(Saber's POV)
Around thirty minutes earlier...
Exiting the tunnel, a line of people stretched toward the ships prepared by the old noble.
Five massive boats stood ready, capable of ferrying thousands.
After handing the unconscious girl to Solis, I made my way toward the old noble, who greeted me with a wave.
Approaching him, I observed the crowd and the goods being loaded onto carriages destined for each ship.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I inquired, "How did you manage to prepare a ship in such a short amount of time?"
The old noble chuckled, replying, "Ahahaha... Well, I always keep the days in check. The Calamity appears after a month and fifteen days, doesn't it?"
"...I see. That's understandable."
He must have foreseen the possibility of this happening and took proactive measures just in case.... That's some good way of thinking.
"Also, there's also that wife of yours. She mentioned something about the possibility of this happening."
"...?"
"You really didn't tell me you had such a beautiful wife, haha... You must be that embarrassed," he teased.
"...wife?"
Who the hell is this guy talking about...? I haven't had sex with anyone in this world yet, so there's no way I'll end up having a wife.
Plus, the novel never mentioned Saber having a relationship with someone from the early part of the novel. "That" woman will come around after reaching chapter hundred.
"Yeah, that woman was wearing a ring. I assumed she was your wife."
"Uhh... who's wearing a ring?"
"That woman I'm talking about. Describing her beauty is simply breathtaking... It's almost as if she came from heaven itself!"
...Seriously, is there something wrong with this old guy?
"Isn't that too much of an exaggeration...?" I said, smiling to conceal my confusion.
"Absolutely not," the old noble insisted. "She was wearing a beautiful one-piece white dress that suited her amethyst eyes, and her hair fluttered as if it was alive! She had skin akin to snow and a tantalizing figure."
"...ah?"
"To be honest, she looked exactly like the statue of the Goddess of Light from the Holy Kingdom! Er... Well, please keep that as a secret. I don't want any paladins or priests catching me for describing that girl from their god."
This guy... He should worry about his daughter first.
Nevertheless, he mentioned the Goddess of Light, right...? Nah, there's absolutely no way that Being would descend here. Even in the novel, she never showed herself to anyone.
My thoughts faded as my attention returned to the old noble.
"As I was saying, that woman kept thanking me for my help and such. She also asked me to hand you a message, saying, 'You can't add more women, okay~'."
...How in the hell did you manage to mimic a woman's voice at your age?
While my external expression remained unchanged, it became increasingly challenging to conceal my true feelings. I decided to bid farewell to the old noble and head towards Otuko.
As for where she was, Otuko was currently stationed in one of the tallest trees in the northwest part of the walls
As for why I ordered her to stay at that position, I had a particular experiment in mind... She said no one can manipulate an element into their liking, isn't it?
If that's the case, I'll end this while putting up a great show.
As I strolled, I noticed a petite girl with a rifle nonchalantly resting behind her shoulder.
"Done clearing the monsters around the city, Odium?" I inquired, genuinely surprised at her swift completion.
Odium, noticing me, looked down, avoiding direct eye contact. "Umm... Mmm!" She nodded enthusiastically, fidgeting with her fingers.
Concealing my emotions behind a smile, I acknowledged her before continuing my leisurely pace. There was no need to rush; establishing trust could take time.
Finally reaching our destination in the forest, we found Otuko standing alone, peering through binoculars to observe the other heroes from a distance.
Without facing us, Otuko sighed. "...You're here," she said, her eyes closed in contemplation.
"Hmmm....."
She seems very dedicated to her task~
"Dedicated my ass, you forced me to do this!"
Given our previous connection, Otuko and I had the ability to share thoughts. Unfortunately, the privacy I craved wasn't reciprocated.
I need my privacy! Stop listening to my thoughts, Otuko!
Veins bulged on her forehead as she turned to me, shouting, "You want me to stop? Why don't you stop yourself from having some cringe-ass inner monologue about describing what is happening as if this is some stupid novel!"
Well, it is a novel... Also, I'll fuck you!
"Oh, fuck you too!"
While our banter continued, Odium became bewildered, as she doesn't know about our 'mind to mind' conversation, and attempting to interject. "Umm... Hey, er..." She struggled to form a coherent sentence to interrupt us.
"Humph!" Otuko snorted as she returned her attention to the heroes, who were fighting desperately for their lives.
...From the looks of it, their endurance was dwindling rapidly. They've been fighting the hordes of monster since from the very beginning, and defeated the boss at it's first phase. Surely, all of them are already reaching the limits of their bodies.
What can I do to help them..sinceHowever, before addressing that concern, I needed mana—immediately.
Approaching Otuko's side, I removed my cloak and rolled up my sleeves. "Is there any way to transfer your mana to me?"
Although hesitant, Otuko set aside the binoculars and replied, "Yes, but it will take some time... Probably around three to four minutes, at most."
I fell momentarily silent. In that span, the heroes might not survive.
I couldn't allow that.
"Otuko, have you ever gotten your first kiss?"
"...What's with your question?"
...Well, I desperately need some mana.
"Wh—??"
Without letting her finish, I gently grabbed her chin and pulled her into a kiss.
"...!!?"
She was shocked, gripping my clothes tightly. Our tongues entwined; I savoured her sweet lips as I pulled her closer. While doing so, I absorbed the remaining mana she had until I was satisfied.
