Chapter 843
Without taking his eyes off the storm-filled sky above the canyon, Ian quietly said, "Seeing you awake... I’d say so."
Despite the dark clouds, it was still daytime.
—Looks like things are going smoothly, just as planned.
Yog slithered onto Ian’s bracer.
It already knew most of the plan—thanks to how relentlessly it had pestered Diana every night. It had annoyed her so much that she eventually begged for someone else to be marked with Yog’s terminal instead.
"Hard to say."
A bit faster than expected.
Just as Ian narrowed his eyes, a cautious voice spoke up from ahead.
"What should we do, Your Grace?"
It was Sanford, who, like the beastfolk and fairies, had been staring up at Ian. Beside him, Hashim wore an equally frightened expression.
"Too narrow to move side by side?" Ian asked calmly, looking down at him.
Sanford narrowed his eye, glancing left and right as if measuring the distance.
"If we slow down and proceed carefully, it might be possible."
Ian nodded. "Then let’s at least try."
Once they cleared the canyon, the ships were to travel side by side. There was no helping it if they wanted to use the magic tools comfortably. Of course, it was also meant to prepare for the possibility of passengers needing to transfer between ships.
"Understood, Your Grace. Hashim?" Sanford responded immediately and turned.
Waiting nearby, Hashim quickly leaned down toward the lower deck. "You heard him! Slow down and veer to the right of the lead!"
As the lower deck erupted into activity, Ian turned and walked toward the stern railing, briefly glancing at Yog coiled around his arm.
—Your master commands you to sail alongside us, Pointy-Ear.
Yog whispered, flicking its tongue.
The message was meant for Diana aboard the Crimson Coral Reef.
Still treating her like a slave, huh?
Suppressing a chuckle, Ian stopped at the railing and looked toward the Silent Storm.
It wasn’t hard to meet Charlotte’s eyes. She was already watching him.
Ian couldn’t tell whether it was because his ship had begun changing direction or because of the ominous thunder from earlier.
Either way, it didn’t matter.
When Ian tilted his head to the right, Charlotte immediately turned and approached the captain, Nikau.
The smuggling ships grew busy once more.
—Wouldn’t it be better to engrave terminals onto them too, Friend? Things would become much easier.
Yog whispered slyly.
The suggestion revived Ian’s suspicion that the terminals might serve some hidden purpose beyond what Yog claimed.
"Your range seems to have increased," Ian said casually, looking down at Yog wrapped around his arm.
Yog grinned, its violet tongue flicking out.
—Of course, friend. The chaos within you has grown. And well, I’ve grown too.
So it really is something like a trait skill.
Ian narrowed his eyes and gave a faint nod as the dim sea canyon lit up once more.
Boom! Rumble!
Thunder followed a moment later.
This time, the fairies and beastfolk on the central deck didn’t flinch. They simply stared up at the sky with eyes filled with tension and anticipation.
However, Ian’s brow narrowed. The essence bead of chaos let out a low resonance, and as his third eye opened, his vision completely changed.
Swoosh—
A faint bluish light shimmered hazily between the dark clouds. It was gradually growing clearer as it spread outward.
—Don’t worry, Friend. It doesn’t seem like they’ve noticed us yet.
Yog’s amused whisper slithered into his mind. The creature had clearly been seeing it from the very beginning.
Ian only nodded.
"Slow down! Can’t you see the waves are getting rougher? Tell them to slow down even more!" Sanford shouted, now standing by the port railing and peering down at the hull. He was clearly worried the oars would collide.
Swoosh—
The Silent Storm was drawing up alongside them. On the opposite side, the Crimson Coral Reef was joining formation as well.
The Black Wave and the Crimson Coral Reef had taken positions on either side of the formation because Ian and Lily were aboard them.
Of course, Ian still wasn’t comfortable with dragging Lily into battle. But for now, there was no other choice.
"Perfect there! Hold the distance!" Sanford added, spreading his palm wide.
It was immediately afterward that Ian, who had been walking forward, suddenly leaped upward.
Thunk—
He landed lightly atop the central deck railing. The current was gradually growing rougher, causing the ship itself to sway, but Ian balanced himself effortlessly and turned to the side.
The fairies and beastfolk gathered on the Silent Storm’s central deck came into view. Elia, who had stepped outside at some point, and Charlotte, standing beside her, immediately caught his eye.
He could clearly see the deck of the Crimson Coral Reef beyond them.
"As you’ve seen, it seems the corrupted ones of the Black Isles have noticed the Count’s fleet. They may already be fighting by now."
Miguel sat perched against the railing, his face hardened now that every trace of seasickness had vanished.
Ian swept his gaze over him, then over Lily standing beside him, before continuing. "The moment we leave the canyon, we’ll be moving at full speed. So before that, let me make this clear one last time."
Though no magic empowered his voice, it was more than enough to draw the attention of everyone aboard the ship.
"If the ship sinks, you’ll become fish food in the Black Sea. If we’re attacked, you’ll fight back. But don’t forget that your priority is protecting the ship and its crew."
Captain Yalo and his barbarian first mate nodded in agreement.
The other captains were probably reacting the same way. Pretending not to notice, Ian shifted his gaze toward the group of first mates standing behind Lily.
"Even if you end up separated from the formation, nothing changes. Follow the commanders’ orders and protect your ship until the captains guide you to Kalinso."
Nehat and Palmer nodded. Even Diana, wearing her usual indifferent expression, dipped her head slightly.
Once they reached land, at least they wouldn’t have to worry about sea beasts anymore. After all, those monsters supposedly couldn’t approach shallow waters.
