Chapter 24

Just because someone was a communicator didn’t mean they could do whatever they wanted while communicating with magical beasts.

No matter how much a communicator lowered a beast’s guard, trying to control it through punishment could easily provoke retaliation.

Aster let out a sigh as though he found the situation troublesome.

“Vivian. It looks like you’re about to lose, so you’ve chosen one of your usual underhanded methods again. All we need is for the Crystal Whale to return the detector it stole. If you’re that concerned about magical beasts, you should have joined a beast sanctuary.”

There was neither embarrassment nor guilt in his lecturing tone.

Am I the strange one here? Why is he acting so confidently?

But one thing was certain: he had put everyone aboard the research vessel in danger.

The Crystal Whale that had suddenly been struck by both his communication ability and his whip expressed its displeasure by diving beneath the water before bursting upward and crashing back onto the surface.

It was breaching.

“Ahhhh!”

“T-The Crystal Whales…!”

The other Crystal Whales seemed angry as well. They submerged their bodies beneath the water, leaving only their tails exposed as they repeatedly slammed the ocean’s surface.

Tail slapping.

Because of the whales’ outburst, the waves grew increasingly violent, causing the research vessel to sway dangerously from side to side.

The mages hurried to protect those who were nearly thrown overboard.

The Crystal Whales’ mana tangled and collided with the corrupted mana surrounding the monster remains, producing bizarre weather phenomena.

Snow began to fall.

Then thunder and lightning erupted.

Then a lukewarm wind swept across the sea.

Clerk Yukel and Senior Simona clung to each other, their faces pale.

The Crystal Whales’ discomfort flowed directly into me as well, making me feel seasick.

Yet despite all of that, Aster continued trying to summon one of the whales toward the ship.

“If you force a Crystal Whale over here right now, both the whale and we could get hurt.”

“And what if we leave it alone and it carries the detector even deeper into the ocean?”

“Tower Lord!”

Unable to contain my frustration any longer, I raised my voice and called out to Kade.

“Do we absolutely have to recover the lost mana detector?”

His robes fluttered sharply as he approached.

The calm ease on his face made him seem as though he existed in an entirely different world from the chaos around us.

Stopping close enough to make sure I heard him clearly, he answered.

“And if we do?”

“…”

I bit my lip and glanced back at Aster.

People often said that enough mages could launch a sailing ship.

But in circumstances like these, that wasn’t possible.

Where Crystal Whale mana ran wild, a mage’s mana couldn’t flow properly. It was drawn toward the whales’ crystals instead.

The larger and more mana-intensive a spell was, the worse the interference became.

Only small, simple spells could be used reliably.

“Aster. Stop.”

Aster didn’t even turn around at my call.

He simply continued trying to drag the Crystal Whale toward him, his communication energy filled with pressure and coercion.

According to other investigators, Aster had been famous since joining the Tower for handling magical beasts gently.

And it was true—when he’d calmed the deer-type magical beast before, he’d been kind and patient.

So what had changed?

No… that’s not right.

He started gently with the Crystal Whale too.

Does he become forceful whenever a beast refuses to obey him?

At that moment, Senior Simona cried out.

“Ah!”

“Simona! Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding!”

A heavy rope hanging from the sail had swung loose and struck her head.

Blood trickled down from her temple.

I couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore.

After a moment’s hesitation, I stepped right up to the railing.

Aster immediately sneered.

“So you’re going to do the same thing in the end. Why act like you’re somehow different?”

“I don’t know about different. But I am different from you.”

I stretched my hand toward the Crystal Whales that continued their furious tail slapping.

“Calm down! We didn’t come here to make you angry!”

Golden communication energy flowed from me and spread across the stormy sea.

The immense tidal wave of emotions pouring from the Crystal Whales crashed into me.

“Ugh…”

My communication energy and Aster’s collided within the whales, creating even fiercer emotional shockwaves.

“Vivian. Look at this. It’s a new compass. A birthday gift for your mother. Unfortunately, I’ll be away that day, so could you give it to her for me?”

“Take your hands off that immediately! Do you have any idea how valuable this historical artifact is? You’re forbidden from entering my study from now on.”

“We should get to bed early tonight. We’ll be heading out to sea before dawn again tomorrow.”

My father’s voice drifted through my ears like a ghost.

For a moment, I staggered.

But I gripped the railing so tightly that my hands ached and forced myself to endure.

Desperately wishing the whales would listen to me.

Then it happened.

My eyes met those of the nearest Crystal Whale.

I couldn’t describe it with words.

But an eerie sensation swept through me, as though the whale and I had become connected as one.

At the same time, Aster’s communication energy suddenly felt suffocating.

I want that presence gone.

It’s unpleasant. Repulsive.

Without even thinking, I pushed away the communication energy he was emitting and seized control of its flow, pulling it toward myself.

I had no idea how I did it.

But it wasn’t difficult.

“How did you…?”

Aster stared at me in shock.

Ignoring him, I turned to Kade.

“Tower Lord. Move me out over the sea.”

“To the middle of the Crystal Whales.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Kade seemed to hesitate for a moment.

Then he stepped beside me and took my hand as though escorting me.

“…Huh?”

I thought he was simply going to levitate me out there.

Instead, he came with me.

Together, we rose above the railing.

“Walk,” he said.

“Just move your feet slowly.”

“…!”

Holding tightly to his hand, I stepped beyond the edge of the ship.

I was walking through the air.

There was no ground beneath my feet, yet somehow I could still walk.

“Wow…”

It felt as though I were walking atop the golden waves of communication energy I had spread across the sea.

Standing amid the raging waters created by the Crystal Whales, I extended my power like countless branches, reaching toward each one.

“We didn’t come here to hurt you.”

“I only wanted to talk.”

Suppressing the nausea in my stomach, I focused on their emotions.

Emotions far more complex and profound than those of other magical beasts.

Each one different.

Each one deep.

Like a stormy ocean.

Instead of trying to suppress those emotions, I embraced them.

I might never fully carry them within my heart.

But I could at least acknowledge them.

Accept them.

In this moment, I was them.

And they were me.

We’re safe.

The heartbeats that had thundered like enormous drums gradually calmed.

The unpredictable weather settled.

The raging sea quieted.

The violently rocking research vessel steadied.

The Crystal Whales, now calm, slowly circled the ship while exchanging low calls among themselves.

“It’s done.”

The moment I saw peace return, all the strength left my legs.

I nearly collapsed.

Had Kade not been supporting me, I would have fallen straight into the ocean.

Parting the calm mana of the Crystal Whales, he guided me back to the research vessel.

The instant my feet touched the deck, Aster grabbed my arm.

“How did you do that? What exactly did you—”

“Ahhh!”

I kicked him hard in the shin.

He yelped and stumbled backward.

“What do you mean, what did I do? You’re a communicator! How could you do something like that?”

“Wow. Now you’re using violence too.”

“You were the one who used violence first! Even if I don’t want to, I can feel their emotions exactly as they are. How can you try to crush them with force?”

Perhaps because I had synchronized so deeply with the Crystal Whales’ emotions, my anger toward Aster wouldn’t fade.

I genuinely couldn’t understand him.

Some people even said communicators were designed so they could never mistreat magical beasts.

A communicator could feel a beast’s pain and fear as though it were their own.

What kind of communicator would want to torment a creature after experiencing that?

If he’d really communicated with a Crystal Whale during the transfer examination…

If he’d felt just how deep and colorful their emotions were…

He never could have done that.

As I glared at Aster, a sudden suspicion arose.

“Don’t tell me…”

The question that escaped my mouth was difficult even for me to believe.

“Did you act like this during the Crystal Whale communication test too?”