Should I Be Happy?

“How can it be a ranged attacker?!”

“The last one never used a single ranged attack! Not one!”

“Don’t tell me this is some kind of special power unique to the female of the species?!”

Elka stared, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and disbelief, at the Lake Lord, which was clearly gathering an immense amount of power. A blinding, crackling lightning was coalescing around its horn, aimed directly at Rod and Tia, who were still floating helplessly in the air. At that distance, and with the notoriously poor maneuverability of a levitation spell… there was absolutely no time to dodge.

Rod and Tia had realized this as well, their faces turning a deathly shade of pale. As for Tia, she didn’t know a single defensive spell.

Therefore, it was all up to her…

“Benevolent Mother Earth, I beseech you, grant me your sacred power of protection!”

Elka poured her mana into her wand with a desperate, reckless abandon, constructing the magic circle at the fastest speed of her entire life.

Thankfully, she made it.

Just before the blinding, world-ending bolt of lightning struck, a shield of earthy yellow light materialized in front of Rod and Tia, absorbing the full force of the attack.

But…

“It’s so strong…”

Elka clutched her wand, the veins on her slender hands bulging with the sheer effort of maintaining the spell. If there were a mirror in front of her right now, she knew her face would be a mask of pure, straining ferocity. The Lake Lord’s lightning wasn’t a single shot; it was a continuous, unrelenting, soul-crushing beam! Like a laser from the depths of hell, it hammered against the shield she had so hastily erected.

What is this thing… an organic generator?!

Elka could feel her mana being drained at an alarming, catastrophic rate. At this pace, she wouldn’t be able to hold on for long.

“Ah!”

Just as her head began to throb from the rapid mana consumption, she heard Tia let out a piercing shriek. The sound startled her, and for a horrifying, absurd moment, she thought a third Lake Lord had appeared. Are all magical beasts into this kind of thing? A threesome?

Thankfully, it wasn’t a third monster. It was just a stray arc of lightning that had bypassed the shield and struck Tia squarely on the cheek, leaving a clear, black, and very ugly scorch mark.

“Ah! My face!”

Feeling the sharp, stinging pain, Tia pulled out a small hand mirror. The moment she saw her reflection, her expression turned thunderous. Her beautiful, pale, and perfect face had been marred. How could she possibly show herself to anyone like this?

“Elka, can’t you be a little more useful?!” Tia shrieked, her voice full of rage. “My face is ruined! How are you going to compensate me for this?!”

“Is… now… really… the… time… for that?!” Elka gritted her teeth, the words forced out through sheer, agonizing effort. “I’m… already… giving it… my all… you know?!”

You’re the one who didn’t bother to learn a single defensive spell in your entire life, and you have the audacity to blame me?! I don’t have the time or the energy to worry about your stupid, disgusting face right now!

“Stop pretending to be so weak! You easily blocked attacks of this level before,” Tia snorted, completely oblivious to the strain Elka was under. “I bet you’re just jealous of me and did this on purpose.”

“…” How. Dare. She. Say. That?

She was still standing under the protection of her shield! How could she say something so vile, so ungrateful? Was she not afraid that Elka would just dispel the shield and let the Lake Lord blast her into a pile of smoking ash?

Ah, no. I can’t do that.

Rod is still there.

And I’m supposed to be a sweet, kind, and gentle girl. I can’t do something so wicked.

…

Or… can I?

…

“I… I can’t… hold on… much longer…”

“Eh? What did you say?”

“My mana… it’s almost gone.”

Before Tia’s horrified eyes, the earthy yellow shield that was protecting them from the fatal lightning beam began to shrink. The shield, which had once been large enough to comfortably cover both of them, grew smaller and smaller. Now, it wasn’t just stray arcs of lightning that were getting through; it was a constant, searing barrage that seared new, painful scorch marks all over her body.

“Wait, Elka! I was just joking! I didn’t mean to blame you! Please, don’t do this…”

Feeling the very real, very imminent threat of death creeping closer, Tia instantly panicked and began to beg for mercy, her earlier arrogance completely, and pathetically, forgotten.

Hmph. As expected of a lowly b*tch. Not an ounce of dignity.

Rod would never fall for someone like you.

A sliver of dark, delicious satisfaction bloomed in Elka’s heart.

However, she had no real intention of actually killing Tia. She just wanted to teach her a lesson.

And besides, her mana really was almost completely gone.

“Tia… don’t worry… I’ll try my best… I… won’t let anything… happen to you…”

The shield stopped shrinking, stabilizing at a size that was just large enough to perfectly protect Rod, while still allowing Tia to be occasionally, and painfully, grazed by the lightning. Listening to Tia’s intermittent, satisfying screams of pain, Elka felt the flow of her own mana become much, much smoother.

But in that moment of petty triumph, she didn’t notice the look in the eyes of the Lake Lord below. A look of cold, calculating, and disturbingly human-like cunning.

BOOM!

A bolt of lightning, completely different from the ones before, this one a blazing, explosive crimson, suddenly detonated against the shield. The force of the blast made the shield waver violently, and Elka instinctively poured more of her precious, dwindling mana into it to stabilize it.

But the attack was too sudden. With her mana already so depleted, this sudden, massive drain was too much. She felt as if a giant, invisible hammer had slammed into her skull. Her vision swam with black spots, and a loud, piercing ringing filled her ears.

Through her blurry, fading vision, she saw a figure being thrown through the air.

Was that…

Tia?

Elka’s eyes widened in horror.

Yes, it was Tia. The concussive shockwave from the explosion had sent her flying out from behind the now-tiny shield.

“Tia, use your levitation spell!” Elka screamed, her voice hoarse.

But there was no response. Tia’s eyes were closed. It seemed the shockwave had knocked her unconscious.

“How could this happen…”

Elka’s face was as pale as a sheet. She hadn’t expected the Lake Lord to suddenly change its attack. It had happened so fast that even Rod, who was right next to her, probably hadn’t had time to react. And now, she didn’t have enough mana to cast two spells at once. She couldn’t save her.

No, wait. Even if she falls, she’ll just land in the water. She won’t be in any immediate danger…

But that naive, hopeful thought was instantly, brutally crushed by the cold, hard reality of the situation.

Because she saw the Lake Lord suddenly stop its attack.

And then, it turned its horn… toward the helpless, falling Tia.

The lightning began to crackle again, gathering its terrible power.

“It’s over.”

Elka’s mind went completely, utterly blank. She couldn’t think of any way to save Tia. The Lake Lord had planned this. It wouldn’t give up this golden opportunity.

Tia was going to die.

“Huh?”

“Should I be happy about this?”

…

Of course.

…

“TIA!”

Elka suddenly heard a desperate, heart-wrenching roar. Her gaze snapped to the source of the sound.

And then she saw it.

Rod, abandoning the safety of her shield, had leaped out into the open, diving after Tia.

“Ah.”

It felt like a physical knife had just been plunged deep into her heart.

“Why?”

“Rod, are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Why are you saving that b*tch…”

Elka wanted to scream these words, to let out all the ugly, jealous feelings that were tearing her apart, but they caught in her throat, turning into nothing more than a powerless, trembling of her lips.

The look of cold, reptilian cunning in the Lake Lord’s eyes deepened. It was waiting.

Waiting for Rod to reach Tia.

So that it could kill two birds with one stone.