Chapter 395
Chapter 395: Betting My Soul
Well, here I am, Hero Alexander, startled by a thunderous crash the moment I stepped out of my room. A display of lightning magic!
“What’s going on!?”
With Adamas in hand, I jumped onto the deck—
“Hmm, you’re a bit late…”
Bishop Lexar was there, brushing off the hem of his cape, radiating a sense of having completed some grand task. Other vampire hunters and Arthur were present too, but everyone was disarmed and in a mood to dismiss things. It seems the loud noise had been echoing for quite a while; I just hadn’t noticed due to the soundproof barrier.
“That’s huge!”
“Bring more ropes!!”
“Pull harder!”
On the deck, sailors were throwing harpoons into the water, pulling on ropes like they were in a tug-of-war, trying to haul something up.
Peering over the side, I saw a limp magical beast, about five meters long, floating aimlessly. A serpent… no, it just had an extraordinarily long neck, but it did have a body and limbs.
“That’s a Lake Serpent.”
Arthur came over to enlighten me.
“With that long neck, it can catch birds or snatch crew members. Once it tastes human flesh, it becomes aggressive towards ships. But it’s incredibly weak against magic, making it an easy target for anyone adept with lightning spells.”
Got it, so it must have been Bishop Lexar’s handiwork.
As the Lake Serpent’s corpse was pulled onto the deck, the sailors cheered, “Ohh!”
“Why are they so happy?”
“It’s pretty tasty. You don’t get to eat it very often.”
So, it’s a delicacy from the lake… Looks like dismembering has already begun. I am curious, but I’ve got bigger fish to fry.
“—We’ve got a new lead.”
As I whispered this, Arthur’s previously relaxed expression turned serious.
“Did you find it using your secret arts again?”
“Seems like just moments ago, a ship was attacked. There are piles of victims…”
I relayed information about the attack location, circumstances, number of victims, and the likely collusion between vampires and lake pirates. Arthur expressed his admiration with, “To know so much in detail…!” but there was an edge of frustration in his demeanor. I understood how he felt.
“We need to inform the bishops.”
Information was quickly shared.
“…It’s frustrating. Knowing there are vampires right there, yet it’ll take us hours to reach them…”
“Moreover, it seems some were captured alive. There are reports that a lover has been made a plaything for the lake pirates.”
As I delivered the news calmly, the expressions of the vampire hunters grew graver. Bishop Lexar was gritting his teeth, and Forest Elf Yesera had veins bulging on her forehead.
“We need to do something… is there no way…?!”
“I wanted to conserve our magical power, but it seems that’s no longer an option.”
Yesera took a small flute from her pocket.
“I’ll call upon the wind spirit. I want it to blow a favorable wind, even just a little.”
No sooner had she said this than she began to dance while playing the flute.
A gentle, pure breeze wafted over, filling the sails of the NeedAlun tight. From somewhere, I thought I heard a girl’s giggle. Amidst the sudden strong breeze, the sailors hurriedly adjusted the rigging.
Oh wow, a spirit. It’s been a while since I saw one.
“Hmm, you can see it too?”
Oh, no, I just have a faint sense of its magical presence because I’m in a human form. It’s been a long time since I saw a Forest Elf calling a spirit.
“Oh ho, I thought it was a well-crafted spell since it manifests the spirit in such detail.”
…A well-crafted spell?
“Indeed. This is a personification of nature created by the collective consciousness of the Forest Elves.”
…Oh.
Actually, there are scholars who support such a theory… Spirits, whether in tales or reality, only show up where Forest Elves are. No matter how earnestly humans or beastmen worship them.
There’s always been a notion that instead of the spirits loving the Forest Elves, the Forest Elves create the spirits? But if I were to say that out loud, the Forest Elves would launch into a furious tantrum…
“They probably believe this naively, just like humans believe in holy attributes.”
Faith and belief can generate power, huh… It’s quite ironic to think that the embodiment of nature the Forest Elves cherish is, in fact, something they’ve crafted themselves.
“To be honest, when I first came into this world, there were no spirits at all, and the Forest Elves weren’t even worshipping anything.”
…Here comes another outrageous story from ages past.
Next time I have the chance, I want to hear more of those old tales.
“I’ve forgotten a lot, though.”
—Anyway, thanks to Yesera calling the wind, the ship picked up a little speed.
However, compared to the wings of a dragon, it was still quite slow. Arthur seems to have gone to consult Captain about the fastest route. The other vampire hunters, since there was nothing they could do, returned to their watches or to rest.
I glanced back at the corpse of the magical beast being dismembered.
…So many bones.
“So, what are you going to do with that?”
“Just throw it into the lake.”
“I see. …Looks like it’ll take a while to finish dismembering.”
“Yeah, it’s quite a big catch!”
The sailor replied with a grin while wielding a knife.
—I returned to the cabin and called forth Romeo’s soul once more.
“…So, we’re rushing to the scene as quickly as we can.”
“Thank you…!”
Romeo bowed deeply.
Wrapped in dark magic, he still gazed outside with a desperate longing.
Actually, Romeo hasn’t become a holy spirit.
His hatred is directed more towards the lake pirates than vampires, which meant he was at risk of being judged as “enemy of the living” by the Holy Silver Curse. He hasn’t turned into an evil spirit, but… let’s say he’s a typical undead.
“…This is the first time I’ve felt a ship moving so sluggishly.”
Noticing my gaze, Romeo remarked with a self-deprecating tone.
“I can understand that feeling.”
“I… I need to save her as soon as possible… If she ends up as a plaything of the lake pirates and is killed… I can’t stand it…!!”
Romeo’s face contorted in agony as he clutched his head—
He needs to hurry.
“…I’m not sure how effective it will be. It could fail or end up being of little use. But if there’s even a slight chance it could speed up the ship… would you be willing to try?”
“Of course!! …Wait a second.”
Romeo shouted in exasperation but seemed to sense something in my expression.
“Is there a way? Something I can do?”
“…By betting your soul.”
“I’ll do it! Let me do it! If I can help even in a little way…!”
Without any hesitation, Romeo agreed.
“…I see.”
Suppressing the revulsion bubbling up inside me, sure as nausea, I nodded.
Romeo hasn’t become a holy spirit.
He’s just an ordinary spiritual body.
In other words, his soul is—
—modifiable.
†††
As Yesera played the flute amidst the lively atmosphere, Captain Sendros took the helm in place of the helmsman on break.
The sky was turning a dawn hue. With fair winds, the NeedAlun sliced through the waves, lighter than ever.
“This is the blessing of the wind spirit, Thard!”
The sailors revered the wind spirit, especially popular among sailors of sailing ships.
Sendros, who had no magical aptitude, couldn’t even sense the spirit’s presence, yet he felt there was something extraordinary swirling around the sails.
This must be the spirit that the Forest Elves call upon.
It definitely felt lighter to steer the ship than it usually did.
(It’s as if… someone is pushing the ship along.)
Splash! The water surface foamed white at the stern.
Yet Sendros would never realize the presence diligently supporting the ship beneath the surface, fiercely paddling.
