The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 179

179. The Monster Serpent of Lake Beltino

Early April, 1426.

319 years after the death of Archmage Rin.

A fierce storm of rain and wind battered the entrance to the lower reaches of the Velisor River. The sailors said it was the gods sending spring rain.

‘It is the season for spring rain. Only the season hasn’t changed.’

But the river, churning like the sea, was far too dangerous to be called spring rain, and the task I had undertaken was not suited to ‘spring rain’ either.

Aki, who had been rigorously trained by Celine before the rain, was now asleep in her arms inside the cabin.

After checking on Aki, I went up on deck with Pipi, where the crew was in a frenzy, battling the rain and wind to secure the rigging, ropes, and chains.

“Reef it quickly! The sail is tearing!”

“We’re hurrying as much as we can!”

Valensidice, who was sitting on the figurehead, chanting a spell, opened one eye at that moment.

“Found it. Outputting the coordinates.”

He had detected the presence of a monster moving in the deep water through subtle vibrations in the air. He immediately projected the coordinates into the air.

“Confirmed. Everyone, cover your ears.”

The moment he grabbed the magic circle, which was spinning red in the pouring rain, sound disappeared from the world.

A lightning bolt tore through the rain-filled storm clouds. A deafening roar that erased color and sound struck the water’s surface in a chilling form.

A thunderous boom threatened to burst eardrums, and a torrent of steam from the immense heat surged like a hot wind.

“Valensidice, barrier ahead.”

Immediately, Valensidice deployed a wind barrier in front of the figurehead, deflecting the storm to either side.

When the thick fog of steam cleared, a blackened shape floated to the surface.

A water serpent, a River-Serpent, with a massive body as wide as a medium-sized merchant ship.

“Wow, awesome!”

“He blasted the River-Serpent in one shot!”

The sailors, who had been securing the rigging in the storm, all cheered. The captain also clapped with genuine enthusiasm as he approached.

“You’re truly amazing! To think you could take down that cunning beast in one blow…”

It was said to be so cunning that it only attacked and sank ships when there were no wizards or witches on board.

“Its depredations were so severe that we even considered hiring a slayer, but their fees were outrageously exorbitant…”

“A slayer?”

“A Serpent Slayer, that is. They’re specialists who only take on serpent hunting requests.”

At that, Valensidice’s eyebrows arched slightly.

“Have slayers started operating in this area too?”

“Yes. They’ve driven out other adventurers and taken over the territory, which is… well… They used to be a reliable bunch, but lately, they’ve become strangely like thugs, extorting exorbitant prices.”

“Slayers… It seems more than one or two are using that ridiculous title?”

I know three slayers.

Goblin Slayer, Miria.

And Arthur Brius, the strongest mercenary of all time, who hunted over a dozen wyverns 500 years ago, Dragon Slayer.

– Link, Link, Link.

And Cassel Linkhan, the Demon Slayer, who went with us to the Edge of the Earth Desert 300 years ago.

A giant whose height rivaled that of Bart, he had suffered some brain damage as a child and could only say his name, ‘Link.’

Normally, he was so innocent that even when Pipi landed on his head and pecked at him with her beak, he would just say, ‘Link, Link,’ and endure it.

But he was different on the battlefield. When Link saw a village or city ravaged by the Abyss [a chaotic and destructive force], he would become a monster filled with rage.

His appearance was so monstrous that he earned the title of Demon Slayer.

The name Cassel Linkhan was a name I had created by searching through history books to match the title of Demon Slayer.

“You might not know since you’re from the Empire. The adventurers in this area who call themselves slayers are all descendants of that Demon Slayer.”

What…?

For a moment, the sound of Link’s laughter, as he gave me a piggyback ride on those broad shoulders and smiled foolishly, seemed to echo in my ears.

I whispered to Pipi, who was looking up at me from inside Seresia’s sleeve, sheltering from the rain, mouthing the words:

‘Did you hear? That blockhead left descendants…’

I knew that the five adventurers who helped us in the final battle had returned safely. I was just afraid to hear the aftermath.

– Link, Link, Link.

