By Zephyria 
A rectangular shadow swept past, so I looked up. I couldn’t tell what kind of fish it was, looking like a wide, large towel. The fish’s extended tail cut through the water, drawing a long line.
The schools of fish swimming above had white bellies that glittered, and the schools swimming below had bright yellow bodies with black stripes, looking like blooming flowers.
From afar, I heard the whimpering of a young puppy. Wondering what it was, I looked around carefully and realized the sound was coming from a young whale clinging tightly to its mother’s belly. The mother whale led the young one, who kept peeking down as if curious about what lay below, and swam far, far away.
And the Golden Turtle lay there, basking in the sunniest spot of the blue sea.
Even when I saw it with the eyes of a Spirit, I felt its immensity, but seeing it with my own eyes made it even more so.
It seemed to hold all the light of the world within itself, glittering brightly. To create a Golden Toad this size, one would have to sell three kingdoms, yet I couldn’t fathom how it shone so lustrously. The water flowed quietly around it, where Divine Power pooled gently.
It looked as if it were simply lost in a peaceful, deep slumber.
Unlike before, corals were scattered, fallen or rolling around on the sandbar. It seemed to have been swept away and pushed aside when its colossal body floated up.
There was one more thing different from its appearance in the Spirit’s memory.
The number of Nereids circling the Golden Turtle was significantly fewer. One, two, three. Only three. They must have all rushed out upon hearing the call of the Divine object.
It was for the better. I decided to quickly examine it, finish what I had to do, and escape.
Ruben thought the same, so he called the Spirit and the Mermaid who had brought us here separately.
“Could you please draw their attention for a moment?”
[How…? Our thoughts are read by each other.]
“Think carefully. Ask if they heard a lullaby, and that you rushed over in surprise the moment you did.”
[…Yes.]
What if he became displeased? Ruben was right. I watched for a brief moment as Nereid swam in a wide circle, leading the Mermaids and making a fuss. Ruben placed his hand on my shoulder, and I was immediately lifted into his arms. I felt a great sense of pride knowing that Stealth technique worked even underwater.
I opened the Sea Turtle’s large mouth with one hand and secretly entered. The turtle’s tongue was stiff, and its mouth was filled with water. Still, it seemed the Nereids occasionally cleaned it with care, as it was quite tidy up to this point.
As I passed through the greatly narrowed esophagus, I crawled on all fours. But it was only for a moment. Soon, I could stand on two feet without my head touching the ceiling. I held my Sword energy-infused sword like a lantern, trying not to cut anything around me.
“…Haa…”
“It’s a good thing we have a Sylph, though. We don’t have to smell the stench.”
Ruben was right.
It felt like I had crawled into the belly of a man-eating beast, not a Sea Turtle. Suspicious fluid had pooled at the bottom, like old mud settling at the bottom of a stream.
Corpses, likely placed recently, were piled near the throat. Further away, sharp bones jutted out from black, viscous liquids that had long since rotted into water. It seemed they had been shaken a bit when it rose this time, as the corpses were not intact.
Yet, the upper part was completely dry. Dry intestines, as if submerged in this deep abyss without drinking a drop of water… I couldn’t believe it. After examining the corpses and pocketing a few tokens, Ruben looked around once and then used his scabbard to poke the area above our heads.
Slosh, came the sound of a water sac being disturbed.
“As expected.”
“…Why?”
“The Sun God came in the form of Makrir. The flower on the very top of its head and the thorns on its branches, usually growing two or three from a single opening, are the same form as a typical Makrir. If you consider that gods create their Divine Body by magnifying creatures they favor…”
“… ”
“A Sea Turtle’s lungs are above its stomach. And Sea Turtles breathe with their lungs.”
“…Yes?”
I didn’t understand immediately. As I blinked and looked at him, Ruben drew his sword and made a long vertical cut along the upper wall. Drip, drip. Water fell, and plop, plop, it began to strike the viscous liquid pooled on the floor. We watched together as the wound on the stomach wall slowly became wet.
The child continued to explain in a calm tone.
“If it were alive, it shouldn’t be this wet. Its lungs are full of water. Naturally… it’s either long dead or there are signs of drowning. If we make a slightly larger hole here and cut between the esophagus and trachea, the gas will slowly escape.”
“Then the outer shell… will it remain like this?”
“That…”
Ruben did not give a definitive answer. The child made the hole a little wider, in two or three more places. Water slowly seeped in. We exited the way we came before the stomach shriveled further, causing trouble. During that time, I watched Ruben carefully pinpointing locations or making holes.
Before leaving the turtle’s mouth, Ruben murmured softly.
