Wizard of the Deep Sea Chapter 44

TL/ED – Miso

“Hoo…”

As I looked at the charging corpses, he inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and tapped the floor with his foot. With that sound reverberating, the sensation of being underwater intensified.

Then, the spreading current licked around the surroundings like a probing touch, reducing the sense of vision to something unnecessary and dispensable.

A total of 19 corpses, ten male, nine female, weapons were swords, broken wood pieces, nails, and teeth.

Though outnumbered, there was no sense of disadvantage.

I quietly recited the activation word.

“Exclude.”

The excessive current sense that had spread was slightly reduced, easing the burden.

-Boom!

“Ke-egh!”

All 19 corpses, at precisely the same moment, were smashed into the ground from all directions as if struck by invisible hammers.

I lightly and swiftly swung the current, converting it into impact. The effect was beyond expectation. The corpses, be they jiangshi, zombies… whatever they were, their supposedly immortal bodies twitched and failed to rise again.

I approached one, flipped it over, and examined its face.

“Hmm.”

It was quite a horrifying sight. A being that had still been human only hours ago now had dull, unfocused eyes and kept trying to rise again.

I remembered seeing something similar before. The mummy that had kidnapped the noble children. It was similar to that one.

Of course, it was far weaker than that one… but likely made by the same person.

“…Damn.”

An uneasy thought crept in.

I had heard Elysia was safe. Dersia had confirmed it, so she probably hadn’t fallen.

But what about Alletus?

What would it feel like if one’s father turned into a zombie before their eyes?

For a ten-year-old child, it would be almost impossible to endure.

I sprinted toward the stairway of the spire where the light hadn’t yet gone out.

Unlike Crimson Circle, I had absolutely no desire to increase the number of companions.

Elysia had been feeling like she was flying recently.

“Hoho, are you that happy?”

“Yep!”

“You can speak freely. There’s no one here to listen anyway.”

Azelin.

A city unreachable at will, no matter how much money or noble lineage one had.

The reason was simple: it was fully booked for the next three years.

Some eccentric designer had directly arranged every root and every flower in the trees of Azelin.

The reason for such madness was to fulfill the goal of making it “a breathtaking view from every angle”.

It was an absurd and delusional ambition, yet she had achieved it. And the result proved itself, nine out of ten noble weddings were held in this city.

“Look here! That building is made out of flowers!”

Elysia ran along the roadside, laughing happily.

Her appearance befitted a ten-year-old, and Alletus smiled bitterly while waving at her.

‘This is costing a fortune…’

Naturally, he hadn’t made a reservation. Instead, he bought the rights from another noble for Elysia’s sake. And in that process, the other party didn’t want money, they wanted a wine that Alletus truly cherished.

Even so, seeing his daughter smile so brightly, he felt no regret at all.

“Are you happy?”

“Yes!”

“Good. If you’re happy, then there’s nothing lacking.”

As Alletus approached Elysia, who was looking at the flowers, he recalled what her master Jern had once said.

Give her happy memories. Be a parent, not just someone with money.

It was meant to teach how not to fall, but it still pierced his heart. He was always busy, and the child had no mother, so he often had to leave her alone.

That’s why it hit him so hard. Jern hadn’t said anything else, but his years of living as a noble weren’t for nothing, he could tell there was criticism implied.

‘…His mental strength is extraordinary.’

He really is a strange one, Alletus thought.

To suddenly propose a deal, to boldly push forward with demands for compensation.

Cold and composed like frozen steel, he felt like he was dealing with a hundred-year-old monster, not a ten-year-old. Yet his actions were saint-like, readily risking his life to save the children.

His innate talent was evident just by becoming Dersia’s disciple. For that socially maladjusted witch to take a liking to someone meant they had more than just average ability.

Of course, he had fallen into the abyss and, with little information, wouldn’t survive a year before meeting a gruesome end…

But still, that child, he couldn’t picture him being crushed and dying under the weight of his own world.

Even if common sense denied it, the knowledge he had seen and felt somehow only showed him a future where the boy stubbornly survived.

If that truly came to pass, then even considering his status as a commoner, he would be a talent far too valuable to let go.

