Chapter 145 – Sea Dragon Aquilo (1)
Sea Dragon Aquilo…
In this era, only a few people remembered the name. However, sailors who lived on the sea once dreaded even speaking this name.
The sea serpent, a monster who could create a huge wave with a wave of its tail and who governed storms… Some people referred to it as one of the two disasters of the sea, along with the kraken, but they were actually in entirely different categories.
“Blue dragon?!”
“Yes.”
Randolph raised his voice after being informed of this fact, and Theodore replied in a calm manner.
From the beginning, ‘sea serpent’ was just a title. In the minds of ordinary people, a dragon was a monster that flew through the sky with two wings, not a swimmer in the sea with a long body like a snake.
However, the dragon was never a species distinguished by the presence of wings, so calling it a serpent was nothing more than ignorance. They were the strongest species of the material world and the rulers over natural laws!
In particular, the sea dragon, Aquilo, was the most notorious among the blue dragon clan, ruling over the sea since a long time ago.
Based on archaeological records, it was an adult dragon that would’ve lived for a least a thousand years. The last time it appeared had been 150 years ago, when it woke up from a nap and wiped out a fleet from the Soldun Kingdom.
‘I’ve looked up the name in the library a few times, but it is never a good thing.’
Back when Theodore lived in the academy’s library, he had read thousands of books, regardless of their type.
Among them, there had naturally been books containing legends and folktales about the continent. The name Aquilo had appeared only a few times, but he hadn’t forgotten it. His fingers were lacking if he wanted to count all the actions in his memories.
Sweeping away a port city because their tribute was a few days late…
Killing a wandering minstrel because his lyrics were unpleasant…
Sinking a fishing boat because the number of boats had reduced…
In addition, the number of ships sunk and people killed was as numerous as the stars.
However, despite the tyranny, Aquilo couldn’t be properly killed. Surrounded by the vast reaches of the sea, which was much more spacious than the land, Aquilo’s power became exceedingly powerful, making it almost invincible in the sea.
“…In other words, we must absolutely never touch it.”
“Yes, I think so as well.”
The opinions of the two people, who would be regarded as strong in every part of the world, coincided without any errors. When considering the general power of an adult dragon, it was said that two masters were needed to equal it, and three were required to kill it reliably.
Even Veronica complained that she couldn’t be certain of victory in a one-on-one match, so it was impossible for a 6th Circle magician and half-master swordsman.
After deciding on a stance of non-aggression, Randolph opened his mouth first. “Hrmm, so we should stay low during our remaining time here?”
“Yes, we can’t get involved in any situations.”
Theodore examined the knowledge he had recently absorbed from Satomer. It was in order to confirm the concept of ‘domain,’ which was still unfamiliar to him. According to Satomer’s knowledge, the ‘domain’ of a dragon could also be called their lair, a place where they stored collected treasures and nested.
‘Perhaps the fog surrounding this island is a type of alarm system.’
The fog was the boundary of Aquilo’s domain, and it controlled the people who could enter. No one could go in and out without Aquilo knowing.
The two people were more likely to cause a fuss if they stole a boat and tried to escape. The safest and wisest choice was to wait for the day when the cruise ship returned and they would leave for the Soldun Kingdom.
Yes, Theodore’s conclusion was undoubtedly reasonable.
However, he overlooked one thing. It was a mistake he made because he hadn’t fully comprehended Satomer’s knowledge.
Satomer had told Theodore in the mental world that the Pirate Archipelago was Aquilo’s domain. So, from the very beginning, the existence of the two people had already caught the notorious dragon’s eyes.
[…Hrmm.]
Was Theo imagining it? For a moment, a chill ran down his spine.
* * *
Five days passed since then.
Despite the tension on the first night, the two of them stayed at the inn without any problems. The passenger ship would come back in 10 days, so half the time had already passed. Perhaps their policy to stay as invisible as possible was viable.
Randolph and Theodore became deeply involved in their training while enjoying their peaceful days. As Randolph swung his sword in the yard, Theodore read books in his chair.
Tak.
Theodore finished reading a book and closed it.
“Eat, Gluttony.”
Then he threw the book he was reading into the air, while at the same time, the tongue protruded and caught the book.
[‘Thunderbolt from Dry Skies’ has been consumed. Your understanding is very high.]
[You have acquired 6th Circle magic, ‘Thunderbolt.’]
[By acquiring top ranked electric magic, the proficiency of lower ranked electric magic has increased.]
As the waves of knowledge flowed as usual, Theodore closed his eyes and focused.
Having Gluttony’s ability to acquire knowledge and proficiency was fraudulent but the efficiency would be low if Theodore wasn’t motivated to learn. However, the always sincere Theodore was able to bring out the power to the maximum.
Theodore opened his eyes with a faint smile.
