Episode 157. Truly Selfish Protection
Pierre tried to avert his gaze from Noah, who looked precarious, and pointed to the hollow.
“I will provide cover while steering, but the ship may rock violently. Fasten your seatbelts. We are going at full speed! Your Highness! I request cover!!”
Olivia quickly sat down and fastened her seatbelt. As soon as the buckle closed, the boat glided across the water with a loud roar.
“If it shakes too much, please keep your head down!”
Seawater splashed up the bow every time the boat crossed a wave. Olivia clutched her seatbelt tightly and looked back.
Noah was getting further and further away.
She was really sorry to him, but she couldn't live like this anymore.
Although it was a perilous situation where monsters could appear at any moment, Olivia felt both guilt and a sense of liberation on the boat gliding smoothly across the water.
It was better to run with fear and die than to be driven away by fear and hide.
It was better to live as if living and then die than to live as if dead.
That is why there was not a trace of fear on Olivia's face as she looked up at the huge magic dome getting closer and closer.
***
After the Prince left, Ansen wandered through the darkness within himself. He stared endlessly at a photograph of a young boy and girl laughing with their heads together.
If he could turn back time, he would want to return to this moment. If a price is required, he will give up whatever he has.
Tears slid down from Ansen's eyes.
"You have absolutely no intention of forgiving me, Olivia."
It was a misconception that Olivia would come looking for him. He had assumed she would come, whether out of anger or to set things right.
"Noah Astrid."
Moreover, the moment Ansen saw Noah Astrid, who had come to find him with a devilish face, he realized that it was impossible to get Olivia out from behind the golden bars.
That man will never let Olivia go.
Right, come to think of it, there is no way that proud Prince Noah would have crossed the ocean just to propose to a mere flat woman.
If he hadn't welcomed the proposal, he would have just sent someone to deliver the letter and told her to come to Herod for now. He would actually have been pleased if she hadn't come.
"Ha..."
Ansen contorted his face and let out a sigh of lament.
With every breath, his chest ached as if caught in a thorn. Ansen buried his face in Olivia's photograph and gasped for breath.
However, isn't it said that bad things come in pairs?
Knock knock!!
The moment he snapped up at the urgent knock, the secretary opened the door and came in. He was holding a newspaper in his hand, and the moment he saw it, a tingling sensation swept through his entire body.
"CEO!"
Ansen sprang to his feet and reached out his hand to the secretary. The secretary's face was flushed with disappointment.
"Hurry!!"
Ansen snatched the newspaper from his secretary's hand and spread it wide open. The moment he saw the first page, a chilling sensation ran through him as the blood drained from his face, and cold sweat beaded on his palms.
"It is said that the Sunrise, heading toward the Kingdom of Robus, sank in the middle of the ocean."
However, why is the name of Wilhelm & Co. being mentioned in such large headlines in the news about the passenger ship sinking?
Ansen's face twisted strangely moment by moment as he read the article.
“Fortunately, it seems a large fishing vessel passing by spotted this and set out to provide emergency assistance, but...”
Only VIP passengers and a few key crew members were barely rescued from the sunken Sunrise. Out of nearly a thousand passengers, only a little over a hundred survived, and even those were just VIP passengers and a few key crew members.
And among the hundred or so survivors was the President's only daughter.
Pulder was seething with anger at the fact that all the VIPs staying on the upper decks of the ship, where rescue was virtually most difficult, had survived, while even pregnant women, the elderly, and children could not be rescued.
President Jerome, who succeeded in winning a second term under the banner of 'equality,' did not even have time to rejoice at the news of his daughter's safe return.
In the meantime, the surviving captain and the wizard made a very timely remark.
"The Magic Dome didn't work! The Magic Dome really didn't work!"
Ansen's fingers, holding the newspaper, turned white.
“...When is this newspaper from?”
"This is the newspaper from a week ago."
“Damn it!!”
Ansen roared fiercely. Since the President himself had ordered a search of Wilhelm & Co., officials must have already stormed in and rummaged through his office.
The President needs a shield to take all the blame directed at him.
Ansen threw the newspaper down hard and shouted at the secretary.
"I have to go to Pulder right now, right now!!"
"All right!"
It was the very moment the secretary quickly turned around to leave the room.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding...!
The sharp sound of an alarm bell rang out throughout the capital.