– Link, Link, Link.

Pipi used to imitate Link’s words like a parrot, or rather, like a proper parrot, making everyone laugh…

Not knowing that this was my way of remembering Link, Valensidice shook his head slightly.

“Were you thinking about that goblin woman?”

“Goblin woman? Miria?”

“That woman is probably just calling herself a slayer. The real slayers, the descendants of the Demon Slayer, carry a mark on their bodies.”

“A mark?”

“It’s not so much that they carry it, but that they’re forced to have it… Anyway, if he had that mark, there’s no way I wouldn’t have recognized it.”

I don’t know if I should be relieved or not…

For a moment, imagining Miria as a descendant of that Link made me feel nauseous.

“By the way, seeing you deal with the River-Serpent so effortlessly with a single spell reminded the guild leaders of the stories they used to tell about the Archmage.”

“Archmage? What Archmage? Zernyx?”

“Zer… Who’s that? I’m talking about Archmage Rin.”

Archmage Rin? Me?

I felt my facial muscles stiffen.

“It happened 300 years ago. When the Red Dragons crossed the sea en masse, a small River-Serpent appeared in this waterway.”

At that time, the first guild leader, who founded this trading guild, was still a young merchant sailing in a small boat.

He made a profit by bringing local specialties from each port village to other villages to sell.

But the River-Serpent blocked the waterway, cutting off his livelihood. Cunningly, it hid deep beneath the surface, only attacking small boats as they passed.

“Eventually, he desperately sailed his boat out into the river, and the serpent attacked… That’s when Archmage Rin miraculously appeared and helped him.”

That did happen.

Some crazy kid wanted to die, heading into the waterway where the serpent was, and Friede pushed me to help him.

“The first guild leader never forgot that favor. It was a minor battle not recorded in any history books, but to him, you were a hero.”

A hero, huh?

Such a fuss over something so small.

“After the guild grew significantly, the guild leader designated that day as a holiday and held a grand festival every year, providing free food to everyone. He always told this story. And he ordered his descendants to do the same.”

“……!”

“That festival has continued for 300 years. It’s called ‘Archmage’s Day.’ It’s on December 28th every year.”

The captain pointed to the figurehead.

“That stone staff-shaped figurehead is a symbol of respect and gratitude for Rin. All of our guild’s ships have that figurehead.”

So, that’s what it was.

No wonder it looked familiar; it was the shape of the stone staff, the Geumyeongjang [a magical staff], that Yoshua had given me back in the Rin era.

“Perhaps you wear that bamboo hat out of respect for Rin as well, Archmage?”

It was very difficult to answer.

I can’t exactly say that I respect myself, can I?

Instead, I lowered my hat to hide my expression and tried to remember the face of the kid I met back then.

– Thank you, thank you so much!

He kept bowing, saying he would never forget this favor… He was a kid about my age.

– Reach out to someone, even if it’s just a little.

Suddenly, I felt like I heard Rista’s voice in the rain.

– Then people will remember Rin like this and pass it on to future generations like this. The Archmage of the Hero Party, they’ll say.

A connection 300 years later.

I never thought such a day would come. I thought the story of that good deed would only remain with those three…

I thought I would just feel embarrassed by something like this, but it’s not such a bad feeling.

“Just so you know, don’t create a day for me. I only worked for the fare to take me to Terbel.”

“Of course.”

“Even so, an immediate answer is a bit…”

With that, the journey through the Velisor River basin came to an end, and three days had passed since boarding the merchant ship.

The next day at noon, the merchant ship finally entered the territory of the Blue City Terbel.

“Now that the navy of the Blue City will protect you, you can rest easy.”

The sea breeze mixed with the wind, and the sound of seagulls could be heard.

Signs of abundance began to reappear in the riverside villages we passed. These were villages under the administration of the metropolis.

Around that time, the width of the estuary had widened crazily, to the point where the opposite banks of the river were not visible from the middle of the river.

“Tte-re-be-no-ppeul-dat!”

And two days later, Aki shouted excitedly the moment Terbel revealed its magnificent majesty.

