Rygar noticed during the conversation that Ilya did not seem particularly hurt by the death of her mother. He became curious, so he decided to ask directly.
The elf's answer was given with the same serenity that seemed to accompany all her words:
"My mother was a Demon King warrior. She loved battle and would follow anyone strong enough for war. Fighting and combat were everything in her life."
Rygar understood the reasoning; he could see that point of view, even if he did not agree.
It was something he himself had witnessed before, among his subordinates and some friends.
Although his own path was marked by battles, he did not see himself as someone consumed by them.
But he still recognized that different races and cultures shaped different ways of living and dying.
There were those who dedicated their entire existence to a single purpose, as if life had no value without it.
Ilya continued, looking at the tea still steaming in her cup:
"Just as she killed many people, she was always ready to die in battle. In fact, that was the best ending she could have hoped for. So, I harbor no resentment toward the Armored Dragon King."
Her words seemed sincere. There was no rancor, only acceptance. Rygar did not press the matter.
Afterwards, the conversation took another turn. Rygar asked about other prominent figures of the past.
During his years of learning with Verdia, he had acquired much knowledge about the past. But at that time, he had not given it much importance.
Now, with his power growing and enemies looming on the horizon, he had to know as much as possible.
Fighting the Dragon God, for example, was a task that seemed to become more complex the stronger he himself became.
And there was also the matter of Hitogami—a being about whom he knew almost nothing. He did not even know how to defend himself against it.
Knowledge was power.
He asked about many names. About the Armored Dragon King, Perugius. About his Twelve Spirits.
About the Seven Heroes who defeated Laplace. About the Demon Kings who reigned in ages past.
And then, eventually, the conversation drifted to another topic: the races. Specifically, the Sea Race.
In the last great war, the Sea Race played a crucial role in deciding the outcome. For much of the war, they were allies of Laplace.
But, in the final stretch of the war, the Seven Heroes somehow reached the maritime capital and managed to persuade the Sea Race to withdraw their troops and allow the allied armies to pass.
With the Beast Race being coerced, its children captured and held hostage, the Seven Heroes led the Knights of Milis and the Warriors of the Great Forest toward Laplace's fortress in a final, desperate assault.
The Sea Race, however, remained isolated for the hundreds of years that followed the war.
Ilya supposed that the fact that few kingdoms today have contact with members of that race was, in part, a consequence of the treaty they had made with the Seven Heroes.
They likely wished to be like the Celestial Race—remaining neutral, far from the wars and conflicts of other peoples.
The warriors of the Sea Race were quite distinct.
Like demons, they came in all shapes and sizes—some resembled merfolk, while others had octopus or crustacean features.
These differences, however, also left much room for internal divisions among the maritime tribes.
Rygar reflected on this. The idea of neutrality was a luxury in this world. Even more so for such a diverse race.
But it was when Ilya mentioned the religions of the Sea Race that Rygar's expression turned serious.
"The Sea Race worshiped two beings centuries ago," she said.
"One of them is Esterópes, the One-Eyed Giant. And the other is Zeroth, the Lord of Storms."
Rygar shuddered for a moment, interrupting Ilya's monologue.
"Sorry... who is the second? Zeroth?"
Ilya paused for an instant, her expression somewhat confused as she searched her memories for the legends. Then she spoke:
"Zeroth, the Lord of Storms... according to the myths and oral traditions of the Sea Race, he is a colossal Kraken that protects all sea races from oceanic disasters. Storms, whirlpools, tidal waves... any calamity that comes from the sea. His mere presence exhales absolute control over the waters. They say he is an ancestral spirit, a divine protector. There is even a legend that Saint Milis once fought this creature to end its wicked acts, but even with all his power, he could not kill it. Zeroth is considered virtually immortal. His vitality is almost infinite. Not even the Seven Powers could kill him easily, for they cannot show their full strength in the open ocean, where he reigns supreme."
She paused briefly, furrowing her brow as if organizing her thoughts.
"As far as I recall, Zeroth resides in the southern depths, while Esterópes guards the northern seas. Every hundred years, a great sacrifice must be made to Zeroth. It can be anything: sea monsters, members of the Sea Race, even prisoners or travelers of other races. The important thing is that the sacrifice is grand enough to appease him. After the sacrifice, he returns to a deep slumber and continues his protection over the seas. Some coastal cities even worship him as a true god."
Rygar was stunned.
'Did I... kill a god?'
That was the thought echoing in his mind.
At the age of twelve... he had killed something others considered a deity.
