Omen
The attempted theft of the holy relic by the first prince was handled under the king's strict orders of utmost secrecy. From the start, only two squads from the royal knights had been deployed for suppression, making it easy to prevent rumors from spreading.
'Even so, just two squads? Either the king didn't believe me, or he hoped it wasn't true. Given that he sent Sir Liam by sea, it's probably the latter.'
Thanks to that, the royal palace remained peaceful—except for the king before them.
"......In the end, that child crossed the line. Heh, I raised my son poorly. I, of all people......"
How many times had he said that now? His monologue, spat out while staring at the throne room's ceiling with a sigh, was filled with bitter regret. He hadn't even mentioned Truman, who had collaborated with the first prince, suggesting the shock of his son's betrayal was immense.
And Tiny could intuitively sense the secondary effect of that shock.
'His circle is severely unstable......'
Tiny stepped forward upon confirming the state of the mana circle in the king's heart.
"Your Majesty, the relic is safe. Sir Liam and the kingdom's elites will thwart any further schemes by the demon worshippers."
Though his words were decidedly optimistic, Outer Castle Guard Captain Tilran, who stood in for Sir Liam; Roiman, the chamberlain and royal steward; and the escort knights all nodded in unison.
"Sir Tiny is right, Your Majesty."
"We have completed all preparations to crush the kingdom's enemies."
Those words brought a faint light back to the king's eyes, which had been staring blankly into space.
"......Yes, that's how it must be."
"The first prince was merely bewitched by them. For now, please focus only on executing the demon worshippers disrupting Carun, Your Majesty."
Watching the king's eyes regain their sharp gleam, Tiny inwardly sighed in relief. As an orphan with no children, he couldn't even imagine the psychological blow a child's betrayal inflicted on a parent. That made him hesitant to offer clumsy words of comfort; he could only hope silently.
'You can't die now.'
Nothing had been resolved yet. With the sea situation unknown, the king dying and causing chaos was the last thing they needed. As he gazed at the king with that earnest plea, the wildly fluctuating mana circle seemed to stabilize, as if the message had gotten through.
Soon after, the king shook his head lightly and let out a small sigh.
"I've shown you all an unsightly display. I have no face to show you, especially you, Sir Tiny."
It seemed like an apology for deploying too few troops despite Tiny's prior warning. Indeed, without him, those two squads of royal knights would have been crushed by the traitors and demons, and the relic stolen.
"Despite our inadequate response, you resolved the palace's crisis. I am truly grateful."
"Not at all, Your Majesty. As I said before, the incident isn't over. We don't know their aim, so we can't let our guard down."
"Right, of course. If only Gail would return soon, I'd feel much more at ease......"
An awkward smile spread across the listeners' faces. The king still believed the Tide Mage, thought dead by all, was alive.
Noticing their expressions, the king gave a wry smile.
"......You must think I'm clinging to false hope, but I have my own reasons for certainty."
Curiosity flickered across everyone's faces.
"I couldn't speak openly for fear of internal enemies. But now that we've rooted them out, I can share—to give you all hope too."
With that, the king reached into his bosom and produced a blue orb.
"My dear friend and loyal vassal, who spends half the year or more at sea, made this for his foolish king who worries for his safety. As long as this light endures, he is safe—no need to fret, he assured me."
"......Oh!?"
"Does that mean he's really...?"
"Sir Gail is truly alive!?"
Exclamations erupted, brightening the mood instantly. Tiny, too, widened his eyes at the blue orb in the king's palm and nodded.
A complex pattern of mana, twisted in ways beyond his comprehension. But he could tell it steadily emitted light in response to a specific external signal.
'The Tide Mage is really alive!'
Whether it had been this way in his past life or a new variable, it was no bad change.
Then—
- Woof!
"Hm?!"
- Woof! Woof!
From the depths of his soul, Wolrang sent a flash of intent, eyes snapping open.
......You can find him? The owner of that mana?
- Woof!
"Hah......!"
His involuntary exclamation drew all eyes in the room.
"Sir Tiny?"
"What's wrong?"
"Huh???"
But Tiny had no time for their stares. Wolrang's follow-up was too absurd.
"......Ortus? ......Eastern outskirts—no, beneath it?"
The missing Tide Mage was underground in Ortus?
"What in the world......?"
His mind blanked in confusion, but his task was clear.
"Your Majesty! I... no, my spirit can locate Sir Gail—"
As he began words that would ignite the heated atmosphere further—
A sinister splitting sound echoed from the blue orb gripped in the king's hand.
"......Wh-what!?"
The flustered king's hands parted. The now-transparent orb shattered into pieces and clattered to the floor.
For a moment, all were speechless, staring at the king, who murmured blankly.
"......Th-this can't be. It can't...... I, I must have gripped it too hard. Y-yes, that's it. Gail wouldn't go down so easily!"
His rambling devolved into a shout, devoid of his usual wisdom. As everyone wore dazed expressions—
Tiny's face twisted for another reason. He had sensed mana laced with blue light trying to etch letters in the air.
Too faint for ordinary people to sense. Lacking strength to hold form, it faded before completing even one word.
But Tiny knew exactly what it had tried to write better than anyone.
"......Kraken!!"
His urgent cry snapped the dazed king back to reality.
"Kraken?"
Everyone looked puzzled at the sudden shout, but Tiny had no time for explanations. The worst-case scenario had become reality.
'What the hell were Sir Liam and Jay doing!!'
Damn it......!
As he bit his lip—
Wooooong.
The jade throne where the king sat trembled, emitting red light. The king's face paled instantly.
A direct magical alert to the king. Its meaning was...
"A 5th-grade tsunami approaches!"
The king's shout drew all eyes back to him.
"Evacuate Ortus's citizens! Mobilize every mage and raise barriers along the coast! Declare maximum alert!"
