A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

The colossal body surged toward him, churning the water into a vortex that would leave an ordinary human disoriented and unable to tell up from down. What loomed before his eyes were layered ranks of fangs larger than a human face, and a red-black maw like a bottomless pit.

Escape was impossible. Normal people could only freeze in terror before that sight.

Yet he stared at it calmly, kicked off the seabed, and charged forward.

His maneuverability underwater was laughable compared to the onrushing orichalcum shark. If he moved too soon, even slightly before the last moment, the beast would simply correct its course and bite him in half. Even so, his movements showed no sign of hesitation.

Those fangs could slice open his arm with a mere graze. They roared past just a few centimeters before his face, but he didn’t spare them a glance as he swung his greatsword. An unwieldy weapon in the water, but he forced it through with brute strength and sharpness. A dull crack rang through the depths.

“...Tch.”

Gill clicked his tongue softly and, as the orichalcum shark shot past him in an instant, he brought his sword up to block the thick tail that swept powerfully from side to side. The impact of that massive tail was not something one could properly brace against underwater. Feeling his body shoved backward, he let out another sharp, irritated click of his tongue.

He’d like to rip off at least one of those scales, but that would be difficult.

Every scale on an orichalcum shark overlapped in a staggered pattern, designed never to come loose. Which was why fishermen who knew the technique to strip them were indispensable—something Lizel had made sure to preserve.

But “indestructible” didn’t mean “unbreakable.”

The spot he’d been attacking already bore several gouged lines of damage. These were scales that wouldn’t show a single scratch from half-baked attacks, and yet the man who had carved them looked displeased, twisting his rough features in annoyance.

If this were on land, he’d already have shattered one or two scales. Just leaving cuts felt downright pathetic.

(If only I could anchor myself...)

In this wide-open space, the orichalcum shark never came near the walls. Even if he waited by the wall, it would simply turn before ramming itself, and he’d never land a solid blow.

Exposing its belly like last time was going to be difficult, too. He’d chosen to come alone this time, so he didn’t think “would be nice if he were here,” but even so, he had to admit that man was absurdly convenient to have around despite lacking any real specialization in combat. Getting any kind of fight or task finished efficiently—that was very Lizel.

If Lizel were here, even if Gill were the only one fighting, Lizel would be advising him on the optimal strategy.

But winning easily would defeat the purpose.

He wasn’t some beastman who turned thrill into pleasure, but when seeking strength, you could only benefit from experiencing genuinely dangerous foes that forced you to struggle.

Gill let his gaze drift thoughtfully, sighed as if confirming that coming alone really had been the right choice, and fixed his eyes again on the orichalcum shark as it turned back toward him, teeth chattering loudly. A small bubble escaped the monster’s mouth with a “pop.”

Holding the greatsword loosely in his left hand at his side, his stance relaxed, he listened to the grating clack of its teeth echo in his ears.

The flesh- and scale-covered tail swung broadly from side to side. A heartbeat later, the giant body exploded toward him with sudden acceleration. Gill exhaled lightly and, as if on a whim, drew a large knife with his right hand, reversed his grip, and closed in until he was at the same terrifying distance as before—where he could be bitten in two at any moment.

Unlike earlier, when he’d simply slipped past its fangs as they passed, this time he thrust his right arm straight between those thick fangs without the slightest hesitation.

His hand plunged into the gaping red-black maw.