Chapter 204 - In Strange Tides (2)

There was a pole protruding from the misty sea.

Vlad described it as an antenna, but it was actually a periscope allowing for views from beneath the sea.

"…Damn."

After guiding the ship Zemina, Vulcan was returning to his watch when he saw shadows approaching from a distance and widened his eyes.

At first glance, it seemed there were more than ten ships.

Quickly adjusting the periscope angle, he saw that the sails bore a flag with a golden sword.

"…Barbosa!"

Vulcan clenched his teeth upon confirming the enemy's identity.

Until now, humans had sent some reconnaissance ships, but never a fleet of this magnitude.

"Which direction are they heading?"

The dwarf next to him quickly measured the direction of the ships in response to Vulcan's instructions.

Unlike before, they were advancing without hesitation, increasing Vulcan's concern.

"They're heading directly west."

"West?"

"…Directly towards the island of Lemnos."

Realizing the source of his unease, Vulcan sent urgent signals to the crew. It was a signal for an emergency dive.

"Return to the island as quickly as possible."

"Understood!"

At Vulcan's urgent gesture, the ship, which resembled a sunfish, quickly sank into the sea.

At the same time, the sound of pedals driven by sailors began to squeak urgently.

"We must get there before they do. Everyone, full speed ahead!"

A dense fog where even the sun doesn't reach and the stars are invisible at night.

Although this place had no standard features except the underwater terrain, Barbosa's ships headed straight for Lemnos island as if they knew the way.

The remnants of ships trapped on the reef began to be pushed helplessly by the massive waves created by the advancing ships.

***

The day after the wild banquet, Vlad was having tea with Baradis.

Much of the discomfort among the group members had dissipated during the journey here, but Vlad remained the only one who could approach the elves.

"It's the same in Deirmar; wherever you go, children always follow you."

"It's quite annoying."

Vlad sighed and looked down.

Looking down from the balcony, the place was filled with dwarf children standing with bright eyes, just as Baradis had said.

"Why don't you wave to them?"

"If I do, they'll cling more."

Vlad was looking at the children with a sullen expression, but even that seemed to spark interest in them.

Moreover, though Vlad might not know it, among these children were some he had rescued from Nassau.

"How about it? Have you found any traces of the spirits here?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

The elves had followed the traces of the World Tree to Lemnos island.

Their leader, Baradis, put down his teacup with a meaningful expression in response to Vlad's question.

"There are no visible spirits. The only thing I could sense is a small lizard in the forge."

"I see."

"But there's something more important than that."

Baradis approached Vlad and whispered, fearing the children below might hear.

"The island is dying."

"…Yes?"

"The flow of life is being cut off, as if it's suffocating."

Vlad was momentarily shocked by the completely unexpected response, but Baradis simply pointed to various parts of the island.

"I thought it was due to indiscriminate logging, but not only the trees, other plants are also dying."

"…"

"For now, keep this secret. I need to investigate more."

Indeed, wherever Baradis pointed, the island was filled with desolate areas, as if eaten away by moths.

I didn't notice at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that this wasn't the only scene like this.

"Vlad."

As Vlad frowned and looked around, someone cautiously entered the room.

It was Jager, the one-eyed knight.

"I need to talk to you. Lord Joseph is calling you."

"Understood."

Jager greeted Baradis, who was having tea, with a slight glance and then called Vlad with a careful gesture.

"What happened?"

"Mmm."

It was a hallway filled with bright sunlight.

However, as they walked down the hall, Jager's face was stiffer than usual.

"It's nothing special."

"Yes."

"The captain and the wizard have been captured. Also, the man in black."

Vlad paused for a moment upon hearing the words.

Jager turned around, saw Vlad's unusually stiff expression, and shrugged.

Though he tried to downplay the news, it was inevitably shocking.

"…Why?"

"Lord Joseph is finding out."

"Understood. Let's hurry."

Harven, Nibelun, and even Otar.

The news of these three being captured made Vlad quicken his pace.

Because these three were the people that Aureo, not Bayezid, had to protect.

***

- According to Captain Vulcan's report...

- First, let's catch and kill the humans!

- What if we drop that crystal ball or whatever it is somewhere else right now? They say they're following us because of it, right?

What was supposed to be a calm meeting turned into a lot of shouting.

Amid all the yelling and exclamations, Joseph stood alone, dealing with the harsh stares.

The chiefs who had been so friendly at the party yesterday were now looking at him with eyes that seemed ready to tear him apart.

"Everyone, stop."

Under the moderation of War Chief Olmukar, the other chiefs began to fall silent.

"I think I need an explanation about this situation, Joseph of Bayezid."

"…"

Fierce gazes approached after the silence.

It was natural for the atmosphere to be so hostile, as evidence of betrayal had been found among the visitors.

"There's no time. I'm not here to discuss guilt, but to prepare a future strategy."

The sound of an axe handle hitting the ground resonated ominously.

The enemy was approaching, and the location of the island to protect had already been exposed.

