Return to the Deep Sea, but the Deep Sea Didn't Want You

Owen Dyson silently watched the stone bed, watched the black-robed monster dissolve into a pool of filthy seawater that flowed in every direction along the bed.

Only when the filthy seawater reached the floor did he expressionlessly take half a step back, avoiding getting the liquid on his boots.

A stench mingling seaweed and silt spread through the secret chamber.

"Can its soul be tracked?" Count Owen turned to the mage in charge of the place and asked.

"The soul has vanished." The mage in moon-patterned robes traced a complex rune before his chest. A faint silver glow appeared in his eyes, and after scanning the entire chamber, he shook his head. "But it did not dissipate instantly—there are no lingering spirits here. It is more like the soul was taken away by something."

"...A soul that was taken away. That makes things more interesting..." Count Owen's brow furrowed slightly before gradually relaxing again. "Do not spread word of this monster for now, lest it cause panic. Master Petori, please thoroughly purify this place afterward, including this black robe and half of that amulet, to prevent them from retaining any cursed power from the deep sea."

The mage lowered his head and replied respectfully, "Yes, my lord."

Owen Dyson nodded, withdrawing his gaze from the stone bed and letting out a soft breath.

The dense smell of the sea in the air seemed to fade somewhat.

"In any case, it seems those Children of the Storm who once betrayed the Dyson Family have run into some trouble this time... How ironic. They threw themselves into the deep sea, yet the deep sea does not seem inclined to treat them well." The ruler of Port Mobius suddenly laughed. "That is a fitting end for cultists."

"My lord," the mage named Petori