Chapter 63
The most standard way to defeat the pirate captain of the Golden Sea, Tospol, was to throw him into the sea and finish him off.
No matter how much of a monster he was in close combat, an ogre had no ability to swim in the sea.
A land creature dies if it can't breathe.
It's the sa as dying if its neck is cut.
Did the rmaids really not know that?
They probably did.
No matter how much of a marine race the rmaids were, it was unlikely that they didn't know what I knew.
Besides, they each had innate magical abilities.
The sailors' fear that rmaids called typhoons was not a complete lie.
Nevertheless, the reason the rmaids considered Tospol a nuisance but couldn't finish him off was because the path to that process was by no ans easy.
No matter how powerful a rmaid warrior was, their strength was bound to weaken when they went on land.
Besides, Tospol was an ogre, a strong race even among land creatures.
No matter how muscular a rmaid was, the difference in physique was so great that they would be beaten up one-sidedly.
And since Tospol would never go into the sea, the rmaids couldn't solve it and had no choice but to be troubled.
In the anti, Tospol, who no one could touch, was killed by a human.
Doing what no one can do rashly is called an achievent.
Therefore, the rmaids decided to show respect and favor to the person who had achieved what they could not.
I decided to understand it that way.
“That's a very convenient explanation, but I'm against it. An invitation from a rmaid, and even a Dragon King!”
“Why?”
“rmaids are an ominous race! They might harm you if you follow them.”
“The reason seems too childish.”
“How many ships have sunk in the Golden Sea because of them!”
Admiral Gian foad at the mouth and opposed the invitation.
He seed to have a lot of bad feelings towards rmaids.
Of course, Admiral Gian's opposition could not sway public opinion.
“If not now, when else can we be invited to the rmaids' country? This must be left as a record.”
“Did you see how his attitude changed towards the captain as soon as he defeated Tospol? If we follow him, he'll surely give us a lot of treasure.”
rmaids were basically an unknown race.
The rcenary company mbers, who had more curiosity than hostility and did not believe the superstitions of the sea people, actively agreed.
Since there were more rcenary company mbers than Levonan dwarves, even Admiral Gian had no choice but to follow the majority vote.
“Kugh. This is why I can't stand landlubbers. They're all blinded by treasure. Then do as you please. I'm not going.”
“Are you really not going?”
“I'm not going.”
“I'll bring back a souvenir when I co back.”
“I don't need it.”
I decided to give the thoroughly sulking Admiral Gian so ti alone.
If I left him alone, he would probably get over it.
At that age, it's normal to have trouble controlling one's emotions.
But unexpectedly, Ishmael also shook his head.
“Kruk, I think you're the strange one. Krrruk, a seaman would never like rmaids.”
“When did you team up with Admiral Gian?”
Perhaps because Ishmael had also lived at sea for a long ti as a pirate, he tended to believe in many superstitions like the Levonan sailors.
I, as an enlightened modern person, tried to correct his foolish thoughts.
“rmaids are not such a dangerous race. They just care about their territory.”
Because of that, they had many disputes with their surroundings, and they tended to disappear in the later half of the ga after getting into a fight and being destroyed for no reason, but they were quiet if you respected their territory—.
—I deliberately did not say the last part.
Because there were many people listening around.
And Ishmael snorted.
“Kruk, when have you ever seen rmaids? Krrruk, this is why landlubbers are no good. They don't know what's dangerous.”
Ishmael, as if he had beco one with Admiral Gian at so point, uttered the sa words.
I looked at Ishmael making the sign of the cross and suddenly rembered that he was a devout follower of Dualism.
“Co to think of it, as a follower of Dualism, is it okay to believe in superstitions so carelessly? Do your gods say it's okay to believe in such things?”
“Kruk, the gods are generous. They will allow one of their sheep to look in another direction for a mont.”
“Alright, alright. Let's see what happens at the Last Judgnt.”
A Kobold who doesn't know how scary tax deductions and year-end settlents are.
Do you think filing a comprehensive inco tax return is easy?
You'll definitely regret it when that day cos.
“So, you're not coming along?”
“Kruk, of course, I have to go. It's definitely a money-making business, so why wouldn't I go?”
“I thought so.”
***
In , there was only one way to the rmaid's Shore.
The Blue Hole hidden sowhere in the Golden Sea.
So I naturally thought I would go out to sea with the rmaids in a boat, but the place the rmaid envoy guided to was a coastal cave.
It was an elent that wasn't in the ga, so I was a little flustered.
“Huh? Aren't we going to the sea?”
“It's surprising that a human knows the entrance to the shore. No, is it a matter of course for a honorable warrior who can defeat Tospol?”
“Let's just say that.”
“But that's a place where ordinary humans can't enter rashly. Unless they can withstand the pressure of the sea.”
I understood why the rmaids all had thick muscles.
The deeper you go into the sea, the stronger the pressure becos.
To withstand that, the body naturally has to beco thicker.
What if you can't withstand it?
Probably a terrible thing would be waiting.
Like a scene that would co out of a video with a mature rating.
Therefore, those lumps of muscle were the result of an evolution of survival of the fittest.
I have a sad premonition that my aesthetic sense will be very different from the rmaids'.
“Then this passage?”
“This is a passage we sotis use when we have to go up to the land. Because we can't always go out to the sea.”
