Chapter 567

"I thought it sounded pretty convincing myself," Ian replied, handing the talisman to Thesaya.

If it worked, they could escape the inner sea without having to fight. Whether they’d be able to come back afterward was another problem, but compared to ending up as fish food, that was trivial.

"

Oh

, it fits perfectly. But is this the right way?" Thesaya asked, inserting the talisman she'd received into the center of the cap and showing it to Ian.

Ian narrowed his eyes. “Looks right. Be careful not to flip it. There’s a ridiculously powerful gale spell carved into it.”

"

Aha

, got it. I'll be careful." Thesaya nodded, peering down at the talisman as if to study it.

Meanwhile, Ian leaned over the railing and looked down at the ship's stern. He could now see that it had been heavily reinforced with extra planks.

They've really laid it on thick.

A steel mount was also attached below the wooden frame, and further down, a metal brace would hold the frame completely steady. Since it was built for emergencies, there was probably no need to doubt its durability. Ian raised his head, his gaze following the rope that secured the frame.

"Let's do a practice run."

"Alright." Thesaya nodded eagerly.

Ian turned and walked along the diagonal rope. The pulley, with its complex mechanism, was higher than his head. As Sanford had likely intended to explain, one was probably supposed to climb the rope to use it.

Whoosh—

Of course, Ian had no trouble grabbing the handle with a single leap.

Feels like I’ve turned into a monkey.

Smacking his lips as he gripped the handles on either side of the pulley, he looked back at Thesaya. She nodded and quickly inserted the cap into the center of the frame as Ian moved his hands.

It was quite stiff, but it was no match for his strength. As the securing rope loosened, the frame slid down smoothly.

"

Ooh

?" Thesaya leaned over the railing with a gasp, punching the frame to make it go down faster.

She then looked back and nodded, and Ian pulled the pulley in the opposite direction. It was much stiffer than when lowering it, but soon the wooden frame reappeared above the railing.

"Perfect. You're a great assistant, Ian." Thesaya smiled, quickly removing the cap.

Ian landed on the deck, smacked his lips, and murmured, "Come to think of it, you're not the only mage here."

"

Hmm

?" Thesaya's eyes widened.

She clutched the cap to her chest and said, "W-What if you get caught! Have you already forgotten what I warned you about?"

"Alright. Just don't mess up," Ian finally said after looking at her for a moment.

Thesaya let out a dramatic sigh of relief and nodded.

Swoosh—

It was then that the ship righted itself again. From beyond the massive wave that rose like a desert dune, a faint, monstrous roar echoed.

"Pull— Did you starve? Harder!"

"Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho!"

Shouts and commands continued from the main deck and below. The sail, which had been tilted in the wind's direction, now stood stiffly toward the stern, looking something like a shark's fin.

Won't that tear?

Ian shrugged off the thought that crossed his mind. He knew nothing about ships anyway. Soon, the ship began to climb another wave.

"All hands, oars up! And grab onto something tight! Better to crack your head than break a limb! Got it?" Sanford bellowed, looking down the stairs.

Gripping a thick rope hanging next to the mast, he looked back and shouted, "Elder! Please get ready—"

"Got it!" Thesaya shouted back, murmuring, "Finally," as she turned her gaze.

She placed her open left hand on the cap. The jewel-encrusted orb touched the talisman in the center of the cap, and magic swirled in her eyes.

Woosh—

Ashen magic spread, following the pattern on the talisman's surface. Thesaya's eyes narrowed slightly. "This takes more magic than I thought."

Meanwhile, Ian had leaped up and was hanging from the pulley's handles. The Cloak of the Undying fluttered behind him like a flag.

—That should be enough, Pointy-Ears.

Yog's whisper brushed past his mind.

After channeling magic for a few more seconds, Thesaya finally said, "Ready, Ian?"

"Ready," Ian replied, tightening his grip.

Thesaya nodded, stood up, and quickly turned to insert the cap into the center of the frame. Feeling the magic in the talisman boil, Ian turned the pulley with all his might.

