Chapter 254

Chapter 254

[The quest ‘Homecoming of the Whalekin’ has been generated.]

[Homecoming of the Whalekin]

The homeland where the whalekin once lived was the Endless Sky. That was their refuge and paradise. When they gave up their homeland to the waterdrakes, the whalekin fled to the Sea of Clouds, driven by their love of peace. After many years, the whalekin realized they made the wrong choice. But they cannot return to their homeland. In order to leave the Endless Sky, they imposed the ‘sanction of a vow’ upon themselves. Help the whalekin return home.

Clear rewards:

Blessing of the Whalekin

Whalekin Sinew

?

The information he already knew was recapitulated in the quest description.

‘Something huge is getting closer.’

Hyukjin felt ‘something huge’. In fact, the silver-haired man approaching them wasn’t huge in stature, but Hyukjin felt as if he were facing a tranquil and massive mountain.

“Are you a guest of Natalie’s? Greetings. I am the leader of the whalekin, Naphthan.”

Natalie piped up. “He protected me from the skybirds!”

“From the skybirds?” The man’s brows furrowed a little. He sighed. “Our mistake has endangered you.”

It wasn’t just Natalie who was in danger. The whalekin needed to leave the Sea of Clouds periodically to breathe, and that was the chance the wicked skybirds—Steel Wyverns—seized to attack and hunt the gentle giants.

“I don’t resent you, Dad.”

Natalie flashed a sunny smile, which bewildered Hyukjin to see.

‘She’s like a different person again.’

Natalie seemed to be an individual of many faces. In front of this man she called Dad, she had the personality—whale-ality?—of an incredibly kind and warm young girl.

‘As expected, I can’t use Eye of Perception.’

Naphthan wasn’t someone Eye of Perception could read. What Hyukjin felt was immense power, like he was gazing into the endless cosmos. And despite that, despite all that power, these foolish people bound themselves into utter helplessness.

“That the whalekin are living in the Sea of Clouds…” Hyukjin paused, considering what the Guardians would like to hear most. “Is, in my opinion, unjust. I felt awful for your people after hearing of your circumstances from Natalie.”

“500 years ago, we thought this was the best choice.”

After 500 years, the whalekin thought differently about their decision.

“But our choice was wrong.”

Having lived in the Endless Sky in blessed ignorance, they thought other places would be like the Endless Sky. But that wasn’t the case. Places that weren’t the Endless Sky were perilous for the whalekin.

“It’s not that the choice the whalekin made is wrong. The waterdrakes who stole your home are in the wrong.”

“They, too, were in need of a place to call home.”

Hyukjin decided not to strain his brain trying to comprehend how the whalekin thought. It was futile. There was no way a human and whale could think the same way or have the same opinions. He just had to think of it as, ‘Oh, that’s how they see it,’ and move on.

‘My job isn’t to change their minds.’

What he had to do was enter the Endless Sky with them.

“They rejected coexistence. Was the Endless Sky such a small place?”

“The Endless Sky is limitless.”

“Then the waterdrakes wanted to chase the whalekin out of the Endless Sky.”

“Indeed.”

“And in the end, the peace-loving whalekin left the Endless Sky.”

Their minds might work in very different ways, but one thing was clear. This silver-haired man deeply cherished Natalie. He loved her. That could be seen in his eyes. It seemed love for one’s child was an absolute law that took precedence over the boundaries of race.

“Natalie almost died today.”

“…”

Hyukjin calmly led the conversation in a way the whalekin could follow.

“I’m not saying the waterdrakes are bad.”

In his point of view, they were bad. Basically, they were the invaders who chased out the whalekin living happily and bothering no one. The whalekin were too kind, and that kindness was their downfall.

“But the situation today where Natalie nearly died was too dangerous. That situation was bad.”

“I agree that the situation was bad.”

“The Steel Wyverns you call skybirds are quite an intelligent species of monster.”

“I know. Their means of attacking us have become more refined and elaborate.”

The Steel Wyverns were sure to have developed their hunting methods little by little over 500 years.

“Before long, the whalekin may be completely wiped out by the skybirds.”

Even that might not be all that important to the whalekin. That was why Hyukjin dragged Natalie to the forefront.

“Natalie misses the Endless Sky. If all the whalekin are wiped out, Natalie will be forever unable to set foot in your homeland.”

“…”

Tears whaled in Naphthan’s eyes. He gazed at Natalie. “That’s true. Natalie must resent us.”

“Being hungry is the saddest thing in the world,” Hyukjin said. “Don’t you want to return to the Endless Sky?”

“I do. But the waterdrakes are there.”

Hyukjin shook his head. “It’s too early to think about the waterdrakes.”

“What do we think about, then?”

“What’s the first thing you need to do in order to reach the Endless Sky?”

They had to leave the Sea of Clouds.

“We need to swim. Towards the sky.”

It was just as he thought. The Endless Sky was ‘up there’.