“Is it okay to tell sothing like this so carelessly? Isn't it a secret?”
“It's fine. We can just close it if necessary.”
The rmaids were full of confidence.
Eleonor whispered to from the side.
“There's a magic spell on the passage. It's better to be careful.”
Perhaps because half of her bloodline was elven, Eleonor saw through the existence of the magic.
If that was the case, the rmaids' confidence was understandable.
“Now, let's go. The Dragon King will be waiting.”
We walked down a spiral underwater cave.
It was a strange feeling to be walking around the sa place in circles.
By the ti I was losing my sense of ti and location and my breathing was becoming rough from walking for a long ti.
Suddenly, a ray of light poured down from above in the darkness, and my vision brightened.
It was the end of the underwater cave and the rmaid's Shore.
“Wow.”
“So this is what it's like here.”
Exclamations of admiration burst out from the group at the unfamiliar scenery.
A rocky shore made of solidified lava stretched out endlessly.
Beyond the waves of black waves endlessly rolling onto the beach, the Kresven Archipelago could be seen.
Simply put, it's easy to think of the world as being inverted.
We are seeing the image of the other world through the surface of the water like a mirror.
On that beach, the Dragon King was waiting with his attendants.
The rmaid envoys had sent a person in advance to deliver the news.
“Welco. Welco to the kingdom.”
The Dragon King was not a dragon, as his na suggested.
If I had to say, he was closer to a water dragon or a sea serpent, and to put it into words, he could be called a snake that walked on two feet.
That's right.
The Dragon King was a sacred snake, a Naga.
Nagas were a rare race to see on land.
And they actually had an appearance that wouldn't be strange if land people misunderstood them as evil demons.
Moreover, a sea serpent adorned with all sorts of accessories could only be considered even more bizarre.
Fortunately, thanks to having inford the group of the Dragon King's race in advance, no commotion broke out.
—When you have an audience with the Dragon King, you must never be surprised. Don't shout rudely. Or scream.
—Eh. No way, no matter what, would we do that?
—Are you confident you won't be surprised when you see a walking snake?
—Pardon? Really? Is there such a race?
—By the way, Captain, how do you know such a thing?
—…….
The last question was, of course, Eleonor.
Since I had no intention of satisfying her curiosity, I pretended not to hear and ignored her.
I ignored Eleonor, who was looking at with strangely shining eyes, and greeted the Dragon King politely.
“I am honored to et Your Majesty, Dragon King Mucalinda.”
“You don't have to be so formal. A hero who has defeated Tospol is rather deserving of my respect. Co this way. I have prepared a banquet.”
“Thank you for your grace.”
Mucalinda personally took my hand and led to the kingdom's palace.
As the guests sat in the huge banquet hall, servants and maids endlessly carried food from the kitchen.
The sll of the food relaxed the group, who were still wary of their surroundings.
It was then.
「Quest: You have discovered an artwork created in ancient tis. Why not investigate the story hidden within it?
—1 / ?」
A quest all of a sudden?
And what's with the question mark?
Are you telling to find them without even knowing how many there are?
Anyway, I followed the system's advice and carefully looked around.
If the system, which was usually quiet, was telling to look for sothing, it must be really important.
The artworks the system pointed out were the sculptures that adorned the dragon palace's banquet hall.
The decorations were installed throughout the banquet hall.
As I sat next to Mucalinda, who guided to the seat of honor, I spoke.
“Your Majesty, may I ask you a question?”
“By all ans. What are you curious about?”
“The sculptures installed in the palace are very magnificent and full of dignity, but could I possibly know the story behind them? They must have been installed to explain so legend or folklore, but I can't figure it out with my lacking insight.”
“It's not difficult. Co, look over there.”
Where Mucalinda pointed, a precisely carved figure looked down on the banquet hall with arrogance.
Mucalinda explained in a calm tone.
“That sculpture was installed as a warning to us.”
“A warning?”
“A long ti ago, when the boundary between the land and the sea was gone and the world was in chaos, a man fought with our race. As a result of that grand war that lasted for several days, it was my ancestors who were defeated.”
It was unexpected.
“That's a story I'm hearing for the first ti.”
“Is that so? Anyway, after that, the man chased us into the sea and is said to have set the boundaries of the world right. I don't know what happened after that.”
“Do you happen to know who he was and what he did?”
“I don't know that much. After that, our race had almost no exchange with the land. All we know is that he was a human.”
Mucalinda pointed to the stone statue.
“These sculptures are a warning sent by our ancestors, who feared and were wary of that man, to their descendants. That he might return soday.”
I was proud to say that I knew most of the lore of .
I had even uncovered so hidden lore myself.
But the story Mucalinda told was sothing I was hearing for the first ti.
No matter how much I searched my mory, nowhere in the ga did it explain the process of how the rmaid's Shore was created.
It seed that there was a secret story hidden that I didn't know.
And it must be very important, which was why the system suddenly activated.
It seed I needed to investigate this.
I tried to hear about it, but Mucalinda politely refused.
“I don't think it's appropriate to talk about that now. Let's now have a ti to celebrate defeating Tospol. Aren't everyone waiting?”
Mucalinda smiled and announced the start of the banquet.
I reluctantly nodded my head.
But even during that ti, my gaze was fixed on the stone statue of the man hanging in front of .
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