The Lake's Sovereign
I turned my head toward Delian to steer the conversation away from Captain Jackson of the Odyssey Maritime Kingdom. “More importantly, what kind of problem occurred at the excavation site that you need me for?”
“I’ll explain that,” Urek answered my question. His dark circles were especially pronounced—probably from rushing around the dig site—but his eyes sparkled as he looked at me and began detailing the issue.
“First, there are three locations estimated to hold ruins of the ancient civilization.”
“They’re in the East, South, and West respectively.”
“Among them, the excavation site showing the clearest results is right here in the West.”
Unlike the vast grasslands of the East, the West featured an immense sea dotted with countless islands. Perhaps because it was more familiar with water and had more of it than anywhere else, the ruins discovered here were submerged.
“Being submerged isn’t the problem. That much at least explains why they went undiscovered for a thousand years.”
“The real issue is the submerged location itself and the sovereign that rules the lake.”
The lake where waves crashed, the sea embraced by the continent—it went by many names, but its official one was Emerald Lake. Locals called it the Emerald Sea because its waters shone with a beautiful, jewel-like emerald hue. Thanks to that beauty, it was famous as a tourist and resort destination, but what truly made Emerald Lake renowned was its sovereign.
Some called it the ruler of water. Others claimed it was a polymorphed blue dragon. Still others insisted it was the water elemental king in another form. Tales of the lake’s sovereign, which carried every kind of rumor, had become legends passed down in every city and village near the lake.
Though it had never shown itself even once, the reason people believed in the sovereign’s existence was clear evidence. Anyone who tried to approach the center of the lake would find the currents shifting unnaturally to push them away. If they forced their way in, all manner of monsters and water-born creatures would run wild. On top of that, the lake’s center was perpetually shrouded in mist year-round. To anyone’s eyes, it was undeniable proof that something existed at the heart of the lake. Countless people had tried to break through the interference over the years, but every single one had failed. Those failures had piled up until now, when no fool would even attempt to reach the lake’s center anymore.
After finishing his explanation in a calm voice, Urek continued with a worried expression. “The submerged ruins are quite far from the lake’s center. Until we discovered them, we had been stirring up the lake without any reaction.”
“So the sovereign only started interfering after you found the ruins?”
“Exactly. It began moving the moment we located the ruins.”
The problem seemed more serious than I’d thought. From Urek’s words, I could roughly gauge the situation. It was at minimum a Gold-rank monster or a comparable Mystery phenomenon.
“Could it be a spiritual entity?”
“I don’t think so. If it were, I would have sensed it.”
As a Southerner who could perceive Mysteries and a scholar who read the heavens’ fate through crystal divination, his sensitivity to spiritual beings was beyond question. If someone like him said it wasn’t a spiritual entity, then it wasn’t.
I quickly erased all spiritual countermeasures from my mind and kept thinking. “Then is it more likely a Mystery phenomenon?”
“It’s not impossible, but I’d say it’s closer to a monster carrying a powerful Mystery.”
“That makes sense. It’s not like Mystery phenomena are named after someone’s dog.”
“They’re quite common in the South.”
That’s because the South is weird. Just as the North had an unusual abundance of monsters, the South was overflowing with Mystery phenomena, so even things rare elsewhere appeared frequently there.
I pushed the stray thoughts aside and continued pondering, but no clear strategy came to mind. I wouldn’t be able to form any real plan until I confirmed exactly what the lake’s sovereign was.
“Once the banquet ends, let’s head out right away.”
“I knew you’d say that! Things like this should be handled decisively!”
“The excavation team has been twiddling their thumbs in worry! This is a relief, a real relief!”
Maybe it was because they’d finally discovered ruins after a thousand years only to be unable to touch them. Watching the two men rejoice like children made me feel strangely embarrassed. But they didn’t stop there.
“No time to waste! Since the topic’s come up, shall we head straight to Emerald Lake?”
“Huh? The banquet isn’t even over yet, where are we…”
I trailed off and looked around. The once-noisy banquet hall had gone quiet long ago. Most of the guests were openly listening to our conversation. Even the host of the banquet, the Marquis of Philia, was among them.
I met Delian’s eyes, which were filled with a strange, fervent gleam. “Are all the people here the same type as you, Mr. Delian?”
“Of course. They all rushed here the moment they heard ruins had been found.”
“We held this banquet to discuss how to deal with the lake’s sovereign together.”
At Delian and Urek’s words, I finally understood. Everyone here possessed at least a researcher’s mania. Realizing they were scholars willing to sacrifice sleep to illuminate the beacon of knowledge, I let out a helpless laugh.
“I don’t even know anymore. If we’re moving quickly, let’s go right now.”
“Excellent idea! I’ll have the servants prepare the carriage immediately, so please wait just a moment!”
“Hahaha! That’s our Argo!”
At my brisk decision-making, everyone in the banquet hall burst into cheers. Their attitude practically screamed that the banquet itself didn’t matter, and I couldn’t help but smile. Mr. Delian, you’ve made some truly interesting friends since leaving the North.