The moment Ansen flung open the door, a loud shout was heard from far away on the main street.
“The Kraken has appeared, the Kraken!!”
“Father, Father! No, no!”
“Let go! Those things...!”
The warehouse owner screamed with a look of near-fainting as he watched the Kraken, shaped like a giant octopus, slithering toward the food storage warehouse.
The floor was covered in acidic ink sprayed by the Kraken, and the air was thick with sour, acrid smoke spewing from the ink.
The merchants who rushed out to defend the warehouse at all costs lost even the small hope they had left in front of the Kraken.
However, the man simply could not sit still. How could he have come to possess that warehouse! Losing the food supplies inside and being burdened with an unmanageable debt made him feel that it would be better to die.
The man shook off his son's hand and ran with all his might.
In front of the warehouse, where he had barely reached while dodging ink and the giant Kraken's legs, the man raised both arms high toward the Kraken. In his hands was a knife the length of his palm.
"Father!!"
As his son's scream drifted out faintly, the man saw the Kraken slowly contracting before his eyes.
He will undoubtedly shoot ink.
I heard it's acidic, so it melts your skin if it touches it. So this is how I die.
Knowing he would die, he ran out because this 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 his impending death.
Something forcefully pushed against his shoulder, and the man was pushed sideways by that powerful force.
"Ugh."
The man was groaning in disbelief when a voice full of displeasure came from below him.
“Hey, mister. Move aside. Before I shove you.”
He opened his eyes wide in surprise to see the young man pinned beneath him, glaring at him with a menacing expression.
"Ah, oh my!"
As the man stood up in surprise, Jonan got up with agile movements unbefitting of his large frame and brushed his palms together.
The man turned his head to look at the warehouse without even a moment to express his gratitude. And the moment his gaze turned, anxiety turned into reverence. That came before the relief that his property was still safe.
A burly soldier in a white naval uniform leaped onto the giant Kraken. He remained unwavering even on the legs covered in slippery mucus.
The Kraken thrashed its legs wildly and sporadically shot ink, but it could not even reach the soldier's feet. He, who had been running back and forth across the bridge, soared high into the air in time with the Kraken's movements.
"Ah...!"
The man watching the scene involuntarily let out a gasp. Golden magic was radiating from the soldier's right hand, raised beside his ear.
His brilliant blonde hair, adorning the air, reflected the round moon rising behind him, creating a golden silhouette.
It was only then that the man realized the soldier's presence.
Noah struck the Kraken's head with all his might, using a fist filled with magical power. The frantic movement of its legs stopped in an instant. Upon confirming that the Kraken had gone limp, he jumped straight down to the ground with a fierce look on his face.
While the man sprawled on the floor was mesmerized by the overwhelming display of skill, someone spoke to him in a low voice.
"I will make sure to protect your property from the Kraken, so evacuate to a safe place."
“...?!”
As the man looked up in surprise, a tall young man with equally striking blonde hair was standing there. His deep blue eyes, trapped within sharp glares, held a stern light.
“Wow, Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
Usher lightly patted the man's shoulder and walked toward Noah, who was approaching with a fierce aura.
Noah glanced at Usher and signaled to Jonan, who had run furiously behind him.
The clever Krakens seemed to have quickly noticed the range of the two Magic Domes, circling precisely within that radius and constantly watching for an opportunity to come ashore. Regrettably, the warships that had been painstakingly brought here were of no help whatsoever.
A Kraken that has come ashore cannot be struck recklessly with a sword, a gun, or concentrated magic power. This is because, unless one accurately strikes its heart, which is its magic power sac, with a magic dome, there is too high a chance of touching the ink sac inside its head.
When the ink sac bursts, acidic gas is released, and as a result, the air within the radius melts away.
As Jonan hurriedly ran toward another Kraken, Noah walked alongside Usher and spoke.
“Deploy more Royal Guards. The remaining special task force alone isn’t enough.”
“I brought them anyway. More importantly, I’d like the Princess to fix the Magic Dome quickly.”
“...”
Noah, who had been walking, stopped abruptly and turned to look at Usher.
A chill hung in the blue eyes that usually shone with a gentle light. With one corner of his mouth turned crookedly up, Usher brushed past Noah and coldly rebuked him.
“That was truly selfish protection, wasn’t it?”