"Ah.... Er... Ummm—!!"
Odium, witnessing this, emitted a surprised noise. Blushing, she averted her eyes in embarrassment.
Soon, our lips parted, and I promptly redirected my attention to the Boss.
"...You bastard."
Otuko, panting, wiped saliva from her lips.
"You brought it up before."
I glanced at her, now on her knees due to depleted strength.
"You mentioned other ways to utilize mana, right? That means there are alternative methods of transferring mana... No, let's call this method 'stealing.'"
While I spoke, I noticed something glowing within her clothes. Unfamiliar, but not the focus right now.
"You... You don't know what you did..."
It's not like my kiss is poisonous; you should stop overreacting.
...Was taking a first kiss that detrimental?
Using a string from my pocket, I tied my hair, some strands swaying into my eyes, but I ignored them.
Now then, let's get back to the main desert~!
"How should I deal with it... Ah!"
Haven't given this a shot before, but that Boss Monster seems like the perfect training ground.
Extending my two fingers forward, I deftly wielded my other hand to conjure mana, shaping it into a formidable arrow.
In an instant, a bow crafted from the essence of wind magic materialized on my extended left fingers. Pulling the wind string with precision using my other hand, the ambient mana swirling around me converged into a fiery arrow.
Emulating the stance of an archer I'd glimpsed on television, a mischievous grin crept across my face.
"Need some oxygen... Ah... let's add some little bit of kerosene, plastic... lots of styrofoam and gasoline together... Almost forgot to add a small amount lithium chloride~"
I closed my eyes, infusing the fire with new properties, transforming it from bright orange to blue.
"Voila~!"
"...Mmm?"
Considering my current mana, why not incorporate some hydrogen into the formula...?
"What are you... You!!?"
Otuko's eyes widened as particles converged onto the arrow.
"What the hell! Are you trying to kill the other heroes there?"
"Relax~ With my current mana, the explosive power would only be about ¼ of a normal Nitrogen Bomb. Plus, I can only take this one shot because it drains it all."
"You...! That's already as strong as the atomic bomb!"
...If they die, then it's their fault.
Ignoring her, I focused mana in my eyes to see from a distance.
...Atomic? That sounds like a fitting name.
Just then, I noticed a girl stumbling. She bore scratches all over her body. It was Julius' sister... I should conclude this quickly.
Redirecting my gaze to the Boss, I uttered coldly.
"Lock on."
***
Originally, magic is sorted into four main categories: attack, healing, protection, and buff magic. Each of these categories can be harnessed through various natural magical elements. Take Fire Magic, for instance—it can be employed for offense, mending wounds, providing protection, and, with sufficient mastery, enhancing attack firepower.
But there's a realm beyond these, where unique elements emerge through elemental combinations. For example, Wind Magic and Water Magic yield "Illusion Magic," while Fire and Water create "Gas Magic," and the list goes on.
Yet, my approach diverges from mere combinations; it's about altering the fundamental properties of each elemental component.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, S̴̘͔̅̔̐͝Â̷̢̡̬̼̞̟̻͍̞͖̣̤͛̑̉̈͊̕ͅ�̶̡̧̛͓̺̲͓̤̙̫̲̮̹̜̪͌́̆̿̄̎̎́͋̍̽͋͑̿̔͘̚͜�̸̨̡͈̺̮̱̬̥̣͖̯̞̥̤̏̾͌̂̂͒̉͂̔͂̒͝R̵̨͍͈̩̭̎͆...!]
Suddenly, a voice, distinct from the system, echoed in my mind—a voice with a natural depth.
[You have successfully redis.... D̴̡̘̱͙̰̭̮̟͍͔͕͉͎͛́͒̃̉̈́͛ͅͅͅi̷̧̤͚͓̒̔̂̈̋̌͆͠͠͝s̵̢͍̙̠̫̦̝̦̔̂̃̈̔͐̐̍�̶̡̧̛͓̺̲͓̤̙̫̲̮̹̜̪͌́̆̿̄̎̎́͋̍̽͋͑̿̔͘̚͜�̸̨̡͈̺̮̱̬̥̣͖̯̞̥̤̏̾͌̂̂͒̉͂̔͂̒͝scove̶̡̠͖̖̅̍̈́̂̉̕̚͝͝r̷̢̠̖̝͇̩̲͙͙̣͚͉͉̼̦̟͔̞̅̈́͊͋̆̈́͆̾̚͝ͅe̵͍̗͈̪͙͖̪͔͚͓̩̮̼̻̎͐͜ḑ̸̰͙̖̯̤̱̥̈͆ a ļ̷̙̒̓ǒ̷̼̋s̶̛̻͘ţ̵̰̓̉..... New element!]
"....."
I released the arrow.
Unlike a typical bow and arrow, my projectile surged faster than sound, generating a resounding sonic boom that obliterated nearby trees in its wake. In flight, the arrow established a sound barrier, unveiling a groundbreaking magical creation.
...
..
.
And thus, a Ň̴̙̰e̶̹͑͜ẅ̷̳̲́̓ elemental magic came into existence.
A magic designed for sheer annihilation.
...
..
.
"Nuclear magic: «Atomic Shot»."
[A/N : the first r18 is coming]