Book 8 Chapter 5

Chapter 179

"The monster snake of Lake Beltino."

Early April, 1426.

319 years after the Archmage Lyn died.

At the beginning of the lower reaches of the Bellisor River, a violent storm was raging. The sailors said that the gods were sending spring rain.

'It's spring rain, given the season. Only the season hasn't changed.'

But for spring rain, the river, surging like the sea, was too perilous, and the mission I was on wasn't fitting for 'spring rain' either.

Akie, who had received intense training from Celine before the rain, was now asleep in her arms, inside the cabin.

When I checked on Akie and came up with Pipi, the deck was a commotion of sailors tidying up ropes and chains against the wind and rain.

"Fold it quickly! The sail is tearing!"

"We're hurrying as much as we can!"

Valensidis, who had been sitting atop the figurehead chanting a spell, then opened one eye.

"Found it. Outputting coordinates."

He had detected the presence of a monstrous entity moving deep beneath the surface by a subtle tremor in the air. He immediately displayed the coordinates in the air.

"Confirmed. Everyone, cover your ears."

The moment I grasped the magic circle, spinning crimson in the downpour, all sound vanished from the world.

A fiery lightning bolt ripped through the dark clouds that had been pouring down rain and wind. A thunderclap, erasing both color and sound, formed a terrifying shape and struck the water's surface.

An ear-splitting roar, and steam of immense heat, surged forth in a hot blast.

"Valensidis, barrier in front."

Immediately, Valensidis's wind barrier, extended in front of the figurehead, deflected the storm left and right.

When the thick steam fog cleared, a blackened, charred shape floated to the surface.

That colossal body was a water snake the width of a medium-sized merchant ship, a River-Serpent.

"Wow, amazing!"

"He blew away the River-Serpent in one shot!"

All the sailors, who had been securing the rigging in the wind and rain, let out cheers. The captain also approached, clapping sincerely.

"You are truly amazing! To deal with that cunning creature in one blow…"

It was said that it was so cunning that it would only attack and sink ships when there were no mages or witches on board.

"Its rampages were so severe that we even considered hiring a Slayer, but their commission fees are truly outrageous…"

"Slayers?"

"I mean Serpent Slayers. They are specialists in hunting serpents, only accepting serpent hunting requests."

Then Valensidis, standing next to me, raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Have Slayers started operating in this area too?"

"Yes. They drive out other adventurers and claim territory… They used to be very reliable, but these days they've strangely turned into thugs and are making exorbitant profits."

"Slayers, it seems it's not just one or two people who use that ridiculous nickname, is it?"

I know three Slayers.

Goblin Slayer, Miria.

And the strongest mercenary in history, Dragon Slayer Arthur Brius, who is said to have hunted a dozen wyverns 500 years ago.

- Link, Link, Link.

And Demon Slayer Kaseel Linkhan, who went with us to the Land's End Desert 300 years ago.

He was a giant, even bigger than Bart, but due to some brain damage in his childhood, he could only say his own name, 'Link'.

Normally, he was so innocent that even when Pipi landed on his head and pecked at him wildly, he would just endure it, saying "Link, Link."

But on the battlefield, it was different. Enraged by villages and cities ravaged by the abyss, Link was truly a monster.

So monstrous was his appearance that he earned the nickname, Demon Slayer.

The name Kaseel Linkhan was a name I created for him by searching historical records to fit his nickname, Demon Slayer.

"You might not know, being from the Empire. All the adventurers in this area who call themselves Slayers are descendants of that Demon Slayer, sir."

What…?

For a moment, it felt as if Link's laughter, from when he gave me a piggyback on his broad shoulders and laughed like a fool, brushed past my ears.

Sheltering from the rain, I mouthed a whisper to Pipi, who was looking up at me from inside Celine's sleeve.

'Did you hear? That blockhead left descendants…'

I knew that the five adventurers who helped us in the last battle had returned safely. I was just afraid to know what happened afterward.

- Link, Link, Link.

