Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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The sea carried a distinct, fishy saltiness. Dawn Castle, known for its thriving fishing industry, was bustling. Large and small fishing boats clustered around the pier, while vibrant fish were displayed on the stalls lining the street.

Ploop—

“Hey, want to buy one?”

Nightmare twitched his nose at the sight of a large fish. It suddenly hit me that I had fed him nothing but land meat; he had never tasted fish even once.

Clack clack—

Nightmare’s imposing size was hard to ignore. Standing next to other pack animals loitering near the fish market, he made them look like mere foals.

“Huh… what does that mean?”

“It means Hairan.”

“I’ve never seen such a big horse in my life.”

That was the comment from a wolf beastman selling fish. His eyes sparkled as he gazed at Nightmare, clearly intrigued.

“Must be a horse from outside, like the spellcasters, right?”

“Yeah.”

The curious wolf beastman, having confirmed Nightmare’s interest in the fish, tossed one of his catch towards him.

Nightmare’s massive mouth swooped down and, as befitting his size, swallowed the fish whole in one go.

I fished around in my pocket and asked the wolf beastman, “How much is it?”

“Hmm. No need for money. I was about to head home anyway.”

The wolf beastman’s words rang true—only a few small fish remained on his stall. He must have thrown the biggest one to Nightmare. I started helping the wolf beastman pack up while I asked him,

“Do you happen to know how to get to Nangrang Island?”

“Hmm…? Nangrang Island…?”

He frowned slightly at my question, tilting his head. He tossed a few small leftover fish towards Nightmare while he answered.

“Can’t go right now. The tide needs to go out first.”

“The tide needs to go out?”

“Let’s see…”

He scrunched his face and started counting on his fingers, then tilted his head again.

“Hmm. Strange. The tide should have gone out yesterday…”

“Does it go out periodically?”

“Hmm. Yes, indeed. When the Sea God takes a little break, the tide goes out with him.”

“Sea God…?”

“If you’re lucky, you might get to see him. The figure of the Sea God, that is.”

I raised an eyebrow at the wolf beastman’s words. Thinking of a “Sea God,” I had initially assumed it was just a metaphor, but it seemed otherwise. The wolf beastman hoisted his stall with a flourish and said,

“In any case, you need to wait for the tide to go out to get to Nangrang Island. You can’t get there by boat.”

“You can’t get there by boat? Why not?”

“The currents are too strong.”

With that, the wolf beastman began to walk away, as if concluding the discussion. I tugged on Nightmare’s bridle and fell in alongside him.

“How does the Sea God look?”

“How far are you planning to follow…?”

“Is it troublesome if I follow?”

“It’s not so much troublesome as annoying… If you really want to know what the Sea God looks like, head to the city center. There’s a statue of him there.”

The wolf beastman turned and casually waved his hand as he walked away, seemingly not wanting to deal with me any longer.

As I walked, I pondered.

A Sea God, what kind of monster could that be?

The wolf beastman had said that when the Sea God moved, the sea receded. If merely moving could cause the waters to pull back, that meant he must have an absolutely immense volume.

Lost in thoughts about the identity of this Sea God, I eventually arrived at the city center.

“This is…?”

True to the wolf beastman’s words, a massive statue stood prominently in the center of the city. I led Nightmare closer to the enormous statue.

“An octopus…?”

I muttered in dumbfounded fascination as I gazed at the Sea God’s statue. The first thing that captured my attention was the sharp eyes concealed beneath a giant head. Perhaps a skilled sculptor had painstakingly carved it, making the eyes appear smoother than those elsewhere.

The tentacles extending from below the eyes were far too many. It looked as if dozens of octopuses had been forcibly fused together.

Moreover, the suckers were unlike any ordinary octopus—could those protruding sharply below the tentacles even be called suckers?

“You seem to have a keen interest in this Sea God.”

Just as I was engrossed in examining the statue, a voice came from nearby. I turned my head slightly to find a man in a blue robe looking at me.

A blue robe signified a wizard—belonging to the Blue Tower.

“And you are?”

“Runox. I’m from the Blue Tower. And you’re…? I can’t tell since you aren’t wearing a robe.”

“I’m from the Tower of Dawn.”

“Hmm. I recommend that you, as a wizard, always wear your wizard’s robe.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

I tilted my head and asked Runox. While the Mage Tower encouraged wearing robes, it wasn’t mandatory. Many wizards tended to wear them simply to naturally convey their status.

