Chapter 142
Translator: penny
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Aurora's Brooch
142
1
One, two, one, two....
I raised my arms to my ears and twisted my waist.
A stretching sensation rippled through my muscles, accompanied by a slight rise in body heat.
Next, I rotated my ankles and wrists to loosen up.
"Who would've thought I'd end up playing deep-sea diver, of all things...."
A sigh escaped me naturally.
The first round of the Mulrat Contio finals was none other than scavenging relics from a sunken ship.
And this event came with quite the elaborate backstory.
Four days ago, the Aurora—missing from Esset's southern coast—had been found.
It was a ship that vanished mid-voyage thirty-four years prior, with no trace ever discovered until now.
The Aurora had reappeared out of nowhere, wrecked along the southern coast.
It must have been swept ashore by ocean currents while still half-submerged.
From land, only the prow was visible.
The rest of the hull lay sunk underwater, requiring significant funds, time, and manpower to salvage.
Esterro Academy had agreed to handle the salvage and return any discovered relics to the bereaved families in exchange for using it in the Mulrat Contio finals.
It was exactly as I remembered, which was a relief....
Of course, there were still limits.
Even I had no idea where the captain's relic—one of the Continent's 100 Treasures—was located.
There had been a special reward for finding it, so I'd scoured Broken World like a rat hunting cheese, but I'd never once succeeded.
In other words, the captain's relic was basically a pipe dream.
The reward was just some bonus points and a trivial souvenir of no real use.
I finished stretching at the starting line, and the bereaved families' desperate gazes pierced my back.
Even after all this time, the captain's and crew's families surely hadn't forgotten them.
Even if it meant using the ship as fodder for a Mulrat Contio event, they wanted to reclaim any trace of their loved ones.
I understood their feelings.
That's why my shoulders felt heavy.
At the very least, I'd give this event my all.
"Sixteen of you will pass this round! Everyone, do your best! Get ready!"
Ken Shwelts stood on the shore, raising his arm high.
At his command, the thirty-two finalists finished their preparations in their own ways.
"Begin!!"
With Ken Shwelts' booming declaration, the students sprang into action simultaneously.
The starts were synced, but their approaches varied wildly.
Yelga, representing Glacir, ran across the water's surface on foot, channeling mana somehow.
Rolan of Hecate lounged atop his broom, clutching a crystal orb.
Even the holy knights hurried after the saintess, who had offered a prayer so brief it barely counted before diving in.
Everyone was dead serious about Mulrat Contio.
I was the last one left. I dipped my toes into the water.
It was bone-chillingly cold, but....
Sigh, such is my fate.
I'll curse you for this, Anirja!
Swallowing my sigh, I plunged into the water.
At the same instant, I linked dimensional magic coordinates around my respiratory system to the air above.
I took a deep breath, and oxygen filled my lungs instead of water.
It was a makeshift oxygen line created by magic.
I'd still have to swim, but breathing was no issue.
I opened my eyes in the crystal-clear depths.
Of course, I didn't want saltwater in my eyes, so I'd swapped coordinates to block it.
The wreck was split into two parts.
Many students were already heading toward the forward section dangling from the prow.
Almost no one was going to the stern.
Guess that's my spot.
I swam down to the seafloor.
It had been ages since I'd swum, but since I'd trained my body for it once, it wasn't too hard.
By the time I adjusted to the cold seawater, I'd reached the stern.
Time to grab any relics here quick and head back.
Relic spawns were random, so they might not even be here in the worst case....
Either way, better check fast.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a dull rushing current echoed through the water.
I twisted reflexively, and a trident grazed past me.
Something agile swam in, retrieved the trident, and blocked my path.
It was a merfolk knight riding a seahorse.
A whalekin beastman, his lower body was a whale's tail instead of legs, and massive fins protruded from his back as he aimed the trident at me.
Right, there was this guy.
This merfolk knight was the mid-boss of the first round, blocking access to the ship.
Underwater combat already made him tricky, and the trident was coated in poison that steadily drained HP on hit.
Not terribly hard overall, but annoying.
To avoid the hassle of getting poisoned, I drew Deathwise.
The merfolk knight spurred his seahorse, closing in fast and thrusting the trident.
Parrying wasn't hard, but underwater, my movements felt sluggish.
Swinging my sword wouldn't carry proper momentum.
Swish!
Worse, generating power was tough.
Even when he hooked Deathwise with his trident and knocked it from my grip, I couldn't resist properly.
That was the grind of underwater fighting.
As expected from Broken World's pointlessly faithful simulation—I'd anticipated it, but.... No way to prepare for this even knowing it was coming.
For now, I recovered Deathwise with dimensional magic.
I parried his next thrust just in time, channeling power into Deathwise mid-swing.
Boom—a muffled shock rippled out, pushing us both back.
-Hmm... How curious. Faint though it may be, dissolving in the water... I sense the demon's afterscent.
What the hell was that?
Demon's afterscent? Like a fragment or something?
-High likelihood, wouldn't you say?
