Episode 48

“H-huh… Is this heaven?”

Kratz had lost consciousness. He had been gravely wounded in his fight with Jirk, yet now all his injuries were completely healed.

“If you want, I can send you there.”

“…My mistake. This is more like hell.”

The slashes in his clothing were still there, so it was not a false memory. He was sure he had been badly injured, but his body now moved without any problem.

“How did you heal me…? I was sure I was done for.”

“…You have no need to know.”

“Huh? …Wait, no way!? You did not secretly use one of those ultra–high-grade potions from headquarters, did you!?”

The “potion” Kratz spoke of was a special elixir jointly developed by apothecaries and alchemists. Its price was enough to buy several houses.

“You cannot do that… If you did, I really am finished this time.”

Kratz drooped in despair, muttering to himself about spending the rest of his life buried in debt.

“You look rather happy to me.”

“That is thanks to you. …I never thanked you properly, so… thank you. But what are you doing here?”

He had been clearly and firmly rejected before. Kratz had never imagined Zeke would show up in this place.

“And besides, you cannot get in here without the pendant. How did you even get out of the cell in the first place?”

“You call that a cell? That is amusing.”

He had shattered the restraints and the cell to pieces. The pendant, he said, he had taken from Hofran.

“You are acting like a full-blown dangerous criminal at this point…”

“And you, for staying with that dangerous criminal, are just as guilty. Congratulations.”

Kratz did not really understand how they were “equally guilty,” but it did not change the fact that Zeke had saved him. This was a life he had been given back. He could still do more.

“So, what is going on outside?”

“Hmph. They are doing as they please.”

Even when he had caused a commotion breaking out of detention, no soldiers had come. Desertions were spreading, and chaos had engulfed the army as a whole. There were even rumors that the assembly hall had been taken over.

“It is a complete mess. This is way beyond just ‘betrayal.’ How did it come to this…?”

“It is the bill for all those years coming due. You should start thinking about what you are going to do with yourself.”

“…What I need to do has not changed. What about you?”

For a moment, Zeke’s eyes opened slightly in surprise. The resolve he now felt from Kratz was something he never could have imagined when they first met. What had changed this supposedly ordinary soldier so much? He was a little curious.

“Do not make me repeat myself. I move according to my own interests. They get on my nerves.”

He turned his gaze to the massive jewel deeper inside. The blue light it had been shining with was now much dimmer—like the stillness before a storm.

“The noble faction I was fighting just now said…”

Kratz explained the jewel’s role: the source of the noble faction’s power and their trump card. A jewel that could control even the vast canal system once taken into their hands—that was how Jirk had described it.

“…So it turned out exactly as Lord Zepha foresaw.”

“Jirk!? You can still move…?”

Jirk staggered toward them, drenched in blood. One arm hung limp at his side, and he dragged his leg as he walked. Like Kratz, Jirk seemed to possess a powerful tenacity.

“So I was to treat you with courtesy… What a cruel man. But with this…”

“What are you talking about? Stop already, you are going to die!”

He muttered under his breath, eyes shining with madness. For some reason, a smile spilled across his face.

“It was not enough. The citizens’ mana we had gathered over the years, Hofran and the others’ life force… it still was not enough.”

“So… what are you saying?”

The jewel’s light gradually faded in color. A bad omen, perhaps. An oppressive air began to fill the room.

“People release mana without even noticing it—from the tiny amounts in daily life to the great surges during battle.”

Mana existed not only in human bodies but also in the air, the earth, and nature itself. Just as mana circulated through people, the same phenomenon occurred throughout the natural world.

“In nature—no, in the world—there is an enormous amount of mana, but there is a limit to how much any one person can hold, and that varies from person to person.”

“…Differences between people, huh. I know all about that second part.”

It was well known that mana capacity depended heavily on innate talent. Kratz had lost count of how many times he had lamented his own powerlessness.

“Yes, there are individual differences. Just like that foreign boy you brought here.”

“!? No way…”

Jirk’s face twisted with delight.

“Controlling this power was only a step along the way, not the goal! Gathering the mana we needed—that is our true aim!”

The jewel lost all color.

At the same time, a violent tremor rocked the ground, followed by continued shaking.

“To that boy, the mana he unleashed may have been trivial. But it was enough. Lord Zepha’s judgment was flawless!”

