Formed only in 2853, the Knights of Crimson could be considered one of the youngest organized religions across the sea-filled world.
Beginning as a secret order of the strongest swordmasters within the Sea of Ancients, they were unstoppable in underground mercenary work and black market dealings.
However, after the turn of the century, their operations were revealed, and the motives for their work were displayed to the world.
Worshipping the God of Warfare, they became one of the five religions that commanded a vast following throughout the seven safe seas and even into the Sea of Chains and Sea of Polar Storms.
Their commandments read as follows:
Thou shalt not kill without mercy.
Thou shalt not embrace death without a fight.
Thou shalt not disobey the supreme.
And finally, the single most important law spread throughout the organization would be the fourth and final main command.
Thou shalt be a sword and shield of the supreme until thou draw thy last breath.
Considered by the other four religions as barbaric in practice, they were ostracized from the Holy Capital and forced into a headquarters based in the Sea of Mystery.
Now, under direct order by the Nautilus Treaty, they were to protect the burial grounds with their lives while also keeping the Vault secure.
Therefore, to set foot on the soil of the island, you would need their direct approval and authorization.
That, of course, is unless you were Cauron Thorn, the King of Mysteries and the Immortal Ruler of Life.
…
Stepping down from the boat ladder and onto the stone dock that jutted out from the island, Aaron Grimstall took a deep breath.
Rolling sand dunes covered the island with patches of grass and trees sprawled throughout the area, the only variation to the natural terrain being rows upon rows of white marble.
Marble gravestones numbered in the hundreds down the coastline, those killed in the burning of the Library of Nautilus given ceremonial tombs to rest on the very place they met their end.
It's so…
He stopped himself, noticing the sad look upon Lord Thorn's face that betrayed his obvious sadness over the disaster.
I heard he grew up in the Library and was here when it burned…
Turning his attention towards the figures wearing intricate red armor that stormed down the dock with rage, he heard their voices echo out.
"Lord Thorn, if you wish to dock on private land, then you need to—"
The first of the soldiers, one with long white hair and gray eyes, was stopped by the King, stretching out his hand and speaking firmly.
"I do not need permission to dock in my own homeland. Just because I am as old as your great-grandfather does not mean you must treat me as such."
A normal person would've flinched backward at the words of the powerful; however, the Knights of Crimson were by no means normal.
The first man stopped but did not back down, his brow furrowing as he spoke in an entitled, almost irritated voice.
"If you are so pressed to avoid our authority over the ruined lands, then you are under an obligation to be accompanied by an Archbishop."
He took a step forward, offering himself up as the prime candidate for the position.
"I would be happy to accompany you on your expedition in the Vault of Nautilus, and as an Archbishop, I am qualified to present you with your tokens."
The five teenagers all turned their attention to the Sea King, who bit his lip slightly, the warm desert air blowing hard over the dunes and towards the dock.
Opening his mouth to speak, he quickly closed it again, squinting at the white-haired man closer as if unsure of something.
"You're the grandson of Alanold Trout, correct?"
The knight furrowed his brow, confusion and surprise clearly streaking across his otherwise calm expression.
"Indeed. I am Finnigan Trout, Archbishop of the—"
He was interrupted by Cauron Thorn, who scoffed while muttering something under his breath.
"I do not like those who repeat the same information twice, Sir Finnigan. Your grandfather was aware of this fact and adapted as needed. Will you be the same as him?"
Cracking a small smile, he took a step forward while gesturing to the children behind him to follow suit, leaving the armored man to watch.
Aaron gazed over and into his gray eyes with a blank expression across his face, his mind being serenaded by Penelope's discord.
『Hahahaha… Truly a weak-willed man to bend so quickly!』
Shaking his head at her rude words, he turned his attention back to the leader of their party, the orange-haired Sea King, making his way out of the boatyard.
As they scaled the short hills with relative ease, they passed grave after grave with names carved deep into the stone.
Each name was a lost soul, an individual burned or suffocated in the burning structure that rested in the center of the island.
While a King was present in the library during its disaster, he was no match for the relentless flames, and combined with the arsonist, it was too much for him to handle, even with aid.
There have to be hundreds of these stones here…
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and truly feeling the mana spread out around him, the rich environment allowing for magic to flourish.
Beside him, Ezra shifted awkwardly in his coat, the thought of death itself not bothering him, but rather the names written on the tombstones.
The blond-haired boy, after opening his eyes, followed his gaze and found a name that was familiar to him as well.
Brevmore…
While it was likely a distant relation or a coincidence of names, the gravestone was a reminder to both boys of the man known as Stein Brevmore, a monster and a serial killer who ran the gambling house in Corvassa.
In some way or another, he had impacted both of their lives, whether it be torturous beatings and lashings under the guise of co-ownership, or the forced ingestion of Apex-laced liquor.
Aaron had never received any confirmation of his death from Cam, even after his many weeks of asking; his presence seemingly gone without a trace.
He was a wanted man, yet to the boy's surprise, there was not a single bounty poster placed around any city he knew.
Not once after waking up aboard the Ghostship had he seen such a poster, the closest thing to them being that of warrants.
Was it something I read in a book?
Sighing hard, he looked upward, noticing that they were at the climax of the rolling sand hills that were embedded with graves.
Slowly, he gazed out in front of him, the terrain of the island finally coming into full view, and his jaw falling slack.
The Library of Nautilus was built on a…
"The caldera of an extinct volcano."
Cauron Thorn's voice rang out loud, the Archbishop trailing closely behind him, nodding in affirmation as he continued the King's message.
"Yes… After the eruption of two thousand two hundred, it has become completely stagnant; the magma chamber is dead after the rock collapsed onto itself."
The teenagers nodded their heads as they listened to the story, only one of them looking elsewhere as he spoke.
"Why is there a lone grave on the other side of the island?"
Raphael's finger was outstretched into the distance, a faint, unmarked wooden pole jutting up from a patch of dead grass.
Instead of an answer, he received mixed looks of displeasure from the Knights of Crimson and even the King of Mysteries.
One of the lower-ranked knights opened his mouth to speak, but was hurriedly silenced by his superior.
Without another word, the orange-haired Sea King continued forward, his eyes staring straight ahead at the foundation of a building.
Aaron could only guess what it could be, a place that had been burned to the ground sixty years ago.
The ruins of Nautilus…
Stone slabs, each the size of a boat, formed a base so large that it could be its own island, stretching from one end of the crater to the other.
The ground around it was too scorched for even weeds to take hold, the air bristling with silence and the aura of death.
Reaching up to his temples to activate his Mana Vision, the boy felt a strange tug as he did so, a sign of the deity's interference.
There's something he doesn't wish me to see.
Groaning, he continued at his steady pace behind the group, their path now streaking alongside the hills at their peaks.
Forming a road at the top of the dunes, it was the perfect way to traverse the land all the way to its rear, where the Vault resided.
Without delays, it would take nearly an hour of non-stop walking to reach the coastline at the other shore.
A dock was impossible to build due to the harsh cliffs that were constantly battered by storms that brought waves the size of leviathans.
Therefore, to access the vault built within a crevice on the southern shore, one had to enter from the north and head there on foot.
Upon arrival, the true journey would only just begin, the entry into the Vault of Nautilus granting the five former challengers the opportunity to attain the artifacts of the gods themselves.