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Rising from the bubbling pool of Alkahest was a massive creature—just its head alone looked to be at least twenty mertes in diameter. It had a smooth, slimy surface, a round head, disproportionately small, beady eyes, and a huge mouth that stretched all the way to where a human’s ears would be—though it lacked any visible nose or ears. Despite that, it still had a strangely humanoid appearance.

“A sea monk?!” I shouted.
“Octo-monk?!” said Cestlavie.
“Then I’m saying three-day monk!!” chimed in Coppelia.

““You don’t need to top every single joke!!”” We both yelled in unison.

Still, this was no time to be cracking wise.

The sheer size of the creature had sent ripples across the surface of the pool—no, more like a tidal wave. A wave of that vividly colored liquid surged toward us, easily taller than a full-grown person.

If that stuff could disintegrate a cotton towel instantly, who knew what it would do to bare skin? We were definitely not eager to find out.

“I’m raising a barrier! Cestlavie!”
“Got it!”

Acting on reflex, Cestlavie immediately tossed a talisman onto the hard stone floor.

“「O Mother Earth, open your bosom and transform at my behest」—「Stone Kabah」”

Around us, the ground rose in a two-mertes radius, forming an earthen wall twice the height of a person to block the oncoming wave.

At a glance, the height and thickness seemed sufficient, but—

“That might not be enough. The danger of a tsunami isn’t just its height but the sheer volume of water behind it. It might still breach us. In that case—
「Let the violent waters be repelled」—「Aqua Shield!」”

Raising my magic staff—Ari Di Luce, a gift from Dr. Victor during the fight with Igoronak—I created a second high-pressure water barrier that completely encircled us on top of the Stone Kasbah, sealing us off from all sides.

“And do Coppelia too, please, Cestlavie.”
“Ugh, such a hassle. She’s waterproof anyway, and it’s not like she can drown…”

Muttering complaints, but ultimately unwilling to leave her behind, Cestlavie threw a few talismans toward Coppelia, who was standing a bit apart near the edge of the pool.

Of course, the water barrier was momentarily lifted to allow the talismans through.

Flick—yoink.

As one talisman spun through the air, Coppelia casually caught it and crumpled it into a ball before tossing it away. The motion was so smooth and natural, I was momentarily speechless.

“…What are you doing, Coppelia!?”

“Oh? The pleb tried to sneak-attack me during the confusion, so I intercepted it. Obviously.”

She tilted her head innocently, as if to say, “What’s the issue?”

“It was a protection talisman!!”
“Really? But one of them had lightning magic on it.”

Indeed, the crumpled talisman on the floor sparked like a firework, giving off crackling bursts.

“…”

I looked at Cestlavie, who said:

“Oh yeah, you’re right. I tossed in the wrong one by mistake. Whoops. Sorry, Coppelia.”

He apologized in a tone entirely devoid of remorse. Honestly, the two of them might have better telepathy than Cestlavie and I do… albeit in the opposite direction.

“I am not ‘Coppelia’—I am Miss Coppelia to you, plebeian! When you say ‘Miss,’ you must also offer inner reverence from the bottom of your heart! If you please—Miss Coppelia divine bles—URK! glug glug—”

And then the wave hit.

While we remained untouched thanks to our double-layered barrier, the unguarded, overly theatrical Coppelia got swept away, slammed into the wall, and was then dragged backward by the undertow.

“BYAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaAAAaaaaaaa…!!”

She vanished into the pool with a splash.

““……””
When the waters finally settled, all that remained above the surface was her lower body—legs pointed skyward, like some weird fountain statue.

Black lace panties.

“…Why are you pounding the floor like that?”
“I’m just lamenting my own inadequacy at not being able to save Coppelia!”

Yes. That’s all it is. It definitely wasn’t an explosion of pent-up emotions, a sense of defeat, crisis, or anger at seeing someone I’d never paid any attention to get further in romance than I ever was.

Or rather, how could I let myself be much worse at being a woman than her?!?

“You sure?”
“I’m absolutely sure!!”

Sensing that this was a conversational minefield, Cestlavie quietly dissolved the earthen wall, returning it to floor level.

And just then—

“What was that noise?! Are you all right?!”

Colin and Regulus—who’d been waiting outside—rushed in. Judging from their dry clothes, the wave hadn’t reached that far.

I’d hoped they’d stay in hiding until everything was over, but curiosity clearly got the better of Colin the journalist, and Regulus was practically imprinted on me like a baby chick. The commotion must’ve been too much to resist.

They relaxed in relief when they saw we were all safe…ish—
Until their eyes fell on it, still floating in the pool.

“What the heck is that giant catfish thing?!”
“Looks like some sort of amphibian to me.”
“To me, it’s clearly the boss of the wastebeasts. What say you, My Princess?”

The creature—still mostly floating—looked to be a good fifty to sixty mertes long. All the guys began speculating about its identity.

When Regulus asked me directly, I gave my impression based on appearance alone:

“To me, it looks like a whale…”

The three boys—mountain folk, all—had likely never seen one in real life. But its size and shape definitely resembled a whale. That is, if you ignore the pink color, gill-like organs, and the feeler protruding from its head like an anglerfish’s lure.

“Never seen a whale, but damn, it’s huge. Not sure how much good talismans are going to do…”

Talisman in hand, Cestlavie assumed a battle stance. Regulus began gathering magical energy. Even Sechs, the feathered cat, appeared, hissing protectively in front of Colin.

“—Whooooa… that was close. If my Morning Star hadn’t shielded me, I’d be toast.”

Just then, Coppelia rebooted and climbed out of the pseudo-Alkahel pool. Frankly, I don’t think her survival had anything to do with the Morning Star. More importantly—she was practically nose-to-nose with the gigantic creature. Not that she realized it yet, since her back was turned.

“Behind you. Behind you!”
“Coppelia! Turn around! Slowly!”

The creature hadn’t made a move yet, but if it wanted to, it could gulp her down in one bite. We kept our voices low to avoid provoking it, while trying to warn her.

“???” With a clueless look, Coppelia tilted her head in confusion.

Seriously, this girl… Why is her response time so slow for an automaton? We said “behind you.” You’d think she’d at least turn mechanically!

“What’s behind me, Lady Clara? Also, pleb?”
“Just turn around slowly. Your back facing us.”
“Why would I take orders from a lowlife like—oh, wait, I got it☆”

Oh no. She absolutely does not have it.

“You just want a better look at my wet, see-through underwear, don’t you? Well, too bad!”
“No, that’s not it at all!!”

Just as Cestlavie hissed a whisper-shout, the abomination began to crawl out of the pool like a giant seal.

“—Ooh? Oooh? Ohhhhh?!”

Finally sensing something was off from the sound and movement, Coppelia turned around…

…and found herself face-to-face with the towering pink flesh-wall that was the creature’s face.

“Plebeian No. 2!”
“……Huh? Me?! Is it me?!”

Catching everyone’s attention, Colin finally realized he was the one being addressed—unfortunately.

“Rejoice! Mission complete! Since you were looking for Eighette, here she is right in front of you!”
“Are your eyes made of wood?! That’s not Maria Lou, that’s a go̲d̲d̲a̲m̲n̲ monster!”

Colin finally snapped and screamed at her.

But then, the monster’s mouth opened, and from within, cradled in the arms of a golem maid, emerged a familiar figure. It was Eighette, also known as Maria Lou.

“Maria Lou!”

Colin cried out, overwhelmed with emotion. Maria Lou stared back, her expression a complex mix of joy and sorrow.

“…I never imagined you’d make it this far, Colin.”