"How could it be a long-range attack?"

"The dead lake lord has never demonstrated any long-range attacks!"

"Could it be... that this is a power unique to females?"

Aluka stared intently at the lake lord, who was clearly charging up its attack.

Lightning flickered, its aim locked on Rod and Tia, who were floating in the sky above.

At that distance and with the poor mobility of floating magic… there was no way they could avoid it.

Rod and Tia realized this as well, their faces turning visibly pale.

As for Tia, she didn't know any defensive magic at all!

So now, it had to be...

"Oh merciful Mother of the Earth, grant me the power of your protection!"

Aluka poured her magic into her wand recklessly, constructing a spell at the fastest speed of her life.

Fortunately, she made it in time.

Before the blinding lightning reached them, a yellowish earthen shield materialized in front of Rod and Tia, blocking the lightning!

But...

"So strong..."

Aluka gripped her wand tightly, the veins bulging on her slender hands. If there were a mirror in front of her now, she knew her face would look twisted and terrifying!

The lake lord's lightning wasn't a single burst—it was a continuous attack!

It was like a laser, relentlessly assaulting the hastily constructed shield.

"What kind of... biological power generator is this?"

Aluka felt her magic draining away at a rapid rate. At this pace, she wouldn't last long!

"Ah!"

As Aluka's head began to throb from the rapid depletion of her magic, she suddenly heard Tia's scream.

The sound startled her so much that she almost jumped, thinking to herself that perhaps a third lake lord had appeared. Were these magical beasts really that creative?

A three way?

Fortunately, it wasn't a third lake lord.

Instead, a stray arc of lightning had suddenly bypassed the shield and struck Tia's delicate face, leaving a clear scorched mark.

"Ah, my face!"

Feeling the sting on her face, Tia pulled out a small mirror to check. Her face immediately darkened.

Her once fair and beautiful face had been marred like this—how could she face anyone now?

"Aluka, can't you be a little more useful?"

Tia shrieked angrily,

"With my face like this, how are you going to compensate me?"

"Now... is... not... the time... to be discussing... this!"

Aluka gritted her teeth and said,

"I'm already... doing my... best... okay?"

How dare you! You're the one who never bothered to learn even a single defensive spell, and now you're blaming me?

I don't have the time to care about your disgusting face right now!

"Stop pretending to be some frail maiden. You were clearly able to block attacks of this level before with ease."

Tia snorted coldly.

"I think you're just jealous of me and did it on purpose."

"..."

How dare she say that?

Even while under my protection, how could she say such things?

Isn't she afraid that I'll cancel the shield and let the lake lord kill her?

Ah,

No, I can't.

Rod is still here.

I'm a soft, cute, and kindhearted girl—how could I do something so cruel?

...

But, really... can't I?

...

"I'm... at my limit..."

"Huh? What are you saying?"

"My magic... is almost gone."

In Tia's horrified gaze, the yellowish earthen shield that had been blocking the deadly lightning began to shrink.

The shield, which had originally protected two people, shrank smaller and smaller. Now, instead of just occasional stray arcs of lightning hitting Tia, scattered bolts of lightning grazed her body, leaving numerous scorched marks in an instant.

"Wait, Aluka, I was just joking earlier! I didn't mean to blame you. Don't do this..."

Feeling the approaching threat of death, Tia immediately panicked and began to beg Aluka for mercy, as if her earlier arrogant tantrum had been nothing but everyone else's misunderstanding.

Hmph, as expected of a lowly bitch. Not even a shred of dignity.

There's no way Rod would ever like a person like you.

Aluka thought gleefully to herself.

Still, she had no real intention of using this opportunity to kill Tia—just to teach her a lesson.

Besides, her magic really was almost at its limit.

"Tia... don't worry... I'll try harder... I definitely... won't let anything... happen to you..."

The shield's shrinking stopped, stabilizing at a size that adequately protected Rod while allowing occasional stray lightning to hit Tia now and then.

Listening to Tia's intermittent screams, Aluka felt her magic flow more smoothly.

However, what Aluka failed to notice was a sudden glimmer of humanlike mischief in the lake lord's eyes as it watched the scene below.

Boom!

A sudden burst of scarlet lightning erupted, completely different from before.

The shockwave from the explosion shook the shield. Aluka instinctively poured more magic into it.

But this sudden escalation caught her entirely off guard. With her magic already running low, this additional drain made her feel like her head had been struck by a hammer, with her eyes blazing and her head ringing in the ears.

Amid the haze, she saw a figure flying through the air.

That was...

Tia?

Aluka's eyes widened abruptly.

Yes, it was Tia!

The shockwave from the explosion had sent Tia flying.

"Tia, use your floating magic!"

Aluka shouted at Tia.

Yet, there was no response—Tia's eyes were closed as if she had been knocked unconscious by the blast.

"How could this happen..."

Aluka's face turned pale.

She hadn't expected the lake lord to suddenly change tactics. Caught off guard, even Rod, who was nearby, didn’t have time to react.

But now, she had no magic left to cast a second spell; she couldn't save Tia.

Then again, even if Tia did fall, it would only be into the water, so her life wouldn’t be immediate…

But that hopeful thought was crushed almost as soon as it surfaced.

Because she saw the lake lord suddenly halt its attack.

Then, it aimed its horn at Tia.

Lightning began to flicker once more.

The charge was beginning.

"Shit..."

Aluka's mind went blank.

She couldn’t think of any way to save Tia. The lake lord had planned this all along, and it would never let this opportunity go.

Tia was going to die.

"Huh?"

"Shouldn't I feel happy now?"

...

Of course.

...

"Tia!"

Suddenly, Aluka heard someone shout. Her gaze instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.

And then, she saw it—Rod had abandoned the protection of her shield and leapt towards Tia.

"Ah."

It felt as though a knife had been driven into her heart.

"Why?"

"Rod, are you insane?"

"Why are you saving that bitch..."

Aluka wanted to scream these questions, but when the words reached her lips, they dissolved into weak quivers.

The teasing in the lake lord's eyes grew. It was waiting.

Waiting for Rod to reach Tia.

So, it could take them both down with a single blow.