The Old Man of the Eastern Sea
Ever since that day, I went out for a flight every single day. In the mornings, I would return to my true form at the edge of the nest and soar into the sky, and as evening approached, I would return to the nest and sleep just as I was. Some days, I followed the eastern sea I had visited before and went even further; on other days, I crossed the northern mountain range to see the even larger ranges beyond. Sometimes, I spent a long time flying over the plains where human cities were clustered.
The refreshing sensation of unleashing my magic to its fullest while accelerating always cleared my chest. Once I had tasted that freedom, it was agonizingly difficult to live without it. Kar followed me for the first few days, but at some point, he simply started staying at the nest or heading to his own territory to spend time with the wyverns there. There were more days when he wasn't at the nest when I returned. Eventually, our daily routine became nothing more than exchanging brief greetings when we happened to cross paths.
"Are you going out again?"
"Yeah."
That was how it went. I wasn't sure how many days had passed, but I knew the envoys were still a long way from returning. It might have been nearly half a month. Since I fell asleep as soon as I returned to the nest and left again as soon as I woke up, my sense of time had become quite blurred.
The scenery beneath my feet was different every time. The mountain ranges were capped with eternal snow on every peak, and beyond them lay yet another range. The plains would stretch out endlessly in a sea of grass, only to suddenly transform into a desert. Human cities were visible even from quite a distance. Some were surrounded by massive stone walls, while others stretched out in long lines along rivers.
Every time I passed over those cities, the ground below would erupt in chaos. In some places, bells rang out urgently; in others, I could see people screaming and scattering. In still others, I saw crowds of people kneeling with their hands clasped together.
I also frequently flew over the territories of magical beasts. The beasts would always lower their heads in unison or flee into their dens. Even those with dense magic didn't dare to lift their heads. Blue lightning frequently split and scattered from the tips of my feathers. Every time the clouds above were sliced through as if by a blade, a thunderous roar would follow in the wake. It wasn't really anything I needed to worry about.
As I flew around like that every day, the number of new sights I saw began to dwindle. I found myself passing over places I had already visited more and more often.
'Should I go further today?'
At the same time, in a small fishing village on the eastern coast of the Canary Kingdom. Fishermen stood in a circle in the middle of the beach. In the center, a massive marine magical beast, about twice the height of a man, lay on its side on the sand. A long, deep wound, as if bitten by another beast, ran along its flank. A short distance away, two other smaller magical beasts had also washed ashore.
The village elder stood in the middle of the crowd. He examined the wound on the beast's side while wrapped in a thick coat, then let out a sigh.
"...I've never seen a beast this large wash ashore before."
A captain stepped forward, his expression grim. "Elder. Haven't there been frequent thunderous roars from the sky these past few days? Not to mention the blue lightning and the fierce winds. I've heard from the neighboring village that their farmland has been completely ruined. If fishing continues like this..."
"I know. It's not just you who are struggling."
The captain pressed his lips together for a moment before speaking again. "The magical beasts seem to be in chaos, too. Some are surfacing from the deep in ways they never have before, and there are so many of them washing up dead like this, likely due to intensified territorial disputes. Even if we set sail, the sea is so turbulent that it's hard to even cast a net."
Another fisherman chimed in from the side. "Honestly, setting sail itself has become dangerous. If a large, panicked beast surfaces near a fishing boat, that's an immediate loss of crew."
The village elder sighed deeply. "I heard this matter has already been reported to the capital. Since the kingdom has begun to assess the situation, we have no choice but to hold out for now."
"..."
"If there is a silver lining, it's that thanks to these dead beasts washing up, we can at least manage our meals for now. Between those that lost territorial fights and the smaller ones swept up in the chaos... for now, let's clean these up and add them to our supplies. That will likely be our biggest task for the next few days."
The captain looked back at the wound on the beast's flank. The deep, gouged-out flesh shimmered briefly in the sunlight.
"...Understood, Elder."
The village elder nodded and left. The fishermen began to surround the beast on the sand, preparing to clean it. A gust of wind swept across the beach, scattering the sand.
