Water Magician

“Three hours on this one road …”

We stayed overnight at the mansion and the group left for the fishing village the next morning.

They were scheduled to arrive three hours later early afternoon.

Even if the fishing village had already fallen into the hands of the Vampires, they planned to arrive at a time that would give them an advantage in the battle with the Strigoi …

“It’s really cloudy, isn’t it?”

Ryo says while looking up at the sky.

“That’s right … Graham, when it’s this cloudy, what is the Strigoi’s ability …”

“Their ability won’t drop at all. They will be able to fully demonstrate their strengths.”

Graham answered Hugh’s question with a bitter smile.

Hugh looked up at the cloudy sky begrudgingly and then turned his gaze back to Ryo.

“Ryo, how would you fight against the Strigoi?”

He probably didn’t mean anything in particular with that question.

However, when he heard the answer, he regretted asking.

“I would freeze the entire village. There is just the right magic called <Perma Frost> in Water-Attribute Magic …”

“Yeah, never do that. It’s a place that could still be under the direct control of the royal family. You look like you really would do that, so vicious.”

“Hugh asked and I made a perfect proposal, but for some reason, it was rejected.”

Ryo complained while walking with the three from Room 10.

“What kind of proposal?”

The gentle Etho asked.

“Good question. Hugh asked how I would fight the Strigoi, so I answered that I would freeze the entire village. I have the perfect magic for that. But for some reason, I shouldn’t use it …… But it’s very effective.”

Ryo shook his head many times and lamented the world’s impermanence.

“I would reply the same way as Guildmaster did. Freezing the entire village …”

“But by doing so, we won’t be counterattacked if the situation turns south?”

“If there are still people not turned into Strigoi …”

“It’s okay. They won’t die even if they are frozen, so there won’t be any problems if they are thawed properly!”

Ryo confidently stated.

“O-oh … right …”

Niels held his hand to his forehead and nodded a few times.

His face said, yes, Ryo was such a guy.

“Well, apart from freezing the whole village, if we confront the Strigoi, we have to somehow stop their movements. Their movement ability is far beyond that of humans.”

Etho thought about realistic measures.

“Before, when we did the quest in my village, Ryo cast something like an ice string that tied the monster’s hands and feet. Could you do that here?”

“If the opponent moves too fast, it may be extremely difficult.”

Niels remembered and proposed, but Ryo shook his head and denied it.

“That’s why the whole village …”

“Like I said, that’s not an option.”

Ryo’s re-suggestion was rejected by Niels instantly.

“Stopping a fast-moving opponent … that’s an eternal theme in battle.”

It was no longer a given that the youngest Amon would give the most solid opinion …

Ryo’s <Passive Sonar> responded when they were 30 minutes walk away from the fishing village.

Some presence were observing the party from a distance.

Ryo indirectly moved toward Hugh.

Hugh, who was walking while talking to Graham, noticed him.

“Hugh, there are scouts. Two.”

The report surprised Maurice, the Hero party’s Scout who was right behind him.

“No way?!”

“They are maintaining a distance of about 300 meters. I can tell with Water-Attribute Magic.”

Ryo casually appealed the excellence of Water-Attribute Magic.

“That’s incredible, Water-Attribute Magic…”

As Ryo expected, Scout Maurice was surprised and muttered.

“Well, having scouts mean that it’s more likely that the fishing village isn’t in a decent state. Perhaps all the villagers have already been turned into Strigoi.”

Hugh shook his head several times, frowning.

“Hey, Graham. Can those who have become Strigoi really not return to human?”

“Unfortunately, if a Vampire sucks more than a certain amount of blood, the target becomes a Strigoi. I also conducted experiments in the Western Countries, albeit inhumanely, in the past. Probably because the son of the royal family became a Strigoi. Many Strigoi were dissected, but they couldn’t be restored because their brain had degenerated. When the host Vampire died, its servants died with it. In addition to that kind of magical connection, there was also physical degeneration, so …”

Graham said with a regretful bitter expression.

“I see … it can’t be helped.”

Hugh said, stopped, and addressed the party.

“Listen everyone. When the Strigoi come, don’t hesitate to defeat them. Do not waver. Don’t forget that that hesitation might cause the death of your companions.”

He didn’t speak loudly.

However, that voice echoed heavily in the stomach of everyone listening.

His voice carried weight.

Thirty minutes later, the party arrived at the entrance square of the fishing village and saw a man about thirty years old sitting proudly in a chair wearing well-tailored clothes in the center.

Men and women accompanied his left and right sides … though they could no longer be said to be humans as they were probably Strigoi.

“We could have struck with surprise attacks. Vampires are foolish and honest, aren’t they?”

Ryo’s mutter was heard only by the neighboring Niels, but it was a secret that Niels shook his head while frowning.

It was the Vampire who started the conversation first.

“Did you finally come? It took an unexpected amount of time.”

It was a tone that sounded proud and condescending.

“Hoh, you know what we are here for?”

“Of course, to subjugate me. I’m elated to see reasonably strong adventurers.”

“It’s that, isn’t it. Strong humans become Strigoi with greater ability when converted, right?”

“You know us well.”

He must have been satisfied with Hugh’s answer. The Vampire replied with a laugh.

“To those I will convert, I shall name myself first. My name is Count Kalinikos Haskil.”

