Strange Tide (2)
There was a stick sticking out of the fog-filled sea.
Vlad described it as an antenna, but it was actually a periscope that allowed one to look out from under the sea.
“……this.”
Vulcanu, who was performing his original guard duty again after guiding the Zemina, opened his eyes wide as he saw shadows approaching from afar.
At first glance, there seem to be more than ten ships.
I quickly adjusted the angle of the periscope and looked up to see a colorful flag with a golden sword hanging on the sail of the ship.
“…Barbossa!”
After checking his opponent, Vulcanu clenched his teeth.
There have been a few exploration ships sent by humans so far, but they have never dispatched a ship on the scale they are now.
“What direction are they heading?”
The dwarf next to him hurriedly measured the direction the ships were heading in response to Vulcanu’s instructions.
This is because, unlike before, I felt uneasy because I was moving straight ahead without any hesitation.
“We are moving in a straight line towards the west.”
“West?”
“…To be exact, towards Lemnos Island.”
Realizing the true nature of the anxiety, Vulcanu quickly sent a hand signal to the sailors.
It was a signal announcing an emergency dive.
“Return to the island as quickly as possible!”
“All right!”
At Vulcanoe’s urgent gesture, the ship resembling a sunfish quickly sank into the sea.
At the same time, the sound of the sailors’ pedals began to creak urgently.
“We have to arrive earlier than those guys. “Full speed ahead!”
A thick fog where not even the sun can reach and the stars cannot be seen in the night sky.
Although this place had nothing to standard on other than the underwater terrain, Barbossa’s ships were heading straight toward Lemnos Island as if they knew the way.
The remains of ships trapped on the reef began to be pushed helplessly by the huge waves created by the ships.
※※※※
The day after the crazy banquet, Vlad was drinking tea with Varadis.
A lot of the awkwardness between the party members had disappeared during the trip here, but Vlad was still the only one who could get close to the elves.
“It’s the same in Deremar, and wherever you go, kids follow you.”
“That’s why it’s so annoying.”
Vlad sighed and looked down.
Looking down from the balcony, the place was full of dwarf children standing with sparkling eyes, just as Varadis had said.
“Why don’t you at least shake my hand?”
“From experience, it sticks more.”
Vlad was glaring at the children with a slanted gaze, but even that seemed to arouse interest in the children.
Moreover, Vlad might not have known it, but among these children were some of the children he had rescued from Nassau.
“how is it. Are there any traces of spirits left here too?”
“hmm. “I guess I should tell you about that first.”
The elves followed the traces of the Mother World Tree to Lemnos Island.
Their leader, Varadis, put down his teacup with a meaningful expression in response to Vlad’s question.
“There were no spirits to be seen at all. “If I had to feel something, it would be like a young lizard in a blacksmith shop.”
“is that so.”
“But there is something more important than that.”
Varadis approached Vlad and whispered, fearing that the children below might hear him.
“The island is dying.”
“……yes?”
“The flow of life is gradually being cut off. “As if I was suffocating.”
Vlad was momentarily taken aback when he heard the completely unexpected answer, but Varadis just pointed to various parts of the island as if to look over there.
“I thought it was because of indiscriminate logging, but not only trees but other plants are dying.”
“…….”
“For now, just keep it to yourself. “I need to do a little more research.”
Indeed, wherever Varadis pointed, the island was full of desolate parts, as if they had been eaten away by moths.
I didn’t realize it at first glance, but when I looked closely, it was clear that this was not the only scene like that.
“Vlad.”
While Vlad was frowning and looking around, someone cautiously entered the room.
It was Xayar, the one-eyed knight.
“Give me a moment. “Joseph is calling.”
“yes.”
Xayar greeted Varadis, who was drinking tea, with a light glance, and then summoned Vlad with a careful gesture.
“What happen?”
“hmm.”
It was a hallway filled with bright sunlight.
However, as he walked down the hallway, Zayar’s face was stiffer than usual.
“It’s nothing special.”
“yes.”
“The captain and the wizard were captured. “A black friend too.”
Vlad stopped for a moment at the words he heard.
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Xayar turned around, saw Vlad’s strangely stiff expression, and shrugged his shoulders.
Although I was lucky enough to be considerate, it was still surprising news.
“……why?”
“Joseph is looking into that now.”
“all right. “Let’s go quickly.”
Haven, Nibelun, and even Otar.
Vlad, who had paused for a moment when he heard that these three had been taken to prison, began to speed up.
Because these three were the people that Aureo, not Bayezid, had to guarantee.
※※※※
-According to Captain Vulcanu’s report…
-Let’s catch the humans and kill them first!
– How about dropping the crystal ball or something somewhere else right now? Are you saying you’ll follow it?
It was supposed to be a quiet meeting, but there was a lot of shouting.
In the midst of all the yelling and shouting, Josef was alone, dealing with the harsh stares.
The chieftains had been friendly until yesterday’s banquet, but now they were glaring at Josef with eyes that threatened to tear him to pieces.
“Everyone stop.”
Under Warchief Olmukar’s restraint, the other chieftains began to silence themselves.
“I think I need an explanation regarding this situation, Joseph of Bayezid.”
“…….”
Sharp gazes approach after the silence.
Since we found evidence of Ganja among those who came as guests, the current harsh atmosphere is only natural.
“I don’t have time. “Right now, I am a person who needs to come up with a plan for the future rather than ruminating about right or wrong.”
The sound of a sack hitting the floor was chilling.
The enemy is approaching and the location of the island to be protected has already been exposed.
