Chapter 297: Worshippers of Twilight (4)
It was a beautiful tropical scene. Under a crimson-stained sky, the emerald sea shimmered, reflecting vivid coral reefs. Beyond the palm trees that dotted the coastline, a dense jungle stretched out. At the center of the island rose a sizable mountain, from which an eerie aura faintly emanated.
"So this is Dragon Isle..." Lapicel watched eagerly, waiting for the ship to dock.
But for some strange reason, the vessel veered to the side and passed the island by. Rather than land, it followed the coastline to another area.
"Oh... aren’t we going ashore?" Lapicel asked.
The pirates shook their heads. "It’s too dangerous over there. Even we don’t go."
Their base was on another island across from Dragon Isle. The presence of dragon bones caused too many strange phenomena there, and even pirates weren’t reckless enough to approach without reason.
"It’s so dangerous that not even the empire dares to get too close. That’s why it’s a good place for us to hide out."
Apparently, the plan was to land at their base first, then transfer to smaller boats for the final stretch. After sailing a little farther past Dragon Isle, the pirates’ hideout came into view. It was another tropical island, visually indistinguishable from Dragon Isle. Being in the same waters, it was no surprise that the scenery was nearly identical.
The pirate base sat on a coastline ringed with white sand. It wasn’t quite a town, but it was sizable enough to count as a serious camp. Tents and huts were scattered about, though none looked particularly well-constructed.
Serati, who had been imagining something out of a pirate adventure tale, muttered in disappointment. "It’s kind of shabby, isn’t it?"
Karnak chuckled. "Pirates aren’t exactly master builders."
"Still, shouldn’t a pirate lair have treasure or something?" Serati asked.
"What, do you think they lay gold and silver out like seaweed to dry in the sun? It’s probably hidden somewhere," responded Karnak.
The Osprey's Roar dropped anchor off the coast. The crew jumped into the shallows and began pulling ropes to dock the ship properly.
Karnak turned to the captain. "We’ll head to Dragon Isle from here."
The captain glanced around uneasily. "Then... may we be on our way?"
What a ridiculous notion. If the ship left, how was Karnak’s group supposed to get back?
"You’ll have to wait here for us," said Karnak.
"With the pirates?"
From the captain’s perspective, it was all terribly unfair. Weren’t they supposed to take care of the pirates? That’s why he’d trusted them and come along!
"Strictly speaking, I said we’d keep the pirates from harming you," Karnak replied confidently, gesturing toward the pirates. "And we did, didn’t we?"
Indeed, none of the pirates showed even the slightest intention of harming the Osprey's Roar’s crew. Granted, that didn’t mean it was easy to relax around them. But that was hardly Karnak’s concern.
"Wait here. We’ll return after visiting Dragon Isle." With that brief notice, Karnak’s party promptly disembarked.
The remaining pirates turned to the captain and his crew with grins.
"Well, since fate brought us together, let’s get along, yeah?"
"Would you care to hear the word of Lady Serakal?"
The captain truly was a seasoned sailor. Even in a situation that made him want to cry, he managed to force a smile. "Ahaha... s-sure, why not."
***
Desteran turned out to be quite skilled at handling a boat. Karnak’s party rode the small vessel he piloted across to the opposite island. As they landed the boat and stepped onto the shore, a strange animal cry echoed from deep within the jungle. It was a tense and threatening sound, but Desteran paid it no mind.
"Let’s go," he said.
They passed the coastline and headed into the tropical rainforest. After a while of walking, monsters suddenly came pouring from the jungle.
They were beasts of bizarre and unrecognizable form. There were creatures that looked like crab-monkey hybrids and two-legged fish covered in feathers. The monsters burst out from the underbrush. Karnak’s party responded immediately.
Serati’s blue aura blade cleaved through a beast in a single swing. "These things look completely made up."
Lapicel’s purple aura sword slashed through another. "They really do look like random mash-ups."
The two of them alone were more than enough. The others didn’t even need to lift a finger. As the beasts fell one by one, they vanished, reverting into ordinary crabs, fish, and other animals.
Karnak nudged one with his foot and said, "They’re born of dragon mana. Basically mutations, anomalies among monsters."
They continued pressing toward the island’s center. More beasts appeared along the way, but none posed a real threat. The party’s strength was so overwhelming that the creatures couldn’t even slow them down.
Then Serati asked, "Still, isn’t this kind of dangerous?"
The monsters weren’t exactly weak. They seemed trivial only because they were dealing with them. But they would have been beyond what most adventurers were capable of handling.
Serati continued, "Is it really safe to leave Master Diogres alone? He’s only at the fourth circle right now."
Desteran responded politely. "I was concerned about that at first, too."
Up until now, he had been speaking in southern imperial, but now he’d switched to Isola.
After all, if the saintess only understood Isola, how could he dare to speak in anything else?
Hearing his accent, Serati remarked in admiration, "You speak Isola very well."
"Well, given the nature of my work, I’ve had to learn most of the imperial dialects," responded Desteran.
Search Black was an organization spanning the entire empire. In other words, its members hailed from across the entirety of the empire. And if he couldn’t communicate with them, how could he command them?
