Chapter: 666
First, bringing people over and then explaining why—that’s an astonishing order of things. If someone else did it, it wouldn’t be strange to get smacked right there, but when the Wise Duke does it, miraculously, everyone just rolls with it.
You just can’t understand the Wise Duke with ordinary human values and common sense. A little thing like the order doesn’t bother him one bit.
Actually, the Golden Duke, who took the suspicious journey from Boyar Duchy to Cheness Duchy and then to Leviathan, maintained his steadfast silence.
“Ooh.”
Instead of showing anger about the late explanation, he expressed delight at the mere existence of Leviathan.
Truly, he’s very much human, keenly attuned to his interests. Learning the reason later didn’t harm the Golden Duke at all, but it was clear that Leviathan showing favor to the Osiden family was a significant boon. So he focused on the latter.
“Indeed. My ancestors accomplished truly great things.”
– That’s right, descendant of Osiden! Your ancestors were the great ministers who assisted the Roygas Imperial Family and led the prosperity of Trika!
Leviathan’s booming voice brimmed with unmistakable joy and fondness.
– I thought that after two thousand years of slumber, I would never see the traces of Trika again. But those who awakened me have brought the descendant of Osiden; this surely must be the ‘time’ mentioned by the Roygas Imperial Family!
At those words, Leviathan’s body trembled.
It was a situation akin to an earthquake, yet the ground did not crack, nor did buildings fall—quite a spectacle! Where else in the world would you find such a safe quake?
– Though there is no Imperial Family to serve with loyalty, there remains a friend to be respected due to our pact! I, Leviathan, shall become a friend to your Osiden family in accordance with the promise made two thousand years ago!
“Eh, what do you mean…?”
– Naturally, this meeting was only possible because you all found and awakened me. From today onwards, I will consider you all my friends as well!
“Wow! Thanks!”
In response to the Wise Duke’s grumbling, Leviathan willingly bestowed upon both the Wise Duke and me free passage rights on its back.
It seems a bit too impulsive of a decision, but considering it might soothe the sorrows of losing one’s homeland, I could understand it. For Leviathan, it must feel like finding light in the abyss.
“Well, this is unexpected. I’m quite taken aback.”
The suddenly-friend-zoned Golden Duke chuckled as he took a puff from his cigar.
Still, the look in his eyes was serious. It seemed like he was calculating Leviathan’s usefulness and how it could be utilized.
“So, Leviathan, was it?”
– Indeed, my friend. I am Leviathan, the king of the sea.
“I’ve heard that you fell into slumber under the orders of the Roygas Imperial Family; could you explain why?”
At the Golden Duke’s straightforward question, Leviathan fell silent for a moment.
– …Indeed. Perhaps our records have been thoroughly erased from the world, even to descendants of Osiden.
Then, the joy it had shown before was replaced by a deep bitterness and sorrow.
– Very well. If we have been erased from the world, then we shall write our name back into it. Allow me to explain everything.
“Thank you for your kindness, friend.”
After the Golden Duke instantly became friends with the whale he was meeting for the first time, Leviathan began its explanation.
– We have become much larger than the Roygas Imperial Family anticipated.
“Hmm?”
“Eh?”
– Originally, we were supposed to be about 20% of our current size. However, the scholars and technicians of Trika were so remarkably talented that we grew well beyond expectations.
Hearing that comment, I found it hard to speak.
So basically, to put it bluntly—
‘They thought we were getting a small dog but ended up with a Great Dane and abandoned it.’
If Leviathan were to hear that, it would be rightly furious, but as a third party, that impression couldn’t be erased.
Of course, Leviathan wasn’t abandoned; it had simply gone into slumber. Still, sleeping or abandoning, they both amount to being unable to manage and thus getting rid of it. The least they could do was not kill it; that much could be called Trika’s conscience.
“Then, do you mean you’ll keep growing in the future?”
Although the Golden Duke subtly downgraded his address from ‘friend’ to ‘you,’ Leviathan seemed oblivious to the change and continued.
– That will not happen. Our slumber was meant to see us through our growth phase without any nutrition. We remained hungry not for hundreds of years but for two thousand, so there will be no further growth for us.
“Thank goodness. If my friend here grew any more, it would be a bit frightening!”
The address reverted back to ‘friend.’
…
‘Nutrition?’
“Hey! Leviathan! What do you eat to survive!?”
As I sensed discomfort from Leviathan’s words, the Wise Duke also opened his mouth.
A valid question. Come to think of it, as a living being, Leviathan has to eat, right? But how much does it need to maintain that massive body?
If it eats specific fish, those fish would go extinct; and if it dined on plankton like other whales, the other whales in this ocean might starve to death.
– We consume the mana of nature, or holy power, to live. We do eat ordinary food, but it’s not very efficient.
“Ma—mana?”
– Exactly. Didn’t your magic pass through more easily than usual? That’s because I’m currently absorbing the mana around here.
Upon hearing that, I recalled how Leviathan had easily shattered our defensive magic earlier.