The wooden frame descended below the railing. Thesaya urged it on with a few taps, and soon Ian stopped his hands from turning the pulley.

In the ensuing silence, Thesaya tilted her head. "Why isn't it working? Did something go wrong?"

The moment she leaned over the railing, a gale erupted from behind the hull.

Woosh!

The water's surface behind them was gouged out in a long trough, and pillars of water shot up on either side. Almost simultaneously, the ship was propelled forward as if shot from a cannon, accompanied by a creaking sound.

"

Uwaah

—" The sudden surge was enough to pitch Thesaya headlong over the railing. She lost her footing before she could react, flipping into open air.

Just then, she was snatched and yanked back. The Willful Grasp had caught her in the nick of time. Thesaya’s eyes widened in a daze as she hung upside down, likely because the gale instantly swept away the cigarette that had fallen from her mouth.

Swoosh—

The next moment, she was sharply redirected and pulled toward Ian. Thesaya, letting out a strangled sound, shook off the Willful Grasp and twisted her body, likely because she saw Ian, wrapped in his cloak and hanging from the pulley, getting closer.

Thwack—

With her arms and legs spread wide, she crashed into Ian and clung to him. She buried her face in his cloak for a moment.

"

Ahhhh... ugh

!" Thesaya's shoulders shook belatedly.

Ian, who hadn't lost the cigarette between his lips even amid the chaos, took a drag and asked, "You okay?"

"Of course not!" she gasped, snapping her head up.

Looking up at Ian with a deathly pale face, she added, "Th-that's insanely dangerous. I almost died!"

"I know. That's why I said I'd do it," Ian let out a dry laugh.

Of course, Thesaya wasn't laughing at all. If he had been a moment later, she would have been swept away by the gale into the open sea. She would have lost consciousness before that, but she'd be dead all the same.

—Missed a good show. Well, looks like it was a success, anyway.

Yog's laughter-tinged whisper followed.

Thesaya finally turned her head back, and her mouth fell ajar. "

Whoa...

"

Ian, barely inhaling the smoke from the cigarette between his lips, also took in the sight of the water pillars shooting up from the stern. The ship was climbing the wave at more than double its previous speed, to the point where he doubted the hull could withstand it.

We'll find out soon enough.

Ian's gaze shifted beyond the rising and scattering spray. The waves of the Black Fleet and its minions had become much closer and clearer.

Swoosh—

The sea beasts, clashing and rampaging with their different colored chaos. And the sailors on the ships, firing crossbow bolts imbued with a bluish chaos at them, were revealed through the mist. The sailors on the ships looked grotesque, as if they had been living in the deep sea for a month.

"Everyone, brace yourselves— Hold on tight!" Sanford's scream-like shout rang out not long after.

Soon, the sensation of the ship floating in the air followed. It wasn't an illusion.

Woosh—

The ship, having crested the wave, was drawing an arc in the air. Though it was falling almost immediately, the fact remained that it was airborne.

"

Waaaah

!"

Thesaya let out a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a cheer, clinging to Ian even tighter. Feeling his whole body flapping like a flag, Ian automatically grimaced.

This is seriously dangerous...

The thought that even Sanford had probably never used the talisman in a sea like this belatedly crossed his mind. He sailed only the inner sea, and he wouldn't have set out on a day with a raging storm.

Rumble... Boom!

With a heavy impact, the ship crashed stern-first into the water's surface. A pillar of water exploded upward behind them, followed by a crushing shock. Of course, the impact also shook both of them precariously, but Ian held on without much difficulty.

—It's a shame it's ending so soon.

Yog's whisper echoed. It must have noticed that the force of the rising water pillar was diminishing.

Just then, Ian said, "The others, are they okay?"

A chuckle followed immediately.

—Even in the middle of this, that's your first thought? Moro is fine. Lucy, too. They're alive, anyway.

Inwardly relieved, Ian added, "Go check. Mukapa and Shahin, too."

With a whisper of "Gladly," a sharp sting pricked his neck. Yog, which had turned into a puff of smoke, shot down to the lower deck.

