Chapter 157. Truly Selfish Protection
Pierre, trying to tear his gaze away from the seemingly precarious Noah, pointed to the recessed seat.
“I’ll pilot the boat while providing cover, but it might pitch violently. Fasten your seatbelt securely. Full speed ahead! Your Highness! Please provide cover!!”
Olivia quickly sat down and fastened her seatbelt. The moment the buckle clicked shut, the boat shot forward over the water with a loud roar.
“If it pitches a lot, keep your head down!”
Each time they crossed a wave, seawater splashed over the bow. Olivia gripped her seatbelt tightly and looked back.
Noah was getting further away.
“I’m truly sorry to him, but I can’t live like this anymore.”
Although it was a dangerous situation where a Magical Creature could appear at any moment, on the boat cutting swiftly through the water, Olivia felt a sense of liberation along with guilt.
Rather than hide, pushed aside by fear, it was better to die running forward with fear in tow.
It was better to live as if alive and die, than to live as if dead.
Because of this, Olivia’s face, as she looked up at the vast Magic Dome drawing nearer, held not a trace of fear.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
After the Prince had left, Ansen wandered through the darkness within himself. He stared endlessly at a photograph of a young man and woman laughing, their heads close together.
If he could turn back time, he wished he could return to this period. If a price were required, he would give up anything he possessed.
Tears slid down Ansen’s cheeks.
“You have absolutely no intention of forgiving me, Olivia.”
The thought that Olivia would come to find him was a delusion. He had expected her to come, perhaps out of anger, or to set things right.
“Noah Astrid.”
Furthermore, the moment he saw Noah Astrid, who had come to find him with a face like a demon’s, Ansen realized it was impossible to extract Olivia from beyond the golden bars.
That man would never let Olivia go.
Yes, now that he thought about it, it was absurd that the proud Noah Astrid would cross the sea just to propose to a mere woman of the flatlands.
If the proposal hadn’t been welcome, he would have simply sent someone to deliver the proposal letter and asked her to come to Herot, at least. He would have been even happier if she hadn’t come.
“Ha……”
Ansen contorted his face and let out a sigh filled with anguish.
His chest ached as if caught on thorns with every breath. Ansen buried his face in Olivia’s photograph and gasped for air.
But they say bad things come in threes.
Knock, knock!!
At the urgent knock, he snapped his head up, and his secretary opened the door and entered. In his hand was a newspaper, and the moment Ansen saw it, a jolt ran through his entire body.
“CEO!”
Ansen leaped from his seat and reached out to the secretary. The secretary’s face was tinged with dismay.
“Quickly!!”
Ansen snatched the newspaper from the secretary’s hand and unfolded it. The moment he saw the front page, a chilling sensation drained the color from his face, and cold sweat beaded on his palms.
“It is reported that the Sunrise, bound for the Kingdom of Robus, sank in the middle of the ocean.”
But why was the name of Wilhelm Corporation prominently mentioned in the passenger ship sinking article?
As Ansen read the article, his face twisted strangely with each passing moment.
“Fortunately, a large fishing vessel passing by discovered them and provided emergency assistance…”
Only VIP passengers and a few key crew members were barely rescued from the sunken Sunrise. Out of nearly a thousand passengers, only about a hundred survived, and even then, they were mostly VIP passengers and a few key crew members.
And among the roughly one hundred survivors was the President’s beloved daughter.
While pregnant women, the elderly, and even children could not be rescued, Pulder seethed at the fact that the VIPs, who were in the upper decks of the ship where rescue was most difficult, had all survived.
President Jerome, who had been re-elected under the banner of ‘equality,’ had no time to rejoice at his daughter’s survival.
Then, the surviving captain and a mage made a very timely statement.
“The Magic Dome did not work! The Magic Dome really did not work!”
Ansen’s fingers, gripping the newspaper, turned white.
“…When is this newspaper from?”
“It’s from a week ago.”
“Damn it!!”
Ansen roared fiercely. Since the President had personally ordered a search for Wilhelm Corporation, public officials had likely already stormed his office and ransacked it.
The President would need a shield to take all the blame that would come his way.
Ansen threw the newspaper down forcefully and shouted at his secretary.
“I have to go to Pulder right now, immediately!!”
“Understood!”
The moment the secretary quickly turned and was about to leave the room.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding……!
An alarm, piercing the ears, echoed throughout the entire capital.
The moment Ansen flung the door open, a loud shout could be heard from far down the main street.
