Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

“It’s probably an experiment.”

Dersia answered, casually extinguishing the lamp.

“An experiment?”

“Yes. The Abyss Realm currently eroding this Material Realm is probably not one of The Three Evils.”

“But those things are alive. I thought The Three Evils referred to worlds where living beings could exist?”

“The analysis is already complete.”

Dersia walked ahead. Remarkably, even with the lamp behind her, she cast no shadow.

“These aren’t living beings. They’re a type of Burden—moving without purpose yet filled with hostility. Entirely different from the Deep Sea Creatures of your world.”

“Then…”

“They haven’t yet discovered the world of The Three Evils. That’s what it means.”

“Though what they have now is already problem enough.”

Sharmia interjected, her expression troubled.

“They have no life, and they only appear under specific conditions—at night, when light illuminates a living being. Yet even these mere anomalies are shaking the entire Empire.”

“How extensive is the damage?”

“Everything the Crimson Circle has done throughout its existence doesn’t even compare to the losses we’ve suffered in the past three days. Ahaha…”

Sharmia laughed, but there was clearly nothing to laugh about.

“…”

“Jern.”

As I stood silently stunned by the incomprehensible scale, Dersia sipped from a cup of tea beside her, grimacing before she spoke.

“Literally speaking, this incident should be called merely a taste of what’s to come.”

“Merely? From what I’m hearing, it sounds extremely serious.”

“And yet it has remained at serious, hasn’t it?”

I tilted my head, wondering what she meant, and Dersia let out a deep sigh.

“Certain conditions exist. Light sources, nighttime, shadows. If we prepare for these factors, we can somehow manage to… yes, survive. But Jern, imagine if it were your world instead.”

“…Hmm.”

Deep Sea Creatures swimming through the Empire.

Perceiving everything that wasn’t me. I had imagined it a few times before.

“It would be hell.”

“Indeed. As I said, this is probably nothing more than an experiment. A test conducted by their side to determine how far and how deeply they could spread it if they found another ocean.”

“Then…”

“Yes, Jern.”

Dersia shot a sharp glance at Sharmia.

“You have become someone who must never, under any circumstances, be captured by the Crimson Circle.”

“…Haa.”

Whatever the specifics, both we and they now knew that this world could be spread across the Empire in an instant.

Meaning if I were captured now, it wouldn’t end with just my death.

I pressed my fingers to my temples.

“Then I suppose we should abandon the plan to infiltrate the Upper Tier. The one called Decay seems to have caught on to some degree that I possess the Deep Sea.”

“…”

With Dersia keeping her lips firmly pressed together, Sharmia continued in her place.

“About that—”

“Princess Sharmia.”

“Yes, Lady Dersia Aspandil?”

“I hope you haven’t forgotten our agreement.”

“Ah, yes. You mean our promise? Of course.”

Dersia watched her smile brightly, shook her head, then turned to advise me.

“Jern. I’ve been remiss in acknowledging this. You did truly, truly well.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you. Though I still have far to go.”

“No. Simply by eliminating a member of the Upper Tier, you’ve given those Crimson Circle bastards more to worry about. And as I said, if we consider this incident a simple experiment, that’s all it really amounts to. There’s no need to take it too gravely…”

After this lengthy explanation, Dersia let out another deep sigh.

“From this point on, I will leave the choice entirely to you. Whatever you decide, please remember that it will be carried out under my protection.”

“…I don’t quite understand what you mean, but understood for now.”

“I’ll explain that part!”

Sharmia, now brimming with energy again, looked at me with a bright smile.

“Jern, Lady Dersia said it wasn’t a big deal, but it is! This is a disaster. So many citizens of the Empire are suffering and dying. I’m doing my best too, but it’s not easy. I haven’t even had time to sleep…”

“That must be difficult. Is there something I can do to help?”

“Hmm, you’re still proceeding with the plan to infiltrate the Crimson Circle’s Upper Tier, right? And while you’re at it, finding ways to survive against The Three Evils and those Deep Sea Creatures.”

“Yes. Though I don’t think I can anymore.”

“No. I’d like you to continue.”

“…Excuse me?”

I looked at Dersia, dumbfounded.

Seeing her silently close her eyes, it seemed this had been discussed beforehand.

I hadn’t expected Sharmia to be this foolish. Bewildered, I continued.

“Of course, this is directly tied to my survival, and since it was the original plan, I can proceed as intended if you permit it. However… it no longer seems like something that would end with just me.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“First, since I was the one who took down the Puppet, there’s no guarantee I can keep my world completely hidden. And now that we know they can erode the Material Realm all at once like this, possessing the Deep Sea means I can never be captured by them.”

“That’s also true.”

“Most importantly, the one called Decay seems to have half-figured out that I possess the Deep Sea. Given these circumstances, don’t you think continuing with the plan to infiltrate the Upper Tier is far too dangerous?”

I met the gaze of this breathtakingly beautiful Prophet directly.

“Do you have some other plan?”

“Yes.”

Sharmia nodded with a bright smile, as if she had been waiting for that question.

“Jern, I can see the future.”

“So you’ve said.”

“I’m going to grant you that possibility as well, just once.”

“?”

Sharmia continued, still smiling.

“First, everything you said is correct. It’s extremely dangerous. But put another way… if we don’t move forward from here, we won’t learn anything. We’ll just stand there blankly, watching the people I love die.”

