Nearly an hour after we finished lunch, Hesty became able to swim properly.

  It was to the point where she could keep up with us.

  「n, swimming is, fun.」


  Hesty said with a small smile.

  「Hearing you say that makes teaching you worthwhile.」


  「I got a nosebleed from watching Aneue-sama and Daichi-sama’s skinship!」


  Anne said while in the shallows and when I looked…her nose was really bleeding. It was at a level where it could even stain the lake.

  ……wasn’t Dragon King blood something precious…?

  I wonder if it’s alright to just let it overflow like that?

  Now that I looked, the blood that was flowing into the water was gathered up by Katarakta and separated.

  The lake remaining fresh and clean should be thanks to Katarakta and Manaril. In fact…


  「Anne. Take a break if your nose is bleeding. It’s dangerous in more than one way.」


  「Ah, okay. I got it.」


  And so she held her nose and moved to the bench at the side of the lake and took a break. With this Katarakta should have it easier I thought when Manaril stopped singing and approached.

  「Th-thank you Daichi-san.」


  「No, don’t worry about it. It wasn’t only for you.」


  It felt bad to be swimming in a lake that was slowly getting dirtied by blood. When I said that Manaril’s eyes widened and then she laughed.

  「Hm? Is that funny?」


  「Fufu, that’s not it. I was just thinking that Daichi-san is kind.」


  「I don’t think that’s the conclusion you’d normally reach though?」


  「I don’t think the judgment of a Dragon King is a normal thing in the first place.」


  Is that how it is? I wondered when…


  「That’s right. Daichi-san, if you like playing around in the water then why don’t you come to the lake I used to live in?」


  「The one before? You mean the lake by the Fort City?」


  「That’s right. It’s deeper and larger than here and there’s plenty of fish. It’s prefect for swimming.」


  Oh I see. There are fish and things over there, it has its own ecosystem. Seems like a good place to go snorkeling or things like that.

  「Plus the bottom of the lake is beautiful. I personally recommend walking along the bottom of that lake you know?」


  「Well…even if you recommend it…I can’t breathe underwater you know?」


  Walking along the bottom of the lake would need some sort of magic. I didn’t know how to do it. When I said that Manaril looked at me with a confused look on her face.

  「Eh…..? But…Daichi-san you can use coating right?」


  「Yeah.」


  「Then I think you should be able to breathe. It’s a layer of magic between your body and your surroundings. It should be able to have only air pass through.」


  「…….really?」


  I looked at Hesty who had taught me coating. She nodded her head as well.

  「It’s possible. You can, try.」


  「O-ok. Then, Coating………」


  I placed the coating around my body and put my head underwater. Then…


  「How is, it?」


  I could clearly hear Hesty’s voice normally.

  In fact water didn’t even enter my mouth. I was able to breathe normally. It felt as if I was converting water into air.

  「…..I can really breathe underwater…how is this possible?」


  「Fundamentally, Coating is meant to be magic to protect your life and body in severe environments. It can even use magic power to change the surrounding environment into breathable air. That’s why it works for moving underwater as well.」


  Is that so?

  I’d never heard that before.

  「I thought it was only magic used to hold down your magic power…….」


  「n, if that was the case, then this magic, would have too few merits. You couldn’t use it, for anything except, suppressing your presence.」


  「……..you taught me such an amazing spell Hesty.」


  「Well, I think you’re the, amazing one for learning, it after I showed you once, or twice.」


  Hesty said with a little smile.

  「But, I’m glad it was, useful to you.」


  「Yeah, it was useful in a completely different way than I thought. I’m glad.」


  It seems like I had learned magic that would let me breathe underwater without knowing it.