Why would a demon fragment be here?
Was the Aurora's disappearance caused by a demon fragment?
The sudden question froze me mid-motion.
In that gap, the merfolk knight blocked my path instead of attacking, his mouth opening and closing.
He clearly had no intent to fight and wanted to say something.
Of course, underwater, all I heard was bubbles.
Mana drain was a pain, but no choice.
I closed my eyes and spread mana around us.
I fully dominated the space enveloping me and the knight with mana.
Then I displaced the water inside and filled it with air, creating a cozy underwater pocket.
Like a rectangular yellow sponge next to a squirrel's house.
"What has happened?!"
The merfolk knight, only his lower half in water, whipped his head around asking.
Looks like we could communicate.
"Magic to clear the water temporarily. Figured it'd let us talk."
"Oh...! You seem a most impressive mage. What brings you here? If you're thinking of approaching that ship, abandon the notion!"
"Any particular reason?"
The knight nodded vigorously.
Humanoid build, but uncannily whale-like—quite unique.
"Any who draw near that ship fall to corruption and run amok. I've kept everyone away as best I could, and slain any corrupted creatures that slipped through. You seem reasonable, so I beseech you—withdraw quietly."
Creatures that get too close corrupt and rampage....
Demon fragment's gotta be the cause, right?
-Affirmative. Many demons work that way. Absorb the fragment posthaste!
Was gonna anyway.
Can't just leave something that dangerous, and I need those relics.
"I have a hunch about the cause. If I'm right, I can handle it."
"Ooh...! Truly?!"
"If I get close enough. Don't worry, I won't rampage."
"Then I entrust it to you! For the beautiful sea!"
Not really for the sea on my end, but whatever.
I nodded along appropriately, then asked as I started swimming toward the hull.
"By the way, found any relics from the ship? Like a brooch or pendant?"
"A brooch? I have one. Found it shortly after the ship wrecked. Do you need it for some reason?"
The knight pulled a rusted brooch from his inexplicable gills.
Simple design, unfamiliar to me, but it looked quite valuable.
From the ship, so definitely a relic.
"Gonna return it to the family."
"Then by all means, take it!"
Talks easy with this merfolk.
Dialogue first in all things, as they say.
I nodded and dispelled the dimensional magic.
One relic secured.
Just snag the demon fragment and bail.
2
"Pha!"
Surfacing, I instinctively gulped air.
Even though I'd been breathing fine until then.
Ugh, the wind makes it even colder.
I shivered uncontrollably as I climbed onto the shore.
Seems I was last; other students clustered in groups, drying their clothes.
I'd dived in uniform, so mine clung soddenly.
Gotta hand this brooch to Ken and dry off quick....
"Got one."
I wrung out my sopping black hair, shook off the water, and offered the rusted brooch to Ken.
He'd been sitting arms crossed, but inspected it with surprisingly delicate care for his bulk, then approached an elderly woman nearby with a grave expression.
"Madam, if you would verify."
The white-haired old woman took the brooch with trembling hands.
Then, overcome, she clutched it to her chest, tears welling up.
"It... it's my husband's......."
That was Laura Marez.
Wife of Richard Marez, captain of the Aurora, and the one who'd led searches for it all these years.
Meaning the relic I'd found was the captain's.
No wonder it never appeared in the original game—the merfolk knight had it.
Never a single hint of that, which is why Broken World is such trash.
The Brooch of Radiant Light, the captain's relic, was one of the Continent's 100 Treasures.
Finding it meant I'd get that special reward.
I'd planned to diligently snag relics then slack off the rest, so why'd it turn out like this?
Unbelievable.
My head throbbed instinctively, but seeing Laura Marez grasp my hand in thanks made it all worthwhile.
I'd returned a relic to its family, after all.
Trivial rewards could be ignored.
"Old age brings more tears, they say. Enough to bawl in front of a student—such a spectacle."
She forced a smile, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.
Then cleared her throat lightly and caressed her husband's relic tenderly.
"Student, do you know the origin of the name 'Brooch of Radiant Light'?"
"No clue."
A treasure lost for thirty-four years, never mentioned in the original game.
At my answer, Laura tossed the brooch into the sea.
"This is why."
Everyone gasped at the abrupt act.
I hid my shock, but yeah, stunned.
Laura, however, smiled warmly, gazing at the ocean.
Soon, the sea began to shimmer in every color.
Light from the rusted gem refracted through the seawater, rising toward the sky.
The aurora unfurled at midday, painting the blue sky and sea in surreal hues.
Green light, red, blue, vivid pink, yellow.
The ever-shifting aurora swayed like curtains in the breeze.
Its otherworldly beauty left everyone speechless, staring skyward.
I couldn't tear my eyes away either.
I just gawked at the rippling lights.
A breathtaking vista only possible in this world.
My efforts in the first round were more than repaid.
The original game surely would've shown this scene if you'd found the brooch.
Irredeemable trash or not, moments like these make it impossible to hate Broken World.