Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Oceanis (6)
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The battlefield, which had been roaring with the explosive crashes of water colliding violently just moments ago, was now enveloped in an eerie silence as still as a graveyard.
It was as if time itself had frozen solid. From the towering tidal wave frozen in place to the large and medium ships alike, not a soul stirred.
"Huaaaah."
In the black-and-white hush akin to death itself, the one person who still held a splash of color was, predictably, Lilia.
"As expected of Brother. I believed in you!"
"For someone who believed, your face does look a bit pale."
"Th-that's got nothing to do with faith! Not feeling anything after seeing that would be the real problem, wouldn't it?"
"Fair point."
"I was talking about Brother?!"
"I knew about it in advance."
Galen shrugged.
From the start, manipulating water while evading the eyes of someone who commanded a panoramic view of every drop on the battlefield was impossible.
Out of curiosity about what they were up to, he'd watched for a bit. When their prank went too far, he'd simply stopped it. That was all.
Had it been eight Gold-rank mages versed in a different school of magic, they might not have been dismissed as mere pranksters.
But Galen's Revised World was the perfect superior form of standard Water Flow Manipulation. It was truly like an adult brawling with children. That was why he'd been absolutely certain of victory even before the fight began.
"And... thanks to that thing, too."
"That thing? Oh, right."
"Having some mental leeway actually does make it less burdensome."
It wasn't a prearranged code, but even vague pronouns sufficed for perfect communication between them.
Both possessed the Star Fragment Bracelet, after all, allowing them to understand even the most garbled speech as if it were crystal clear.
Of his magics, only Water Flow Manipulation had reached the Gem rank.
Galen was still overwhelmingly powerful with his other spells, but they inevitably felt a touch lacking compared to when he wielded Water Flow Manipulation. A few Gold ranks—even several—simply couldn't compare to a single Gem.
Fortunately, the Star Fragment Bracelet halved his mana consumption, leaving him plenty in reserve even after toying with those eight Golds.
'Well, no need to waste more mana than necessary.'
By now, the visual impact had more than served its purpose.
Galen swept his hand once more.
The power of Water Flow Manipulation seized the seawater and dumped it back into the ocean.
Like time rewinding in reverse, the colossal tidal wave towering skyward gradually shrank away.
Throughout the process, the sea surface barely rippled. It vanished with a whisper so faint one might wonder if it had ever been there at all.
"Well then—"
Galen started to speak but quietly closed his mouth.
Lilia tilted her head and followed his gaze, spotting Elisa.
Elisa was still staring blankly at the spot where the tidal wave had disappeared.
"……."
Her eyes were utterly unfocused.
She had experienced Galen's Revised World most intensely, right at its epicenter.
The clash against four Golds unleashing their full might.
And Galen's effortless domination as he crushed them head-on.
Finally, the tidal wave summoned by the other four Golds halting powerlessly.
Even using Thought Acceleration, Elisa had strained in that slowed time to witness it all—and the shock had left her reeling.
These weren't just powerful mages; they were all seniors in the same lineage of magic. She was now drowning in a flood of inspiration.
Terti, who had stayed by Elisa's side, had wisely kept silent since earlier. Fortunately, Galen and Lilia's conversation hadn't disturbed her deep reverie either.
"Ah."
Lilia belatedly covered her mouth with an "oh no" expression, and Galen's eyes sharpened with intrigue.
Within the Revised World, all his Water Flow Manipulation abilities were amplified, letting him perceive things normally beyond his sight.
'...This might actually work.'
Calmly reviewing his memories and running the calculations, the corner of Galen's mouth twitched upward.
Moments later, Elisa snapped out of it.
She blinked a few times, looked around, and grasped the situation.
"S-sorry. I didn't realize……."
"No need. Everyone here knows how vital a moment of enlightenment can be."
It was ironically Galen—the least affected by enlightenment among the three—who spoke for them all.
"Shall we wrap this up? Oh, and Young Lady."
"Yes, Galen."
"About that request you made before... Rius should work just as well as Raven."
"...Pardon?"
Elisa's eyes widened slightly. Her voice trembled faintly.
"It's... possible?"
"Still difficult, but now there's a real chance. Of course, it's dangerous, so I'd advise against it."
"Tell me precisely. Is this a theoretical probability, or one we can actually attempt?"
"The latter, but—"
"Then we'll do it."
Before Galen could finish, Elisa declared firmly.
Seeing the fire blazing in her eyes, Galen nodded without further persuasion.
"Understood."
He could always intervene if it got truly risky.
Galen turned back toward the flagship.
Swooooosh—
The doubled distance briefly maintained since the battle's start began closing again.
This time, the medium ship glided toward the flagship, altering the approach slightly.
No interference came during the maneuver.
The shock of Galen halting the tidal wave had been so profound that those aboard the flagship were either utterly demoralized or hopelessly confused about what to do next.
Thud!
The ships' sides bumped ever so lightly.
The size difference between large and medium vessels naturally meant differing deck heights, but Galen resolved it effortlessly.
He raised the seawater supporting the medium ship, leveling the two decks.
Galen and Elisa led the way side by side. Lilia trailed half a step behind Galen, Terti behind Elisa. It was clear at a glance who the commanders were.
