Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Stolen Storm Orb
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“What did you just say?”
His tone was the same as always, but had he absorbed too much mana extracted from the essence of fire?
Even the slightest shift in his emotions sent red flames whipping out around Caiman like lashes, striking in all directions.
His subordinates, prostrated on the ground, broke out in sweat like rain amid the violent surge of mana.
“I’m sorry, Lord Caiman.”
“The Orb of Storms… has been stolen.”
At his subordinate’s words, the chair enchanted with fire attributes to withstand flames glowed red-hot.
Caiman sat on the metal throne, narrowing his brow slightly before opening his mouth.
“Who dares to steal what’s mine?”
“We searched the bodies of those we killed, and they all had items bearing this emblem in common, or it was tattooed on their bodies.”
A carving on stone, not paper, so it wouldn’t burn in the heat.
Above a split image like horns, two swords crossed and thrust downward, with a diamond positioned between the hilts where they intersected.
As Caiman reached out, mana formed of flames brushed the man’s hand as it lifted the stone tablet. He clenched his fist tightly over his blistering skin and spoke.
“It doesn’t seem like an ordinary organization. More like one bound by fanatical belief.”
“We barely captured one alive before he could kill himself and extracted some information, but all we learned was that they’re called the Holy Faith Church.”
Even the ice elves were now keeping their distance, so sources had dried up.
On top of that, slaves with cold traits like freezing, glaciers, or oceans had always been hard to acquire, but now, no matter how much gold you offered, there were none available.
If people were scarce, attribute stones were even rarer. He’d spent a fortune buying several attribute stone mines outright, but the output was barely enough to neutralize the rampaging essence of fire.
That’s why he’d set his sights on the merfolk treasure known as the Orb of Storms.
For it to be stolen by others.
Caiman’s rage resonated with the heart of fire hovering in the air, and red flames erupted between them like flares, scattering fiery embers everywhere.
Several couldn’t withstand it and turned to ash in an instant, while the rest huddled against the far wall, trembling.
‘It’s like the fire god has descended.’
The man, blocking his nose and mouth with his sleeve against the heat that seemed to scorch his lungs with every breath, and breathing shallowly with mana wrapped around him, looked toward Caiman.
Even amid the storm of surging red flame mana, not a single hair on his head burned.
Awed by the sight, as Caiman’s fury subsided and the rampaging mana calmed a bit, he knelt and bowed his head in reverence.
“And young master Adelian has been lately…”
“What Adelian is doing outside right now isn’t what matters.”
Caiman rose slowly from the chair, which sizzled and melted under his glare, and spoke.
“Find the Orb of Storms. I need it for my meeting to take place.”
The Orb of Storms.
Only it could neutralize the power of the essence of fire.
“Unless the family itself is on the brink of collapse, devote all resources to hunting down the Holy Faith Church.”
* * *
Most noble children had fled the forest in fear, and since Sabrina had dragged Shaka away bound, the only ones left around were us, plus Princess Feia and her own guards. Was that why?
The notoriously timid Princess Feia, who seemed like she couldn’t even speak to strangers, glanced around nervously before shuffling over and blurting out if I’d done it on purpose.
I tilted my head as if I had no idea what she meant.
“What are you talking about?”
“Y-You. I know you did it on purpose…”
Her stammering speech, uncertain voice. Her eyes kept darting downward.
I watched her for a moment, then chuckled softly.
“No way, Princess. You’re not saying I aimed an arrow at some innocent person’s head or something, are you? That’d be a problem.”
She’d seen me shoot enough times to know better, but I lifted my bow and waved it lightly as if to say I didn’t have that kind of skill. Her eyes wavered.
“Certainly, with that level of skill…”
Ugh, admitting it right away was annoying, but I grinned as if to say, yeah, exactly.
“Got it? It was an accident. Accident.”
“But…”
From her hesitant glances, she seemed convinced in her gut that I’d done it deliberately, but without proof and with her weak personality, she couldn’t press it.
‘Well, no need to keep talking. I’ve sized her up enough.’
“Princess, you’re mistaken.”
“Wait. Just a moment, let’s talk…”
I smiled slowly, pulled on the reins as if I couldn’t hear her, and rode off.
‘Anyway, the ninth princess is too soft-hearted. Pass.’
Any imperial who joined hands with me would almost certainly face checks and backlash from the first princess.
But Feia didn’t look like she could handle that.
‘Then the imperial worth allying with temporarily is Shahad.’
The rest were too young or hard to meet right now.
‘There was one other candidate.’
But of all times, she was bedridden and hadn’t left the imperial palace.
No choice, then.
I’d look into Shahad more and ally if it seemed worthwhile.
Siren was too big a pie anyway.
Anyone with a brain would see that the profits branching from it were enormous. No matter how powerful House Kruger was as a grand ducal family, they couldn’t swallow it alone.
The emperor hadn’t openly meddled in such matters for years, focusing on solidifying the succession. But conversely, for the non-emperor successors—
That is, unless I allied with one of the imperials, the emperor might intervene directly.
‘Caiman hates that, so he’s building more power.’
How strong did one need to be against the emperor of the continent’s largest, mightiest empire?