His body had grown even more in the past two months, and he now looked about seven or eight years old.

It’s good that his mumbling speech has been greatly corrected… but he’s become a bit too arrogant.

“Dat, dat, dat, dat!”

He speaks informally to everyone except me. He even uses it on me little by little.

– A wanderer needs wildness.

It was none other than Master Celine who corrected his timid way of speaking…

When you think about it, it’s absurd for a dragon, especially a True Dragon, to use honorifics to humans. I think it’s better this way.

…Or so I thought, but because his human speech is mixed with Pipi’s speech, a bizarre hybrid language has been born.

“Aki wants to see better, dat! Aki wants a piggyback ride, dat!”

“Not a piggyback, but a neck ride.”

“Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.”

“Aki wants a neck ride, hurry up, datdatdat!”

“Everything’s good, but why the commanding tone?”

In fact, he’s now at the level of a martial arts master, so if I don’t give him a ride, he’ll use True Sight to leap up and climb onto my neck as he pleases…

Hmm, where did my small, cute Aki who used to beg for hugs go?

Holding back tears, I gave him a neck ride, and Aki, placing my bamboo hat on his head, exclaimed.

“Waoong…….”

In fact, when Terbel revealed its clearer and bluer appearance than the azure sky, I couldn’t help but utter the same exclamation.

‘Really, this is the second time, but it’s still amazing no matter how many times I see it. It’s unbelievable.’

The Sun of Changcheon, the Sanctuary of Terbel is two cities located at the point where the Velisor River merges with the sea.

“Ttu-gae-eui tto-si-yo?”

“Well, to be exact, it’s more accurate to say that one city is divided by the river.”

“Although the divided distance is excessively wide.”

“That’s right. But to ignore even such environmental factors and connect the city as one…”

It’s that warship that appeared before Terbel, right in front of us.

Yes, a warship.

Not just any warship, but the warship of the gods, the Territos, which roamed the Age of the Gods.

‘Terbel’s flagship and one of the 11 wonders of the world…’

That warship, as large as a city, is docked in the middle of the Velisor River estuary.

Connecting the two cities with eight pairs of gangways extending from its deck to both riverbanks.

A subtle structure and appearance closer to a bridge than a gangway.

“They say it’s so advanced that even the Ain [a race known for their advanced technology] can’t decipher its framework. It’s truly a wonder of the gods…”

Around that time, Celine came up on deck with a yawn.

“What, it’s the Palaseiom [a massive lighthouse]. We’ve already arrived.”

Soaring high above the bridge, which is similar in size to a fortress, is the Palaseiom Lighthouse.

“The humans living in Terbel can tell the time of day just by looking at its shadow.”

The Palaseiom is usually used as a lighthouse, illuminating the distant sea beyond the horizon as brightly as day.

Another wonder here is that no one needs to light the lighthouse or reflect the mirrors.

It charges its own batteries and lights up through a pioneering method of solar power generation…

Celine said.

“Can you see that well, Aki?”

“Aki can see it well, dat!”

“The Palaseiom will be open to everyone during the World Martial Arts Tournament. That’s where Aki will fight.”

I thought he was trembling with tension, but Aki, who had become incredibly strong in the past four months, seemed to be so excited that he couldn’t control himself.

“Aki will win, dat! Punch! Punchpunch!”

“That’s right! Become our Cheonhwa Punch!”

Aki, who was dangerously throwing punches while riding on my neck, lost his balance and was about to fall off the moment the ship was rocked by a wave… but he didn’t!

“Iyat!”

Before his red hair even touched the ground, he spun his body around and landed gracefully! A master!

“Aki landing!”

The sailors who saw it clapped wildly and cheered.

“I’ll cheer for you to win the World Martial Arts Tournament, Aki!”

“I’ll bet half of this old man’s fortune on you!”

“Don’t mess around, bet it all on Aki, dat!”

“Wahahahat!”

If it were someone else’s business, I would have clapped and moved on, but I don’t know why I’m so worried.

“Celine, you, you’ve made Aki too ferocious, haven’t you? How am I supposed to handle this?”

