Chapter 87: Shall We Take a Hit?

Fear gripped the air.

The sight of a hundred men swimming across the ocean was something difficult to put into words.

If one had to describe it, they looked like a horde of zombies who had just discovered how to swim.

What on earth did “Mazar” mean to them, for them to do something so insane?

“Mazar-nim!”

“Mazar-nim!”

“Mazar-nim!!”

With battle cries, a hundred warriors of the Lion Tribe were closing in on the island.

Then, suddenly.

A massive wave swallowed the warriors whole. The warriors disappeared entirely from view.

“It’s dangerous!”

Eileen rushed to the shore, but there was nothing she could do.

No.

There was no need to help in the first place.

A wave like that could never defeat the Lion Tribe warriors.

“Hahaha! That feels refreshing!”

“No need to wash my hair today!”

“This is fun! Come at us, waves!”

Not a single one of them was left behind.

Once again, the Lion Tribe warriors swam through the ocean.

This time, they safely reached the island.

The first to set foot on land was Vadim, the chief of the tribe.

“I trust you are well, Saintess. And... we finally meet, Mazar-nim.”

As soon as Vadim saw Ascal, he knelt down.

A piece of seaweed slipped from his head. Vadim picked it up and chewed on it.

“Salty.”

Ascal was at a loss for words.

Long ago, in a village in the Erindale territory, he had inadvertently helped the Lion Tribe.

Back then, the Lion Tribe consisted of dying elders and people who had lost the will to live. Now, they were nothing short of indomitable warriors.

“Rodem, warrior of the Lion Tribe, greets Mazar-nim.”

One by one, the Lion Tribe warriors set foot on land. And in the order they arrived, they knelt before Ascal.

“Jake, warrior of the Lion Tribe, greets Mazar-nim.”

“Sendel, warrior of the Lion Tribe, greets Mazar-nim.”

“Sobin, warrior of the Lion Tribe, greets Mazar-nim.”

“Jeck, warrior of the Lion Tribe, greets Mazar-nim.”

This could go on forever.

Ascal drew Lightbane.

“Enough.”

Lightbane, quick to catch on, activated its amplification mode. Ascal’s voice took on a divine tone.

“I am not the Mazar-nim you speak of; I am but an ordinary human.”

It was important to clear up this misunderstanding right away.

“Of course, you are. You descended among us as a mere human to be with us.”

Vadim smiled.

“Would you show us the symbol, Mazar-nim?”

“Symbol?”

Ascal suddenly recalled the lion’s tooth necklace the village chief had given him a long time ago. Naturally, he had tossed it aside and forgotten about it.

A brilliant idea crossed Ascal’s mind, and he smiled.

“Oh dear, I don’t have the symbol. In that case, I must not be Mazar-nim, right?”

“Hahaha! Mazar-nim, that’s a good joke. The symbol is merely a token, not of real importance. What truly matters is the belief in our hearts.”

Vadim lightly tapped his chest with his fist.

“However, if it bothers you, Mazar-nim, I, Vadim, will take it upon myself to craft a new symbol for you personally.”

And Vadim Tried to Extract a Tooth from the Lion Pelt He Was Wearing

“Wait. Let me look for it first.”

Ascal rummaged through the backpack tied to Fer.

‘There’s no way it’s… Why is it here?’

He felt something hard in his hand.

Ascal pulled it out immediately. It was the lion tooth necklace.

“Oh, as expected! Mazar-nim, please wear the symbol, so that everyone can see!”

No matter how much he tried to explain that he wasn’t Mazar-nim, it seemed it wouldn’t make a difference.

In the end, Ascal gave up and quietly put on the necklace.

“Mazar-nim!”

“Mazar-nim!”

The Lion Tribe warriors exclaimed in awe.

Vadim, with a face full of emotion, spoke:

“At last, the legend begins. The moment Mazar-nim wears his symbol, the warriors will embark on an unbelievable adventure that will be remembered in history forever.”

“Our names will be etched in history!”

“Oh, we will dedicate all this glory to Mazar-nim!”

What on earth was so special about this lion tooth necklace?

“Now, lead us, Mazar-nim.”

Ascal, who had suddenly gained a hundred fanatics, naturally thought of this.

If he took them along for the dragon raid, they would be of tremendous help.

‘With just one word, they’d gladly sacrifice their lives.’

But.

How was that different from pushing these ignorant people into a death trap? Technically, they were a foreign tribe. They had no obligation to protect the Empire. If anything, they should despise it.

After reaching that conclusion, Ascal decided to send the Lion Tribe warriors back to their homeland.

“List—”

At that moment.

The lion tooth necklace began to glow.

And then, a slow, deliberate voice echoed in Ascal’s mind.

「Help… me… please…」

It was strangely in another language, but somehow the meaning was clear.

“Who are you? Where are you?”

「Under… here…」

“Under?”

Puzzled, Ascal looked down. Of course, all he saw was the ground. Ascal furrowed his brow.

