Behemoth.
A legendary creature mentioned in the Bible, regarded as a calamity of the sea monster in this world.
Its overall appearance resembled that of a hippo, with a shell like a sea turtle on its back.
Its nose was similar to that of an elephant, long enough to match its massive body.
A bizarre creature mixed with various animals. In a fantasy world where dragons exist, it was understandable.
Simply put, Behemoth was a creature of a different class, proving that even a dragon could not rival its size, which was that of an island.
Even the strongest species, the dragon, could rule an island, but not become one.
On the other hand, Behemoth was treated as a walking island, a being that could realistically never be killed.
In the novel, Behemoth was not defeated; it was merely pacified.
After all, defeating a creature that was essentially a natural disaster was impossible.
‘By now, they must have discovered the cause of Behemoth’s rampage, right?’
Behemoth was a lazy divine beast.
It spent nearly 100 years just sleeping, while only being active for a mere month.
After a month, it would fall into a deep sleep and wouldn’t wake up easily.
Knowing this behavior, humans predicted Behemoth’s activity periods and ceased fishing activities for one month every hundred years.
If humans were doing this, how much more would the mermaids living in the same sea be prepared?
They must have been observing Behemoth steadily.
However, before even a hundred years could pass, Behemoth awakened and began rampaging.
Feeling that something was amiss by this early occurrence, they conducted investigations, considering the sacrifices.
As a result, they realized that a stake imbued with dark energy was lodged in Behemoth’s neck.
‘Nina’s role is to purify the stake.’
If the mermaids could drive away the disturbing energy, they would pull the stake out.
Then Behemoth would stop its activities, fall back into slumber, and peace would return to the underwater kingdom.
‘My role is to eliminate the traitors and pull out the stake.’
I had already dealt with the incompetent allies that put Nina in a crisis.
I either killed them mercilessly or left disposable personnel for the fight with Behemoth.
Half the mission was already accomplished, so I just had to carry out the task of pulling out the stake, which I planned to dump onto Kyle Crown Prince.
Pulling out the stake would be as simple as a flick of a finger, so now I could just watch.
‘Of course, I can’t just sit back and watch.’
Given the situation with Nina, I couldn’t make a dramatic late entrance like Kyle Crown Prince.
I couldn’t be that professor enjoying leisure while sending my disciple into a dangerous place, could I?
I resolved to help Nina as best as I could, assisting her in successfully achieving her goal.
With the dangers already eliminated, my support would surely make things much easier.
Usually, if there were no trials, the protagonist’s growth would stagnate, but that’s fine this time.
A few mermaids’ betrayals would lead to Nina nearly being harassed, only to dramatically be rescued at the last moment.
Thus, having no real trials at all was actually much better for Nina.
There were no awakenings or anything like that, just a rather unpleasant crisis.
“Alright!”
Wrap this up quickly and just grab the Sea God’s pearl to return to normal life.
I reassured myself of my role as I waited for the meeting chaired by Meridin to conclude.
The day after the operation was decided, the decisive battle would commence, and that’s when I’d make my appearance.
I planned to relax and pass the time until then.
If only I hadn’t seen the armed mermaids coming out without a meeting.
‘Wasn’t the decisive battle tomorrow…?’
In the original novel, Nina was kidnapped the next morning, yet they postponed the battle for an entire day.
However, even with plenty of time left now, everyone was preparing for battle.
Moreover, Nina was being escorted by warrior mermaids somewhere, no less.
This meant they intended to face Behemoth without delay.
But why?
Such questions lingered in my mind.
Why would they need to engage the enemy so hastily when they couldn’t even be fully prepared?
There was no need for deep thought.
Somewhere far off, in the unseen darkness, a powerful presence could be felt.
Even though it was too far away to be visible, its overwhelming aura made my skin tingle.
The weight pressing down on me grew stronger in real time, indicating that the opponent was rapidly approaching.
‘Does this mean they arrived a day early…!’
Having eliminated the danger, a new crisis had arisen.
I didn’t know who was causing this chaos, but they were not willing to let me have it easy.
Even if the mermaids devised a perfect plan, there would always be gaps.
And now, with time running short, there would really be more flaws than in the original work.
It meant that all those issues had to be covered by me.
‘Alright, let’s give it a shot.’
If my predictions were right, many unexpected things would keep happening until Nina’s graduation ceremony.
If I can’t avoid it, I might as well enjoy it.
Facing the suffocating pressure, I kept my smile as I moved toward the battlefield.
*
“Time is short, so I’ll briefly explain the plan!”
Mermaids quickly swam by, pushing away the water with their tails.
They were listening to the words of Princess Meridin, who held command over the main forces composed of the kingdom’s finest warriors.
Nina, being cradled in the arms of a female warrior, was in the same boat.
