I Became a Raid Boss

“Umm….”

I leaned halfway over the railing and peeked outside.

As I was watching disembodied heads drifting atop the ocean, which had darkened since earlier, Da-eun gently wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Be careful. You might fall.”

“Yeah.”

Even if I were to fall, I wouldn’t get hurt, but there’s no need to be harsh to someone who’s worried about me.

We’re not total strangers here.

Anyway….

The sea looked more ‘black’ than ‘blue,’ and long hair floated like seaweed, giving off a creepy vibe.

And I think I get why Da-eun said that.

“They really are ugly.”

“Gasp… that’s harsh…”

“That’s harsh?”

“It means you’re being too harsh.”

“…Was it too harsh?”

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

“That would hurt more, I think.”

And wasn’t it Da-eun who said they looked ugly first?

When I turned to look at her with that thought in mind, she seemed to realize her mistake and subtly averted her gaze.

In reality, there are plenty of monsters that are far uglier than a Siren.

Including demons and dimensional creatures, there’s even more.

But even knowing that, the Siren’s appearance feels off because it resembles a human in a weird way.

Seeing something awkwardly mimicking a human tends to stir an odd discomfort within me.

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

After staring at faces distorted and plastered with scales for too long, I lost interest and retreated back inside the ship.

I also removed Da-eun’s hands that were still gripping my waist.

I ignored her disappointed look.

“The voice might be promising, but with that face, I feel like I’d run away screaming even if I went to hear the song?”

“Didn’t you just say I was being harsh?”

“Well, it’s true. I wouldn’t want to get close to something like that.”

“Hmm. That’s true.”

It’s funny how easily she throws out comments about looks, as if she hadn’t just schooled me, but I found myself agreeing with Da-eun.

If you see fish-like teeth and sharp fins flashing, wouldn’t you snap back to reality before throwing yourself into the ocean, enchanted by the song?

“The Siren’s song carries mana that captivates people… Those who fall prey to it forget themselves and mindlessly chase the sound…”

“Huh? But we seem fine?”

“We’re supposed to be.”

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

“That’s a top-notch magical item. If it couldn’t even fend off a Siren’s attack, we’d turn the ship around and rush back to Baltora right away.”

And then I’d grab Brondin by the collar and shove him into the ground.

Fortunately, seeing as the magical energy has been well-defended so far, I didn’t need to do that.

“Did Kana know about the Siren as well?”

“Yeah. But it’s my first time seeing one in person.”

Siren’s are monsters that live in the sea.

Naturally, it’s no surprise that I, who walks on land, wouldn’t have any ties to them.

“Yeah, Kana is probably closer to the ground than anyone else.”

“…I’ll at least ask before hitting. What does that mean?”

“…Huh. You’re really going to hit me?”

While her actions seem foolish, Da-eun is actually quite attractive.

Seeing such a beauty kneeling cutely and looking up at me with pitiful eyes…

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

She let out a sigh of relief.

“I won’t hit you, but I will throw you into the ocean.”

“Huh.”

Forget about cute.

She was saying stuff like I should really send her off to Sirens since she seemed to be babbling nonsense due to their song.

Da-eun glanced out of the ship briefly after my added remark.

The Sirens were still circling the ship as if beckoning her to come over.

One of them locked eyes with Da-eun.

“…”

….

The Siren is a monster hostile towards humans.

So it’s not odd for it to eye Da-eun with hostility.

Swoosh!

“Yikes?!”

Even letting that slide, the Siren was particularly hostile towards Da-eun.

Startled by the Siren waving its arms threateningly, Da-eun retracted her neck like a turtle…

-Only to be yanked by my hand, flinging her over the railing.

“Kaah! Kana is trying to kill me!”

“Your friends are waiting. Go on!”

“I’m sorry! I messed up, so please save me!”

“Oh? Didn’t you say you preferred the sea to land?”

Since she’d claimed I was closer to the ground, why was she acting like this?

After some playful tormenting half-heartedly, Da-eun sighed in relief when I stopped, and the Sirens, waiting for prey to fall, withdrew their arms reluctantly.

…What were they doing like that?

Did they really think I’d throw Da-eun into the sea for real?

The world is really insane.

