4. The Island of the Deep Sea>
Sian was eating with Ms. Steel.
Various shops sold delicious food here on Akulan Street, and since only the most renowned masters in Margalan—a place famous as a resort—could secure a spot here, it was always packed with tourists even outside of Ragaope season.
Sian looked at the island while eating the local specialty, grilled sea scallops.
“Hmm… why aren’t the fireworks coming out?”
“Hehe. You must have been looking forward to it quite a lot.”
“Well… I can’t say I wasn’t.”
It had certainly been written up as a spectacular sight in the guidebook, so she had been expecting it, but it seemed today was not the day.
As she ate, Sian suddenly stopped talking and looked toward the beach.
To be precise, at the altar on the hill by the beach.
She had heard that the altar’s operation still had a few days left before it would stop.
But the Exar that had been flowing down from the altar began to bounce out from a certain moment onward.
And… the waves that had been constantly flowing out from there had stopped coming out from some point.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Ooh… so this is…….”
Ramuran was moved by the sight before his eyes after the light disappeared.
A crude ivory crown sat atop a pillar rising to chest height.
This crown was precisely the tremendous artifact that had maintained Ragaopora, the source of Margalan’s wealth, for hundreds of years to this day.
The excited Ramuran pulled the ivory crown from the pillar before him and placed it on his head.
But nothing happened.
Only then did he recall the fact that he had forgotten in his excitement—that man’s words.
‘If you obtain the legacy there… just as when you entered, stain it with blood. That crown can only be handled by the descendants of Ragaope, so you must prove that you are such a descendant…….’
He felt a slight fear toward the mysterious figure who knew even this much, but if he obtained this crown, their relationship would be reversed.
Ramuran raised a finger whose blood had not yet dried and smeared the gathered drop of blood onto the crown.
In that instant, the ivory crown was faintly stained red.
And just as the red-stained crown settled back to its original color, a strange occurrence took place.
The strange flow of Exar that had been streaming from the pillar into the crown was abruptly cut off.
At the same time, the mysterious wave flowing from the crown to the entire pillar, and from the entire pillar to the sea, also halted completely.
‘Hmm……?’
That man hadn’t told him about this either.
As the vibrating pillar suddenly went quiet, only a silent stillness pervaded the vast room.
Feeling somewhat uneasy for some reason, Ramuran looked at Lilia without being able to put on the crown he held.
If this decision was fatal, Lilia’s guide would react first.
But Lilia merely had a tired expression and did not seem to sense anything out of the ordinary.
Only then did Ramuran feel slightly relieved, and at the same time, his mind grew at ease.
He somehow felt pleased that the suspicious man did not know everything.
The feeling of intimidation from that man who had hit the mark on everything until now disappeared at the fact that there was something he didn’t know.
Only then able to fully concentrate on the crown before him, Ramuran carefully lifted the crown above his head.
And placed it upon his head.
Whooom!
In that instant, an astonishing thing occurred.
His five senses expanded like mad. To the point that his head hurt.
No, to be precise, it was not that his five senses had expanded.
He could feel the senses of all living creatures around him through his own brain.
“…Urk.”
A sudden overload struck his mind, but he adapted quickly. No, rather than having adapted, it would be more accurate to say the crown’s cognitive range had narrowed to what his brain could accommodate.
Perhaps if someone more outstanding than himself had used it, it would have displayed a more astounding effect, but that didn’t matter.
Because this power was now his.
The senses of all living creatures around him felt like his own senses.
Although it seemed not to work on humans, higher life forms, he could feel the senses of all other living creatures together.
Everything they saw, heard, and felt was exactly as if he himself were seeing, hearing, and feeling it.
The plankton seen by the fish swimming in the sea was also visible to him.
He could taste the crops eaten by the Kukuran he had released earlier.
And… he could also feel the rage of the tremendous number of Lorun-Tarks swarming toward this place.
They were in an enormous crisis. Thousands of Lorun-Tarks were rushing into this room the moment the pillar stopped operating.
But Ramuran was not worried at all.
The Queen’s
It was as if his ability existed solely to wield this artifact.
Rather, this was a good turn of events. It was a good opportunity to test the power of this nameless crown.