“Wait. I’m not following.”

I waved my hand to express my disbelief.

“If you’re a Prophet, shouldn’t you have prophesied everything they’re going to do? Without any need for me to go?”

“Hmm, Jern.”

Sharmia shook her head bitterly.

“The power of prophecy comes with a price. A very heavy price.”

“What is it?”

“It’s that…! I can only see it once. That’s all.”

“What?”

Sharmia shrugged playfully.

“Literally. I prophesied all these disasters just once, when I was ten years old. And I’ve been working to prevent them ever since.”

I furrowed my brow, then countered by asking about something that seemed obvious.

“…Then what about when we first met? You knew everything I was going to say.”

“The price.”

Sharmia’s voice trembled slightly as she uttered that word.

“It’s the price I’ve been paying my entire life for seeing the future.”

“…A Burden?”

“I haven’t fallen, though.”

Sharmia casually conjured a small flame. Proof that she was still a wizard.

“You said the Crimson Circle has a Mission Book—a book containing prophecies, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t that sound a bit familiar? Prophecies, I mean.”

“…”

Now that she mentioned it.

The fact that the Crimson Circle followed prophecies and that Sharmia possessed the power of prophecy didn’t feel like mere coincidence.

I looked at her, eyes asking for an explanation, and she answered as if it were nothing.

“It’s nothing special. The being they worship is actually The First Wizard, and surprisingly, this person really existed.”

“How is that possible? You’re saying the person who created magic actually existed?”

“I don’t know if that part is true or not. But their existence is certain. After all, they were my ancestor.”

“…What?”

“I suspect my prophetic ability might be that ancestor’s power passed down through generations. That’s what I believe, at least.”

“…”

I looked at Dersia, and she nodded uncomfortably.

“That’s correct. He was a real person and apparently the ancestor of several nobles besides the Princess. In fact, I heard that the robe you’re wearing was obtained from Alletus’s treasury.”

“…Yes, that’s right. He said it belonged to The First Wizard—”

“Alletus must have carried that bloodline as well. Upon closer examination of his daughter, I noticed she possesses some strange power that’s different from ordinary magic.”

“Elysia?”

“Yes. I’ll need to investigate further, but… for now, we’ve gotten closer to confirming that The First Wizard truly existed and possessed unusual powers.”

Worshipped as a god by the Crimson Circle, and the ancestor of the Imperial family and nobility.

Feeling an uncomfortable sensation, I steered the conversation back on track.

“So what exactly is this price of your prophetic power?”

“Before I tell you, could you make me one promise?”

“What kind of promise?”

“That you will never reveal what you’re about to hear, even if you’re facing death.”

I tilted my head, expressing my confusion.

“That goes without saying. Are there any other conditions?”

Sharmia’s eyes widened at my answer, then she broke into a grin.

“…As expected, Jern is just… Jern. Even though that’s caused me plenty of trouble.”

“?”

After those cryptic words, she pushed the dagger on her desk toward me, as if steeling herself.

“The thing is, I don’t die even when I die.”

“You’re immortal?”

“Yes. Even if my corpse is burned, even if it’s ground to dust and scattered—it’s meaningless. I can always return.”

“…”

“Did you expect this?”

“To some degree.”

Sharmia nodded as if she’d expected as much, then spoke to confirm it.

“Every time I die, I return to the past after a fixed interval. That’s the wound I bear as the price for seeing the future.”

***

To some degree, I had already known this.

But I hadn’t been able to confirm it.

Because—

“…No, no, wait.”

“Yes. I imagine you have many questions. Ask away!”

She raised both arms as if she’d said everything she needed to—but the dizziness I felt was for an entirely different reason.

“How many times did you die writing those letters?”

“…I’d rather not say.”

Watching her shrink instantly, I swallowed the harsh words on my tongue.

At the very least, four digits. She had died that many times to create those scenes?

…Just for something like that?

“No, it wasn’t meaningless.”

Sharmia protested earnestly as my expression grew cold.

“First, it was to hide my true ability while making it known I was a real Prophet. It also let me test whether you were someone I could trust. And most importantly—didn’t I seem a bit mysterious and cool?”

“I see now how lightly you regard your own life.”

“It’s my only weapon.”

Watching Sharmia answer so casually, I could only imagine how much Karos must have suffered.

What must it feel like to know that the lord you must protect kills herself endlessly?

Unfortunately, I had to admit she had seemed somewhat mysterious and cool.

“Originally, I was planning to just send you off.”

“Hmm, so you were just going to gather information regardless of whether I lived or died.”

“No. If you were ever in danger, I was going to end my own life and return to now to warn you about the situation.”

“That’s completely insane.”

Dersia shook her head.

“It’s the delusion of a madwoman who believes the world will end if she dies. I cannot allow it.”

“But it really does end…”

“You haven’t experienced it, and you haven’t proven it. So I cannot believe you.”

“Yes, yes. And because the esteemed Lady Dersia Aspandil said so, I had no choice but to reveal everything and suggest a different method.”

“Which is?”

“As I said, Jern. I’m going to let you experience this price I’ve been paying, just once.”

“So…”

“Yes.”

She answered with a gentle smile, utterly without malice.

“From now on, just once. No matter what happens to you, you will return in this place and time again just once.”

-She was offering to grant me one use of an invincible blessing.