Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

Brimdal pushed me back with a sullen expression, slung his greatsword over his shoulder, and walked down the alley.

“Don’t get too full of yourself. Were you really thinking of fighting a Heaven’s Judgement Knight? It wouldn’t even take thirty seconds for your limbs to be torn from your body.”

“…Since when were you watching?”

“From the start. That Abyss magic of yours must have poor detection.”

That was an incredibly unfair statement.

My current sense was incomparable to any Abyss magic, possessing an overwhelmingly superior detection ability.

Brimdal, who had evaluated that as weak, walked away down the alley without even looking back.

“What’s this hardship at my age, huh? All because I took in the wrong student. Tsk…”

“I never asked for your help.”

“Just stand there and watch.”

He still hadn’t been caught by my current sense. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“Shouldn’t you at least know how your master fights?”

Was he really watching from the beginning?

As I looked on in disbelief at the disappearing Brimdal, I suddenly realized one thing.

“…Master?”

The Brimdal I knew had never called me his student.

Nor had he ever told me to call him master.

Maybe, without me knowing, I had received some kind of acknowledgment.

“No, still, even so.”

He was a Heaven’s Judgement Knight. Would Brimdal, who was just a regular knight, be able to fight well?

Still, the situation itself was favorable. I could still provide support from a distance, so with Brimdal taking the lead, all I had to do was help from behind.

[…]

I thought Hyeon-cheong would try to talk.

But as soon as he encountered Brimdal in the alley, he instantly hurled himself at the wall nearby.

“?

I couldn’t understand the movement. Not until I saw the next move.

A moment before his head touched the wall, a fraction of a second.

During that brief instant, Hyeon-cheong’s body accelerated by thousands of times.

He twisted 180 degrees, touched the wall with his foot, then bent and pushed off with force, shooting forward like an arrow and striking at Brimdal’s neck with a blade.

It was a movement more like that of a cephalopod moving at thousands of kilometers per hour than a human. It wasn’t just acrobatic, it was on a different level altogether.

Simply put, it wasn’t within the bounds of human capability.

-Clang!

[What the hell are you doing?]

Even including Brimdal, who lightly blocked it.

Brimdal’s movements were much slower than Hyeon-cheong’s. Of course, he was fast enough, but Hyeon-cheong was just absurdly faster.

Was that something a human could… I mean, was that a movement a human could even choose to have?

I realized then that I had been wrong. Forget Deep Fusion or anything else, that was someone I should never encounter.

Hyeon-cheong clicked his tongue and muttered.

[I am pursuing a Fallen. Please step aside.]

[You threw the first strike and now you say that?]

[Had I not, I might have died. I’m not so foolish as to believe I’d be unharmed if I yielded the first move to Sir Brimdal.]

[You’re flattering me. I’m in a good mood, so I’ll give you a lesson.]

[…It’s an honor, but this is interference with official duty.]

[Hup!]

Brimdal didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding.

It wasn’t anything particularly fancy. He simply used his large frame to swing a sword even larger.

His reach and power were advantages, sure, but against someone who could instantly reverse their body 180 degrees and accelerate like that before even hitting the wall, it didn’t seem likely to work.

[Tsk…]

…It worked incredibly well.

Hyeon-cheong grimaced as he blocked the greatsword helplessly.

[This action is protecting a Fallen.]

[What are you talking about? Where’s the Fallen? I’m just out on a walk, giving a lesson to a cheeky knight who dared attack me.]

[…You’ll regret this!]

Despite the sharp retort, Hyeon-cheong didn’t seem to have the upper hand.

It wasn’t that Hyeon-cheong had slowed down, which made it all the more strange. Not understanding why, I focused even more on my current sense.

Only then did the truth become clear.

“…Ah.”

It was a simple misunderstanding.

Brimdal was much faster than Hyeon-cheong.

Hyeon-cheong sometimes moved so fast that even my current sense couldn’t catch him.

But Brimdal had always been like that from the very beginning.

It only seemed slow. He got into position first, swung first, and was faster from the start.

Hyeon-cheong was fast later. There was no way he could be a match.

This wasn’t so much a fight as it was a desperate struggle not to die.

