Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Floating Archipelago (3)
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“Now save my father.”
Was it thanks to the channeling with Pontus?
His thoughts were now manifesting as clear intent, allowing unmistakable communication.
But,
‘No. Not yet.’
Theo shook his head.
Pontus’s brow furrowed.
“Are you planning to break your promise?”
‘As if.’
“Then…!”
‘I’m just saying it’s not time yet.’
“Time?”
‘You’re not telling me to head to the Abyssal Plains without any preparation, are you?’
“…”
Pontus finally understood what Theo meant.
He had momentarily forgotten, mistaking Theo’s temperament for that of his own dragonkin.
But Theo was human.
One who lived on land.
Underwater breathing was impossible for him.
‘Breathing will be tough enough, and with my current mana, I won’t last long against the deep-sea pressure. So give me a moment to prepare, and I’ll come find you.’
Theo glanced at the sea beasts still milling about chaotically nearby.
‘For now, take your minions and go. I’ll contact you separately.’
“…Can I trust you?”
‘Trust me. I swear on my heart.’
“…”
For dragonkin, the heart was the source of all vitality and mana.
There could be no truer oath than one sworn on the heart.
Especially for a unique human like Theo, who bore the dragon’s temperament—he would understand its weight all too well.
“Very well. If you put it that way, I’ll trust you.”
Pontus looked up toward the sea surface and let out a roar.
Kuuuwooo—
A gentle wave rippled outward.
The sea beasts that had been frantically circling the ship began returning one by one.
“But I won’t wait forever. My father’s madness is growing like a snowball even now.”
It was right then.
Ding!
[The quest details have been updated.]
+
[Scenario Quest #4]
To fulfill the request of your companion and guardian dragon, Lord Brok, you must meet the Sea King and complete the quest within the time limit.
· Time Limit: 360 hours
· Difficulty: A+
· Rewards: Affinity +100, Dragon Blood Talent Awakening
· Failure: Death
+
[The countdown begins.]
[360:00:00]
[359:59:59]
.
.
‘Meet the Sea King and clear the quest within a fortnight?’
It was a tight schedule—arriving at the Floating Archipelago, making contact with Black Skull, and finishing all preparations.
‘Fine. I’ll head there soon.’
“I’ll wait.”
Pontus nodded vigorously, then flicked his tail and descended deeper into the seafloor.
As he did, he shot a glance at Umbra, as if saying he wouldn’t go down easily next time.
Keeeak!
Of course, Umbra responded with a taunt, as if daring him to try.
‘Then let’s head back too.’
Theo stroked Umbra’s chin, and the beast flapped its wings powerfully.
The current pushed them in the opposite direction from Pontus.
* * *
-Huh? Huh?
-The sea beasts are retreating!
-What the hell is going on?
Chaos erupted on the deck.
Just moments ago, the creatures had been thrashing desperately to climb aboard, but now they had vanished as if by magic.
Even the sea serpent, which had been rampaging so fiercely it seemed ready to sink the ship, was gone.
“W-What? Did that guy really pull it off?”
Gray couldn’t make sense of the situation at all.
From the circumstances, it seemed Theo had done something, but he couldn’t guess what method he’d used.
-Who cares what the reason is! Blast them with every remaining cannonball so they never come back!
At that moment, the captain appeared below, bellowing at the top of his lungs with spittle flying.
He hadn’t shown his face amid the confusion, only emerging now that things had calmed a bit—and he was jumping around in a frenzy.
Gray quickly hurled himself out of the crow’s nest.
If that mysterious figure had truly driven off the sea beasts, there was no point provoking him needlessly.
The crew hesitated, glancing around as they debated whether to man the cannons.
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive spray erupted from the sea surface, and something landed on the deck.
“H-Hiiiik!”
The captain screamed, thinking the sea beasts had returned, then gaped wide-eyed upon realizing it was human.
It was Theo.
“Don’t do anything stupid. Clean up the deck first. We can’t afford to be late getting to our destination.”
“Who the hell are you to order me around…!”
“Oh! So you were here!”
The captain’s protest died in his throat, folding like origami.
It was because Antonio—the de facto ship owner—had greeted Theo with excessive enthusiasm.
Theo, by contrast, seemed utterly nonchalant.
“I just drove off all the sea beasts. We won’t be late to the Floating Archipelago, right?”
“As expected of you, Mr. Lant, to resolve the commotion. Thanks to you, the disruption was minimal, so the delay won’t be long. Isn’t that right?”
“Y-Yes! We’ll have everything sorted in an hour!”
The captain straightened up awkwardly at Antonio’s pointed glance.
As Theo nodded silently and moved to pass, Gray suddenly leaped down from the crow’s nest, landing between Theo and Antonio.
“Gray.”
“Mr. Antonio, I have urgent business to discuss.”
“What is it?”
「Lant has been confirmed to possess Balmun.」
“...!”
「He knows about us too. He wants to meet an executive in exchange for returning it. What should we do?」
Antonio’s gaze darted shakily to Theo.
He had learned that Theo was discussing the Sea King through a crew member he’d secretly planted nearby.
That’s why he’d used the attack as an excuse to come out of his office—to probe what secrets the man held.
And now, contact had already been made?
It was astonishing enough that he’d pinpointed Gray and brought up Black Skull despite hiding his identity.
But producing and showing Balmun in person was even more unexpected.
Antonio tried to read Theo’s intentions, but,
“…”
“…”
Theo’s arrogant expression gave nothing away.
In that brief moment, Antonio had to make a decision.
How to treat Theo—what status to assume.
‘It’s too crude to be a Troyvan scheme. Doesn’t fit their style either.’
More importantly,
Antonio recalled that the Troyvans had threatened him multiple times using Balmun as leverage, yet never once shown it.
