Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 1943: Cast away (1)

"Even if you stare at me that way, I am not in a position to reveal anything to you," Aestum remarked in a composed tone when I remained silent.

Keeping my gaze fixed on Aestum exactly as before, I still offered no verbal reply.

Eventually, after a brief pause, I finally spoke, "Having your backing is sufficient. I will find a method to ensure they assist me."

The sphere of blue light bobbed up and down, appearing to nod in concurrence with my statement.

Following this, the kraken interjected, "Serving the Holy Son is my greatest honor."

Addressing the glowing blue orb, it continued, "Your eminence, I shall accompany the Holy Son now."

Once more, the blue light shifted up and down as if signaling its approval.

Then, turning back toward our group, Aestum abruptly noted, "It appears several devotees of that tyrant Aquaron are among us. This meeting was fated, so I have words to share with you all today."

From the way Aestum spoke, it felt as though the deity had been anticipating this moment for a very long time.

Nevertheless, none of us could grasp the nature of the friction between Aestum and Aquaron.

Although they were technically rival deities due to both possessing the water attribute, a genuine feud shouldn't have existed. After all, while Aquaron reigned as the God of Water, Aestum was the God of Tides.

Tides are phenomena that occur within the water; without water, tides cannot exist.

Based on that logic, one could even argue that Aestum should have been a subordinate to Aquaron.

Why, then, was their voice laced with such bitterness when mentioning Aquaron?

Initially, the Merman King stayed quiet, observing the blue orb with a puzzled expression. Eventually, he inquired, "Is there some sort of grievance between you and Lord Aquaron?"

"Grievance? Ha, ha, ha, you could certainly call it that."

Aestum’s response only deepened the confusion among the group.

It truly felt as though there was no logical reason for such animosity to exist between these gods.

As Aestum’s laughter died down, their tone shifted sharply, asking, "Are you truly ignorant, or are you merely pretending not to know?"

I couldn't resist casting a suspicious glance at the Merman King.

I wasn't alone in this; even the royal guards were looking at the Merman King with similar doubt.

Yet, no matter how much we scrutinized him, he seemed genuinely oblivious to the situation.

It appeared he was just as baffled as everyone else.

"Do you really have no knowledge of this?" Aestum pressed once more.

I found this interaction peculiar. Since Aestum was a god, reading the Merman King's thoughts should have been a simple task...

Perhaps the trident, being a relic of Aquaron, was shielding the Merman King’s mind from Aestum’s intrusion.

That seemed to be the most plausible explanation.

There was another possibility, but I tried to push it aside, as it would be quite troublesome if true.

After a prolonged silence, Aestum let out a heavy sigh and finally said, "It seems you truly know nothing of the tragedy from that era. Is it possible it was intentionally erased from the records?"

Switching to a different tone, Aestum added, "It makes sense that he would wish to conceal the atrocities he committed long ago. That is simply his character... In the end, history is written by the victors."

Frowns deepened on the faces of the Merman King and his royal guards.

Even if they were facing a deity, they weren't inclined to stand by while the god they worshipped was insulted.

But before any of them could voice a protest, Aestum seemed to regain a sense of divine authority and declared, "Allow me to reveal the history that has been hidden."

"Show yourselves."

At Aestum’s command, a sudden movement stirred in the surrounding area.

The beings that had been lurking inside the coral dwellings seemed encouraged by Aestum’s words, and they began to emerge slowly.

As they stepped into view, we were all struck with astonishment.

These were creatures that none of us had ever encountered.

Even with my memories of a previous life, I had never seen such beings in the game. It appeared these creatures never existed in the original game world upon which this reality was modeled.

Various distinct races were among those coming out of the coral houses.

There was a race resembling dwarves, yet parts of their bodies seemed composed of liquid water. Another race looked like pixies, but with wings crafted from water on their backs. There was even a race of small, reptilian lizard-folk.

It was evident these were not mainstream races, as none of them were well-known in my past life.

Yet, here they stood right before us.

"Lord Aestum, have they come to attack us?"

When one of the creatures asked this, the entire group seemed to share the same anxiety. They all glared at the Merman King and the royal guards, looking terrified that they might strike.

However, that was the oddest part.

Their focus was entirely on the Merman King and his guards.

It was as if a deep-seated grudge existed between them and these merfolk from the very beginning...