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The Kraken retreated, and the ship they had arrived on safely docked at the port. Maria, who had not yet begun her training and thus couldn’t join the fight against the Kraken, also disembarked and joined the group at this moment.

“Then, let’s begin.”

Conra stepped forward to purify the sea, which had been polluted by the ink spewed by the Kraken. As he raised Ogmios’s spear, a faint green aura began to rise from his body.

The aura emanating from Conra’s body gradually amplified as it passed through the raised spear.

By this point, alchemical reagents prepared by the city of Bordeaux had already been scattered across the sea. These reagents, concocted by the city’s alchemists and workforce based on a recipe provided by Conra, were necessary to quickly purify the sea contaminated by the Kraken’s ink.

The Kraken’s ink was highly toxic, capable of corroding the wood of ships and shortening their lifespan. For a port city, leaving such pollutants unchecked was unthinkable.

According to Conra’s estimation, it would take less than a week for the seawater to be purified with the alchemical reagents alone. If this weren’t a port, the currents and waves would have sped up the process. However, the port’s breakwaters and other structures slowed the water flow, making it difficult to expect faster results.

But for Bordeaux, where the port’s usability directly impacted the economy, even waiting a week was unbearable. With a solution right in front of them, there was no reason to wait.

The group, having been requested by the Bordeaux city council through the church, had prepared to purify the seawater on the spot. Now, Conra stepped forward.

As Conra’s main strength grew, resonating with the spell waves in the air and reaching the sea, the pre-scattered reagents began to react, emitting a greenish light similar to his aura.

At the peak of the light, Conra scattered five stone fragments into the sea. These were rune stones inscribed with runic letters. The rune stones, upon meeting the glowing light in the sea, turned to powder, releasing the power contained within the runes.

The power within the rune stones symbolized five different forces: Urus (ᚢ) for strength, Laguz (ᛚ) for flow, Othila (ᛟ) for separation, Hagalaz (ᚺ) for destruction, and Raido (ᚱ) for reconnection.

These forces represented the separation, destruction, and proper reconnection of whatever was mixed within the water.

Simultaneously, Conra began to chant a spell.

“O Uwaisl Ata Pawe Blas Ai Bareynis! Bry-Se! Glak-Reys! Gran-Suwas! (Nobility blooming in barrenness! Shatter! Embrace! Purify!)”

Along with the spell, seeds of a certain plant were scattered. Empowered by the spell, they rapidly grew upon entering the sea, showcasing their presence.

The stems grew tall, roots spread, and leaves flourished densely. Witnessing this miraculous display of life’s growth compressed into a single moment, the spellcasters watching let out sighs of awe.

As if to assist, Hildegard swung her halberd, dipping the axe blade into the water and shouting.

“Saturnus! Ameretat! Haurbatat! Niyordur! Eostre!”

The deities of agriculture, plants, water, the sea, and life resonated through Hildegard’s voice, and heavenly blessings descended upon the earth. Hildegard, as the medium, became the conduit for these blessings.

The blessings, channeled through Hildegard, merged with Conra’s druidic spell. Perhaps due to the origins of druidism being connected to ancient spirit worship, the heavenly blessings, which usually didn’t mix well with worldly mysteries, blended smoothly with Conra’s spell.

Sophia, Esiocles, and Maria watched from a distance. Esiocles, posing strangely with Saraswati, suddenly asked Sophia.

“Hmm, Sister Chazel. Is there a particular reason you’re not helping our junior and just watching?”

Sophia smiled wryly at Esiocles’s question.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Didn’t we both help just a moment ago?”

“We did scatter the alchemical reagents in the sea, but that was just a bit of movement. Even if I only have muscles, Sister Chazel, your situation is different, isn’t it?”

Esiocles’s point was that Sophia, while a master of martial arts, also had considerable skill in spells and could be called a sage. Surely, she had ways to assist Conra’s spellcasting, so why was she just watching?

But Sophia didn’t explain her actions, simply smiling and keeping silent. Instead, she said:

“Father Emanuele, you’ll understand naturally when you take on a disciple.”

“Indeed, it seems like an emotion I can’t yet comprehend.”