However, in this land of beastmen, there was no pressing need to insist on wearing a wizard’s robe.

As I was pondering, Runox let out a small sigh.

“Hmm, you’re quite young. You likely haven’t been in the Mage Tower for very long, have you?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Listen closely. As a wizard, one should take pride in the tower one belongs to…”

I let Runox’s words drift past me as I refocused on the statue of the Sea God. While the statue was significantly large, its true form must be even grander. The tiny boats carved beneath the Sea God gave me that certainty.

“And thus… you should wear the robe symbolizing the tower as if it were your own skin…”

I ignored the chattering of Runox and moved on. The book I had bought, [The Compendium of Beastman Mythology], didn’t mention anything about the Sea God. It seemed I needed to do further research.

“Oh, hey! Where are you going?”

“To the inn.”

*

As I opened my eyes, I noticed the room was shrouded in dense fog. It seemed that I had left the window wide open last night, allowing the murky mist to seep in.

I frowned at the dampness that enveloped the room. The mana inside me slipped out, allowing thin flames to wrap around the entire space.

Whoosh-!

As I rose up engulfed in the scorching flames, the surrounding humidity quickly vanished.

Last night, I roamed around Dawn Castle to gather information about the Sea God. I learned that the Sea God had emerged roughly a century ago and that there were religious groups dedicated to worshiping him.

A group venerating a massive marine monster. I felt an odd apprehension. Of course, I knew that holding onto prejudices was wrong.

I hadn’t forgotten the first time I witnessed the end of the world with my own eyes. I was profoundly shocked then. Having thought the world was round, what lay before me was the flat edge of the world.

Having memories from my previous life made me judge this world arbitrarily. So I believed I might be wrong again. At least, I wanted to believe that.

Mornings in Dawn Castle arrived swiftly. Fishermen were emerging from their houses early to head out to sea.

I donned the Fire Dragon Sword and Ice Dragon Sword, wrapped myself in the Red Cloak, and made my way to the first floor of the inn.

“Awake, are you?”

“Why are you here…?”

Just as I reached the first floor of the inn, Runox, whom I had parted ways with yesterday, greeted me. He had a steaming cup of tea in front of him and adjusted his glasses.

From the first moment we met, I had thought he was oddly off-putting. Even now, that sentiment hadn’t changed.

“If it’s you, as a wizard from the Mage Tower, you must have noticed?”

“Noticed what?”

“That the residents of this city are a bit strange.”

“What’s so strange about them?”

“The Sea God is a clear monster. He’s simply a big guy. Yet they created a religion around him. Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”

“Well… I’m just here to eat, so don’t annoy me.”

“Listen closely. Do you know what I witnessed yesterday?”

There were limited options for breakfast. I moved closer to an employee and ordered some hot noodle soup.

“What did you witness?”

“The Sea God worshippers were sacrificing a living offering.”

“A living offering…?”

“Yeah. They set up an altar in front of the port and placed a living offering on it, then beheaded it. All to appease the Sea God’s wrath.”

I frowned at Runox’s words. Sacrificing living offerings wasn’t common, but it wasn’t unheard of either. There were times in my previous life when animals like pigs, cows, or horses were offered alive.

“That could happen. It’s just their culture.”

“Do you happen to think they sacrificed pigs or horses?”

“Unless they sacrificed people instead?”

I frowned and asked Runox. He quietly sipped the tea before him without answering.

Suddenly, a heavy silence descended. The cold air brushed against my skin, sending a strange sensation through me.

“Two.”

The moment Runox finished speaking, a brilliant light burst through the fog outside the inn. The sun had risen in the sky.

“Two, you say…?”

“If you don’t believe me, go check the pier.”

At that moment, an employee approached me from inside the inn, carrying a large tray.

“Is this your noodle soup?”

The ordered noodle soup had arrived. Naturally, I grasped the chopsticks. The steam rising from the noodles scattered like the morning fog.

I questioned Runox, who appeared hazy through the steam.

“Even if they sacrificed people…”

Would it matter so much? It was probably just their local culture. I swallowed the words I could not voice along with the noodles.

“They’re misguided folks. It’s an occurrence born from ignorance; us wizards must enlighten them.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, they aren’t wizards, are they?”

Only then did I begin to understand why I found Runox bothersome.

He was a wizard supremacist. He believed wizards were superior and that their thoughts were always correct. Thus, he thought it was wrong for a wizard to believe they were mistaken.

I frowned as I recalled Wendy, who had departed with the wind. For some reason, I missed her.