Swaaaaaa—

It was then that the ship's hull stabilized. In any case, it had landed safely without capsizing or breaking in half. Though the water pillar rising from behind was getting smaller, its speed hadn't decreased. Soon, the ship began to climb another wave.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Next time, I'm following the snake's advice," Thesaya murmured.

Ian, taking a drag from the cigarette half-clamped between his teeth, nodded. "Yeah. And don't stick your head over the railing."

"Obviously. If I’m going to die, it won’t be like that."

As Thesaya nodded in reply, Yog's whisper followed in his mind.

—Quite the spectacle. Anyway, Lucy is safe, the Snub-Nose too. The little one crammed in the carriage is still breathing. Rattled, but alive.

Ian let out a long sigh. The ship, which had crested the wave much more stably, passed the peak this time without flying. The distance to the pursuing battle line had widened once again.

"Is everyone okay? Answer me!"

Sanford's painful shout followed. Ian could hear the random shouts that erupted from below deck in response. Most of them were curses directed at Sanford or lamentations to the gods.

Swoosh

Meanwhile, the diminishing water pillar finally dissipated completely. Yet the ship still held speed, enough to last them a while longer.

"Get down now," Ian said, beginning to turn the pulley.

As Thesaya slid down to the deck, the soaked wooden frame reappeared above the railing.

Thesaya, who had run over immediately, removed the cap and said, "It looks okay! This thing is a lot sturdier than it looks!"

It's not the only thing that's sturdy.

Ian also landed on the deck. He moved the cigarette from his mouth to between his fingers. There was a deep tooth mark in the middle of it.

"Sir— Are you alright?"

"I'm not alright! I almost died!" Thesaya roared before Ian could answer.

Shouts of agreement followed from below deck.

After the commotion died down, Sanford laughed boisterously and said, "My apologies, but we succeeded thanks to you! Then, I'll be counting on you for the next wave as well!"

So we are doing this again.

Ian sighed without realizing it. However, in any case, he now knew for sure that Sanford's plan had a chance of working. They would be able to buy enough time for the rowers to recover their stamina. Holding on to something was, in any case, easier than rowing nonstop.

—

Ah

, the will to live. Most admirable.

Yog, who had appeared from a crack in the deck, crawled up Ian's hand. Thesaya sagged onto the floor to catch her breath, while Ian inhaled the last of his cigarette and waited.

"Alright, get ready again—" Sanford's shout echoed when the cigarette had almost burned down.

The ship had begun its climb up another massive swell.

As Ian flicked the cigarette away, Thesaya, who was looking up at him with a resolute expression, said, "Ian, pull it right away this time."

"Got it," Ian replied and leaped up.

This time, Thesaya, who had pushed in a more moderate amount of magic, fixed the cap to the frame with much more practiced ease.

As Ian turned the pulley with all his might, the frame descended in an instant. Thesaya, after giving it a few hammer-like blows, immediately turned around. As the Willful Grasp grabbed her, the cloak naturally wrapped around Ian. The next moment, Thesaya, who had run with her arms and legs spread wide, threw herself at Ian and embraced him.

Woosh!

Once again, two pillars of water shot up, and the Black Wave was propelled forward. Ian and Thesaya, who were clinging to him, held their position much more stably. Of course, this was partly due to the fact that the ship's speed was a little slower than before.

"Look there, Ian!" Thesaya, who had leisurely looked back, soon raised her left arm and pointed to the far aft port side. Ian's head also turned in the same direction.

"That smuggling ship is about to be caught!"

Unlike their ship, the other smuggling ships were increasingly being overtaken by the battle line. The ship Thesaya was pointing at was among the last of them. And not far behind, a bluish ship, spewing a steam-like mist, was approaching.

Instead of the smuggling ship, Ian focused on the deck that was briefly revealed through the mist. Among the grotesquely shaped sailors bustling about, an out-of-place figure caught his eye.

Definitely...

A lone figure in a hooded cloak, clinging desperately to the mast as though barely holding on. Ian’s lips twitched into a faint curve.

A spellcaster.