- Link, Link, Link.

Pipi used to mimic Link's words like a parrot, or rather, parrot-like, making everyone laugh…

Valensidis, perhaps not knowing that this was an expression remembering Link, lightly shook his head.

"Were you thinking of that goblin woman?"

"Goblin woman? Miria?"

"She probably just calls herself a Slayer. Real Slayers, descendants of the Demon Slayer, carry a mark on their bodies."

"A mark?"

"Rather than carrying it, they are forced to bear it… Anyway, if she had that mark, there's no way I wouldn't have recognized her."

Should I call this fortunate…?

For a moment, imagining Miria as a descendant of Link, I felt nauseous.

"By the way, seeing you so splendidly deal with the River-Serpent with just one spell reminded me of the story of the Archmage that the guild masters used to tell."

"Archmage? Which Archmage? Zernix?"

"Zer… Who is that? I'm talking about Archmage Lyn."

Archmage Lyn? Me?

I felt my facial muscles stiffen instantly.

"It happened 300 years ago. At that time, as a large number of red dragons crossed the sea, a small River-Serpent appeared in this waterway."

At that time, the first guild master who founded this merchant guild was still a boy merchant traveling by punt.

He made profits by taking specialties from each port village and selling them in other villages.

But because of the River-Serpent, the waterway was blocked, and his livelihood was cut off. Because it cunningly hid deep beneath the surface and only attacked when small punts passed by.

"Eventually, when he desperately steered his boat out onto the river, the creature attacked… and then, miraculously, Archmage Lyn appeared and helped him."

Such a thing happened.

Some crazy kid, wanting to die, went into the snake-infested waters, and because Freide pushed me, I ended up helping.

"The first guild master never forgot that favor. It was a minor battle, unrecorded in any history book, but to him, you were a hero itself."

A hero.

Such a fuss over just that.

"After the merchant guild grew significantly, the guild master designated that day as a festival day, holding a grand celebration every year and giving food to everyone freely. He always told this story. And he commanded his descendants to do the same."

"…!"

"That festival has continued for 300 years. Under the name 'Archmage's Day.' It's every December 28th."

The captain pointed to the figurehead.

"That staff-shaped figurehead is a symbol of respect and gratitude towards Lord Lyn. All the ships in our merchant guild have that figurehead."

Ah, so that was it.

No wonder it looked familiar; it was in the shape of the staff, Geumyeongjang, that Yoshuar gave me during Lyn's time.

"Might the mage also be wearing that conical hat out of respect for Lord Lyn?"

It was truly difficult to answer.

I couldn't very well say that I respected myself, could I?

Instead, I lowered my conical hat to hide my expression and tried to recall the face of the kid I had met back then.

- Thank you, truly, truly thank you!

He was a kid my age, who kept bowing deeply back then, saying he would never forget this favor for the rest of his life…

- Try to reach out to someone, even just a little.

Suddenly, it felt as if Lystar's voice echoed in the rain.

- Then people will remember Lyn like this, and tell future generations: "The Archmage of the Hero's Party."

A connection 300 years later.

Living life, I've come to see such a day. I naturally thought only those three people would have left stories of good deeds…

I thought I'd just feel unnecessarily embarrassed by something like this, but it's not such a bad feeling.

"Just in case, please don't create a day for me. I only worked for the fare to take you to <Terbenople>."

"Of course."

"Even so, such an immediate answer is a bit…"

Three days passed after finishing the journey in the Bellisor River basin and boarding the merchant ship.

The next day at noon, the merchant ship finally entered the territory of the blue city <Terbenople>.

"Now the navy of the blue city will protect you, so you can rest."

The sea breeze mixed with the wind, and the cries of seagulls could be heard.

In the riverside villages we passed, aspects of prosperity began to reappear. These were villages managed by the metropolis.

By then, the width of the estuary had widened crazily, to the point where both riverbanks were out of sight from the middle of the river.

"Terbenople!"

