The Sea King's Eye
“Do we really have to go this far?”
Hilde gazed uneasily at the black expanse spread before them and the geometric structures jutting at odd angles across its surface. The ground looked as though black sand had hardened in place; despite its smooth, rigid texture, it reflected no light at all, resembling a vast, gaping hole. The strange structures rising from it seemed less like things built for a purpose and more like the rocks themselves struggling to escape the earth.
“If it weren’t necessary, I wouldn’t have bothered making a deal with that idiot shark.”
Liben’s bandaged clone answered indifferently, yet his eyes never stopped scanning the surroundings with tension.
Sea King Hemunt. The colossal shark who had been defeated by the Nether King Georges during the last great war and sealed away had ultimately provided the information they sought.
Yet even with his freedom offered as the absolute condition, Hemunt had hesitated and wavered for a long time before speaking. Hilde still could not shake her negative feelings about that information, even now upon their arrival.
Cturiet. The Temple of the Sleeping Sea King. Even the massive, ferocious Hemunt had looked fearful when mentioning its location.
“If we really find what we’re looking for here, are you actually planning to release Hemunt?”
“Of course not. I only said that so I wouldn’t have to listen to his pointless shouting until we left.”
Hemunt had clearly considered that possibility as well. But as a captive, he had no cards left to play.
Now that they had obtained the necessary information, there was no reason for them to return to that underground prison, nor any reason to feel guilty about it. The moment Hemunt was freed, he would try to devour them without the slightest hesitation, simply to sate his hunger.
“…Are you still not going to tell me exactly what you’re looking for?”
The place Hemunt had revealed was originally just an ordinary stretch of sea far from the continent, with no particular name. But today, when the northwestern sky saw the Sisrak constellation push aside the one-eyed fisherman Colquik, this strange black land had risen from the ocean, revealing its true form.
“We’re here to find the Sea King’s Eye.”
“If it’s the Sea King, wasn’t that Hemunt?”
“That creature is nothing more than a savage beast. Even if he claimed to rule half the sea, he only rampaged within his own territory. The one who commanded followers and ruled his own millennium-long kingdom was someone else entirely.”
Hilde had lived a long time, yet she knew nothing of the sea’s affairs. She had only ever heard that the sea even existed once, long ago, from Granbipra.
“Is that person here?”
“He’s asleep. This place is his place of exile and an empty temple with no seekers—Cturiet.”
As they approached the center of the island, the strange structures grew taller and denser. To Hilde, accustomed to the wild, overflowing vitality of the forest, this black land—cold, unreal, and utterly devoid of any trace of life—evoked instinctive revulsion. Moreover, the sharp structures stretching precariously toward the sky looked as though they might collapse at any moment.
But the clone’s gaze was fixed not upward, but downward.
“What kind of being is this Sea King?”
“Kurcul Jos. The first divine beast to leap into the sea when the seven sea gods first created it. After descending from the heavens to this ocean and declaring himself its ruler, he tried to sink the land itself to claim it as his territory, only to be sealed away by the gods.”
Hilde had been about to ask why they hadn’t simply killed him, but the words she had once heard from Granbipra surfaced in her mind, and she remained silent.
‘The will of the gods is beyond our understanding.’
It was a habit Granbipra had repeated ever since she first became one of the administrators—and surely long before that. Whenever the topic of the gods arose, or whenever the northern forest lake froze over, he would say those words. Each time, the sorrow and heavy weight they carried made approaching him feel far more frightening.
At last, at the center of the island, what awaited them was a black conical pillar. Clearly distinct from the other structures, it appeared smaller and more ordinary by comparison, yet the flawless surface and the faint waves of power emanating from the entire pillar carried an ominous presence that made one hesitate to approach.
“If he’s sealed, doesn’t that mean there’s nothing we can do?”
If it was a seal placed by the gods, they surely had no way to break it. But when the clone’s bandages emitted a bluish light and strange characters rose into the air, the pillar’s waves grew stronger in response.
Liben’s clone approached the pillar with a hardened expression. His bandages clung to the pillar’s surface as though alive, and the bluish characters floating on the bandages also appeared on the pillar’s surface.
A moment later, a black shadow flowed from within his bandages and swallowed the pillar whole. The clone’s face twisted in strain, and the light on his bandages flickered unsteadily, but he did not stop.
Though wrapped in shadow, the waves emanating from the pillar grew increasingly intense. Hilde unconsciously took a step back.
When the clone’s shadow returned to his bandages and the bandages that had clung to the surface found their places again, the pillar was gone. In its place stood a conical crystal glowing with a dark blue light.
“Is that the Sea King’s Eye?”
“Yes. At the moment he was sealed, he resisted sleep until the very end and turned his left eye into crystal—or so the story goes. I don’t know if it’s true, but it certainly possesses that much power.”
The clone reached out and placed both hands on the crystal. It trembled violently, and the lights within scattered like crashing waves. The instant he thought he glimpsed something inside, the crystal shattered into pieces, and the object within was sucked into his bandages.
“……!”
At the same moment, Hilde felt the entire island begin to shake. It was obvious the tremor was caused by the crystal’s destruction. She waited for the clone to take the next action, but he merely stood there, exhaustion plain on his face.
“…I don’t want to rush you, but we should leave as soon as possible.”
The massive vibrations rising from deep beneath their feet made Hilde desperate to escape immediately. The tremors grew stronger, and the ground was slowly collapsing downward, layer by layer. The island was sinking back into the sea.
Hilde thought that if it weren’t for the clone’s will being directly transmitted to her, she would have already thrown herself forward. Though the continent was far too distant, even swimming there wouldn’t have been impossible for her.
“Come closer.”
Finally, the clone spoke. When Hilde approached, he leaned against her as though barely able to stand. With a weary gesture, an unstable rift opened in the air. Without asking where it led, Hilde supported him and stepped into the crack.