“Whoever you are, if you don’t show yourself, I can’t help you.”

「You… see… me… already… this is… tiresome… fine…」

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The ground began to shake violently.

It was an earthquake.

Ascal was caught off guard.

On the contrary, the expressions of the Lion Tribe warriors were more like, ‘Ah! Finally, it’s beginning.’

“The ground is moving! No, it’s rising!”

Eileen shouted.

“Eileen! Grab onto something, don’t fall!”

The warriors were already in a perfect stance, legs spread wide, maintaining balance without a hint of wavering.

Finally, the earthquake stopped.

‘Is that… a giant turtle’s head…?’

And then Ascal realized.

The entire island was the back of a massive turtle.

「This is… unbelievable, it was here all along. The celestial sea turtle that I thought had vanished…」

Lightbane murmured in pure admiration.

「To see the celestial sea turtle in person after the golden Pegasus… I must say, choosing you as my master was the best decision of my life. I feel like shedding non-existent tears.」

Before Ascal could regain his composure, the slow voice spoke again.

「Now… then… help… me…」

A mythical creature.

The celestial sea turtle.

The scale was on an entirely different level.

Ascal had gone through countless unbelievable events before, but this one had just set a new record.

Ascal spoke with a sense of helplessness.

“What should I do to help? Do you need me to scratch your back?”

「Exactly… that… those who… have been… tormenting me… for so long… get rid of them… it’s driving me crazy…」

“Where are they? And could you speak a bit faster? You’re testing my patience.”

「On my shell… to the right… below…」

“You’ve put in some effort. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll check it out.”

「Thank you… I will… repay you…」

A giant turtle asking for help with an itch—it was quite an interesting situation.

Ascal thought of barnacles.

​Sometimes, when people catch a turtle, they use a knife to scrape off the barnacles stuck to its shell. It’s a grotesque task, but oddly satisfying.

“You spoke with him, Mazar-nim?”

Vadim asked, his eyes gleaming as he maintained his wide-legged, battle-ready stance.

“What did he say? What grand adventure awaits us?”

Ascal answered plainly.

“He said his back itches, and he wants us to take care of it.”

*****

A hundred warriors, along with Eileen, Fer, and Ascal, made their way to the southeast side of the island.

They sustained themselves with jerky that the warriors had brought along. It was wet, but chew long enough, and it was edible.

“…Normally, I wouldn’t touch meat, but this time, I really have no choice. I’d be a burden if I didn’t replenish my strength.”

Eileen nibbled reluctantly at the jerky, though there was a curious look of happiness on her face as she did so.

“This way, Mazar-nim!”

The thick growth of trees and bushes obscured the path ahead, but the Lion Tribe warriors cleared the way, slicing through obstacles with their knives.

Thanks to them, it was easy to follow.

“As expected of a true hero, or rather, a saint. Even though it’s just a turtle, you won’t abandon a creature in need.”

Ascal scratched his head at Eileen’s praise.

“Well, that’s not exactly why. With so many people here, leaving the island will require quite a bit of preparation—like building a boat or gathering supplies. Getting the giant turtle’s cooperation is the easiest solution.”

If it were just him and Eileen, they could simply ride on Fer and leave.

But with the Lion Tribe warriors in tow, they needed a way to transport everyone.

He couldn’t exactly ask them to swim that far again.

Though, he had a feeling they’d actually do it if he did.

“You think that far ahead… Truly, you are a hero. I’m impressed.”

“Is there anything I say that won’t result in praise?”

Once someone has rose-tinted glasses on, there’s no getting through to them.

Ascal sighed quietly.

‘She’d probably believe me if I said I found a hot spring in the desert.’

At that moment, Fer let out a cry, as if he had spotted something in the distance. Ascal climbed onto Fer’s back, and Fer took to the skies.

From above, Ascal surveyed the island.

Something started to come into view.

“A rabbit… but it’s a bit too big for a rabbit. And it’s… smoking something?”

Lightbane provided some context.

「That must be a Tharok, a species thought to be extinct. I didn’t expect a few of them to still be around here. But were they really the ones bothering the celestial sea turtle? That seems a bit odd.」

The Tharok, having noticed Fer flying overhead, perked up their long ears.

Then, they began to hop up and down on the spot. According to rabbit behavior, this was a sign that they were in a good mood.

Ascal descended to the ground.

The Tharok didn’t seem particularly hostile. However, Ascal approached them slowly, ready to retreat if necessary.

As he got closer, he realized what the Tharok were up to.

Most of them were lounging around, inhaling smoke, while a few occasionally twitched as if in reaction to something.

「That’s dreamweed smoke. It was popular ages ago, but it disappeared when the dreamweed plant went extinct.」

One of the Tharok, who had locked eyes with Ascal, hopped curiously over to him. With its fluffy front paws, it handed something to Ascal.

“Tharok nushaan galek?”

It was a language Ascal had never heard before.

Yet, somehow, he knew exactly what it meant.

It was offering him a hit.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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