Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

“…”

Lump, who had been looking at me in disbelief, soon let out a smirk.

“Kill me, huh… You say it so easily. Even I can’t do that, you know.”

“What?”

“Before we talk about killing or not, don’t you realize it’s not over yet?”

Lump blinked. And the deep sea trembled slightly.

It wasn’t much, but it was certain that this bastard had done something.

“What did you do?”

“Who knows.”

As I watched him sneer slyly, a sudden realization struck me.

If he could control Elysia while asleep, and if he could use Wihwa’s abilities.

“This fucking son of a bitch…”

I immediately stood up from my seat.

There were more than a few who had fallen victim to that ability. Perhaps everyone near Elysia had been affected.

“Ohh, figured it out? But it’s too late. You won’t be able to find all the nobles I’ve tampered with in the time left.”

He started mocking me, but I didn’t even have time to get angry. I took out the orb and gave him a final warning.

“Do you really think it’s impossible?”

“Yeah.”

“Then watch from there.”

Whether he’s a Crimson Circle executive, or just a janitor.

“I’ll come find you soon to grant your wish.”

Before the door closed, the bastard wearing Elysia’s face smiled as if intrigued.

-Bang!

Outside the room, Brimdal stood with an expression of disbelief.

“Please keep an eye on that thing.”

“Hmm, are you sure you don’t need my help?”

He seemed to have inferred the situation from the conversation. But I shook my head.

“It’s okay. I have someone else to ask for help.”

Brimdal would be a great help, but what was more important right now was making sure that bastard couldn’t do anything strange with Elysia’s body.

I tapped the orb as I headed toward the stable. I wondered what I’d do if she was asleep at this hour of the night, but…

[What’s going on?]

Fortunately, she was awake.

Did she foresee it?

…No, she said she couldn’t see the outcome, so probably not. I made my request while riding.

“I’ve resolved the issue.”

[…Huh?]

“But I need to clean things up. I’d like to borrow a knight. The strongest and most exceptional one you know.”

[I see. Alright.]

The Princess answered in a lively voice.

[I’ll send the most exceptional knight I know. Where shall I send them?]

“To the spire located in the very center of the Capital, please. And provide them with clearance as well.”

It would take too long if I went via the main roads.

As soon as the conversation ended, I drove my horse into the forest path.

-Neigh! The horse resisted, but with some whipping, I managed to control it. I cleared trees and rocks using the current and forced a path through.

“…Guh.”

Naturally, I had to exert that much, so the burden was a bit severe.

It couldn’t be helped. Though it was a much longer route, I arrived in an instant and leapt past the guards while still on horseback.

“Uh, hey!”

“Stop!”

I didn’t stop despite their earnest pleas. I reached the Capital in less than half the usual time.

I let the horse go as I arrived at the spire and looked around, and there stood a slightly smaller knight clad in black armor.

They were clearly suspicious, so I asked immediately.

“Did the Princess send you?”

“I am Karos of the Imperial Guard Knights, Heaven’s Judgement Knight.”

“…?”

The voice somehow resembled the Princess.

Their face was hidden behind a helmet.

No way it’s her in person, right? Judging by the sharp tone, it probably wasn’t…

Karos didn’t seem very pleased and asked with an irritated gaze behind the helmet.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Yes. First, carry me up to the top of the spire.”

“How far up?”

“To the very top.”

“Understood.”

Karos grabbed the back of my neck, and climbed up the outer wall of the spire instead of using the stairs.

At an incredible speed, the ground quickly grew distant.

As if it were her own room, she ran with ease… It really felt like the Princess had sent the strongest knight she knew.

“Ugh.”

Because she was holding me by the back of my neck while climbing, my neck was a little choked, but since I used a different method to breathe, it wasn’t that painful.

When we reached the top of the spire, from where the entire Capital could be seen, Karos asked again.

“What now?”

“Just a moment.”

I looked around near the spire and found a small door leading downward. I opened the workshop and brought out a bunch of bandages and medicine.

The pearl medicine, I brought it and put it in my mouth, but didn’t swallow it.

