The Sea Moon Mother (VI)
I had a mountain of work piled up.
First, I had a scheduled meeting with the Blood Queen in the magic city of Wintersield. After that, I had to deal with the monster lurking within the Shadow Society.
Was that all?
...Of course not.
This was only the beginning.
To prepare for the countless scenarios that would unfold in the future, I needed to secure hidden pieces, powerful items, and various abilities.
To do that, I would have to travel across the entire continent.
Furthermore, though it wasn't certain yet... I had no idea when another reincarnator might enter this game. I had to keep that possibility in mind just in case.
Time is too tight to handle all of this.
I had to use my limited time efficiently.
Yet, the reason I chose to visit the Sky Ocean Forest instead of heading straight to Wintersield was...
To subjugate the corrupted Sea Moon Mother.
"..."
Right.
My goal, first and foremost, was to eliminate the corrupted Sea Moon Mother.
In other words, if she was still sane, there was no reason to kill her.
And...
Even if the Sea Moon Mother has been corrupted, if there is a way to restore her to her original state, I must try it by any means necessary.
It was absolutely impossible in the game.
After all, restoring a corrupted Divine Beast was systematically blocked from the start.
In the original story, by the time the Divine Beasts fell to corruption, it was always too late for the player to intervene.
The evil god's influence would have already penetrated deep, worsening the situation beyond control.
As a result, the only option left for the player was subjugation.
But...
We were still in the early stages of the main story.
Nothing was set in stone yet.
...It's possible right now.
It was merely a theory, but the chances were high. Especially for the Sea Moon Mother, whose corruption had only recently begun.
Of course, to pull this off, several conditions had to be met.
First, the intervention of the very person who induced the corruption.
A special ritual capable of purging the evil god's influence.
And finally, the sheer spellcasting ability to execute all of this.
"..."
I slowly looked down.
"Doricco Shiro."
"H-huh?"
Coincidentally, the very being who met all of those "demanding conditions" was tied up helplessly at my feet.
As I said before, there were countless ways to utilize Doricco Shiro as an ally.
Sword Masters move for the greater good. However, they don't always act solely for the benefit of humanity.
The fact that Heukgol murdered a member of the Heibrun family's council during the holy trial is proof enough of that.
The same went for the evil god worshippers.
Depending on their mood and whims, they could easily become useful pawns for us.
Therefore...
"If you want to save the Sea Moon Mother, cooperate with me."
At least in this situation, I had to join hands with Doricco Shiro.
Thus, I intended to form a temporary alliance with her.
"Haa, haa..."
Isaac Berylof gasped for breath.
His mind was in a daze.
Monsters rushed in endlessly.
And just when he thought he was getting used to it, the forest's environment would suddenly shift.
In the midst of all this, he had to maintain water-breathing magic for three people, so it was only natural that his stamina was hitting rock bottom.
Huh?
Just then, a strange sensation washed over him.
It's not... for three people...?
Isaac Berylof's heart sank.
Checking again, the active spell was only being maintained for two people.
...What? One of the spells was cut off?
The Sword Master, Gaon.
The link of the water-breathing magic cast on him had been severed at some point.
He had been too focused on the battle to notice.
"..."
A severed spell link meant one of two things.
Either the target had moved too far away.
Or...
...The target was dead.
Naturally, it couldn't be the latter.
Isaac Berylof couldn't even begin to imagine Gaon dying here.
After all, he was a seeker of the sword born once in centuries.
It made no sense for someone of Gaon's caliber to die in a place like this.
Above all...
Isaac looked to the side.
With her platinum blonde hair fluttering, a knight swung her sword with ferocious intensity. The aura-infused slashes swept away dozens of monsters at once.
Having fought continuously for nearly an hour, it would be normal to be exhausted. Yet, the knight showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.
"..."
Watching her in silence, Isaac Berylof quietly muttered the knight's name in his mind.
...Adelia von Goldheart.
She was truly terrifyingly strong.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the most skilled swordsman he had ever seen.
And yet...
Gaon had taken such an incredibly skilled person as his disciple.
Moreover, Adelia showed a blind loyalty to her master that went far beyond a simple teacher-disciple relationship.
Although he had never personally witnessed Gaon's swordsmanship, he could guess the depth of his strength through her.
...Then what is Gaon doing right now, and where?
However, Isaac Berylof's curiosity did not last long.
"...Damn it."
A school of deep-sea fish monsters swarmed once again, accompanied by shrieks echoing from all directions.
"Pagan! Block the left!"
At Adelia's command, Isaac Berylof deployed his freezing magic.
The blood-drying struggle continued.
The two were pushed deeper into the forest, swept along by the endless wave of monsters.
"Haa, haaa...!"
Isaac Berylof's breath grew increasingly ragged. He dry-heaved as if he were about to throw up at any moment.
"I-I'm... really at my limit... *ugh*!"
"Useless pagan! Stop acting weak and get up!"
"*Cough, cough!*"
Isaac Berylof, his stamina completely depleted, collapsed to the ground multiple times, but each time, Adelia grabbed him by the collar and forced him back up.
How much more of this hellish time passed?
In the midst of the endless battle, their vision suddenly cleared, and a vast space opened up before them.
