"Alright, Captain. Shall we get moving, full of spirit? You've recovered some energy, right?"
A necromancy-enspelled rat spoke in Scott's voice.
"Yeah, yeah."
Azadin popped a piece of dried fruit into his mouth, chewing as he dashed into the downpour.
The rainstorm made it impossible to tell night from day. Within it, the Nagas' eyes glinted as they watched for any signs of people, and some Nagas were already recovering supplies from the village and transporting them to their base.
The Sea Snake Nagas, perhaps because part of their patrol unit had died or gone missing, were deploying special patrols to thoroughly comb the area.
Some flying fish, likely familiars controlled by these Sea Snake Nagas, darted through the air and dipped into the water, scanning the surroundings.
"Flying fish incoming! Enchanted flying fish!"
"Where?"
"Behind you, captain!"
"Got it."
Running across rooftops, Azadin grabbed the edge of one and slid down under the eaves. The area beneath was already partly submerged, so when he dangled below, his ankles sank into the water.
"There's a crocodile in the water. Watch out!"
"Ugh! This is a three-story building!"
Sure enough, Azadin spotted the crocodile. Though only about 1.4 meters long, it was likely brought in by the Nagas and brimming with hostility.
Hanging from the eaves of a three-story building with his feet dipped in crocodile-infested water—this was how severe the storm striking Coral Sahar had become.
'Of all times… a crocodile now… Would the eaves hold if I hang them by one hand?'
The roof tiles, soaked through, had become immensely heavy, and the wooden support beams creaked under the strain.
Azadin gripped the wooden beam of the eaves with one hand, pressed his feet against the wall, and readied his other hand to draw his sword.
If the crocodile lunged, he would strike. The problem was whether the building could withstand the shock when he swung the blade.
"I'll cast an illusion spell."
Scott's rat eyes bulged as he focused, bloodshot and straining. The crocodile, having spotted Azadin and started toward him, staggered under the spell and grew dazed.
"Phew. It worked. Thank goodness."
"…"
"What?"
"Nothing. You did good."
Azadin was honestly impressed by Scott's usefulness.
He hadn't expected anything from Scott when he'd first accepted him as a companion. He'd spared his life only because killing him seemed bothersome—who would've thought the guy would be this versatile? Azadin had heard from his master that orc mages were capable, but experiencing it firsthand was something else.
"But Scott, you serve the Kurt Divine Clan, the Kurt Pantheon, right? Is it really okay for you to help me like this?"
"You're not stupid enough to mean that seriously—you're testing me, right?"
"Y-yeah."
"Don't test me with dumb crap like that. But just to humor you—if we leave things as they are, those Nagas'll get all high and mighty, right?"
"…"
"And that Naga Raja made a deal with you for that exact reason, didn't he? Even within the Kurt Divine Clan, we need to come out on top. Don't you think?"
'What am I supposed to say to that? I mean, it's lucky for humanity, but humans are all split up and scrambling for their own gain anyway… maybe it's the same after all.'
After confirming the flying fish had passed, Azadin climbed back onto the roof and resumed moving.
Near the lighthouse were Nagas much larger than the rest, over two meters tall, dragging massive anchors attached to thick ropes.
Alongside them stood Naga mages who had taken human form, which made it clear that brute force alone wouldn't get him through.
"A proper infiltration it is, then."
"Ah, Captain. Be careful."
"Why?"
"There's a scouting unit above."
"What? A scouting unit?"
Azadin, still wearing his mask, cupped his hands into a makeshift telescope and peered through it toward the airspace above the lighthouse.
Sure enough, the reconnaissance scouts were airborne.
"This just got annoying."
If left unchecked, the scouts would spot him clearly while he scaled the lighthouse's outer wall. But attacking them would instantly alert the summoner of their presence.
Sneaking inside without being seen by the scouts was no easy task either, since the lighthouse entrance was heavily guarded by Sea Snake Nagas.
"The rain makes climbing even harder, too."
Azadin pondered his options and first checked his bow.
He had a heavy steel bar from a heavy crossbow, with a bowstring strung across it—it was quite the weight. Azadin nocked an arrow and gave it a pull.
If he placed the arrow directly on the string, it would crush the nock, so he used a finger tab to draw the string first, then laid the arrow atop it.
Azadin drew the arrow and took a deep breath.
"What are you trying to do, Captain?"
Just as Scott voiced his curiosity, lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the heavens with streaks of light.
At that moment, Azadin loosed his arrow.
—Thwack!
A Naga near the lighthouse's entryway had its head blown clean off by Azadin's arrow. The skull split like a watermelon chopped with a cleaver—no matter how tough Nagas were, no one could survive that.
—Boom!
The thunderclap that followed swallowed all other sound.
The Nagas on guard didn't even notice their comrade fall.
"Perfect…!"
Azadin loosed another arrow and sprinted forward.
This time, his target was one of the giants—Nagas over two meters tall. The arrow hit its head, blasting away a quarter of its skull like a shattered melon.
"What the—?!"
By the time the Naga mage realized what was happening, Azadin had already leapt right in front of him.
—Thwack!