In fact, most of the regional languages across the empire shared a common linguistic root.
With enough exposure, they weren’t particularly difficult to pick up.
Karnak added via telepathy.
—It’s more than just a dialect, but not quite a separate language either. There’s a lot of overlap. You’re just not used to it since you’ve been holed up in Eustil your whole life. If you lived in wider waters, you would’ve learned it naturally as well.
—Sorry for being a frog in a well.
As Serati grumbled, Desteran continued. "I’d originally considered assigning some pirates as his guard, but Master Diogres refused."
He said he couldn’t trust them. That was understandable. Anyone would’ve said the same.
"Fortunately, he said the monsters on this island are so feeble that, even at his current level, he’s more or less able to protect himself. Since an archmage said so, I took him at his word," explained Desteran.
"Really? Even so, it feels like this place would be dangerous to a fourth circle," muttered Serati.
As they continued making their way through the dense jungle, Karnak suddenly let out a sound of admiration while peering into the thick vegetation ahead. "Wow... So this is why Diogres was so confident?"
The rest of the party looked puzzled.
"What is it, young master?" Varos asked.
No matter how hard they looked, all they saw were ordinary trees. What exactly had he seen to make him react like that?
"Oh, right. You wouldn’t notice it unless you’re a mage," said Karnak.
What Karnak had sensed was a complex network of interwoven magical barrier formations spread throughout the area. Individually, each one was quite minor, barely second or third circle.
But when layered together, they combined into constructs with the force of fourth- or fifth circle magic, and then again into structures capable of sixth- or even seventh-circle destructive power.
"This is no joke. Just how many layers are there?" Said Karnak.
The barriers were even set up to resonate with each other. If one were destroyed, its magic would transfer into another. It was a sophisticated system of magical redundancy.
"And all this using only fourth circle magic or lower?" It was so elaborate and refined that even Karnak had to click his tongue in admiration. "I wouldn’t dare try something like this."
Varos, surprised, asked, "Huh? Even you, young master?"
Karnak answered him.
—Well, I meant with magic. If I use necromancy, I can do something similar.
In fact, his necromantic magic employed a similar concept: synchronizing low-circle chaos magic and necromantic energy to amplify power over time and space.
Karnak continued.
—Still, there’s a lot to learn here. I’ll have to ask Diogres about how he set it up.
As they walked further, they arrived at a wide clearing in the heart of the jungle. It looked like an empty clearing. Nothing could be seen there at all.
"Master Diogres!" Desteran shouted into the empty space. "I’ve arrived. Open the gate!"
The air around them distorted, and the entire space began to ripple. Like a painting being torn to reveal a new canvas, the bare ground melted away and was replaced by the form of a massive tent. From within the tent, a man slowly stepped out.
"You’ve come, Sir Desteran?"
He appeared to be a man in his fifties with a worn, fatigued expression. It was Diogres Kolon, the Archmage of the Tower of Dawn.
***
Diogres wasn’t surprised at the sight of Karnak’s group. He had already sensed them within the barrier long before. Nor did he seem wary. If Desteran had brought them, that alone was enough for him to trust them. After all, had it not been for Desteran, he would have already fallen to the Cult of the Black God.
With a simple gesture, Diogres beckoned them forward. "Come in for now."
The inside of the tent was plain. A small table, a few chairs, and a bed—that was all.
He gestured to the group and asked, "Would you mind introducing yourselves?"
Desteran raised his voice, his eyes gleaming with fervor. "They are brethren of the Church of Twilight!"
And not only did he raise his voice, but his faith surged with it. "Lady Serakal has shown mercy upon her servant and sent down grace. Praise be to her name!"
For some reason, Diogres’s face suddenly turned weary. "The Church of Twilight?"
Desteran pointed to Serati and then to Karnak. "We are honored by the presence of the saintess herself. And the high priest."
He still seemed to place the saintess slightly above the high priest in status. Instead, he just couldn’t bring himself to place anyone else on the same level as the saintess. It was a kind of unspoken hierarchy, so to speak. Of course, to outsiders, the high priest would generally be perceived as the higher-ranking figure.
This time, Diogres actually looked surprised. "You’re the High Priest of the Church of Twilight?"
Karnak responded awkwardly. "Uh, yes. I suppose I am?"
Originally, Varos had been the one meant to take on the role of high priest Varonak. That was why Demphis had been wandering around in disguise using Varos’s face.
Things... got a little tangled along the way.
Karnak’s discomfort was genuine, and even Lapicel could feel his awkwardness.
Oh, come on! Lord Karnak really needs to work on his acting. Even if it is part of the mission, he’s going to blow our cover at this rate, thought Lapicel.
Fortunately, Diogres didn’t seem to find it all that strange. He asked, "So, what brings you here to see me?"
"To protect you before you fall into the hands of the Cult of the Black God," Karnak replied. And, if possible, to help you recover your former power."
Glancing around cautiously, Karnak continued. "But it looks like you've already found a way."
"I have," Diogres replied with a nod. "The draconic mana that flows from the dragon bones turned out to be the key to breaking the seal."
He grimaced as he went on. "The foundation of the powers the cultists use is, after all, the power of dragons."
