Chapter 946 |
Chapter 946
Someone among the gathered members raised his hand. It was Steiber, utterly soaked and exhausted.
No other members who had gone to the sea with him were visible beside him. The same was true for Yuder Aile. Kishiar's gaze, which had scanned around Steiber, turned towards the distant sea. His red eyes darkened momentarily as if shadowed. However, the look lasted only briefly, as if blinking, before returning to normal.
Kishiar spoke quickly.
“It seems you’ve already found something significant at the destination. Otherwise, Yuder wouldn’t have sent you here alone. Have you certainly found the cause of the ringing sounds and the earthquakes?”
“...As Yuder predicted. I alone could go, and you, the Commander, would know everything,” Steiber said, managing a faint smile despite his exhaustion. Kishiar’s eyes softened slightly at this.
However, the mood quickly turned icy as soon as Steiber began his explanation.
“As the Commander said, near the direction of the sound, in the deepest part of the sea, we discovered six enormous abnormal cracks and a strange, massive monster.”
Six abnormal cracks.
Even the members who had seen the three cracks during the hailstorm paled at this astonishing report.
Steiber, shivering slightly as he briefly recounted the circumstances leading to the discovery, was wet but not cold. His power over water meant he wasn't chilled; the shivering indicated a bodily instinctive fear from the mere memory.
“All the vibrations we felt, the rough currents, the sounds shaking the earth, seem to have originated from the giant monster struggling and colliding within the abnormal cracks in its attempts to escape,” Steiber concluded.
“...”
“The monster became more agitated after we discovered it. Thanks to Yuder’s prompt action and directions, no one was injured, but... our time to endure there was limited…”
Yuder immediately gathered his strength to protect everyone from the immense vibrations emanating from the crack. His response was nimble beyond belief for the deep sea. The other members quickly came to their senses and contributed their strength, but after enduring it, most were too exhausted to stay longer in the depths.
Of course, they could rest if they left this place and went up to rotate with others. But if everyone went up at once, Yuder would be left to endure alone, a dangerously risky situation. Therefore, they decided to rotate in turns, starting with Steiber, who had enough strength to ascend quickly and inform the replacements without waiting.
“I had the capacity, more than the others, to ascend quickly and inform the replacements, so I came up first. That’s why I ended up here,” Steiber explained.
Even a weakened Steiber could move alone without difficulty and quickly at that. It was the most efficient choice.
“So, what exactly did Yuder instruct you to report to me along with the situation?” Kishiar asked.
Steiber fell silent for a moment, his hesitation tinged with uncertainty, knowing he had more to convey. But soon, he opened his mouth to respond.
"...'Balance the scales,' he said."
"...Scales? What does that mean?"
"A secret code, perhaps?"
The members listening murmured among themselves. Kishiar, with an unchanged expression, paused briefly before letting out a sigh-like smile and nodding.
"Yes. He must have decided that was the best course of action. Understood. You should immediately seek out Priest Lusan, check on the situation, and..."
"No. There’s no need to consult the priest."
Steiber, wiping the water trickling down his chin, firmly shook his head.
"I'm not exhausted, just a bit drained of strength. Who in the Cavalry would not be after such an ordeal? I just need a short rest and will be ready to head out again."
"Admirable resolve, but this is an order, Steiber. Don't rush. Get examined, drink a restorative, and receive divine power. Then I won't stop you from going back."
Steiber, about to protest, instantly closed his mouth, realizing Kishiar’s gaze was fixed on his hand.
‘Just a slight numbness... Did Yuder send me here for this? Was he worried about me in that chaotic situation?...’
As if reading Steiber's perplexity, Kishiar's low voice fell upon him.
"To achieve our goals, one must be able to see the whole picture even in urgent moments. Steiber Rendley. You are the Sul's Deputy Commander, the one who must lead the largest number of people today. Do not forget how important your own condition is."
"...Yes!"
Steiber rose from his seat, taking a deep breath and shaking his arms with a stern face.
"But Commander, before I go to the Priest, may I know the meaning of 'balance the scales'?"
"I was about to tell you anyway."
Kishiar scanned the faces of the gathered members.
"Do you remember, on the day of the hailstorm, two of the three abnormal cracks that first appeared suddenly vanished?"
"Ah... Yes!"
"We've theorized why, the Assistant and I. Put simply, it means to replicate a similar situation as that day."
"A similar situation? What do we need to do?"
A mysterious smile formed on Kishiar's lips.
"No need for excessive concern. It won't be much different from before. Everyone, move to the designated locations near the sea, ready to respond to the enemy at any moment. If Yuder's report and my thinking are correct, the enemy will start appearing from the sea after the next earthquake."
"..."
"Move out."
At Kishiar's brief command, the members swiftly turned and ran off. Steiber, still somber, headed towards the makeshift infirmary where Priest Lusan was.
Kishiar watched their retreating backs, lost in thought.
Not having seen it himself, he couldn't know the exact situation in the depths. Yet, based on countless conversations with Yuder before today, and information from the previous southern earthquake in the game, Kishiar could sufficiently surmise his thoughts and judgments.
According to Yuder, abnormal cracks appear and disappear countless times in areas where disasters occur. The fact that they appear and vanish without spewing monsters is truly strange.
However, from the information obtained from Aton and his actions, Kishiar became convinced that these cracks were a sign of a 'disturbance in balance' occurring in those areas.
‘An overly shocked vessel often cracks right before breaking, much like a scale that starts to tilt heavily on one side and begins to wobble. Perhaps these 'abnormal cracks' are also a sign of something similar.’
When Kishiar La Orr thought of the word 'balance', the first thing that came to his mind was his own body. Given what he had experienced, this was a natural reaction.
He wasn't sure if it was right to compare these things on the same level, but when he thought about his 'vessel', he realized that balance doesn't usually distort suddenly. Usually, it wobbles while trying to recover but fails. Eventually, when a limit is reached, it completely cracks, and when it can no longer withstand, it breaks. That seemed to be the order.
Thinking about it, maybe the appearance of the cracks was like cracks inflicted on the vessel of this world?
‘Let's assume that ignoring the appearance of these abnormal cracks and allowing the imbalance to continue might lead to them bursting, spawning monsters and disasters. If that's the case, then the opposite effect – restoring balance – might cause the cracks to disappear.’
In this case, the means to influence 'balance' that could be surmised so far were 'power' and 'life'.
What had happened before and after the three abnormal cracks in the sky disappeared on the day of the hailstorm?
Several Awakeners died or went berserk, losing their power. Duke Herne and many of the knights serving him also lost their lives. And importantly, the monsters spewed from the abnormal cracks were killed by the Awakeners and the mages exerting their power.
Only after an enormous amount of power and life had been exhausted and lost did all those cracks finally disappear.
Kishiar focused on that very point.