No wonder it seemed strange that mere water was breaking through the Mage’s defenses! The magic was weakened.
– Do you have any further questions?
“I have none. If anything, I’m concerned if my dear friend can find solace while residing in the waters off Boyar.”
– You don’t need to worry about that. I was the king of all seas, and I had visited the waters in front of the Osiden family many times even before I fell asleep. It was a warm and lovely place.
Nodding at that response, the Golden Duke looked at the Wise Duke, signaling him to speak if he had anything more to say.
“Let’s go back, shall we? We’ll gather intel for later!”
However, the Wise Duke expressed a desire to return—even though there were many more questions to ask. Who exactly did Leviathan mean by ‘we’? Where were they? What were their natures like? Lastly, how were the three entities, including Leviathan, created? Just thinking about it brought forth a mountain of inquiries.
But asking now felt like a foolish move. Leviathan exhibited intelligence and emotions; and upon the fall of the royal family, it showed the autonomy to befriend other families. Interrogating it for information would likely only breed resentment.
Instead, it’s wiser to build on today’s goodwill and gradually open up Leviathan’s heart. Surely, one day, we’ll obtain the information we desire.
‘After all, many beings exist that can provide the answers.’
Moreover, numerous immortals who remember the era of the Trika Empire surround me. If needed, I could inquire not just Leviathan but also the Gods, elemental kings, or even dragons.
– Today is a joyous day for encountering a precious connection and a past friend. I shall specially guide you to the land.
“Wow! Thank you!”
“Traveling the seas with the king of the ocean—a splendid affair indeed.”
In the meantime, the two dukes readily accepted Leviathan’s offer.
The Golden Duke, now a friend of Leviathan, certainly wishes for Leviathan’s prominence. If news of his friendship with such a colossal being spreads, the standing of both the Wise Duke and the Golden Duke would expand massively.
– Then hold on tight.
And then, Leviathan’s once-calm body began to tremble violently, and fins that had been submerged in the sea emerged above the surface.
This was odd. Why does it extend its fins while swimming? Can it really move such a massive body with just the power of its tail…?
“No way, that’s insane.”
My jaw dropped at the scene that followed.
“Wow, wow! It’s flying!”
I couldn’t even gather my senses at the cheers echoing beside me from the Wise Duke.
Leviathan wasn’t just swimming through the sea; it was soaring through the sky.
“Seriously! How can it do that!?”
– Just as humans sometimes swim despite living on land. It’s similar for me.
Of course it would sound normal to Leviathan, but it made me chuckle.
Is it really appropriate to equate flying and swimming? Moreover, being the king of the sea, shouldn’t it be roaming the sea rather than the sky?
‘If whales can fly, what does that make birds.’
Suddenly, an image I’d seen on Leviathan’s back resurfaced in my mind.
It had to do with a drawing featuring a bird, a cow, and a whale, but here was a whale breaching into the sky, an area meant for birds! How could the birds survive feeling so left out?
“Flying whales, airborne islands…”
Amidst the chaos, the Golden Duke muttered while stroking his chin.
The person who should be the happiest was the one remaining most silent, which was even more unsettling.
*
By order of His Majesty the King, we set sail towards the southern seas.
The objective was to intimidate the subjects of the Jerano Kingdom and hunt down the sea monsters disrupting our shipping lanes. For that noble cause, I willingly dispatched the fleet to scour the ocean.
Though some merchant vessels were temporarily detained during the process, it was a necessary decision for the safety of our shipping routes. Anyone who would find that offensive was merely a petty person blinded by immediate benefits right before their eyes.
As I pondered this while meticulously examining the routes,
“Deputy.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Is there a chance my eyes have deceived me?”
“I’m seeing the same thing as you, Admiral.”
Before me unfolded a sight I could hardly believe.
A colossal whale. An enormous whale, many times larger than even the fast-swimming whales of the ocean, soared up from the northwest.
And on its back were flags of the Kefellofen Empire and the Osiden Duchy.
‘What the hell is going on.’
I was utterly confused, uncertain of what absurdity to focus on.
Was it the appearance of a whale larger than a small island? The fact that a whale was flying? Or that the Empire’s flags were appearing unauthorized in the waters of the Jerano Kingdom?
This is crazy! What should I even contest? How should I raise my grievances?
“…Deputy!”
Yet, my contemplation was brief. As the Admiral of Jerano, I couldn’t overlook the Empire’s presence entering our waters.
“Yes, Admiral!”
“Officially lodge a complaint with the Osiden Duchy! No matter how much of a whale it is, it bears the flags of the Empire and the Duchy! There shouldn’t be a whale among the vessels authorized to enter our waters!”
“I’ll convey it immediately!”
And a few hours later, the response returned from the Osiden Duchy, blunt and concise.
[ The friend of the Osiden Duchy is currently soaring through the skies above the continent, not in the territory or the waters of Jerano. We believe there is no need to seek Jerano Kingdom’s consent. ]
It was a damnable response.
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