‘The siege of Blanc Fortress… So that’s what happened then.’
“I have something important to discuss. Do you have a moment?”
Antonio’s deliberation didn’t last long.
* * *
Antonio’s private office, separately prepared within the ship.
“Pretty spacious. Makes first class look cramped.”
“I have so much work to handle even while traveling. If it doesn’t feel like my usual office—with space to lie down—my efficiency drops.”
“Fair enough. People are influenced by their environment, after all.”
Theo admired the lavish interior before slowly taking a seat across from Antonio.
Outside the door, Selphid and Arin waited, ready to intervene if needed.
‘First person I meet before reaching the Floating Archipelago is from Black Skull. Talk about good luck from the start.’
“What do you want to say?”
Theo had a good guess why Antonio had summoned him, but he feigned ignorance.
Playing the arrogant ‘Lant’ to a tee.
Antonio stared at him for a long while, then let out a light sigh and lit a cigar.
He sat motionless like that for some time even after lighting it.
Finally, having gathered his thoughts, he spoke.
“I hear you have Balmun.”
“You must have mentioned my terms already?”
“Show me Balmun first.”
“Show me proof that you’re qualified to negotiate with me. I don’t want to waste time with someone without decision-making authority.”
A tense battle of nerves ensued, each vying for the upper hand.
“This is the open ocean. The office you’re in belongs to Spinola’s heir apparent, the next family head.”
“So?”
“You don’t seem dull enough to need reminding that you’re in the tiger’s mouth.”
Antonio crossed his legs, puffing deeply on the cigar.
The neat suit, the cigar, the heavy atmosphere.
It was the textbook image of a mafioso.
Tap!
Grind—
As he lightly drummed his index finger on the chair arm, gears whirring echoed from the ceiling and walls.
“This room is rigged with magic circles and traps for emergencies. The moment I give the signal, Mr. Lant, you’ll be reduced to a pile of ash in an instant.”
The honorifics remained, but the tone did not.
But,
Pfft!
“Heh, is that all?”
Theo scoffed lightly and leaned back halfway into the chair.
He too placed a cigar in his mouth.
“Even facing possible death right here, and you’re still so arrogant. If you’re banking on those two waiting outside, I strongly advise rethinking that.”
“Advice is—”
Boom!
The ship suddenly lurched violently.
-Sea beasts are back!
-Damn it! Didn’t they retreat?! What the hell keeps drawing them here?!
-Cannons! Fire the cannons!
-No good! Can’t get an angle! They’re all targeting the hull…! At this rate, they’ll punch holes below!
Chaos erupted outside again.
It seemed even worse now, as they’d just barely started cleanup.
“This is how it’s done.”
Theo smiled coldly.
Antonio’s face hardened.
“…What did you do?”
“Who knows?”
Theo didn’t mention that he’d signaled Pontus to station a few sea beasts near the ship as messengers.
But it was clear a massive hole would rip through the hull the moment he gave the order.
“This area has fierce currents too—surviving a shipwreck here is no joke. I’m confident I can escape before your magic activates, but can you say the same?”
“…”
“And it’s not just this ship sinking, right? The whole Floating Archipelago goes down with it—should be quite the spectacle. Everyone drowning because of Spinola’s idiot son. Hell won’t be fun with all that resentment piling up.”
Crunch.
Antonio’s grip tightened on the armrest.
He realized he’d been utterly outmaneuvered.
With hundreds of thousands of Floating Archipelago residents in mind, it was a fight he could never win.
“…Black Skull was originally a secret organization formed to protect the Floating Archipelago’s right to survival.”
Antonio sighed, grinding out his cigar in the ashtray.
It was effectively a declaration of surrender.
“Right to survival?”
“Independence from the Empire. And securing maritime sovereignty. The Empire these days can’t protect us easily, can it? The right of preemptive action looks good on paper, but it’s useless in practice. So we prepared it as a last resort.”
Theo nodded silently.
Signs of the great war were already appearing everywhere.
“So all three maritime houses are in on Black Skull?”
“Well, not exactly. The family heads are even less likely to know.”
He scratched the back of his head, reluctant to speak carelessly.
Theo saw through it instantly.
What Black Skull really was.
“A group formed by a minority faction within the three maritime houses, then. Given the independence rhetoric, they’re probably the radicals.”
“…Did you read my mind?”
“Who knows.”
“If you’ve figured that much out, I can’t hide it anymore.”
He’d tried to dance around the truth,
But Antonio had to admit Theo’s mind worked far beyond expectations.
Unlike them, he held too few cards.
On the other hand, a thought crossed his mind.
From the sea beast attack to this moment—had he been dancing to Theo’s tune all along…?
“To be precise, see it as stemming from a gathering of like-minded friends, including myself.”
“Makes sense why it stayed hidden this long. Forming factions to sway the next generation’s opinion in the Archipelago—or staging a coup for independence if needed?”
“No need to reveal our goals.”
Antonio drew a firm line.
“Anyway. If you’re looking for an executive with authority, you can deal with me.”
Theo nodded and pulled the Dragon Slayer Sword from his inventory.
Antonio’s pupils shook wildly.
“Balmun…!”
The sword he’d thought was with the Troyvans was right there.
Hoo!
Antonio took a long breath, regaining his composure as best he could.
“Are you with the Ragnars, Mr. Lant?”
“No need for me to reveal that, I think.”
Theo threw Antonio’s own words back at him with a smile.
“You get what you need, I get what I need. No trust between us yet, so let’s start with a small trade and build rapport.”
“Yes. Fine. Then tell me what you want first, Mr. Lant. What is it?”
“The path to the Sea King.”
Contrary to the ‘small trade’ label, Theo’s demand was enormous.
“Th-That’s!”
“The central core of the Floating Archipelago. I want the <Mystery> there.”