The trip to Emerald Lake was quick. Riding in the carriage prepared by the marquis, we marveled at the beautiful lake as we looked around.
“So this is Emerald Lake?”
“No wonder it’s famous as a resort.”
“It’s a lake, but there are actual waves.”
Just as its name suggested, the lake sparkled like an emerald under the sunlight. It was breathtakingly beautiful on its own. While we surveyed the scenery, we headed toward the village that had formed along the lakeshore. Or rather, it probably shouldn’t be called a village.
Delian and Urek, who were leading the way, pointed at it with confident expressions. “This is the excavation team’s base camp for the ancient civilization dig.”
“As we stayed here, we kept needing more and more things, so it developed into something close to a proper village.”
“This doesn’t look like it should be called a base camp anymore.”
“Hehe, of course not. Building a harbor that can dock sailing ships isn’t easy work.”
I let out a dry laugh upon spotting a harbor the same size as the village. I knew these guys weren’t ordinary, but I never dreamed they’d prepare actual sailing ships and a harbor. Just how had they managed that?
“How did you make the ships?”
“We didn’t make them.”
“We borrowed them temporarily from Western nobles.”
“Borrowed?”
At Urek’s words, I recalled the information I’d stored in the back of my mind. I’d heard that ships in the West were free from the constraints of water. Rumors said they could even travel on land. Could that actually be true?
When I looked at him with that question in my eyes, Delian grinned and nodded. “You’re thinking correctly. Western ships can sail across land.”
“The rumors were true?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
Whoa, that means the ships can climb mountains and cross forests. How the hell was that even possible? I stared at the ships docked in the harbor, full of curiosity. Part of me wanted to take one for a spin onto dry land, but I held back. Tampering with a vessel borrowed from a noble house felt wrong, and dealing with the lake’s sovereign was far more important right now.
When we followed the two men to the entrance of the base camp, the guards on duty spotted us and greeted them.
“Oh, if it isn’t Lord Delian and Lord Urek?”
“We heard you were attending the banquet hosted by the Marquis of Philia. You’re back already?”
“It’s nothing major. We found someone who can deal with the lake’s sovereign.”
At Delian’s words, the guards’ eyes widened in surprise and turned toward us. If the two leaders of the excavation team were this confident, it meant we weren’t ordinary. The guards who had worked with the team for the past several months looked at us with faces full of expectation.
We passed them and entered the settlement. I had no idea how much sponsorship money had poured in, but the space that greeted us could easily house several hundred people. Neatly arranged buildings, people walking the streets—most looked like scholars or mages, though I occasionally spotted what appeared to be guards or Westerners.
The two men strode confidently through the area, laughing warmly as they explained the base camp to us. “It was built in a hurry, but it has everything you’d need. We planned the layout very carefully.”
“Depending on how things go, we might stay here for years, so we made it properly.”
Excavating ruins was a marathon. Just as they said, the work could easily take years if they were unlucky. They gazed at their near-village base camp with satisfied expressions.
“Wouldn’t it be much more comfortable to stay in an actual town or city? No matter how well-equipped this place is, it can’t compare to a real city.”
“The nearest city is two days away. Housing hundreds of people in a village has its limits too.”
“There’s also the supply issue. This spot is closest to Philia, which delivers our supplies, and it’s not too far from the ruins. It’s the optimal location.”
While talking, we stopped in front of a large tavern. Since the sun had fully set, the lively noise from inside spilled out into the street. Delian and Urek looked at me and said,
“It’s already late today, so let’s start moving tomorrow.”
“Before that, go introduce yourself to the owner of the sailing ship. You’ll be fighting together, so it’s best to get along.”
“We’re fine with that. A quick round of introductions will make tomorrow’s work smoother too.”
I nodded and headed for the tavern door. Before I could even touch it, the door swung open and a man stepped out.
Sun-bronzed copper skin, a body packed with muscle, and the unmistakable aura of a seasoned sailor—this massive man had a pipe clenched between his teeth as he looked at us.
“I heard what you were saying outside. So you’re the ones who’ll take on the lake’s sovereign?”
The man grinned widely and extended a huge hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jackson, First-Class Captain of the Odyssey Maritime Kingdom.”
“Nice to meet you too. I’m Argo, a Silver-rank adventurer from the North.”
“I’ve heard plenty about the fame of Northern adventurers. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do tomorrow.”
When I took his hand, I felt a firm, solid grip. I felt a brief surge of respect for the hand that clearly spoke of countless voyages. Then Jackson suddenly tightened his hold and dragged me inside the tavern.
“W-wait, huh?”
“Well, now that introductions are done—everyone, come inside! Let’s eat and drink to celebrate our new comrades!”
“Ooooooh!”
At Jackson’s shout, the sailors who had been eating and drinking inside raised their mugs high in response. They must have been paying attention ever since the captain stood up, because the moment he finished speaking they roared in unison. Neon, Adela, and Beatrice glanced at one another for a moment before following us inside. After all, eating and drinking together was an everyday occurrence in the North too.