My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 189 Heavy Casualties, The Shadow of the Destroyer

Frum's words made the atmosphere at the scene a bit heavier.

Especially Götze.

Although he knew from the moment he set sail that there would be considerable casualties, he was the captain.

But the fact that so many casualties occurred before even reaching the destination... no, before even reaching the supply point before reaching the destination, was still hard for him to accept.

Even after so many years at sea, he had long been accustomed to accidents and death.

Although he was heartbroken by the deaths of the crew and the city's defense troops, as a captain, the worst thing he could do in this unpredictable and stormy sea was to let his emotions cloud his judgment at such a time.

Only rationality, experience, and calm, composed responses to changing circumstances are the keys to survival on this sea.

Crew casualties will inevitably affect the handling of the ship.

He only hoped... that the ship could continue sailing.

Frum then looked at the gauntlet controlled by the Demon King: "Hey, you should have a solution to this problem, right?"

"Although I really don't want you to help me, but... for Roland's sake, please do me a favor."

The Demon King's remnant soul scoffed: "Still the same self-absorbed, flat-chested elf as before! And just as shameless!"

"Forget it, I wouldn't help if I wasn't currently unable to protect myself."

"Come here, I'll tell you the techniques for stabilizing spatial structures."

Suren, who had remained silent due to his status, could no longer suppress his curiosity after hearing the Demon King's words and asked, "Is it... is it the legendary, no, the recorded spell that can keep the Demon King's castle stable despite the chaotic spatial structure?"

The remnant soul of the Demon King was somewhat surprised: "Aren't you a member of the Holy See? Judging from your aura, you're a follower of the God of Blazing Sun and Justice... How do you know so much about the Demon King's City?"

"That's right, it's this technique. The effect of this technique is also very simple: it stabilizes the spatial structure, just like a ship lowering its anchor."

"Spatial Stabilizing Anchor, a somewhat useless technique, with only this one use."

"It is used to stabilize spatial instability caused by external forces."

After listening to the Demon King's words, Flam paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Ah... so this spell has this effect."

Demon King's remnant soul: "???"

Why do you sound like you know this technique?
“I know this spell.” Flam nodded. “After your Demon King’s castle crashed, humans recovered many useful spells from the ruins.”

"Back then, the mages and the academy were still very interested in your Demon King's Castle technology."

"Especially the space stabilization spells inside the Demon King's castle."

"After reproducing this spell from the rune inscriptions on the walls and equipment of the Demon King's castle, humans have used it extensively in their creations and spells."

Roland seemed to realize something, then looked at Flam: "That one in the capital..."

"Yes, the formations in the capital also use this technique; otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain a relatively stable space."

Frum nodded, acknowledging Roland's unspoken conjecture: "I watched the formation being built back then, and I also participated in those inscriptions and spells."

"But... in the current situation, will this technique still work?"

The Demon King's remnant soul fell silent.

No, it should be said that he fell silent when Flam mentioned that humans were scavenging in the Demon King's castle.

Even when faced with Flam's question, he remained silent.

He simply placed his gauntlets on Roland's shoulder and fired a potentially sinister look at Flam.

Frum sighed when she got no response, turned around unhappily and pouted, complaining, "You said I'm petty... but you're not exactly magnanimous yourself."

"It's just that you spent hundreds of years building your Demon King's Castle, is it really that big of a deal..."

Roland: "..."

Hearing Flam's complaint and feeling the movement on his shoulder, Roland silently raised his hand and patted his gauntlet: "Alright, alright, don't be angry, it's all over now."

"Besides, getting angry now won't do any good, will it?"

"Since we can't resist, let's learn to enjoy it."

Demon King: "..."

Did I ever say you were actually asking for a beating?

"Haha, no way. Besides, you can't even beat me now, believe it or not."

Demon King: "..."

……

As Flam cast Spatial Anchor, this almost useless spell quickly came into play.

Although the people standing on the deck did not notice anything unusual, the sudden opening of the third cabin door and the three hatters who rushed out proved that the spell had taken effect.

The Demon King was indeed knowledgeable and experienced; even in this situation, he was still able to provide accurate rescue guidance.

Delan, looking somewhat disheveled and with bloodstains on his clothes and face, paused for a moment when he arrived on the deck and saw everyone.

It took him three seconds to confirm that he was really free.

The two hatters behind him also breathed a sigh of relief.

As professional soldiers, they quickly adjusted their mindset and then moved aside to open the hatch.

Following behind them emerged a squad of city defense soldiers, many of whom were wounded and injured, along with some members of the society.

"Mr. Delan! What happened to you?" Roland asked as he quickly stepped forward upon seeing Delan.

This person was someone Roland knew to some extent, and it was the first time he had ever seen him in such a miserable state.

