Chapter 79

Living on the sea for days made my whole body feel like it was pickled in salt.

The fact that I couldn't even smell the salt anymore meant my nose must have been pickled as well.

Shion got up from his hammock, unbothered.

‘There’s a reason rich people go on pleasure cruises, I guess.’

The voyage had been going on for over a week.

I had already gotten used to the constantly swaying floor and the endless blue sea.

He moved to his cabin and took a small bottle from his pocket.

He wanted to check if it had fermented properly.

He tilted the bottle and let a drop fall on the back of his hand.

He licked it lightly, and a repulsive sensation, like a squeeze, hit his taste buds.

A slight coolness followed.

It lingered for a moment and then disappeared.

Shion smiled.

‘This Lahukala turned out especially well.’

Lahukala, a military enhancement drug for the Imperial Army made from Horem Amrita.

It was an item that offered a very unpleasant gustatory experience, but high-quality ones had a slight coolness.

He put the bottle back in his pocket with a smile.

The Lahukala in this bottle would show an incomparable effect to the one he used in the fight with Niko.

The side effects would also be a little less.

Of course, I learned the manufacturing method of Lahukala before the Regression.

The recipe was leaked during the war, and I put it to very good use.

Its usefulness continued even after the Regression.

‘My body is in good condition.’

The wind was refreshing.

A rather unfamiliar sense of leisure lingered.

There were no injuries or after-effects.

I ate well and rested well during the voyage and most importantly, I drank Golden Medicine like water.

I couldn't help but praise Horem, who developed this magical medicine (though it was actually a magic potion).

‘I'm better than at any time since the Regression.’

My blue eyes were calm.

It was a stillness that anticipated something.

I had made a lot of preparations.

I had created a plan and led it.

What had I prepared?

The treasure of treasures, Mana Armor Valziart.

Septem Arcana, three Ars.

The Empire's secret drug, Lahukala and Arete Island.

The secretive prince laughed.

I had always laughed, but it had been a long time since a laugh had welled up from within like this.

Wanting to share this enjoyment with someone, I moved my feet.

In the wheelhouse was the man with sideburns.

“Mr. Gloriosus, want some pumpkin pie?”

“…Is there anything else?”

The man with sideburns, who was the ship's navigator, helmsman, purser, chief engineer, cook, captain, and prospective owner, made a sour face.

The food Shion had bought was all sweet things, so he had no desire for pumpkin pie at all.

‘If you don't want it, don't,’ Shion thought, and quickly devoured the pumpkin pie.

It was soggy, but he didn't care.

The sugar was enough.

The front of the wheelhouse was made of glass and the outside was clearly visible. A curve was visible near the coastline.

“Is that it?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Gloriosus answered.

“It’s starting to look like a hill, isn’t it? It always looks amazing.”

“You’ve seen it often?”

“Anyone who sails in Hobel Bay is bound to see it.”

The curve gradually grew larger.

It was a hill.

In the middle of the vast ocean, there was a hill.

It looked as if it were rippling and turning blue, or as if it were branching out and glowing. It was more bizarre than mysterious.

“I’ve always just avoided it, but to think I would willingly go near it.”

Seeing a hill in the sea meant that Arete, the cursed island, was close.

It also meant there was a high possibility of losing one's life.

Shion Pollinglight muttered the name of that curve.

“Hill of Storms.”

***

The Breath of Light said.

“Ar-e-ti-on, Ar-e-ti-on.”

He seemed very angry.

“My foolish and vile servants, was it not you who spoke to me first?”

Flames gushed from his eyes, and heat like a thousand suns gathered and spewed from his mouth.

“Did you not say you wanted to make me, who is not a god, your god?”

The Breath of Light was tied up like a dog.

“How could you sell out your god, who willingly wore your leash? How could you not only bind him to the ground but also try to use him like a sword and spear?”

Four very thick and large chains were binding his arms and legs, making him unable to move.

“Foolish Aretion, vile Aretion.”

The Aretion people couldn’t say anything and just prostrated themselves, trembling.

They realized their mistake, but it was already too late.

“Did you not know that just as you shared my breath, you would also share my pain?”

The Breath of Light was sad.

He was a merciful being.

He wasn't a god, but he was kind enough to let humans who wanted a god call him one.

Foolish Aretion, vile Aretion, to betray such a Breath of Light!

“Did you truly not know that I would have to ask for a price?”

He was still angry.

But he was also sad.

Both burned, tormenting the Light.

“Listen, you who have tormented me, Arete Island. I will place three yokes upon you.”

The waves began to crash.

“The first yoke is the Hill of Storms.”

The waves quickly grew fierce.

They swirled and curled up into a circle, rising to the sky.

There were thousands of these curled waves.

Half of Arete Island was caught in them and lifted to the clouds.

“There will be a hill in the sea.”

The whirlpools made a 'heave-ho' sound and surrounded Arete Island.

Their gathered appearance was exactly like a hill.

“Whirlpools and swells will rise and envelop you. Every welcome and farewell will be gone.”

***

Amethus woke up from his sleep.

He felt terrible.

‘…To have such a dream.’

The ominous feeling was strong.

To him, who had an unusually sharp intuition, a dream was not just a remnant of consciousness.

The proof was that it wouldn't disappear no matter how much he tried to shake it off.

The ominous feeling kept whispering.

That a great trajectory would be left in his life.

Whether it was a scar or a breakthrough, neither was particularly welcome.

He got up from the swaying bed and walked.

He was not suited for the sea at all.

Unteus, who shared the room, shifted his gaze to him while cleaning his sword.

“You must have had a bad dream, Commander Amethus.”

“Did I talk in my sleep?”

“No, but your presence was murderous. I wondered if you would suddenly get up and swing your sword.”

“How embarrassing.”

