87 – Will You Take a Hit
It was terrifying.
The sight of a hundred stalwart men swimming through the sea was, difficult to describe.
If pushed to find an expression, it was like a horde of zombies who realized how to swim.
What on earth does ‘Marjar’ mean to them that they would do such crazy things?
“Marjar!”
“Marjar!”
“Marjar!!”
Shouting their battle cries, the hundred warriors from the lion tribe were getting closer to the island.
Then.
A giant wave swallowed the warriors whole.
They simply disappeared.
“Danger!”
Eileen sprinted towards the ocean, but there wasn’t anything she could do.
No.
There wasn’t even the need for help.
Because a wave of that size was not enough to take down the warriors of the lion tribe.
“hahahaha! It’s refreshing!”
“Guess there’s no need to wash my hair today!”
“This is fun! Oh, the waves!”
There was not a single straggler.
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Once again, the warriors of the lion tribe plunged into the sea.
And this time, they arrived safely on the island.
The first one to set foot on the land was Badim, the tribal warrior leader.
“Peace be upon you, Saint. And…I’ve finally come to meet you, Mazar.”
Upon sight of Ascal, Badim knelt.
A piece of seaweed slipped from his head.
Badim picked it up and chewed.
“Salty.”
Ascal was at a loss for words.
A long time ago, in a village in the Erin Dale territory, he unintentionally helped the Lion Tribe.
Back then, the tribesmen were old people dying and people who had lost the will to live, there were no warriors of indomitable spirit as there are now.
“A warrior of the Lion Tribe, Rodem, greets you, Mazar.”
One by one, the warriors of the Lion Tribe landed. In the order they landed they knelt before Ascal.
“A warrior of the Lion Tribe, Jake, greets you, Mazar.”
“A warrior of the Lion Tribe, Sendel, greets you, Mazar.”
“A warrior of the Lion Tribe, Sobin, greets you, Mazar.”
“A warrior of the Lion Tribe, Zeke, greets you, Mazar.”
This looked set to go on indefinitely.
Ascal drew out Lightbane.
“That’s enough.”
Lightbane quickly amplified his voice.
Ascal’s words began to echo with sanctity.
“I am not the Mazar you speak of, just a mere human being.”
First, the misunderstanding had to be cleared up.
“Of course. You are the one who descended to be among us as a mere human.”
Badim smiled.
“Would you show us some evidence, Mazar?”
“Evidence?”
Now that he thought about it, he remembered receiving a necklace made of lion’s teeth from the village chief. Naturally, he had tucked the necklace away in a corner and forgotten about it.
Having an idea, Askal smiled.
“Well, I don’t have any evidence. So, I’m not Mazar, right?”
“hahahahaha! Mazar, you have a keen sense of humor. Evidence is simply a symbol, not important. What truly matters is the belief in your heart.”
Badim thumped his chest with his fist.
“But if it bothers you, Mazar, I, Badim, will take responsibility and make new evidence.”
With that said, Badim attempted to pull a tooth from the lion’s skin he was wearing.
“Wait. Let me search for a moment.”
Askal rummaged through his backpack that was tied to Per.
‘There’s no way it could be here…why is it here?’
He felt something hard.
Askal pulled it out immediately. It was the necklace made from lion’s teeth.
“Oh, right! Mazar, please write the evidence so everyone can see it!”
Despite repeating he wasn’t Mazar, it didn’t seem to get through to anyone.
Finally giving up, Askal quietly put on the necklace.
“Mazar!”
“Mazar!”
The warriors of the Lion Tribe cheered.
Badeem spoke with an exhilarated face.
“Finally, the legend begins. The moment Mazar puts on his insignia, the warriors will embark on an unbelievable adventure with Mazar that will ultimately leave a mark in history.”
“Our names will be remembered in history!”
“Oh, all glory be to Mazar!”
What’s the deal with this lion’s tooth necklace?
“Now, lead us, Mazar.”
In an instant, Ascal, who had gained a hundred fanatics, naturally thought of it.
It would be a tremendous help if they participate in the Dragon Raid.
‘With just a word, they would gladly sacrifice their lives.’
However.
What’s the difference between sending these ignorant people to their deaths?
Strictly speaking, they are immigrants.
They have no obligation to protect the Empire.
Rather, it’s normal that they should hate the Empire.
Having concluded this, Ascal decided to send the warriors of the Lion Tribe back to their homeland.
“But…”
At that moment.
Light radiated from the lion’s tooth necklace.
And a slow voice was heard in Ascal’s head.
“Help… me… please…”
Even though it was a foreign language, the meaning got through unexpectedly.
“Who is it? Where are you?”
“I… below…”
“Below?”
Confused, Ascal looked down. Naturally, he saw nothing but the ground. Ascal squinted.