And two days later, the moment <Terbenople> revealed its grand majesty, Akie shouted excitedly.

Over two months, her body had grown further, now appearing to be about seven or eight years old.

Her hesitant speech had improved considerably, which was good… but she had become a bit seriously arrogant.

"Dat, dat, dat, dat!"

She uses informal speech to all humans except me. She even uses it a little with me.

- A nomad needs beastliness.

It was Master Celine, no less, who corrected that timid way of speaking…

Thinking about it, it's absurd for a dragon, especially a True Dragon, to use polite language with humans. I actually think it's for the best.

…but I can't really think that, because a bizarre hybrid way of speaking has been born, mixing human speech with Pipi's.

"Akie wants to see better! Give Akie a piggyback ride!"

"Not 'mokma' but 'mokmal' (piggyback ride)."

"Nengji, nengji, nengji, nengji."

"Give Akie a piggyback ride quickly, datdatdat!"

"It's all good, but why the commanding tone?"

Actually, she's now at the level of a martial arts master, so if I don't give her a ride, she'll leap up with a 'jingak' (a specific martial arts move) and climb onto my neck on her own…

Oh, where did my small, cute Akie who used to pester me for hugs go?

Swallowing my tears, I gave her a piggyback ride, and Akie, who had placed my conical hat on her head, let out a cry of admiration.

"Woah…"

In fact, when <Terbenople> revealed its form, clearer and bluer than the heavens, I too couldn't help but utter the same exclamation.

'Truly, this is the second time, but it's always amazing to see. Unbelievable.'

The sacred city of Terbel, <Terbenople>, the sun of the azure sky, is two cities situated where the Bellisor River merges with the sea.

"Two cities?"

"Hmm, to be precise, it's more accurate to say that one city was divided into two by the river."

"Though the divided distance is excessively wide."

"Right. But connecting the city as one, disregarding even such environmental factors, is…"

Right there, in front of us, is a warship that appeared even before <Terbenople>.

Yes, a warship.

Not just any warship, but the warship of the gods, Territos, said to have roamed freely during the age of gods.

'Terbel's flagship and one of the 11 wonders of the world…'

That colossal warship, like a city, is anchored in the middle of the Bellisor River estuary.

Connecting the two cities with eight pairs of gangways, stretching long from its deck to both riverbanks.

More like bridges than gangways, with an exquisite structure and appearance.

"It's so advanced that even demi-humans can't decipher its design. Truly a wonder of the gods…"

Around that time, Celine came up onto the deck with a yawn.

"What, it's Palaseium. We've arrived already."

Above the bridge, which is similar in scale to a fortress, that towering structure piercing the sky is the Palaseium Lighthouse.

"Humans living in <Terbenople> can tell the time just by looking at its shadow."

Palaseium is usually used as a lighthouse, brightly illuminating the distant sea beyond the horizon as if it were daytime.

Here's another wonder: no one needs to light the lighthouse's fire or reflect mirrors.

It charges its own cells and emits light through a pioneering method called solar power generation…

Celine said.

"Can you see that well, Akie?"

"Akie can see it well too, dat!"

"During the World's Strongest Martial Arts Tournament, that place is open to everyone. It's where Akie will fight."

I thought she would tremble with nervousness, but Akie, who had become incredibly strong over four months, seemed so excited she couldn't control herself.

"Akie will win everything, dat! Punch! Punch punch!"

"Yes, that's it! Be our Heaven's Blossom Punch!"

Akie, dangerously extending both fists wildly while on a piggyback ride, did not lose her balance and fall when the ship was rocked by waves…!

"Eeyah!"

Before her red hair could touch the ground, she spun her body and landed gracefully! A master!

"Akie landed!"

The sailors who saw it clapped wildly and cheered loudly.

"I'll cheer for your victory in the World's Strongest Martial Arts Tournament, Akie!"

"I'll bet half of this old man's entire fortune on you!"

"Don't mess around, bet everything on Akie, dat!"

"Wahahahahat!"

