The journey continued. Two weeks had passed just like that. They didn't sleep since, at their level of power, it was more of a leisurely activity than a natural need. Not to mention the weather that didn't allow them to sleep.
"I wonder how anyone else managed to cross this sea. This ship is barely holding, and it's even an elven warship." Dagorith wondered while taking a few minutes of rest in the sunny weather.
Sylvester had read the books before. "Most of the adventurers who succeeded were either powerful or went in with fleets. The latter ones barely live through it to tell the tale, as only one or two ships survive until the end."
"...The nectar of the sea, come and see…"
Out of nowhere, a melodious feminine voice echoed in the air, alerting everyone on deck. Springing to their feet, they were ready to fight yet another monster, as they had done countless times. They had come to accept that they had entered a different realm with creatures beyond their comprehension.
"Women?" Felix exclaimed.
"Don't drool." Sylvester joked and looked ahead. The voices were indeed very melodious, too melodious—almost magical.
♫Whispers on the breeze, entwined in moonlit dance,
In my embrace, let's share a stolen, fleeting chance.
Fingers brush like waves, a slow and tender trance,
Closer, my ocean's yearning, let passion's tide enhance.♫
The four men and one ghost exchanged glances once they heard the song. The words were very suggestive, and tried to lure them in for a good time. It even seemed to have some effect on their minds, but they were just too mentally powerful to be fooled that easily.
"She sounds desperate," Felix muttered and took out his sword. "Let's end their misery. This voice can only belong to something unholy."
Sylvester had no idea, honestly. So, he went closer to the edge of the deck to get a better look. In the distance, he noticed a few figures floating in the calm sea. They were women with exposed breasts, with only half of their bodies visible. They looked extremely beautiful, blonde, redheaded, and black-haired. They came in all shapes, sizes, and types.
"Aw…" Miraj voiced. "They're so poor. Let's donate some clothes for them."
Sylvester chuckled and shook his head. Intuitively, he felt these were far from actual women. "What do you think, Shadow Knight?"
The ancient ghostly creature also looked on with curiosity. "It's a trap."
BOOM!
Just then, thunder erupted in the sky, and they all noticed the shadows in the sea. Right beneath the women, there was an enormous figure of a creature. The women were just tentacles connected to the creature's mouth—and the unknown beast had its jaw open, waiting for its prey.
♫Embrace my depths, fulfill each whispered plea,
Eternal sire of mine, let our desires roam free.
Through rising tides of yearning, let your heart's fire be,
Surrender to the sea's allure, in passion's ebb and flow, we'll be.♫
Sylvester felt his scalp tingle. He was sure that this creature most likely had some magical effect on minds. They just didn't feel anything. The shadows had already shown them that it was some eldritch horror as well, and they had no desire to find out more.
At that moment, even Sylvester caught a faint scent he wished he hadn't. The bitterness was very vague, so he refrained from investigating further.
"Move! Change the course. If it can use human language, then it has intelligence—that means it's a monster we don't want to mess with." Sylvester bellowed and used wind magic to change their course quickly.
They made as much distance between them as possible and hurriedly away from the area. The entire time, they heard the fading song of the creature. Thankfully it seemed to be bound to one spot and didn't follow them.
However, that brief encounter made Sylvester consider something. "I don't think this ever-changing weather is due to nature. The creature we met was perhaps on-par with a Supreme Wizard, and I have no doubt there could be more like it lurking down there somewhere in the uncharted depths. Only a god would know what they're capable of—perhaps affect the weather?"
Sir Dolorem, who stood beside him to take the helm in the emergency, agreed with him and recounted his own experiences from his long life. "We haven't fully explored the land that we walk on yet, so if we compare them to the ocean's secrets, we know nothing."
"Indeed. Like that unknown creature hiding under the Wild Forge in the Blackhart Kingdom." Sylvester recalled his adventure in the Sorrow Kingdom. "I terminated the exploration because I sensed absolute death there—I do not doubt that I'm still no match for whatever resides there."
At that, the Shadow Knight spoke. "Consider it a lesson, Sylvester Maximilian. You can never consider yourself the strongest man in the world unless you've scoured every inch of ocean and land. But that task alone may be so dangerous that just to attempt it, most can't withstand."
"And I have no such grand dreams. As long as I can create peace, that would be the end of my work and schemes." Sylvester responded.
"Haha." The Shadow Knight laughed instead, an unprecedented occurrence. "Then prepare to be a slave to maintain that peace forever. Only absolute power can bring an end to your endeavor. But absolute power absolutely corrupts. Whether you succumb or resist, only time will tell. Until then, you have monumental foes to defeat and grand mysteries to quell."
