We managed to persuade them and began the operation to lure it into the shallows.
The Ichthyocentaur Woman jumped and leaped on the water’s surface, trying to escape, but the distance between her and the Uduras pursuing from behind continued to shrink.
“Gulp, cough, a little faster…”
“I know, this is my full speed!”
The seawater crashed against my body like blades as I was tossed up and down. I could barely breathe, and my mouth was filled with nothing but water. Even when I managed to inhale, I would cough it all out. My hands, gripping her waist, were growing numb. My vision was blurred, and I didn’t even know where I was.
Somehow, I twisted my head back to look. A mouth filled with countless sharp fangs and burning black eyes filled with anger was right upon me. It was about to bite my tail fin.
“Come on, *gulp*, it’s coming…”
I tapped her back to let her know.
“Huff, puff, I know already.”
Running at full speed, her stamina surely wouldn’t last until the shallows. The shore was farther than I thought. Behind us, a large mouth opened with a roar. The dark depths of its throat looked like a fearsome darkness that would swallow everything. The thought of entering there and never coming back sent a chill down my spine. But in this situation, there was nothing I could do. If I was to be swallowed, I reached for my dagger, ready to strike back.
Just then, the large mouth closed, and its gaze shifted elsewhere. It stopped pursuing us. I tapped her back to alert her to the change.
“Huh? What? Why, ah…”
A harpoon was embedded in the Uduras’s shoulder. When my eyes followed its gaze, I saw several figures, similar to her and to me, nearby. The monster changed direction and headed towards them. I was grateful for the help, but this would not go according to plan.
“Hey! What are you doing? This is dangerous!”
We turned around all at once at a man’s voice from the front. One of her companions had come to help. It was here that I saw the full form of an Ichthyocentaur for the first time. As expected of a Centaur, they had the lower body of a horse, but their tail was like a fish’s, and they had fins on their forelegs and back.
Perhaps sensing I couldn’t breathe, she brought her face to the surface.
“I was trying to lead it to the shallows, but I’m at my limit.”
“The shallows? Why? We won’t be able to fight there either.”
“The humans…”
As she began to say this, the man sighed.
“No, no, we can’t rely on human help. Nothing good comes from associating with them. Look, you’re almost dead right now because of the human on your back.”
At his words, she fell silent. He urged her to let go of me and return to the water.
“Wait, a merman was suspected of a crime because of this monster. If I can prove it was its fault, the suspicion will be lifted.”
“What did you say? Merfolk shouldn’t appear before humans. No, you, human, get off here.”
His stubborn will gave me a headache. Why was he so obstinate? It was disadvantageous to fight underwater, and it was foreseeable that more sacrifices would be made. Before dealing with the monster, I had to figure out how to deal with the Ichthyocentaurs.
