I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature-Chapter 31

Chapter 031.  Arurion
-Yul.
-And the one above?
-I’m Javarel. I've come to live in the Archipelago Ocean. Do you happen to know where the island of the turtles is?
-Beings from the Outer Ocean, I see...
The prince of the Sea Elf tribe—whose identity Yul couldn’t quite grasp—asked if he could come closer.
-Why?
-I think we could help each other. Since we live in different oceans, how about sharing information?
-Fine.
Yul appreciated his cautious manner. He also sensed no hostility from the prince.
As they came closer, Yul could see the winged ship clearly. From the side plating up to the bulwark, wings were attached—made of a pearly white metal.
Some were massive, others small. The ends of the metal curled like twisted fur, shaped in the form of wings.
Before long, they were close enough that the man at the bow raised one leg and leaned forward.
“Just call me Aron. It’s a nickname. First, let me answer your question about the turtles."
He spoke aloud, but it was being “translated” through Transmission of Thoughts.
“There’s an island in this sea where the turtles live together. It’s called the Island of the Brown Sage.”
-Would they accept an outsider turtle like me?
“I’m not sure. They’re very reclusive. I’ve never heard of them accepting outsiders. They’re probably the most isolated group in the entire Archipelago Ocean.”
-Hmm...
“Anyway, that’s the only island where turtles gather. If you want to know where it is, we can tell you.”
Javarel looked at Yul, saying that such a “migration” might be quite arduous.
Yul turned his eyes away. He’d already brought him this far—what more did he expect?
“Why does he want to migrate?”
-He said he ran away from his homeland. I took him in for a while because he had nowhere else to go. Now he says he wants to settle in the Archipelago Ocean.
After hearing Arurion Phantarei’s words, Yul thought it’d be more convenient to keep the conversation in a question-and-answer format.
I've never seen a Sea Elf before. Are your kind native to the Archipelago Ocean? Which island do you live on?"
-We don’t live on islands. We’re born on ships and die on ships.
From what he heard, the sea elves seemed to be a maritime force that roamed the entire Archipelago Ocean, exerting dominance over its waters.
“Then let me ask you something. Who are you? I know that some orcas in the Archipelago Ocean possess high intelligence, but none as familiar with magic as you.”
-Me? I’m a Patroller from the Orca Tribe of the Great Azure Ocean.
Yul explained a little about himself. Arurion, belonging to a faction of the “surface,” knew nothing about the powers dwelling “beneath” the sea.
It was quite a common divide—those living in the Twilight Zone or the Deep Sea knew little of each other’s powers or information.
Their languages were different, and each layer felt completely cut off from the rest.
“Oh? Is that so? Then there must be tremendous marine creatures in the Great Azure Ocean. How many islands are there?”
-Hardly any. There are a few near the Arctic, but none as large as the ones in the Archipelago Ocean.
“Interesting. So there’s a power beneath the sea.”
-By the way, are you alone on that ship? I don’t see any crew.
“They’re on deck. It’d be trouble if you turned out to be dangerous.”
At that, Yul noticed several sea elves raising their heads.
“One thing I’ll tell you—this sea is about to become a battlefield. You’d better stay clear.”
-A battle?
“Happens all the time. There are always those who challenge the sea elves ruling the surface. But this time, it’s sea elves fighting among themselves.”
-Huh?
Then, Yul suddenly detected explosions around the winged ship.
KABOOOOOM!
“Didn’t expect them to come this fast.”
Arurion Phantarei gestured apologetically toward Yul’s group, then shouted:
“All hands to battle stations!”
sea elves who had been unseen suddenly appeared on deck.
By then, Yul and Javarel had already dived underwater.
-Whoa! A ship just appeared from the other side, Sir Yul!
"Mm. I see it. Looks like we picked the worst time to talk to them.
Through echolocation, Yul detected the new fleet—thirty-four ships in total. Smaller than the winged ship, but numerous, and armed with cannons.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
-If Sir Aron goes down, we’ll lose any chance of finding the Sage’s Island!
-Wait.
From below, Yul observed the battle above.
The fleet fired a barrage of shells, while Arurion’s winged ship—though lacking cannons—counterattacked in a peculiar way.
The sea elves tore off the wings that were attached like ornaments along the ship’s hull, kneaded them with their hands as if molding clay, and hurled them outward.
Then, the wings—moving as if alive—took flight on their own and dove straight toward the enemy ships, exploding upon impact.
‘Those are aerial suicide drones.’
Even when parts of the wings were torn off, they regenerated into new wings. Though they fought back effectively, what truly kept them alive against the enemy’s cannon fire was the ship’s evasive maneuvers.
This ship, without sails, moved in a strange manner—accelerating in an instant to escape the cannons’ line of fire.
“All right, we’re turning! Left hull, prepare the explosive wings!”
Sometimes it would even spin a full circle, like a flat-bottomed ship. When it did, the sea elves waiting on the port side launched their wing drones into the air.
‘What a bizarre ship. Its maneuvering method is completely different.’
Such technology was something only modern ships could perform, yet this one from an older age was doing it effortlessly.
-Wow, looks like Sir Aron’s ship is completely overwhelming them!
-A ship with wings and a regular one aren’t even in the same league.
By the time an hour had passed since the battle began, the number of the attacking ships had already been cut in half.
