episode_0469

The wind carried dust and all sorts of debris, making it impossible to avoid them. They had no choice but to endure being hit all over their bodies, which was quite embarrassing.

But what could they do?

It was a task that required silent endurance and patience.

After all, it was their decision to escape from this place.

“Is it normal for all this dirt to keep flying at us like this?!”

“Yes.”

“Darn it! I even got dirt in my mouth!”

Despite their disgust, they continued to move forward resolutely.

Squelch, squelch…

They spent a long time on the boat, enduring the journey for two hours.

Finally, the boat arrived at its destination.

Splash!

“Eek!”

The problem was that the nobles’ expressions upon seeing the escape route were not favorable.

“…I thought I was prepared not to be surprised anymore by the time we got here, but seeing this, it seems I was overly confident.”

It took them two hours to finally reach the escape route.

However, the escape route presented a terrifying sight, as if it were the hell of the sea.

“Is this really the escape route?”

They were hoping for a different answer.

But there was only one response I could give.

“Yes, this is it.”

“This is unbelievable! How are we supposed to pass through there?!”

“Exactly. I try to accept things as they come, but this is a bit too much, isn’t it?”

“With so many whirlpools…”

“How are we supposed to pass through there with just this small boat?!”

The nobles had valid reasons for their concerns.

The sight of the massive whirlpools in front of them was enough to instill fear in anyone.

“That’s why I repeatedly warned you to be prepared before coming here.”

Why did I say that now, after making light of the situation when I first saw it?

The nobles protested with distrust in their eyes.

“No! You should have explained the situation in more detail!”

“You didn’t bring us here to kill us, did you?”

“If we get sucked in there by mistake, we’ll all die, won’t we?”

“If that were the case, would you have come here?”

“Well… I would have thought about it more!”

The nobles were already fed up with their shelter life and were in a state of disgust.

If they hadn’t seen the whirlpools with their own eyes, they would have definitely agreed to come.

In the end, they all reached the same conclusion.

“Would you like to go back now?”

In truth, I wasn’t too angry when I first saw this sight, as I had felt the same emotions as them.

Just one whirlpool in the sea would have been shocking enough, but there were a total of four massive whirlpools swirling around.

Approaching them would mean being sucked in and drowning in an instant.

It would be daunting to figure out how to get through there.

But this was indeed the best way to escape the typhoon.

“Are there really no other options? Let’s go a little further, even if it’s a bit worse than here. Getting sucked in there means instant death. Instant death.”

“That’s right. Our boat isn’t sturdy, and if it capsizes, what will we do?”

“If the boat were sturdy, I would have just closed my eyes and gone.”

“It’s unfortunate, but there’s nowhere worse than here. There are plenty of places that are much more severe. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to after exploring all of them.”

“!!!”

The nobles who had suggested going to a slightly worse place now remained silent.

“Look. Just by being near these whirlpools, can’t you feel that the rain has decreased significantly?”

“Oh.”

“Now that you mention it…”

“The rain has weakened, hasn’t it?”

“Elsewhere, there are strong and violent waters comparable to these whirlpools, with thick rain and thunder and lightning striking down. Even there, the boat could easily be wrecked. Do you still want to try to escape under the worst conditions?”

“Gasp.”

“Rather, it’s better that the rain is easing up here. I didn’t choose the escape route for no reason. And I can’t be sure how long this escape route will remain valid.”

“!!”

The opportunity to escape is now.

There is no more place to retreat for the nobles.

※ ※ ※

“Ouch-”

Something warm is felt on the back.

Moving the body excessively while still not fully healed seems to have caused the roughly treated wound to burst.

Pain must be endured.

Just because the back hurts a little, stopping could lead to losing something bigger.

It’s not the time to relax.

Crack-!

“Ouch! Maintain your balance!!”

“Ugh, we’re being sucked to the left!! More power! Power!!”

“Ahhhh!!!”

Everyone was exerting all their strength to avoid being sucked into the whirlpool.

Their breathing wasn’t synchronized, but by combining their strength, they were somehow breaking through.

Especially the nobles who could manipulate water and wind had saved the ship from capsizing several times.

“Pant, pant!”

Without anyone needing to say it, everyone was breathing heavily.

Being Awakened, they had endured longer than ordinary people, but eventually, they reached their limits.

In the midst of everyone struggling and feeling exhausted, someone noticed something and shouted.

“Look at the sky! Look over there!”