Jirk trembled with joy, coughing up blood.

“Thank you, Lord Kratz. Thanks to you, we can now bring down a god. And to you as well, foreign boy—we are grateful for how well you danced for us…”

“Damn it… If I smash the jewel in the back, there is still a chance!”

“I do not particularly mind. It is already an empty shell.”

The shaking grew stronger. The walls broke apart, and torrents of water poured in. It did not look like this space would last much longer.

“The Water God Leviathan is reborn! Ah, comrades, at last we have achieved our long-cherished dream!”

“I will not let you—ugh!?”

Kratz was grabbed by the scruff of the neck and dragged away. When he turned, he saw Zeke.

“What do you think you are doing? Do you have a death wish? This place will be underwater soon.”

“But Jirk…”

“Leave him. Just as he said, there is nothing to feel from that thing anymore.”

Kratz was hauled toward the exit, half-dragged by Zeke. They reached the teleportation chamber in no time at all, but Kratz’s backside had paid the price along the way.

“M-my butt…”

“How should I know? Hurry up and move.”

Fortunately, the spellwork was still intact. The two of them vanished as the teleportation took hold.

They stepped out from the ruined building. Before they teleported, the sky had been perfectly clear, not a cloud in sight. Now the scene had changed completely, the sky covered in thick, black clouds.

“For it to change this fast…”

“Unusual weather is hardly rare.”

“…It is rare. The volume of water flowing through the canals is too high. This is clearly abnormal…”

The sky looked ready to break into a storm, yet there was no rain or wind. What drew the eye most was how the waterways were on the verge of overflowing. Kratz was bewildered by the violent current, so different from the usual flow.

“Whatever. I do not see any of the residents.”

“They probably evacuated. In an emergency, everyone gathers on the high ground where there are barriers.”

Wartel was made up of multiple islands. Each district had its own designated evacuation site. The shelters built on the high ground were designed so that barriers would be raised during a crisis to protect people from floods.

“From here, that would be the Fourth Evacuation Shelter. We should hurry there too. The assembly hall should be nearby as well.”

“Then we can intimidate the gawkers and wring some information out of them…”

“See, this is what I mean—everything you say sounds dangerous.”

Guided by Kratz, they started toward the evacuation site—but a shadow appeared behind them. It seemed they had one more companion.

“Jirk… You are still alive.”

“Hah… hah… Naturally. I cannot die before I burn the image of the Water God into my eyes.”

He was in a terrible state, but that mad gleam in his eyes had not faded. Leave him alone and there was no telling what he might do.

“I will finish this here and now…”

“No, let him do as he likes.”

Unexpectedly, Zeke stopped him. Kratz stared, wide-eyed at the unanticipated response.

“These people do not understand anything—not the mistake they have made.”

“A mistake? What do you mean?”

“Just be quiet and take us to that shelter. I will show you something interesting.”

“Is this just sour grapes? You will bow before the Water God’s radiance soon enough.”

In that strange grouping, Zeke and the others made their way to the Fourth Evacuation Shelter. On the rooftop of the shelter, built on high ground, many people had taken refuge: not just civilians and soldiers, but also people who looked like legislators—and members of the noble faction led by Zepha.

“Well, well, it seems we have everyone together. …Jirk, you have done well to fulfill your duty.”

Jirk knelt with great ceremony, a proud expression on his face.

“Faldar… Why are you here?”

“Kratz. Your ridiculousness has always entertained me. As a sideshow, you have done more than enough.”

The uniform he normally wore was gone, and even his tone and hairstyle had changed. Anyone who did not know him might well have taken him for a completely different person.

“And to you as well, greetings. Foolish clown. Your very existence has brought us light.”

“…”

Zeke did not spare even a glance for Zepha, instead staring out at the canals.

“There is no need to be so dejected. Call it the difference in experience. …Now then, the audience is assembled. Let us invite the Water God to appear…!”

The pendant hanging at Zepha’s neck was different from the one Kratz carried. This one held a blue gemstone. Whether the pattern engraved on it was part of the spell or not, the pendant began to shine, bathing the area in blue light.

Dark clouds hung low as the canals churned violently. The once-vivid blue water turned black, taking on the aspect of a raging storm.