“Now, please prepare to treat me. Oh, and from now on, if I write something on this paper with this pen, please follow it.”

“…What?”

“Prepare to treat me. I’m about to get hurt.”

“Are you planning to jump? No matter what, I can’t treat that.”

“No. It’s not such a light injury.”

“…?”

Leaving the puzzled Karos alone, I looked down at the Capital.

As expected of the Empire’s Capital. The night streets were covered in all the colors of the spectrum, a grand sight that didn’t lose even when compared to a modern city.

“Hoo….”

I had to find them.

Right now, most people would be asleep, or perhaps Lump had used Wihwa’s ability to do something, so I might be able to sense it.

However, searching one by one would be too slow.

I had to find them all at once.

For that, I’d have to scan the entire Capital.

…It was time to gamble.

0.2 seconds. No matter how I thought about it, using more than that would mean instant death. Hoping I wouldn’t explode and die, I looked down over the city and murmured.

“…Spread.”

I covered the Capital with current sense.

And the world disappeared.

All the lights spread out below vanished in an instant, and a silent world where it felt like only I remained unfolded.

Nothing could be seen. Nothing could be heard.

-The suspension created by ignorance ended.

[…]

[…..?]

[……….!]

Current sense no longer swept through the city.

Instead, I felt the inhabitants of the world.

Then, ‘everything’ in this world noticed me.

Beings whose eyes, arms, legs, and internal organs were not within the bounds of human understanding expressed excitement through their respective organs.

Something with a thousand eyes inside its mouth sensed me.

Something that had wrapped its shell with its own tongue sensed me.

Something with eyeballs on the tip of each tentacle saw me.

“…Hah.”

I let out a laugh in disbelief. Because I could feel the sensation of their perception licking over me.

Wasn’t this supposed to be my privilege? A power naturally possessed by all those born and survived in this place. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

That was current sense.

It was proof that I too was a proper part of them.

Still, I couldn’t see anything with my eyes. I couldn’t hear or feel anything either.

But I could tell that those beings were rejoicing.

[————–!]

Perhaps those things, having spread their Current sense far wider and broader than the likes of me, began swimming toward me.

Those that had been eating, and those that were being eaten.

Only for me. Just for me.

…Why?

Even in this situation, doubt came before fear.

Beings who would consider someone like me more trivial than a bug caught in their teeth, why did they hate me this much, resent me like this?

I understood that this world hated me.

But was that truly the only reason?

While I was pondering, something finally reached out from the darkness.

A yellow tentacle.

It wrapped around my leg.

“…”

Is this the end?

That thought briefly passed through my mind, and the 0.1 seconds that felt like an hour went by.

“…………..Kh, ku, keuaaaaak…!”

Again, the city lights returned.

The human world. Atop the spire.

My home from 0.1 seconds ago.

I collapsed and vomited everything in my stomach.

The acceleration of thought was beyond belief. So this is the limit of the burden.

“J-Jern?”

Karos approached me in surprise and placed her hand on me.

“This is… sweat? No. What is this?”

“S-seawater, kuh, I think.”

In the meantime, my clothes had gotten completely soaked.

This had never happened before. It meant I had actually interfered with the real, material world.

As I kept retching, Karos quickly took out some medicine and stripped off my clothes.

“Th-the Imperial law…”

“What in the world is this…? You look no different from the corpse of someone crushed to death.”

“…Huh?”

I weakly raised my arm.

My skin color had changed. It was purple.

My entire body was bruised. Every time I rubbed my eyes, the hot liquid that came out probably wasn’t tears but blood.

So.

“…I was incredibly lucky.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Honestly, I was prepared to go blind and deaf.”

Still bewildered, Karos flinched and looked at the paper and pen.

“Don’t tell me that’s why you prepared that.”

“Yes. I needed a way to communicate.”

“…Why did you do something so dangerous?”

“Because I don’t really need those things anymore.”

“-You’re insane.”

Rather, I was perfectly sane.

With the current sense spread this wide, eyes and ears had lost their meaning.

Current sense sees and hears faster and more precisely.

