Chapter 16

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: A Glimpse of True Power
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The wave ‘held’ in my hand transformed into a sharp spear, piercing through the monsters' bodies.

The power was so immense it even startled me for a moment.

If I was this strong, it was terrifying to imagine the power the other Allojes possessed.

Now that I had used my power properly, I understood.

If the head of the water family possessed power far greater than this, they wouldn't be a person—they'd be a calamity.

And if Pentas Alloje, Croire’s brother who was destined to become the next family head in the original story, were to receive a Pero…

“…?”

Wait, did Pentas Alloje ever receive a Pero?

After Croire Alloje died, Pentas was the only direct heir of the next generation in the Alloje family, so he must have been able to get a Pero—

Hold on.

Then, what happens if Croire Alloje is alive when the Alloje blood chooses the next head?

The original Croire might have been a different story, but with my current abilities, was there any reason I wouldn’t be chosen as the next head?

My eyes widened at the thought.

—*Kraaaah!*

I instinctively unleashed a torrent of water at the charging monster.

Sharp spikes of water erupted from the ground like thorns, impaling the monster's body.

—*Squelch!*

—*Kraaaaaaah!*

The monsters’ screams filled the coast.

The Argenta people turned to look at me in shock.

“Water?”

“This is…”

In a place filled with only the fire-wielding Argentas, my ability was bound to stand out.

“…She possesses such power without even being the family head?”

“Just how powerful must Duke Alloje be?”

They were stunned.

And in an instant, the tide of the battle turned.

—*Swoooosh!*

Just then, a massive wave, imbued with unmistakable power, surged toward the shore.

Even though it was obscured by the wave, I felt like I could see what was beyond it.

Perhaps it was because I’d already read in the original story that there were ‘water-wielding monsters,’ or perhaps because the monster was on the water, but I could clearly see its location.

There was no need to leave a clearly visible enemy alone.

—*Fwoosh!*

As I clenched my fist, the menacing, magic-infused wave that had been crashing down dispersed back into the surrounding sea.

—*Kieeeek!*

With that, a monster was revealed, screaming in surprise.

A monster, holding a crude staff that marked it as a mage, flailed its short legs, floundering in mid-air.

Beneath it was a massive water harpoon I had created.

“…!”

But the harpoon failed to pierce the monster's body.

It seemed the monster, being a water-wielder itself, was desperately blocking the attack.

*Then I just need to use more power*—or so I thought.

“Croire.”

Diello’s low voice resonated as he approached my side.

“Diello?”

And when I turned to look at him.

—*Fwoosh!*

Flames ignited in mid-air.

In an instant, the fire took the shape of a massive spear and settled into Diello's hand.

Naturally, the Argenta fire he commanded didn’t harm a single strand of his hair.

“!”

With the spear in hand, Diello drew his arm back and threw it.

—*Shwwwiick!*

The spear flew with a sharp whistle, as if sucking in the surrounding air, and struck the monster's head.

—*Kabooom!*

The firepower was so immense that the surrounding water instantly evaporated, shrouding the area in a dense fog.

“…!”

My eyes widened.

The firepower to incinerate a monster, completely soaked on the water's surface, without a trace.

This is the power of a family head who hasn't even fully awakened?

I knew Diello was strong, but I never imagined he was this powerful.

“The water-controlling monster is dead! Clean up the battlefield!”

“Hoorah!”

Seizing the opportunity, Redius Argenta gave us a brief nod and charged forward with his knights.

As the knights rushed past, my eyes met Diello’s.

“How…?”

He was probably asking how I got here.

He had only requested a small number of personnel to speed up the post-battle cleanup, and his message had never mentioned that the battlefield was dangerous.

But I couldn't tell him I came because I knew of the crisis.

I smiled brightly.

Perhaps because we were near the water, my smile felt more confident.

“I was worried. Can't have my partner in crime getting hurt, can I?”

I winked and gestured toward the sea.

“Besides, this is the ocean. I thought I could be of help.”

…And I thought you wouldn't be able to fight properly, given your personality.

No matter how strong one's power is, being able to take a life with it is another matter entirely.

I thought he had fought in the original story, but seeing him in person, he seemed far removed from battle.

He didn't seem like someone who could use his abilities without hesitation on a battlefield rife with death.

“…Thank you, Croire.”

He offered a faint smile. It was the same smile I always saw.

But I felt a strange sense of dissonance in that smile.

The way he'd thrown that spear of fire was a far cry from the Diello Argenta I thought I knew.

His eyes, which usually shimmered with a pale blue light like the shallow waters of the coast, had held a distinct killing intent.

It was just for a moment, but I saw it clearly.

