Chapter 341

(341)

It was the evening of the day Carlon set sail.

The sky first turned red, followed by the sea, and the heated air of the day began to cool down.

Boom boom boom boom-.

From the northern sky of the End-of-the-Line Port, a roar and strange wind came.

Wooeeeeng-.

The well-known merchants and sailors in the city all looked up at the sky alike.

“What is that?”

“Isn’t it a mirage?”

“My goodness… my goodness…”

A ship as massive as an immovable warship flew overhead, equipped with four enormous steel rings facing four directions.

Horses reared up their front legs while screaming, many people in the streets collapsed, and there were those who packed their things and fled from their homes.

“Neighhh!”

“The ship is flying in the sky! It might fall!”

“Demons of the sky have appeared!”

“That’s an evil guise to deceive our eyes!”

“If only I have this mysterious coral bracelet… Damn it! I’ll save myself first!”

A child who lost their parent’s hand cried as though they saw the end of the world, a priest of the God of Radiance made the sign of grace, and an administrative officer at the governor’s mansion recalled an official document that had come from the imperial court weeks before.

[Secure an open space larger than 300 meters in width and length with a solid foundation.]

[Light fires at the edges of the open space so it can be seen even at night.]

Initially, it seemed like absurd official correspondence, and he considered ignoring it.

However, the officer could not overlook the high-quality parchment used in this grand metropolis, rarely seen even here, and the golden ink engraved with tamper-proof signatures.

The signature was large and written in elaborate calligraphy.

[Crown Prince Valencius.]

“Governor!”

“He’s already set sail!”

“Then the Governor’s wife is…”

“She should be at the mansion! Let’s go!”

The officers, realizing that the Governor had already set sail, hurriedly rushed towards the Governor’s mansion.

Fortunately, Charles, Charline, and Josephine had already begun preparing to leave the moment they heard the roar.

“Master!”

“I’m here! I have a general idea of what’s going on. I never expected you to come so quickly.”

Charles prepared to meet the master of the city, donning his uniform and securing his sword.

Charline muttered under her breath while slipping on silk gauntlets.

“If Father had only set sail a little later…”

She had no intention of voicing the rest of her thoughts.

‘This could’ve been disastrous. What is this thing? A ship that sails through the sky? I couldn’t have imagined something like this would exist.’

Josephine, too, hid her unease behind her startled gaze.

Moments later, she and her two children, with the calm demeanor expected of the Governor’s family, began issuing various commands.

“Gather the administrative officers again. We don’t know where he might want to start. Though our goal is to escort him directly to the mansion or palace, we should prepare for contingencies.”

“Command the knights of the city to line up the troops. The master of this city has sent his closest blood relatives.”

“Clear the streets. Especially the drunks and beggars. We shouldn’t show such people to His Grace the Duke.”

…

Whoosh whoosh!

Torches in the four corners of the vast open space burst into flames.

Boom Boom Boom!

The frantic wind swept away leftover weeds and sand that hadn’t been cleared in time.

Even though it was late evening, the area surrounding the square was already crowded with people.

It seemed as if every person in the city, regardless of social status or age, had gathered here.

“Is His Grace Duke Valencius coming?”

“Isn’t that notorious troublemaker the one who massacred 300,000 Eastern immigrants in the Nayt Archipelago?”

“From what I’ve heard, it’s not Duke Valencius but Lady Helena.”

“Why would Lady Helena come here? This is not a military city.”

Gentlemen and ladies dressed in loyalty to the royal family, the children of wealthy merchants dressed in case they left an impression on the royals, curious young boys and girls about the bloodline of the imperial family, sailors seeking blessings from the great one, and countless citizens of the End-of-the-Line Port congregated to see this one person.

Inside the square space, only high-ranking administrators of the Governor’s mansion and the city’s knights were permitted entry.

Josephine, Charles, and Charline were, of course, at the front.

Boom Boom Boom!

A massive machine of indescribable origins slowly descended into the center of the square.

