TYBMB 19

Chapter 19: An Unexpected Rescue

January 19, 2024

Just before the monster’s body could fall back onto the water’s surface, I swiftly retrieved my sword and distanced myself from it.

SPLASH!!

Had I stayed any closer, I really would have lost consciousness this time.

I landed on solid ground before the monster could resurface.

Immediately, Karl came running toward me.

“Vice-Captain! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine. It’s almost over. Its nape is frozen—it won’t last long. But before the monster comes back up, use your ability quickly.”

Karl promptly summoned his power.

Soon, a white, warm orb of light began to rise from his hands.

The glowing orb floated gently toward me and was absorbed into my body.

My condition began to recover at an astonishing rate.

The shoulder that ached from slamming into the water and the dizziness clouding my head both quickly faded.

This was Karl’s healing ability—
A power that miraculously heals living beings at rapid speed with the white orbs he generates.

While being treated by Karl, I kept glancing toward the surface of the water.

I thought the monster would poke its head up again soon, but contrary to expectations, the water remained calm.

Had it retreated underwater again…?

If I could use the same item as before, that would’ve helped—but unfortunately, the one I used earlier had been my last.

Rare items like that weren’t easy to come by in multiples.

Which meant, in the end, there was only one option left.

“I think I’ll have to go into the water myself.”

“You, Vice-Captain?!”

Startled, Karl’s voice rose in alarm. I explained why there was no other choice.

“That monster is more cautious than we thought. And now that it’s wounded, it won’t easily surface. I’ll have to go in after it.”

“What if we lure it out with an item like before…?”

“That was the last one I had. I don’t carry around several of those precious items.”

Hearing that, Karl’s eyes twisted in distress.

He was always smiling, so seeing that expression felt strange.

It probably meant he was seriously worried about my safety.

With my still-wet hand, I reached out and ruffled Karl’s red hair.

“I’ll be fine. If I can stab it once more underwater, it’s my win.”

“…Still, it’s dangerous. Taking on an aquatic-type monster underwater—how is that not asking to die?”

“Karl.”

At the calm call of his name, Karl fell silent.

I used that pause to continue in a low, steady voice.

“I’ve survived this long through sheer stubbornness. I’ve nearly been burned alive by monsters, crushed to death, and even poisoned—not that you’d know. But I’m still alive. That means my life is incredibly persistent.”

I withdrew my hand from his hair.

And with that hand, I gripped my sword again.

“Watch closely. See how I’ve survived until now. And how I’ll survive from now on.”

My firm stance left Karl with no more arguments.

Leaving him and his still-worried expression behind, I slowly walked toward the water’s edge.

There were no signs of the monster beneath the surface.

But it wasn’t dead.

It was likely holding its breath, waiting for me to walk right in.

Even knowing that, I had no other choice, so I took one slow step after another.

Splash, splash.

Before long, the water reached my calves.

But I kept walking.

When the water reached my waist, I leaned forward and looked beneath the surface.

And that’s when it happened.

“……!!”

Someone grabbed me by the back of the neck with strong, unrelenting force and yanked me out of the water.

“Puh…! Cough, cough…!”

The shock made me swallow a bit of water.

I quickly turned to see who had grabbed me.

The roughness of the grip had made me doubt it was Karl—and sure enough…

It wasn’t him.

“C-Captain?!”

The one who had hauled me out by the scruff of my neck—was none other than our Captain, who shouldn’t even be here.

I didn’t even have time to process the situation.

Still holding me, he dragged me back to land.

He looked angry—just as I suspected—because once we reached dry ground, he practically dropped me onto the sandy shore.

“Have you gone mad?”

“Captain, why are you here?”

“That’s not what matters right now, is it?”

After saying that, the Captain crouched down on one knee to meet my eye level.

Then, with clear frustration, he scolded me.

“You need to stop being so reckless. Do you have a death wish? You knew the monster was waiting under the water and still went in?”

“So… you were watching nearby?”

Judging by his knowledge of the underwater monster, it seemed he had seen my fight.

The Captain nodded without hesitation.

“Yeah, I watched. You went charging in, all confident like you had everything under control, so I thought I’d observe how well you fought. But when I saw your dumb self walking right into the water, I couldn’t just stand by anymore.”

It seemed he was furious that a vice-captain would act so recklessly.

Still, I felt a little unfairly blamed, so I timidly offered a rebuttal.

“I had no other choice. I couldn’t just wait endlessly for it to surface…”

“Of course you had a choice. You could’ve come back to me and asked for help.”

“But there wasn’t enough time—”

“Enough. No more excuses.”

He cut me off with that one sentence.

Then he added:

“Never act alone like that again. That’s not a request—it’s an order.”

I knew he was worried, and that he was angry because he was worried.

But cutting me off before I could explain—it felt unfair.

“…I admit my methods were a bit reckless. And as per your order, I’ll try to avoid solo action in the future. But I can’t agree with your point that I should’ve asked for help.”

“……”

“Even if I had asked for help, someone still needed to go into the water. That explosive item we used earlier was the last one. To defeat the monster hiding underwater, diving in was the only option.”

The Captain stared silently at me for a moment, then finally spoke.

“Do you really believe someone had to go underwater? I disagree.”

“…? Do you have another plan?”

“I’m confident there’s a better option than jumping into the monster’s territory like a fool.”

“……”

Then the Captain walked toward the water’s edge.

He began inspecting the soil and surrounding rocks.

I couldn’t help but ask:

“What are you doing?”

“Checking the terrain. I need to understand how this oasis formed.”

“…?”

Even after that cryptic remark, he kept inspecting the ground for a while.

Curious, I quietly waited to see what he was trying to do.

After quite a bit of time, he finally spoke to Karl and me.

“This oasis wasn’t formed by groundwater. You can tell from the surrounding soil and rock. It either formed from rainwater pooling, or the monster down there used its ability to create it.”

“Which means…”

“The oasis is small—and the amount of water is limited.”

At that point, I started to understand what he was planning.

“…Don’t tell me you’re going to use your flame ability to boil all of this water?”

“Your deduction skills are decent—for someone who almost walked straight to their death.”

“That’s not funny. Even if the water’s limited, boiling this much would take enormous power. You’ll collapse from overexertion.”

Despite my concern, the Captain didn’t react much.

He only said this:

“I’ll stop if it feels like I’m going to collapse.”

“……”

“Karl. If you notice signs of overexertion, use your healing ability immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

With Karl’s enthusiastic reply, the Captain placed his hand into the water.

He really meant to boil the entire oasis.

But that would require tremendous strength—far more likely for him to collapse before the monster ever surfaced, half-cooked.

I tried to stop him—but he cut me off first.

“What, worried I’ll keel over? Don’t be. Just watch from the side.”