The thick sea fog finally dissipated completely, revealing the final outcome of this naval battle.
The Kushan Empire's fleet, which had initially held a huge advantage, had suffered a crushing defeat after the powerful intervention of Nidhogg and the Liurnia of the Lakes.
Most of the galleass warships were sunk. Only two surrendered to the Junction's side.
The last of the fierce crocodile soldiers were also beheaded and put on public display. Not a single monster was left alive.
The people on the Ys fleet's warships and merchant ships cheered.
They had almost thought that today they would either become Kushan prisoners or be buried at the bottom of the sea. How could they not be happy now?
Level Up: LV 142 → LV 143
Nidhogg glanced at the level-up information. While ordering the crew and mermaids to rescue the drowning, he also ordered some soldiers to use gangplanks to board the two captured galleass warships and take the remaining Kushan soldiers prisoner.
Nordic immediately obeyed the order.
The captured Kushan soldiers were subdued one by one and, like their leader Daiba, knelt on the deck without a word.
However, when the Junction soldiers began searching one of the two galleass warships, Daiba frowned but still raised his head and broke his silence.
"When you search that ship, be careful of one of the prisoners inside."
Hearing this, Nidhogg approached and asked, "What's the matter?"
Daiba pressed his lips together and replied:
"Some time ago, our fleet intercepted a pirate ship. While inventorying the treasures on board, we discovered that their first mate was lying in a cabin, gravely ill."
"It's just that man's illness—I've never seen it before. A quarter of his body was covered in scarlet pustules. The man was extremely weak..."
"After interrogation, the pirates confessed that they were from the Tudor Empire. Inside the Tudor Empire, this terrible disease is currently spreading. There is no cure yet."
"Their first mate was infected with this scarlet disease but hid it from everyone. Only when the first mate became seriously ill a few days ago did everyone notice and panic."
"The best course of action would naturally be to throw the first mate into the sea. But this disease is quite contagious. You can catch it just by getting a little close. No one wanted to take the risk."
"They planned to sail to the nearest island and make further plans, but they were stopped by our fleet."
"This intrigued me greatly. So I used my sorcery to levitate him, moved him to my own warship, and placed him in a sealed room. I intended to take him back and study him carefully."
"It's better that your people be careful. You wouldn't want to catch this disease. When the time comes, it will be on our heads. Even if you cut off my head, you won't be able to save your people."
Nidhogg listened quietly, already guessing in his heart.
He immediately countermanded the order for the Junction soldiers searching the warship. He told them to retreat.
In fact, the soldiers and mages at the Junction understood after hearing Daiba's description. They had seen this disease and knew what it was called.
It was Scarlet Rot!
Its essence was the invasion of an outer god's power, existing within the body of the "Goddess of Rot," Malenia, in the form of a disease.
When Malenia fought fiercely with Radahn the Starscourge in Caelid and found herself at a disadvantage, she desperately unleashed her flower of rot, infecting Radahn with Scarlet Rot and corrupting the vast lands of Caelid.
Since then, Malenia had vanished without a trace. Radahn, suffering from Scarlet Rot, had lost his sanity, roaming Caelid day after day like a madman.
Caelid had also become a terrifying place. No one wanted to be tainted by Scarlet Rot—from rotting all over to instant death.
Mild symptoms of Scarlet Rot could also be cured. For example, the incantation of the Fire Monks— "Flame, Cleanse Me" —could burn away the pathogen through fire. Severe cases were practically incurable and could only be suppressed by certain methods.
Radahn was strong enough to just lose his sanity and not die. But because he was so strong, he had transformed into a terrible state—neither truly alive nor dead. It would have been better to die immediately upon infection.
The soldiers and mages of the Junction looked frightened and retreated as Nidhogg ordered.
Daiba watched them like this. He couldn't help but be stunned and asked, "You know what this is?"
A great sorcerer like him couldn't identify what had infected the gravely ill first mate. But this group of people seemed to know exactly what it was.
Nidhogg didn't answer. Instead, he asked everyone to step back. He rowed a small boat alone and approached the galleass warship. Soon, he found the sealed cabin.
He wasn't reckless. He held his Flask of Wondrous Physick in his hand.
Nidhogg's Flask of Wondrous Physick was different from the game's. It didn't have various effects. It only had one effect from start to finish—curing abnormal status conditions, including Scarlet Rot.
Of course, it could only cure moderate and mild cases. For someone like Radahn, the rate of healing from the Physick might not be as fast as the rate of Scarlet Rot spreading within his body.
Nevertheless, Nidhogg carefully opened the door and entered.
Soon, Nidhogg saw a body lying on the bed. It was no longer human. The first mate was dead, but no one had come to check, so no one knew.
The first mate's corpse indeed showed typical signs of Scarlet Rot. Scarlet pustules were everywhere. Small filaments grew, like a fruit after complete decay.
He had infected the bed he lay on. But the infection was slow. He was still lying on the blanket and boards. The rest of the room was intact.
...in the Tudor Empire... Scarlet Rot... People are fleeing their homeland, becoming pirates...
Nidhogg's mind was practically made up. He turned and left.
He went out onto the deck and told everyone not to approach the room. Then they would take the ship back to the Island of Fairies. After that, they would decide whether to use the corpse to study Scarlet Rot or destroy it completely.
The survivors who had fallen into the sea were rescued and brought back onto the ships for relocation.
The dead belonging to the Junction, the Island of Fairies, Ys, and the caravan were also retrieved with the help of the mermaids.
The elemental spirit mages chanted spells to calm the souls of the dead. Then they would be buried at the Junction or on the Island of Fairies.
The souls of the dead did not enter the path to the underworld or fall into the abyss. They returned to the nearby golden tree, becoming nutrients for its growth and nourishment for the soil beneath its roots.
This aligned with the concept of the elemental spirit mages: the spirits and flesh of the dead could return to nature and nourish the land. It was the best solution.
So, the Liurnia of the Lakes led the way. The Sea Horse followed. The surviving Ys warships and merchant ships, along with the two captured galleass ships, all headed for the harbor of the Island of Fairies.
Daiba silently observed the magic used by this group of people. It seemed there were different factions among them, but in reality, they differed from his own techniques and were similar in many ways.
He had followed the Terrifying Emperor, striving to create a great magical empire. That is, to study magic. And the study of magic would become mainstream.
Daiba couldn't help but look at Nidhogg, standing at the bow of the ship, and thought to himself.