“Ferocious, ferocious, monster, monster, chimpanzee, chimpanzee, lacking, lacking, dumb lacking.”

Pipi, who was being cheeky, was caught in the Absolute Being’s ferocious grip in the blink of an eye.

Ah, no!

Aki, licking Pipi, who was crying out for me to save her, all over and covering her in saliva.

“Pipi, mashitteun naemttae…… guwo meogeo beorigettta!” [Pipi, you smell delicious… I’m going to roast you and eat you!]

“Ggiak, ggiak, ggiak, ggiak, save, save.”

Celine nodded, looking very satisfied.

“Wildness is important for a young wanderer. This isn’t even that ferocious. Aki is quite mild.”

The blue witch from the last village we visited said that it was because he had so much energy in his youth. She said he would mature as he grew older.

‘If he’s the same as humans, that would be the case…’

While they were talking, the merchant ship began to fold its sails and row towards the western harbor amidst the captain’s busy shouts.

– Why do most ships go only to this west side and not the east side?

A distant past, 300 years ago.

I asked Friede that question in this sea.

– The eastern city is the territory of those with citizenship in Terbel. The west is the commercial district. Most foreigners pass through there.

And at the end of the cliff in that eastern city, the blue palace Palaseiom, famously built by Terbel himself, soared up.

A place where only those of noble lineage, called the ‘Blue Blood,’ are granted the right to live.

Noble lineage refers to the descendants of the witches who had the honor of serving as tribunes during the great era when the Dragon Race led the republic.

“So that fortress is more famous by the name ‘Palace of Witches’.”

It felt strange to be reciting the explanation that Friede had given me in the past to Aki.

– Those high-nosed lineages recognized me, Friede, as the supreme shaman of the republic and even made a place for me inside. Do you know how great my dignity is?

Hmph, so what.

She didn’t even live inside, didn’t leave any descendants, and disappeared somewhere.

On the other hand, that blockhead Link, who was an orphan just like me and someone I thought would never get married, seemed to have created a whole slayer clan.

“Abat, baega mujihage manayo.” [Dad, there are so many ships.]

Aki pointed to different types of ships everywhere.

Deep-sea fishing boats, whaling ships, warships, merchant ships, sailing ships, galleys…….

The Blue Sea Fleet, which boasts the strongest navy in mankind, is probably docked in the eastern harbor.

I know better than anyone that this is true, as I saw it well during the turmoil 300 years ago.

“Yeah, there are a lot of ships…….”

“Ttaramdo maneun geosidat.” [There are also many people.]

“Yeah, that’s right.”

300 years ago, it was an era of war, so the Blue Sea Fleet had all set sail, and the harbor was only filled with refugees and rescue ships.

– It’s the Hero…….

– The Hero…….

– Hero, please……

Refugees who had lost their families, friends, and homelands, knelt down in tears when they saw us coming in on the ship.

– Rin, I will never forget this sight.

Rista waved to them and said that to me.

– 5 years, maybe 10 years. The day we come back here, I hope this city will be smiling. I’m going to fight with that dream in mind.

– …….

– I won’t live long, so Rin, watch over it for me. How the city changes.

That’s what happened, but now…….

It’s so vibrant and full of life, how happy Rista would have been if she had seen this sight, who loved people’s smiling faces.

“But why is Abba crying? Does Abba hate ships and people?”

Just as the light of memory seemed to be obscured by the darkness of reality, Aki, who had climbed back onto my shoulders, was holding his face upside down in front of my eyes.

“I’m not crying.”

That’s right, I can’t shed tears. What did I go up on that warship for that day?

“The sea breeze is just stinging my eyes a little.”

Instead of those fools, one of the things I have to do is to enjoy this peace that we built together.

Of course, it would have been better if we could have come together…….

I smiled wistfully and stole a handful of dew from the past that I could not return to. And I whispered softly to the present era, leaping over 300 years.

‘I don’t know what it was like 10 or 20 years later…….’

Rista.

Everyone is smiling now, 300 years later.

I wish you could have seen this too.