Amethus sat down heavily opposite Unteus and took out his double-edged sword.

He always cleaned his sword after waking up.

A familiar phrase greeted him.

[I, the future Emperor Ferbias Caseptus, bestow this upon my close friend and future Ten Great Generals of the Empire, Amethus Aretion.]

His jade eyes curved gently.

This phrase, symbolizing the youthful antics of the future emperor, always brought a smile to his face.

Unteus glanced, wanting to read the inscription on the double-edged sword, but Amethus quickly turned the blade, as if to deny permission.

Unteus pouted, looking disappointed, but there was nothing he could do.

If Ferbias found out that he had read this inscription, he would immediately try to cut off his head.

Not a metaphor for dismissal or termination, but a literal beheading.

“Have you been awake all this time, Unteus?”

“Yes.”

There was deep fatigue on Unteus Ubias Uterbeum's face.

He clearly hadn't slept at all.

“Since the destination is what it is, I kept thinking about childhood fairy tales.”

“The story of the Breath of Light and the Praying Island, I presume.”

“That's right. The one that starts with 'Foolish Aretion, vile Aretion.'”

“…Right.”

Amethus didn't say anything more.

His mind was complicated.

He had lived his whole life as an Aretion, but it was his first time on Arete, his ancestors' island.

No, it was more like he had unconsciously kept his distance from it.

Unteus didn't find it strange.

The commander he served, the man with jade eyes, often suddenly cut off conversations.

Thanks to that, Amethus could thoroughly chew on his complexity and unease.

“They say the Hill of Storms will be visible around noon.”

“Has the sun risen outside? There are no windows.”

“It just rose. I just came back from getting some fresh air.”

“That means about five or six hours from now. It's fast, isn't it?”

“Military ships are the best, after all. The Security Bureau's budget needs to be improved.”

Unteus grumbled.

As Deputy Commander to Shadi Shandor of the Special Operations Unit, he was responsible for various financial matters.

Therefore, he could roughly guess the budget of the 11th Legion.

“Did it take three days?”

“Not even that.”

It had been a little over two days since they had left in a hurry in the middle of the night.

“We're sure they went to Arete, right?”

“I think so.”

The closer they got to the island, the more certain he became.

The fact that the ominous feeling was strong was the biggest evidence.

Amethus's intuition pointed to Arete and all the circumstances did as well.

The man with jade eyes often had an intuition that preceded the circumstances, so when they aligned, there was nothing to do but be certain.

“Oh, Commander Amethus, one last question, are we really chasing someone?”

“Wait.”

“Yes. I figured you'd say that.”

Unteus pouted his lips.

He didn't expect to hear an answer.

Still, when he was rejected, he couldn't help but feel a little unpleasant.

Amethus was about to say a word of comfort but stopped.

‘Unteus is now the deputy commander of the Special Operations Unit.’

He let Unteus Ubias Uterbeum's dissatisfaction be.

He thought that clumsy encouragement would be worse.

It was also because the man Amethus was far from warm words. He forgot the unsaid encouragement and got up from his seat.

“I should go wake up Shadi.”

“Shall I go?”

“No, I'll do it myself.”

Amethus put the double-edged sword in its scabbard and hung it on his waist.

Have you already finished cleaning it?

In response to Unteus's question, he gave a light nod.

He hadn't even used it, so there was no need to clean it in the first place.

He had just taken it out as part of his daily routine.

Shadi's cabin was next door.

The 11th Legion seemed to have shown consideration for her as a woman.

He knocked,and soon there was a rustling sound.

“Unteus?”

“It's me.”

“Oh, did you come to wake me up? Since you're here, why don't you come in?”

“…No, I'll wait.”

“Don't be like that, come in. There's nothing you can't see.”

Amethus couldn't refuse any longer.

It was because Shadi Shandor was still blind.

It would be difficult for her to get out of an unfamiliar cabin by herself.

“Did you sleep well?”

“So-so.”

Shadi Shandor was sitting on the bed.

She was dressed in lighter, thinner clothes than usual.

Her eye patch was off, revealing her empty eye socket.

“Please close the door,” she said.

The soft candlelight filled the cabin with a cozy orange glow.

There was a faint scent.

Amethus looked for a topic of conversation a little urgently.

“They say the Hill of Storms will be visible at noon.”

“What time is it now?”

“The sun just rose.”

“Soon, then. I should get ready.”

She held out her hand.

It was a request to help her up.

Amethus took her wrist.

He held it lightly, with a little concern.

It shouldn't feel rough to the woman who had gone blind for him.

“You said we'll transfer to a smaller boat on a small island right before the hill, right?”

“Yes. The 11th Legion people said they would anchor there. I'm grateful for that alone.”

The wrist he was holding was slender.

Amethus tried his best to ignore the pitifulness and softness he couldn't help but feel.

“Shadi Shandor, you wait with the 11th Legion people.”

“Oh, are you going to leave a blind woman among soldiers she's never met before?”

“……”

That was also not an option.

“Let me go with you. Although I don't know if I can enter the island.”

“…I'm worried.”

“It's not a bad feeling to be the commander's concern.”

In the orange light, Shadi smiled faintly.

“Trust Unteus a little more, Commander Amethus. He's become quite competent. He'll be more than enough to protect me.”

“…Hmm, you're right.”

Amethus was a great young man.

Because of that, he was bad at trusting things outside of his control.

Those who are too great are often like that.

Shadi knew this and changed the subject.

“It's soon, isn't it?”

“That's right.”

They had come all the way here from the Lutilium Islands, past the Sobel Mountain Range, Beribelom, Rubeko Valley, and Sillemol.

He had come here with his double-edged sword and his jade eyes glaring.

“Soon.”

A sigh for no reason.

“Soon…”

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