Ramuran gave a command in his mind.
No, the expression “command” was not suitable. Those Lorun-Tarks over there were another “him”.
Thousands of Lorun-Tarks—no, thousands of Ramurans—instantly bit into the Lorun-Tarks beside them that were still difficult for Ramuran’s ability to dominate.
A spectacular sight unfolded.
Thousands of Lorun-Tarks began biting and tearing into one another, ripping their opponents apart.
And a few among them ran over at tremendous speed and landed before Ramuran and Lilia.
“…What the hell is this!”
Surprised, Lilia drew a dagger to deal with the Lorun-Tarks.
“Relax, Lilia. Hehe…….”
But Ramuran’s voice came from behind.
At the same time, several Lorun-Tarks intertwined with one another and prostrated themselves flat before Lilia. As if telling her to ride atop them.
Seeing this, Lilia turned toward Ramuran in surprise.
Ramuran, wearing the crown that had been ivory but now emitted a faint red light, was slowly walking over.
“Let’s go now, Lilia. We’ll be able to leave quite comfortably.”
Having dealt with all the Lorun-Tarks in an instant, Ramuran was clearing a path to the surface through them.
Ramuran was so overjoyed he felt as if he could go mad.
With this power, no one could look down on him.
He could become the protagonist.
He could become like that guy who was once his companion but had plunged him into despair.
Riding the Lorun-Tarks with Lilia and heading outside, Ramuran was immersed in happy imaginings.
At the same time, a question arose.
When he heard it from the mysterious figure, it hadn’t fully sunk in, but now that it was in his hands, it was beyond imagination.
Who was that mysterious figure to yield such immense power to him free of charge?
No, it wasn’t free. There was one thing.
He had asked that when he himself needed it, Ramuran would help him once with this power.
It wasn’t something he couldn’t do, but he was curious. So he had asked.
What do you plan to do if I betray you?
Then the mysterious figure had answered with a smile.
No, it couldn’t be seen well because of the robe. But he was certain he felt the figure smiling.
And the figure muttered something, then told him to repeat it.
If they did that, they could not betray each other. That they could maintain a good relationship bound by trust.
It wasn’t very credible, but if the man’s means had no effect, it would still be beneficial to him, so he accepted.
At the same time, another slight doubt arose.
What function the pillar had been performing there using this crown.
And how it had maintained Ragaopora for hundreds of years.
But Ramuran decided to forget about such doubts.
The mysterious figure had said that nothing would happen, so he shouldn’t worry and just bring out what was inside.
He had doubted everything else the figure said, but unconsciously, Ramuran did not doubt those words.
No, he tried to believe them.
Hadn’t the figure always given him the right information?
This time too, those words would not be wrong.
Thinking so, Ramuran felt his mind grow even more at ease.
Nothing would happen, and if no one was harmed, there was no reason to feel guilty about taking this crown.
He was a descendant of the great pioneer Ragaope. The rightful successor to this crown. He was more than qualified to possess it.
Having thought that far, Ramuran stroked the crown on his head once more and steered the Lorun-Tarks toward the exit he had originally come from.
Now he had… been reborn anew.
☆ ☆ ☆
……!
The sea near Margalan.
Something was cutting through the underwater currents and slowly approaching Margalan.
No, it appeared to be moving slowly, but its speed was in fact very fast.
The reason it looked like it was moving slowly… was because its body was so enormous.
In the ancient tongue, “Island of the Deep Sea.”
That was the name of the creature swimming through the sea and approaching Margalan.
Calling it an island was somewhat of an exaggeration, but there was no doubt that the name was well chosen.
Because its size was truly staggering.
It had been quite famous hundreds of years ago, but now almost no one knew its name.
The reason it was famous was because it had sunk Grand-Vander, which had tried to open a route across the Kiaran Sea.
The reason no one knew of it anymore was because it had been forgotten after causing no accidents for hundreds of years.
Bakuron didn’t think much.
Inside the brain of this enormous deep-sea creature, Harijan, there was only one thing.
It was a very simple command, but that was precisely why its effect was intense.
Bakuron could not remember since when this resonance had occupied its mind.