“What is this…”

I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

A knight’s battle was far more inhuman than I had imagined.

There was no elegant swordsmanship, no honor, no respect for the opponent. It was purely about slicing through the opponent’s neck with a faster slash or thrust. This was real combat, nothing more.

Maybe it was just because the opponent was a Heaven’s Judgement Knight.

[If even I can’t win, how do you think you’ll beat the other Fallen?]

[…If every Fallen were like Sir Brimdal, the Empire would have already perished.]

Dozens of strikes followed, and I couldn’t even see a portion of them.

One thing was certain, though. Brimdal wouldn’t lose this fight.

If he hadn’t been trying to buy time, Hyeon-cheong would have been crushed long ago.

“There’s no problem here…ah.”

I had been watching that battle for quite a while, then snapped back to my senses and inserted the key into the door.

It was such a clash of stars that I had been entranced. While Brimdal was buying time, I had to escape. But before that, I needed to return Aliren to the Imperial Palace.

“There’s no time. Let’s finish the unfinished conversation later…”

“Ren!”

But inside the workshop.

It was already filled with smoke.

*

“Ah…”

Click.

Ren felt the water bottle in her hand begin to boil and threw the cup away.

She had held it too long. The dropped water bubbled and steamed, and she let out a sigh.

She couldn’t lie on the same bed for too long. For the same reason, it was hard to sleep.

Ever since she had fallen into this hell, she hadn’t been able to rest for even a day.

“Hoo…”

Letting out a breath, Ren grabbed a cloth nearby and wiped up the spilled water.

Carefully, to avoid getting burned. Though it was a workshop, it would be impolite to use it in such a filthy manner.

-Click.

At that moment, she heard the sound of the door opening.

Had Jern arrived?

Had he reached the palace? Had he found Mom? She turned her gaze to ask these things.

“…Ah.”

Within the glowing light, she saw a familiar face.

She didn’t feel happy, at all.

With her hands clasped before her chest, the woman looked at her and confirmed in a trembling voice.

“Ren, is that you?”

More than the familiar face, the voice ringing in her ears was what struck fear into her.

Her heart sank like a stone.

“…”

Ren said nothing and turned her gaze away.

She had wanted to meet her so badly, but now that the moment had come, she was scared.

She couldn’t say anything.

‘Why did you abandon us?’

‘If you left us, why did you come back?’

‘If you came back, why did you leave again?’

The well-prepared questions scattered in her head. In her imagination, she had been confident, even angry, but in reality, not a single word could come out.

She only lowered her head and covered her face.

She regretted not removing these burn scars before meeting her. That’s what she thought.

She took a step back.

“Those scars…”

“Ugh.”

It was pointless.

She had already taken off her robe, so the burn marks covering her entire body were exposed.

Even if she covered her face, the rest was visible. There was no hiding it.

Showing this grotesque appearance would surely lead to being abandoned again.

“I-I’m okay.”

Words she didn’t mean slipped out. Her voice was hoarse and worn.

“There’s no way you’re okay.”

As Ren took one step back, the woman took ten steps forward and embraced her.

“I’m sorry…”

“Let, let go of me!”

Ren flinched and pushed Aliren away.

Touching would cause burning. It would leave the same marks.

But Aliren didn’t loosen her arms, even as her skin heated.

“I’m sorry… Mom is sorry…”

“…”

“It’s because I was indecisive, because I couldn’t choose you… that you…”

Ren saw the paper in Aliren’s hand burning.

The adoption form with her and her brother’s names on it.

“…What is this…”

Ren gently pushed Aliren away as she felt something inside her begin to unwind.

“Ren…?”

“You were struggling too, weren’t you, Mom.”

Living in hell wasn’t something only she had endured.

With that thought, all her pain disappeared.

Literally, the world turned white.

“R-Ren?”

Aliren, approaching with a puzzled look, was pushed back.

“Kyaa…!”

Materialized flames wrapped around Ren’s body. There was no pain so immense that she felt faint.

Rather, it was warm… like her skin was softly being heated.

“That’s right.”

She understood now.

Talking with her mother had made her realize.

Had Mom really abandoned them? If she had, then wh- why did she do it? She had wanted to know so badly that she ended up like this.