Charles unknowingly swallowed a lump in his throat.

Glug.

Though the End-of-the-Line Port was far from the capital of Silentalouon, rumors about Crown Prince Valencius had already spread beyond the Empire to foreign lands.

They said it all began when he attended an execution with his white hair combed back, revealing his forehead, adorned with extravagant jewelry and a pristine white uniform.

From there, he supposedly drove through the red-light districts and slums hunting humans for sport, gathered all sorts of ruffians, wreaked havoc within the capital, and even staged fake chaos involving a mad mage to control the citizens during a loyalty oath.

Of course, these weren’t all of his wrongdoings.

Though the method of favoring one’s own meant that his cruel treatment of subordinates didn’t particularly earn him infamy in high society, his reputation for mischief spread because he targeted fellow nobles of similar or higher standing.

He killed an imperial duke, molested the nobleman’s daughter, kidnapped a saint of the Church of Radiance and imprisoned them for over a month, and even bullied a young king of the powerful nation of Doroysen using the reputation of his twin sister.

The “Holy Emperor” Jeilliris neither encouraged nor dissuaded this wild behavior of his twin.

She remained regally aloof within the palace, focusing solely on dealing with infiltrators, negotiating with great nobles, and managing diplomacy with foreign lands.

The one who was constantly out and about with an infamous reputation was Valencius, who now visited the End-of-the-Line Port.

Charles met his wily younger sister’s gaze, and they nodded at each other.

Both were the son and daughter of the Governor and could see a certain competence behind the antics of this troublemaker.

Though they didn’t know why he had come to this land, their father had set sail long ago, and managing to hold onto the Duke, even for a day or two, no, even a few hours, would be a success.

Already a thousand years had passed.

All oaths must’ve been forgotten by now.

Boom!

The massive airship finally landed.

Eight short legs extended from the flat bottom to keep the ground from being damaged.

Sssshhhhiiik!

Golden gas burst out from the copper panels, and the bowspirit below what was originally the dragon bone opened, revealing the entrance.

Sssshiiiik!

Another burst of steam obscured the gangway.

Clang, clang!

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

Amidst the massive metallic clangs, the sound of boots hitting the ground echoed clearly, despite being much quieter.

‘Valencius.’

A man was slowly walking down the inclined ramp.

“He’s coming!”

“It’s His Grace!”

Whistle-like cheers erupted from all over as people brimmed with anticipation.

Charles and Charline clenched their fists to hide their excitement and nervousness.

True to the rumors, he was tall, combed back his white hair to show his lofty forehead, and donned a splendid uniform adorned with gold, jewels, and colorful sashes.

As befitting the reputation of the founder of the empire reborn, his eyes glimmered with a golden light like the sun, and a finely decorated sword hung from his waistband.

As the highest bloodline of the Dragon Blood Imperial Family, both his aura and beauty reached their zenith.

“Kuh-!”

“Hweeeek!”

In the crowd, people began to faint from the oppressive yet thrilling atmosphere.

A dangerous but beautiful sensation, akin to looking at a fierce beast.

However, Charles, a top-tier swordsman, noticed a slight stiffness in his movements.

‘It must be a mistake.’

The white uniform he allegedly always wore seemed a bit too big, and his walk seemed like he wore shoes that didn’t fit well.

Charline, too, likely noticing this, narrowed her eyes to scrutinize him closely.

Behind him, mechanical knights emerged in their armor.

Clang! Clang!

Giant human-sized figures made from alloy skeletons, wires of gold and silver acting as nerves, twisted steel cables for muscles, and copper skin carried massive swords, these knights of the notorious troublemaker.

The infamous private army that subdued Marcus of Instrumentum, once known as the most dangerous grand lord of the west.

Valencius elegantly approached Josephine, Charles, and Charline with his knights in tow.

Josephine and Charline slightly lifted their skirts, while Charles placed his fist on his left chest and bowed deeply.

“Welcome to the End-of-the-Line Port, Your Grace.”

