Chapter 58

How was it up until now? To continue the serialization, I would greatly appreciate it if you could purchase the book!

Volume 2 is packed with new content, making up about half of the book. It’s much more satisfying to read than the web version, so I hope you enjoy it.

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Albert and I were flying through the sky with Magic Arrows.

Summer had passed its peak, but the heat still lingered. The wind blowing from behind was refreshing.

We had finally completed all the requests.

"Thank you so much!"

"You're a hero to the village!"

"We won't forget you!"

We received many expressions of gratitude. Thinking that the land of Luminas had become a little more peaceful made me feel happy. It was gratifying to know that my efforts had been useful. For me, it was a journey with many gains, and I’m sure it will be useful when I become a lord someday.

Having finished everything, we were heading towards the capital city of Luminas. That’s when—

"Ah! Albert, it’s raining!"

Dark clouds had gathered as if there were a boundary line, and it was raining in the direction we were heading.

"Rola, I need your help."

"Sure!"

Rola took out her small staff.

"Wind Curtain!"

Instantly, a curtain of wind enveloped our bodies, repelling the rain.

"Thanks."

"Leave the support to me!"

As we flew through the rain, Rola noticed something.

"There’s a large lake over there!"

"Yeah, that’s right..."

It wasn’t as big as Lake Biharnu, but it was about a kilometer wide.

"…Huh?"

Rola squinted and looked down. I asked her,

"What’s wrong?"

"There’s a boat in the middle of the lake."

Sure enough, there was a small boat in the middle of the vast lake.

"…There’s someone in it…"

"Yeah, that’s strange, isn’t it?"

In the middle of the rain, the boat was drifting without moving.

It must be in trouble.

"…Should we help…?"

I landed on the shore of the lake. Then, Rola used magic.

"Water Walking!"

Thanks to Rola’s magic, we could walk on water. The boat was about 500 meters away, not too far. Albert and I walked towards the boat.

"Hmm…?"

Rola let out a puzzled sound.

"Albert, isn’t something strange about that boat?"

"…What’s strange?"

"It seems… low."

"Low?"

"Relative to the water… it’s sinking!"

Indeed, the boat was half-submerged in the water. It was dangerous! We started running.

"Hey, over there! Are you okay?"

I shouted loudly. The person, who had been facing away from us, turned around. It was a young woman with long hair. She looked startled when she saw us.

…No wonder.

We were running on the water…

"Don’t worry! We’re here to help!"

In response to my voice, the woman shouted loudly.

"Don’t come here!"

What…?

This wasn’t a situation where we could just leave. Albert and I exchanged glances.

"…We’ll help you… for now…"

There might be a reason, but we couldn’t just abandon her. We reached the boat.

The boat was filled with rainwater, and the woman’s legs were submerged. But what surprised me more was her foot. Her right foot was chained to a small iron ball, preventing her from escaping.

I gasped.

"Th-this…!"

The woman, with her rain-soaked hair, shouted.

"Leave me alone! Don’t interfere!"

"…Why are you doing this…?"

"It’s none of your business! Go away!"

…We need to understand the situation, but it seemed she was too agitated to talk. If we left her, she would definitely sink with the boat.

"Rola"

"…Let’s help her!"

That was the right thing to do. We couldn’t just leave someone who was about to die. I extended my right hand.

"Magic Arrow"

A white flash struck the iron ball chained to her foot, shattering it.

"I’m sorry"

I reached out to lift her. She flailed her arms and legs, shouting, "Stop! Stop!"

…If we left her, she would definitely die…

Just then—

"Sleep!"

Rola cast a sleep spell. The woman’s body swayed, her eyes glazed over, and she eventually lost consciousness.

"…I’m sorry…"

Rola apologized to the unconscious young woman.

"There’s no choice. We have to help her first."

I picked up the woman and carried her back to the shore. The rain continued to fall. We found a shelter under a tree and laid the woman down. She was a bit older than Rola, wearing a white dress that covered her entire body. She was breathing quietly.

Once the situation calmed down, I signaled to Rola.

"Rola"

"Okay"

Nodding, Rola gently shook the woman’s shoulder. Her eyes slowly opened.

"Wh-what…?"

The woman slowly sat up, looked at the lake, and then at us. She was startled.

"…Y-you… you saved me…?"

Her voice wasn’t one of joy, but of shock and confusion.

"…Yes, but is there a problem?"

"…What have you done…? I was ready to die…"

The woman looked at the lake.

"There’s still time…!"

She started to run. I quickly grabbed her arm.

"What are you saying!? What do you mean!?"

She glared at me and said,

"I’m a sacrifice to appease the nine-headed dragon! If I don’t die, the village will be in trouble!"

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Final Episode of This Chapter! Nine-Headed Dragon vs. Magic Arrow! Stay tuned!

Announcement!

Magic Arrow will be published as a book!

I can’t announce the label and other details yet, but I’ll write about it in the afterword or activity report once I get permission.

Also, I’m really sorry… The update frequency will change.

Daily updates → Bi-weekly updates (Wednesdays and Sundays)

For now, the days will be fixed. If they change, I’ll let you know.

The next update will be on "8/5".

Before the book publication, the current pace was unsustainable for me. I pushed myself to the limit due to the shock of being number one overall…

I’m burnt out, completely white…

I want to continue updating regularly, so I hope you’ll continue to follow me.

It’s interesting!

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