Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Anomalous Traces
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She might have taken offense, thinking, "I'm the head maid, and you're sending me on menial errands like this!"
But she simply bowed her head calmly.
"If you give the order, I will purchase all the items you desire."
"Good. Then please take this."
What I held out was a large scroll of paper.
"What is this?"
"It's a list of everything to buy. These are things that are hard to find normally, so you must acquire them all without fail."
At my words, she scanned the contents with a sharp gaze.
"Money won't be an issue with this. Just to be safe, though, take the two servants who came with me."
I handed over a portion of the advance payment without hesitation.
Embezzling funds from the count's family?
House Cascadia's lifelong goal is to exterminate those damn cephalopods.
Therefore, this isn't embezzlement. So what if I spend a little? It won't even make a dent anyway.
"But wouldn't it be better to leave someone to attend to you on the way...?"
"No. Take the carriage. Luna and I plan to head straight to our destination from here."
She didn't object further to my explanation.
"Understood."
Luna Basilyn Raphaelria.
This fallen angel, who calls herself an angel for now, currently had no halo above her head or wings on her back—at least to the naked eye.
But that didn't mean she truly lacked wings; they were simply concealed.
"Leon, I'm not a means of transportation."
"But I was fast, right?"
"I won't deny that. Being carried in your arms while flying wasn't half bad."
She's flirting without even catching her breath.
On top of that, it saved mana too.
Her wings weren't mere decoration; they granted her flight capabilities. And with her carrying me, we soared through the skies at a speed incomparable to any carriage.
In fact, she covered the distance that I estimated would take several days far more quickly.
Of course, the destination would have knights from House Mielephon and Isna Mielephon herself, but I planned to operate separately from them for now.
After all, it would be ridiculous to suddenly show up when we were conducting this operation in secret.
More importantly, before hunting the kraken, there were elements I needed to confirm personally.
The small fishing village was already teeming with knights and mages from House Mielephon.
The once-in-500-years opportunity to hunt the sole kraken.
They probably believed that if they missed this chance, they'd never get another shot at the kraken.
Thanks to House Mielephon, the village that should have been sparsely populated was bustling, which meant Luna and I slipped in without drawing much attention.
Our robes helped, of course.
Not knowing the local geography, I headed out to gather information.
As expected, the locals would have the most detailed knowledge.
Of course, in villages like this...
"What do you want, outsider? Nothing to say? Then scram!"
...they were highly hostile to outsiders.
I couldn't believe it at first, but whether in my past life or this one, it was all the same.
If I'd revealed my noble status, they wouldn't have dared, but right now, I looked no different from a ragtag adventurer.
"Leon..."
Luna stared at me intently at his attitude. Unable to communicate with glances, her lips parted ever so slightly.
Should I kill him?
No. Hold back, you idiot.
In response, I decided to use the universal language that opens hearts—the ultimate trump card.
"Ahem. You must be working hard in this weather. It's nothing much, just a small token of my appreciation..."
"Trying to buy me off with money, eh? Such an insult... Well, it's quite generous. Hmm..."
The moment the old man peeked into the money pouch I offered, his sour expression bloomed into a smile.
"Speak! I'll tell you everything you're curious about! Can't launch the boats for a while anyway."
That's more like it.
Figures in black robes gathered in the dark cave.
"Is the ritual ready?"
"Almost complete."
"If we miss this chance, we'll never control the kraken again. No mistakes allowed."
"Yes."
In the empty void, the necromancers began deploying their prepared magic circles in unison.
Then, the box on the cavern floor rattled, and the black, ominous book inside throbbed as it floated into the air.
The book emitted eerie light in all directions like a living thing, connecting to the walls like spiderwebs before finally stopping.
"But will it be okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"House Mielephon's knights have come all this way to subjugate the kraken..."
"Don't worry. They'll just be kraken bait."
They'll try to take it down assuming it's weakened during spawning season. But they have no idea we're behind it.
"Hitting House Mielephon hard this time isn't a bad idea. Heh heh."
The man chuckled darkly as he eyed the glowing magic circle.
"No one will find this place, so failure is impossible."