Feeling that it had to listen to this resonance that had seized its mind, Bakuron prioritized the resonance in its head over instinct, traveling back and forth along the set path for hundreds of years, not eating what floated on the water but devouring everything that passed beneath.
Having repeated this steadily, none now intruded into Bakuron’s territory.
The Island of the Deep Sea, Bakuron, was a minor ruler of the Kiaran Sea with no equal except for the mother that had birthed it.
As seasons repeated and new seasons came, the resonance in its mind to guard the path weakened, but instead another resonance came.
Following that resonance, Bakuron faithfully went to the starting point of the path. Having done so for hundreds of years, there was no fear of losing its way.
When it went there, the first resonance would once again seize its mind strongly, and for hundreds of years it would repeat the act of catching other creatures passing along the path.
But this time, something was a little different.
The strange waves that had planted the resonance in Bakuron’s mind could no longer be heard.
As the strange waves that planted the resonance stopped, a different thought quickly began to rise in Bakuron’s mind.
The instinct of instincts. The instinct that had been blocked by the resonance until now surged up in one go the moment the resonance disappeared.
At the end of the path that Bakuron always traveled, very small prey happened to be gathered.
Because they were above the water’s surface, it hadn’t been able to eat them and had only salivated every time, but this time, somehow, it felt like it might be okay to eat them.
Having thought this far, Bakuron quickly swam toward the city where the small prey were.
Though small, there were many of them, so it would be able to feast to its heart’s content.
Having grown greatly over hundreds of years, Bakuron could now come onto land as well.
Feeling pride in its growth, Bakuron quickly moved toward the beach as its instinct commanded.
☆ ☆ ☆
Having come outside, Lilia and Ramuran were worrying about what to do next.
Ramuran had hidden the crown inside his bag, perhaps because his excitement had abated somewhat.
He made a dejected expression at the sense of loss that came when he took off the crown, but he consoled and reassured himself that since it was now in his hands, he could regain that ability at any time.
“Ramuran, what are you going to do now?”
As if something still bothered her, Lilia asked with a worried expression.
“Hmm… I wonder. I’m thinking of going to the Great Northern Wall first. I thought I should bring at least a Harijan with me.”
Treasures invited disaster merely by being possessed.
Moreover, if he went around wearing a strange-looking crown on his head, anyone would find him suspicious.
He had gained great power, but Ramuran was no fool.
Merely being able to handle animals would not be enough to protect this.
Only if Rameuran could handle Harijan would others be unable to touch him carelessly, and only then would he be able to protect this object.
To begin with, this artifact was far too excessive a thing to be used on mere wild beasts.
Its true value would reveal itself only when used against Harijan.
But Harijan could not be found in the interior of the continent. Most of them had been wiped out.
For that reason, Rameuran was first making plans to go to the Great Northern Wall and bring a powerful Harijan under his command.
“Really? Don’t you think you don’t have to go all the way to the Great Northern Wall? Harijan live in the sea too.”
Considering the nature of the sea, where humans found it difficult to operate, Rameuran’s value would rise even higher if he could handle Harijan there.
“Hmm… that’s a good idea too, but… after the Ragaopora was breached, there hasn’t been a single Harijan left in these waters.”
“Mm… that’s true……”
“I know I shouldn’t say this, but… I wish one incredibly strong one would just appear out of nowhere… Hehe, then I could tame it.”
“Hehe. Rameuran, life isn’t that convenient.”
Having felt the wall of reality keenly through their adventures, the two looked at each other and laughed.
They had gained great power, but the road ahead was still long, so Rameuran and Liria began to consider what direction they should take from here.
☆ ☆ ☆
The Ragaofe, which had continued for nearly ten days, was now drawing to a close.
There had been a brief commotion because the altar had stopped operating, but since nothing else happened, the festival continued.
However, this was only a temporary measure to reassure the people, as it would be dangerous if the crowds fell into confusion during the festival.
Judging by Sian’s senses, with law mages and Banders continuing to come and go, it did not seem as though the problem had been completely resolved.
Of course, none of that had anything to do with Sian and Steel. They were going to leave anyway.
