Chapter 224: Barnacle (3)
The people of Rien lived two hours longer each day than others.
Rising before the sun was a normal routine, and thanks to the lights that illuminated the streets, they went to bed late.
The same went for the workers who repaired the overturned roads; they worked in two shifts, regardless of day or night.
“Ten-man leader! Where is the ten-man leader!”
“…Coming now!”
As a booming voice echoed through the underpass, a middle-aged man with a yellow armband appeared hastily. The chief supervisor, responsible for the sewage repair, confirmed his armband with a flashing baton and then clasped his hands behind his back.
“There is an order from the top to advance the deadline by two days.”
“Oh…”
“It’s an order to ensure everything is completed before the deployment ceremony. Can you do it?”
The supervisor tapped the ten-man leader’s shoulder with the red baton. It was meant as encouragement rather than a reprimand, but the ten-man leader made a sour face at the supervisor’s words.Was this surprising?
No. It’s quite common for workers to openly express their dissatisfaction with orders from their superiors.
But, it was the first time he had outright refused.
“I can’t do it.”
The supervisor couldn’t believe his ears. It wasn’t an authoritative belief that orders from above were absolute law; rather, there was an anxiousness that something might have gone wrong.
A moment of anomaly was caught within the ordinary. The supervisor raised his chin and said,
“Let’s hear the reason.”
“The workers are complaining of severe fatigue.”
“Are the workers not always tired? Surely it’s due to overwork…”
He thought it was a simple reason, but what followed was beyond his imagination.
“It seems to be due to a plague.”
“If you’re talking about diarrhea or stomach aches…”
“I don’t think so. People have been complaining of pain in their wrists and ankles for several days now. I’m not sure if we can meet the deadline because of that…”
“So, you’re fine, aren’t you?”
At the supervisor’s incredulous expression, the team leader removed his asbestos gloves and revealed his wrist. Tiny grayish spots, the size of millet grains, densely covered it. The supervisor’s face twisted at the sight of such a grotesque spectacle he had never seen before.
“…Stop.”
“Excuse me?”
“Stop all work! Gather everyone and bring them up!!”
Why hadn’t he mentioned this sooner? No, it was fortunate he found out now. [Drunkard Charlie] threw the red baton on the ground and ran up to the surface.
A small village on the eastern coastal cliff. Orr.
Due to the constant storms, there were not many outsiders who visited this place.
“Hmm, how few are they?”
The innkeeper blinked at the question from the woman wearing a hood. Then he burst into hearty laughter.
“Although it’s within the empire, it’s almost unknown that a village exists here. Because of that, even tax collectors don’t come.”
“I see.”
“Haha! Isn’t it funny? Even the tax collector, who is scarier than the Grim Reaper, doesn’t come here… Except for the unending storm, there’s no place as peaceful as this!”
Bang- A mug filled with frothy beer was placed on the counter. The woman in the hood then placed a piece of currency and a silver coin on the counter.
“Uh… This is too much money. A single piece of currency is enough. The cost of living is cheap in this countryside.”
“It’s an offering to the Lord of the Sea.”
“……I see.”
At the woman’s calm voice, the smile disappeared from the innkeeper’s face. Leaving the counter, he locked the tavern door and eventually turned off the lights illuminating the interior.
“So, you’re a pilgrim, come to make an offering despite the storm.”
Creak- creak-
As the innkeeper moved, the sound of something hard bumping against each other echoed. Although there was no light inside, Yoru had the talent of celestial vision. She could clearly see the sight of the middle-aged man in front of her being covered with bumpy shells.
‘Ugh, no matter how many times I see it, it’s disgusting.’
When Yoru’s face twisted in revulsion, the transformed innkeeper laughed heartily, unfazed by her reaction.
“Haha. Even though you hate it so much, you come on a pilgrimage. You must have deep faith.”
“Can’t you just stay in your normal form? The goddess I seek to meet is not as disgusting as you.”
“How can one greet a god with a false appearance?”
Passing by the frowning Yoru, the innkeeper headed outside.
Those who were in need must hold their tongues. Yoru, guided by someone she could hardly regard as human, headed towards the stormy cliff.
The Chusaldae, including Soi, did not follow. The one she was about to meet now did not like commotion.
‘If we go in a large group, we could die.’
Thus, they broke through the storm and reached a huge whirlpool. The innkeeper, a demon, drew a dagger and slashed his hand.
Kak- kakak- Because of the shells that covered his entire skin, it didn’t cut well. After several more attempts, red blood finally dripped down.
“…Enter.”
“Alright.”
Following the demon, Yoru leaped into the whirlpool. It seemed like a suicide attempt, but the sea did not swallow Yoru. Instead, the whirlpool formed a path, guiding Yoru to a certain place.