"Huh...?"
At the sound of water lapping in his ears, Isaac Berylof's eyes widened.
It was a lakeshore lined with bizarrely twisted trees. A wide lake revealed itself amidst strange talismans plastered everywhere.
...The atmosphere has changed.
He could tell at once that this area was an anomalous space.
Everything was silent.
Just minutes ago, the roars of monsters had echoed from all sides, but now, a silence hung in the air as if time itself had stopped.
Even the sensation of breathing had completely changed. The suffocating submerged state had been lifted.
"..."
Simply stepping onto the lakeshore felt as if they had entered an entirely different dimension.
Looking around in bewilderment, Isaac Berylof caught sight of an astonishing scene in the distance.
"What is that...?"
Someone was standing in the middle of the lake.
No, to be precise, they couldn't even stand properly.
Someone was bound tightly, covered from head to toe in yellow talismans. Only the area around their mouth, their sole breathing space, was barely exposed.
And in front of them...
"I've been waiting."
"...!"
The 13th Sword Master, Gaon.
He stood there quietly, holding a pure white sword.
Floating atop the lake with his back turned, his silhouette felt exceptionally imposing.
He slowly turned around.
Gaon glanced back at them. The moonlight illuminated his figure, casting a long, sharp shadow.
"You've worked hard."
He muttered in his usual detached voice.
"Though you arrived earlier than I expected."
Adelia and Isaac Berylof had arrived at the lake.
This was no coincidence.
The Sky Ocean Forest dungeon had been designed that way from the very beginning.
If you move frantically while swept away by the wave of monsters, you eventually end up at this lakeshore.
No matter how experienced an adventurer was, they were bound to be led to this lake.
After all, this lake was the "Boss Room," the final stage of the dungeon.
But they did arrive earlier than expected.
I thought I would have to wait at least two or three more hours, but to think they cleared the dungeon to its final stage already.
It seemed I had slightly underestimated the abilities of Adelia and Isaac Berylof.
Anyway.
Normally, a fierce battle with the Sea Moon Mother would take place at this point.
That was the final gate of the dungeon.
Once the Sea Moon Mother was subjugated after a grueling battle, the Sky Ocean Forest dungeon would be cleared, and the player would receive rewards.
However...
...Everything has changed.
A person who shouldn't have been here at the time of entering the dungeon.
Doricco Shiro.
Her presence had completely warped the progression of the dungeon.
"S-Sir Gaon?"
Just then, Adelia cautiously approached me.
She couldn't hide her bewilderment upon discovering Doricco Shiro, who was wrapped up like a mummy.
"Who is that person?"
Before I could even answer, Doricco Shiro spoke up on her own.
"Hello... nice to meet you..."
Was she exhausted too? Her voice lacked strength. The cheerful atmosphere she had when we first met was nowhere to be found.
"My name is Doricco Shiro..."
"...!"
At that exact moment, Adelia stopped in her tracks.
Her face turned pale in an instant, and her eyes began to tremble with terror.
Of course, Adelia wasn't the only one who was terrified.
"W-what..."
Isaac Berylof also began to back away the moment he heard the name "Doricco Shiro."
It was only natural.
The name of one of the Five Nightmares was enough to make anyone wary.
"There is no need to be so guarded. She can't even lift a finger right now."
I nudged Doricco Shiro with the tip of my foot as I spoke.
"Ah! Don't just step on me!"
Doricco Shiro tried to struggle with all her might, but wrapped tightly in the talismans, she could do nothing but squirm slightly.
Adelia, watching this absurd sight, turned her gaze back to me.
"If she is Doricco Shiro... could she really be one of the 'Five Nightmares' I know of?"
I nodded silently in response to Adelia's question.
At that, astonishment appeared on Adelia's face. Her wide eyes began to fill with something akin to awe.
"D-did you subdue Doricco Shiro while we were dealing with the monsters? And you did it all by yourself, Sir Gaon?"
"Yes."
"Oh my goodness..."
Adelia's mouth fell open. Her voice began to rise with excitement.
"This is truly incredible. Following Camilo von Taribas, you've even subdued the Doricco Shiro..."
Meanwhile, Isaac Berylof stared at me with a mixture of shock and dread.
"...!"
To think he subdued two of the Five Nightmares? Really?
His face seemed to say exactly that.
This is perfect.
Although it wasn't intentional, the fact that I had killed Camilo von Taribas had been revealed.
Perhaps this fact would work to my advantage in my upcoming meeting with the Blood Queen?
"By the way..."
While I was lost in thought, Adelia's gaze suddenly grew cold.
A blue aura began to swirl around her blade once more. She looked ready to decapitate Doricco Shiro this very instant.
"Why did you leave Doricco Shiro alive?"
"..."
"As you know, Sir Gaon, the 'Five Nightmares' are extremely dangerous entities. Even if she is temporarily incapacitated, we cannot afford to let our guard down. We must execute her immediately—"
"No," I interrupted Adelia.
"Doricco Shiro is on our side. There is no need to kill her."
"...?"
Adelia froze.
After a long silence, she muttered in disbelief.
"E-excuse me?"
Doricco Shiro smiled brightly.
"Hehe, we're on the same side! Let's get along!"