Of course, he knew better than anyone the circumstances of that battle.
Unlike others, whose power would be severely restricted in the deep waters, Rygar had, for the first time, felt completely unleashed. He could unleash all the power of chantless magic in the middle of the ocean.
He had unique advantages in that fight.
Rygar was gravely wounded several times, with broken bones, pierced organs, and body parts nearly torn off... but his Regeneration Magic, together with his abnormal physique, kept him standing.
It was a true battle of tenacity.
Moreover, he could escape to the air. At that time, he used a rudimentary flight prototype based on Barrier Magic. It was unstable and limited back then, but sufficient to ensure mobility superiority against the sea creature.
The fight lasted hours—hours of relentless confrontation against a colossal creature. And even so, Rygar only emerged victorious because of two decisive factors: his mana and his swords.
His mana capacity was immense, having reached its peak at the age of ten.
He could regenerate constantly, cast wide-scale spells, maintain defenses, and still continue offensives without pause.
Tsukikage, his blue sword, drastically increased his casting efficiency, making his mana used with minimal waste.
And Nighthunter, with its poison, was crucial. A slow and steady poison, almost imperceptible, but which gradually weakened the Kraken's absurd regeneration.
With each wound, a small dose was applied, and the cumulative effect was what finally allowed Rygar to open a real gap for the final blow.
Even so... the Kraken almost escaped. Rygar remembered well how that fight ended.
He was already nearly out of mana, his body shattered.
It was the only fight, since he was a child, that had brought him close to exhausting his mana.
He even fell for an illusion created by the creature.
And now, the power of that creature made much more sense.
The Kraken... Zeroth... was considered a deity. A god.
He felt a chill run down his spine.
'What does this mean...? I literally brought the body back with me for experiments...'
Yes, Zeroth's corpse had been divided and stored after he returned to Milis.
Separated into parts for studies, extraction of magical materials, alchemical tests. Each part had been designated for a specific use.
Would that not be... a severe offense to the Sea Race?
A scowl formed on his face. The strange movements detected in the sea began to make sense.
What Taes and Kilian had gone to investigate... now seemed connected.
Right... it was better to stay calm and find more information before making any decision. That Kraken was already dead, so Rygar needed to focus on a solution.
"Alright... and what about this other one, Estéropes?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.
Ilya noticed the tension forming on Rygar's face, but since he did not mention it, she also preferred not to comment.
"The One-Eyed Giant is a guardian deity," she replied.
"They say he was the first to establish himself at the center of the newly created Ringus Sea, right after the end of the Second Human-Demon War. His presence drove away the most dangerous sea beasts, which brought some stability to the region. But Estéropes only feeds on large fish and sea beasts. The Sea Race, being small, was never his target, so they began to gather around him. Gradually, they started offering their larger hunts as offerings to him... and Estéropes began to protect them in return."
Rygar rested his arms on the table and watched Ilya for a few moments.
"And what is the power level of this Estéropes?" he asked, furrowing his brow.
The elf looked visibly confused for a moment.
"Uhh... I don't know? He must be very strong..."
Rygar realized he was asking someone with little or no real combat experience. He rephrased:
"Who has he fought historically?"
Ilya's face lit up, as if that question made more sense to her.
"Ah! He was one of those who faced the Golden Knight, Aldebaran, and survived. My mother told me that this fight happened during the Second War. The forest where they fought, which had been lush, became a desert afterward. Although Estéropes was defeated, he came out of the battle alive."
Rygar raised an eyebrow. From what he heard from Ilya, few enemies survived a confrontation with Aldebaran and lived to tell the tale.
That said a lot about the power level of that creature.
The conversation continued. Rygar began to ask about various aspects of the Sea Race.
His instinct told him that that topic was not over, and it might be more important to learn all he could at that moment.
He made sure to absorb everything relevant: their customs, the workings of their society, their beliefs and cultures, the role of the hunters, the type of magic they used, their combat tactics at sea, and how they interacted with other coastal races.
Ilya became excited upon seeing Rygar's interest and shared everything she knew.
After absorbing the essentials, Rygar finally shifted focus.
"And the Celestial Race? What do you know about them?"
Ilya hesitated.
"Not much... They are extremely isolated. They have lived for thousands of years on the Divine Continent, atop mountains eternally covered in clouds. Even during the Laplace War, they remained neutral, protected by their magical barriers and divine formations. Almost no one can even approach their domains."
As Ilya spoke, Rygar felt increasingly aware of the vastness of the world. The more he discovered, the more he realized how little he knew.
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