“Hmph, you seem so sensitive for someone who has no regrets left for his old name.”
Bear King Sayeru smirked at the White Star’s gaze. The White Star stared at him before turning toward the ocean and nonchalantly making a comment.
“Sensitive? That’s not the case at all.”
“Then why are you threatening to kill me for saying your old name?”
Sayeru walked up and stood Next to the White Star with a relaxed smile on his face.
He also looked out toward the ocean before throwing the hook of a comment.
‘Is it because his name is the same as yours?”
The White Star looked toward Sayeru again.
“I'm talking about Cale Henituse. He’s oddly similar to you but the complete opposite. It is quite entertaining.”
The twisted smile on the pale face looked full of mischief.
Sayeru’s eyes were observing the White Star as he did that.
Darkness and light.
These two needed to work with the sky, however, Sayeru did not want a relationship where he had to become subservient and submit to the White Star.
“I saw it this time, even you-”
The twisted smile became even wider.
“Probably had a time when you were so emotional and willing to sacrifice yourself, right?”
198 years.
Sayeru had been with the White Star for three of the White Star's lives. The White Star looked toward Sayeru and spoke in a stoic voice.
“Sacrifice. That is a word that does not suit me.”
It would be correct if Sayeru was talking about sacrificing others for his needs instead of sacrificing himself. The White Star did not say that later part. Why?
“You are the same as me.”
Sayeru did not deny that claim. In fact, he smiled and nodded his head.
“Of course. I hate the Cale Henituse-type of people the most. Those bastards that act like heroes make me want to vomit.”
Cough.
Sayeru covered his mouth as he let out a light cough. The handkerchief in his hand had blood on it. Sayeru coldly stared at it for a moment before starting to speak.
“When will you attack?”
The land of the Whale tribe.
When will they head there?
“It's been over three weeks since I came over from Mogoru.”
The original plan was to meet up with mage Becrock to do reconnaissance and then striking the land of the Whale tribe right away. However, Becrock was captured by the enemies and the plan had to change.
That was why Sayeru sent Dorph to the Eastern continent and came here alone.
“…Something is weird.”
The White Star commented as he looked toward the distant glacier with a suspicious gaze.
No, it wasn’t that far if you really thought about it.
They were on a secluded corner of the coast that was not visible from the Northern Coast Guard Post with half of their troops on the shores and half on the ships.
“You’re saying that the Whale tribe is acting weird?”
“Correct.”
The White Star nodded his head at Sayeru’s comment while Sayeru responded with an annoyed expression.
“You're basically saying that it is suspicious that the Whale tribe is letting the black mages spy on them. You think something might be up.”
“Yes.”
“You’re the one who is being weird.”
“…What do you mean?”
Sayeru pointed toward the White Star.
“This is what the normal you would have said. ‘We will take the Whales down as planned. We will confirm the suspicious details after we capture them.’ ”
The White Star’s eyes had an odd light in them.
“…It does seem as if I was thinking hard about it for no reason.”
“Exactly! If the Whales are suspicious, barge in and figure out whatever the hell they are planning.”
Sayeru’s eyes were filled with an odd sense of lunacy.
“Are you afraid of death? You, the White Star, are afraid of death?”
The firm belief that the White Star did not fear death was in Sayeru’s crazed look. He started to speak to the White Star as if he was warning or suggesting something to him.
“Crazy bastards should act like crazy bastards. I’ve never seen anyone crazier than you.”
Only Lion King Dorph and Bear King Sayeru had the qualifications to say such things to the White Star.
“We can't fail as they did during the ancient times.”
The ancient White Star ended up dying. The current White Star, Sayeru, and Dorph had no plans of facing the same fate. That was why they had prepared quite a lot of things for such a long time.
“Do you have a lot on your mind because of Cale Henituse? Hmm?”
The White Star could see Sayeru's sneer.
“Are you jealous because he managed to do something you needed 1,000 years to do in just a few years? Or are you afraid that everything that you have built up will come crumbling down? Is it because everything you tried to do in the past one or two years has ended up in failure? Hmm?”
Sayeru was the head of the organization. The finger that was pointing at the White Star who was the brains of this organization right now touched the White Star’s neck.
“The things that we have built up are not things that would crumble because of a few years of failure. The great amount of power we’ve gathered through time, experience, and talent-”
“Your mouth.”
The White Star cut Sayeru off.
“Shut your mouth and move your finger.”
“Are you telling me to stop if I don't want to die?”
“Sayeru, you seem to misunderstand something.”
Sayeru could then see that the White Star was smiling.
“There is only one thing I worry about. Once this boring time of preparation is over and I finally get my hands on that last earth ancient power…”
The thought he had while looking at the land of the Whale tribe. If he could gather that final earth ancient power…
“What to hunt first. How to rule over everything.”
The crazed look in Sayeru’s eyes dimmed a bit. He could feel that the White Star, Cale Barrow in front of him, had a violently crazed look in his eyes that was not comparable to his own crazed look.
The man with the eyes filled with madness continued to speak.
“I think I’ll become even crazier than I am now. That is what makes it so entertaining.”
He was looking forward to it.
He wanted to know what he would be able to do once he finally became god, once he finally became nature.
“…I knew there was nobody as crazy as you.”
Sayeru finally had a satisfied smile on his face. The White Star started to speak as if to respond to him.
“Launch the ships. We are heading to the land of the Whale tribe.”
