Yuri Empire

The two of us went into a room that Hubert rented on the top floor of the hotel『Ulysses Butterfly』, and after changing into swimsuits, we went out to the back of the hotel.

There is a private beach that is only available to guests of the hotel.

It felt awfully strange to have a sandy lakeshore here, when the whole area around the hotel was a『wooden town』built on a lake.

However, I didn't feel bad because I felt as if I had come to the『sea』that I had heard about.

(……Where in the world did they get this much sand from…?)

There are a lot of questions that come to mind, but there's no point in thinking too much about it.

It's a great opportunity, so I'll just enjoy swimming as much as I can.

「By the way, do you know how to swim, Melfalude-san?」 

「Yes, I can. I used to swim a lot when I was bathing in the lake in the forest.」 

「I'm glad to hear that. This lake is quite deep, so it's not unusual to drown if you can't swim.」 

「I-I see…? I thought it would be a safer place since you said it was built for the wealthy.」 

「Oh, no, it's safe. Because of the labyrinthine environment of Ulysses, the entire city is protected by a life-saving ward. Even if you drown, your life will be protected just as it would be if you were killed by a demon in the labyrinth.」 

I remember when I heard about the labyrinth from Sofia at the Explorers Guild, she told me that the entire city was protected by a ward called the【Life-Saving Ward】.

I thought that the wards only applied to those who lost their lives in the labyrinth. It seems that this is not the case.

「Then you're certainly safe. Though… you'll have to suffer the pain.」 

「Ahaha… The【Life-Saving Ward】will protect your life, but they won't alleviate any suffering in case of death…」 

Melfalude's words were answered by Yubel with a wry smile.

Of all the causes of death, drowning is probably one of the most painful. I didn't want to go through such a painful experience, even if I knew my life would be protected.

Before going into the water, Yubel recommended that I do some light exercises to loosen up my body. She taught me how to move my body so that my breathing would not become unsteady.

Then I went to the lake with Yubel.

The sandy beach behind the hotel gets deeper and deeper as you move away from the hotel, until the water is about three meters deep. From there on, the ground ceased to exist and the water suddenly became much deeper, which was quite surprising.

The water was very clear, but it was hard to tell visually how deep the bottom of the lake was.

「If you don't mind, would you like to dive down to the bottom of the lake and explore?」 

「Explore?」 

「Yes. There are a lot of interesting things submerged in the lake in this tourist zone. So if we dive down to the bottom of the lake, we can take a look around.」 

「Wow, that sounds interesting! I want to try it!」 

Driven by her curiosity, Melfalude answered immediately.

It is well known that as the level of humans rises, their physical abilities improve. This improvement is very broad and includes the ability to hold one's breath longer.

With a vocation level of 98 and a job class level of 26, Melfalude can hold her breath for quite a while if she wants to.

She has enough energy to enjoy exploring the bottom of the lake.

「How high is Yubel level?」 

「About 60, I think. I've been going to the Labyrinth quite a bit.」 

「Oh, that's great…」 

If both the vocation and the class level are around 60, it is safe to assume that she is almost the same as Melfalude in terms of ability.

It's not uncommon for a level 60 to be treated as a representative of the nation, like a knight commander in other countries.

Just the fact that a person of this level of ability exists in general is a clear indication of how scary the Yuri Empire is.

Even if another country launches a war against it… recruiting explorers from the private sector will provide an easy way to assemble a strong and elite army.

「By the way, Her Majesty Yuri and all of Her Majesty's『real wives』are all『level 200』in both their vocation and classes.」 

「………………ha?」 

Melfalude's eyes involuntarily lit up at Yubel’s words.

I thought I had some understanding of Her Majesty Yuri's abilities after confronting her in the High Elf village, but―――I didn't think Level 200 was such a far-reaching opponent.

No, Her Majesty Yuri is one of the『Eight Gods』. Perhaps I should have understood that, as a god, I naturally possessed that level of ability.

「―――Err, umm? Aside from Her Majesty Yuri herself, are all of her『real wives』also at level『200』?」 

「Oh, yes, I'm sure. And by the way, the army that the Yuri Empire is proud of is made up entirely of Her Majesty's『real wives』.」 

「……How many of Her Majesty's wives are there in total?」 

「There are 359.」  

「Eh, that many!?」 

Hearing Yubel answer, Melfalude was greatly surprised.

The first was simply that the number of『real wives』was an unusually large 359.

In addition, the fact that he has 359 people under her command with abilities that deviate from the realm of the human race of『level 200』.

In this world, even a level 100 warrior is said to be a force to be reckoned with.

Including Her Majesty Yuri herself, there are 360 people in the army of level 200, and it is hard to imagine how much of a war potential they will have.

I mean… I am picking a fight with such a person once?

I wonder now how the entire High Elf community was not destroyed.

「……I'm starting to get a chill, can I come out of the water for a minute?」 

「Oh, really? Then let's go to the hotel and get a hot drink.」 

We went back to the beach behind the hotel and rested our bodies under the parasols that had been set up. Yubel immediately brought us hot tea for two.

It wasn't too hot, so I was happy to be able to drink it right away. As the drink warmed my body from the inside, I felt a sense of sanity return to my chilled heart.

「By the way, I heard that this lake was built by Her Majesty Yuri.」  

「Oh, is that so?」 

「Yes. It is said to be the site where Her Majesty Yuri used the only『attack magic』she could use. The impact of the attack caused the ground to cave in, and water from the underground veins flowed in, turning it into a lake before you knew it.」 

「The day before yesterday, Lizelia told me about the only attack magic that Yuri can use. Maybe it's called『summoning the sun and dropping it over the enemy's head』?」 

「Oh, that's correct. I've heard that about 60,000 soldiers of the Eldard Kingdom have been annihilated here.」 

「Wow…」 

It's a beautiful lake, filled with crystal clear water.

Sixty thousand people have died here… what a haunted place.

I guess that's what it feels like to have your heart chilled.

I could feel my heart, which had just been warmed, rapidly cooling down again.

「Hey… can we do the underwater exploration later?」 

「Are you not feeling well? Okay, I think it's best if you take it easy.」 

I wasn't in the mood to explore the bottom of the lake anymore.

Because―――if I saw the remains of 60,000 people sinking, I would not be able to recover.