Sylvester, unable to answer him at that moment, steered the ship through the waves in silence. Their journey entered the last stretch, at last. But as home came closer, he began to worry about a foe he knew he couldn't defeat with schemes or might. His eye's shining light, at that moment, started to seem not as bright.
'How can I win against the Saint Scepter?'
His mind was clearly focused, but he failed to notice the moves had already been made in the grand game of chess. While he played games many moves ahead, someone had been playing it for centuries already. For him, it was no time to be wary but rather to finish the game he had directed for centuries, hard and steady.
…
A total of three weeks—it was the time it took the team to arrive at the shores of Norland Kingdom, in the north of West Sol. It was a new kingdom that Sylvester had built out of the Masan Empire. Sitting at the lap of Pentapeak Moutain Range, the kingdom provided Sylvester and his team a direct route toward the New Holy Land.
By the time they arrived on shore, the ship had taken on an almost ghost-ship-like appearance. Having met with countless monsters and seen years-worth of creepiness in such a short time, they come out stronger than ever before.
Wasting no time, the four took horses from Lakeview City and headed off to the east. Being on land was truly the best, and the big smiles on their faces made it very obvious. The people, the noises, and the street dogs, everything seemed so much more charming all of a sudden.
"I've never been to the West," Felix muttered.
"Much has changed." Dagorith felt it as well, despite being from the West. "It was never this lively, and the roads… they're now well-paved. I remember Masan only having dirt roads for the most part."
"That was because wealth was centralized in the capital. The empire was too big for the distribution of funds to be equal. Now with multiple kingdoms, it's easier to focus on public services. It was my suggestion to the new kings to focus on infrastructure since it can help the people for generations." Sylvester explained, feeling satisfied that his chosen kings were doing well.
Without stopping, they easily traveled to the Blessed Plains, the edge of Norland Kingdom, sharing borders with the New Holy Land. On the way, they stopped a few times to eat, once to help a family of elephants stuck in a ditch and another time to punish a corrupt town chief. Being the highest members of the Church was a permanent job, and they couldn't ignore injustice.
Finally, they arrived at the high cliff above which Sandwall County was located, which now housed the New Holy Land. They stopped and waited for the gates to open so that they could enter the cliff's inclined tunnel.
The entire time, Sylvester kept an eye on Felix. He could smell the scent of broken emotions, but he didn't interrupt him from feeling them.
Soon enough, the gates opened with the sound of heavy metal scraping against the stone. A small crowd appeared on the other side, led by the Inquisitor High Lord. The others stood behind him. It seemed like a congregation of Grand Wizards gathered in one place.
Sylvester created a halo behind his head. "May the Holy Light enlighten us. The excursion to Beastaria was fruitful and successful, despite a few issues."
"Welcome back, Your Holiness." The Inquisitor High Lord spoke. "The preparations have been made as per your demand. We now merely await your command."
Sylvester nodded but didn't talk about the topic. He sidled over and gently kicked the back of Felix's armor, nudging him toward Isabella, who stood behind her guards in a fine regal white gown. "Girl, no need to find a shoulder to cry on anymore. Here you go, I found your boy—He may look like a ballsack right now, but we'll get him fixed soon."
"Pff…" Dagorith tried to hold in his laugh, while Sir Dolorem smiled. They had seen Felix's face on their voyage many times.
Shocked and struggling with disbelief, Isabella stared at Felix's tall figure, donning his black armor, looking very imposing with his visor. She walked closer toward him, her hands slowly rising to hold him. "Y-You're not lying… Are you Sylvester?"
"I would never," Sylvester replied solemnly and silently watched the two. For Felix, perhaps she was the only person he could actually call family. They were close, but friendship and romantic feelings were different. He had no delusions about them.
Isabella was slightly more than a head shorter than Felix. She looked up at his visor while standing close enough that her body touched his armor. Her arms made their way up, and she tried to remove the visor.
"You'll hate it." Felix stopped her, holding her hands gently in his gauntlet-clad hands.
Unperturbed, she shook her head and persisted. Felix's resistance waned, and she successfully pulled the black visor off. In that instant, a sizzling sound of something burning reached her ears.
Then, she laid her eyes on him. A gasp left her mouth, and tears welled at the corners of her eyes. But she didn't cower and raised her palm to touch his cheek, despite having hideous deep red cracks and charred skin.
"Ah…!" She yelped briefly as Felix's skin was hot enough to vaporize water.
But then she locked her gray eyes with his and forgot the pain in her palm, continuing to let it rest on his face, even caressing his skin. "D-Does it hurt?"
Felix, holding back his emotions from pouring out uncontrollably, nodded firmly.
"A lot…"
Thank you for reading. Gifts and GT votes are highly appreciated.