Azadin didn't draw his sword—instead, he swung the steel bow and bashed the Naga mage's skull. The temple caved in, and the Naga mage collapsed.
"As expected, sturdy. Not even a dent, even after smashing a Naga's head."
Azadin immediately entered the lighthouse. Inside, a long spiral staircase wound upward, and Azadin sprinted up it, pushing off the stairs and walls.
And when he opened the door at the top of the lighthouse...
—Creaaak.
Grotesque, eye-twisting Nether runes were carved across the floor, ceiling, walls—every surface.
"Hm?"
At the center, seated in a rocking chair, a middle-aged man stood up.
"Oh. Who do we have here? Isn't it Azadin?"
Elder Sebali Aether recognized Azadin and welcomed him.
"You know me?"
"Aren't you famous? The traitor's son, the cursed child born with the curse of service. The Eyeless Azadin. You've grown quite a bit, but only a fool wouldn't recognize you."
"…"
"To think you made it all the way here, I'm surprised. I did set scouts around, but you still managed to slip past."
"Elder Sebali Aether…"
"Well met. Have you come to rescue me from captivity? If so, I'm glad."
"What happened here?"
"As you can see, I was captured and imprisoned here by them."
Though Elder Sebali Aether said this, Azadin clicked his tongue as he noticed there was no one else around.
The reconnaissance scouts had been monitoring those approaching the lighthouse. Meaning the one controlling the scouts, observing the lighthouse from here—was this elder.
Was that why? When Azadin showed less-than-friendly behavior, Sebali Aether gave a bitter smile.
"Tsk, tsk. Not the brightest lad, are you?"
"I saw the scouts outside and thought I'd run into Zenith or Dimia, but I didn't expect to find an elder completely unharmed. You're not even tied up. Isn't this a bit too obvious?"
Azadin subtly criticized Elder Sebali.
"Hahaha. Fair enough. Too obvious indeed. But you've been stripped of your position, haven't you? Yet here you are, still loyal to the Elder Council?"
"Rather than that, it's more accurate to say that the Arael's faction isn't doing much to earn my loyalty. Even now, just look at what's happening. What are you doing in Coral Sahar?"
"We're trying to seize the throne of Coral Sahar."
"The throne of Coral Sahar? From what I can see, these Nagas believe they will be the ones to claim it. Do you have a way to get rid of them? They've gathered in quite a large number."
"We do. Once the Nagas wipe out everyone—Coral Sahar's king, his vassals, and all the knights—we'll activate the trap and eliminate the Nagas. Then the throne will be ours. That would mean the secret vow of the Aragasa has been fulfilled."
If they took the royal throne, they wouldn't be getting a copy of the Book of the Divine King—they'd obtain the Book of the Divine King itself. For the Aragasa, who wished to be freed from the curse of service, it was everything they ever wanted.
Yes. Even a noble from one of the Five Great Houses like Sebali Aether, of the House Aether, would find such a temptation impossible to resist.
"If you are Aragasa, then you know our secret vow, don't you? That vow is now just within reach. Rejoice."
But Azadin scoffed.
"I have a question for you, Elder."
"What is it?"
"Do the Aragasa have the right to live simply because they are Aragasa?"
"What do you mean?"
"From what I see, that 'trap' you mentioned is meant to manifest a Nether entity. Even if the Sea Snake Nagas worship Nether beings, it's questionable whether those beings would actually regard the Nagas as allies or show them mercy. And the Water Snake Nagas wouldn't want to be devoured by them. So you plan to use that opening to seize the throne... but do the Aragasa truly have the right to do that?"
As Azadin asked this, the elder stared at him, as if he were seeing something strange.
"You mean to say you reject the vow of the Aragasa?"
"People of the world call the Aragasa a cursed race, soulless heretics. But even when I faced their scorn, I never shrank away or felt ashamed. Yet today... this makes me ashamed."
Azadin gave a bitter smile and gestured toward the Nether runes etched on the floor.
"Where is the pride in doing something like this? Do we truly deserve to exist, if we must slaughter every last resident of Coral Sahar to do so? By now, tens of thousands have likely lost their homes, and more have probably died than the total number of Aragasa. The Nagas are the enemy, fine. But we have no right to take the lives of the people who lived in Coral Sahar."
"You're strange."
Sebali shook his head.
"The residents of Coral Sahar? They're Hubris! They are the ones who shackled us and sealed away our fate! They are weaker than us, yet they scorn us and possess more than we ever had! We must survive! We must possess! We must rule! Because we are us!"
"That's exactly why Arael fails to win my loyalty."
"Hahahaha. Have you lost your mind, Azadin? Then you'll become a traitor to the Elder Council too. You would weigh the fate of the Aragasa and the people of Hubris on the same scale? That's not being Aragasa! Each one of us outweighs thousands—no, all—of the people of Hubris!"
With that, Sebali formed a hand seal. From the floor rose a sword steeped in black shadows, floating into his grasp.
"Perhaps you truly are soulless! You clearly don't understand the anguish of the Aragasa!"
Azadin drew his own sword.
"If that's what you call a soul, then I don't mind being a soulless heretic."