Pierre tried to avert his gaze from Noah, who looked precarious, and pointed to the hollow.
“I will provide cover while steering, but the ship may rock violently. Fasten your seatbelts. We are going at full speed! Your Highness! I request cover!!”
Olivia quickly sat down and fastened her seatbelt. As soon as the buckle closed, the boat glided across the water with a loud roar.
“If it shakes too much, please keep your head down!”
Seawater splashed up the bow every time the boat crossed a wave. Olivia clutched her seatbelt tightly and looked back.
Noah was getting further and further away.
She was really sorry to him, but she couldn't live like this anymore.
Although it was a perilous situation where monsters could appear at any moment, Olivia felt both guilt and a sense of liberation on the boat gliding smoothly across the water.
It was better to run with fear and die than to be driven away by fear and hide.
It was better to live as if living and then die than to live as if dead.
That is why there was not a trace of fear on Olivia's face as she looked up at the huge magic dome getting closer and closer.
***
After the Prince left, Ansen wandered through the darkness within himself. He stared endlessly at a photograph of a young boy and girl laughing with their heads together.
If he could turn back time, he would want to return to this moment. If a price is required, he will give up whatever he has.
Tears slid down from Ansen's eyes.
"You have absolutely no intention of forgiving me, Olivia."
It was a misconception that Olivia would come looking for him. He had assumed she would come, whether out of anger or to set things right.
"Noah Astrid."
Moreover, the moment Ansen saw Noah Astrid, who had come to find him with a devilish face, he realized that it was impossible to get Olivia out from behind the golden bars.
That man will never let Olivia go.
Right, come to think of it, there is no way that proud Prince Noah would have crossed the ocean just to propose to a mere flat woman.
If he hadn't welcomed the proposal, he would have just sent someone to deliver the letter and told her to come to Herod for now. He would actually have been pleased if she hadn't come.
"Ha..."
Ansen contorted his face and let out a sigh of lament.
With every breath, his chest ached as if caught in a thorn. Ansen buried his face in Olivia's photograph and gasped for breath.
However, isn't it said that bad things come in pairs?
Knock knock!!
The moment he snapped up at the urgent knock, the secretary opened the door and came in. He was holding a newspaper in his hand, and the moment he saw it, a tingling sensation swept through his entire body.
"CEO!"
Ansen sprang to his feet and reached out his hand to the secretary. The secretary's face was flushed with disappointment.
"Hurry!!"
Ansen snatched the newspaper from his secretary's hand and spread it wide open. The moment he saw the first page, a chilling sensation ran through him as the blood drained from his face, and cold sweat beaded on his palms.
"It is said that the Sunrise, heading toward the Kingdom of Robus, sank in the middle of the ocean."
However, why is the name of Wilhelm & Co. being mentioned in such large headlines in the news about the passenger ship sinking?
Ansen's face twisted strangely moment by moment as he read the article.
“Fortunately, it seems a large fishing vessel passing by spotted this and set out to provide emergency assistance, but...”
Only VIP passengers and a few key crew members were barely rescued from the sunken Sunrise. Out of nearly a thousand passengers, only a little over a hundred survived, and even those were just VIP passengers and a few key crew members.
And among the hundred or so survivors was the President's only daughter.
Pulder was seething with anger at the fact that all the VIPs staying on the upper decks of the ship, where rescue was virtually most difficult, had survived, while even pregnant women, the elderly, and children could not be rescued.
President Jerome, who succeeded in winning a second term under the banner of 'equality,' did not even have time to rejoice at the news of his daughter's safe return.
In the meantime, the surviving captain and the wizard made a very timely remark.
"The Magic Dome didn't work! The Magic Dome really didn't work!"
Ansen's fingers, holding the newspaper, turned white.
“...When is this newspaper from?”
"This is the newspaper from a week ago."
“Damn it!!”
Ansen roared fiercely. Since the President himself had ordered a search of Wilhelm & Co., officials must have already stormed in and rummaged through his office.
The President needs a shield to take all the blame directed at him.
Ansen threw the newspaper down hard and shouted at the secretary.
"I have to go to Pulder right now, right now!!"
"All right!"
It was the very moment the secretary quickly turned around to leave the room.
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding...!
The sharp sound of an alarm bell rang out throughout the capital.