However, upon getting closer, Roland realized he had been overthinking it.

Not a single drop of this blood came from Delan himself.

Seeing Roland step forward, Delan tucked the chipped hand axe back into his belt, then wiped the blood from his face. "The monster in the shadows... and the sea beasts that appeared out of nowhere." He then glanced back at the city guards behind him, almost all of whom were wounded. "Fortunately, the three of us were just explaining some precautions to the city guards."

"Although they are the elite of Riskan, it is precisely because they are elite that I am afraid they lack a sense of awe for certain things."

"As it turns out, my trip was worthwhile. Without the three of us, they wouldn't be able to stand in front of you like this now."

Roland continued, "Did you encounter anyone else?"

“No.” Delan shook his head: “According to the plan, I will first give a speech to these city guards who are resting, then let them change shifts, and then explain it to another group.”

“Since the incident occurred, I have only had this group of city defense troops with me. In that distorted cabin space just now, I only saw monsters and sea beasts that came from who-knows-where.”

"Aside from the monster's roars and screams, I couldn't hear any other sounds."

Roland looked at the gauntlet: "Are you sure the spatial structure was only divided into these parts?"

Roland was initially in the cabin, and it was only after encountering the delirious Allen that he realized something was wrong.

If Delan were also in the cabin, the sounds of battle and the aura of magic would not have escaped Roland's notice in his current state.

The Demon King said, "This is just a general division. Overall, there are indeed only a few areas."

"But within these major regions, there are also varying numbers of anomalous spaces."

"This is a normal spatial phenomenon. When space is disordered, it is common for two people in the same space to be unable to perceive each other."

"That's why I had that flat-chested elf use a spatial stabilizing anchor to stabilize the space, and use this method to solve the problem."

After receiving the Demon King's explanation, the sixteen judges who had not yet appeared also showed up one after another.

Since the team leader, Suren, did not give any clear instructions, the sixteen people basically wandered around on their own.

However, this stroll yielded results.

The first judge to appear was covered in blood, followed by four equally disheveled members of the society.

However, they were in relatively good condition, with no obvious injuries other than some abrasions.

They rushed out of the cabin from the starboard turret near hatch number 1.

Following closely behind was a three-man inquisitor squad that emerged from the starboard turret entrance.

Perhaps due to their numerical advantage, apart from slightly dirty clothes, the three showed no signs of fighting.

The dozen or so members of the academy behind the three of them, as well as the five city defense soldiers, were in the same state.

Next came the two judges who emerged from the port turret entrance, but there was no one else behind them. Only they came out.

After these groups, the teams that emerged were much larger.

Five judges quickly emerged from the entrance to cabin number 2, followed by dozens of others.

Finally, there is the No. 4 cabin entrance, which is the cabin entrance near the port side turret.

The last people to come out were four, along with a corpse that was carried out by two of them.

The body of a judge.

Suren's expression changed drastically almost instantly.

For a moment, silence fell on the deck.

As the vice president and the first mate on the ship, Max was the first to take action.

He called on those who were still able to move to immediately move medical supplies and treat the wounded.

At the same time, a headcount was taken to confirm the casualties.

Only under his command did the crowd begin to move.

The casualty figures were quickly tallied.

The total number of people on board the ship was 264.

Of the 106 people from the Empire, 17 from the Papacy, and the rest were members of the Society.

At this time, the number of people on the Imperial side was only sixty-three, the Papacy side had sixteen, and the Society side had... seventy-four.

Total number of survivors: 153.

The Society suffered the most casualties, with more than half of its personnel lost. This was only thanks to the tireless efforts of the wandering judges.

On the Empire's side, apart from those who were swallowed directly into the shadow space at the beginning, there were no other deaths, only injuries of varying degrees.

Even so, considering that the city defense troops were the main personnel stationed at various forts, the city defense troops had lost almost half of their manpower.

The Vatican also lost a seventh-ring transcendental inquisitor.

At this time, the Pomegranate Flower had not even reached the open sea.

A somber atmosphere began to settle over the ship.

However, Götze breathed a sigh of relief.

The casualties were fewer than he had expected, and he was grateful in his heart for the efforts of the sixteen judges.

Otherwise... the casualties among the members of the Society would definitely be much higher.

Götze knew best among the members of the Riskan branch that few of them were good at fighting.

Max and I were among the few members in the entire branch who were skilled in combat.

Moreover, given the current casualty situation... at least there are enough sailors to continue operating the ships, but it's likely that the ships' onboard weaponry can no longer be used to station personnel.

Just as Götze was pondering his next plan, Allen's exclamation broke the silence on the deck.

"President! Is that the Iris we're looking for!?"

(End of this chapter)