Finally, she arrived at a temple. The demon did not enter with her. The voice of a god resounded in his mind, instructing him to let only the foreign girl in.
“Are you hurt?”
Inside the temple stood a woman covered in smooth scales.
Her head shone blue like lapis lazuli, and her voluptuous body was completely unclothed, revealing her sensual figure.
Upon meeting the Goddess of the Sea, Yoru bowed her head deeply. She did not simply show respect because her opponent was stronger; she showed fitting behavior to someone she felt indebted to.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit more often.”
“No, it’s alright. Your presence, bringing stories from the outside, is enough.”
The Goddess of the Sea.
Kiara, the Queen of the Deep Sea, laughed heartily as she approached Yoru.
She had already lost her ‘divine’ demeanor due to excitement over the stories she would hear, but the girl before her didn’t mind such trivialities.
“I smell the scent of battle. Coming here means you have brought a story that will satisfy me, right?”
“Of course.”
“Well then…”
Kiara circled Yoru, creating water marks on the floor.
She was using the ‘vision of the past’ to see the intense experiences etched into Yoru.
Knowing this, Yoru waited for the sticky gaze to end.
“…You were defeated without having a chance to react.”
Kiara closed her eyes, which had been emitting a brilliant light.
Yoru squeezed her eyes shut, plagued by unpleasant memories.
At seventeen, an age full of self-indulgence, Yoru felt unmatched among the warriors in her tribe and among her peers. Being the precious daughter of the Grand Elder, she was even called a princess, so it was only natural that she felt a great sense of humiliation from this defeat.
Even though it was a surprise attack, Shiron Prient had skillfully exploited Yoru’s moment of hesitation. Seeing that he was unarmed, she had let her guard down, arrogantly believing that she, armed with a sword, could not be defeated by someone barehanded.
In that situation, she had suffered every possible humiliation, eventually considering becoming a slave. Ignoring the taunt that she was scared, she had run away with her tail between her legs…
‘What a pitiful sight for someone so young…’
Having seen Yoru’s past, Kiara understood well how she must feel.
“You must have learned a lot.”
She patted Yoru’s shrunken shoulders. No one goes through life without experiencing defeat. What mattered was having the heart not to be broken by that defeat and to rise again.
Just as Kiara had grown stronger after losing to Kyrie, Yoru would do the same.
“But this isn’t a very interesting story, is it? In that case, I’d like to receive a different offering.”
“…Is that so?”
Yoru looked at Kiara with a flustered face. To receive the Goddess of the Sea’s blessing, she needed an offering that matched.
If it wasn’t an interesting story that pleased the goddess, she would have to prepare an offering equivalent to the benefit gained from the goddess’s blessing.
Thanks to her, she had saved the lives of her compatriots in the labyrinthine underground, so she needed a treasure or a human life to save someone. But right now, Yoru had nothing with her. All she had was her own body.
Kiara licked her lips, knowing this.
A chill ran down Yoru’s spine.
“The interesting story is… in the latter part.”
“What are you talking about? After that, the ceiling collapsed, and your compatriots ran away with their tails between their legs. Isn’t that the end?”
“There was a girl next to the man.”
“So?”
“That girl looked stronger than the man. Don’t you like strong women? So…”
“Could it be a mistake? You were bleeding a lot and exhausted, so it’s possible you misjudged the opponent’s strength.”
At that moment, Kiara’s eyes sparkled again.
-I am Kyrie.
…What was that sound?
-Didn’t you hear? Let me say it again, I am Kyrie.
…The human said twice that he was Kyrie.
The ‘vision of the past’ that delved into Yoru’s experience now uncovered Kiara’s past as seen through Yoru’s eyes.
-Calling you a prostitute is too kind. Ugh, what a stinking abalone smell…
A vulgar tone, a swaggering gesture.
Black hair, black eyes.
A woman who looked a bit like the Yoru before her.
A human holding a rapier that seemed to be light embodied as a sword, a symbol of a warrior, and a proxy of the gods.
Kiara felt the presence of Kyrie from Shiron, who was shadowed by red hair.
Kyrie.
In the dark sea, despite the overwhelmingly unfavorable situation, the monster who had beaten Kiara like a dried pollock.
‘No way…’
Kiara’s face was filled with shock.
‘Alive?’
Had they been reincarnated?
Reincarnation.
Such an unbelievable thought crossed her mind, but the more she pondered, the less impossible it seemed.
Souls revolve in the destiny of the world.
A story she had heard from the god she once followed. Kiara lifted the complete denial into the realm of understanding.
But amidst all this, an undeniable doubt lingered. Kiara bit her nail and pondered.
‘Why were they reborn a man?’