“I don’t know about that. But since it was once a god, I hope it lasts a long time… For now, the shell will definitely remain. For quite a while.”
“…Yes.”
Could that offer any solace to the ancient spirits?
No, it was impossible. The living cannot forget the dead. It had always been so…
Shaking off my thoughts, I focused on the presence outside. But since Spirits do not breathe and their hearts do not beat, it was difficult to sense their presence. I embraced Ruben again.
Before opening the turtle’s mouth, I pondered for a long time, but it was useless. As soon as we exited, our eyes met those of the Nereids who were stroking the turtle’s eyes. Those who spotted us widened their eyes. I gave an awkward smile, but I didn’t have the confidence to endure faces contorted like demons.
I immediately kicked off from the sandbar and ran.
I knew my swimming skills were insufficient. But my speed on land was second to none. This was true even on the soft, yielding sandbar. The dirt I kicked up rose in a white cloud behind me, obscuring the Nereids’ vision.
A shark immediately followed us, so I climbed onto it. The Spirit from Yeldidus asked urgently.
[Now, where do we go?]
“To Songbrue Port!”
[Yes!]
It was fortunate that I was holding Ruben. The shark shot forward with all its might, as if all our previous swimming had been child’s play. My shoulder felt a little stiff. I figured we had put enough distance between us that the ancient spirits wouldn’t pursue us to protect the Golden Turtle, and I looked back.
“…They must have completely lost their minds.”
“Did they find us?”
“…I don’t know.”
The ancient spirits had not given up on the Golden Turtle, nor had they given up on chasing us. The limp Golden Turtle was following us. Even underwater, I was astonished at how they could chase us while carrying it, shaking my head in disbelief.
❖ ❖ ❖
At some point, the shark’s dorsal fin emerged from the water. Now I could see the sky.
It was the middle of a bright day. Despite all that had happened, I couldn’t tell if less than a full day had passed, or if a full day had gone by and it was the next. I had hoped to see land if I poked my head above the surface, but only a towering wall of water lay before my eyes.
Were the ancient spirits finally unable to resist and trying to cover the land with water?
My heart grew urgent, and I repeatedly patted the shark’s flank, urging it to go faster. But looking closer, it was a bit strange. The water that soared to the sky neither poured forward nor receded backward. The Golden Turtle, which had been chasing us, had slowed down, unable to keep up with our speed, giving us a moment to catch our breath.
“…What is this.”
“Let’s go underwater for now. Can we travel to the port by shark?”
[Yes? Yes!]
“Then let’s do that.”
[Yes!]
Passing through the wall of water, I poked my head above the surface again.
From Ikyun, I could see it clearly. The water rising from the sea to the land had been stirred by the ancient spirits, and the water pushing from the land to the sea was commanded by the Nereids who had rushed to Ruben’s call. As we neared the port, the clamor of people’s voices grew louder.
We arrived at the docking area by shark. After placing Ruben on the pier first, I tried to get up, but something grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I naturally assumed it was Ruben, but it was Sienna Bicov.
He was drenched from head to toe. He seemed to be panting slightly, which caught my eye. …To be out of breath from something like this, I wasn’t that heavy.
I wanted to chide him for his stamina, but since I had received help, I went along with it.
“Thank you. But why are you so wet, Baroness?”
“…Ah, that.”
“That’s what I should be asking. What is the state of you both? Making people swim in the middle of winter.”
Ivan answered, cutting in as if it were obvious. Sienna Bicov stood demurely, rubbing her neck. Come to think of it, her attire was unusually light. Looking around the pier from a distance, I realized immediately. She had already been swept away once.
Ivan Bikoff didn’t scold me further and immediately turned to Ruben.
“Fortunately, you returned thirty-three hours after being reported missing, so we didn’t contact the homeland. Instead, we borrowed some available hands from our intelligence agents for the rescue operation. You said you’d overlook our overreach, so I’ll trust you.”
“…Yes. You did well. But, rescue operation?”
“We received word from the Yulan Royal Palace thirty-two hours ago, around four in the morning. We knew you were going to retrieve a Divine object, and that you were abducted by a Spirit after blowing a whistle, and then only the two of you were released, with the Divine object and Your Highness, Mikael, disappearing. So, we expected a flood soon.”
“… ”
“With the help of the Royal Palace, we issued evacuation orders across the entire region as quickly as possible and mobilized all Spirit Masters in Yulan. We blocked the first tidal wave thirty hours ago, at six in the morning. Within two hours, the spirits summoned by the Spirit Masters began to dissipate, and twenty-seven hours ago, at nine in the morning, we suffered damage from two tidal waves.”
