Once upon a time...
Salt does not yet belong to the Daichi.
Sand does not yet belong to the ocean.
Iberia still has a king.
Friends from the sea bring knowledge, and a bridge is built between land and sea.
Iberia armed itself with knowledge, Golden Armada enjoyed unparalleled glory...
On his way to his lodgings, Vane hummed a lullaby in a soft, gentle tone.
Irene turned her head and couldn't help but ask:
"Mr. Vane, I've heard of the legend of the Golden Armada ... but 'friends of the sea'... does that refer to the Aegir?"
Vane stopped humming, turned around, and began walking backwards, a half-smile on his face.
"It's not a legend, the Golden Armada really exists."
Vane took a step closer to Dario and hooked his arm around the Inquisitor's shoulder.
"Iberia was once ruled by a royal family,"
"Not exactly top-tier in strength, but not so weak as to be easily slaughtered either. Until one day... a gift came from 'friends in the sea'."
He paused, then suddenly raised his voice:
"Aegir!"
"A nation located at the bottom of the deep sea, with advanced technology and a brilliant civilization."
"But even they, due to the threat of the deep-sea 'monsters,' were forced to seek allies..."
"And Iberia became the chosen collaborator."
"The Aegir came ashore brought technology and knowledge far beyond what Iberia could have imagined at the time..."
"Giant ships set sail, lighthouses rose along the coast... It would not be an exaggeration to say that Iberia at that time was the strongest land power."
"Thus began the Golden Age."
Vane's voice was incredibly captivating:
"In that era, even the most destitute beggar in the city was proud to be an Iberia."
"That was also the generation with the most harmonious and close relationship between the Iberia and the Aegir... 'Friends of the Sea,' truly deserving of the name."
Irene listened intently, her eyes filled with imagination of that glorious era.
"But..."
Vane's voice suddenly dropped to a low crescendo, as if plunging from a sunlit deck into a cold, dark trench.
"Rapidly increasing strength breeds deadly arrogance."
"When the 'calamity' that the Aegir had warned of countless times, yet which the Iberia had gradually underestimated, truly descends from the deep sea,"
"This seemingly indestructible golden glory is as fragile as a castle on the beach, ready to crumble at the slightest touch."
He slowly uttered that word that would be etched into the hearts of all Iberia:
"[The Great Silence]."
Irene caught her breath.
"A terrifying tsunami swallowed vast swathes of southern land; the entire Golden Armada lost contact, and hundreds of magnificent lighthouses, except for one, were all extinguished..."
Even the once fertile farmland has been soaked by seawater, turning into a desolate saline-alkali land...
He paused, as if allowing the listener to process the horror:
"The voice was silenced, the capital was swallowed up, and the prosperous civilization vanished into thin air."
As dusk settled, the sea breeze seemed to grow especially cold.
Vane turned his head and stared at Irene's pale face, his voice soft yet sharp:
"Having grown accustomed to arrogance, and having fallen hard from their lofty perch, when the Iberia raised their heads from the ruins... guess what they did?"
Irene's throat went dry, and she instinctively shook her head.
"... They twisted the warnings the Aegir gave before the cataclysm into a vicious curse."
[You are the ones who brought this calamity!]
[Sea demon! Go back to the bottom of the sea!]
[Without you, Iberia is still Iberia!]
"The riots have begun."
Vane narrated coldly,
"A peaceful neighbor becomes a murderer, and a once-honored guest is dragged into the street."
"Countless Aegir died in the riots, and the most symbolic tragedy was—"
He looked at Dario, whose eyes were closed and jawline was taut.
"The chief ship designer who initially represented Aegir, the man known as 'The Bridge' —Breogan..."
"He was dragged from his home by a mob of irrational people and died on the bustling street that he had helped design and build."
The lingering notes of the song had long since faded; Irene's face was deathly pale, Dario remained silent.
Vane released his grip on Dario's hand and turned back to face the road ahead.
"A large number of disaster victims emerged, and the once noble army turned into rioters."
"Physically, those who are starving turn to banditry."
"In terms of spirituality, the Church of the Deep promotes doctrinal brainwashing."
Even with the Inquisition of the State Church (acting as the Inquisition) and the efforts of the National Defense Force to turn the tide, Iberia's decline was still undeniable...
"Thus, the Golden Age came to an end."
"..." x2
Seeing the two remain silent, Vane drawled out his words.
"Hey~ Is that all? The persecution of the Aegir has only just begun~"
"You know a lot about Iberia's past."
Dario stared at Vane, trying to dig deeper beneath that cynical facade.
"I know everything!"
Dario frowned, about to press for more information, but Vane smiled and looked at Irene.
"Alright, history lesson paused. Cute little bird... After hearing so much, is there anything you want to know? I can give you some extra help!"