"Who would stumble upon a spot like this? Even our cult had trouble locating this spawning ground."
While much is known about krakens in general, detailed facts are scarce.
Like how they nest in hidden underwater caves beneath rocky cliffs for spawning.
Even within the cult, discovering this place was pure coincidence stacked on coincidence.
"True. Those idiots will never suspect it. Prepare. The moment we control the kraken, we'll slaughter House Mielephon's subjugation force. We'll bury their Sword Saint at the bottom of the sea this time."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The cultists responded in unison and redoubled their efforts on the magic circles.
If the kraken were at full strength, even these necromancer cultists couldn't handle it.
But just as House Mielephon sought to enslave it, they aimed to seize its mind during its weakened state.
At the heart of their plan was the enigmatic book floating at the magic circle's center.
An artifact radiating bizarre, otherworldly power. The superiors hadn't revealed its origin, but it was well-known that dozens of cultists who touched it had their minds shattered and died.
Whatever it was, an object this powerful should easily dominate a weakened kraken.
"Even so, to mentally dominate a Sea King species capable of mental attacks in reverse—truly an amazing artifact. What could it be, made from human skin...?"
"Don't touch it carelessly like those fools who went mad. Handle it with care."
"Understood."
The old man was more talkative than expected.
Or perhaps quiet by nature, but money had loosened his tongue.
And surprisingly knowledgeable about the area.
I'd only sought basic info at first, but he spilled even minor legends I hadn't asked for.
According to him, the kraken had indeed settled here for spawning.
However, something felt off in his account.
"Something bothering you?"
"No, probably just a hunch... There are kraken traces, but they seem very different."
In places like Sword Hall or Fist Hall, whether the kraken survived or not didn't matter—only if it was weak or strong.
But since Sage Hall required detailed research on the kraken, I sensed the current situation deviated from what I knew.
This won't do. I need to check its lair myself.
During spawning, the kraken hides its eggs in a safe spot and hunts nonstop for food.
But to protect its nest, it mentally dominates all lifeforms in its territory.
"What seems different?"
Luna apparently didn't know everything about krakens either.
"When a kraken enters spawning season, it becomes extremely sensitive and casts powerful mental domination over the entire surroundings."
Maintaining it constantly tires it out, naturally.
She tilted her head at my explanation.
"That old man said no traces."
"Exactly. If those cliff rocks are its spawning ground, this village should already be under mental domination."
"Maybe the kraken hasn't settled yet?"
"For that, the surrounding traces already show symptoms right after laying eggs."
The kraken's weakest phase.
That much was clear, yet no signs of mental domination.
"In cases like this, seeing it firsthand is the only way..."
"Got any ideas?"
"If we assume this situation is normal, there's only one answer."
I walked to the nearby seaside.
Squatting down, I gazed at the seawater and said,
"It's in a special condition. For example, if the organ handling mental domination is damaged. Are all your questions answered, Lady Isna Mielephon? Time to come out."
At my words, the seawater rippled quietly.
Simultaneously, a hand with only the thumb extended shot out from the dark depths—grip!!
Red twintails and a mischievous, beautiful girl poked her head out.
"I thought I was well hidden. How did you know?"
She clutched a large fish in her other hand.
"Brr, it's cold. Hoo... Hoo..."
In the secluded rocky reef area devoid of people, Luna and I—still cloaked—watched the deranged duke's daughter munch on roasted potatoes by our campfire.
"Why on earth are you here?"
"Why? How could a fiancée not come see her fiancé when he's arrived?"
I closed my eyes briefly at her question.
She had spotted us from the start and followed.
Thinking back, she acted as if she knew we'd come here.
Wait, come to think of it, the reason we came here was...
-How about that! It's an octopus hunt! Kraken!
I refocused on her.
Just coincidence, probably.
That seemingly harmless smile.
Considering her ditzy, un-duchess-like antics and eccentricities, she wasn't worth suspecting.
So why the nagging sense of déjà vu?
Actually, I knew the answer.
"Did you plan this from the beginning, Lady?"
She tilted her head at my question.
"Plan what?"
"To lure me here?"
"Ehh? I'm too dumb to know~."
Her playful tone was utterly innocent.