The ships that were anchored at shore hidden by stealth magic raised their mast and started to move.
“We are heading for the land of the Whale tribe!”
“Our goal is the glacier! Start rowing!”
Voices were shouting all around them. The White Star had moved to the deck of the largest ship at some point before he started to speak again.
“Get rid of the stealth spell.”
It was at that moment.
Clang!
There was a sharp noise before a transparent glass-like barrier was destroyed. The stealth spell had been removed.
The Whale tribe would be able to clearly see the White Star’s troops now.
Sayeru started to get excited as he moved next to the White Star. He then raised his hand before dropping it.
“Go.”
That was the signal.
Go!
The ships all started to head toward the glacier located at the most northern tip of the world.
“We are going to go hunt some Whales.”
Sayeru grabbed onto the railing on the deck with a satisfied heart.
***
Splaaaaaaash- Splaaaaaaaaaash-
The ships quickly cut through the water. Black magic was helping the ships move quickly even though the wind was blowing in the opposite direction.
“Looks like we need to pass a few glaciers.”
The glacier where the Whale tribe lived. That large glacier was located past a group of smaller glaciers.
The fast-moving ships were now almost by those smaller glaciers.
“Sayeru-nim, the ships will move slower from here.”
“Doesn't matter. Go slowly if needed.”
They needed to carefully maneuver if they wanted to pass through this narrow path without hitting any glaciers.
Sayeru didn’t think it would matter if they moved slowly. He also became certain about something.
“White Star.”
“What is it?”
“It definitely seems like there’s something up with the Whale tribe. Although I don't know whether that is a trap for us or treasure they are trying to hide…”
The Whales were showing no reaction even though they were openly charging forward like this.
It was at that moment.
“Look behind you.”
“Huh?”
Sayeru asked in confusion before he felt chills on his back. He was sensing danger. He turned to look behind him.
Baaaaaaaaaang!
Baaaaang! Baaaaaang!
He heard multiple loud explosions in the distance.
“T, that is-”
‘That’s our base.’
The place they had been hiding under the stealth magic spell. That location was blowing up.
“Sayeru, it looks like the enemy has been waiting for us as well.”
They could see people running wild through the explosions. A few human-shaped individuals were destroying the base that they had stayed at for almost a month.
The only people who could do such a thing…
Flinch.
Sayeru looked down at the water past the railing.
The large ship he was currently on… There was a large figure underneath it. It was a large lifeform that made even this large ship look small.
Crack!
Sayeru crushed the railing as he started to frown.
“…Whales.”
Although it was still summertime, the summer ocean of the North was as thick and dark as during winter. The moment Sayeru said that word… Many large figures rose from the bottom of that deep dark ocean.
They were whales.
The fact that so many whales were gathered here could only mean one thing.
‘The Whale tribe is here……!’
There were Whales both at the base and here in the ocean.
Tap.
Sayeru raised his head when the White Star jumped onto the railing to see someone.
On the first glacier on their way to the land of the Whale tribe… A woman was standing on the glacier.
“…Witira.”
It was a name that Sayeru knew as well. Witira, the future Whale Queen.
Witira had jumped onto that glacier without him noticing. The White Star who jumped onto the railing seemed to have noticed Witira's appearance. This meant that Sayeru was not as good as Witira at detecting presences.
Sayeru’s expression stiffened before returning to normal. Detecting presences was not the only thing he knew how to do. He started to speak with a smile on his face.
“You’ve been sitting still this whole time while we peeked at you, but you’ve finally come out because we started to move?”
Witira’s gaze was focused on Sayeru. Sayeru started to sneer as he continued to speak.
“Is there something you are hiding? Hmm? Or were you too scared to do anything?”
He thought this would be enough to provoke her. This was the proud Whale tribe they were talking about. Sayeru could see Witira immediately start to respond.
"We were waiting. We were waiting until you came out into the ocean.”
‘What?’
The moment Sayeru flinched at her unexpectedly calm voice…
Shhhhhhh-
A whip instantly appeared in Witira’s hand and she kicked off the ground. The whip was flicked toward the glacier.
Baaaaaaaaaang!
The glacier broke into pieces and debris blasted out. As Sayeru’s eyes opened wide in shock… He felt the ground under him start to rock.
“They're coming up! The whales are coming up!”
“Move the ships back!”
He could hear people screaming around him, forcing Sayeru to look down once more.
The whales were shooting up toward the ships. Tens of large whales moving at once were making the water move. Sayeru raised his head.
“This……”
He could see Witira standing on a different glacier and pointing her whip at the White Star. Numerous Whales appeared behind her.
It was as if all of the strong individuals from the Whale tribe village had shown up. Each of these Whales would be just as strong as the strongest humans. All of them were looking at Sayeru and the enemies with angry expressions on their faces.
It was their quiet anger from quietly letting the enemies spy on them for about a month. Actually, it was not very quiet.
Chhhhhhh! Baaaaang!
Witira flicked the whip into the water, slamming the water into the air. Witira then pointed the whip toward the White Star again.
“Come.”
She continued to speak to the White Star with a stoic expression on her face.
“I will kill you.”
The Northern ocean roared at that moment. The whales’ cries covered the area while the Whale warriors kicked off the glacier and moved forward.
The battle between the Whale tribe and the White Star had started.
Cale listened to Raon's voice in his head and started to smile while remaining quietly hidden.