I Became a Raid Boss

“Hm…”

I leaned halfway over the railing and looked outside. As I was watching the heads floating on the sea, which had darkened since earlier, Da-eun gently wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Be careful. You might fall if you’re not careful.”

“Yeah.”

Even if I did fall, I wouldn’t get hurt, but there was no need to coldly dismiss someone who was concerned for me. After all, we weren’t complete strangers.

Anyway…

The sea looked more black than blue now, with long hair floating like seaweed, giving it an eerie feel. I understood why Da-eun said what she did.

“They’re really ugly, aren’t they?”

“Gasp… That’s too harsh…”

“I mean, that’s too harsh to say.”

“…Was I too harsh?”

“Of course! Even if it’s a monster, calling it ugly right to its face would hurt its feelings. Even if it’s true…”

“That would probably hurt them more.”

And wasn’t Da-eun the one who first called them ugly?

I turned to look at her with that thought in mind, and she must have realized it too, because she quickly avoided my gaze.

To be honest, there are many monsters uglier than a siren. Including the creatures from the Abyss. Yet, the reason why the sirens seem so hideous is probably because they resemble humans in a disturbing way. When you see something trying to imitate humans poorly, it stirs an unsettling feeling inside.

I feel like there was a specific term for that, but I can’t quite remember.

After looking down at the grotesque, disfigured faces covered in scales, I lost interest and pulled my body back inside the ship. Along with that, I also removed Da-eun’s hands, which were still holding onto my waist.

I ignored the slightly disappointed look on her face.

“Their voices may be captivating, but with faces like that, anyone lured by their song would probably run away screaming once they saw them.”

“Didn’t you just tell me I was being harsh earlier?”

“Well… it’s true. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere near them.”

“Hm, that’s true.”

It was funny how she was now making superficial judgments about appearances after lecturing me, but I agreed with her. Seeing their sharp fins and fish-like teeth glint in the light, anyone about to throw themselves into the sea under their spell would probably snap out of it real quick. ℟ἈɴоＢƐs̈

“Siren songs are imbued with mana that ensnares the mind… People who fall for it forget themselves and blindly chase after the melody.”

“Huh? But we’re fine, aren’t we?”

“We’re supposed to be.”

I pointed to the ring glinting on Da-eun’s finger.

“Do you know how expensive that magical artifact is? If it couldn’t even block a siren’s attack, we’d have already turned the ship around and headed straight back to Baltora.”

And I’d have to grab Brondin by the collar and slam him into the ground. Luckily, since the artifact was holding up against the mana, it didn’t come to that.

“Kana, did you already know about sirens?”

“Yeah, but this is my first time seeing one in person.”

Sirens are sea monsters, so it’s only natural that I, who lives on land, wouldn’t have encountered them before.

“Mm-hmm! Kana, you’re certainly more grounded than most people.”

“…I’ll ask before I hit you. What do you mean by that?”

“…Eh, you’re really going to hit me?”

Da-eun may act a bit silly at times, but she’s actually very pretty. Now, here she was, on her knees, looking up at me with pitiful eyes and acting all cutesy.

I shook my head at Da-eun, who was shrinking away from me.

She let out a sigh of relief.

“I won’t hit you. I’ll just throw you into the sea.”

“Eh?”

“What nonsense.”

Since Da-eun seemed to be spouting nonsense after being mesmerized by the Sirens’ song, wouldn’t it be proper to send her over to them?

At my added words, Da-eun peeked out over the side of the boat. The Sirens were still circling the boat, as if beckoning her to join them.

One of the Sirens locked eyes with Da-eun.

“…”

…

Sirens are monsters hostile to humans. So it’s not strange that they would look at us with animosity.

Shhh!

“Eeek?!”

But even considering that, the Siren seemed particularly hostile towards Da-eun. One of the Sirens waved its arms menacingly, causing Da-eun to instinctively pull her head back like a turtle…

Just as she was about to pull back, I grabbed her, and her body lunged forward over the railing.

“Kyaaaa! Kana’s trying to kill me!”

“Your friends are waiting for you. Hurry and go to them.”

“I was wrong! I made a mistake, please spare me!”

“Oh? I thought you liked the sea more than the land?”

I thought she preferred the sea, considering she said I was closer to the land. Why does she dislike it so much?

I stopped teasing her halfway, and Da-eun sighed in relief. The Sirens, who had been circling the boat, disappointed that their prey had escaped, withdrew their arms.

…What were they even doing?

