Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

“It’s not that I can’t remember anything at all. If the technique had been refined to that degree, I would have noticed it already. It’s just that it’s extraordinarily difficult to detect. Without your statement, I might never have known.”

Dersia continued in a calm tone. But I couldn’t even comprehend what she was saying.

“Then how did you realize it?”

“Because of my upbringing.”

“Pardon?”

Dersia tapped the side of her head. Only after seeing that did I understand what she meant.

“Azrael…”

“There’s always the possibility that my memories could end up inside that old fiend’s head. In case that ever happens, so that I can detect it immediately, every night I retrace all of my memories from the moment I was born to that very night, second by second.”

“Hmm, is that actually useful? If your memories were sealed as-is, it doesn’t seem like it would matter much…”

“No matter what methods Azrael might employ, he couldn’t contain my entire life all at once. There would inevitably be portions lost. If I found any such gaps during the retracing process, I planned to immediately tear open a rift in the world using the most powerful Rank of magic at my disposal.”

“…”

What that meant was, if anything strange had occurred during the battle with Decay, she might have torn apart a perfectly intact world.

I swallowed hard and asked for details.

“So how exactly does he freeze memories?”

“Thinking back on it now, the battle with Decay went entirely according to my will, and he collapsed without putting up any resistance. In the process, I even found a hint for breaking through the magical barrier I’d been stuck on. Looking back now, though, it was a false lead.”

“?”

“Fabricated memories.”

Dersia added further explanation.

“I always account for every possibility, including the assumption that things may not have gone as planned. Yet the battle with him played out with remarkable perfection. My predictions were spot-on, and I saw through his deceptions. That simply shouldn’t have been possible.”

“Ah, so then…”

“Residue left behind by frozen memories.”

She spat the words out with a scowl, clearly quite angry.

“That’s what it is. If he wins, that’s the end of it. If he loses, his opponent is left evaluating him based on nothing but corrupted memories. It’s an incredibly vile ability. And on top of that, it gradually delays thought processes?”

“Yes. I believed that was its true nature.”

“…This is beyond merely difficult to deal with.”

Dersia pondered for a moment, then this time posed a question of her own.

“But Jern, didn’t you also experience the sensation of your thoughts being delayed?”

“Yes. I did.”

“Then why are your memories still intact?”

“Hmm…”

I tilted my head in thought.

“I’m not sure either. Maybe it just doesn’t work on the Three Evils or something.”

“That’s a possibility worth considering as well.”

Dersia let out a sigh and pushed Decay’s photograph aside.

“For the Upper Tier subjugation, we should save Decay for last. Unless it’s been proven that you can reliably counter him, mental interference is nothing but trouble. In the worst case, you might even forget that you’re inside the Deep Sea.”

“That’s a good point.”

If it wasn’t just delaying thought but outright erasing memories, no amount of resolve alone would be enough to counter him.

His mere existence meant one would have to constantly doubt one’s own thoughts.

But this raised another question.

‘Then how does he cope with it himself?’

Simply pulling someone into his world would be enough to make most people gradually lose their memories, dying a Freezing Death both mentally and physically.

However, just as with the Deep Sea, a world that shackles others must first be endured by its wielder. That meant he was bearing the Burden of Extreme Ice as well.

He’d be losing memories every moment of every day. Even if he could withstand the physical effects by generating heat throughout his body, how did he deal with that part?

‘I’m sure… back then…’

When I entered the Crimson Circle and met Decay.

There had been something slightly off about him. As I mulled over the thought that was on the verge of surfacing, Dersia held out a different file.

“Lump. What do you think this one’s ability would be like?”

“Ah, this one is truly hopeless.”

I shook my head in denial.

“Why is that?”

“For starters, the ability itself is revolting. It doesn’t suit the Deep Sea at all.”

If something couldn’t survive the Deep Sea, there was no point in resurrecting in another body. It would just die again soon enough anyway.

On top of that, if the Deep Sea Creatures were to acquire that ability, the problems would be absurd beyond measure. Even consuming it would serve no practical purpose; the only satisfaction would be the simple pleasure of killing him.

“Above all, I can’t even kill him. I truly cannot imagine how to deal with this one.”

“Yes. The only method I could see was killing all of humanity.”

“…”

Dersia spoke so calmly and without a hint of jest that it genuinely seemed like she had considered the option.

Only considered it, surely. She moved on to another file.

“What about this one?”

“…”

Cheon-hwa.

The moment I saw that name, a slight feeling of repulsion rose within me.

Noticing my hesitation, Dersia studied my eyes with a puzzled look.

“Is something the matter?”

“…It’s nothing. Cheon-hwa is…”

They were all the same sort of people anyway.

I pushed aside the stray thoughts and was about to answer when it happened.

Clank.

“?”

The Imperial Palace shook slightly.

An earthquake? Wondering what it could be, I tilted my head and extended my Current Sense.

But there were no signs of anything. I opened my mouth to speak again, and…

Thud… hssss…

Another vibration rumbled through, and dust fell from the ceiling.

“…Jern.”

