Wizard of the Deep Sea Chapter 24

TL/ED – Miso

Nobles don’t gather as easily as one might think.

Unless it’s a special occasion such as a ball hosted by the Imperial Family or a tea party organized by influential figures in the social scene, they generally avoid each other.

The reason is simple, there are few who get along well.

Even if they meet, they’ll only end up exhausting their emotions in bloody, sharp-tongued exchanges. So they all tend to share a basic thought: rather than get involved, let’s just stay out of each other’s way and focus on our own matters.

In short.

Today, with more than fifty nobles gathered, was an extremely abnormal day.

“What on earth is the meaning of this!!!”

Bang! Roilak, head of the Rigdehan family and the chair of the meeting, clenched his teeth and slammed the round table.

No, they clenched their teeth even harder and shouted louder.

“My daughter has been kidnapped! What were the Knight Orders guarding the canyon doing!! I will personally see every responsible party put to death!!”

“Those useless assholes, are you seriously telling me they still haven’t found even a clue?!”

“The Imperial Knights are still reviewing our request for support? They clearly don’t understand the gravity of this situation. Fine! I’ll dispatch my family’s knights to the Capital! Even if it means the annihilation of my house, I cannot afford to lose Huins!”

“…Ahem.”

At this point, Roilak, who had first lost his temper, cleared his throat and took a step back.

The fury of parents who had lost their children was enough to spark a rebellion. If they weren’t calmed down, something truly catastrophic could happen.

“You are all right. The situation is dire and we must act swiftly. But if we stir things up recklessly, we’ll only make matters worse! If you care about your children, I beg you, calm yourselves and let us begin the meeting.”

“Is a meeting like this really necessary?! We don’t even have enough time to act!”

“Of course it is. But even with limited time, I’ve already taken all necessary measures. I’ve requested support from the all Magic Towers and just received confirmation that the Imperial Knights will be joining us. We’ve mobilized every resource at our disposal.”

The Magic Towers.

The Imperial Knights.

The knight orders of every family, including his own.

This is a force capable of destroying a small nation in less than a day. Anything more would require full military deployment, which wouldn’t be much help under the pretext of a search.

“I know it’s painful, but please trust me. If anything happens to the children, I’ll offer this old body of mine in repentance.”

“…”

Roilak, the old beast who held connections with the elder councils of every family, spoke without the slightest trace of bravado.

Moved by his sincerity, the nobles, though still trembling with anger, took their seats. They realized that directing their rage at him would only hinder things.

Roilak, now standing, glanced over the somewhat calmed nobles, then snapped his fingers to project a stone slab in the center of the chamber.

Rumble… The stone slab was quickly engraved, forming a map of the canyon.

“First, we must learn about the enemy. Hugen. Tell us what you’ve heard.”

“Yes.”

A middle-aged man seated near the corner stood up with a grief-stricken expression.

“…According to my daughter, Nia, a teacher at the Academy, they referred to themselves as Crimson Circle.”

The chamber stirred.

“Crimson Circle? What’s that?”

“…Ah, could it be that group from hundreds of years ago…”

“That’s right. The ones described as a band of deranged wizards, yes?”

“…Wasn’t that just a legend?”

Even after compiling all the opinions, only one thing was clear.

-They’re a group straight out of a fairy tale.

The nobles’ expressions darkened.

“No, obviously that’s just bluffing!”

“You’re saying you believed such nonsense?”

“Couldn’t even protect the children as a teacher!”

At the pouring criticism, Roilak shouted loudly.

“Everyone, remain silent! Teacher Nia gave everything to protect the cadets until the very end. When the knights found her…”

“It’s alright. I’m satisfied just knowing that my daughter is alive.”

Hugen, calming Roilak instead, continued speaking.

“However, one thing is certain: her Inner World had fallen into Abyss. That much is clear.”

“This has been confirmed through cross-verification, so please refrain from speculation.”

Fallen.

Hearing that word left the nobles dumbfounded.

“A Wizard of Abyss…?”

“Do such things even exist in this day and age?”

“Even if they do, how is she still alive? Don’t most Wizards who fall into the Abyss usually die within a month?”

“One thing is certain.”

Roilak replied, gripping the table tightly.

“The Crimson Circle of the past was also a group composed entirely of the Fallen.”

“…”

What had seemed like nonsense not even worth responding to was now elevated, even slightly, to a plausible hypothesis.

Roilak continued speaking before the now-silent nobles.

“Whether they are the actual Crimson Circle or lunatics borrowing that name, it doesn’t matter. They’ve been hiding in the shadows and preparing for this day for a long time. This was not a spontaneous act of terror, it was something meticulously planned.”

“How do you…”

“As soon as I heard the word Crimson Circle, I used my connections to buy up all information from the underworld. Surprisingly, in the past three years alone, there have been over dozens of mentions of the group Crimson Circle.”

