The Tide Sorcerer's Stand
Thud. Thud.
The footsteps of the man striding into the seemingly endless cave—devoid of even a single torch—held not a shred of hesitation.
Then, at one point, when he spotted a faint light at the tunnel's end, his pace quickened.
Arriving deep within the cavern, the man smiled in admiration at the sight of blue mana illuminating the dark space.
"Perfect, as expected. A true Tide Sorcerer."
At his exclamation, the elderly mage maintaining the blue mana barrier scowled and shouted.
"Shut your mouth, Husel!"
Though it seemed like a bellow, his hoarse, cracked voice betrayed the mage's extreme exhaustion.
"Oh dear, oh dear. Is that any way to treat the man bringing you food and water? Do you plan to collapse from starvation and let that monster loose?"
With a heavy thud, Husel set down the massive backpack from his back and grinned at the enormous octopus-like beast trapped within the mana barrier.
"The Kraken Hatchling....... A miraculous treasure even our organization barely managed to capture. Given the frequent tidal waves near the Carun naval routes, its mother must be frantically searching the deep seas nearby, don't you think?"
- Kieeeek!
Hearing the mocking tone, the giant octopus inside the barrier glared at him with bulging eyes. The surging demonic energy mingling with its massive form made it look even more grotesque, but Husel didn't flinch.
He trusted the barrier before him, and more importantly, the hatchling's raw power didn't scare him.
"The moment it's released, its telepathy will alert the mother. Even if you kill it, she'll know immediately. Then the enraged legendary sea beast will descend upon Ortus. If you don't want to watch your homeland get smashed, put some more effort into it, Tide Sorcerer."
Gail Anderson, the Tide Sorcerer who was binding the monster's power and movements while sustaining its life with oceanic energy, ground his teeth and glared at Husel.
"......You'll receive heaven's punishment."
Husel's expression twisted slightly at those words.
"Hah, heaven's punishment? I was born under it already. So this is just righteous revenge. Against the entire world!"
The madness gleaming in his eyes was unmistakably unhinged.
"If you want revenge, take it on your own kind! Does targeting Carun, the nation that sheltered you, even make sense!? You're just insane!"
"Sheltered? Kuhahaha! Well, you could see it that way, I suppose. Believe whatever delusions you want. Just keep working harder, Sorcerer."
Husel opened the backpack without hesitation and placed a canteen and chunks of bread near the mage.
"Oh, right. Finally, some good news."
What nonsense is he about to spout now? Gail snorted and turned away, but...
"The hesitant First Prince has finally made his decision."
Gail whipped his head back at those words.
"......What?"
"Better to ally with us than lose the throne to his brother, right? Aren't you curious about the outcome? What we demanded as payment?"
"You bastard!!"
Rumble rumble.
As Gail's fury shook the mana barrier and blue mana aura erupted from him, Husel flinched for a moment.
But...
- Kieeeek.
The intensifying cries and writhing of the sea beast forced Gail to grit his teeth and reinforce the barrier once more.
Only then did Husel smirk leisurely and shake his head.
"Well, if you don't like how things are going, you could always drop the barrier and let Carun fall."
"You bastard, I'll tear you apart myself."
The superhuman killing intent sent chills down Husel's spine again, but he responded with exaggerated courtesy and a chuckle.
"Dream all you want. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Watching Husel's retreating back, Gail Anderson ground his teeth once more.
I should have suspected him from the moment that vacationing bastard boarded the ship...... Damn it!
- I work too much, Your Highness forced me on leave. But what can you do? This job is my vacation.
The man's banter during the voyage had led to an onboard party. After hours of drinking, Gail had succumbed to sleep—and woken up like this.
"Litman, that madman......"
He still couldn't fathom why the meritorious whalekin, who had served Carun for over a decade, had chosen this path.
- Kieeeek.
For now, he had to focus on containing this legendary sea beast's hatchling.
As Husel said, releasing it would doom his homeland—it was obvious.
While ordinary folk might dismiss the Kraken as mere legend, Gail and the route pioneers had witnessed its terror from afar.
The legendary beast that swept away hordes of oceanic monsters—gathered by stagnant demonic energy in anomalous waters—with a single tentacle.
That glimpse alone had taught Gail Anderson the truth: no human power could stop it.
One oddity, though: why hadn't Husel killed the hatchling outright and instead forced him to seal it? Threatening sailors' lives as collateral, no less, from someone who knew its danger better than anyone.
I'd have had to stop it anyway......
If he hadn't, Ortus would have been destroyed three months ago.
The intent behind dragging him here was obvious enough. Sealing a Kraken—which wielded power akin to, yet superior to, their black mage allies—would be tough for them alone. So they'd lured him in.
And the reason...
Timing adjustment.
Releasing the hatchling to draw its mother, the legendary beast, to Carun—at a precisely controlled moment.
He could guess why they needed that timing, but...
I won't just take it lying down.
Crunch.
Gail slowly picked up the hard bread from the floor while maintaining the barrier.
Chew. Chew.
He knew the food and water from them contained mana-weakening poison, but he had no choice but to eat for now.
The poison dosage increased again. Have they advanced the timing?
Eventually, they'd kill his weakened self and either kill or release the hatchling. Then, sacrificing his lifespan to seal it would be meaningless.
However.
