Chapter 125: The Idol of the Sea God and the Sorcerer’s Arrogance

A salty, fishy scent unique to the sea lingered in the air.

The place called Yeomyeongseong was a city where the fishing industry was highly developed.

Large and small fishing boats clustered tightly around the port, and along the path they formed, fish that looked freshly caught were neatly displayed on stalls.

Prrrrrk—

“Why? Should I buy you one?”

Nightmare flared its nostrils while staring at a large fish. Come to think of it, I had only ever fed it land meat.

I realized I hadn’t once given it any fish to eat.

Tak tak tak—

Nightmare’s large frame naturally stood out.

When lined up next to the other packhorses loitering around the fish market, those horses looked like mere foals by comparison.

“Whoa… what kind of horse is that?”

“It’s called a Hairan.”

“That’s the biggest horse I’ve seen in my entire life.”

It was a wolf beastkin who was selling fish. His eyes sparkled as he kept glancing up at Nightmare, clearly intrigued.

“It must be a horse from beyond the skies, like you, Mister Spellcaster?”

“Yes.”

The curious wolf beastkin noticed Nightmare sniffing eagerly at the fish, then tossed it one of the fish he was selling.

With a snap, Nightmare caught the flying fish in its mouth. With a jaw fitting its massive frame, it gulped the fish down in one go.

I reached into my pocket and asked the wolf beastkin, “How much is it?”

“Hmm. Forget the money. I was about to pack up and head home anyway.”

He wasn’t lying. Only a few small fish remained scattered on his stall. The big one he threw must have been the last decent one.

I helped him gather the stall as I asked,

“By the way, do you happen to know how I can get to a place called Nangnang Island?”

“Nangnang Island…?”

The wolf beastkin furrowed his brow slightly and tilted his head.

While tossing the remaining small fish to Nightmare, he replied,

“You can’t go right now. You can only reach it when the tide recedes.”

“The tide recedes?”

“Let’s see…”

At my question, the beastkin frowned thoughtfully and began counting on his fingers. Then he tilted his head again and said,

“Hm. That’s odd. The tide should’ve gone out yesterday, based on the timing…”

“So the tide goes out on a schedule?”

“Hmm. Right. When the Sea God leaves for a bit, the waters retreat along with Him.”

“The Sea God…?”

“If you’re lucky, you might even see Him. I mean the Sea God Himself.”

I tilted my head at the wolf beastkin’s words.

I had assumed ‘Sea God’ was just a metaphor, but apparently not. The beastkin lifted his stall and said,

“In any case, if you want to go to Nangnang Island, you’ll have to wait until the tide goes out. It’s not a place you can reach by boat.”

“You can’t get there by boat? Why not?”

“The current’s too strong.”

With that, the wolf beastkin began walking forward, as if to signal the conversation was over.

I pulled Nightmare’s reins and walked alongside him.

“So, what does this Sea God look like?”

“How far are you planning to follow me…?”

“Is it a problem if I do?”

“It’s not a problem—just a hassle… If you’re that curious about the Sea God’s appearance, head to the center of the city. There’s a statue of Him there.”

With that, the wolf beastkin turned and trudged away, waving his hand as if to say he didn’t want to deal with me anymore.

As I walked, I thought to myself.

A Sea God, huh? What kind of monster could that be?

The wolf beastkin had said the waters recede when the Sea God moves.

If the mere act of moving causes the sea to drain away, that implies it must be enormous in size.

While I mulled over the Sea God’s true nature, I eventually reached the city center.

“This is…”

Just as the wolf beastkin had said, an enormous statue stood squarely at the center of the city. I led Nightmare toward the grand structure.

“An octopus…?”

I muttered blankly as I stared at the statue of the Sea God.

What first caught my eye was the sharp gaze hidden beneath its massive head.

Perhaps the sculptor had exceptional skill, as the eyes appeared smoother than the rest.

Beneath the eyes were octopus tentacles—but there were far too many.

It looked as if dozens of octopuses had been forcibly stitched together.

Even the suckers were different from a normal octopus.

Could one even call those sharp, spiked growths beneath the tentacles “suckers”?

“You’re curious about that Sea God too, I see.”

As I studied the statue, a man’s voice rang out from some distance away.

I turned my head slightly and saw a man in a blue robe looking at me.

Blue robes meant he was a mage—specifically, from the Blue Tower.

“And you are?”

“Runox. Blue Tower. What about you? I don’t see a robe on you.”

“I’m from the Tower of Dawn.”