“What?!”

“The contents are as follows. Wizards with bizarre talents who don’t appear to be Nobles. Using bottomless funds, they’ve been rapidly acquiring natural bodies…”

“…”

The nobles’ expressions gradually turned deathly pale.

“D-Did they make any demands?”

“No.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“…You’re probably thinking correctly. The purpose of the kidnappings is likely to increase their numbers.”

“Urgh…”

Several faint-hearted nobles collapsed backward.

Roilak clenched his teeth as he watched them.

The children of Nobles had all been kidnapped.

Of course, it was a horrific, unspeakable event. Among all the incidents in recent decades, this was the most massive, the most terrible.

But somehow.

He couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that this was only the beginning.

Underground prison.

I quietly muttered as I looked at the sea that had begun to stain.

“This is dangerous.”

Parse, was it?

I don’t know exactly how, but that bastard is interfering with my world.

More precisely, blood is spreading in my sea. Like a drop of milk spreading instantly in a cup of water.

[…]

With blood spreading in the sea, even the Deep Sea Creatures reacted.

But it was nothing like when I had spilled my own blood. They approached as if curious, but that was all. It wasn’t the movement of hunting prey.

Feeling uneasy, I pushed the blood away using currents to keep it from reaching me. But no matter how much I pushed and pushed, it kept flooding the sea.

I frowned.

‘I’m definitely going to meet him…’

The darkening of the sea’s blood means he’s somewhere nearby.

Could I even stand a chance? I tried recalling the scene where he fought the Wizards.

It was so bizarre I couldn’t forget it. He used his own blood like a whip, I’d never heard of such magic.

“Hmm…”

I don’t see even the slightest possibility.

Even with the help of the mummies, he withstood two 3-star Wizards.

Me winning? It would take several overlapping miracles.

But even so, there’s no other plan…

Time to set up the first miracle.

“Can you wait just a little?”

I scanned the surroundings with my Tidal Sense.

And in one of the cells, I found the tool I needed.

“…Don’t come in. Don’t look, either.”

I stopped the children who tried to peer curiously into the cell.

If they saw this, their mental states would be shattered. I picked up a pair of sharp pliers used for torture, lying next to a corpse.

It was stained with dried blood, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

“Elysia.”

“Yeah?”

“Try using this to take off the shackle on my neck.”

“Ah, okay!”

Elysia grabbed the pliers and tried with all her strength to cut through the shackle.

“Ughhh…!”

It was hopeless.

It was far too solid. No matter what tool was used, it was too difficult for a child’s strength to manage.

“…Sorry. I can’t do it.”

“It’s okay.”

I patted the discouraged Elysia’s head, and only then did I realize, I had naturally spoken informally.

I was worried she might feel uncomfortable since she knew I was a janitor, but judging by the way she rubbed her head against my hand, she didn’t seem to mind it at all.

This time, I brought a chisel and hammer from that torture room.

“Try hitting it with this.”

“That looks kind of dangerous. If you move even a little…”

“Really? Then you guys help too. Just hold me steady so I don’t move.”

“Understood!”

Huins and the other children gathered around and grabbed onto me.

Elysia, who had taken hold of the chisel, concentrated and tapped on my shackle.

Kang! Kang!

Each time she hit it, it felt like my head was being bashed, but I could see small cracks slowly forming.

“S-Stop. That’s enough.”

I staggered to my feet and cut through the cracked part with the pliers.

Creak… Kang!

The broken shackle flew off and rolled across the floor.

“Phew…”

I stirred the air.

A strong wind swept through the prison that had not even a single hole.

“Alright. Gather around.”

I looked at the gathered children and snapped my fingers.

The sealing devices that couldn’t be cut even with currents were sliced cleanly.

“Wow…! I-It worked!”

“Finally…!”

In an instant, the inside of the prison lit up in a variety of colors as the children began testing their main spells.

I calmed them down and explained gently and clearly.

“My detec… detection magic just picked up an enemy. It’s the man who kidnapped us.”

At those words, the atmosphere instantly chilled.

Among the frightened children, only Huins looked at me with a face full of confidence and sent me a gaze filled with absolute trust.

“But you’ll beat him, right?”

“Of course. A guy like him is no match for me. But you guys might get caught up in it, so I’d like a little help.”

It was a lie. But the children needed confidence right now.

It seemed to work, their expressions immediately brightened.

“You don’t need to fight directly, just do this. You’ll be able to get out safely.”

“Yes!”

After explaining the plan, I called Elysia separately into a prison cell while the children prepared.

“Elysia.”

“Yeah! I mean, yes!”

“Once you’re outside, I’m sure the knights will be looking for you. Please find them somehow and tell them to come save me.”

