The third day of the field trip.

My job is simple. I spend most of my time working as a lifeguard.

During work, I deliberately move towards areas with many students from Constel Academy, especially those who know me well. People like Aster, Elodie, Aten, Sybil, and so on.

Because I needed to show that I was truly serving my punishment at Constel.

After all, it seemed like they suspected me of secretly being up to something else.

Since their suspicion was actually correct, I had no choice but to work even harder at my volunteer work.

"Excuse me, sir!"

In the midst of work, I heard someone shouting.

A woman seemed to be hurrying towards me from the shoreline.

"Are you a lifeguard?"

"Yes, what's the matter?"

"My son is missing...! He was swimming just a moment ago, and I only took my eyes off him for a second..."

I narrowed my eyes.

Turning my gaze towards the shore, I saw that the beach was already packed with students from Constel and citizens of Cropolis, mixed together.

Finding a lost child in there was like finding a specific pine tree in a pine forest.

Just considering him as missing was one thing, but the fact that he was swimming and then disappeared sparks ominous imaginations.

"...It might cause a bit of a commotion."

There was no choice.

I quietly chanted.

"Menosorpo."

With my voice, a Rune expanded. Ordinary citizens might not notice the change, but all students from Constel felt the mana and looked up.

An invisible, yet palpable tension settled over the shore. Especially the students sensitive to mana naturally turned their gaze towards me.

Don't worry too much. You'll find out soon enough.

Within the Menosorpo Rune, I meticulously checked all the manas, especially towards the sea.

According to the woman, the most dangerous situation was the child falling into the sea.

...And.

"Damn it."

There he was. Not yet sunk, but flailing helplessly, pushed by the waves.

I ran to the shore. It was already quite a distance away, barely visible to the naked eye.

I knew where it was because of the influence of Menosorpo, but those on the shore mixed up in the waves likely had no idea.

'It's fortunate I've practiced this.'

Wrapping aura around my body, I levitated using the technique of control. By then, most of the eyes were on me.

I flew over the sea at maximum speed. The child had drifted farther than I thought.

He seemed to have swallowed a lot of water, but his desire to live kept him flailing, preventing him from sinking.

"Hey!"

I wove a rope and dropped it towards the struggling child.

"Catch!"

I had heard that if you jump into the water to save a drowning child, you both end up drowning. In their panic, the terrified child wanting to live would mercilessly push the rescuer under the water.

Of course, since I was flying, that wouldn't happen, but this seemed safer in every way.

...However.

'Damn, he can't hear.'

The waves were fierce, and he likely had water in his ears. Plus, he was crying. Thinking he was about to die, he wouldn't see anything around him.

This is going to be too flashy, but I have no choice.

Void Weaving

Workshop

Large Shield

I created a shield under the struggling child, in the sea. Slowly lifting it backward, the shield supported the child and brought him to the surface.

Coughing and spluttering, the child still looked like he was about to die. Fortunately, he spat out the water and breathed.

I landed on the shield.

"Are you okay?"

In my life, I've hardly ever handled children. Frondier would probably be the same.

Hmm, what to do. I tried to get closer to check his complexion.

Suddenly-

The child clung to me. As soon as he was in my arms, he cried out loud, even louder than when he was in the water.

His sobbing was so pitiful that I couldn't help but smile.

I looked into the child's eyes and said,

"Let's go to your mom."

The child sniffled and nodded.

I held the child in my arms and sat on the shield, returning to the coast.

The child, who had been crying, was now fascinated by the floating shield, looking around with sparkling eyes.

Surprisingly, I didn't find it fun. Maybe because I was floating around on the shield I was controlling.

It felt like sitting on a long moving walkway in the air.

'But the idea of using the shield as a moving platform is good.'

I can now fly in the sky, but if I use the shield, it seems possible to step on it and jump up or make a sudden turn in the middle. Sudden braking and acceleration should also be possible.

I landed on the coast, released the Menosorpo, and returned to the woman with the child.

The woman seemed relieved, sat the child down, and shed tears.

After receiving a word of thanks from the woman, and a bow from the child, and even a promise to play together later, I was finally able to leave. Children are indeed selfish.

"Sigh."

And then, heaving a sigh, I looked up at the sky.

The attention of people, especially the Constel students, was too focused, so it was to avoid drawing any attention to myself.

But I wondered if it was just a coincidence.

Caw-

Right where I looked up at the sky, a crow cried out and tore through the sky.

A crow flying over the coast.

It was so out of place that I nodded inwardly.

A new piece of news had arrived.

But probably, it would be the news I already knew.