Chapter 113

After a long silence, the Drowned King answered.

["Who is that?"]

The Drowned King's question echoed everyone's doubts.

Hyanis, being a half-human devotee like Eidan, knew him well, but Yenkos and the other captains did not know who Eidan was.

But Isaac confidently said, "He is a thief who would gladly climb walls to obtain what he desires, a fanatic who would not spare his life for the Salt Council, and a merchant with flexible thinking willing to serve priests of other faiths for his purpose."

The sound of Eidan's hiccup could be heard from behind. The Drowned King remained silent, as if asking for more explanation.

"He also has excellent archaeological knowledge, and knows a bit about ancient languages. He might not be as excellent as me, but surely you wouldn't send me. Would you send the other captains? I see them as having used up their luck in life after having already been to the afterlife once."

Yenkos and Hyanis started hiccupping as well.

"Most importantly, Eidan is single. He mentioned there would be no family to mourn him if he died. Isn't that the best?"

The sound of the waves lapping and crashing echoed softly.

The moon was not visible due to the dense clouds. Isaac felt the salty smell in the breeze becoming stronger. The presence of an angel, especially an honest one like the Drowned King, influences everything around them.

The rough waves, the gloomy clouds flowing by, and the taste of salt carried by the wind.

Everything was showing the Drowned King's emotions instead of his face, although he was merely burning with cyan eyes beneath the waves.

"...Can such words truly persuade?"

Eidan whispered to the two captains with a look of unease. As an archaeologist and merchant, there was nowhere he hadn't been. Considering archaeologists are essentially no different from tomb raiders, the afterlife might not be much different.

"Honestly, it's unsettling. I'm not even sure how you're superior to us in any way."

Yenkos answered with a discomforted expression. Her gaze turned towards Isaac's back.

"But since the Holy Grail Knight is strongly recommending you like this, we have no choice but to trust."

In truth, she expected Isaac to recommend himself. After hearing the conditions he listed, she couldn't think of anyone more suitable. She even felt a sense of disappointment when Eidan was mentioned. Isaac, being of a different faith, was never an option to be sent.

"I'm willing to sacrifice as much as needed. From the moment I decided to become a priest, I entrusted my life to the sea. The problem is, it might be difficult to conduct this ritual again."

Yenkos muttered irritably. At her words, Hyanis also nodded with difficulty.

The Drowned King seemed to need time to think and did not answer immediately. Hyanis looked around to suppress his nervousness. While they were stopping for the conversation with the Drowned King, nearly fifty ships, following the Brave Salmon, had lined up around them.

'At this rate, almost all the ships from Norden Harbor have come out.'

If they had to fight the Drowned King as planned, about half of those ships would have been enemies. They might already be exchanging cannon fire with Yenkos. But compared to the Drowned King, a few ships were hardly a problem.

'Now that I think about it, we've inadvertently formed a siege.'

Yenkos would protest that it's not a siege but protection, but Hyanis, who had been planning to fight the Drowned King, unconsciously thought of it as a siege. He suddenly realized that the other captains were not sleeping and were waiting for the outcome of this conversation.

And Hyanis thought something was strange.

"Chairperson Yenkos?"

"Yes?"

"The movement of the currents... No, wait a moment. I'll check something and be back."

A possibility Hyanis did not want to consider crossed his mind. He quietly moved back, desperately hoping he was mistaken.

***

"Is that your recommendation, or the decision of the Salt Council?"

After a long silence, the Drowned King's response came, and Isaac translated it to Yenkos.

"The Holy Grail Knight recommended him, and the Salt Council has accepted."

"I see. Understood."

The Drowned King responded calmly to the mention of the council's decision.

With that, he seemed to have fulfilled his duty, no longer foaming at the mouth, and crawled out over the railing and fell. Then, bubbles furiously boiled up from the sea, and the Drowned King's booming voice resonated.

"I asked for someone willing to dive into danger, and you have proposed a volunteer. I will not interfere with my judgment. Whether this ritual succeeds or fails, we shall share the joy and sorrow together."

The voice that shook the sea was both a declaration and a challenge. As if responding to his declaration, the wind began to blow fiercely. The clouds in the sky churned and moved even faster.

"Let's start the ritual!"

"Right now?"

Isaac was taken aback by the Drowned King's swift action. It was a decision made after waiting a thousand years. Honestly, he had expected more thorough preparation and caution. But the Drowned King did not want to prolong things.

"There might be interlopers. There are those who wish for us to remain in this state."

Isaac suddenly realized that the clouds were rotating around the Drowned King's head.

The waves were calm because the wind was occasionally blowing unstable, but they were actually already inside a typhoon. Isaac realized why the Drowned King had summoned the typhoon in advance—to prevent external interference.

"There will be those who have been watching us since we made contact. It's best to proceed as quickly as possible to prevent interference. Is this Eidan Bearvack here?"

"Yes. Here he is."

Eidan still doubted whether he was fit for this task. However, he knew that this ritual was an honorable act and had no thoughts of refusal. If his death could help the Council rise again, he was willing to accept it.

Eidan stepped forward, holding the relic Isaac had given him tightly in his hand. A giant tentacle emerged from the sea and touched Eidan's forehead with a drop of seawater. A cold and eerie energy seeped into his mind.