Esiocles didn’t press further and accepted her words. Perhaps one day, when he too took on a disciple, he would understand. The barefoot priest, who had learned to govern himself in the Alps, quietly returned his consciousness inward.

Meanwhile, the plants scattered in the sea finally grew fully, revealing their presence. Sophia chuckled upon seeing them.

“To think he even improved the seeds. What a nonsensical talent.”

The plants were none other than water hyacinths, but with a difference. Unlike the usual round, broad leaves, these had thick, segmented stems.

They were water hyacinths modified with the traits of saltwort, specifically for purifying seawater.

The saltwort hyacinths, having taken root on the sea surface, began to draw in the surrounding ink and pollutants with the help of the spell.

But Sophia’s admiration wasn’t just for the visible plants.

“Hahaha, to think he’s even handling microorganisms now! He’s been keeping quiet about it!”

What her eyes caught were tiny, spell-created lifeforms moving silently within the light and mist. These microorganisms, invisible to the naked eye, were breaking down the Kraken’s ink and other toxic pollutants in the water.

“Using alchemical reagents as materials and spells as energy to create microorganisms.”

In essence, the microorganisms Conra was creating and controlling were similar to the Will-o’-Wisps handled by his parents, Setanta and Kaliastra, in Ogma’s Forest. The principles were likely not much different.

However, Conra’s approach was entirely different in direction, yet still a visionary technique.

While these microorganisms couldn’t engage in higher thought like Will-o’-Wisps, creating a colony that could selectively decompose pollutants and toxins based on a sophisticated algorithm was no small feat.

‘Well, he’s skilled at handling barnacle larvae spells, so maybe it wasn’t that hard for him.’

Barnacles, being crustaceans that float in the sea during their larval stage before attaching to a suitable surface to grow, require skill in handling small larvae. Without that skill, barnacle reproduction spells would lose more than half their effectiveness.

Thanks to the efforts of the saltwort hyacinths and microorganisms, the sea in front of Bordeaux Port returned to its original blue color in less than two hours.

“Welcome the heroes who helped Bordeaux in its time of need!”

‘And more than enough time for troublesome folks to catch wind and swarm.’

The mayor, city council members, guild leaders, and various public institution managers had already begun to gather around Conra. Sophia clicked her tongue at the sight.

Hildegard had already sensed the situation and slipped away, but Conra, having just finished his spellcasting, was caught off guard and swept up in the crowd.

Sophia, watching with a sigh, suddenly met eyes with her disciple, who was struggling in the awkward situation. Conra, realizing this, made a pitiful face at his master. It seemed he understood that only Sophia could save him now.

With that pitiful expression, Conra silently mouthed a plea for help.

‘H-E-L-P M-E M-A-S-T-E-R’

Reading his lips, Sophia shrugged and sighed.

“Well, I can’t just ignore a disciple in need.”

Shaking her head, Sophia took two steps forward. In the next moment, she had Conra by the scruff of his neck. With one step, she passed by Conra, and with the next, she returned to her original position. It was the ultimate expression of Mind-In-Action, the footwork of teleportation.

Realizing he had escaped the chaotic scene, Conra sighed in relief.

“Phew, I really thought I was done for.”

“You’ll run into these kinds of people quite often in this line of work. It’s good to prepare some ways to handle them. Whether it’s using rhetoric to manage them smoothly or quickly noticing and avoiding them.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Master…”

Conra sighed and nodded at Sophia’s advice.

With Conra suddenly gone, the Bordeaux dignitaries looked around in confusion. Meanwhile, Sophia’s group headed towards Bordeaux Church, each following their own path.

The Bordeaux City Council was filled with many influential figures, granting them significant power and authority. However, there were few places where the council’s influence didn’t reach, and one of them was Bordeaux Church.

“So once we reach the church, we can expect a comfortable meal and rest.”

Sophia herself wasn’t particularly concerned about comfort, but her disciples clearly were. Maria, who had just begun her training and had been on a forced march, and Conra, who had just gone through various ordeals, needed extra care.

With that thought, Sophia decided to visit Bordeaux Church. Little did she know, an old acquaintance from her childhood awaited her there, a reunion she couldn’t have anticipated.

 

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