By the time the last remnants of tentacle ash had faded into the wind, the group found themselves seated inside the apothecary, warm herbal scents swirling through the cramped, cluttered shop. The walls were lined with neatly labeled jars—dried roots, oils, poultices—giving the place a curious mix of arcane lab and rustic medicine hut. A kettle whistled softly in the background, and the only tension that remained hung in the quiet anticipation between word
Vash, the green-haired boy who had earlier cowered behind a counter, now poured water with shaking hands. "Sorry about earlier," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact. "Those tentacles were only meant to restrain intruders. I've had people show up trying to kill me these last few weeks... I've been on edge."
Kaito nodded. "No harm done."
Ysoria took a sip from her cup and gave the boy a curious glance. "Your abilities are far from ordinary, Vash. By all reports, you were a low-ranking warlock. Now you're healing the crippled, regrowing limbs, and wielding otherworldly powers… That kind of leap isn't natural. May we ask how it came to be?"
Vash hesitated for a moment, then slowly stood. "Since you're the Hero and the Saint… I suppose I can trust you."
He stepped into the back and returned a moment later, cradling something wrapped in thick cloth. As he unwrapped it on the table between them, Kaito leaned in. The bundle revealed a small, broken statue—partially humanoid, partially squid-like, covered in etched runes and slick with a strange oily sheen. Though lifeless, it radiated something… alien.
"This washed up on the shore a few months ago," Vash explained. "It started whispering the moment I touched it. I panicked and smashed it with a rock, but whatever it had already done—stuck. Since then, I can… do things. Reshape flesh, extend tentacles, mute pain, and drive people mad with paranoia. It's like the knowledge just poured into my head."
Nysera examine the statue, muttering a detection spell. A faint violet glow shimmered around it, then faded. "It's ordinary." she confirmed.
Vash nodded. "No one else has been able to detect anything from it either. But the powers stayed. So, I started using them to help people for free."
He sighed. "And then the rumors started."
"The Church?" Kaito asked.
Vash nodded again. "They weren't happy. Said I was meddling with forbidden powers. Things got worse when that sea monster began attacking ships. Sailors went mad just from glimpsing it, and I was the only one who could bring them back to sanity. So they accused me of summoning the creature to profit off healing its victims. That I'm the Shaper of Flesh, a Commanders of the Demon King and all kind of rumors."
Ysoria stepped forward, her voice ringing with saintly resolve. "Hero, let us defeat this sea monster. Vash, using my authority as the Saint, I shall restore your reputation!"
A flicker of hope appeared in Vash's eyes, mixed with a deep-seated fear. "But... even the navy is powerless against it."
Kaito gave a confident nod. "Although I'm not great at dealing with underwater enemies, I'm sure we can defeat it."
Vash looked at him, his voice barely a whisper. "If you say so, Hero..."
____
In their hotel room, Kaito tapped his finger on a parchment laid out on a small table. The page was a meticulous list of every ship attacked by the sea monster.
"The only similarity between all these attacks," he said, "is that they were all carrying a cargo of this narcotic substance."
Rin's eyes widened in disbelief. "But Hero, these leaves aren't illegal at all. If anything, it's widely used for its non-addictive nature and intense feeling of relaxation it induces. In the far eastern country, it's ingrained in our culture. We would use it regularly within our lives, just boil it in water and takes a sip to pass the time."
Kaito nodded, unfazed. "Besides that, I really can't find any other similarity between these attacks. It seems to go after shipments of weapons, food, furniture, and jewelry without any pattern."
Rin's expression turned to one of dismay. "But... don't tell me you're planning to dump them into the ocean to attract the sea monster. That would be illegal, not in terms of the law, but in terms of the moral principle behind it. Surely, as a Hero, you wouldn't do such a thing."
"Rin, I understand how you feel," Ysoria said, placing a reassuring hand on Rin's shoulder. "However, this is the decision of the Hero. We need to vanquish this sea monster and restore the Port City to normal. We can't afford to have a moral high ground when the lives of many are at risk."
Rin shook her head. "But maybe we could somehow befriend it. As an enjoyer of these leaves, I'm sure it isn't a malevolence being..."