“… ”
The buildings in Yulan… were half submerged below ground. They said it was because it was an area that had never suffered flood damage. I sighed, imagining how devastated they must have been.
400 – 400.
Ivan continued his explanation in his usual calm tone.
“Even if the people of Yulan wake up early, there are limits. Also, many didn’t believe the words of those who woke them. So, we had to use some force… Fortunately, it wasn’t long before those Nereids came running to help.”
“…That’s a relief to hear.”
“I didn’t bother with casualty statistics, thinking it was something the Yulan side should handle.”
But his next words seemed to hesitate slightly.
What was there that Ivan couldn’t say? Feeling impatient with his unnecessary hesitation, I urged him on.
“What is it? Just say it.”
“Did Mikael lure those Spirits too?”
“No, Rubel did.”
“…What?”
He was saying the most useless things. I had a rough grasp of the situation. I could see the golden light shimmering beyond the wall in the distance. Along with it, I heard the weeping of the ancient spirits.
I decided I had to end their suffering.
All living beings take Mana as their soul. Then, the Spirits born from the collision of Mana are also living things. When they die, they return to Mana and will be reborn as another existence. Spirits who do not fear death believe in their rebirth.
So, in their next lives, I hope they grieve for a shorter time and are happy for a longer period.
Leaving Ruben with the rest of the party, I leaped towards the sea.
It was no problem at all that I couldn’t run on water for long, even though I could run on grass. Thanks to the Yeldidus Spirit that followed me, it solidified the water to create a foothold, allowing me to leap to the very peak of the waves that towered like mountains.
Can a Spirit be cut with a sword?
Yes, it could.
My sword, swung with great force, sliced a Nereid, a creature the size of a person, vertically. They left no remains. The moment their bodies split, they turned into light. They fell like raindrops. Anything that lunged at me was treated as an enemy. Every time my blue sword cut a blue Spirit, tears of sorrow poured down.
I cut, and cut again.
At some point, the ancient spirits stopped attacking to choke my breath. They leaped towards my sword, seeking death. As if begging me to end their long suffering… I gritted my teeth. I cut them down, one by one, without missing any.
Crashing, waves struck from the land towards the sea. Once, twice.
I also drew my sword. Once, twice.
Then, at some point.
My eyes flashed as if I had met a Spirit face-to-face.
The Blue Turtle was a very beautiful and enormous turtle. Yes, it was blue, not golden. Gold was the color of the First Goddess; blue suited the turtle that occupied the vast sea best. The Blue Turtle taught the Undines, who sat huddled around it, many things.
How to make round bubbles of air underwater.
How to pick the prettiest and most vibrant coral from clusters of blue and red coral.
How to make peace when fighting over various words like sky, sea, whale, and shark.
The Blue Turtle was a friend, a lover, and a parent.
I swung my sword again.
One day, the Blue Turtle, feeling deeply hurt, lay on its belly on the white sand. ‘I’ quickly sensed a sharp and unpleasant emotion intruding into the voice of the usually gentle and leisurely Blue Turtle. “What’s wrong, what’s happening?” As I nuzzled and acted cute with my whole body, the turtle hugged ‘me’ affectionately with its two front paws.
[It’s just that… I’ve come to like a god.]
[You’ve come to like? Like? More than me?]
[…Well, I don’t think so.]
As I giggled, the turtle laughed along. But it didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping this non-counseling session.
[It’s that the god… likes their… creation.]
[Yes, so?]
Naturally, gods like their creations. Just as the Blue Turtle likes the Undines. That was an undeniable fact. The Undine couldn’t understand why the turtle was so upset.
[But that creation… died a little while ago.]
[Uh-huh.]
[Should I try to become it too?]
[Become what?]
[That child’s… creation.]
I swung my sword again.
The First Goddess came down to the sea to stop the Blue Turtle. The First Goddess had a very similar appearance to the Ninth God. She had two eyes, a high nose, one mouth, arms that pointed to the sky, and could stand only on her two legs.
So, the Blue Turtle greatly envied the First Goddess.
[If I had looked like a Human from the start… would that god have liked me?]
[That’s impossible. We see the essence.]
[But.]
The Blue Turtle rested its round head on the Goddess’s thigh and sighed. The Blue Turtle said the same thing it had told the Spirits.
[You know. What if I… become that god’s creation?]
[What? Don’t be ridiculous. They’re just… sulking right now. They’ll get over it with time.]
[Still, the child is so sad. Such a small, fragile, cute child.]
[No. I said no. Don’t do that. They don’t love you just because you do that. Loving you in a human shell, that’s…]
Then, the Blue Turtle laughed.
