying through the air.

That was...

Tia?

Ailuka’s eyes flew wide open.

Yes—it was Tia. Knocked unconscious and sent flying by the shockwave from the explosion.

“Tia! Cast Float—Float now!”

Ailuka shouted at her at the top of her lungs.

But there was no response. Tia’s eyes were shut tight—she had clearly been knocked out cold.

“How did it turn out like this...”

Ailuka’s face paled.

She never expected the Lake Master to suddenly change its tactics. Even Rode, standing right there, wouldn’t have had time to react.

But she didn’t have the strength to cast two spells at once. There was no way she could save Tia.

No... wait. Even if she fell, she’d just land in the water, right? There shouldn’t be any immediate danger—

That naïve thought lasted barely a second in Ailuka’s head before reality ripped it apart.

Because she saw—the Lake Master had stopped attacking.

And now, it turned its horn.

Aimed it directly at Tia.

Lightning began to crackle again.

Charging.

“...She’s dead.”

Ailuka’s mind went completely blank.

She couldn’t think of a single way to save Tia. The Lake Master had planned this from the start—it had no reason to pass up the opportunity now.

Tia was going to die.

“...Huh?”

“Now then, should I be happy?”

...

Of course I should.

...

“Tia!!”

Suddenly, Ailuka heard a voice cry out. Her gaze snapped toward the sound.

And there—she saw it.

Rode—abandoning the shield that was keeping him safe—leapt toward Tia.

“Ah.”

It felt like a knife stabbed into her heart.

“Why...”

“Rode, are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Why would you risk everything for that whore...”

Ailuka wanted to scream those words. But when she opened her mouth, all that came out was a trembling of her lips.

The Lake Master’s amused expression deepened—it was waiting.

Waiting for Rode to successfully catch Tia.

Then it could take them both down in one strike.