Maybe it was thanks to my training with Brimdal, but I felt it even before I became conscious of it.

It was to the point that I didn’t even have the time to feel disgust towards that world’s residents. After receiving emergency treatment and taking painkillers, I held onto the railing and stood up.

“Anyway, I’ve confirmed everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“The people Elysia came into contact with. Since they were asleep, I could see them.”

“You used that… consciousness to scan the entire Capital?”

“Yes.”

In 0.1 seconds, or even less, I spread current sense across the whole city and located the ones who had been tainted.

And at the same time, I confirmed the limits of my burden.

“That’s a bit… dangerous.”

Karos’s gaze toward me had changed.

It felt like she was looking at a bomb that could explode at any moment. When she started fiddling with the hilt of her sword, I glared at her in disbelief.

“Is this really the time?”

“…No, I apologize.”

“I completely understand that I’m seen as a threat. But for now, there are more immediate issues than me, so let’s talk after everything’s over.”

“Yes. Understood.”

After regaining my composure, I wrote down the locations of those I sensed as Fallen on the list.

As Karos read it, her eyes widened.

“This has become a bit troublesome.”

“What is?”

“There are nobles among them. What do you intend to do?”

“Go and put them to sleep in a slightly different way.”

If they can move while sleeping, then I just need to make sure they don’t sleep. And sleep and unconsciousness are two entirely different states.

Hearing my words, Karos frowned.

“That’s absurd. The Princess has already sacrificed much of her political standing to prevent this situation. If you use violence, she’ll have to give up even more.”

“Tell her to sacrifice some more. Look at the situation we’re in.”

“…You too must know from what she told you. How the giant called the Empire walks without problems.”

Karos suddenly started talking strangely.

“From the year Her Highness turned ten until now, not a single day, not a metaphor, literally not a single day, has she rested while looking into the future to protect the Empire. Why do you think she did that?”

“Because she couldn’t bear to see people dying?”

“No. It was because only she could do it. She accepted being born a Princess and receiving such powers as divine will. She’s someone who could enjoy everything the world has to offer, and yet she gave it all up for us.”

“For us?”

“Don’t forget that you, too, exist under Her Highness’s grace.”

Well, I suppose that’s true. Like the Orphanage welfare and all.

Karos seemed to harbor a feeling of respect toward the Princess, not just a simple superior-subordinate relationship.

“She will continue to be that way. To you, this might be a crisis that must be stopped no matter what, even at the cost of sacrifice, but to Her Highness, it’s just one of the many disasters yet to come. You mustn’t give up everything.”

Annoying. I rolled my eyes and offered an alternative.

“Then let’s do it this way.”

“…?”

When I explained the outline to Karos, her expression hardened in disbelief.

“Are you insane?”

“It’s an efficient method.”

“…”

She didn’t hesitate for long. It definitely wasn’t a sane method, but considering she was ready to kill a boy as young as me, Karos could also be classified as a lunatic.

“Understood.”

“Then just wrap these bandages and let’s go. Doesn’t seem like we’ve got much time.”

“Yes, then… hmm?”

As she wrapped the bandages around my body, Karos tilted her head.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that there’s one part that’s uninjured.”

“…?”

That couldn’t be.

My entire body should’ve been under pressure.

“Strangely enough, this part alone doesn’t have any bruising.”

I looked at the spot Karos pointed to.

Among the rest of my body, which had turned a deep, dark purple, there was one place that still had my original skin tone.

“…Hmm.”

It was the ankle that had been wrapped by the yellow jellyfish.

*

The mansion of the targeted noble.

Hiding in the nearby bushes wearing a mask, I heard Karos mutter with a displeased expression.

“I gave my approval, but I’m not sure about this. Isn’t this the way of the Undercurrent?”

“Enough talk. We’re starting.”

I put on the mask I was given.

It was different from the one Sharmia had given me. Much darker, more ominous.

But at night like this, it would be hard to tell the difference.

I stepped out from the bushes and approached the guard standing at the door.

“Halt! Identify yourself.”