Olmukar realized that he could no longer hide in the fog, and was contemplating what to do with the guests, who he did not know whether they were enemies or allies.
“This is Vlad Aureo!”
At that moment, before the guards could even introduce themselves, there was a man who came in shouting his own name.
Blonde hair and blue eyes. And a man wearing a cloak made of sable fur.
It was a man who came in without anyone’s permission, but Olmukar just nodded without saying a word.
“I heard there was a misunderstanding.”
“I decide whether it is a misunderstanding or not. “Knight Vlad.”
A northern knight who saved children in the city of Nassau.
As expected, he looked young and had a strong impression.
“If you don’t convince me now, you all go to jail. “I have no intention of leaving any unpleasant things behind my back.”
But now they are just suspicious suspects, not benefactors.
Olmukar’s eyes began to grow fierce due to the distrust in humans that had built up over a long period of time.
“Then give us a chance to prove it. Warchief.”
Seeing Vlad’s silence, Josef took a step ahead.
Although Vlad taught a lot, he would not be immune to complex situations like the current one.
“Everyone already knows that Duke Barbossa of the South has a close relationship with the Dragonblood Duke, so there would be no reason for us northerners to join hands with the Golden Duke.”
“Why should I believe that?”
A situation where the closely hidden nest is threatened.
Looking at Olmucar, who was still suspicious, Josef sensed that persuading him would not be easy, but this was the only way for now.
“I will stay here.”
“what?”
“I will stay here, so please take them to the battlefield and give them a chance to prove their innocence.”
One action rather than ten words.
Vlad could not hide his surprised expression when he saw Josef saying that he would become a hostage.
“Wouldn’t Joseph of Bayezid be worth keeping as a hostage?”
“…That’s right.”
When you go to a foreign country, you have to follow the customs of that place.
Olmukar fell into deep worry as he watched Josef speak like a dwarf rather than like a nobleman.
Because I could see that Vlad’s still surprised expression did not contain the slightest lie.
※※※※
“I’m sorry. Vlad. “I should have paid more attention.”
“…….”
In the middle of a busy port, Vlad adjusted the strap on his sword sheath again.
Haven, who understood Vlad’s feelings as he watched him tighten the strap without saying a word, just quietly backed away.
Vlad had the same expression as he did now when he saw Josef, who went to prison instead of them.
“What about armor?”
“I left it to you for repairs.”
“So you’re going out without armor?”
“What should I do if I don’t have it? then.”
Xayar clicked his tongue as he watched Vlad trying to go into battle wearing only a cape and no armor.
I understand how upset you feel, but that doesn’t mean you should have acted so recklessly.
“Wear what’s mine and go. “I don’t need it right now.”
“……but.”
“take it.”
It may not have been as good as a sword, but lending armor wasn’t that common either.
However, seeing Xayar willing to give up his armor without hesitation, Vlad could sense that he was not giving it away simply because he had no use for it.
“Lord Vlad! Where is Lord Vlad!”
A situation where dwarves are crowded around the ships in the port.
There was a dwarf man who broke through the middle of the crowd and urgently shouted Vlad’s name.
“Sigh! Sigh! I finally found it! “I was lucky that my hair color stood out.”
The blacksmith dwarf, carrying a lot of luggage on his back, exhaled heavily as if relieved when he saw Vlad.
Judging by the fact that he was tattering that he had finally found it, he must have been wandering around for quite some time.
“This is what the field manager is telling you. “The repairs are complete.”
“The time is correct.”
Upon hearing the dwarf’s words that he had brought armor, Xayar tied up the string he had loosened with a embarrassed expression.
“It matches the body shape of the existing armor, so the size will probably be correct.”
Fortunately, the elves’ armor returned just in time.
However, Vlad looked embarrassed as he looked at the bundles of armor the dwarf man was putting down.
“I don’t think this is mine?”
“yes?”
“No, my armor is silver. “It never happened like this in the first place.”
Because the armor the dwarf man was lifting was entirely silver-grey, unlike before.
Moreover, the armor the dwarf put down looked unusual in every detail, but it certainly seemed different from the armor he was originally wearing.
“iced coffee! My existing armor was so damaged that there was nothing I could do. “I had no choice but to end up like this because I was trying to fix everything!”
The blacksmith dwarf remembered Rukhta continuing to complain while repairing her armor.
He was constantly muttering that he didn’t know what on earth he was dealing with that would cause his armor to become such a rag.
“It will probably look like new! But I can truly guarantee the quality! This is armor that the field commander personally worked on.”
A blacksmith dwarf holding up his armor as if to try it on.
The attention of the dwarves in the port immediately began to focus on the armor he was carrying.
It was such a beautiful piece of armor that even Olmukar, who was riding a ship in the distance, lost his attention for a moment.
“……Please tell this to Josef.”
“what?”
Vlad was also caught by the armor.
However, rather than looking at the coolness of the armor, Vlad just quietly evaluated the functions it would perform.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
The armor I received from the blacksmith was lighter than before.
The elf armor has changed in appearance, weight, and color.
However, one thing that has not changed is the inscription that is still engraved on the breastplate.
“I’ll be back.”
“okay.”
When I was a squire, Josef’s title of knight was my pride, and the phrase “the knight who protected the children’s breath” was my pride.
And now Vlad, who had carved all of that into his new armor, walked towards the sea that called to him.
A silver-grey knight marching forward to prove his name.
Sailors, elves, and a wizard carrying a backpack were following behind him.
Vlad tightened the straps of his unfamiliar armor for Josef, who had given him another chance even though he had left me.