* * *
“See you tomorrow, Anak.”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
After seeing Rowell and Julian off as they boarded the ship, I quietly watched the vessel grow smaller in the distance. In the harbor shrouded in deep darkness, the massive ship—visible only as a faint silhouette from the lights leaking from within—glided away between sky and sea. It was a strangely fresh and dreamlike sight.
Once the ship had moved far enough away, I turned toward the inn where I had already reserved a room.
“……”
But walking alone toward the city center felt far more awkward and uncomfortable than I had expected. The open structure of the outer district houses and the lights spilling from inside meant that every time I turned my head, I could see straight into people’s homes. Though I hadn’t meant to look, I ended up making eye contact with the residents several times, so I had no choice but to stare at the sky or the ground instead.
A few children stared curiously at my unfamiliar clothing or even approached, only for their older siblings or parents to grab their arms.
After passing through the quiet residential outskirts and entering the city center, it grew even darker. The main road was lit by crystal orbs and torches, but the stone buildings let little light escape, and the shadows cast by the taller structures were numerous.
Moreover, the impression was completely different from when the sun had been up earlier, so it seemed obvious that straying even slightly from the main road would leave me lost. Even the inn, which should have been relatively easy to find, was proving difficult to locate.
“Welcome.”
Fortunately, I soon found the inn. Taking the key they handed me, I entered the room I had reserved in advance. Honestly, the room wasn’t very good. Since there weren’t many outside visitors, the main clientele was limited to some merchant sailors or occasional people from other islands. It felt less like renting a room as a proper service and more like a private home simply offering a spare room to guests.
“A hammock, huh. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of these.”
It was convenient in that there was no need to tidy bedding or do laundry. In any case, after securing the door, I took out the crystal.
“You’re only showing up now?”
The moment I arrived, Ropena was standing right in front of me. Startled, I unconsciously took a step back.
“H-have you been well, Lady Ropena?”
At my question, she made no effort to hide her displeased expression.
“A whole week this time? At this rate, you’ll be saying you’ll come back in a year next time, won’t you?”
Faced with that sulking tone masked as indifference, I felt a strange mix of fear and satisfaction—an unfamiliar feeling even to myself.
“That won’t happen. I already told you—it’s hard to make time when we’re all moving together.”
And honestly, after seeing her notice Julian’s necklace, I had no choice but to act even more cautiously. Of course, I had hidden it well so far and didn’t think anything would go wrong now, but on the other hand, I couldn’t help wondering if everyone had already noticed and was simply pretending not to know…
“So how did you manage to come today?”
“I forced an opportunity.”
I briefly explained what had happened over the past week. Though it had been a week, we had only been sailing, so there wasn’t much to tell.
“That’s what you call forcing an opportunity?”
“Of course. I could have just followed them the whole way, you know?”
“So you’re saying I should be grateful you came for just one night?”
Her gaze and tone had softened slightly, but the lingering disappointment remained.
“Of course not.”
As naturally as possible—though even I knew it looked awkward—I placed my hand on her arm. At my sudden action, she looked at me quietly.
This was honestly thanks to the banquets in the Ayman Kingdom not long ago. I still wasn’t used to it, but repeating the gesture, however clumsily, had at least made this attempt possible.
“But I did come. So I hope we don’t let this time we can spend together go to waste.”
It was a line I had heard somewhere before. If someone else had said it, it might have sounded more natural. Borrowed lines never fit quite right, and the awkwardness made me anxious as I watched her reaction.
Then a bright smile bloomed across her face, and she took the hand I had placed on her arm.
“Okay!”
She grinned as though her earlier sulking had been a lie and leaned against me. Her proactive demeanor made me feel myself freezing up slightly. I desperately wanted to show a more composed attitude or naturally escort her like a gentleman from the banquet hall, but contrary to my wishes, imitating those stylish men seemed limited to simply holding an arm.
I was half-dragged toward the desk, and she sat right beside me, pressed close.
“So when are you going to finish wandering around those island nations?”
“I don’t know. There’s a subjugation in a few days, and after that I’ll have to meet with the representatives at the Grand Council…”
“Do you really have to attend? Can’t you just leave it to the hero and that princess?”
Her petulant question left me at a slight loss for words. Because, truthfully, it really was something that could be left to just the two of them.
“We agreed to go together, and Senior will be there too.”
Strictly speaking, there was no real reason for me to be involved, and I had nothing I actually needed to do. But that didn’t mean I could back out now.
“And you agreed last time too, Lady Ropena. You said it would be better for me to stay by Rowell’s side.”
“I did say that, but…”
She squeezed my arm tightly, as if venting her frustration. I could tell she was holding back her strength, but it still hurt quite a bit.
“M-more importantly, you must have been bored. Did you find any interesting books?”
“Why would I look for books when you weren’t coming? I was seriously considering burning them one by one, just like I said last time.”
Honestly, before coming here, I had half-expected that one or two books might already be burned.
“Thank you for not doing that.”
“I can’t promise I won’t in the future, though.”
At that adorable yet sincere threat, all I could do was gently pat her arm.
“So what have you been doing while I was gone?”
The words slipped out reflexively. A mechanical question asked without thinking, just to keep the conversation going. Otherwise, there was no way I would have blurted out something so thoughtless and foolish that my face turned red before I even finished speaking.
I quickly tried to apologize. The space might be larger now, but she was still trapped here. Asking her something like that was embarrassing even for me.
“I was waiting for you.”
But the way she said it—as though it were the most obvious thing in the world and nothing special at all—left me speechless. I couldn’t apologize, nor could I change the subject to awkwardly move past it.
Instead, my mouth moved on its own.
“Would you like to go out with me for a bit?”