After eating, sleeping, playing, and thoroughly enjoying the festival, Sian was eating dessert on the beach with an extremely satisfied expression.
This dessert, made from fruit said to have come from Kiaran, was very sweet, so Sian was already making plans to eat his fill of it once he went to Kiaran.
Steel, who had been watching Sian beside him, spoke.
“Brother Sian, the festival’s about to end. What are you going to do?”
“Mm… I’ve seen everything there is to see, so… I’m thinking of taking a ship straight to Kiaran.”
There was nothing much to see if they went by land. From Margaran, the distance to Broshan’s other tourist spots was extremely far.
Rather, it would be better to take a ship to Kiaran, look around there, and then travel by Ra-Shar-Roa.
Since traveling between countries was convenient if one used the Ra-Shar-Roa anyway, Sian was planning to stop by Broshan again later and first take a ship to see Kiaran.
“Oho… Kiaran, is it? I’ve never been there either.”
“Mm… I suppose that makes sense. They’re at opposite ends of the continent……”
If Taran bordered the sea at the western end of the continent, Kiaran bordered the sea at the eastern end.
Because the distance was so great, even Steel had never been to Kiaran.
“Let’s take a passenger ship. Since we’ll be sightseeing anyway, it seems better to go comfortably.”
Margaran was an extremely famous tourist city, so there were many passenger ships for nobles and merchants coming from Kiaran.
If they took one of those, they would be able to enjoy a comfortable journey.
Moreover, they said the inside of the passenger ships had all sorts of amusements prepared for nobles, so it would not be boring either.
Personally, Sian was greatly looking forward to this passenger-ship sightseeing.
Since it would be incredibly bothersome to cross the Ragaopora by running over the water, they decided to take a passenger ship, and once they returned to the mansion, they would have the steward book a vessel.
In the middle of that, Sian looked out across the sea.
“…
They said monsters or… things like that haven’t appeared here for hundreds of years, didn’t they?”
“Oho, so they did. How strange. With that momentum, it’ll be here before long.”
Far away, a savage presence driven purely by instinct was devouring several ships in the waters near Margaran as it charged fiercely toward the beach.
For now, it was still far enough away that only Sian and Steel could sense it, and because it was busy chewing up ships, its speed had slowed somewhat… but it would arrive before long.
And when Sian saw that thing, a very uneasy feeling began to creep over him.
He had instinctively realized that something had begun to go wrong.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Why on earth… did the altar suddenly stop operating?”
Marquis Taluk, the noble who governed Margaran, pressed Babil, a second-rank law mage.
Babil, whom he had invited at great expense, was examining the altar from every angle.
But he simply could not understand it. To begin with, the pillar that formed the axis of the altar itself was rejecting the flow of Exar, and since the altar could not be dismantled, investigation was difficult.
The greater concern was not that. Because he did not know in what manner it maintained the Ragaopora, he could not predict what would happen next.
He knew only roughly that it prevented Harijan from entering by means of the Ragaopora; because he did not know its exact operating structure, he did not know what sort of side effects might appear if the altar stopped.
“For now… I believe you should strengthen security. The festival is coming to an end anyway… so strengthen the guard under the pretext of maintaining public order.”
“Mm… I suppose I must. I will use my own means as well, so hurry with the investigation.”
But they had no need to strengthen security.
“Marquis! Terrible news!”
“What? What is it?”
Seeing the Bander run in out of breath, Marquis Taluk asked back with an anxious expression.
“…
We received a communication that ships coming this way through the Ragaopora… seven of them have sunk.”
Artifacts capable of using communication miracles were installed only on large ships.
In other words… that meant seven large ships had sunk, and far more smaller vessels had gone down as well.
The marquis was flustered, but he tried to respond as calmly as possible. If even he showed shock here, all of Margaran would fall into chaos.
“How did they say they sank?”
“According to the communication… something like a gigantic island chewed up the ships… and it is approaching this way at high speed.”
“Damn it……”
The marquis wanted to maintain his composure, but he simply could not stop his expression from twisting.
Now, it no longer mattered how the altar was maintaining the Ragaopora.