But at the same time,

That very question had been what kept her going.

“…Thank you, Mom.”

Once she realized it had all been a misunderstanding, it felt like- ah, I see. Something inside her had been released.

“What’s going on here?!”

Bang. Jern burst through the door and rushed over, supporting Aliren.

Then his gaze fell upon Ren, who was sitting in flames.

His face twisted. He looked like someone who’d live his whole life without expression. Ren smiled gently.

“What, why is she like that??”

“I, I don’t know, we met, but didn’t even talk much…”

“What are you saying… Ren, can you hear me?”

“…Yeah.”

She answered a little later.

“The progression speed is…? Wait a moment, I’ll bring medicine.”

Jern, flustered, opened a chest, avoiding the flames.

“Don’t. It’s too precious.”

“There’s nothing more precious than your life.”

“Actually, there is.”

“…”

When Ren shook her head with a calm expression, Jern hesitated.

“Sorry, can you calm Mom down a little? My body’s like this…”

“…Alright.”

Jern looked at Ren for a moment, then sighed and stepped back.

Still not understanding the situation, Aliren couldn’t even approach and grabbed onto Jern, asking,

“U-um. What is going on? Is sh-she’s going to be okay, right?!”

“She’s fine. You should talk with her.”

“…What? Why, why…”

“Once is enough for regret.”

Jern sat on a nearby bed and didn’t say another word.

“…”

Ren looked at Aliren.

In her eyes was fear. The fear of loss, and nothing else.

“…Is it because of me?”

“Huh?”

“Because you met me, is that why you ended up like this…?”

Was that the same face she had just a while ago?

Thinking that way, she could understand how Aliren had felt when she embraced her.

Ren shook her head.

“No, Mom. I’m not hurt at all. I’m glad we met. I mean that with all my heart.”

“Th-That’s a lie…”

“It’s true. I’m this happy.”

“I…”

“I don’t want you to suffer either, Mom.”

She reached out her hand. It was a burning hand, but Aliren didn’t flinch.

Something was holding back her flames, her heat. Knowing it was thanks to Jern’s consideration, Ren gave him a subtle glance of gratitude.

As she stroked her, Aliren’s eyes gradually relaxed. Ren embraced her and murmured.

“I’m glad you’re my mom.”

Aliren looked at Ren and replied as if in fear.

“T-To tell you the truth… you had another mom…”

“No. To me, there’s only one mom.”

The more she stroked her.

The more Aliren’s expression softened.

“I’ll go tell oppa too. Rest well.”

“…Ren.”

“Yeah, I’m right here, Mom.”

Eventually, Aliren fell asleep.

“Goodbye… Mom.”

Even after that, Ren watched over her tenderly for a long while.

Jern finally spoke after Aliren’s breathing had settled.

“What did you do?”

“I put her to sleep. When she wakes, she’ll probably be really sad. But that’s better than watching me die.”

“…You could do something like that?”

“No. I just figured it out now.”

Ren brought her hands together.

Now that it had come to this, she understood.

What this hell was, and what she could do in it.

Would anything have changed if she had realized it a little earlier?

There was no way to know.

“Jern, we can’t be satisfied.”

“…?”

Ren spoke as she gently stroked Aliren’s hair.

“Once you’re satisfied, you stop wishing for more. Then… you can’t hold on anymore. It just happens like that.”

“Then there’s no worry.”

Jern replied with his arms crossed.

“My goal is survival. I can’t achieve it until I die of old age.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

The flames grew.

The surrounding tools began to blacken. At this rate, Aliren would be affected as well.

Jern sighed and rose from his seat.

“…It might not be too late.”

“No.”

Ren shook her head.

“Help me a little. I’m still scared.”

“…”

With a hardened expression, Jern raised his hand.

As her vision turned white, Ren felt for the first time since falling into this hell that all the fire clinging to her body disappeared.

“…Ah.”

“I’ll take care of Aliren. I’ll make sure nothing happens to her.”

“Okay, thank you…”

Then, Ren entered Jern’s world.

Unfamiliar with the deep sea, Ren looked around the dark ocean with wonder.

“You live in a place like this?”

“Yeah. It’s a terrible place.”

