Chapter 46

Part 21: Found the Inheritance (2)

Phew!

As I surfaced, I saw the monsters lying outside the reservoir and her sitting on the ground, looking very exhausted. She turned around with a startled look, having heard the sound of the water.

"Good heavens! You're alive?"

Why would I be dead!

There were three monsters lying on the ground—one, two, three. They were the same ones I had faced initially. Seeing them all down, it was clear that she could handle them on her own, but she looked very tired. Dealing with three at once must have been quite difficult.

I took a deep breath to fill my lungs with air. Thanks to mana, I could hold my breath for a long time, but it was still a very challenging task.

She struggled to get up and approached me, while I, holding the strangely light shield with both hands, swam out of the water. When my feet touched the ground, I leaned on the shield to stand up.

I felt a bit dizzy, but fortunately, there was nothing wrong. I didn't seem to have any decompression sickness. Mana was truly the best.

When I stood up, she came over and frantically checked my body.

"Are you okay? You were underwater for so long! I'm sorry. I couldn't find you, so I came out of the water first. If I had known you were safe, I would have kept looking. I'm really sorry!"

She rambled on while examining me. Looking at her, she seemed almost on the verge of tears, a completely different expression from what I had seen before. My return from what she thought was death seemed to have stirred something inside her.

"I'm fine. What about those monsters?"

"Oh, they suddenly appeared when I came out of the water. They looked like 'Red Mice.' It was hard to deal with three at once because of their speed. And..."

After asking, I glanced at the shield I had brought out. It was still a small shield, the size that a child like me could carry. For an adult male, it would barely cover the chest. Despite being underwater for a long time, it hadn't rusted at all. A bird in flight was engraved on the front.

'Huh, it feels quite heavy now.'

Maybe it was because I was out of the water. Or perhaps it was because I wasn't infusing it with mana.

I tried pushing a bit of mana into the shield.

Hum.

The shield trembled slightly and became very light. The weight was due to the lack of mana.

A shield that becomes lighter when infused with mana. Does that even make scientific sense? Well, mana itself is hard to understand.

While thinking about this, I examined the shield.

'The pattern seems a bit blurred now that I've infused it with mana...'

"Where's your sword? Why are you holding a shield?"

"Oh, the sword was too heavy, so I left it at the bottom of the reservoir."

"But you brought the shield?"

She looked at me with a puzzled expression. It was understandable that she found it strange that I had left the heavy sword but brought the shield.

"Why the shield... Wait a minute!"

Her expression quickly changed. She rushed over and leaned in close to the shield.

She examined the pattern on the shield's surface and checked its material, her mouth gradually opening wider.

"You found it at the bottom of the reservoir? Can I try it out for a moment?"

Seeing her fidget, I decided to play a little joke but then gently handed over the shield.

"Here you go."

The shield was found in the reservoir where the treasure room's contents had spilled, and the pattern on the shield matched the one on her sword. I had known it was the item she was looking for since I infused it with mana underwater.

She carefully took the shield from me without hesitation.

She slung the shield on her opposite arm. When I held it, it covered a good part of my body, but on her arm, it looked much smaller, about the size of Captain America's shield.

She held the shield on one arm and the sword in the other.

'A shield knight, perhaps?'

She looked much more fitting with both the shield and the sword than with just the sword.

She took a stance and focused.

Hummm.

I could feel mana emanating from her body. The sword began to hum, and the pattern on the blade glowed brightly. At the same time, the pattern on the shield emitted a soft light.

Against the background of the light from the ground, it looked as if two birds with spread wings were rising into the night sky.

Hummm. Hum.

The hum from the sword and shield grew louder, and the tip of the sword began to waver. A similar phenomenon occurred around the shield, as if an invisible wall was forming.

As expected, the shield and the sword were a pair.

There was a rightful owner.

When I infused it with mana, only the pattern had slightly wavered, but with the proper mana, it showed its true form.

She looked at the shimmering shield with a moved expression, as if she had found something she had dreamed of all her life.

If I left her alone, she would probably stare at the shield all day.

I felt bad, but given the current situation and the pain in my stomach, I couldn't just leave her.

"Hey? Hello?"

"…Huh?"

After calling her several times, she finally snapped out of it.

I pointed at the shimmering shield with my finger.

"Is this the item you were looking for?"

"Um, yes, it is."

In response to my question, she hid the arm with the shield behind her back, looking startled.