The marquis knew perfectly well what tragedy had occurred in the past when the Talic Stone had not been used, but this time, it was not as though they had failed to deploy the Talic Stone, and that disaster had never spread as far as land before. So he had intended to quietly resolve the matter through the guard, so the people would not fall into panic.
But with things like this, it could no longer be hidden.
“Mobilize every armed retainer and guard. The festival is over… It may not be dangerous all the way to land, but we cannot be certain, so evacuate everyone to the high ground.”
“Yes! Understood.”
“Departure from port is absolutely forbidden. Contact Kiaran as well, and tell every ship to return to harbor immediately. I do not know for certain, but… there is no telling where this situation will end.”
The same thing as before must never happen again.
“Anyone who spreads strange rumors and worsens the confusion is to be arrested without exception. Focus on evacuating the people safely. Hurry!”
“Yes!”
After sending off all the armed men, Marquis Taluk looked toward the law mage and spoke.
“Babil, please hurry. I promise you every form of support. And… if this place seems likely to become dangerous, flee immediately.”
“Understood, Marquis. Everyone, hurry!”
Babil urged the law mages under him and began responding quickly regarding the altar, while Taluk hurried back to the lord’s castle.
In the worst-case scenario… he might have to request aid from the nation.
☆ ☆ ☆
“To think… such a result would occur……”
Looking at Margaran, which had fallen into chaos, Rameuran was overcome with guilt.
He could not allow Liria to be swept up in it as well, so he had sent her away with the evacuating crowd.
In truth, it was not as though he had not expected this. He had merely pretended not to know.
He had expected that some kind of change would occur.
But he had not known it would appear in such a worst-case form.
For a creature like that to come charging in.
The crown must have been influencing that creature in some way. And it must have been maintaining the Ragaopora through that creature.
The thing that was now plunging Margaran into chaos was surely not unrelated to the fact that he had taken this crown out.
Now that the result had appeared like this, he could no longer pretend not to know.
‘Should I put the crown back…….’
If he put the crown back, everything might return to its original state.
But if that happened, he would have to return to the way he had been before.
Having tasted power once, Rameuran found it impossible to give up this crown.
Then, suddenly, a tremendous idea flashed through Rameuran’s mind.
A way to save Margaran from danger, prove his own worth, and become a hero.
A way to prove himself without going all the way to the Great Northern Wall.
‘That’s right… I will tame that thing…….’
He did not know what effect this crown had been producing until now, but if it was enough to influence such an incredible creature… then he should be able to do it as well.
Because he was a descendant of the great Ragaofe.
In any case, no one knew that he had taken this crown. When he came out, he had collapsed the entire cave.
Therefore, if only he could dominate that creature, he would become the hero who saved Margaran.
And he could become the ruler of the Kiaran Sea—no, of all seas.
He was not yet used to using the crown, so if the distance was too great, he could not dominate the creature.
But if it only came close… that creature would become his slave.
Having come up with a method that would make everyone happy, Rameuran waited for the creature to approach the shore.
If it only entered his sight first… he should be able to try.
☆ ☆ ☆
“As expected… all the ships have stopped sailing.”
Sian said as he looked at Margaran, which had fallen into chaos.
They were evacuating under as much control as possible, but the people of Margaran and the nobles, accustomed to peace, had fallen into anxiety and were clamoring that they would get out first.
With something like that approaching from the sea, there was no way ships would set sail.
Every ship, including the pleasure boats, had stopped departing.
“Ah… all because of one damn mudskipper……”
Sian let out a deep sigh.
Now he had to choose.
1. Return by land.
2. Run across the sea.
3. Change his destination.
4. …
Beat up that mudskipper, or drive it away, and tell them to launch a ship.
The choice was already as good as decided.
Wouldn’t it be best to choose the easiest method?
At least for him, option 4 was far easier than options 1, 2, and 3, which would take a great deal of time. And driving away a creature roaming around the sea was much easier than beating it to death.
For that reason, Sian decided to drive that creature away.
After pushing that thing back a little… he could ask the kid Miss Steel knew to launch a ship.
And if Sian was aboard, would that mudskipper even think of following?
Having reached that judgment, Sian immediately moved into action.