“Yeah, we’re really pitiful. Whether we achieve our goal or not, we still die… It’s like we were made to suffer, watching and yearning for something our whole lives.”

Ren, knowing it might be rude, still asked with a smile.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to end it quickly too?”

“Nope.”

Jern gave a fed-up expression.

As if he’d heard that line dozens of times already.

*

I carried Ren’s body out of the workshop.

Brimdal was still fighting Hyeon-cheong. There was no need for that anymore, so I simply walked over with her in my arms.

Maybe because the fight was so intense, he hadn’t noticed me. Wondering what to call him, I decided to just go with it since I had already been acknowledged.

“Master.”

“…?”

“As you ordered, I’ve captured the Fallen.”

I showed him Ren’s body, held in both arms.

Brimdal tilted his head, looking like he had no idea what I was talking about. He was good at fighting, but slow on the uptake in other matters.

Instead, Hyeon-cheong, hearing our conversation, narrowed his brow.

“Master…?”

“Yes. I’m Sir Brimdal’s disciple. Isn’t that right?”

“Uh, mm. Yes, that’s right.”

Brimdal quickly nodded, seeming to finally catch on. Hyeon-cheong looked back and forth between me and Ren with a baffled expression.

“Then why did you run away from me?”

“Sir Hyeon-cheong, was it? I found it hard to trust you.”

“…What?”

“From the moment I met you, I could tell, you’re extremely strong. But does it make sense that you lost track of a Fallen who could rival me? I figured you let her go. That you were protecting her.”

“What are you talking about.”

“So I acted first.”

I lifted Ren a bit.

“I tracked and captured the Fallen. In the meantime, I asked Sir Brimdal to protect me. The Fallen who attacked me, I killed her myself.”

I stared at Hyeon-cheong with a suspicious look and asked.

“There’s no problem with that, is there? Unless your intention really was to protect the Fallen.”

“…Of course not.”

He nodded and sheathed his sword.

“Looks like you’ve misunderstood something quite seriously. I had no intention of shielding the Fallen. On the contrary, I suspected you were involved with one, so I was tracking you.”

“Why did you think that?”

“I heard from the shopkeeper that you referred to the Fallen as your younger sister and tried to take her. Since it’s difficult to track a hidden Fallen, I was planning to interrogate you instead.”

A chill ran down my spine. He really found out fast.

I fired back coldly, doing my best not to show anything.

“Weren’t you told there were many people around that area? I also caught the scent of burning and moved to prevent harm to civilians. That alone is not enough to justify suspicion.”

“…I see. If you went so far as to kill her yourself, then you’re probably not on their side. Seems I misunderstood.”

Hyeon-cheong let out a sigh and stepped closer.

“Could you hand her over? You’re probably refusing because you don’t know who I am, but I assure you, I’m the last person who would side with a Fallen. In fact, I’m closer to their enemy.”

“I still haven’t resolved the doubt about how you lost track of her. I’m not inclined to give you the body.”

“That was indeed my mistake. I didn’t expect her to knock out every other knight and escape… It was an unforeseen lapse on my part. But I truly wasn’t on her side.”

“Hmm…”

Even as I listened to his answer, I kept my expression distrustful. He sighed again and nodded.

“I don’t know what you intend to use it for… but if that’s the case, I’ll verify the identity of the Fallen and return the body to you. I’ll also send a written statement to Sir Brimdal regarding the incident.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“No, as a member of Wax Wings, receiving such suspicion is something that shouldn’t happen. I must clarify it definitely.”

Hyeon-cheong had taken the bait.

He might have suspected I was an accomplice, but with the evidence of being Brimdal’s disciple and the fact that I killed the Fallen myself, there was no ground left for that claim.

“Is it alright if I take her? I’ll return the body by the end of the day.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

I looked for a moment at Ren’s body, which appeared strangely intact considering she’d just been burning a short while ago, and then handed it over.

She had probably been in great pain, yet she was smiling. Perhaps achieving her goal had made her genuinely happy.

I wondered if I’d be able to smile in my final moment.

When I’m crushed to death, suffocated under the weight of the deep sea.

…With survival as my goal, that still seemed a long way off.