“Don’t you know me? I’m here for inspection.”

“…?”

The guard looked at me with a confused expression, tilting his head.

“No, something’s a bit off… your voice, too.”

I guess he remembered the mask well, typical of a guard.

Exactly what I was hoping for. I lifted the guard with a current.

“W-what…?”

I tapped his neck lightly so he wouldn’t get hurt.

“Kh-”

Unconscious.

Only then did I call out to Karos and tied the rope to my body.

“Please start the fire.”

“…We might be the disaster the Princess foresaw.”

“You said we couldn’t knock people out in Her Highness’s name.”

Then we’ll borrow the name of Crimson Circle.

A terror act by Crimson Circle, stealing the face of an inspector.

That’s how this incident will be defined.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Haa… Where?”

“Fourth floor, third window.”

Hearing the answer, Karos grabbed one end of the rope tied to my body, and with the other hand, she gripped the back of my neck.

“You better not die.”

“I’m not someone who can die just from falling.”

Karos shot me a sharp look, then bent her waist while holding me, and hurled me toward the mansion.

-Crash!

Like a stone shot from a slingshot, I slammed into the window and rolled across the floor several times.

I tried to fall as cleanly as possible using the current, but maybe because I was already covered in bruises, it still hurt.

The place I landed was a bedroom. I had confirmed it with current sense, and the noble who needed to be knocked out was here.

He was already awake.

“Good evening.”

“…”

But he wasn’t in a normal state.

Sitting on the bed, mouth agape, staring blankly this way, he was the very picture of a sleepwalker.

Definitely different from Lump, who had possessed Elysia’s body. It felt like he was just waiting for orders.

And he probably was. But I couldn’t leave him like that.

“Good night.”

Crack- I used current to strangle his neck and knock him out.

As I signaled with the rope, the door burst open and soldiers poured in.

“I-it’s an intruder!! It’s the lord’s bedroom!”

The rushing guards pointed their spears at me and slowly approached.

It was time to do a little cosplay for the Princess. I began explaining a bit awkwardly.

“Well now, the plan’s been disrupted. What a shame. But by the end of tonight, your lord will be under our control. Good luck with that.”

“W-what did you say?!”

“I possess the power of brainwashing, but only for tonight. Since you can’t disobey your lord’s orders, you won’t be able to win against us. I couldn’t fully act because of the Princess’s plans, but I couldn’t let this chance slip by, so I forcibly began tonight. If you understand, answer me.”

“You crazy bastard… who the hell are you!”

“I’m a member of Crimson Circle’s… uh, um…”

I needed to say Crimson Circle, but I hadn’t come up with a name beforehand. After hesitating, I just said something random that I’d heard earlier.

“Undercurrent.”

-Ping!

The moment I finished speaking, the rope was yanked with tremendous force.

Before I could crash into a tree, Karos caught me with both hands, preventing a critical injury.

I grimaced as the rope tied around my stomach was painfully tugged, then immediately mounted the horse that had been waiting nearby.

“It’s done. Next is that Horne noble. I think Elysia came into contact with him during a flower viewing… Anyway, let’s go.”

“Understood. But… do we really have to set fires?”

“Just light it somewhere it won’t spread too much. If we commit arson on top of everything, this incident will escalate nicely.”

“What I mean is, why do we even have to do that?”

I explained to the confused Karos.

“Because we might be able to use it later.”

“…What?”

“A Crimson Circle executive with brainwashing abilities. If word of that spreads, we can use the mere appearance of that figure to pressure nobles under the pretense that they might be brainwashed. We can frame them and beat the hell out of them if we want.”

“…Ah.”

“If I have to become a thief despite not wanting to, at least there should be something to steal. If I could, I’d like to actually steal something while wearing the Crimson Circle mask, but we don’t have time.”

“Jern. I have a favor to ask.”

Karos looked at me with eyes full of serious concern.

“Please don’t talk to Her Highness the Princess for too long.”

“It’s probably already too late, but why?”

“I’m afraid she’ll pick up some bad habits.”

“…”

What an absurd accusation.