Beneath the Cave

Destroying the ship had opened a hole that began draining the seawater pooled in the underground chamber with tremendous force.

Caught in the current, Azu and Alexia couldn't resist and were sucked through.

The flow was too violent to even open their eyes, yet the space immediately around Azu grew calm.

The Water Elemental's protection.

Azu and Alexia's hands were clasped tight, so Alexia was spared as well.

They let the gentled current carry them along.

As the chamber drained, the water level gradually dropped until, at last, they could get their faces above the surface.

"Pfah—are you okay?"

"Yes, somehow."

After that, the water continued to recede until the ground became visible.

The hole was slightly taller than Alexia.

"Where are we?"

"I thought we'd come out at the sea, but it seems I was wrong. Azu, let's dry our clothes."

They were soaked head to toe, their clothes clinging to skin.

Azu agreed with Alexia's suggestion wholeheartedly. The discomfort was unbearable.

Azu peeled off her outer layer, stripping down to her underclothes.

She wrung out the fabric carefully to avoid damaging it.

Alexia was in her battle dress.

She tried squeezing the water out while still wearing it, but when that proved futile, she gave up and took it off entirely.

Down to her undergarments.

They were both women, and hardly strangers to each other.

Azu didn't give it a second thought as she removed her trousers and wrung those out too.

"The saltwater's making everything sticky. And some of my gear is ruined."

She pulled items from her pouch. Between the fight and the time spent underwater, several things had taken damage.

"What a headache. Well, we're alive, so I'll count my blessings."

The air in the passage was breathable.

There was no breeze, but it might connect to the outside.

The cave above hadn't seemed all that large, but its underground was apparently a different story.

Wearing wet clothes for too long would leech away their body heat.

But stripping down to underclothes left them exposed to the cold.

"Let's get these dry and get out of here."

Alexia first conjured a sphere of water with magic and tossed both of their outfits in for a quick rinse.

She pulled the clothes back out, wrung them again, then combined fire and wind magic to produce a warm breeze.

A current of heated air washed over them, and the clothes dried in no time.

Their underclothes had dried too, but they changed into the spares they'd kept protected from the water.

Then they slipped back into their now-dry clothes.

Dry fabric really did feel worlds better.

"Phew. Finally a moment to breathe."

"Agreed. Just having wet clothes was miserable enough."

"Absolutely. We came here for a vacation and I feel like I've been working harder than usual."

Azu responded to Alexia's complaints with a strained smile.

The subjugation was technically a success, but between one thing and another, it had been a rough outing.

Her beloved Sealed Sword Grungaus had been submerged in seawater, too.

She'd need to have a blacksmith look at it.

But escape came first.

Most of their food was ruined from the saltwater.

They split the single sealed container of cookies that had survived, ate, and set off again.

At least water wasn't a problem, since Alexia could conjure it.

Having a mage along made all the difference—she felt it keenly.

If she'd been alone, she might have won the fight and still ended up in dire straits.

"Really, thank you."

"Don't mention it. We help each other, don't we?"

"We do. But I wanted to say it anyway."

Words left unspoken went unheard.

She couldn't read others' hearts, so naturally, others couldn't read hers.

Azu had believed that strongly ever since Yohane told her she was important to him.

She'd had no idea he felt that way until he said it.

She'd even thought he might see her as nothing more than a tool.

Azu clenched both fists, steeling herself. She had to get back to her master with good news.

After walking for a while, they arrived at something like an underground lake.

Faint light filtered down from above, indicating a connection to the surface.

All the seawater had flowed here, and she could see ship debris and crates scattered about.

"It's morning. If we don't get out today, we'll miss our ride."

"The walls don't look climbable."

"Flight magic isn't exactly my strong suit…"

The cavern around the underground lake narrowed as it went up.

They could climb partway, but the slope grew too steep to continue.

While Alexia racked her brain, Azu broke the lock off one of the crates and opened it.

She'd hoped to find something useful, but it was full of pearls.

Not much help for escaping, though Yohane would certainly be thrilled.

Other crates held coral and gemstones.

The ship had apparently been carrying goods for export when it sank and wedged itself into that hole.

She looked for rope or cord, but nothing so convenient turned up.

Rope from the ship wreckage had deteriorated so badly it crumbled at a touch.

She was starting to think they'd have to stab their swords into the wall and climb when something surfaced from the underground lake.

Azu snatched up her sword and took a stance, but what emerged was a massive, long-necked creature.

Alexia moved into a combat posture as well, then relaxed a moment later.

There wasn't a shred of hostility from this creature.

After watching it for a while, Azu sheathed her sword again.

The creature studied Azu and Alexia, then looked upward.

It lowered its head close to the two of them and held perfectly still.

"Is it… telling us to get on?"

"That seems to be the case…? What even is this animal?"

Tense around the unfamiliar creature, they decided to trust its intentions.

Azu grabbed the crates and moved closer.

She met its gaze. Round, gentle eyes.

Not a trace of malice.

A world apart from the Kraken and Octopus, with their waves of hatred and killing intent.

It didn't flinch when she touched it, so she climbed onto its head.

Alexia climbed on first and pulled Azu up after her. Once both of them were settled on the creature's head, its neck rose swiftly toward the ceiling.

"Whoa, that's amazing."

"My, my."

In moments, they reached the opening where light streamed through.