Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

“Follow me for now. He’s waiting.”

The contact quickly led me through the alleyways.

After several twists and turns, we arrived at a hidden safe house. The man swallowed hard and placed his hand on the door handle.

“…Hmm.”

“What, is there a problem?”

“It’s nothing.”

He’s already made a mess of things, hasn’t he.

I shook my head dismissively and stepped inside. A familiar mask greeted me.

“…It’s been a while.”

The freezing Deep Sea around him, and an atmosphere even colder than that.

Decay hadn’t changed one bit from before.

After staring at that unsettling figure for a moment, I tossed out my words.

“The plan’s off. Report to Cheon-hwa and find another target.” 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“Hm.”

Despite the abruptness of it, Decay responded lightly.

“The reason?”

“The one who came with her is beyond norm. No matter what I try, I won’t be able to find an opening.”

This wasn’t an exaggeration.

Even if Karos was only guarding the Air Bubble, I had no confidence I could break through it. Decay would be in the same position.

“You mean the Priestess’s Knight.”

“…You knew?”

“Rather, why wouldn’t I? She is the only blade the Priestess truly trusts in this entire world.”

As Decay said this and rose from his seat—

“…B-Boss! What the fuck!”

Something behind the chair came into view.

A man kneeling in terror, frozen in that exact posture, blood dripping steadily from his mouth.

I had already seen this through Current Sense, so I wasn’t particularly surprised. However, there was one peculiarity. The falling droplets of blood took unnaturally long to reach the floor.

“You bastard! What did you do!”

Well, his superior had just died, so the man who guided me here probably didn’t have time to observe such details. He immediately let out a shout and reached for his waist.

He posed no significant threat. The man strained repeatedly, but the blade only rattled in its sheath, refusing to be drawn.

“What…”

Decay watched silently as the man stared in disbelief at his frozen sword, then spoke for the first time.

“I acted shamefully. Even if I must take a life, I have no right to strip away the right to resist. This makes me no different from that person…”

The moment those words ended, the sword slid free as if nothing had happened.

Decay watched this and continued in a low tone.

“My apologies. I did not imagine that piece of metal would be your only means of resistance. If you wish, I can grant you time to fetch something else. Do you require it?”

“…”

The color gradually drained from the man’s face.

He had come to understand that at this very moment, he needed permission even to breathe. That it was already over.

His trembling hand dropped the sword. Having lost all will to resist, the man asked his final question, face pale as death.

“Why? Why? We did everything we were told. What exactly didn’t satisfy you… No, was this always the plan from the start?”

“Was this always the plan, you ask…”

Decay tapped the desk as if pondering a difficult question.

“I don’t know.”

“…What?”

“Eliminating you wasn’t something that required much thought.”

Whether the man heard those words, I couldn’t say.

He had probably frozen partway through.

Decay pushed aside the stiffened statue without a second thought and approached me with an answer.

“The purpose of this operation was to deliver a warning from the beginning.”

“I already heard that. What I’m saying is the cost-benefit doesn’t add up. There’s no need to fight something like that just for a warning.”

“The Priestess trusts almost no one. Likely because of her ability.”

The answer didn’t match my question.

“So what.”

“Put differently, she places infinite trust in those she does believe in. Even knowing the escort failed, she won’t think her blade was the problem. She’ll assume she misjudged her opponent’s strength. That judgment won’t merely reduce Wax Wings’ influence. It will constrain all her actions.”

“…”

These people knew Sharmia far too well.

As I stood there caught off guard—

“That’s why I came. I can’t guarantee victory against the Priestess’s Knight, but I can at least keep her occupied.”

“Then what about me?”

“In that opening, break the wing.”

So it came to this after all.

I made sure no emotion showed on my face. Killing Linmel was never even an option.

The biggest problem that could arise now was Decay discovering that Linmel and I were connected. I couldn’t even imagine what kind of schemes he would cook up.

I couldn’t refuse. Coming this far only to reject such a simple task would inevitably raise suspicion from both Decay and Cheon-hwa.

In the end, I had to accept while steering things toward not killing her.

To do that—

“It won’t be difficult.”

“No, it will be. I know that one.”

“…?”

I continued my explanation with a serious expression.

“The reason Karos keeps her around is because she has the potential to become the Empire’s greatest sword someday.”

“I knew she was talented, but you’re saying even you would struggle? You seem to know her well.”

“Of course.”

I had to prove my knowledge through different means.

“I saw her several times at the Academy. She was already beyond most knights. I can’t even guess how much she’s grown by now. Maybe if I had more time…”

“That won’t work. Ten minutes at most. I can’t hold her longer than that.”