Naphthan nodded. “The skybirds are a problem.”

“Exactly. The whalekin may possess great strength, but they are incapable of using it. You are a race tightly bound by such a setting.”

“Indeed.”

The waterdrakes were a problem for later. The first thing they needed to handle wasn’t them, but the wyverns.

* * *

Translator – Lei

Proofreader – Ash

* * *

“I ask you now. Was it right that you were expelled from your homeland?”

“It wasn’t.”

“When you look back, was that just?”

“It wasn’t.”

“Was it fair?”

“It wasn’t.”

The waterdrakes were the only ones rejoicing. What they wanted was monopoly, not coexistence. The current situation was far removed from terms like justice, fairness, and coexistence.

“In that case, I think I can help you.”

“You, a human, can help us?”

Natalie’s father wasn’t scorning humans. He was simply stating that they were of different races.

“I think so, yes.”

“How can you help us?”

Hyukjin grinned. This was the moment he had been leading up to.

“I have a racial trait that allows me to deem the following as ‘just’: regulations or laws created by the majority accord of society’s members, actions tacitly and universally deemed good, or the System’s rules.”

It wasn’t actually a racial trait, but a power that came from an item in his possession.

[Judgment of the Law]

Regulations/laws created by the accord of society’s majority, actions tacitly and universally deemed good, or the System’s rules, will be temporarily set as ‘Just’. The caster will be given the rights of an ‘Arbitrator’ towards all acts that defy justice. The Arbitrator officially files objections to all acts that contradict justice, can mete out due punishment within set bounds to those who contradict justice, and will be conferred the requisite power and authority.

“It’s my first time hearing that humans have such a racial trait.”

“I’m a bit of a special case. In any case, I’ve judged that helping the whalekin return to their homeland is an action tacitly and universally deemed good.”

His words were specially crafted for the Lady of the Scales. With her disposition, the Lady of the Scales would want to aid the whalekin. From her point of view, the whalekin were a pitiful people who were robbed of their homes and forced into destitution.

“I think I can lift the restriction forcefully binding your powers.”

“That would be tricky. It will be hard for a human to break the vow we made.”

Once again, Naphthan wasn’t looking down on humans. He was just stating the facts, as simple as saying, ‘You weigh 90 kg, and I weigh 70 kg.’ To a whalekin, it was simply an objective statement free of emotion.

Natalie interjected. “That’s right. I hate—I mean, I’m upset about the vow, but there’s no human who can break it.”

“…”

Was that really the case?

“There’s nothing to lose from trying, is there?”

“That’s true, but… I just fear the power of our vow might harm you.”

“That is for me to handle.”

He had to go to the Endless Sky. And for that, he needed the whalekins’ help.

“Why is it that you would go to such lengths for us?”

To go to the Endless Sky.

“Because it angers me.”

“Angers you?”

“Humans are a diverse race. Many humans would be angry to see the situation you are in. I want to help you.”

“Difficult reasoning for us to understand,” said Naphthan. “But I can see your sincerity. I see you sincerely want to help us, a sentiment we’re very grateful for.”

He heard a notice.

[Revealing the hidden clear reward.]

Clear rewards:

Blessing of the Whalekin

Whalekin Sinew

Contract of the Whalekin

Naphthan spoke again. “If we manage to reach the Endless Sky, I will allow the marriage of my daughter to you.”

“…”

Hyukjin was struck speechless. He had led the conversation up to this point, but this new development had him gasping to keep up.

‘The contract that’s the third reward is referring to marriage?’

Natalie laughed like she wasn’t terribly bothered.

“I never even thought about getting married to a human.”

I haven’t thought about getting married to a whale! Hyukjin wanted to scream, but he resisted the urge. Right now, he was a producer. A content creator. And he had to resolve the situation like one.

“Thank you for the offer, but I respectfully decline.”

“Decline?”

The mild expression on this man who didn’t look as if he would hurt a fly abruptly shifted. Hyukjin was struck with the image of a tsunami roaring towards him, threatening to crush him.

It suddenly became hard to breathe.

‘He’s exuding some incredible power.’

Hyukjin had no idea why Naphthan was so mad all of a sudden. As expected, whalekin were impossible to understand.

“Why are you declining to marry my daughter?”

Natalie looked upset, too. Apparently, declining a marriage offer was an awfully unpleasant deed for whalekin. They hadn’t expressed such displeasure or hostility even towards the waterdrakes who stole their home.

‘They cannot harm me anyway.’

That was their vow. The foreboding aura they were giving off was terrible, but there was no need to be afraid, just like there was no reason to fear a hawk inside a cage.

‘If I do this whale… I should be able to pull some good quality footage.’

It occurred to him that he might be able to produce a development the Guardians would enjoy. It was good. It was good content.

Just as he was thinking that, someone else made an appearance.

“Big children, he’s my husband.”

It was Isabel, awake from her slumber. But this time, she looked… a little strange.

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