There was no way she could hide it, but it seemed her mind hadn't fully returned from the shock.

"That's great. If the item you were looking for is this shield, then according to our contract, the shield belongs to you."

Her expression brightened at my words but then turned apologetic and awkward.

"You went underwater to find the shield and brought it up. It feels wrong for me to just take it..."

Was she naive, a pushover, or just a fair person?

Whatever it was, she was consistent.

"The monsters had dug tunnels in all directions, which is why we ended up here."

I pointed at the dead monsters and the holes in the walls.

She nodded in response.

"So, this shield..."

"The treasure room collapsed due to the tunnels the monsters dug, and the items in the room spilled into this reservoir."

I looked at the reservoir.

"I found the shield by luck while placing the sword on the ground. The problem is the sword I left on the ground. How do I find it..."

In response, she took out the shield and handed it to me, along with the sword she had sheathed.

"The sword is at the bottom of the reservoir, and the other items from the treasure room are probably there too, right?"

"Yes? Oh, I stuck the sword in the ground, but I didn't see any other items besides the junk."

"Well, even if there are no other items, we need to retrieve the sword..."

She quickly took off her armor, followed by her outer clothes and shoes, leaving her in her underwear. She then put on a belt and slung the sword on it.

"I'll be right back. I'll get it."

Splash!

"Ah... Wait..."

Before I could say anything, she had already dived into the water.

Her quick action was astonishing.

In the absurd situation, I gathered the scattered clothes and stood guard with her shield and sword in hand.

The probability of monsters appearing before she returned was low, but it was better to be prepared.

It was a very rational thought, but I couldn't help but sigh, holding the sword and shield. No matter the reason, I was now a young boy guarding a woman's clothes.

While waiting, I tried infusing the shield and sword with mana.

Unfortunately, when I infused it, the same phenomenon as when she did did not occur. The weapons and shield accepted the mana well, but there was no shimmering at the tip of the sword or around the shield; only the pattern slightly wavered.

Time passed.

"One, two, three... Two hundred, two hundred one."

I counted the seconds, waiting for her, and just as I started to worry about the delay, I heard a sound.

From the opposite side of the reservoir, from the cave.

Grrrr.

"Nothing ever goes smoothly, does it?"

The growling sound was followed by the appearance of the monsters.

One, two, three, four.

Four in total.

A number I couldn't handle, and even she, who had barely defeated three monsters, would find it difficult.

"Should I be grateful that there are no red ones?"

I tried to think positively, but it was just a futile comfort.

The monsters cautiously approached, seeing the fallen bodies on the ground.

Seeing the approaching monsters, the pain in my neck from earlier seemed to return.

How many times had I died here already?

The frequent deaths in a short period were taking a mental toll on me.

I didn't know my limits, but I had a feeling I might lose my mind if this continued.

"Hey, hey, it would be great if you could come out a bit faster."

As I muttered, the monsters' movements quickened.

I had to act fast or I would miss my chance.

I hastily raised the shield.

At that moment, I heard a splash behind me.

Swoosh!

A greatsword whizzed through the air behind me and embedded itself in the body of a monster charging from the front.

Kyaah!

The monster that had charged at me was knocked to the ground by the sword, but the others didn't stop and continued to rush at me.

Just as the monsters were about to pounce on me, I heard her voice.

"Sorry, it took me a while to find the items."

Her voice was followed by her hand grabbing mine, which was holding the shield.

Mana flowed from her hand into mine and then into the shield.

Hummm!

The shimmering around the shield enveloped my body.

At the same time, the monsters pounced on us.

Boom!

A loud explosion.

Scream!

The monsters that collided with the shimmering were thrown back, screaming.

"Thanks for guarding. I'll take the sword and shield."

She took the sword and shield from my hand and ran towards the monsters that had been thrown back, still in her underwear.

I watched her run, then heard a growl from under my feet.

Grrr.

The monster that had been impaled by my sword was trying to get up.

I grabbed the sword embedded in the monster and pulled it out with all my strength.

Squish!

Blood spurted out as the monster's upper body split open.

I pulled the greatsword out from the gushing blood.

The sword was intact.

I leaned on the sword and watched the firebird hunter, who was fighting in her underwear.

The lace on her underwear fluttered, and the sword and shield moved in all directions.

The space shimmered, and the monsters' bodies were cut and shattered.

She, who had been panting after dealing with three monsters, was now taking down a larger number.