“It’s a Kraken! A Kraken has appeared!!”
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“Father, Father! No, no!”
“Let go! Those…!”
The warehouse owner, his face looking as if he would faint, cried out in despair as he watched the Kraken, shaped like a giant octopus, crawl towards the food storage warehouse.
The floor was slick with the acidic ink the Kraken had sprayed, and the air was thick with the pungent, acrid smoke emanating from the ink.
The merchants who had rushed out to defend the warehouse, no matter what, lost even the slightest remaining hope before the Kraken.
But the man could not stand idly by. How had he acquired that warehouse! He would rather die than lose the ingredients inside and be burdened with unbearable debt.
The man shook off his son’s hand and ran with all his might.
Dodging the ink and the giant Kraken’s tentacles, he barely reached the warehouse and raised both arms towards the Kraken. In his hand was a knife about the length of his palm.
“Father!!”
As his son’s desperate cry faded into the distance, the man slowly saw the Kraken contract.
It would surely shoot ink.
He heard that if it touched, the skin would melt because it was acidic. This was how he would die.
He had run out, knowing he would die, because it was the only thing he could do. The strength drained from the man’s eyes and shoulders.
“Father!!”
It was the moment he closed his eyes, sensing death.
Something forcefully pushed his shoulder, and the man, propelled by the strong force, rolled sideways in a daze.
“Ugh.”
As the man groaned, unable to regain his senses, an annoyed voice came from beneath him.
“Hey, mister. Move. Before I push you away for good.”
Startled, the man’s eyes snapped open. Beneath him, a young man with a fierce expression glared at him.
“Ah, oh dear!”
As the man sprang up in surprise, Jonan, with agile movements unbefitting his large build, rose to his feet and clapped his hands.
The man didn’t even have time to thank him before turning his head to look at the warehouse. The moment his gaze shifted, his anxiety turned into awe. It was a feeling that preceded the relief of knowing his property was still safe.
A sturdy soldier in a white naval uniform leaped onto the giant Kraken. He remained steady even on the slippery, mucus-covered tentacles.
The Kraken thrashed its tentacles wildly and sporadically spewed ink, but it couldn’t even reach the soldier’s feet. As he ran back and forth on the tentacles, he soared high into the air in time with the Kraken’s movements.
“Ah…!”
The man watching the scene let out an involuntary gasp. In the soldier’s right hand, held aloft beside his ear, golden magical power swirled.
The brilliant golden light, weaving through the air, reflected off the full moon that rose behind him, creating a golden silhouette.
It was then that the man realized the soldier’s presence.
Noah, with a fist full of gathered magical power, struck the Kraken’s head with all his might. The frantic movement of the tentacles momentarily stopped. Seeing the Kraken go limp, he leaped straight to the ground with a fierce expression.
As the man, sprawled on the ground, was lost in awe of the overwhelming prowess, someone spoke to him in a low voice.
“I will surely protect your property from the Kraken, so please evacuate to a safe place.”
“…?!”
When the man looked up in surprise, a tall young man with equally striking blond hair stood there. His sharp eyes held deep blue pupils that gleamed with a stern light.
“Wow, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
Usher lightly patted the man’s shoulder and then walked towards Noah, who was approaching with a fierce aura.
Noah glanced at Usher and then nodded towards Jonan, who had rushed up behind him.
The intelligent Krakens seemed to have quickly gauged the range of the two Magic Domes, circling precisely within their radius and constantly looking for an opportunity to come ashore. The warships that had been painstakingly brought were, unfortunately, of no help whatsoever.
Krakens that come ashore cannot be carelessly attacked with swords, guns, or concentrated magical power. Unless their magical power sacs, their hearts, are precisely struck by the Magic Dome, there is too great a chance of hitting the ink sacs in their heads.
If an ink sac bursts, acidic gas is released, and the airways of those within the radius melt.
As Jonan quickly rushed towards another Kraken, Noah walked alongside Usher and said,
“Deploy more of the Royal Guard. The remaining special task force alone is not enough.”
“I brought them anyway. More importantly, I wish the Princess consort would fix the Magic Dome quickly.”
“……”
Noah, who had been walking, stopped abruptly and turned to look at Usher.
His blue eyes, usually filled with a gentle light, now held a chill. Usher smirked, pulling one corner of his mouth up askew, and brushed past Noah, saying coldly,
“It was truly selfish protection, wasn’t it?”