Today, I went even further along the eastern sea. I pushed my acceleration harder than usual. As the magic at the tips of my feathers grew denser, the seawater surged up beneath me like a water pillar. The surging water flowed back in a long trail before falling away. I sensed the magic of marine beasts sinking back into the depths. It was a familiar flow, as they had been fleeing for days.
The sea stretched out endlessly beneath my feet. I couldn't tell where the sea ended and where other landscapes began.
'...It's endless.'
Just then, the scenery beneath me changed. The blue surface rippled with a dark hue. It looked as if a portion of the sea itself were moving.
'...What is that?'
I lowered my altitude, descending close to the surface. I saw a massive black shape slowly rising from beneath the water. At first, it looked like a flickering shadow, but as I got closer, its outline became distinct. The surface split apart in unison as the giant shape surged upward.
Boom—!
Water pillars splashed in all directions, and in the center, a black back revealed itself first. Even as it rose high, there was no end in sight. It was a creature far larger than a whale. Along its back, a massive dorsal fin stretched long into the sky. Its head was the last to emerge. It was a hammer-shaped head. On both ends of the head, which stretched long to the left and right, black eyes were embedded.
Beneath that, a massive mouth was slanted across the black skin. It was a shark. A hammerhead shark, to be precise, but with a body far larger than any whale. Dense magic surrounded its back. As I approached, it felt as if the entire sea was pressing down on me.
'...Oh, fascinating. It's like the sea itself.'
It was a curious creature. The shark twisted its body once in the air before sliding its massive bulk back into the water. The cascading water collapsed belatedly, and the shark looked up at me with only its head protruding from the surface.
"Isn't that quite noisy?"
It was a spoken voice. It was deep and low, with a tone that resonated as if from the bottom of a deep well. More than that, the way it spoke felt strangely familiar.
'...It sounds like a grandfather.'
"You'll burst this old man's eardrums, you brat."
'...Me?'
"I don't know where you rolled in from, but your magic is too intense. Your magic has been sweeping over my head for days, and this old man hasn't been able to get a wink of sleep."
'Hmm?'
"If you're going to come into this old man's territory and act so noisily, you should at least offer a greeting as you pass."
Its presence was quite overwhelming. Between the deep, grandfatherly voice and the way it initiated a conversation so casually, it was strangely difficult to just ignore it.
'...Let's just ignore it and keep going.'
I flapped my wings and moved away from the surface.
"Hah, look at this one."
The shark called out louder. Its deep voice resonated low between my feathers. "Are you just going to leave without a greeting? Hahaha, the young ones these days are really something."
The fact that it added a laugh at the end made it strangely more bothersome. Still, I climbed higher. I thought that if I just got far enough away, it would be over. But the shark's voice followed me. Because it was such a deep voice, it was easy to catch even from a distance.
"Hey, you! It's only polite to at least pretend to listen when an elder is speaking to you."
'E-elder?'
I hesitated at the word 'elder'. The shark revealed a bit more of its head above the water. It was looking directly at me.
"The time this old man has lived is longer than the sum of a hundred young ones like you. Isn't that enough to warrant listening to a word or two?"
It was fascinating that the opponent was playing the age card. It was the first time I'd ever heard someone flaunt the time they'd lived so directly.
'...Wow, you're old.'
I hovered in place.
"Where did you come from?"
"Caw." (...The World Tree.)
"The World Tree? You mean the place where that old tree is rooted?"
"Caw." (Yeah.)
"Hahaha. I suppose the 'Four Kings'—those young brats—must be holding court there. How did you manage to settle down there?"
"Caw." (Just because? It's my home now.)
The shark fell silent for a moment. Its black eyes were fixed on me.
"...Your home, you say."
"Caw." (Yeah.)
"Caw." (As for those 'Four Kings' you mentioned, I ate three of them. Except for Frostia.)
The shark's dorsal fin trembled minutely. The water beneath it rippled slightly.
"...Hahaha, three of them."
"Caw." (Yeah.)
"Those brats were among the strongest of the Divine Beasts this old man knew."
The shark remained still for a while. After examining me from top to bottom for some time, it opened its mouth again.
"...You. Your body is complicated."
'...Huh?'
"Magic of various attributes is mixed within you. It's not just one or two. Hahaha, I've lived long enough to see everything."
The shark pushed its head closer. It peered at me for a long time.