If it had been someone else's business, I would have clapped and moved on, but why does worry take precedence, I wonder.

"Celine, you! Haven't you made Akie too fierce? How am I supposed to handle this?"

"Fierce, fierce, monster, monster, chimpanzee, chimpanzee, lacking, lacking, lacking intelligence."

Pipi, who had been teasing so much, was caught in the fearsome grip of the absolute lifeform in the blink of an eye.

Oh, how could this be!

Akie licked Pipi, who was screaming for help, all over, making her drenched in saliva.

"Pipi, yummy smell… Akie will roast and eat her!"

"Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, help, help."

Celine, watching this, nodded her head as if very satisfied.

"For a young nomad, beastliness is important. This isn't even fierce. Akie is quite gentle for her age."

The blue witch in the last village we visited said it was probably due to her overflowing youthful energy. She would mature as she grew older.

'If she were human, that would be true…'

As they chatted, amidst the captain's busy shouts, the merchant ship began to furl its sails and row towards the western harbor.

- Why do most ships only go to this west side, and not the east?

The distant past, 300 years ago.

I asked Freide that on this sea.

- The eastern city is the domain of those who hold <Terbenople> citizenship. The west is the commercial district. Most outsiders pass through there.

And at the cliff's edge of that eastern city, the blue palace <Teranidoria>, famous for being built directly by Terbel, rose high.

A place where only noble bloodlines, known as 'Blue Bloods,' are granted the right to live.

Noble bloodlines refer to the descendants of witches who had the honor of serving as tribunes during the great era when dragons led the republic.

"That's why that fortress is more famously known as 'The Witches' Palace'."

Reciting Freide's past explanation to Akie felt strange.

- Those proud bloodlines acknowledged me, Freide, as the republic's top priestess and even arranged a place for me in there. Do you understand the extent of my prestige?

Humph, what does that matter?

She didn't even live in there, left no descendants, and just disappeared somewhere.

On the other hand, that blockhead Link, who was an orphan just like me and seemed like he'd never get married, appears to have founded an entire Slayer clan.

"Papa, there are so many ships."

Wherever Akie pointed her finger, there was a different type of ship.

Deep-sea fishing boats, whaling ships, warships, merchant ships, sailing ships, galleys…

The Azure Fleet, which prides itself as humanity's strongest navy, is probably anchored in the eastern harbor.

I know better than anyone that this is true, having witnessed it well during the turmoil 300 years ago.

"Yes, there are a tremendous number of ships…"

"There are also many people, dat."

"Yes, that's right."

300 years ago, it was a time of war, so the Azure Fleet had all set sail, and the harbor was filled only with refugees and rescue ships.

- It's the hero…

- Hero…

- Hero, please…

Refugees who had lost family, friends, and homes would shed tears and kneel upon seeing us arriving by ship.

- Lyn, I will never forget this sight.

Lystar waved to them and said that to me.

- Five years, maybe ten. The day we return here, I hope this city is smiling. I'll fight with that dream.

- …

- I won't live long, so Lyn, please watch over it. How the city changes.

That's how it was, but now…

So vibrant and full of life now, how happy Lystar, who loved to see people smiling, would have been if she had seen this sight.

"But why is Papa crying? Does Papa hate ships and people?"

Just as the light of memory seemed to be obscured by the darkness of reality, Akie, who had somehow climbed onto my shoulder again, thrust her upside-down face right in front of my eyes.

"I'm not crying."

Yes, how could I shed tears? What did I climb onto that warship for that day?

"The sea breeze is just making my eyes sting a bit."

Enjoying this peace that we had collectively forged, even if it's in place of those foolish guys, must be one of the things I have to do.

Of course, it would have been better if we could have come together…

I smiled fleetingly and wiped away a tear, from a past I could not return to. And I softly whispered, to the present era, 300 years later.

'I don't know what it was like 10 or 20 years later, but…'

Lystar.

Now, 300 years later, everyone is smiling.

I wish you could have seen this too.