The four crossed to the flagship as if strolling on flat ground. The deckhands instinctively backed away, clearing a path.
"E-Elisa, Young Lady?"
"How is the Young Lady... here……."
"That man... looks familiar somehow……."
"I-Isn't that... Young Master Jerbon's attendant?"
"Oh yeah!"
Commotion erupted from all sides.
Since close-quarters combat had never been anticipated, the deployed ships carried fewer troops than typical for large vessels.
Other ships had only archers aboard, while the flagship bore mostly elite Silvers and the personal guard.
In essence, aside from essential crew, it was a gathering of mid-to-upper echelon family members.
That very fact led to outbursts of recognition—not just for the expected Elisa, but for Galen as well.
Having received no prior intel on their foes barring the top brass, their confusion was inevitable.
And the leadership, tasked with quelling it, was even more dumbfounded themselves.
"It's been a while, everyone."
Elisa greeted them in a frosty voice. She glared at Rius, at Tarina, at Raven.
"Nearly two years, I'd say. Excluding Uncle and Stepfather, that is."
She offered a light bow to the remaining Golds.
Rius, still clinging to desperation amid his unraveling mind, desperately racked his brain before speaking.
"Elisa, have you no shame? Bringing in an outsider to attack your own family!"
"Yes. Shameful. If I'd had the strength, I could've done it alone."
"You think becoming heir this way leaves no repercussions?!"
"Ahaha, repercussions? Repercussions?"
Late as it was, Rius tried painting Elisa as a power-hungry traitor, but the moment had long passed.
"What about you! You all—!"
Elisa's eyes rolled back in fury as she dropped all pretense of courtesy and howled.
"You killed my brother, Jerbon! You thought there'd be no consequences for that? That child! Assassinated by your filthy schemes!"
No one could fathom how such a frail body produced that thunderous roar. No warrior or priestess capable of bodily enhancement, yet her enraged scream reverberated across the entire flagship.
"Rius! Tarina! Raven! I disown you as kin! You rejected us for our different mothers and stooped to assassination! I won't associate with beasts like you—even if the heavens fall!"
"Don't spout nonsense!"
"You're the one hiding the truth with that filthy mouth!"
Rius's retort drowned in Elisa's bellow before it could gain traction.
How Raven had amassed slush funds far beyond his allowance and siphoned them off discreetly.
How Tarina had dispatched someone with that money to Lua'ta to commission the hit under a new moon.
Over the past two years, with the steward's covert aid and even mercenary work to fill the gaps, the traces Elisa had painstakingly uncovered poured from her lips in a torrent.
"My words are nonsense? Then speak, Rius! Tell me which part is nonsense! Say you had no hand in it—that Tarina and Raven acted alone in killing Jerbon!"
Rius trembled violently but could muster no reply.
His ready admission of truth before Claude haunted him still, tying his tongue even before the other leaders.
Yet against a dire foe, they'd set aside grudges to fight together—only to suffer a one-sided, overwhelming defeat.
Cornered on a precipice, the leadership had no reason to shield Rius to the end.
Rius himself wouldn't have, in their shoes. Especially with the opponent holding such damning pretext for purge.
Excusing himself to the non-leadership ranks? Persuading mere Silvers wouldn't resolve anything, even if successful.
Besides, Elisa's bloodcurdling pleas brimmed with conviction. She spoke the truth, after all.
The battle was lost the moment they failed to sink her ship before she boarded.
"You... damn it all……!"
Rius gnashed his teeth, glaring murderously at Galen—the root of it all—only to receive a scoff in return.
"Seems you've run out of words, Young Master Rius. Time to offer your neck, then."
"How dare you lowly scum!"
Being mockingly called "Young Master" was obvious to all. The humiliation of defeat at a baseborn's hands spiked his rage further.
Pride in his noble bloodline momentarily suppressed his fear.
It was do or die. Rius gathered every last drop of his mana.
And nothing happened.
"……?"
Blank for a moment, Rius tried again—and belatedly realized.
The waters that always heeded his call now obeyed a higher authority, ignoring him entirely.
"Th-this is insane……."
The briefly quelled terror rebounded manifold.
Oceanis mages weakened ashore without water—it was an unavoidable flaw.
But atop the sea, bereft of manipulable water? Not a drop?
Only then did he notice the leaders' expressions.
Even Golds who might've uttered a word or two in this mess were utterly deflated.
With magic outright sealed, reduced to worse than commoners, what courage could they muster?
"Why... not from the start……."
With such power, from the beginning—no confrontation would've been possible.
Rius rasped the question, and Galen grinned.
"Non-mages can't appreciate it unless it's flashy."
Showing mana-less magic to clueless warriors wouldn't impress; better to smash them head-on for all to see.
Realizing he'd danced in the enemy's palm all along, Rius lost even the strength for anger.
"Anyway, that's that... Young Lady."
But then, Galen abruptly stepped back.
Elisa nodded faintly in thanks and spoke.
"Rius, I will exact your due punishment."
"...Do as you will. I can't even resist anyway."
"Oh, I think you can now?"
"What?"
Frowning, Rius reflexively tested his mana.
It was true. The waters responded once more.
"What's... your game?"
"I'll avenge Jerbon."
Flames erupted in Elisa's eyes.
"You, at least—with these hands of mine."