“It’s so pretty… I wish Jern had come too.”

Just then, Elysia, gazing down at the flowers blooming by the roadside, brought up Jern.

Alletus gave a short cough and crouched beside her, cautiously asking.

“Elysia, what do you think about commoners?”

“I like them!”

“…Why?”

“Because Jern is a commoner!”

It was an answer as clear and straightforward as could be.

Seeing Elysia grinning so brightly, Alletus felt slightly reassured.

Even if he were to adopt him later, it didn’t seem like she would be against it.

“Then if Jern were to be entered into the family register and become part of your family-”

Just as Alletus was about to speak on that matter.

“Ah, Lord Alletus!!”

A knight with a fixed bayonet came rushing over and knelt urgently.

Alletus frowned momentarily, but when he saw the knight’s abdomen, pierced through the armor by a long stab wound, and the blood gushing endlessly, he jumped to his feet.

“What… happened?!”

“The city is under attack!”

“…What? What kind of madmen would attack Azelin…?”

“The situation is urgent. Please, take the young lady and escape immediately!”

“Understood. And you-”

“I’m already beyond saving! I’ll buy you time here.”

“…Thank you. I will remember you.”

The knight gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and Alletus picked up Elysia, who was still bewildered and unable to grasp the situation.

“Kyaa! Ah, Dad?”

“I’m sorry, dear. This isn’t the time for decorum.”

What in the world is happening?

Alletus tried to calm his chaotic thoughts and looked back at the absurd situation.

But soon, feeling his daughter’s arms wrapped tightly around his neck, he pushed everything else aside.

I must protect her. The rest can be dealt with later.

“…It’s probably nothing serious. Most likely it’s those Crimson Circle bastards who kidnapped you before.”

“Wi-will we be okay?”

“Of course. I’ve equipped the carriage with an emergency escape spell. As long as we reach it, there’s no problem.”

“Then what about the others?”

“Once you’re sent to a safe place, I’ll lead the knights to rescue them. Just hold on a little longer.”

Alletus did his best to reassure Elysia as he ran down the alley.

The most beautiful city had, in an instant, transformed into hell.

“Krrrk, krrk…”

“A m-monster…! Please, spare me!”

“The Captain’s lost his mind! Everyone, fall back!”

“Lancel, it’s me, Tomy… Why, why are you drawing your sword?”

“Get it together! Lancel is dead. That’s the enemy!”

Blood and corpses, smoke and screams.

Buildings were in flames, and rivers ran red with knights’ blood.

Those few who remained alive were turning into living corpses, biting into the loved ones they once cherished.

From every corner came only screams and the groans announcing defeat. Alletus clenched his fists so tightly that blood began to seep out, yet he did not stop running.

“Close your eyes. We’re almost there!”

“Okay…”

Feeling Elysia trembling in his arms, Alletus ran toward the clearing where the carriage awaited.

He had never sprinted with such desperation in his life.

He arrived. And then.

“So this is it. Why’d you make it so damn hard to find? Ungh…”

Surrounded by a horde of desiccated mummies, a black-haired girl was rummaging through the carriage.

“…”

“Ah, a guest has arrived too.”

The black-haired girl didn’t even glance in their direction as she continued rifling through the carriage.

No sooner had she spoken than all the mummies simultaneously turned their heads this way with not a millisecond of delay.

Alletus gently set Elysia down and took off his gloves, spreading his hand open.

A small orb formed, and the surrounding air reverberated.

The mana was powerful enough to shake nearby buildings, but cold sweat was dripping from Alletus’s forehead.

‘What in world is this…’

If Alletus’s intuition was not mistaken.

All these mummies had learned the Body Reinforcement Art.

If that were the case, then they could be considered knight-class. At this distance, against opponents of that caliber, the chances of victory were as close to zero as one could get.

“You shouldn’t waste your strength like that, you know? It’ll just make it more painful.”

Alletus wasn’t the only one who understood that.

The girl murmured the words like advice while pulling a magic stone out of the carriage.

It was closer to mockery, but not incorrect. From the moment the situation had been set up like this, the result had already been decided. The only difference lay in how one chose to accept it.