“Then I can’t guarantee the kill. On top of that, this requires a disguise, doesn’t it? Making her think she was caught off guard by someone she underestimated. That’s the goal, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“Then it becomes even harder. If I have to do it without revealing my identity, I probably won’t be able to kill her.”

“Hmm…”

I swallowed dryly, watching Decay’s profile as he deliberated.

Eventually, he asked in a slow, measured tone.

“Can you ensure she never holds a sword again?”

“That I can do.”

“That degree should be acceptable.”

I nearly let out a sigh of relief.

This was about as smoothly as it could have gone. I was thinking how fortunate it was that Decay wasn’t the type who couldn’t be reasoned with at all, when he gently brought up something else.

“Have you obtained what you wanted?”

“…What?”

“Not yet? If you need assistance, say the word.”

“…”

Decay and Void were the only two who knew my true identity.

The ones who knew I had entered Crimson Circle with another purpose and still accepted me.

I still couldn’t understand this. I was steadily gathering information and learning the internal workings. Espionage, in other words.

And yet the leader allowed it, and his right hand personally offered to help me kill their own forces. How was I supposed to take that?

Perhaps their goal was Crimson Circle’s destruction? Perhaps they were doing work they didn’t want to do? But that didn’t fit either. They were properly carrying out everything that needed to be done.

The irony of someone asking if I needed help while I rowed desperately to stay alive, all while drilling holes in the same boat we shared.

“…I don’t know what you people want from me. Void said once I knew everything, I’d be on your side. But the more I dig, the more I just think you’re all pieces of shit.”

“We want you to achieve your purpose.”

“Is that so? Then I misspoke.”

I slid the window open with a rattle, jumped out, and raised my middle finger.

“My purpose is for all of you to be destroyed.”

“I’m sure it is.”

Decay accepted it as though it were nothing.

“For now, at least.”

***

The highest point in the city, a Cavity where the sky was visible in its entirety.

「Is this place really taken over? The guard uncles are working so hard though?」

「Having only trained in such terrible places, you may not know, but eating away at a city’s core is actually the method chosen by fools who don’t think ahead. Usually they maintain the facade of a peaceful city like this.」

「So if I beat up those guards, instead of more guards, the bad guys will come out?」

「…We won’t be using that approach.」

“How has she not changed at all.”

I listened in on Linmel and Karos’s conversation through Current Sense and let out a hollow laugh.

If anything, she seemed to talk a bit more now, but aside from that, she hadn’t changed one bit from the Linmel I knew.

「What did I tell you to keep in mind in cities like this?」

「Always watch your surroundings, everyone could be an enemy.」

「Are you doing so?」

「Yes! Right now, the people watching me are a weird man sitting at the tavern behind us and a scary-looking lady at the fruit stand.」

From what I could hear, Karos seemed to be putting Linmel through various training exercises.

My feelings grew complicated. I knew she had talent, but how exactly had she ended up with Karos…

As I let out a sigh, something else registered in my Current Sense.

Decay, standing on the opposite side from me, had lightly scratched some letters into a nearby wall.

「Begin.」

“Tch.”

That was enough dwelling on thoughts.

From this point on, if I made even the slightest mistake and he realized Linmel and I knew each other, he would find some way to use her as a hostage to keep me in check.

Even if that didn’t happen, the anxiety alone would kill me. I wanted to handle my business on my own terms.

As I put on my mask and prepared to descend, Linmel suddenly furrowed her brow, crossed her arms, and tilted her head.

「Hmm~mm? Mmm…」

「What is it.」

「I feel like there’s one more… one more person…」

「Hm?」

“…!”

I hastily ducked behind a chimney.

Linmel’s gaze had turned my way.

「…Must have been my imagination!」

「No, it wasn’t your imagination.」

Had Karos noticed?

Just as I was thinking that wouldn’t be strange, she headed toward an alley.

「We have a tail. It seems our identities have been discovered.」

「Huh, already?」

「Yes. You seem to have sensed their gazes. They were quite far away… Well done.」

「Mmm… I think there was someone even farther though…」

…?

I turned my Current Sense and saw several thugs with hardened expressions hiding weapons in their coats, positioned well behind the group.

They appeared to be people Decay had sent. If what Karos was referring to was them, then she hadn’t noticed me.

But Linmel had definitely looked in my direction.

I recalled what Brimdal had said about Linmel.

And then her future self.

“Could it be…”

I lightly circulated Current, trying to brush against Linmel.

「Hm?」

「What is it?」

「Umm… Something weird again…」

「Focus. We’re in a combat situation.」

“…Unbelievable.”

I let out a hollow laugh watching her evade the Current without even being aware of it.

What I had said to deceive Decay had been made up on the spot.

But it seemed that during this time, Linmel had turned my words into reality.