Even though the noise from the whirlpool was so loud that voices couldn’t be heard clearly, strangely, that voice pierced through and was heard.

“It’s true! It’s the end. We’re almost there!”

“The end? Oh- I see it! I see it!”

“I see the end!”

“Wow!!!”

The nobles cheered.

A clear sky could be seen nearby.

“We did it!”

As if they had just reached the edge of the typhoon, the rain was gradually subsiding.

Thud-

The bottom of the ship scraped against the ground, making a sound.

The nobles, staggering to their feet, didn’t hesitate to step into the ankle-deep water and leave the ship.

“It’s land!”

“We’re finally stepping on proper land.”

“It’s really amazing. Just a few steps behind where it seemed like hell had descended on earth, it’s so peaceful.”

The clear sky, in stark contrast to the city covered in dark clouds, was shining warmly on the ground.

“What we experienced today will probably never be forgotten.”

“Same here.”

“I don’t even know how many times I almost died.”

“I thought a typhoon wouldn’t be that dangerous, so I ignored it, but I won’t do that again.”

Everyone must have had the same thoughts.

The nobles who remained in the shelter were all people who missed the timing to flee while enduring with similar thoughts.

“To think we could be moved by just stepping on land.”

The nobles sat down on the ground, forgetting their dignity, and pondered the events that had occurred just minutes ago.

“I plan to go to the temple and offer thanks as soon as we get out of here. The gods must still have work to do on this land, so they won’t take us away, right?”

“Phew, it’s good to go to the temple and give thanks, but wouldn’t it be good to express gratitude right now? Thank you, junior. Thanks to you, I survived. You saved me several times.”

“Ah! Our proud junior! If it weren’t for you, we would all have been in big trouble. Right?”

All the nobles nodded.

“Amazing! If it weren’t for the junior, we would have lost our way and been swept away by the whirlpool.”

They wanted to thank themselves for the praise, but due to the uneasy feeling in their hearts, they could only respond by raising their hands in acknowledgment.

“By the way, it seems our junior has exerted a lot of strength.”

“Let’s leave them to rest comfortably.”

“Fortunately, it seemed like everyone understood that it was tough for everyone.”

“…It’s not that using a lot of strength is bad, it’s more like getting hurt is not good.”

“Excuse me?”

“Isn’t there blood on your back?”

“Blood?!”

“Did you get hurt somewhere?”

“Oh no!”

At the mention of being hurt, the noble’s gaze turned towards him.

“Come to think of it, you’ve been silent and pale since earlier. Was it because you got hurt?”

Was it because they had faced life and death together?

When they first set sail, there was some awkwardness, but now everyone genuinely cared for each other.

Receiving worried looks, he couldn’t help but respond.

“…I’m fine. It’s an old wound that reopened from moving too much.”

“You should still get it treated.”

“Now that we’re finally out of that annoying typhoon, get treated and rest well. You’ll recover soon. Haha!”

“Yes, I can finally rest properly.”

He nodded at the nobles’ words.

He didn’t mind getting treated and resting comfortably.

“I have to go back.”

But he had promised the people inside.

After getting treatment and resting, a day or two would pass in the blink of an eye.

During that time, the people inside would be anxious, and it could be a time where pessimistic thoughts could spread.

“What nonsense!”

“Was it true when you said you were going back?”

“Of course.”

“We thought it was a lie…”

“Is it a promise that must be kept? Inside, there might only be commoners now.”

The nobles couldn’t understand his determination to go back into the city with only commoners.

“How can you break through there alone? It’s impossible. Even without getting hurt, it’s a difficult task, but with injuries, it’s not advisable. It’s as good as going to die.”

“Right. We should go with you.”

“Do you have two lives? Don’t waste your precious life for nothing.”

Despite the nobles’ objections, his mind didn’t change.

“The commoners are also citizens of the empire. It’s our duty as soldiers to protect them.”

“Oh my…”

Just because he said he would go back didn’t mean he would do it immediately.

It was to keep his promise, not to recklessly risk his life.

“Let’s be honest, saying that going back will suddenly make the typhoon disappear is not realistic. Nothing will change by going back. There’s no reason to risk going back.”

“The ship is on the verge of breaking. If we continue on this ship, we’ll drown in the water.”

“Come on, let’s stop this and move. Let’s start by getting you treated, senior. Your complexion is paler than I thought, you seem to have lost a lot of blood.”