You underestimated a sorcerer who comprehends and wields fragments of providence, didn't you? You'll pay dearly for that, demon worshippers!
He wouldn't go down without a fight. If he couldn't avert the coming disaster, he'd inflict massive losses on those orchestrating it.
I'll make you regret it properly, you scum!
Gail refocused, channeling energy into the Kraken hatchling. Mana, meticulously refined at the cost of his lifespan and soul, seeped into it.
Just a little more, just a bit longer!
No visible change appeared, but Gail poured his all into crafting his final legacy.
Whether it would save Carun was uncertain, but...
At least you'll take a fatal blow too!
The sorcerer, isolated in this abyssal cave for three months—its location unknown even to himself—glared with dangerous intensity.
* * *
"Hm?"
Tiny, who had been devouring food piled mountain-high on plates as usual, froze at the sight of the note beneath one.
But he quickly finished eating nonchalantly and rose quietly.
He slipped out of the dining hall with brisk steps, unfolding the note only in a secluded spot away from prying eyes.
[The little bird sang.]
An utterly brief, mundane sentence.
But upon reading it, Tiny immediately headed to the outer walls, straight to Jay's bar.
"You grow at an astonishingly rapid rate. You look different every time I see you......"
Jay's remark was understandable. In his time in Carun, Tiny had shot up nearly a full handspan.
Yet still shorter than most adult women, it wasn't a change that satisfied him much.
"This isn't the time to talk about my height."
"Hm, indeed. My apologies."
Though Jay eyed him curiously even as he spoke, he soon narrowed his eyes, cleared his throat, and got to the point.
"The First Prince's faction is secretly chartering a ship and amassing magical items. Similar to those seized from Husel's vessel before."
Tiny scowled at Jay's words.
"I heard it cost a fortune. All of it?"
"Not quite, but about a quarter. Nearly depleting the First Prince's palace coffers."
"......Overreaching."
"Yes."
"That ship heads to Husel and the demon worshippers' base?"
"If the First Prince allied with them, high probability. Infiltrating stealthily to uncover the destination seems best, but......"
"But?"
"......We must consider it a decoy or diversion."
"What do you mean?"
"The ship might not go to their hideout, or something else could happen at the palace en route. Didn't you mention they targeted the holy relics before?"
"Right."
Tiny lapsed into thought.
- The legendary sea beast Kraken? Tame it?
- Puhahat! Lure it? Puhahaha. Sir Tiny, you jest well.
- Black mages who handle beasts? Puhah, are you serious? Heh.
- If possible, demon worshippers would have razed every coastal city by now.
The mages had laughed it off when asked, but the future knowledge was certain.
They're luring the Kraken. Method unknown.
Thus, the magical items the First Prince gathered were likely for that purpose. Carun's mages said the seized ones weren't for such spells, but knowing the future where the Kraken razed Ortus made that judgment sound right.
So I have to stop it.
The problem: prevent the relic theft simultaneously.
- If the Seven Great Relics were intact, this war would be far easier. Even just their wide-area barrier against beast incursions justifies preservation. And if my discovered applications work, they'd have uses beyond barriers.
I must protect them.
Neither could be overlooked. But he had only one body.
"Ugh......"
His face scrunched deeper in mounting frustration, and he noticed Jay watching with an oddly smug smile.
"......Why the look?"
"Are you agonizing over infiltrating the ship or guarding the palace relics?"
"Obviously."
"With your current appearance, which do you think possible?"
"Well, magic or something......"
"They won't detect mana? Even if you disguise your face, your build? And those operating in utmost secrecy—short-staffed or not—will they recruit just anyone?"
"Ah......"
"Can you transform into adult size? Or swim alongside submerged? At least 10 nautical miles."
Stab. Stab.
Jay's snide points stabbed relentlessly.
"S-Stop!"
I get it, you brat!
The boiling rage stayed internal.
Ugh. Thinking really is my poison.
He should thank, not rage at, the one pointing out and fixing his flaws. It aligned with his creed of bold living.
But.
The Sword Emperor and his lackeys...... Damn.
How could they needle so infuriatingly?
As Tiny glared, suppressing his ire, Jay—sensing it—turned away guiltily, feigning ignorance.
"Well, if you perfectly guard the relics, we'll do our utmost for the best outcome."
"......You'll handle the ship? Your combat power's lacking."
He'd heard Blackwing's top was Blader-grade. If the ship's destination held demon worshipper elites, even Husel was Superior-grade.
But Jay smiled calmly.
"That's why we leaked info to the Carun palace already. We won't board alone."
......Smart indeed.
Tiny clicked his tongue in reluctant admiration, but Jay continued.
"Plus, reinforcements from the main house."
"What?"
Valentia elites in Carun could spark international incidents, no?
At Tiny's shocked gaze, Jay countered nonchalantly.
"As long as they're not seen? Can't enter the palace, but external ops? Disguising one is easy."
"One? Who?"
Jay trailed off at Tiny's eager expression, pressing a finger to his lips with a grin.
"......Secret."
That infuriating smile snapped Tiny's patience.
"......You, come out with me."
"N-No...... Main house policy—it's secret!"
"Shut it!"
"V-Violence is wrong!"
"No, no. Not violence. Friendship. We grow through fights, they say."
"I'm fully grown!!"
"Sorry, I haven't."
Their bickering voices echoed long after.