The moment Ansen flung open the door, a loud shout was heard from far away on the main street.
“The Kraken has appeared, the Kraken!!”
***
“Father, Father! No, no!”
“Let go! Those things...!”
The warehouse owner screamed with a look of near-fainting as he watched the Kraken, shaped like a giant octopus, slithering toward the food storage warehouse.
The floor was covered in acidic ink sprayed by the Kraken, and the air was thick with sour, acrid smoke spewing from the ink.
The merchants who rushed out to defend the warehouse at all costs lost even the small hope they had left in front of the Kraken.
However, the man simply could not sit still. How could he have come to possess that warehouse! Losing the food supplies inside and being burdened with an unmanageable debt made him feel that it would be better to die.
The man shook off his son's hand and ran with all his might.
In front of the warehouse, where he had barely reached while dodging ink and the giant Kraken's legs, the man raised both arms high toward the Kraken. In his hands was a knife the length of his palm.
"Father!!"
As his son's scream drifted out faintly, the man saw the Kraken slowly contracting before his eyes.
He will undoubtedly shoot ink.
I heard it's acidic, so it melts your skin if it touches it. So this is how I die.
Knowing he would die, he ran out because this 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 his impending death.
Something forcefully pushed against his shoulder, and the man was pushed sideways by that powerful force.
"Ugh."
The man was groaning in disbelief when a voice full of displeasure came from below him.
“Hey, mister. Move aside. Before I shove you.”
He opened his eyes wide in surprise to see the young man pinned beneath him, glaring at him with a menacing expression.
"Ah, oh my!"
As the man stood up in surprise, Jonan got up with agile movements unbefitting of his large frame and brushed his palms together.
The man turned his head to look at the warehouse without even a moment to express his gratitude. And the moment his gaze turned, anxiety turned into reverence. That came before the relief that his property was still safe.
A burly soldier in a white naval uniform leaped onto the giant Kraken. He remained unwavering even on the legs covered in slippery mucus.
The Kraken thrashed its legs wildly and sporadically shot ink, but it could not even reach the soldier's feet. He, who had been running back and forth across the bridge, soared high into the air in time with the Kraken's movements.
"Ah...!"
The man watching the scene involuntarily let out a gasp. Golden magic was radiating from the soldier's right hand, raised beside his ear.
His brilliant blonde hair, adorning the air, reflected the round moon rising behind him, creating a golden silhouette.
It was only then that the man realized the soldier's presence.
Noah struck the Kraken's head with all his might, using a fist filled with magical power. The frantic movement of its legs stopped in an instant. Upon confirming that the Kraken had gone limp, he jumped straight down to the ground with a fierce look on his face.
While the man sprawled on the floor was mesmerized by the overwhelming display of skill, someone spoke to him in a low voice.
"I will make sure to protect your property from the Kraken, so evacuate to a safe place."
“...?!”
As the man looked up in surprise, a tall young man with equally striking blonde hair was standing there. His deep blue eyes, trapped within sharp glares, held a stern light.
“Wow, Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
Usher lightly patted the man's shoulder and walked toward Noah, who was approaching with a fierce aura.
Noah glanced at Usher and signaled to Jonan, who had run furiously behind him.
The clever Krakens seemed to have quickly noticed the range of the two Magic Domes, circling precisely within that radius and constantly watching for an opportunity to come ashore. Regrettably, the warships that had been painstakingly brought here were of no help whatsoever.
A Kraken that has come ashore cannot be struck recklessly with a sword, a gun, or concentrated magic power. This is because, unless one accurately strikes its heart, which is its magic power sac, with a magic dome, there is too high a chance of touching the ink sac inside its head.
When the ink sac bursts, acidic gas is released, and as a result, the air within the radius melts away.
As Jonan hurriedly ran toward another Kraken, Noah walked alongside Usher and spoke.
“Deploy more Royal Guards. The remaining special task force alone isn’t enough.”
“I brought them anyway. More importantly, I’d like the Princess to fix the Magic Dome quickly.”
“...”
Noah, who had been walking, stopped abruptly and turned to look at Usher.
A chill hung in the blue eyes that usually shone with a gentle light. With one corner of his mouth turned crookedly up, Usher brushed past Noah and coldly rebuked him.
“That was truly selfish protection, wasn’t it?”
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