"I thought the energy of the World Tree was mixed in, but..."
The shark stopped speaking. The voice that followed was tinged with faint surprise.
"...No. That's not mixed in. Your own energy is growing denser by using the World Tree's energy as nourishment. Usually, one is bound to be dragged along by the flow of the World Tree, but you are going in the opposite direction."
"Hahaha. You're an interesting one."
The shark let out a laugh. It was a laugh that sounded like it was resonating from the bottom of a deep well. The shark no longer examined me and muttered low.
"If you're going to come into this old man's territory and act noisily, next time, lower your magic before you come. When your magic sweeps across the surface, all the young ones hide inside their dens."
"Haven't there been perfectly healthy ones washing up dead for the past few days?"
'...Dead?'
"They were swept away by the waves. You wouldn't care, of course."
I had passed by without much thought, but hearing that, it seemed he was looking after his own territory, too. Just like Kar looked after the wyverns in his own domain.
"Caw." (...I got it.)
"Hahaha. As long as you understand, that's enough."
The shark slowly descended beneath the surface, but then suddenly looked up at me again.
"What is your name?"
"Caw." (Nox.)
"Nox. That's a good name. This old man is..."
The shark cut himself off for a moment. The water was up to his chin. "...Well, I'll tell you my name next time. I'll tell you when you come to greet me again."
With those final words, the surface closed again. The massive shape slowly moved away beneath the water's surface. A faint lingering scent of sea-like magic remained in the air. I hovered in place. Even though the surface had calmed, that aged voice kept lingering in my head. Kar, Verat, and Michael were all much older than me, too. But their appearances and voices were young. This was different. It was the first time I'd ever had someone use such an aged voice to play the elder card.
'...Well, whatever.'
I could just come back next time and ask for his name. I turned toward the nest. As I began to accelerate again, the magic at the tips of my feathers was a bit reduced compared to usual. It seemed I was suppressing it without even realizing it.
'...I guess I should listen to my elders.'
When I landed in the nest, the sun had long since dipped low. I cast Polymorph. I took out the fish I had caught earlier from my sub-space and began to prepare it. Sizzle—! The oil popped, and a familiar aroma spread through the nest. Kar lifted his head from his spot.
"You're back."
"Yeah."
"How far did you go today?"
"Far out to sea."
"...Far out to sea?"
"Yeah. I met a grandfather out there."
Kar snorted. "...A grandfather?"
"Yeah. A shark with a hammer-shaped head, bigger than a whale."
Kar tilted his head while keeping his mouth shut.
"...But I did get lectured a bit."
"What? Who would dare lecture you, Master!" Kar's scales stood on end in unison.
"Hmm. It's fine. He said he was an elder. I can just go back next time."
Kar remained still with his mouth hanging open. I finished eating a fish and lay down on the Turaka leather. The sunlight filtering through the leaves fell in long streaks. My belly was full, and the nest was quiet. It felt like there was still so much beyond the sea I hadn't seen yet.
At the same time, in the grand conference room of the Verdan Imperial Palace. A massive magic circle was drawn across the entire floor, and eight seats were arranged in a circle around it. From each seat, a branch of the magic circle extended outward, marking the positions where the projections would appear. Albern von Verdan stood in the center seat, dressed in his imperial robes. One step behind him, Walter von Waldenfelt stood in his diplomatic attire.
As the Chief Mage gestured, the outer lines of the magic circle began to glow faintly. Beams of light rose above each seat, solidifying into human shapes. Excluding Albern's seat and one empty one, the six seats were filled in order. The Pope of the Theocracy of Theorgas appeared in his priestly robes. The King of the Canary Kingdom floated into another seat, draped in a blue cloak, followed by the Kings of the Hayden, Arche, and Relvi Kingdoms, who took their places one by one. In the final seat, Caelion appeared. The figure of Liandrea was also standing beside him.
Albern surveyed the assembly and opened his mouth. It was the formal tone of an Emperor.
"I thank you all for responding to this call despite your busy schedules."
The assembly bowed their heads briefly or nodded. Caelion watched the situation quietly.
"It seems the Grimheim Kingdom has ultimately provided no answer. We will proceed with one seat left empty. Now, let us begin the meeting regarding this current crisis."