“Hm. I’d recommend wearing your mage’s robe at all times, if you can help it.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

I tilted my head and asked Runox. While it was encouraged to wear one’s mage robe, it wasn’t mandatory.

It simply identified your affiliation, which is why most mages wore theirs.

But here, in the land of the beastkin, there was no need to cling to that symbol.

As I continued to tilt my head, Runox let out a small sigh.

“Hm, you’re young. I assume you only joined the Tower recently?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then listen well. A true mage takes pride in their tower…”

I let his words drift past one ear and returned my focus to the statue of the Sea God.

Though large, I was certain this wasn’t its true form.

The small fishing boats carved beneath the Sea God left little doubt—it was much, much larger.

“…and that’s why we must wear the robe that symbolizes the Tower…”

I ignored Runox’s noisy preaching and walked away.

Even the book I’d bought, Comprehensive Mythologies of the Long Spirits, didn’t mention this Sea God. Clearly, more research was needed.

“Hey, hey! Where are you going?”

“To the inn.”

When I opened my eyes, I realized the room was blanketed in thick fog.

I must’ve left the window wide open last night, letting the mist roll in over the windowsill.

I frowned at the dampness clinging to everything. As mana surged through my body, a thin flame spread across the room.

Fwoosh!

The moisture vanished instantly as I rose, surrounded by heat.

Last night, I’d wandered around the city of Dawnstar gathering information about the Sea God.

I learned that this so-called deity appeared around a hundred years ago—and that there was an entire religious sect dedicated to its worship.

A cult devoted to a massive sea monster.

Somehow, that just felt… wrong. I knew it wasn’t right to judge based on instinct alone.

But I hadn’t forgotten. I remembered the first time I saw the place they called the End of the World.

I had been shocked to my core. I thought the world was round—but what stretched before me had been a flat, definitive edge.

Because I retained memories of my past life, I kept imposing my previous assumptions onto this world. This time, too, I was probably wrong.

At least, I wanted to believe that.

Morning came early in Dawnstar. Sailors were already heading out to sea.

After strapping on the Flame Dragon Sword and the Ice Dragon Sword, I threw on my red overcoat and headed down to the inn’s first floor.

“You’re up.”

“…What are you doing here?”

The moment I reached the first floor, Runox greeted me.

Steam was rising from the teacup before him, and his glasses gleamed.

From the start, I had found him off-putting. And that impression hadn’t changed.

“As a mage, surely you’ve noticed something strange about this city’s people?”

“What’s strange about them?”

“That Sea God is clearly a monster. Just a big one, that’s all. And yet they formed a religion around it. Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”

“Hmm… I’m trying to eat. Don’t bother me.”

“Listen well. Do you know what I witnessed yesterday?”

Breakfast options were limited. I ordered hot noodles in chicken broth from a nearby server.

“What did you see?”

“I saw those Sea God cultists offering a living sacrifice.”

“A living sacrifice…?”

“Yes. They built a shrine near the harbor, placed the victim upon it, and cut off their head. Said it was to appease the Sea God’s wrath.”

I frowned at his words. Live sacrifices weren’t common, but they weren’t unheard of either. In my previous life, pigs, cows, and even horses had once been offered that way.

“That could just be their cultural tradition.”

“You think it was a pig or a horse?”

“What else would it be? A human?”

I scowled as I asked, and Runox took a quiet sip of his tea instead of answering.

Suddenly, silence fell. The cold air brushing against my skin felt oddly disturbing.

“Two.”

Just as Runox said that, a bright light pierced through the mist outside. The sun was rising.

“Two what…?”

“If you don’t believe me, go see the docks yourself.”

At that moment, a server approached carrying a large tray.

“Here’s your noodles.”

The dish I ordered arrived. I picked up my chopsticks without hesitation. Steam wafted from the bowl, scattering like morning fog.

Through the mist, I looked at the blurred silhouette of Runox and asked,

“Even if it was a person…”

Did it really matter that much? Probably just their tradition. I swallowed the noodles along with the words I couldn’t bring myself to say.

“They’ve strayed down a dark path. It’s ignorance, and it’s our duty as mages to enlighten them.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because they aren’t mages.”

That’s when I finally understood.

Why Runox had felt so off to me from the beginning.

He was a mage supremacist. To him, mages were inherently superior, and their views were always right.

Which meant a mage could never be wrong.

I frowned as I thought of Wendy, who had ridden the wind and left me behind.

For some reason, I missed her.

“Hm…”