I Became an Evolving Deep-Sea Creature-Chapter 34

Chapter 34. Ogh of the Rising Tide
Lucian Beltaine was an energetic baby. Ever since he had learned to walk, he was constantly trying to go somewhere, so Celestia had to keep a constant watch on him.
“Well, it just means raising him got harder, that’s all.”
Now, she was told that he shouldn’t go near anything imbued with magic.
If she thought of it like an incurable disease, perhaps she could bear it a little better.
And wasn’t her husband, Ian, working tirelessly to find a cure? Surely, things would turn out fine.
Celestia tried hard to stay positive.
"I need to sort out my husband first."
Ian had the temperament of a scholar who dug deep once something caught his interest, and because of that, his workspace was often littered with all sorts of dangerous magical items.
He had promised to be more careful after the recent incident, but there were still plenty of things left lying around. Celestia made sure not a single one was overlooked.
“Ian! The books and herbs you brought from the family estate, we should move those too, right? And that pen, isn’t it infused with magic?”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Look at this mess. What was I thinking? We should move everything to the lighthouse. Can you help me?”
"Yes, of course.”
Among the things brought from the estate, there could be items that unknowingly held traces of magic. So they moved all of Ian’s belongings to the lighthouse.
“Phew. That’s finally done.”
It had been a sweaty, exhausting task.
“There’s one thing I’m still worried about, Celestia.”
“What is it?”
“Places where magic gathers naturally… especially rain. Be careful of it. It’s one of the sources of magic circulation.”
Some of the magic that flowed through nature also traveled with the rain—some through rivers, and some even through the sea.
Even this circulating magic could pose a threat to Lucian.
“We have to worry about that, too?”
“I think the amount is minimal, but… we can’t be too careful.”
“Well, I never let him get rained on anyway.”
Celestia had always kept Lucian out of the rain, afraid he might catch a cold.
But now, thinking about everything that lay ahead, she had to fight hard to keep her fragile optimism from breaking.
“What’s going to happen to our son? Will he be all right?”
Celestia bowed her head and wept. Ian stepped forward, resting both hands on her shoulders, pressing his forehead against hers.
“I’ll do everything in my power to find a solution.”
Ian set aside every other priority—his sole focus now was to somehow resolve Lucian’s magic affinity issue.
“As a last resort, I’ll try to get some Krelsite.”
“That’s supposed to be incredibly rare, right? Isn’t it expensive?”
“I’ll try to get support from the family. And if that fails, I’ll find a way myself. He’s our child.”
Though Ian and Celestia received some support from their noble house, it wasn’t enough to afford Krelsite.
So Ian came up with an alternative way to lower Lucian’s magic affinity.
First, he needed to minimize direct skin exposure.
The solution was to use the hide of a monster with natural magic resistance.
After the Demon King had perished alongside the Hero, the troll-hide armor once used by the Adventurers of Yelfenstein had become cheap and widely available across several nations.
Clothing made from troll hide could moderately block ambient magic.
At the very least, it would protect Lucian from naturally occurring magic—from rainfall or the magical flow in seawater.
But it wasn’t a permanent solution. The hide’s resistance to magic would fade after a few years and would need to be replaced.
Then, it happened—Yul’s voice echoed inside Ian’s mind.
-Ian, I’m on my way to you right now, carrying Krelsite.
Startled, Ian immediately activated ‘Connection’ to respond.
“Are you serious?”
-I found Krelsite in an undersea mine. A mage hired by the Sun King confirmed that it’s genuine.
“What? The Sun King?”
-Yeah. I sold him some beforehand. Anyway, I’ll be there soon.
Ian rushed to tell Celestia the news.
“Yul found Krelsite!”
“Really?!”
Moments later, they headed to an undersea cavern, where a massive orca suddenly emerged from the water.
-Over here!
Yul had brought about 10 kilograms of it.
“This is… unbelievable…”
Ian touched the metal himself, channeling a trace of magic into it through a few simple tests, and soon, he was certain.
“It really is Krelsite… Then, as payment, I’ll sell some of my land if I have to—”
-No. That won’t be necessary. It’s not without payment, after all.
“What do you mean?”
-It’s about time I repaid my debt. For everything back then.
Yul had experienced a brush with death as a jelly octopus.
Chased by sand sharks, he had fled to the surface and was moments away from death when Ian handed him a magic stone.
-And the magic. You taught me spells, remember? You didn’t even ask for anything in return.
Even though it was strange, Ian had willingly taught a talking octopus the art of magic.
-At the time, I considered that a debt. And I’ve always thought that someday, I’d have to repay it.
Since being born into this world, no one had ever helped Yul the way Ian had.
If he thought of his fondest memories, it was always that time—living with Ian at the remote lighthouse.
-And now, I can finally pay you back.
“Yul…”
Ian felt something swell warmly in his chest.
-Is that enough?
“With this, I can make equipment for Lucian!”
“Thank you! Thank you, Yul!”