At the same time, Eidan collapsed as if crumbling. Isaac hurriedly caught him, but he had already lost consciousness.

"His body and soul are being strengthened to match the Urbansus. The spiritual density of Urbansus and this world do not match. Without a sufficiently strong spirit and body, the soul could be crushed or possessed."

Isaac laid Eidan down comfortably. Yenkos, too, was taken aback by the sudden start of the ritual but began to recite prayers and took out relics to assist in the ritual in a manner befitting a priest. She knelt beside Eidan's head, starting to cast blessings and protections on his body.

***

The sea water flowed down like a waterfall as the Drowned King slowly stood up. Hundreds of meters of his body and pillar-like tentacles supporting the sky became visible. The surrounding ships all swayed and screamed in unison.

'Compared to that octopus leg, my tentacles are rather cute.'

But Isaac, seeing it for the second time, was lost in thought rather than awe.

"The Nameless Chaos watches over you."

'...It's not that my tentacles are weak or poor, but that they're appropriately modest. After all, strength and skill are more important than size when it comes to tentacles.'

Though it was a bit of a justification, Isaac truly believed that.

The Drowned King's tentacles might be massive and delicate, but they were essentially flesh of a living creature. Isaac's tentacles, however, were monsters that could chew through steel.

Isaac saw cyan eyes watching him from the flowing seawater. For some reason, those eyes were once again ablaze.

"But I wonder, Holy Grail Knight. What are you risking for this danger?"

'There's a risk? All I'm doing is translating.'

Thinking such, Isaac realized it was too naive a thought. He had confidence in surviving any situation, but for others, meeting an angel of a different faith was a life-threatening act.

Moreover, whether the ritual succeeded or failed, the aftermath could be significant, and if it failed, the disappointed Drowned King might relieve his stress by munching on the Holy Grail Knight and bishops of other faiths who happened to be there.

"A major period of change will arrive in a short time. My reward will be sufficient if the Salt Council cooperates then."

That had been Isaac's purpose from the beginning.

Isaac was speaking with the Dawn Army in mind. However, he knew that the Drowned King, insensitive to external changes, was unlikely to know about the Dawn Army. He barely understood the Immortal Order. It was natural, as the order was 700 years younger than the Drowned King.

"A vague request."

"It's a clear request. When I ask you to stand by my side, all I need is for the Salt Council to support me. I do not wish for the Salt Council to appear weak and indecisive as it does now."

Isaac deliberately proposed a future reward, not immediate gains like relics or treasures. For the Drowned King, this was a sufficiently convincing issue. With the deity of the Salt Council absent, the Drowned King was the only one who could unilaterally move them.

"Alright."

Before Isaac could smile in triumph, the Drowned King continued speaking. His murmuring voice carried an air of emptiness and loneliness.

"The codex of light does not recognize half-breeds, are you hiding in secrecy?"

"It seems so. What can I do about it?"

"The Salt Council can overlook the sins of your blood."

Isaac smiled at the Drowned King's subtle persuasion.

He was suggesting that Isaac renounce the codex of light right there and then. Although Isaac was never a follower of the codex of light to begin with, hence had nothing to renounce or accept, he couldn't accept the offer either.

"The Nameless Chaos watches over you."

"I'm sorry, but the one I serve is quite jealous."

Since the codex of light is a non-personified deity, it doesn't really get jealous, but the Drowned King took that as Isaac's polite refusal.

"Is that so? Well, it's unlikely for luck to strike twice in a few years."

He murmured without a hint of disappointment.

In truth, he would have preferred Isaac over Eidan as a messenger. As Yenkos felt, Isaac was far more suited for the task.

However, Isaac had no desire to set foot in the afterlife.

'I'm curious about what happens there, but who knows what chaos stepping in again could bring... Wait?'

Isaac felt a dissonance in the casual comment made by the Drowned King. A word he uttered was minor but bothersome. But before he could inquire further, the Drowned King continued.

"Then, let us begin the ritual."

Curiosity held back, Isaac decided to step back and allow the ritual to proceed smoothly. There was nothing left for the translator to do. The rest would be managed by the priests of the Salt Council and the angel.

Then, something squishy touched his back. The Drowned King was preventing him from stepping away.

"Stay here and help with the ritual."

It could have been a simple request for assistance.

Yet, Isaac felt a shallow sense of dissonance once again.

'The mention of luck not striking twice means there was a first instance of luck.'

A Holy Grail Knight of another faith, as remarkable and extraordinary as himself, willingly accepting the Drowned King's offer. And Isaac could only think of one such knight who fit the description within 'a few years.'

'Kalsen Miller? Did Kalsen Miller meet with the Drowned King?'

The Drowned King, being so disconnected from the outside world that he barely knew of the Immortal Order, how could he know Kalsen Miller?

"Lord Isaac! Stop the ritual!"

Isaac turned his head at the sudden outcry. From the stern of the ship, Hyanis was shouting, holding a luminous signal device used for long-distance communication between ships.

Hyanis's face, illuminated by the signal device, was pale.

"We've been deceived! The Drowned King has no intention of performing the Moonwell ritual!"