And the spear of fire he had thrown had unerringly pierced the enemy’s neck.

He had driven the spear precisely and unhesitatingly into a fatal spot.

“I’m glad I could help.”

I smiled back at him.

And I thought to myself.

Diello Argenta, the head of the Argenta family who wields both sword and flame, might just be…

A completely different person from the man who gave me soft, gentle smiles in bed.

* * *

The battlefield was quickly brought under control.

The fact that Redius hadn't gone berserk had already prevented significant damage.

Moreover, most of the Argenta knights who had been defending the area had survived.

It would have been impossible if Croire’s support had been even a little late.

‘Didn’t they say the illegitimate daughter of the Alloje family had weak control over water?’

‘Watch your mouth, she’s the lady of the house now.’

‘Still.’

The knights on the battlefield were astonished by her control over water.

At this rate, the fact that she possessed powerful water-wielding abilities, contrary to the rumors, might spread to the other families.

—*Hee-hee-hing…!*

“…”

Diello looked at Croire Alloje, who was asleep in his arms.

As soon as the battlefield was secured, she had abruptly lost her strength, unable to even support herself.

‘Here, get on.’

It was Diello himself who had suggested she ride his horse.

“…”

He could see Croire leaning against him, held within his arms on the swaying horse.

A strange scent was clouding his mind, and he realized it was the smell of the sea… the smell of water, which he so despised.

Because she was an Alloje.

It was that same heavy scent that seemed to weigh down on the body after it rained.

But today, for some reason, he found the scent exceptionally tolerable.

No, on the contrary, it felt as sweet as nectar quenching a deep thirst.

This was despite the fact that, as an Argenta who wielded fire, he was born to hate the rain.

“Rick.”

At his call, Rick, who had woven through the crowd, bowed his head.

“Yes, sir.”

As the head of Argenta’s intelligence division, Rick knew Diello’s true nature well and was not surprised by the momentary glimpse of his cold demeanor.

“Make sure word of Croire's abilities doesn't spread beyond this battlefield.”

It was an order to dispose of the spies from other families he had previously ignored to maintain his careless image, at least for this battle.

He would also order the other Argenta knights to keep their mouths shut.

“Understood.”

Rick turned his horse around with a casual expression.

As the head of Argenta’s intelligence and its ‘Enforcer,’ Rick would carry out his orders without fail.

“Croire Alloje…”

…No, Croire.

Having given his orders, Diello murmured her name.

According to the battlefield medic, she was simply asleep from sudden exhaustion and didn’t respond to her name being called.

It meant she was deep in slumber.

‘Diello!’

He suddenly recalled the shimmering blue light that had parted the sea of death.

The field of magic that had unfolded in Croire’s hands had bound the sea of death.

No one died where her hands reached.

Today, he didn't have to take the sacrifices of the Argentas lightly.

He didn't have to force himself to treat death as a trivial matter.

“Are you heading straight back to the estate, my lord?”

Redius Argenta approached and asked. Diello gave a short nod.

This was the teacher whose life Croire had saved.

“That was truly incredible earlier.”

He spared no praise for Croire's abilities.

Water, which to the Argentas was practically synonymous with death.

The sight of her reigning over that water was more than enough to inspire awe.

Moreover, she had used her abilities to their absolute limit.

She had thrown herself into the battlefield without a thought for the consequences.

…For the sake of Argenta.

Thanks to her, he did not have to swallow his tears today.

Diello let out a short breath.

‘…There is no one left to protect you now, Lord Diello. You must stand on your own. You must not trust anyone. You must even doubt me.’

Words he had heard in his youth. Words Redius Argenta had said to him.

That was the day Diello’s parents had died.

He cried for the last time that day.

His childhood ended when he realized that corpses would endlessly pile up and ash would constantly scatter at his feet.

From that day on, he had to desperately follow his uncle's words.

‘You must not grow attached to every single person.’

Those weaker than him, the family head, were fated to die before him on the battlefield.

If he reacted to every single one of their deaths, he wouldn’t be able to go on living.

Thus, he tried to become cold. So that he wouldn't be shaken by anyone’s death.

So that he wouldn't give special affection to anyone.

“…”

—But what if it’s someone who isn't weaker than me?

What if it’s someone who doesn’t even fear that sea of death?

‘Diello!’

The sea had always looked hazy to him, as if clouded by the rising spirits of the dead Argentas.

But Croire, who had cried out from its center, had looked more radiant than anything else.

Her deep violet hair, glistening with water, and her amethyst eyes, which stared forward with unwavering confidence.

He was mesmerized by her, shining in the middle of the sea of death.

She was so mesmerizing, so brilliantly radiant, that…

He… couldn't look away.