Celestia cheered, placing her hand gently on Yul’s forehead.
Yul felt a quiet pride welling up inside him. Coming here hadn’t been in vain.
Ian continued, now thinking ahead.
“Yul, is metal like Krelsite common in the sea?”
He could lie, but honesty would serve him better here. If humans ever communicated with another sea creature later, it would be easily exposed.
He just had to make clear that, even if it existed, it wasn’t easy to obtain.
-There’s plenty on the ocean floor. But it’s at depths far beyond what humans can mine.
“Would it be possible for you to bring more? If so, I could design tools suited for your use.”
-Oh. That's possible?
“Yes. For example, it could be crafted into full-body armor, or forged into a blade to attach to your tail.”
-Hoh…
Among orcas, there was no such thing as a “blacksmith.” They didn’t use weapons or armor—only simple tools, like baskets made from giant clams, to store things.
So, naturally, Yul had never owned armor or weapons of any kind.
-I’ll think about it.
“Okay.”
* * *
Yul had helped his comrades and gained new possibilities. Now, as he was about to return to his post, a new unwelcome guest appeared.
Something had sprung out from the wavering illusion.
-Greetings.
-You are…?
An orca with black skin covered in white tattoos had stepped out from beyond the fold of the illusion.
-Ogh of the Rising Tide?
-It was rather difficult to keep up with your movements. I don’t know what method you use, but you’re incredibly fast.
-…Were you stalking me?
-What did you talk about with the humans on that island?
Yul instinctively felt that his pursuer had not come with good intentions.
-That’s none of your business. And I heard that practitioners are supposed to stay in the village.
-Don’t speak like some stuffy Traditionalist. Practitioners have the right to go out. The village’s rules only bind them superficially.
Yul didn’t know from where the other had been following him, but he tensed. He had heard Nugh’s warnings about practitioners too often to take this lightly.
Yul remembered Nugh’s admonition.
《At first, they sought to ascend to transcendence with pure intentions, but over time, they became corrupted, making power itself their goal. And for that goal, they do not hesitate to use any means.》
《And because of your origin, some practitioners will surely target you. There are those who would do anything to unlock the secret of the stone tablet. We call them corrupted practitioners.》
《If the village spots a corrupted practitioner, they’ll banish them, even if they are Ascensionists, but some hide cunningly, keeping their true nature secret. Be careful.》
-Are you one of those corrupted practitioners?
-Oh. Corruption? Who decided what’s normal and what isn’t? Who named corruption and redemption? Those labels are given by whoever holds power at the time.
-What do you want from me?
-The same as before. Do you know anything about the stone tablet?
-How many times do I have to tell you I don’t know?
-Hmm. Can you see the Mantra engraved on my left temple?
A strange, angular mark could be seen.
-This is called the Mantra of Truth. Using this, I can discern truth from falsehood. I saw through the lie you told at once. Heh heh.
-There’s a Mantra like that?
-Mantras are a magic system symbolizing the infinite. Did you think there’d be no magic to discern truth?
At that, Yul realized Ogh had seen through his lie and had been preparing to ambush him all along.
Ogh of the Rising Tide continued, trying to intimidate Yul.
-The humans you trade with live on a small island. Unlike those on the mainland, you seem attached to them. You’d better answer obediently before I kill them one by one.
-What did you just say…!
Ogh might have been following Yul for some time.
Yul realized the other was already “prepared.” But Yul still had no idea what abilities Ogh possessed.
Faint images of the Beltaine family flickered through his mind. Suppressing some of the boiling anger, he spoke.
-I can’t trust you. Even if I told you about the stone tablet, you might kill those humans.
-You’re mistaken. I am not a pleasure killer who delights in murder or destruction. I am merely faithful to my purpose.
If that were true, he could be a conversational partner.
But if it were false, and Yul gave up information about the stone tablet, he could not guarantee the Beltaine family’s safety. Ian was Yul’s true friend—Yul had no intention of putting that family in danger for something unrelated to them.
-You could kill them at any time. Or you could keep using them to squeeze me, threatening them to force my hand.
-So?
-If you want to trade with me, you shouldn’t use methods like this.
The things Yul hated the most were cowards and those who attacked others by exploiting their weaknesses.
And Ogh was both.
-Hoho. Can't be helped then. I’ll completely subdue you, and while you watch, I’ll kill them one by one to find out which of the three in that family is most precious. Probably the brat, right?
Hearing that, Yul could no longer contain himself.
‘This bastard’s crossed a line. You truly need to die.'
Ogh had already made his decision, so Yul had to make his own.
The moment Yul shifted into an attack stance, his whole body flushed crimson.
【Authority-Madness (狂化) Activated】
The Stone of Authority was activated after a long time. This opponent was a strong one—stronger than any Yul had faced, even after becoming an orca.
-Your body turns red? How intriguing. I’ll dissect you and find out more.
There was little chance of reasoning with an opponent who had come to fight. Yul checked the rate at which his lifespan was draining and braced himself to face him.