“D-Dad…”

Crack-

However, Alletus had a reason not to retreat.

He took a step forward.

“So foolish.”

Alletus chose the most painful option.

And the girl didn’t spare him even a single glance to the end.

Squelch…!

I let out a sigh as I heard the sound of someone’s head being crushed.

“I hope they are not still alive…”

Sometimes, for the sake of efficiency, things have to be sacrificed.

Especially when you’re sprinting to rescue a captured princess.

“Gurk, kiegh.”

“…Apologies if you’re still alive.”

As I ascended the tower stairs.

I pushed every corpse that came at me off the railing with currents.

Thud, splat, boom… That’s the kind of sound I heard each time.

Inhuman, but unavoidable. If I tried to take them all on properly, I’d be terribly delayed.

Sighing, I kept running without pause. And still, this damn tower, how tall was it built? Even after running for five minutes, I was only about halfway up.

“Seriously, damn it-”

It wasn’t that I was tired. I had done extreme training in the library, after all.

But I had the leg span of a ten-year-old. I wondered if I could push myself up faster using currents, when.

“H-Hey…!”

“?”

While running, I saw a scrawny man with brown hair leaning against a door, clutching his bleeding knee, tears streaming down his face.

“Wh-Whoever you are, please save me! I’m begging you… I’ll do anything!”

“Yes, understood.”

“Thank you, really…! I thought I was going to die like this…”

“Yes. Then, please die as is.”

“…Huh?”

I used currents to grab the man, who had reacted like he’d just seen a savior, by the leg and tossed him straight off the stairs.

But this time, I didn’t hear any sound.

So that’s not enough, huh. Still, it’ll take him time to climb back up, so before then.

“What the hell.”

Whoosh-!

With the sound of something like a missile flying past,

The man who’d been thrown off landed right in front of me from beyond the railing.

Unlike before, his entire body was now muscular. It was as if he had transformed into someone else.

With a face full of disbelief, he demanded,

“No, but how’d you know?”

I replied calmly.

“For starters, can’t you guys stop pretending to be injured and acting like allies? You always do that.”

“Well, we don’t have a lot of numbers. Making people drop their guard is basic strategy. But seriously, is that all you needed to figure it out?”

“No. Take a good look at me.”

I spread my arms wide.

To make use of potential energy, in other words, pushing someone off the railing only works once you’ve climbed high enough up the stairs. Otherwise, your back’s exposed and they can ambush you.

And I can’t use the Abyss’s power too much. Who knows how many enemies are left in this tower? If I use too much, I might be hit with backlash at a critical moment.

So, I just beat them up.

I turned on Remove: and Form:, and used brute strength to knock the corpses unconscious.

Thanks to that, I looked like a real mess.

“What kind of person, seeing a ten-year-old kid running toward them covered head-to-toe in blood like he just beat several people to death with his bare hands, asks for help? If I were injured and saw something like that coming, I’d shut the door immediately and hold my breath to avoid being noticed.”

“…Ah, I see. Fair enough.”

The man nodded with a slightly bitter expression, then took a combat stance.

I let out a sigh and attempted conversation.

“Um, could we maybe do this later? I’m kind of in a hurry right now.”

“Nope. I knew the moment I saw you. At your age, that level of accomplishment… I figured you had to be brought down. I don’t know where you crawled out from, but if I offer you up, becoming an executive might not be just a dream.”

“You’ll regret this in hell.”

“You’ll regret it in heaven.”

Even as he spoke, I studied the man.

Is it just raw muscle enhancement? Doesn’t seem like he’s using magic.

If he was not a Wizard of the Abyss, he shouldn’t be a match for me. I looked at the man grinning oddly and sent out a current.

“…?”

“How is it? Doesn’t it feel great?”

It didn’t work.

I blinked.

Something had changed.

Something massive. Truly, overwhelmingly massive.

“No, this, what.”

I forgot I was in the middle of a fight and looked around the air.

The hateful Deep Sea creatures were no longer in sight.

The dull, muted sound had become crystal clear.

I couldn’t believe it. So that meant.

“…I escaped?”

This wasn’t the Deep Sea.