Chapter 494: Eastern Sea (3)
Admiral Halicevale.
Fifty years ago, he lost his wife to pirates. Frustrated by the lack of assistance from nobles and the navy, he took matters into his own hands, setting out to sea to eradicate pirates.
For five decades, he had famously refused to set foot on land, driven by his deep disillusionment with nobles. With that in mind, Hong Bi-Yeon’s invitation to bring him into her Celestial Ice Flower Palace was an extraordinary and unprecedented event.
However, Hong Bi-Yeon felt no joy in causing such a significant event.
On the contrary, she had every reason to be tense.
Admiral Halicevale.
A Class 9 grand mage and the ruler of the Eastern Sea, there could only be one reason why he had come all the way to this faraway land.
’He’s probably here to deal with the pirates in this region.’
When the seas didn’t exist, it might have been a different story, but now that the seas were open, the pirates of Lisbonde would undoubtedly be Halicevale’s target.
"Thank you for arranging this meeting."
"It’s only proper courtesy."
"It has been a long time since I’ve tasted the delicacies of the mainland."
"I’m only sorry I couldn’t offer you something better."
Even as she spoke, Hong Bi-Yeon tried to conceal her growing tension. However, Halicevale abruptly brought up the real topic.
"Actually... I came to ask for a favor."
"... A favor?"
Would he ask her to help deal with the pirates? That’s what she thought at first, but she was wrong.
"A rather troublesome guest has arrived in the Eastern Sea."
"A guest...?"
Halicevale wouldn’t refer to pirates as guests. That meant this person must be of significant status.
"Yes. It’s... Azure Spring Moon(Divine Moon Representing the Month of May)."
"...!!!"
A Twelve Divine Moon?!
The sudden mention of the Twelve Divine Moons made Hong Bi-Yeon’s heart skip a beat, and she nearly rose from her seat in shock.
"That individual is one of the Twelve Divine Moons, the one governing the sea."
"...Are you saying that individual sought you out?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
At this point, a question arose in her mind.
"Then... why have you come to me?"
Indeed, the timeline didn’t add up.
Admiral Halicevale had reached out to Hong Bi-Yeon a month ago. In other words, while he was actively hunting pirates in the distant Eastern Sea, he must have encountered Azure Spring Moon.
But why come all the way here?
She... Unconciously asked the question, though she somehow felt she already knew the answer.
"... I’ve heard that Princess Hong Bi-Yeon has considerable knowledge about the Twelve Divine Moons. It’s said you’ve even encountered one in person."
"Well... that’s true, but the Twelve Divine Moons aren’t my area of expertise."
If he were truly curious about the Twelve Divine Moons, it would have made more sense for him to seek out Baek Yu-Seol, someone widely known for their expertise on the subject.
"But the fact that you didn’t do so..."
"As you’ve likely guessed, yes. He does not want Baek Yu-Seol interfering in their affairs. It was, in a sense... a threat."
"A threat...?"
Admiral Halicevale closed his eyes.
As a Class 9 grand mage, he chose to maintain the appearance of an aged man with wrinkles instead of youthful looks, likely to command a sense of dignity. However, those wrinkles now seemed to carry traces of deep worry.
"The power of the Twelve Divine Moons... is truly akin to a natural disaster. It was sudden. A massive whirlpool erupted from the sea, swallowing all of my ships."
"...!"
Hong Bi-Yeon’s eyes widened in shock. A massive whirlpool from the sea?
She had heard of this before. It was a story from a thousand years ago. An incident that took place in the very sea before her, the Levian coastline. At that time, whirlpools had swallowed ships, but the thousand-year curse had caused freezing winds instead of water spouts.
"What happened to the ships?"
"Hooh..."
Halicevale let out a deep sigh.
"I tried to break through using my magic, but it was utterly impossible to enter. However, I managed to establish contact. Thankfully, they are all alive... including my daughter."
"Your daughter..."
Hong Bi-Yeon knew of her. It was a famous story.
The story of a sickly young girl rescued from pirates and adopted as his foster daughter was well-known. That girl was now in her twenties and had become a confident captain commanding her own fleet.
Her extraordinary talent was astonishing... so much so that rumors claimed she had already mastered Class 6 magic and was striving to reach the level of Class 7.
"I want to save them all... including my daughter."
"... I understand."