“Please stay comfortably as you desire.”

Valencius briefly nodded to acknowledge their greetings and slowly asked.

“Where is the Governor?”

Charles, shaking off his tension, replied.

“My father, the Governor, has set sail to inspect the coastline. He likely won’t return for ten days.”

Valencius didn’t respond, leaving Charles prepared to be kicked in the shins.

Considering the rumors surrounding Valencius, such behavior would be justified.

However, the troublemaking Duke replied in a cheerful voice.

“Then I can have some time to enjoy the fine wines, seas, and beauties of the south until his return.”

Charles and Charline inwardly rejoiced.

It seemed that the facet of him as a licentious troublemaker rather than a competent monster was showing.

‘That’ll do.’

‘Mission accomplished.’

They shivered in anticipation and replied.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“We will do our best to make you comfortable.”

A thousand years had passed.

Plenty of time for the merfolk’s oaths to be forgotten.

They themselves wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t read the preserved diaries of their ancestors.

Smiling at each other, they walked down the path formed by knights and soldiers.

“The carriage is over there.”

The white-haired duke leisurely followed them, sporting a lazy smile that felt oddly faint.

‘Once again, your judgment proves correct.’

* * *

Lictentium and Carlon were heading to an island on the fastest ship available.

Shuaaaa!

Every wave that hit sent mist flying around the mermaid sculpture at the vessel’s prow.

In the dead of night, while the four royals rested, Carlon summoned Lictentium to the ship’s deck.

Carlon had initiated the exchange, but it was Lictentium who spoke first with clear curiosity in his voice.

“Is there even an island in this direction? There’s nothing marked on the map.”

Carlon replied respectfully, “Yes, Your Majesty. If we travel for about five days, there’s a mysterious island. It’s a place of immense beauty and mystery.”

“Why hasn’t anyone discovered it?”

“The seas here are particularly rough with currents. The seabed is uneven, there are many whirlpools, the sea currents are complex, and the sea fog is thick. I myself underwent considerable trial and error to confirm the existence of this island.”

Lictentium didn’t pursue the details of what “trial and error” entailed.

Carlon marveled at Lictentium’s deep consideration as a mature prince while recollecting memories of ferrying prisoners and enemies on small boats.

They wouldn’t have been able to reach the island without the mermaid sculpture at the prow of the ship now either.

“…Occasionally, lost sailors claim they’ve seen merfolk. Do you believe in merfolk, Your Majesty?”

At one point, the hybrid races ruled the world, but now they were merely considered sinister ancient legends.

Even Jeilliris herself only vaguely understood about hybrid races before ascending the throne, and Valencius before his return didn’t know anything until Justianus led the hybrid race coalition.

Lictentium was no different.

“The First Emperor decreed your races into submission and offered land and sea in the outer regions of the Empire. This is what I know.”

Carlon nodded approvingly.

“That distant frontier is here. Beyond these seas lies a mermaid shrine. The First Emperor swore an oath to the mermaid king there.”

“To not set foot on land.”

“To not oppose the royal family.”

“And to guard the sea for a thousand years.”

Lictentium narrowed his eyes for a moment.

“Governor…”

If his calculations were correct, this year marked exactly a thousand years since the oath was made.

Carlon wore an ambitious grin.

“Your Majesty will make the oath again with them. If a royal bloodline that subjugated hybrid races emerged after a thousand years, who wouldn’t recognize such authority?”

Lictentium closed his eyes as if shivering.

“How can I possibly repay such a favor?”

Subjugating the hybrid races once again would grant him an unparalleled sense of legitimacy.

The Governor’s face transformed from its ambitious stance to one resembling his father’s.

“I kindly request you take care of my daughter.”

Lictentium realized it was all a performance but chose not to expose it.

‘She spoke to me about this. Yet, he refrained from saying it aloud himself. Is he content with what he has?’

The tide started swelling gradually.

Lictentium smiled warmly and regally.

“Let’s go together then. Let’s go.”