Irene struggled out of her chaotic thoughts and asked a question that had troubled many Iberia:
"The Great Silence... what exactly is it? The Inquisition's records are vague. Is it... truly Catastrophe?"
"Um..."
Vane stroked his chin and said in a casual tone
"... In terms you can understand, it's like a very large Seaborn going berserk in the ocean."
"Seaborn?!"
Irene gasped in shock; the answer was too direct and too horrifying.
Was the monster they fought daily the culprit that destroyed their Golden Age?
Before that disaster, Seaborn was even used as a toy by children...
"Yes, it's Seaborn."
Ignoring their shock, Vane scratched his head and muttered to himself.
"Hiss—although the Iberia persecuted the Agers...it seems the Aegir really do have to take the blame, though it's the group from the sea..."
Dario's eyes narrowed, and he was about to ask a question when Vane stopped in his tracks.
Have we arrived?
Not far away, on the edge of the village, stands a small house that looks out of place with the surrounding buildings.
"Yes..."
Dario suppressed his doubts and led the group into the stone house, with Vane rushing to the door first.
"Is anyone there? I'm coming in!"
Before any response could be received, the boy Aegir opened the door and stepped aside to make room for him.
Thanks!
Vane stepped inside and began to look around the room with great interest.
Contrary to its dilapidated and lonely appearance, the interior, though simply furnished, was exceptionally tidy and clean.
The surroundings, with their lived-in feel, clearly indicate that people have been living here for a long time, contradicting the villagers' claim that they "only came recently."
"You should have investigated this already, right? What's the situation?"
Dario went to the center of the room and lit a fire on the kang (a heated brick bed), dispelling the lingering chill and fishy smell of the sea.
Irene answered on behalf of the teacher, her tone tinged with sympathy and helplessness:
"This boy cannot speak and has received limited education, so..."
"That means we can't communicate!"
Vane raised an eyebrow, hooked his arm around the boy, and the boy trembled in fright.
"Is it because they are illiterate, or because they don't want to speak?"
"Mr. Vane!"
Irene rushed forward, somewhat angrily pulling Vane's arm away and shielding the boy behind her.
"He's a victim too! Please stop scaring him!"
"Okay, okay~"
Vane raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but his eyes never left his opponent.
"I'm just a little curious, after all, he's the only Aegir in the whole village."
Ignoring the bird that had stopped, Vane's attention was drawn to the hammock in the corner of the room.
After taking a few steps, Vane unceremoniously fell backward, pushing off the ground with his feet and swinging like a pendulum.
Irene was still pondering Vane's words when she saw this and was somewhat speechless:
"Mr. Vane... you know so much, why are you always so lazy?"
She found it hard to reconcile the current Vane with the eloquent "scholar" from just moments before.
Is there any possibility...?
Vane closed his eyes, enjoying the swaying of the simple hammock.
"Somewhere you can't see, I've actually been working incredibly hard, practically to the bone. Now it's time to relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor."
"Ah?"
Irene was taken aback, then an expression of admiration appeared on her face.
"So that's how it is! Mr. Vane was away investigating clues about the village and the Church of the Deep on his own?!"
"Ahem... Kid, do you have anything to eat? It's almost dinnertime, isn't it?"
Faced with the bird's sparkling eyes, Vane quickly and abruptly changed the subject.
Young Aegir was taken aback, his expression turning troubled. Dario spoke up at the opportune moment.
"The villagers here said they would provide food."
"Oh?"
Vane narrowed his eyes, and the swaying decreased in amplitude.
"So kind of you? In resource-scarce coastal areas, food must be very precious, right?"
Let's wait and see...
Dario closed his eyes to rest again, Vane said speechlessly.
Sometimes I really wonder if you can sleep sitting up.
"The teacher is silently reciting the scriptures and laws of the Inquisition,"
Irene explained earnestly, her tone serious.
"It helps to calm the mind, concentrate, and maintain judgment in complex environments."
"Oh? You can do that too?" Vane raised an eyebrow.
"Of course!"
Irene straightened her back, cleared her throat, and began to recite in a low voice.
Vane listened for a while, then felt his head buzzing and, with a headache, waved his hand to stop him.
"Stop! I believe you can recite it! But I can't understand a single word of Iberian!"
Irene paused for a moment, then said excitedly:
"Oh right! Mr. Vane, you don't Iberian! In that case... I'll teach you! Let's start with the most basic everyday phrases!"
"???"
Vane instinctively sensed something was wrong and was about to make an excuse to leave when Irene had already sat down by the fire without saying a word.
He picked up a thin piece of firewood, scratched it on the ground, and began to repeat the simplest greetings and nouns in a slow, deliberate voice.
"Come on, Mr. Vane, please repeat after me—'Hello'..."
"..."
Seeing no reply, Irene stared intently at Vane, Vane slumped his shoulders and repeated with a pained expression:
"Hello..."