“Got it. But… save you? I thought you were going to win?”

Elysia looked puzzled.

At the very least, she needed to understand the seriousness of the situation, so I explained sincerely.

“Of course that was a lie. There’s no way I can win. The opponent is strong enough to withstand two 3-star wizards. I’m just a beginner with 1-star.”

“…What?? You’re a 1-star? …Ah, that’s right. But you use telekinesis!”

“That- I can’t go into detail, but it’s not really Telekinesis Magic. It’s closer to a trick. If the knights don’t come quickly, I might die.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. I’m counting on you.”

“…But why?”

Elysia’s eyes wavered.

She lightly grabbed my collar as if she were looking at something she couldn’t understand.

“Why are you going that far? You… you could’ve escaped on your own, right? You’re a janitor, and you didn’t even need to be captured in the first place, are you trying to die?”

“The deal is still ongoing. I haven’t received my payment yet.”

“I… I can’t give you anything…”

She looked quite confused.

I gently grabbed her small hand and moved it away as I spoke.

“Please don’t worry about being unable to pay. I’ll be billing your father, Elysia.”

It’s an event that lets me skip the step of earning trust.

That wasn’t the only reason I had come. But regardless, I absolutely had to save Elysia.

“And this is just in case, but, Elysia, your magic interferes with or blocks the manifestation of other magic.”

“…Huh?”

“That guy Huins actually pinpointed the cause correctly. Tell your father once you’re out.”

“W-Wait. I don’t get what you’re saying.”

“You don’t need to understand right now. Ah, and one more correction.”

I met Elysia’s flustered gaze.

“I have no intention of throwing away my life.”

That’s how it had always been.

After locking eyes for about ten seconds, for some reason, Elysia’s face turned red, and she nodded.

“…Alright.”

With that, the final preparations were complete.

All that remained now was a boss fight with survival as the only goal.

The damp passage on the first basement floor.

“Ah, fuck. They are seriously strong…”

Parse let out a sigh as he looked down at his blood-soaked right hand.

It didn’t hurt that much. After all, he lived in “that kind of world”.

The problem was how much he had lost.

“If I can’t make one of them fall, I’m fucked.”

The hundreds of mummies he had secured for this operation were all wiped out.

He had expected the Knight Orders and the teachers to not be easy opponents.

But beyond that expectation, the protection around the noble children had been far more intense than anticipated.

Naturally, those mummies weren’t handed out for free. If he failed to produce clear results, he’d be disciplined.

And in this situation, discipline meant a fate worse than death.

‘…There should not be much of a problem.’

But Parse didn’t think too much of it.

He had succeeded in kidnapping as many children as possible who had just recently come down with Awakening Fever.

That fact alone was what truly mattered.

How fragile could a child’s world be? With just a little nudge, they would fall instantly.

He had never tortured children before, so he might accidentally kill the first few while adjusting, but even considering that, at least one of them should fall.

Humming, Parse descended toward the prison. His body was tired, but his mood wasn’t bad at all, given how well things were going.

At least, until he saw a child standing in the corridor.

“…Huh?”

Black hair, black eyes.

A little kid, not even half his height, stared at him with an emotionless gaze.

Parse blinked, unable to process the situation for a moment.

Those were truly unusual eyes. More than just unfocused, like a deep sea…

“…No, wait. What the hell are you? How did you get out?”

That wasn’t the point. Parse shook his head and glared at the child.

The atmosphere was strange, but it was clear the kid was one of the kidnapped nobles and had escaped.

They should’ve been shackled with a magic-sealing restraint and locked in a prison, how?

“Hey, come here while I’m being nice. If you don’t wanna die.”

Regardless of the circumstances, he couldn’t leave the kid be.

Parse flicked his finger, spraying blood across the floor.

The few droplets instantly multiplied, spreading to cover the ground. It was a gruesome sight, enough to make the weak-hearted faint on the spot.

And it was dangerous.

He did not even need an incantation. With a single snap of his fingers, a blood spear would tear that child to shreds.

“…”

But the child didn’t panic at all. He calmly pulled out the shackle split in half from inside his clothes and rolled it across the floor.

Clink… the shackle rolled and stopped at Parse’s feet.

The child looked at it and smiled.

It was clearly an act of mockery.

“…Heh, this little bastard…”

Parse chuckled, not out of anger, but from thrill.

He had escaped the prison, cut through the seal devices, and avoided numerous traps to get here.

And now he stood before Parse.

Was it just reckless confidence that brought him here?

No.

It was because he knew this was the only escape route.

“You’ve got talent.”

Parse licked his lips.

Today, it seemed he might gain a rather exceptional new colleague.

Please leave a rating and review on NovelUpdates: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/wizard-of-the-deep-sea/