“Yes.”

“By any chance, have you received any reports of something happening in the future?”

“None whatsoever.”

“Let us hope that remains the case.”

We immediately left the room and called out to a guard who was rushing by.

“What’s happening? What was that tremor just now?”

“…We received a report that the weather has changed.”

“What?”

“I, I’m not sure of the details either. My apologies. I was summoned in a hurry.”

After sending off the confused guard, Dersia and I exchanged glances, then stepped outside the Imperial Palace.

The first thing I saw was that the sky was dark.

Part of it was because evening was approaching, but it wasn’t yet time for the sun to set.

Something felt off, as if the sun had grown distant.

“…This is extremely ominous. Could this also be the Dark Veil’s influence?”

“Jern…”

“Yes?”

“Look at your breath.”

“My breath?”

Watching Dersia’s grave expression, I touched the area around my mouth, and then I saw it: white vapor.

Breath was flowing from my mouth.

“It’s early autumn and it seems quite cold out. I can’t really feel it myself, though.”

“…I’m cold too. Quite cold, in fact.”

Despite her words, no breath was visible from Dersia’s mouth.

“Let’s go outside.”

The weather inside the Imperial Palace was different from outside. We passed by guards running in every direction and reached the entrance.

The gates of the Imperial Palace, which should have been firmly shut, were slightly ajar. Guards were coming in from outside, but their uniforms were different.

Normally, the Imperial Palace guards wore red uniforms, the symbol of the Empire. But the ones entering were clad in white.

“What’s going on? What is all this? And what’s with all that snow?”

“C-Captain! The weather is acting strange…!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Y-you need to go outside and see for yourself…”

Only after hearing the guards’ exchange did I realize that the white uniforms were actually covered in frost and snow.

I hurried out of the Imperial Palace, and…

A white city lay before me.

“…What is this.”

Crunch.

Like something out of a fairy tale, a beautiful city of snow. My jaw dropped in disbelief, and the moment I stepped forward, I sank into snow up to my knees.

By even a conservative estimate, it looked as though snow had fallen without pause for days on end, an enormous amount of snowfall.

And yet, just a few hours earlier, not a single drop of rain, let alone snow, had fallen in the Capital.

For a moment, I stood there in stunned silence surveying the snow-covered buildings, then I pushed my Current Sense harder, scanning every corner of the Capital.

[There’s a strange noise coming from the roof!]

[Get out! Get out now, it’s going to collapse any second! Too much snow has piled up!]

[Th-the door won’t open…! Please open it from outside!]

[…Just hold on, I’ll break the window…]

[…The snow started falling an hour ago?]

[Yes, according to the citizens, it was light sleet at first, then it suddenly… came pouring down.]

[How is that possible? Even a full week of heavy snowfall shouldn’t pile up this much…?]

[We need to get the horses out now! They’ll all freeze to death!]

[Are you out of your mind? You think horses matter more than your life? The whole thing’s about to collapse! Get over here!]

[Good heavens, what kind of disaster is this…]

The Capital was in utter chaos.

With no countermeasures in place, the sudden blizzard, severe enough to be called a natural disaster, was already causing casualties.

Watching all of it with detached composure, Dersia suddenly conjured a flame and held her hand beneath it. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

A shadow formed. Just an ordinary shadow, standing still in accordance with the light source.

After observing it, Dersia murmured quietly.

“The Dark Veil has vanished. It seems they’ve spread a different world in its place.”

The future had changed.

The Dark Veil had been replaced by something else.

A world far more terrible and cruel.

Glaring up at the sky, where snow was still falling without end, Dersia posed a question.

“This phenomenon will dissipate soon, since it can’t withstand the number of World-Sealing Pills being used to maintain it. That’s what you said, correct?”

“Yes. That much is certain.”

“Then for the Crimson Circle as well, spreading Extreme Ice must be placing an enormous strain on them. It will end sooner, or they may even lose Decay in the process. Despite that, the fact that they chose this approach means…”

“…It’s an invitation.”

I answered through gritted teeth.

The Dark Veil had caused far greater damage, but the princess’s exceptional response had ultimately managed to hold it back. In exchange, they hadn’t lost the Dark Veil either, settling for merely demonstrating what they were capable of.

If that act had been bait to lure me in, the one who wielded the Deep Sea…

Then now, they had traded the carrot for the stick.

[Big brother, I’m cold…]

[Just hang on a little longer. Someone will come to rescue us soon…]

[Damn it! Bring fire, boiling oil, anything! The door won’t open!]

[Th-the snow won’t melt…! What is this? Is this even real snow?]

Crack.

Watching every disaster pouring in through my Current Sense, I clenched my fist, and Dersia cautioned me gently.

“Don’t dwell on it too deeply. Not responding is the best course of action.”

“Master. I’m sorry.”

“…Jern.”

“It’s not just the Capital, is it? This must be happening in every city.”

“…”

I gazed out over the white hell and murmured evenly.

“I think we need to adjust the order a bit.”

It seemed the first Upper Tier member who needed to die had already been decided.