“Count …”

Graham’s mutter was so small that no one could hear it, but the impact he received was considerable.

The Western Countries have had fierce conflicts with Vampires in their history.

It was a long battle that went far beyond a thousand years.

However, it had died down over the last 100 years.

The reason was that the number of Vampires had decreased.

They didn’t know the reason.

What’s more, even the Viscount-class Vampires were rarely encountered, let alone the Count-class … generally.

There was a lot of information that wasn’t open to the public, but even Graham’s encounters with Counts could be counted, so this encounter could be said to be considered rare.

When subjugating Viscount-class and Count-class Vampires, a considerable amount of information must be collected in advance. However, they had no prior information this time …

Therefore, it was a fact that Graham felt a bit of anxiety even with humanity’s strongest fighting strength with him, a Hero and a hero of war.

“I don’t plan to be converted so I’m not going to name myself. I’m just an adventurer who came to subjugate a Vampire.”

Hugh then pulled out his sword.

With that as a signal, the vanguard, including Roman, pulled out their weapons and the rearguard raised their staves.

“Hmm. Then O unknown Strigoi, I will use you until you expire.”

When Vampire Kalinikos said that, the Strigoi started to move all at once.

Thus, the Vampire subjugation battle began in the fishing village, not in the originally envisioned forest.

The number of Strigoi roughly exceeded 60.

Half of them attacked all at once.

“Roman, we’ll subjugate the Vampire!”

Hugh then broke through the attacking Strigoi and ran towards the Vampire waiting at the rear.

Following him, Hero Roman also rushed in.

The remaining ten faced the Strigoi.

“<Stone Javelin>”

“<Air slash>”

“<Fire Javelin>”

Three Magicians of the Hero party shot attack magic one after another.

But …

“No way!”

“It won’t hit …”

“What is with that speed?”

All the attack magic spells that boast considerable speed were evaded.

Even in the Western Countries, the three had never had such an experience.

The final line of defense against the Strigoi approaching while dodging such magic spells were the two Swordsmen of Room 10, Niels and Amon.

Even though their sword strikes were also evaded, they used the small shield attached to their left hands well and clashed with the approaching Strigoi.

Under such circumstances, it was Enchanter Ash Khan and Scout Maurice who could keep up with the Strigoi’s speed.

Their speed had been raised by the enchantment <Party Haste>, and they were originally confident in speed.

Little by little, they were dealing damage to the Strigoi.

What was Ryo doing in the meantime?

Of course, he wasn’t slacking off and he used Ice Walls to protect Etho and Graham, the last rearguards in the backline, and Rashata, the Folklore Officer who did not participate in the battle.

In the meantime, he tried to bind the fast-moving Strigoi with <Ice Bind> but …

“Creation is not in time …”

Ryo’s Ice Bind creation already took less than a second.

It was in the realm of a few zero commas, but he still couldn’t catch them.

“Perhaps I can’t make it in time because I create it by perceiving and following with my eyes?”

The viewing angle of humans was only 35 degrees on the right side and 35 degrees on the left side when looking directly in front, for a total of 70 degrees.

By turning the head, it would exceed 100 degrees on each side, but he couldn’t afford to turn his head to follow the speed of the Strigoi.

“If I could follow them with something other than my eyes …”

Passive sonar and active sonar were by no means fast in terms of recognition speed.

Something more direct, perhaps some part of the Strigoi’s body … for example, if he could capture the water in the Strigoi’s body …

However, it was currently impossible for Ryo to perceive the water in the body of the person who he had contacted and searched, not to mention one that was moving around in front of him.

“If they get it wet with the water I made … will it work?”

Etho and Graham, who were right next to him, noticed that Ryo was muttering to himself.

Both of them gave instructions in a timely manner … especially, Graham who gave instructions to all the party members except Roman who was on the front line, as they glanced at Ryo’s situation.

Ryo whispered to Graham softly.

“It will rain for a moment.”

He didn’t need to tell Etho anymore. The three from Room 10 already recognize that if it had something to do with water or ice, it was Ryo.

They won’t be surprised anymore … probably.

However, the unaccustomed Hero party was different.

For that reason, he informed Graham, but Ryo had already chanted before Graham responded.

“<Squall>”

It really rained all over the area for a moment.

The rain was barely on the front line where Roman and Hugh were fighting, but the rearguard and the surrounding Strigoi were soaked.

The number of Strigoi who were heading for the rearguard, which was about thirty at first, had increased to fifty before they knew it.

But all of them got soaked.

Ryo could magically perceive anyone who got wet with 『Ryo’s water』 regardless of his vision of them.

To be precise, he didn’t perceive the Strigoi but perceived the 『water』 that clung to the Strigoi.

Perceive the 『water』 and imagine it freezing.

“<Freeze>”

The water on the surface of the Strigoi began to freeze. The moisture in the air stuck to that initial crystal and the ice expanded. In an instant, fifty Strigoi were covered in ice and slowed down.

Of course, the Hero party did not miss such a chance, nor did the two vanguard members of Room 10, who had gained experience.

Gradually, the heads of the Strigoi who couldn’t move well were removed.

“It somehow worked out …?”

All fifty ice-covered Strigoi were decapitated and Niels finally spat out those words.

The battle of the rearguard was settled, but the real battle was not over.

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