[I’ll take that, though.]
Again, the sword.
The Blue Turtle’s Origin was a very blue pearl. The Blue Turtle carried it in its mouth and swam upstream along the Saras River. It swam deep into the continent’s heart.
Like turtles that ascend to the beach to lay eggs, it stepped onto land to break free from its shell.
The Undines followed, weeping and wailing. They pushed and obstructed with their whole bodies, but it was no use.
The Blue Turtle’s Origin shattered that day, and the Ninth God, weeping, gathered the Blue Turtle’s soul and pushed it into the body of the first Human. The Undines watched.
They kept looking at the Human with black hair, who lacked the large and beautiful shell, the enormous front paws that could churn the sea countless times, and the sharp, cute tail. They kept looking, and looking… until he finally broke into pieces without waking up.
The Ninth God kicked the Blue Turtle’s corpse.
Again, the sword.
Now, the Undines, dragging the Blue Turtle’s corpse, flowed with the surging river water. They returned to the sea. Even though they returned to the sea where they were born, loved, and were happy, they couldn’t be happy at all.
So, the Undines grabbed the First Goddess’s ankles. They threatened to sweep away all humans passing through the sea and all humans living on land if she didn’t listen to them.
After much deliberation, the Goddess covered the Blue Turtle with her power. The Blue Turtle thus became a Golden Turtle.
Again.
I heard that the Blue Turtle’s soul had been divided and entered various Humans.
Then, if we gather those souls one by one and put them back, wouldn’t the Blue Turtle be able to revive?
Yes, let’s do that.
Let’s bring back the Blue Turtle with our own power.
Again.
The Undines, who had grown considerably, no, the Nereids, heard the First Goddess’s whisper.
“Sleep with the Blue Turtle. There are fragments of the Blue Turtle among Humans, you know. They will sing for you. The lullaby the Blue Turtle always sang when putting you to sleep… Listen to that song and sleep soundly.”
“Someday, when you wake up, the Blue Turtle will still be in its place. And then, that child… will love you, not someone else. Yes, let’s make it that way.”
The waves subsided.
There were no more Spirits to cut down. The remnants of the Spirits, which had mixed with the waves without leaving a single corpse, were looked down upon by the calm gazes of the Spirits after the generation of the Golden Turtle. I saw some of them swallowing their sobs.
Following the Spirits’ guidance, I descended back to the pier.
Whether they trusted me, or waited even while thinking it was dangerous.
Ruben, who had remained standing on the pier, walked over and hugged me. The first Human glimpsed in the Spirits’ memories bore a striking resemblance to Ruben. Now I finally understood why the Spirits had tried so desperately to harm Ruben.
That bastard called the Ninth God had at least one good eye, I thought humorously, but my mood didn’t improve.
A young child, clinging to their mother’s embrace, shouted in a high voice.
“Mom, look! It’s the Golden Turtle. Is it sleeping?”
“It is… It’s the Golden Turtle.”
It was a familiar voice. The woman who had told us the story of the Golden Turtle one day was there. She stood with three children, their skirt hems soaked and their clothes dripping wet, clinging tightly to her side.
The woman glanced at us and led the children in the direction of their home. The onlookers began to return to their own affairs. Where were the Yulan royal siblings? I had to tell them that the matter had been resolved in some way.
Ruben, I, Ivan, and Sienna were the only ones left on the pier when a round head suddenly emerged from below.
It was the Mermaid who had taken us so far and brought us back here. And the Spirit who claimed to be from Yeldidus. The Spirit gave an awkward greeting.
[I’m finally going to meet Hestia! Thank you for your help.]
“Yes. When you meet her… please give her my regards. Tell her to live well.”
[Yes.]
When asked if I had any more questions before they left, I asked without hesitation.
“The secret wedding. What exactly is that wedding the ancient spirits mentioned suspiciously?”
Then, the Yeldidus Spirit shrugged its shoulders with a sorrowful expression. Seeing this, it was no different from a Human. What generation of Yeldidus had taught it this gesture?
[I don’t know that either. It’s just that the ancient spirits were saying things like that.]
“Saying what?”
[They said they wouldn’t listen to Wesley Kiadris, and that they would definitely achieve a secret wedding.]
It was suspicious talk. No matter how cunning the ancient spirits were, they couldn’t be as cunning as Humans. It was impossible to know what Wesley Kiadris was aiming for by driving the ancient spirits in the opposite direction.
The Spirits and the Mermaid carried the Golden Turtle’s corpse to the shore. Feeling a lingering sense of closure, I stood by the coast for a while, but when Ruben seemed to cough lightly, I hurried to get into the carriage.