"Azure Spring Moon, who caused the whirlpool, said he wanted to make a deal. If I want to rescue my crew, I have to accept the terms of that deal."
"A deal in name, but essentially a threat."
"Haah. What choice do I have? I agreed. He gave me a grace period of three months. One month has already passed, so I only have two months left."
"What are the terms of the deal? What do they want?"
"..."
Admiral Halicevale fell silent, unable to answer right away.
Hong Bi-Yeon waited patiently.
She believed that, having come this far, he would eventually reveal what he needed to say. After about thirty minutes, Halicevale finally opened his heavy lips to speak.
"One of the Twelve Disciples of the Progenitor Mage. A descendant of that illustrious bloodline. The last survivor of the Morph family... Eisel Morph. They want her."
"What...!"
Hong Bi-Yeon’s expression instantly turned to anger.
How dare he, right in front of her, suggest offering Eisel as a sacrifice? No matter how powerful he was as a Class 9 mage, this was an affront to her dignity as Hong Bi-Yeon of Adolevit, and she would not let it slide easily.
"Wait, Princess. Please calm down."
Sensing her fury, Halicevale hurriedly explained, as if trying to clear up a misunderstanding.
"If I truly intended to sacrifice her, I wouldn’t have the right or the courage to do so. And if that were the case, would I have come to Princess Hong Bi-Yeon in the first place?"
"... Are you saying you have no intention of harming her?"
"Please trust me. I came to you because the Divine Moon specifically demanded that I not contact Baek Yu-Seol... And because you, Princess Hong Bi-Yeon, have the closest ties to the Divine Moons after him. I came seeking your advice, nothing more."
"... I see."
The rage in Hong Bi-Yeon’s mind quickly cooled, and she began thinking rationally.
’They must want Eisel for the same reason they wanted me.’
Hong Bi-Yeon had been deemed a worthy vessel for the flames by Scarlet Summer Moon. Similarly, Eisel, with her exceptional talent in ice magic, might be seen as a vessel for their own purposes in that domain.
’But doesn’t Blue Winter Moon already specialize in ice?’
The ability to freeze and the manipulation of water were fundamentally different. Reflecting on this, Hong Bi-Yeon found her thoughts growing more complicated.
Eisel’s magic was indeed unique. Unlike others, before she froze anything, she would first summon water. Because of this, her ice creations... despite being of the same Class 3 - were larger, sturdier, and more intricate than those of others. In fact, even as a first-year student, she had crafted works so beautiful that senior mages had marveled at her artistry.
If her magic was purely about freezing, such miracles would have been impossible.
Recalling how other ice mages summoned jagged, crude forms of ice, Hong Bi-Yeon realized it wasn’t so strange for Azure Spring Moon to covet Eisel.
But so what?
No matter how valid the reasoning, it didn’t change the fact that one of the Twelve Divine Moons was targeting her.
"Azure Spring Moon has a keen understanding of societal perception," Halicevale continued. "He told me, ’What’s the harm in offering the child of a traitorous Morph as a sacrifice?’"
"..."
"But I don’t think that way. No matter what Eisel Morph’s background may be, I don’t want to sacrifice an innocent life just to save my daughter and my crew."
Hong Bi-Yeon closed her eyes slowly.
This information must not reach Baek Yu-Seol. If he were to act, Azure Spring Moon would likely sense it immediately and might drown the hostages in the sea.
"I will bring Eisel here."
"...Very well. That would ease my mind as well."
"She won’t volunteer herself for sacrifice, I’m sure. From what I know, Eisel has a strong attachment to life."
She was not the kind of person who would choose to sacrifice herself for others before achieving her own goals.
Hong Bi-Yeon firmly believed this. She hoped Eisel wouldn’t entertain any extreme thoughts.
***
— Baek Yu-Seol! Wake up! It’s urgent!
Out of nowhere, the consciousness of Pale Yellow Autumn Moon came to Baek Yu-Seol at 3 a.m., a very late hour.
He’s currently at Jeliel’s villa, situated on the Waning Moon Plains.
Of course, Baek Yu-Seol wasn’t sharing a room with Jeliel, so the loud voice calling for him was something only he could hear.
"... What is it? At this ungodly hour?"
Baek Yu-Seol groggily opened his eyes, sat up, and saw Pale Yellow Autumn Moon pacing nervously, her yellow hair flying in every direction.