“The black stake lodged in Behemoth is undoubtedly the cause of this crisis! Our goal is not to defeat Behemoth, but to safely escort Lady Nina to the stake! Protecting Lady Nina is our top priority, and each warrior must clear the path to the stake!”
“““““We shall obey!”””””
“Good! Lady Nina?”
“Yes!”
“I’m truly sorry for burdening you with such a dangerous task. I swear by my name that I will give you a fitting reward after this is over.”
“It’s okay. I learned from my mom that we help each other in tough times!”
“You have an excellent mother.”
“I’ll tell my mom that I earned the recognition of the princess of the underwater kingdom later! She’ll definitely be happy!”
“Well then, we mermaids must strive even harder to protect Lady Nina.”
“Did I give you an unnecessary burden?”
“No, you raised awareness among our warriors to stay vigilant.”
“Princess, that’s a bit too much!”
On the way to the battlefield, laughter blossomed from the group, albeit subtly.
Among them, there may be those who might not return alive.
No, considering they were facing Behemoth, casualties were unavoidable.
Yet everyone, undeterred by the prospect of death, enjoyed this moment.
“Princess, I can see the target!”
“Alright, from here on out, split up and carry out your assigned missions!”
“Yes!”
“May Shade’s blessing be upon everyone…”
With Meridin’s prayer finished, the warriors quickly dispersed.
The enormous creature began to come into view ahead.
It was of such a colossal size that not even its forehead or eyes were visible.
If Behemoth saw the mermaids, they’d hardly be more than specks of dust in its eyes.
Such was the presence of the divine beast that it encompassed the whole sea.
“To your positions! No matter what happens, don’t look back!”
“Krrk!”
With each step Behemoth took, powerful waves surged.
Simultaneously, Behemoth’s long nose, swaying side to side, swept away the sea floor, completely altering the terrain.
The powerless fish living in the ocean got caught in the swirling whirlpool and were torn apart.
Simply walking, Behemoth wreaked havoc and became a nightmare for the sea creatures.
The kingdom’s elite warriors did their utmost to carry out their missions despite the fear they felt.
A firm resolve that didn’t blink at the death of their comrades.
They reached the area beneath Behemoth’s head and took out coral used for communication magic, leaning in to listen.
“Princess, we have arrived at the target location!”
“What’s the status of our troops?”
“Two were lost in the maelstrom.”
“What about Lady Nina?”
“She’s trembling, but safe!”
“……No matter what happens, please protect her until the end.”
“Yes.”
The mermaids began planning and executing their ascent beneath Behemoth.
Even though two warriors were swept away by the disaster, things were still relatively smooth.
As long as they could escort Nina to the stake, the mermaids had steeled themselves to bear any sacrifice.
However, as Daniel feared, there were many flaws in their operation that began to show.
Behemoth, who had been walking in a straight line, suddenly twisted its body and changed direction.
The sudden shift in currents created a whirlpool, which swept away countless mermaid warriors.
The same went for the female warrior bearing Nina; she almost lost grip of her.
With a resolve not to let go, she swam desperately against the flow of water.
“Alright. Hold on tight!”
Along with someone’s shout, the turmoil began to settle.
Although Behemoth’s whirlpool remained, only the space where Nina and the warrior were stayed calm.
In this dreamlike scenario, the warrior was stunned, while Nina called out the name of the person who had come to her aid.
“Professor Daniel!”
“Save the pleasantries for later! I’ll send you to your destination so you can focus on your role!”
“Okay!”
In this life-and-death situation, Daniel saved Nina.
And not stopping there, he teleported Nina right to the back of Behemoth’s neck.
Meanwhile, sensing something odd, Behemoth attempted to strike its neck with its long nose.
However, Daniel wasn’t going to let it just send Nina away like that.
“Uoooh!”
Mermaids were blocking Behemoth’s descending nose with their bare bodies.
They had an impressive physique that was more muscular than one would expect for a mermaid, letting out beast-like roars.
Seeing that scene brought back memories for Nina of the previous day’s mock battle.
A mermaid, resembling the standout female student from the mock battle, was protecting her.
“This is what they mean by being in the right place at the right time.”
Even underwater, twenty mermaids easily supported the weight of over 100 tons.
Especially considering that the heavyset mermaid had been a geriatric who had been sick daily.
It was a testament to the outlandish potency of the witch’s potion.
Behemoth, unable to strike its neck, began to shake its head wildly to try to toss Nina off.
But an unseen force was now holding Behemoth’s jaw in place.
“Stay still, you!”
Daniel had fixed part of the space to hold onto.
Behemoth’s indignation at being restrained by a mere speck of dust, a human, grew.
He began to focus on the one human who was arrogantly smiling at him.
At that moment, the calamity that made the entire world tremble started to acknowledge a human as its equal.