Did they really think I’d throw Da-eun overboard?

The world’s gone mad.

“Would you like to go on your own, or should I…?”

Srrring

At the mere sight of my sword, the Sirens quickly scattered. I hadn’t even attacked, let alone properly threatened them, but Da-eun looked on in quiet awe at how they dispersed like ants.

“You’re so charismatic…”

I awkwardly sheathed my sword, which I had been prepared to swing if they didn’t leave peacefully.

…Now they were fleeing as if I had done something terrible.

But I hadn’t done anything.

It was nice not to have to move around much, but I felt a little uneasy and absentmindedly fiddled with my sword.

They weren’t out of range yet… maybe I should…?

“Kana, you’re not thinking something bad, are you?”

“No.”

I immediately denied it, but Da-eun didn’t seem to believe me.

…I’m telling the truth, why doesn’t she believe me?

I pouted, feeling wronged for the first time in a while.

“They’re monsters that are harmful to humans, so it’s not bad to deal with them. It’s a good deed.”

“Well, you’re not wrong… But if you promise to spare them and then attack, wouldn’t that be cruel? It goes against the spirit of fair play…”

“…Fair play? This isn’t a duel.”

“I don’t mean literally fighting fair. I just mean it feels wrong…”

“You feel guilty about the strangest things. And besides, I never said I’d spare them.”

I never promised not to attack them if they left peacefully.

So, technically, I wouldn’t be breaking any agreement.

“…Is that so?”

Da-eun tilted her head, half in doubt, but seemed to accept my reasoning.

“That does make sense…”

“Of course. Unlike some people, I don’t spout nonsense.”

“As expected of you, Kana! …But who exactly were you referring to when you said ‘some people’?”

“Artisha, I have something to ask you.”

“Um, Kana? Why are you ignoring me?”

“Yeah….what is it?”

“Heyyyy~? Can’t you hear meee~? Ka… ouff!”

“Geez, seriously.”

She’s being a real nuisance.

I pushed Da-eun away as she shoved her face into mine and continued the conversation with Artisha.

“Were Sirens always living in this area?”

“I don’t know… I’ve never had a reason to come out this far… Or do you want to hear about when I first arrived…?”

“When was that?”

“Probably over ten years ago….”

“Then never mind.”

They say ten years is enough time for everything to change.

Unless it’s a powerful and long-living monster like a Dragon, I doubt an intermediate monster like a Siren would stay in one place for that long.

So, hearing about when Artisha crossed over to the Ardina Continent wouldn’t be of much help.

“But why are you asking all of a sudden…?”

Sirens live in a sea where Magi flows so thickly that even fish can turn into monsters.

“It’s just kind of curious.”

Isn’t it odd that they’re living here of all places?

It’s not like there’d be any fishermen operating in these waters, and with all the Magi, there wouldn’t be many marine monsters around for them to feed on. So why stay here instead of moving north or south?

Even at the risk of being tainted by Magi.

Artisha responded nonchalantly to my question.

“Well… maybe they were just passing through….”

“Hmm, true.”

That’s a possibility.

Come to think of it, assuming the Sirens have nested here just based on a brief encounter might be jumping to conclusions.

I guess I’ve been overly cautious lately because of all the things we’ve been through.

“Puhaha! I think it’s not a bad thing! There’s nothing wrong with being cautious and prepared!”

Da-eun, standing on tiptoe to make up for her height difference, shook off my hand as she spoke.

“…Yeah, true.”

“Eh? That’s all the reaction I get? I went out of my way to take your side….”

“I never asked you to.”

“Hey! Give me back my effort!”

“…Was that something that required effort?”

“Of course! Taking someone’s side is like offering a kind of guarantee. So you should be extra careful with those kinds of words! If this keeps piling up, one day it’ll come back to bite you!”

“Hmmm.”

No matter how I look at it, I don’t think a few words of support have that much weight.

I listened, wondering what she was on about, and sure enough, it was just more nonsense.

As I was about to ignore her like usual, a sudden idea popped into my head. I drooped my eyes on purpose.

“…So you’re not going to take my side anymore…?”

“…Ack! A sneak attack…! You sneaky little… that’s unfair!”

Da-eun clutched her chest and staggered, eventually collapsing to the ground as I looked up at her with those drooping eyes.

Nonsense monster, defeated.

Standing victoriously over Da-eun’s fallen body, I gave a proud nod.

“You’re having fun, huh…”

Artisha’s exasperated comment, as she looked at us pitifully, was a bonus.

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