I didn’t know exactly what Caiman was scheming or where, but from what I could guess, he wouldn’t move for a while.
If he could, he would’ve come out while I was freeing Siren.
‘Better for me to pretend to bow moderately and ally with an imperial.’
That meant I had no choice but to keep showing my face at these contemptible social gatherings for a while.
Especially ones Shahad might attend.
But after today, no one who hadn’t invited me before would send one now.
So.
‘That’s why family’s the best.’
Doesn’t TV show stuff like that? Siblings stealing each other’s clothes, sneaking money from wallets, and fighting over it.
As her little brother, showing up to an invite under her name wouldn’t draw complaints.
‘Since we’ve exchanged letters agreeing to cooperate to some extent.’
The two letters that came with Siren boxed up.
One was today’s invitation to what turned into a hunting party tea time, and the other was from Gadia.
The one saying it was fine to put Fian in Lize’s spot once she tidied up and headed to the main house.
‘Well, in exchange, I owe Gadia something.’
But that was no big deal.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah?”
―Any issues, Administrator?
As soon as I returned, I waved both hands in greeting to Rachel, who glanced pointedly at them, then stepped inside.
“What? Isn’t it our rule that you bring food back from outings?”
As I waved, Rachel, who’d stood with a bright smile, paused, then bared her fangs and growled. I responded with a clueless look.
“First I’ve heard of it?”
I grinned, and she pouted, furrowing her brow.
Then she spotted the armful of fruits and meat pies in Zero’s hands as he followed me in, and she jumped up from her chair and dashed over.
“Meat pie!”
“Eek, you’ll crush it. I’ll put it on the table, so don’t snatch it by force, junior.”
Look at her eat.
Yeah, Rachel’s true form was a dragon even bigger than the Tower of Pride. She could eat a lot.
I shrugged it off reasonably and took off the robe that had become bothersome after wearing it all day on horseback.
It had felt like a second skin not long ago, but since coming here, I’d taken it off more often than at the border.
‘That’s why humans are animals of adaptation.’
Zero was dumping fruits on the table. I grabbed two apples, rubbed them roughly on my clothes, and was about to hand one to Rif in thanks for straightening and folding my discarded robe when Luna took the other.
“It went mostly according to plan. People will recognize potions exist now.”
“So what’s next?”
I watched Rif crunching his apple noisily, Luna peeling the one she’d snatched from me and placing it before me, Cain quietly slicing pie for a bite, and Zero getting jabbed with a fork while trying to napkin the meat pie crumbs falling from Rachel’s chin like she had a hole there. I chuckled and spoke.
“The empire’s too strong right now.”
Just a little shake-up.
* * *
A soft sigh.
After her conversation with Adelian ended, Aria handed the squishy Siren back to butler Alkaido and lowered her gaze.
Everyone else in the room besides Aria numbered three.
Alkaido, called the Iron-Blood Butler, his taciturn guard Tay, and the unpredictable mage Lepid.
None were loose-lipped, she thought, but now that they knew she was a princess, things wouldn’t be the same.
Even as the 27th princess, far from the throne, she was still imperial blood.
Perhaps she’d have to leave this place she’d grown fond of and return to the palace.
‘Or… to Labyrinth, where I was betrayed.’
She didn’t want that…
Aria shuddered faintly, then took a deep breath.
“Um…”
She looked up at the expressionless Alkaido, whose thoughts she couldn’t read.
“What is it, Miss Aria?”
His indifferent, cold eyes made her shrink back. She dropped her gaze briefly, mustered courage, met his eyes, and spoke.
“C-Can I… keep staying here?”
Alkaido replied calmly to Aria’s words.
“That would be difficult.”
Aria’s small shoulders slumped at his words.
‘As expected… Do I have to go back to the labyrinth city and find my comrades? While fearing betrayal?’
Tears seemed to well up.
‘If I just ask them to pretend they don’t know… would that work?’
Clasping her trembling hands, Aria spoke in a subdued voice.
“As expected… right?”
Staying here was just her selfishness.
As Aria started to say that, Alkaido lightly patted her shoulder.
“It would be very difficult if you didn’t keep working here, Miss Aria. I might even get throttled by Sir Halon.”
His gruff tone somehow felt warm, and Aria looked up at him with teary eyes on the verge of spilling.
“You and Halon are the only ones who properly understand what Adelian’s doing and handle the paperwork. Where would you go? For the record, I absolutely won’t.”
Lepid, leaning crookedly with arms crossed, tossed in a remark, and Aria burst into tears with a wail.
“I really like it here!”
“Then I recommend finding a nice young man in the territory.”
“I never knew Butler Alkaido was the type to make jokes like that!”
As Aria pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and pressed it to her face like a mask to wipe her tears, Lepid chuckled and opened the door.
“Don’t waste time crying. Get back to work, paperwork slave.”
“I’m not a slave!”
“Oh, you are. In Adelian’s head, you’re registered as Paperwork Slave No. 2.”
Alkaido watched the bickering pair leave the room, then pulled a vial the size of his pinky finger from his bosom.
“Speaking of which, we have work to do too.”
Alkaido’s guard—and someday, the doppelganger that would devour him.
Tay swallowed the blood from the vial Alkaido handed him.