— It’s... it’s the middle of the night? Sorry! Where I was, it was morning!
"That makes sense. The Earth is round, after all."
— Earth?
"Aether. Whatever. So, what is it?"
Baek Yu-Seol yawned deeply, still in his pajamas, as he spoke. Pale Yellow Autumn Moon suddenly looked very gloomy.
— Well... There are some things I didn’t tell you.
"I know."
— You know I used to work with Fawn Prevernal Moon, right? I quit that and decided to work with you now... But during my time with them, I learned a few things.
"Are they planning something?"
— Things like kidnapping Hong Bi-Yeon or covering the northern regions in the Persona crisis... Those are events you already know about. And, making Eisel a vessel... That was also part of Fawn Prevernal Moon’s plan.
"... Eisel?"
— Yeah. You knew, didn’t you?
"Well... I had a rough idea."
Most of the Twelve Divine Moons desired a vessel.
Scarlet Summer Moon’s obsession with Hong Bi-Yeon was because he wanted to rampage in the world without restrictions on his power.
Because of the constraints placed on them by the Progenitor Mage, the Twelve Divine Moons couldn’t manifest freely in the world or use their power as they wished. Instead, they required a vessel to channel their abilities. A prime example of this was Pale Yellow Autumn Moon, who operated through puppets.
— I wasn’t fully involved, so I didn’t know exactly what they intended to do with Eisel... but I recently confirmed that they’ve raised a massive waterspout in the Eastern Sea.
"A whirlpool?"
— Yes. They’ve trapped most of the Dragonwave Fleet inside it and are using it to blackmail Admiral Halicevale. I suspect they’re planning to abduct Eisel.
"Hah."
Admiral Halicevale. He was known as one of the most relentless individuals. Famous for using any means necessary to protect his people, his reputation preceded him.
In the game, after the protagonist Flame graduated, Halicevale became one of the characters tangled in her harem. However, choosing Halicevale’s route often led to excessive obsession, something he vaguely remembered from the game’s lore.
"If it’s him, he might actually go ahead and snatch Eisel to hand her over..."
Maybe it was exhaustion, but his brain wasn’t functioning properly.
Yesterday, he spent the entire day being dragged around by Jeliel, hopping from one city to another, exploring. His body felt heavy, likely from the endless shopping that drained all his mental energy.
’Shopping is exhausting.’
Who would have thought something could be more tiring than physical training?
Fortunately, the sight of Jeliel changing outfits with every visit to a clothing store made it all worthwhile. Her exceptional figure, capable of outshining any top model, made her impromptu fashion show a treat... for Baek Yu-Seol alone. To say he didn’t enjoy it would be a lie.
— What should we do? What can we do?
Baek Yu-Seol raised his head to look at the nervous Pale Yellow Autumn Moon. It was endearing to see a Divine Moon, one who had lived for a thousand years, fretting over Eisel and relying on a human for advice.
’Kind of cute... And a bit foolish.’
Yawning deeply, he focused his thoughts and summoned Silver Autumn Moon and Blue Winter Moon simultaneously. The result? A splitting headache.
— Ah, Pale Yellow Autumn Moon is here too, I see.
— Hmm. What’s the matter?
"Urgh..."
Massaging his temples, Baek Yu-Seol relayed what he had learned from Pale Yellow Autumn Moon: Eisel was at risk of being abducted, and most of the Dragonwave Fleet had already been captured.
He also explained that if a Class 9 grand mage was involved, there was little Eisel could do to avoid being taken.
After his brief explanation, Silver Autumn Moon and Blue Winter Moon exchanged glances before speaking in unison:
— I see. Considering the circumstances, we should first hear your plan for dealing with this.
— Exactly. Summoning the two of us must mean you have a strategy in mind that involves our abilities.
"..."
They’re not even close.
He had summoned them because he couldn’t think clearly and hoped they’d offer advice.
’... Maybe I should have called Pink Spring Moon or Soft Green Spring Moon instead.’
Regretting his choice, but already drained of energy, Baek Yu-Seol sighed.
"I don’t know... Why not just have Blue Winter Moon go freeze the entire whirlpool?"
His half-hearted, obviously lazy suggestion made it clear he didn’t care much for strategy at the moment. But surprisingly, Blue Winter Moon nodded enthusiastically.
— That’s a fantastic idea!