“I don’t know who you are, but I can’t help if I can’t see you.”
“Can’t… you… see… me… now… Fine… I understand…”
Rumble rumble rumble!
The ground started shaking violently.
It was an earthquake.
Ascal was shocked.
On the other hand, the expressions of the Lion Tribe’s warriors were more of, ‘Aha! Is it finally starting?’
“The ground isn’t just moving, it’s rising!”
Aileen shouted.
“Aileen! Grab onto something, don’t fall!”
The warriors already had their legs spread out and were perfectly balanced, not shaking at all.
Finally, the earthquake stopped.
‘A giant turtle’s head…?’
Then Ascal realized it.
The island itself was the back of an enormous turtle.
“I can’t believe this, it was here all along—the Heavenly Ocean Turtle I thought had long disappeared…”
Lightvein expressed his admiration genuinely.
“To see the Heavenly Ocean Turtle after the Golden Pegasus in real life. Indeed, choosing you as my master was the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my sword’s life. It moves me enough to weep… if I had tears to shed.”
Before Ascal could fully regain his consciousness, the slow, drawling voice returned.
“Now… is it done… then… help… me…”
A mythical creature.
The Thousand-year turtle.
The scale itself is different.
Even though he had gone through a lot of unbelievable things, this was the top record-breaker.
Ascal seemed exasperated as he spoke.
“How should I help? Should I scratch your back?”
“That… exactly… for a long time… those… bothering… me… exterminate… it’s too itchy… I’m going insane…”
“Where are they though, can your speech be any faster? This is a bit frustrating.”
“On the shell… right… bottom…”
“Impressive struggle. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll check.”
“Thank you… I will repay your kindness…”
The giant turtle complaining of itchiness was indeed an intriguing matter.
Ascal recalled leeches.
Occasionally when people catch turtles, they use a knife to remove the leeches attached to their shells. It’s gross, but oddly addictive.
“You have conversed with this creature. Mazar.”
Badim engaged in conversation, his eyes twinkling.
Standing with legs spread, still in the position of a warrior.
“What does he say? What great adventure does he beckon us to?”
Ascal answered simply.
“It says its back is itchy and wants it resolved.”
A hundred warriors and Aileen, along with Fer who became a dragon rider and Ascal, were headed southeast of the island.
The food problem was solved by the jerky that the warriors brought. It was damp, but still edible.
“I usually do not eat meat, but really, there’s no way around this. One has to replenish energy.”
Aileen reluctantly nibbled on a piece of jerky, her face looked surprisingly happy, for some reason.
“Come this way! Mazar!”
The trees and grass grew in disorder, blocking the view. However, the Lion Tribe warriors skillfully cut down any obstacles in their path with their knives.
This made following them easier.
“As expected of the sword, or rather the hero. You wouldn’t leave a creature in distress, even if it’s just a turtle.”
At Aileen’s praise, Askal scratched his head.
“Well, it’s not for that reason. If such a large group of people have come, it makes sense to get the cooperation of the giant turtle. We would need to prepare quite a bit, like building a ship or gathering food, to leave this place.”
If it were only Aileen and him, they could have simply left on Fer.
But with the Lion Tribe warriors, a means of transportation was necessary.
They couldn’t have swum such a distance again.
Although, if told to, they probably would have.
“Thinking so far ahead… A true hero indeed. I’m in awe.”
“Do compliments always follow whatever I say?”
Once the tegument has been applied, it ceases to come off.
Askal sighed subtly.
‘Even if I found a hot spring in the wilderness, they’d probably still believe it.’
At that moment, somewhere distant, Fer let out a cry of discovery. Askal climbed atop Fer, which levitated into the sky.
Askal observed the island from above.
Something was beginning to be seen.
“The rabbits… they’re a bit large. And they seem to be burning something…”
Lightvane analyzed.
‘I thought the Rabbit Tribe had gone extinct. Maybe a few of them are left here. Did these ones bother the celestial turtle? Something feels off.’
The Rabbit Tribe members, spotting Fer flying in the sky, perked up their ears.
And they began to jump in place.
According to rabbitology, this was a sign of good mood.
Askal descended to the ground.
The Rabbit Tribe members didn’t seem particularly hostile.
Always ready to flee at any moment, he slowly approached the Tozak tribe. As he got closer, Ascal seemed to understand what they were doing. Most were comfortably lying down, smoking something. Occasionally, some would twitch.
“They’re smoking crushed Dremora leaves. I remember it was popular long ago, but disappeared when the Dremora leaves went extinct.”
One of the Tozaks, intrigued by Ascal, hopped over and extended a fuzzy forepaw with something in it. “Tharok nushaan galek?” It was a language Ascal had never heard, yet he somehow understood it. It means, “Want a hit?”
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