Olmukar, realizing they could no longer hide in the fog, pondered what to do with the guests, unsure if they were friends or foes.

"I'm Vlad Aureo!"

At that moment, before the guards could even introduce themselves, a man appeared, shouting his own name.

Blonde hair and blue eyes. And a man wearing a sable fur cloak.

He was a man who entered without anyone's permission, but Olmukar simply nodded without saying a word.

"I heard there was a misunderstanding."

"I'll decide if it's a misunderstanding or not. Knight Vlad."

The northern knight who had rescued the children in Nassau.

As expected, he was as young as rumored and made a strong impression with his appearance.

"If you don't convince me now, all of you will go to prison. I have no intention of leaving uncomfortable matters behind."

However, now he was not a benefactor but simply a suspect.

Olmukar's eyes began to turn fierce due to the distrust in humans that had accumulated over a long period.

"Then give us the opportunity to prove it, War Chief."

Seeing Vlad's silence, Joseph stepped forward.

Although Vlad taught much, he wouldn't be immune to complex situations like the current one.

"Everyone already knows that Duke Barbosa of the South has a close relationship with the Dragon Blood Duke, so there would be no reason for us, northerners, to ally with Duke Barbosa."

"Why should I believe that?"

Joseph, seeing Olmukar's still suspicious gaze, sensed that convincing him wouldn't be easy, but he had no other choice.

"I'll stay here."

"What?"

"I'll stay here, so take them to the battlefield and give them a chance to prove their innocence."

More than a thousand words, an action.

Vlad couldn't hide his surprise when he saw Joseph saying he would become a hostage.

"Isn't it worth taking Joseph of Bayezid as a hostage?"

"…Indeed."

In foreign lands, local customs must be followed.

Seeing Joseph speak in the dwarves' style instead of his usual noble tone, Olmukar fell into deep thought.

He could tell that Vlad's surprised expression was not feigned.

***

"I'm sorry, Vlad. I should have paid more attention."

"…"

Amid a busy port, Vlad adjusted the strap of his sword scabbard.

Harven, understanding Vlad's feelings as he watched him tighten the strap without saying a word, simply stepped back silently.

Vlad had the same expression now as when he saw Joseph, who went to prison instead of them.

"What about the armor?"

"It's being repaired."

"And you plan to go without armor?"

"I don't have it; what else can I do?"

Jager clicked his tongue as he watched Vlad attempt to go into battle wearing only a cloak and no armor.

Though he understood his feelings, he shouldn't act so recklessly.

"Take mine. I don't need it now."

"…But."

"Take it."

Though lending a sword was uncommon, lending armor was even rarer.

However, seeing Jager willing to give up his armor without hesitation, Vlad could sense that he wasn't offering it simply because he didn't need it.

"Knight Vlad! Where is Knight Vlad?"

In a situation where dwarves crowded around the ships in the port, a dwarf pushed his way through the crowd, urgently calling Vlad's name.

"Phew, phew! Finally, I find you! Luckily, your hair color stands out."

The dwarf blacksmith, carrying a large amount of gear on his back, exhaled heavily with relief upon seeing Vlad.

Judging by his tattered appearance, he must have been wandering for quite some time before finally finding him.

"It's a message from the master blacksmith. The repair is complete."

"Just in time."

Hearing that the armor was ready, Jager, who was loosening the straps, smiled with relief.

"We adjusted it to the shape of the original armor, so it should fit well."

Fortunately, the elven armor returned just in time.

However, Vlad was surprised to see the set of armor the dwarf brought.

"I don't think this is mine."

"Yes?"

"No, my armor was silver. It didn't look like this."

That's because the armor the dwarf was holding was completely silver-gray, unlike the previous one.

Additionally, the armor the dwarf laid out looked unusual in every detail, but it certainly seemed different from the armor he originally wore.

"Ah! The original armor was too damaged, so we had to remake it entirely."

The dwarf blacksmith remembered Rukhta constantly complaining while repairing the armor.

He kept muttering that he didn't know what kind of hell the wearer had gone through to turn the armor into rags.

"It looks new, but the quality is guaranteed. The master blacksmith repaired it personally."

Raising the armor for him to try, the dwarves in the port fixed their eyes on it.

It was such a beautiful piece of armor that even Olmukar, traveling on a ship in the distance, lost focus for a moment.

"…Tell Lord Joseph."

"What?"

Vlad was also impressed by the armor. But instead of admiring it, he evaluated its features.

"Tell him I'll return as soon as possible."

The armor I received from the blacksmith was lighter than before.

The elven armor had changed in appearance, weight, and color.

However, one thing that hadn't changed was the engravings still etched on the breastplate.

"I'm leaving."

"Yes."

During his time as a squire, Joseph's knighthood title was his pride, and the engraving of protecting children his honor.

And now, with all that engraved on his new armor, Vlad walked toward the sea that called him.

A silver-gray knight advancing to prove his name.

He was followed by sailors, elves, and a wizard carrying a backpack.

Though he had left his home, Vlad adjusted the straps of his new armor for the opportunity that Joseph had given him.

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