As the king's command echoed through the throne room—
Tiny stared out the window as if deaf to it all, eyes wide. Precisely, at the eastern coast visible beyond—and the chilling demonic aura beyond it.
"Damn, already......!"
Approaching swiftly, but still three days from Carun. Yet its fearsome presence reached even from afar.
'No one else senses it yet.'
In his past life, he had experienced something similar once. An intense demonic aura pressing the mind from three days away. The monster that had slain him and the continent's top ten knights simultaneously.
'Truly on Glutterni's level......?'
The mere thought made his consciousness blur and cold sweat trickle. Focusing again, the density and feel differed markedly.
'No, it's not...... Not that level, absolutely! But......'
That realization offered no comfort.
"Peak 8th stage...... Damn! This won't do......!!"
Its power was overwhelming regardless. In his past life, he had been a superhuman on the cusp of 8th stage, backed by reliable comrades. He might have managed then.
But now...
'No way we win this.'
Not in this state. Despair surged; blood trickled from his bitten lip.
'I came back to change the future, and I can't stop this?'
Rage boiled over. His clenched fist trembled, but no solutions came.
'What do I do? How......?'
As he stared blankly out the window—
"Sir Tiny!"
A frail yet firm voice snapped him back.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty!"
"What did you mean earlier? Is it related to this crisis?"
Pale-faced, eyes wide. The old king, surely the most confused, had somehow regained composure and asked calmly.
His demeanor eased Tiny's turmoil slightly.
"Sir Gail left a final message. He fell blocking the Kraken!"
"What!?"
"I can't prove it now, but it's true! Your Majesty, evacuate! We can't handle this!"
The king's eyes wavered meeting Tiny's earnest gaze, then he swept his face in anguish.
"......So that's it. He really went like that. Heh, hahaha."
"You believe me!?"
"I must believe you now. Can't afford another mistake."
"Your Majesty! How can you heed such absurdity—!"
Roiman protested, but the king shook his head, dismissing his loyal chamberlain.
"Even if false, only my pride suffers. I'd prefer that."
Uttering words reminiscent of something heard before, the king turned back to Tiny.
"......But it's true, isn't it?"
"I stake everything on it—it's the truth."
"Mm."
Groans escaped the onlookers. The young—or young-looking—knight suddenly elevated in the palace had achieved the impossible in short order. When he spoke so gravely, they couldn't dismiss it.
And if a legendary monster appeared, the tsunami was secondary.
"Your Majesty, if the Kraken is real, you must evacuate first!"
Tilran shouted, but the king shook his head again.
"No, we can't."
"But you said you believed Sir Tiny!"
Tilran stared in bewilderment; the king turned to Tiny.
"Sir Tiny, thanks to you, we saved the relic. That gives us options. Truly fortunate."
"What do you...?"
As Tiny stood puzzled, the king approached, patted his shoulder, then faced his flustered retainers and bellowed.
"Bring the citizens into the palace! As far as the Holy Spirit Barrier reaches! Even the inner sanctums—bring them all in!!"
"Your Majesty!"
"But...!"
"A nation lives if its people live! Evacuate to the inner palace!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"We can't fit everyone. For those outside, shelter in nearby mansions."
"Yes, Your Majesty! But the nobles might refuse..."
"National emergency! Announce any refusal means immediate execution!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The flustered retainers chorused and scattered. Tiny watched blankly. Was it the rational response of a king more shocked by the first prince's betrayal than this despair?
But the king overlooked one thing.
"Your Majesty, the Kraken's power can't be stopped by the Holy Spirit Barrier. Please reconsider."
"......Sir Tiny?"
The king looked perplexed, but it was fact. He had faced Glutterni's might and felt the barrier's power. Conclusion: superb as it was over the inner palace, it couldn't fully block even lesser beasts, let alone legion commander-class.
Thus.
"Better to flee to the continent in three—no, two days. You may not believe it, but you must."
"Abandon the kingdom, the capital?"
"In my humble view, it's the best option."
The king's expression shifted endlessly, revealing turmoil. But his final words defied Tiny's expectation.
"No, impossible. The people maybe, but not the king."
"Your Majesty!"
Tiny cried desperately, but the king's resolve held firm.
"You don't know something. Even if true, the Kraken differs from other beasts or demons."
"Pardon?"
"The Kraken is a beast created by the Goddess. Even if it could break the barrier, it won't. That's the promise from the Mythic Age."
Tiny frowned in confusion—then the Sword Emperor's words flashed in his mind.
- A beast fated as ruler of the deep sea. A beast, yes, but it preys on sea monsters, acting as cleaner in the unreachable ocean depths.
Could the barrier truly hold the Kraken then?
'Wait...... If so, could it work? Huh, maybe......?'
His mind grew complex. Info from relic contact tickled a corner, sparking inspiration.
Then the king patted his shoulder again.
"When do you think the Kraken arrives?"
The grave tone shattered his reverie. No time for regret now.
"......Three days at latest, two at soonest."
"Good, more time than thought."
"Pardon?"
"I'll consider your advice."
"......Pardon?"
"Send citizens unable to enter by ship to the continent. The palace will fund it. Evacuate all!"
"Your Majesty, you said a tsunami comes—!"
"Staying is riskier! The legendary beast Kraken approaches!"
Remaining knights paled. Sudden max-grade tsunami plus a legend? Unbelievable.
But the king proclaimed again.
"Announce the monster comes! Tsunami from east—prepare all westbound ships! Launch even if risky!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
As Outer Castle Guard Captain Tilran echoed and dashed out—
- Your Majesty!! Disaster!
Bang.
The throne room doors burst open; knights rushed in.
And.
"All harbor ships are destroyed!"
They delivered even more despairing news.