"I’ll say it again. Other than that, there’s no way to save stragglers. So if it seems like something like that is about to happen..."
Ian turned toward the Silent Storm. After meeting Elia’s eyes and then Charlotte’s in turn, he tilted his chin slightly.
"Before it comes to that, use whatever means necessary to board the ship beside you. And don’t forget—you’re tied to each other’s fate."
Unlike before, that was only half true. He already had a plan to rescue stragglers if needed.
He simply hadn’t mentioned it because nothing was certain yet, and he didn’t want them to lose their sense of caution.
Just as expected. The fairies aboard the Silent Storm were swallowing dryly or glaring at the beastfolk seated beside them.
A faint smile tugged at Ian’s lips as he finally lowered his gaze toward the Black Wave.
Bwooo— Ooooooo—
A monstrous cry, like the blare of a war horn, echoed from beyond the canyon. Ian froze, and everyone else’s gazes turned forward a beat later.
Beyond the cliffs blocking their view, thick gray sea fog was slowly beginning to spread across the sky.
—Yeah, looks like they’ve all started gathering.
Ian nodded.
Through his altered vision, the bluish chaos mixed into the fog was clearly visible. It was a little earlier than expected, but regardless, it meant the situation was unfolding according to plan.
"At last!"
"Th-That’s... insane...."
Gasps and mutters spread among the beastfolk and fairies. The ones cheering were, of course, all beastfolk.
"Sounds like the cry of a sea creature. This should be interesting."
"You heard the Demigod’s orders, and you’re still saying that? If you get excited and run off, I’ll cave your skull in."
The fairies hurled threats and warnings at them. Similar scenes were unfolding aboard the other ships as well.
No need to say anything more.
Ian shrugged and vaulted back onto the deck, never taking his eyes off the space ahead.
The jagged, uneven curve of the cliff still blocked his view, but in Ian’s eyes, bluish trails shimmered beyond them.
Screech!
Bwooooo—
It had to be the fleet of the corrupted and the chaos spewed by the sea beasts.
—You see it too, friend? There are more than expected.
Yog whispered with a low chuckle.
Ian nodded, one corner of his lips curling upward slightly.
If they’d had to carve their way through all of that while advancing, the damage would have been immense. In a way, the fact that everything had begun earlier than expected actually saved them time instead.
Still, missing out on those experience points is a bit of a shame...
Ian shrugged the thought aside.
No one could claim everything every single time. Preventing Raskagin from awakening alone would surely bring rewards worth the effort.
Besides, no matter how he looked at it, this felt like one of those branching points that must have existed in the game as well. Not every class would have been suited for naval combat.
Since they had chosen a diversionary strategy, it wouldn’t be strange if additional rewards or quests awaited them for it.
"O, Lu Solar."
"Holy shit! fuck...."
The shocked mutters spreading nearby reached Ian’s ears not long after.
Following the Crimson Coral Reef, even the fairies and beastfolk aboard the Silent Storm were slowly rising to their feet, staring blankly ahead.
Ian soon understood why.
The cliffs blocking the path were gradually sliding out of view, revealing beyond them a sea blanketed in fog like a vast curtain.
The canyon was ending.
"Huh..."
"So those things are really..."
Of course, the fairies’ horror and the beastfolk’s speechless shock weren’t simply because the canyon had opened. Beyond the dense veil of fog, countless blue trails of varying sizes swept across the sea like streaks of light.
Ian, however, wasn’t surprised in the slightest. The sight had merely become clearer. He’d been watching it for quite some time already.
—I can smell fear.
Yog snickered quietly while Ian calmly swept his gaze over the deck before speaking.
"Let’s stop here."
That alone was enough to make not only the frozen Sanford, but several fairies as well, whip their heads toward him.
Looking down at Sanford’s lone eye, Ian continued, "There aren’t many visible anymore. Drop anchor and get up here. Once they’ve all passed, we move."
"Y-Yes, understood!" Sanford answered in a ragged voice before abruptly spinning around, veins bulging in his neck. "Drop anchor, all of you! Now!"
"Y-Yes, sir!" Startled, Hasim practically tumbled down the stairs while shouting at the rowers to stop.
The captains of the other ships moved just as frantically, as though fire had fallen at their feet, and one after another, the smuggling vessels lowered anchor and ground to a halt.
Bwooooo—
With one final monstrous howl that seemed to shake the entire canyon, the blue trails that had been passing before them in irregular waves finally disappeared altogether.
A heavy stillness descended over the sea, wrapped in darkness and silence.
The fairies standing on deck no longer sighed. They only stared blankly at the curtain of fog, which was slowly beginning to thin apart. The beastfolk warriors beside them also remained hesitant.
—They’re already this terrified?
Of course, not everyone reacted that way.
Ian’s companions were tense, but otherwise their expressions remained little different from usual. Even Miguel and Diana, who stood smoking with the face of someone who had long since accepted whatever fate awaited them, seemed unfazed.
As though she had heard Yog’s whisper, Diana’s eyes twitched slightly before she suddenly leaned toward Nehat beside her and whispered something.
I told you, brat? Told her what, exactly?
Ian briefly found himself reading the shape of her lips before the thought faded away.
Ian turned toward Sanford, who was beside him. "What are you doing? Let’s move before the rear fleet catches up."
"Y-Yes! Right away!"
Sanford blinked his lone eye a beat too late before hurriedly spinning around.
"Raise anchor! We’ve been ordered to depart!"
His voice sounded strained, almost wrung dry, as he pulled a palm-sized talisman from inside his coat.