Then, tearing through the black canal, something appeared—something so massive and dragon-like it hardly seemed of this world.

“H-ha ha ha…! So this is the Water God Leviathan… Our guiding Water God!”

The Water God Leviathan: its entire body was covered in sturdy scales reminiscent of flawless minerals, and it was wrapped in water brimming with immense mana. It was a dragon ruling at the pinnacle of living things, such that half-hearted attacks would not even reach its true body.

Leviathan’s emergence sent the water’s surface into wild motion, raising towering waves. Many of the islands were swallowed, triggering barriers all across the city. The barriers Kratz could see from here surrounded the shelters—and they were now the lifeline of Wartel’s people.

“What have you done…? Are you trying to destroy this country?”

“Lord Riedel… Some sacrifice is necessary. Do not worry, I have a grand stage prepared for you. One that will be fitting for your last moments as this nation’s leader.”

Some people collapsed where they were from sheer terror, while others fled as far as they could to the edges of the rooftop.

“O Water God Leviathan. I am the one who has summoned you back into this world, and I am your contractor. Wield a portion of that power for the sake of the principality.”

Even just the one section of its torso they could see easily exceeded a hundred meters in length. Its head bore vicious eyes and razor-sharp fangs.

It opened its jaws wide and began gathering mana.

“A mass of mana compressed to an extremely high density. It draws not only on its own mana, but on the mana contained in the air as well, making it its own power. So this is the power of a god…”

Jirk gazed up at Leviathan with a rapturous expression, as if he might ascend to heaven at any moment.

“Gathering mana contained in the air, huh… I can use that.”

Zeke murmured softly. No one heard his words.

“Foolish people, burn this sight into your eyes. This is the power of the god who will rule this country…! Leviathan! First, unleash your power into the sky!”

The compressed mass of mana grew to a size equal to Leviathan’s enormous head.

When it had gathered enough, the dragon tilted its face, taking aim for release. Its target, however, was not the sky, but a single evacuation shelter.

The power was unleashed.

Sound vanished from the world, and their vision was filled with light.

Then, belatedly, came the shock of the deafening roar.

The place where the shelter had stood, and the islands that had lain behind it—all of them were gone, turned into just another part of the canal.

“…What?”

It was several moments before people could properly understand what had happened.

“What are you doing, Leviathan? I gave you no such order…”

Leviathan cracked its massive tail and struck another shelter. It smashed building and barrier alike, sending them to the bottom of the canal. No one had time to react.

“L-Lord Zepha? What is… happening?”

“Obey me! Leviathan! I am your contractor! Hear my voice and do not defy my command!”

He held the pendant aloft, as if to show it to Leviathan—but nothing changed. The Water God continued attacking the sheltered islands one after another, shattering barriers and wiping out countless lives in an instant.

“What is this…? I was told nothing of this…”

“Enough jokes! Call off the attack, now! Is this what you meant by ‘some sacrifice’!?”

Riedel grabbed Zepha by the front of his clothes, but it seemed he would not be getting any answer he wanted. Zepha and Jirk were stunned, while the other nobles were so overwhelmed by fear that they had been struck dumb.

A roar like the sky itself being torn open echoed across the city. The shock wave shattered every barrier protecting the shelters. Wartel’s lifeline had been severed.

“S-stop. Please stop. My father and mother are in one of those shelters…”

Kratz was just as dazed as the rest, his face pale as he stared at a shelter far in the distance.

“N-no… It was not supposed to be like this. I was doing this to restore the principality’s glory…”

“Face reality.”

Zeke approached the stupefied Zepha. There was no anger in his eyes—only pity.

“Just as there were fools who did not know about the jewel underground, there were also fools who never really understood what that thing is. That is all.”

He stated the cruel truth with cold detachment.

“Your ancestors were not trying to control that thing—they were plotting to use it to destroy this country. You cannot seize a nation with trash you hope to leash using some trinket like that.”

Their revolution had stripped the former rulers of every last bit of power.

Instead of simply regaining the positions and wealth they had once held, they would now annihilate it all. Over long years, that grand ambition had twisted and warped before finally being passed down to the noble faction of today.

“In the end, who was the one really being led by the nose, I wonder.”

The only emotion coming from Zeke was pity—and that alone was more than enough to break the spirits of Zepha, Jirk, and the rest of the noble faction.