In Charles's previous life, the ocean was far from the idyllic image often shown in media. In the deep sea, deprived of light, everything was pitch black.
And darkness had always been humanity's deepest fear—hence the origins of thalassophobia and abyssophobia.
But this was a world with magic, and the ocean here was one of the most renowned strong magic zones.
After descending into the depths, Charles found that visibility wasn't hindered at all. It was as if the seawater itself emitted a soft, glowing light.
Still, while admiring the sea's stunning beauty, Charles didn't forget to check on Noelle.
Though in the original story everyone safely reached the Undersea Temple, Charles couldn't completely relax. After all, they were underwater—he couldn't help feeling a bit nervous.
Yes, Noelle had successfully mastered a new spell the day before departure—Sea Dragon's Cradle, an advanced form of Sea Dragon's Nest.
Noelle's issue with mana control stemmed from having too much mana. Every time she used magic, she unconsciously tried to suppress it.
It was like trying to raise your hand while also pressing it down with all your strength—how could the motion possibly succeed?
In the end, the root of the problem was psychological, and internal wounds couldn't be healed through training alone.
Only after encouragement from a mysterious girl named Kahono and the cheers of her teammates did Noelle overcome her mental block and complete the new spell.
That said, Charles seriously doubted all of them together had as much impact as Asta alone. Perhaps that was Asta's special power as the protagonist of the world—he always helped people break through their confusion.
As for Kahono, the mysterious girl who dreamed of becoming an idol, Charles of course knew she was from the Undersea Temple and the granddaughter of the High Priest.
Her ability to reach the ocean's surface even on nights that weren't full moons meant she clearly had a method to freely enter and exit the temple.
Still, to help Noelle grow, Charles hadn't interfered with her.
As they all continued descending, the scenery began to change. But seeing a tornado under the sea? That was downright terrifying!!
Charles could clearly sense that the vortex was filled with raging mana. No matter how strong a mage's own magic was, it could never rival the raw mana of nature.
And this was a strong magic zone. Charles had no doubt that vortex, formed entirely of mana, could easily shred them all to pieces. And this was after the full moon had weakened the mana—unimaginable.
But it had a silver lining—the mana drove back the ocean currents. Though Noelle's magic made everyone feel like they were on a roller coaster, their actual forward momentum became smoother.
After passing through the mana vortex, it felt like they had entered another world—one even more fantastical.
Through Noelle's magic, they could clearly see the ocean floor.
It was littered with strangely shaped rocks, covered in all sorts of coral and seaweed.
Most amazing were the various marine creatures swimming among them. Perhaps from living in such mana-rich conditions, the fish and shrimp had evolved into fantastical forms.
A fish with a bulging forehead swam past the group. Most bizarrely, it glowed all over. Creatures like it were everywhere—nowhere else could you see such exotic lifeforms.
"Umm... would that taste good?" Charmy wiped her mouth, already poised to lunge out and catch one.
Charles shuddered. Charmy really did remind him of the folks from back in his farming village in China. Those fish looked like they'd been mutated by radiation—he wouldn't dare put one in his mouth.
And so, after witnessing countless wonders, they finally reached their destination. But there was still one final barrier between them and the Undersea Temple.
The ocean itself might have been its strongest natural shield, but thanks to the full moon's timing, they weren't the only ones capable of getting through.
What truly kept people out was the magical barrier before them.
Countless whirlpools interwove to form a massive dome, enclosing a wide stretch of the ocean floor. The Undersea Temple lay within that space.
No wonder it was called a forbidden place—this barrier alone could stop 99% of mages from ever entering.
Charles had analyzed it already. This barrier was unlike those in the Clover Kingdom capital—its power source came from the natural mana of the strong magic zone. It was endless and flawless.
To pass through it, the best option was spatial magic—teleportation directly into the protected zone.
But to bypass this kind of barrier, a mage's mana and control over spatial magic had to be incredibly high. In any case, Finral definitely wasn't capable of it right now.
Fortunately, the Black Bulls had another method.
Yami pointed at Asta. "Your turn, brat! Go hit that thing with your anti-magic sword!"
Asta gave Yami his back and said, "Captain Yami... I just realized something really bad!"
He turned around, looking embarrassed. "I can't swim. At all."
"You don't need to swim." Yami didn't bat an eye. He grabbed Asta by the collar and hoisted him up.
In the stunned silence of the others, Yami flexed the muscles in his arm—and launched Asta.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"
Asta left a trail of foam as he rocketed toward the barrier. It was hard to tell whether to admire Yami's arm strength or Asta's lung capacity in the deep sea.
Just as he was about to crash into the barrier, Asta drew the Demon-Dweller Sword and slashed a hole in it.
Before the barrier could regenerate, Noelle led the group through the opening.
The barrier didn't just protect the temple from intruders—it also repelled the surrounding seawater, turning the Undersea Temple into a space where people could live.
Yami casually said, "Good job," to Asta.
Then he turned to the final objective of their journey. The others followed his gaze.
"Oh, so that's the Undersea Temple!"
Though called a temple, the massive stone structure—shaped like an elongated spinning top—looked nothing like human architecture. It was more like something carved by natural water currents over centuries.
To put it unkindly, not even the worst architect would design something that uneven and lumpy.
Charles's sharp eyes could clearly see that there were plenty of doors and windows built into the stone towers. It was obvious people lived inside—residents who had made homes of these towers.
Just as he was about to mention this to Yami, Charles saw the captain pull out... a slice of cake?
Of course, Yami wasn't hungry—he was bribing Charmy.
Successfully bribed, Charmy used her Cotton Magic, and everyone climbed onto cloud-like fluff to approach the central, largest stone tower.
There was no doubt—that was the true Undersea Temple.
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