“I’ll tell you nicely, either you leave quietly, or….”

Shing.

As my sword glimmered threateningly, the Sirens dispersed rapidly.

Even though I hadn’t attacked, just by threatening them, they scattered like ants.

Da-eun watched in awe, quietly exclaiming, “You’re so charismatic…”

I awkwardly sheathed the sword I had drawn, as I was considering wielding it if they didn’t leave.

…If they ran away like that, it’d make it seem like I did something terrible.

Although in reality, I hadn’t done a thing.

It was nice not having to move, but I felt something off and fiddled with my sword instead.

I still hadn’t gotten out of their attack range, but should I just…?

“Kana, you’re not having bad thoughts, are you?”

“Nope.”

I denied it immediately, but Da-eun didn’t look convinced in the slightest.

…Why won’t she believe me?

Feeling a rare sense of injustice, I pouted my lips.

“These monsters are harmful to humans, so it’s not a bad deed; it’s a good deed.”

“That’s true, but… it’d be unfair to suddenly attack after saying you’d spare me. That goes against the spirit of fair play…”

“…Fair play? This isn’t a duel.”

“No, what I mean is I just feel guilty enough to think like that…”

“Wow, you feel guilty over everything. And I didn’t say I’d spare you.”

They hadn’t promised not to attack if she stayed quiet.

So I hadn’t technically violated any agreement.

“…Is that so?”

Da-eun tilted her head in disbelief but nodded along with my words.

“You have a point…”

“Of course. Unlike others, I don’t blabber nonsense.”

“Just like your Kana! …But who exactly is the ‘someone’ you mentioned?”

“Atysha, I wanted to ask something.”

“Excuse me? Kana? Why are you ignoring me?”

“Uh… what is it?”

“Helloooo~? Can you not hear me? Ka… cough!”

“Ugh, seriously.”

She wouldn’t stop bugging me.

I pushed Da-eun away from leaning too close and continued the conversation with Atysha.

“Did the Sirens always live around here?”

“I don’t know… I usually don’t come this far. Or do you want to hear about when I first came here?”

“When was that?”

“Probably over ten years ago…”

“Then that’s fine.”

They say a lot can change in ten years.

Unless it’s a powerful and long-living monster like a dragon, I doubt a mediocre monster like a Siren would change its territory in that time.

So hearing Atysha’s story about crossing to Ardina Continent wouldn’t be very helpful.

“Why are you asking about that all of a sudden…?”

Siren living in a sea overflowing with mana enough for fish to become monsters.

“It’s a bit interesting.”

Isn’t it strange that they live in a place like this?

Surely, there wouldn’t be any fishermen around here, and due to the mana, many marine monsters would likely be scarce, making it tough to find food. Why do they linger here instead of moving north or south?

Even at the risk of being tainted by mana.

After hearing my words, Atysha replied nonchalantly.

“Well… they might just be passing through…”

“Hmm, that could be the case.”

Guess that could happen.

Thinking that the brief encounter was enough for the Sirens to settle here might have been a stretch.

Perhaps I was just overly sensitive as I’ve been through so much lately.

“…Phew! I don’t think it’s bad! Being cautious and prepared can’t hurt!”

Standing on tiptoes, Da-eun smugly pushed my hand away with her height advantage.

“…Well, sure.”

“Huh? Is that all the response I get? I went through all that trouble to support you…”

“I never asked for your support.”

“Hey! Give me back my effort!”

“…Was that really worth the effort?”

“Of course! Supporting someone can be seen as a kind of guarantee, so you have to be more careful than usual with those words! If this adds up, it could lead to something serious down the line!”

“Hmph.”

No matter how I think about it, those one or two words can’t hold that much significance.

I was just trying to figure out what she meant, and as expected, it was nonsense.

Thinking to just ignore her as usual, a sudden good idea struck me, and I dramatically drooped my gaze.

“…So, will you be on my side now…?”

“…Ugh! A sneak attack…! You cunning little… that’s cowardly!”

Looking up, Da-eun clutched her chest and staggered before collapsing.

I’ve defeated the nonsense monster.

I nodded proudly atop the fallen form of Da-eun.

“They’re having fun…”

Atysha’s scornful remark was just an afterthought.

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