‘Okay, half the books I’ve brought with me have been digested.’
He had brought many 6th Circle magic books with him when he left Meltor. In the meantime, his progress had been slow since he hadn’t had a lot of time to read books. However, his performance during these five days was comparable to that of a few weeks or a month.
Some magic books would take more time because they were difficult to understand, but he was confident that he could learn them all in three months.
However, the most important thing to solve was the issue of his vessel, which had a time limit.
“…Should I use this during my stay on this island?”
Charlotte’s Necklace was the treasure grade artifact which turned all ghosts into powerful evil spirits. Theo had obtained it after the duel bid with Isaac, but he had never used it once. The saint’s seal, which had turned this necklace into a mere accessory, still hadn’t been released.
Theodore looked at the necklace before placing it in his inventory with a sigh.
‘Stop. There is no need to increase the risk factor.’
A large scale magic event like summoning evil spirits could trigger the dragon’s aggression.
He needed to keep this in mind. His opponent was the notorious sea dragon, Aquilo. It was the tyrant of the sea, who killed people for minor reasons and sank thousands of ships. Just like how children smiled when stepping on ants, the lives of humans were just like worms to a dragon.
Theo had to remember that the Pirate Archipelago was Aquilo’s palm, so disaster could be found at any time.
—Like right now.
[Deo!] At that moment, Mitra, who had been sleeping in the warm sunlight on the window, shot up and screamed.
Before Theodore could question her, his sensory perception let out a large alarm. His back was frozen cold, and his hairs stood up like they were bristling. He had experienced a chill like this before.
It was when he dived into Laevateinn’s flames and when he collided with Pride in the past. In other words, the owner of this presence was a monster on the same level!
‘What, a bottle of water?!’
As Theodore hurriedly prepared for battle, the colourful bottle of water sitting in the room moved. To be precise, it was the bottle’s contents. ‘Water’ filled up the room.
Chwaack.
The water emerged from the bottle and produced a surreal sight. Regardless of whether it pulled the water in the air or gathered it in small lumps, the water quickly grew to the size of a person. The water became more and more like a person, until it changed to the image of a beautiful mermaid.
“Senior elemental, a naiad…!”
The naiad, a senior elemental which couldn’t be summoned unless the summoner was an elf elementalist, spoke calmly, [That is correct, human with Arv’s blessing.]
Normally she wouldn’t be speaking, but in this situation, she opened her mouth first without any signs of embarrassment.
[From now on, I will pass on ‘Her’ words.]
Before Theodore could ask, another voice was heard.
[-Hello?]
It was sweet enough to melt his ears, but cold enough to cause a chill down his spine. This wasn’t the voice of a human. It embraced pure desire without any moderation. The voice whispering into his ears was enough to turn any man or woman into a horny monkey.
Theodore barely held onto his rope of reason and replied, “It is nice to meet you, Ruler of the Sea.”
There was no question about the identity of the other person. Theodore politely greeted the uninvited visitor. No, she was the master of this place, so he might be the uninvited person. Sea Dragon Aquilo, the being who dominated the sea for thousands of years, scanned Theodore up and down.
Then she continued speaking in that sensual voice, [First, welcome to my island, Boy.]
“It is a very sudden welcome.”
[Ahaha, you are saying that, but you don’t seem very surprised? You look young in terms of your face, but you seem to have accumulated many experiences.]
Thus far, it was still okay. Theodore didn’t feel any animosity in her voice. Was it mere curiosity? Or was she killing time? Either way, he needed information. Theodore was barely able to open his mouth before the gaze conveyed through the naiad.
“…I’m sorry, can I ask why you are looking for me?”
[Hrmm, is it so hard talking to me?]
“Honestly, it is quite burdensome.”
Aquilo’s voice cut off for a moment.
[Ahahaha! You, you are too honest! I don’t hate such a personality, but shouldn’t you be careful from now on?]
–I might accidentally kill you.
Theodore was soaked in a cold sweat. It wasn’t a threat or warning, but just that Aquila was really worried about killing Theodore… Just like accidentally crushing an ant under her foot. Fortunately, Aquilo didn’t put that declaration into action.
She chuckled before answering Theodore’s question, [Okay, I’ll tell you simply. In three days, a festival to worship me will be held in the heart of the islands. At that time, I want you to come with your companion.]
In the first place, a veto didn’t exist. Theodore nodded and replied, “…I understand.”
[You are smart as well. If you asked one more question, I would’ve cut off your head,] Aquilo said before turning off the naiad’s summoning.
The shape of the mermaid distorted, and the water slowly fell to the ground as the magic power was cut off. While the water soaked the wooden floor and carpet, Aquilo’s voice could still heard.
[Then I’ll be waiting in three days.]
After that, she added a fearsome warning.
[Boy, if you don’t come, I will kill you.]