While Yul was watching the fight from beneath the waves, enjoying the spectacle above, a stray cannonball lost momentum and drifted toward them under gravity.
-Don’t just stare blankly, Javarel. Even one hit from that thing will kill you.
Yul flicked his tail, sending the round iron shell spinning away. Once it hit the water, it lost all momentum anyway, so it posed no threat.
-Th-thank you!
-The battle should be ending soon.
Once the attackers lost about half their fleet, they retreated. Arurion’s ship didn’t pursue and soon came to a stop.
As Yul and Javarel surfaced, the winged ship’s crew was busy pulling enemy sailors out of the sea.
-Javarel, we should help them.
-Aren't they the prince's enemies?
-But they are trying to rescue them.
-Then I’ll help too!
Javarel, clearly impressed by Arurion’s fight, seemed to have grown quite fond of him.
Still, he could only save one or two at best.
'Time to move.'
Yul swam toward the area where several had fallen into the sea.
Then, he used the Horn of the Sea King. The small horn on his forehead began to glow, stirring strong currents in the surrounding waters.
Wherever Yul moved, the elves flailing nearby were swept up by the current as though caught in a fishing net.
Even the stronger swimmers couldn’t escape, being pulled into Yul’s control zone by the flow.
Surfacing with the rescued elves, Yul brought them near the winged ship.
-Aron, that was an impressive battle.
“My apologies, Yul. I didn’t expect enemies to arrive in the middle of our talk.”
-Here. These are the elves who fell into the sea. I rescued everyone, except for a few who drowned.
“I owe you a debt. They are enemies, yes, but all are our kin. It pains me to see them fall in such a filthy war.”
Arurion ordered his crew to haul the rescued elves aboard.
-But Aron, why are sea elves fighting each other?
“As you can see, the winged ship isn’t ordinary. Across all Sea Elf Tribes, there are only seven of them.”
-Hmm? So they attacked to seize the ship?
“That’s part of it, but those who possess a winged ship also hold the right to vote for the next Exiled King, the leader of the Sea Elves—all because of this wing insignia.”
Arurion revealed the wing-shaped insignia pinned to his chest, a piece of jewelry adorned with countless gemstones—clearly no ordinary decoration.
“Each Dragon Heart Furnace yields only one wing insignia. So it’s impossible to replicate.”
-A Dragon Heart Furnace?
“The ship’s power source. It runs on the heart of an ancient dragon. Anyway, a minor admiral attacked me to obtain this insignia.”
-Wait, isn’t your country an aristocratic state? Doesn’t a prince automatically inherit the throne?
“Heh. A prince does become king, yes. But I’m not the only one—there are five other princes.”
-Oh, I see.
As Yul listened, he recalled something similar from his memories.
It was like the Holy Roman Empire—those who possessed the winged insignia were like electors, entitled to choose the emperor.
A fascinating system. Considering they had no territory and lived solely on ships, it almost resembled a republic of pirates.
“My father’s health is failing. That’s why threats like these keep coming.”
-Hmm.
“In any case, I owe you one. You said Javarel, right? I’ll personally see that you reach the Island of the Brown Sage safely.”
-Th-thank you so much, Sir Aron!
-Tch.
Yul clicked his tongue. Ungrateful brat—who’d been the one escorting him until now?
Arurion then turned to Yul.
“And since fate brought us together, Yul, why don’t you accept a gift from me?”
-A gift?
“You’ll like it.”
* * *
The battle’s over, and while Arurion’s crew hauled the crippled ships off to some base, Arurion towed the winged ship and took Yul somewhere.
“This is the northernmost island of the Archipelago Ocean. And it’s my territory.”
-Hmm.
Yul surveyed the island. It was fairly large—much bigger than the islands in the Great Azure Ocean.
Palms grew along the shore, and beyond them stretched a vast, densely packed forest. The interior must be jungle-like.
"Now, I'll give you this island as a gift."
-……??
"Hmm? Did you not hear me? You may take this entire island."
-What are you talking about...? I haven’t done anything to deserve an island from you.
He’d only helped rescue a few sea elves and turn them into prisoners.
“This isn’t a gift given for merit. It’s compensation, really.”
-Isn’t an island an awfully expensive ‘compensation’?
“But it’s suitable for my only friend under the sea. Besides, I don’t need this island. It’s uninhabited, lies at the very northern edge of the Archipelago Ocean, and even the island's soul rests on the seabed.”
That last bit sounded strange.
-Hmm? What do you mean by that? The island's soul?
“Each island can be ruled by someone who has linked their magic with the island's soul. But some islands, like this one, have their soul not on the surface, but deep beneath the sea.”
It was a sort of core, perhaps? Yul had never heard of such a thing, but to claim ownership of the island, one had to merge one's magic with the island's soul.
-So the Archipelago Ocean actually has islands with minds?
“Ho. That's interesting. Do other places not have an island's soul?"
-No. Neither the Great Azure Ocean nor the Continental Ocean to the east had anything like that.
It was something unique to the Archipelago Ocean.
-How do you merge with an island's soul?
“Flow your magic into it. Once you ‘connect,’ you can ‘rule’ it. So? Will you accept the island?”
“Just channel your magic into it. That’ll ‘connect’ you to the island, allowing you to ‘rule’ it. So? Will you accept the island?”
-Alright. I accept.
Whatever hidden motive he had, the offer of an entire island was irresistible.