They probably came up with this idea after desperately thinking about how they could live comfortably with the technology available to them. My world is more technologically advanced, but I honestly don’t know how most of it works. The floodgate is a fairly simple mechanism once you figure it out, but I’m genuinely impressed by what it can do.
“And now we are going to flood their city with it.”
“Yes, m’lady. We will fully open the Cladorca side and close the river side.”
I can’t imagine what an entirely flooded city will look like. Even though it’s for saving people from being zombies, I have mixed feelings about causing a disaster like this.
I can’t stop now though.
“This next part takes physical strength. Sir Rosso, may I ask for your assistance?” Lex asks.
“Sure thing. Time to put the last bit of elbow grease into it.”
I guess we’re going to start opening and closing the floodgates now. I roll up my sleeves, saying, “Let’s do this,” but Lex stops me.
“Please rest, Lady Mizuha.”
“Why? I know I’m not that strong, but the more help the better—”
“We left our horses behind, which means we have to run as fast as we can down the mountain. I suggest you recoup as much stamina as possible.”
“Ack… Good point. I g-guess I’ll take you up on that then.”
Putting up a strong front here and becoming a burden to them later voids the point. I feel bad for sitting this one out, but I’ll leave it in their capable hands.
Lex smiles at me, then adds, “But it might be tough with just Sir Rosso and myself, so may I ask for your assistance as well, Miss Iris?”
“No. Iris wants to stay with her goddess,” she declines on the spot.
I bet Lex brought Iris along for this one job, but his gamble backfired. He directs me a look that pleads with me to do something about it.
“I’ll give you more head pats if you help out.”
“I’ll do it!”
Making her help with a simple reward makes me feel a tad guilty, but since she’s happy about it, it can’t be such a bad thing.
Meanwhile, Nady has walked over to Lex. “Excuse me, Sir Lex, but I would like to assist as well. I believe I have enough strength to be of service.”
“Thank you for your offer, but please rest, Lady Nady. You should reserve your strength for when we need it most,” Lex says, his eyes on the bow hanging from her shoulder.
Vanquishing the dragon is to be handled by the Lucors with the main force. But we might randomly encounter it again. Lex wants Nady ready in case that happens.
“…I will do that then.”
Lex nods to Nady, then enters the stone building built next to the floodgate with Rosso and Iris. The mechanism to control the floodgates is inside.
“Is it really okay for me to sit this one out?”
“Lex said it is, so don’t worry about it. Besides, I feel bad being the only one who gets to rest, so I’m glad you’re with me, Nady.”
The floodgate on the canal side moves while we’re chatting. It slowly descends, and the sound of rushing water increases.
“Look, Nady! They’re lowering the floodgate.”
The gate continues to slowly come down until it locks in place, and the dammed-up water aggressively spills out with tremendous speed. The water roars as it cascades through the opening.
Because of the distance to Cladorca, it’s impossible to see whether the water arrived safely from here. But the momentum is so strong, it’s a sure bet to flood the city.
“Wow! It’s more powerful than I thought.”
“I wonder what would happen if you closed this side without closing the river side…”
Nady and I are worried about the same thing, but everything is going according to plan. Even more water rushes into the canal once Lex and the others completely close the river floodgate. The sound is so intense it’s almost as if there have been constant thunderclaps.
“…This will definitely flood the area,” I mutter with my cheeks twitching.
“Y-Yeah. I wonder if the buildings will survive…”
Japan, where I’m from, is an island nation surrounded by the ocean. I’m all too aware that water poses a terrifying threat unlike anything else. Water rushing in on a city with strong momentum can easily bring down buildings. I wish we could’ve avoided this path, but we are doing it to purify Cladorca. Besides, buildings infested with zombie rot will eventually have to be knocked down and rebuilt anyway. We simply sped up the process… Yeah, I’ll just keep telling myself that.
Nady and I are watching the tumultuous water with bated breath when we hear footsteps behind us. Lex and the others are back.
“The plan went well, m’lady.”
“Yeah. Frighteningly well,” I respond and gasp when I glance behind me. Rosso looks like he’s about to faint and I can see the whites of Iris’s bulging eyes.
“I didn’t think it’d be that heavy…”
“Goddess, pet me…pet me…”
“G-Good job, guys.”
Those were huge gates holding back all this water pressure. I doubt it can normally be moved with the strength of just three people. Rosso and Iris’s fatigue is to be expected. Only Lex, who looks completely unfazed, is a superhuman monster.
Speaking of Lex, he’s staring into the distant sky. I follow his gaze to the setting sun.
“We don’t have much time. I’m sorry I can’t let either of you rest… We need to make haste down the mountain and regroup with the main force.”