The Nightmare Wizard
Chapter 73: Consequences of the Battle

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Consequences of the Battle

William plunged into the chaotic wreckage, desperately searching for Dixon, Cedric, and Thom. Yet, he found no trace of them. Apprentices, covered in soot and blood, excavated bodies buried under debris everywhere, while others propped up beams to improvise tents. The damage was even more devastating than William had imagined; the ship groaned under the weight of its injuries.

Seeing him shout his friends’ names, several apprentices recognized him. A young man with a pale face and makeshift bandages on his arm approached, pointing inside. "They’re in the makeshift infirmary, young man! Badly wounded but safe. We set it up over there, near the stern mast, where the hull is less damaged." Another apprentice, her hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, added hoarsely, "Yes, we pulled them from the rubble. They were unconscious, but breathing. You’re lucky, William! For a moment, we thought the worst."

Following the directions, William arrived at the area. Upon entering, relief washed over him as he saw his friends: Dixon, Cedric, and Thom, all lying on improvised stretchers. They had multiple injuries, yes, but they seemed to be only from crushing or blunt force. There were no signs of clean cuts or punctures, which reassured him they hadn’t suffered assassination attempts like him. All of them slept deeply, exhausted, so he decided not to wake them.

He turned to leave, the weight of his friends’ survival contrasting with the tragedy surrounding them. Returning to the main deck, he noticed the shelters were finished, but something else caught his attention: the ship was sailing at an astonishing speed, more than three times faster than before the attack. The salty breeze hit his face with unusual force.

"It seems we were just bait all along, damn it!" William muttered to himself, frustration and helplessness gnawing at his soul. He had fought tooth and nail, risking his life and his friends’, only to be a mere decoy. The realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.

As he walked, his eyes fell upon Drevlan, reclining on a stretcher, his gaze lost in the sky. William didn’t want to interrupt his thoughts, but Drevlan noticed his presence. "Hey," Drevlan greeted, his tone tired but with a spark of curiosity. "Looks like you didn’t fare too badly. I didn’t know you had such a powerful medallion. It saved your life."

"Just a coincidence, you know," William maintained his modesty, avoiding seeming arrogant despite his newfound power. For Drevlan, however, William was more than just a comrade; he was someone very dear to his master, Aurus. A Grade 3 talisman was something Drevlan could only dream of, an object that, by his calculations, would make him invincible unless the very Director of the Alliance personally attacked him. To think that Aurus would give something so valuable to his disciple... Drevlan realized he had to reconsider his prejudices. This brat, William, was no ordinary person. He had to befriend him while he still could, because once this "brat" soared, it would be impossible to approach a formal mage so easily.

While Drevlan was lost in his deep thoughts, William continued his way to the cafeteria area, where some additional tents had been set up for the survivors, offering a brief respite from the chaos.

Upon approaching, he saw Lia standing there waiting for him, so he headed towards her with a relieved smile. "I found Dixon and the others. They’re wounded but fine; they’ll survive this." Hearing him, Lia sighed in relief, showing her deep concern for William’s companions. "I heard over three hundred mage aspirants and one thousand knight aspirants died. Almost all were killed by the ship’s collapse. Plus, even thirty of the Level 3 apprentices were devoured by the beast, not counting all the knight trainers who fell. It was a massacre. We’re lucky to survive."

As Lia guided William, she told him everything she had heard during these moments. Even though the Kraken had been killed, the aftermath of the battle was something she dared not imagine. They both reached a simple tent and went inside to sleep. Cuddled together, feeling the warmth of each other’s bodies, they found some peace amidst this storm.

Upon waking, they headed to the cafeteria where food was being distributed. The number of people was minimal; no more than two hundred people had survived the attack on the first floor, in addition to three hundred knight aspirants and instructors. It was unknown how many slaves had died during the attack in the lower part of the ship; only later would they realize there were no surviving slaves, as being chained hand and foot, they had died in the strong tremors. A scene out of nightmares, with putrid corpses and a vast sea of worms devouring everything they could, was what greeted those who unloaded the ship. Thus, the lives of several thousand slaves had been lost without anyone caring.

William and Lia got some breakfast as they watched how everyone had changed. The haughty nobles showed no trace of their former grandeur now; they had experienced firsthand what true power meant and realized that their titles of nobility wouldn’t stop a monster like the Kraken, and no one would care about them, not even when they were half-dead.

William left Lia to visit her companion Kaela while he headed to the main helm where the sailors were. All looked wounded but happy. Seeing William arrive, Renno was surprised and shouted, "Salute the new Knight Level 2! I bet he can beat any of you now, hahaha! With his combination of magic and strength, he’s a killing machine!" The sailors approached and congratulated William, including Captain Thenerev, who told him he deserved it and invited him to eat Kraken. At that moment, William finally saw that behind them were grills roasting parts of the Kraken. Unable to suppress his curiosity, William asked if they wouldn’t sell the Kraken, as that’s what he thought, but Renno replied that the first thing was to enjoy these delicacies, and then they would sell the rest of the Kraken. Its main value lay in its beak, skin, eye, heart, and life jewel.

The eye, although almost destroyed, still held great value, and the rest would be sold by the kilo, so it would be a fortune. The meat, however, didn’t have much market value, so they would eat until they vomited.

William asked how much it was worth, to which they replied they expected to get one hundred thousand mana stones from this haul, enough to live a couple of years before embarking on a new adventure.

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