Chapter 424
Episode 424. The Maritime City Clayton (2)
Three days passed quickly.
The journey following the Kenline River to their next destination was peaceful.
But to Lily, it was unbearably boring.
She sprawled in a corner of the vast deck, crunching on the cookies she had brought.
Her gaze landed on Lochter, who was swinging his swords at the center of the deck.
Swordsmanship executed without the slightest error.
It was like watching the same scene replay endlessly.
“One thousand twenty-four, one thousand twenty-five…”
As Lily absentmindedly counted Lochter’s motions, her eyelids drooped, and she dozed off on the deck.
When she opened her eyes again, Lochter was still swinging his swords.
The sky had already grown dim.
It felt like half a day had passed, yet his movements hadn’t changed.
“So boring.”
As Lily stomped toward him to complain, Lochter, still swinging, replied.
“I am not swinging for amusement.”
“Why repeat the same move all day? It’s dull and meaningless.”
“To become strong, training is necessary.”
“Training?”
Lily propped her chin in her hands and tilted her head.
For someone with innate genius, the concept of training was awkward.
She could instantly grasp the flow of mana and copy anything at a glance.
“And it’s not the same. Even if small, there are changes.”
“Changes?”
Lily narrowed her eyes and studied his movements repeatedly.
After counting a hundred swings, she rubbed her eyes hard and frowned.
“They’re exactly the same! Liar!”
“I do not lie.”
“Still boring.”
“Do not bother me anymore. You’re interrupting my training.”
“You’re so mean!”
Even after experiencing the same reaction from him for days, Lily didn’t give up and kept pestering Lochter.
“Arthur won’t play with me.”
Arthur had excused himself to the party and holed up in his private cabin without coming out.
He said he needed time alone to think.
Lily, unlike with others, usually listened to Arthur. Though she pouted, she didn’t disturb him.
So she searched for another target.
But the sailors all feared her, and with only their group as passengers, her prey inevitably became her companions again.
After making a round, Lily slumped beside Keros with a sullen face.
“…Keros.”
“Woof.”
“I think we have to catch him. Today we’ll succeed no matter what.”
“Woof!”
Their eyes met, and the two nodded firmly.
A moment later—
“Keros! Find Samuel!”
“Woof!”
Sniffing, Keros dashed across the deck in search of Samuel.
Ever since the ship had set sail, Samuel Barber had been constantly fleeing from Lily.
And today, without fail, a game of tag began again aboard the massive magic ship.
Clunk!
The latch of a door turned slowly.
Soon, the iron door opened, and Arthur stepped out, looking exhausted.
“…Ugh, I feel like dying.”
Though his body did not tire from sleeplessness, mental fatigue was another matter.
After staying awake and overhauling his existing plans, it felt like his head might burst.
[As long as I exist, you will never die.]
“What are you suddenly saying?”
[It means you won’t die easily, no matter what.]
Suddenly, Retonicalus’s presence felt frightening.
An undying fate with endless suffering was something he refused.
Ignoring him, Arthur sat down for a meal.
Once his focus returned, he realized how hungry he was.
He hadn’t meant to, but he had delayed eating while engrossed in devising new methods.
“At least it was worth it.”
In three days, he had sorted out all the variables concerning Kamel.
He hadn’t yet found precise answers regarding Kamel’s existence, but he felt far more at ease than before.
“Was everything comfortable for you?”
Hearing Arthur had come to the dining hall, Captain Raymon came in person.
Arthur swallowed the food filling his mouth and raised a cup.
Taking a sip of water, he asked,
“I don’t see the others. Where are they?”
“Most are spending their time on deck.”
“On deck?”
“They said the cabins felt too cramped.”
“I suppose that makes sense. Any major issues while I was away?”
As he ate, Arthur listened to Raymon’s report—trivial matters from the past three days aboard.
When it came to Lily and Samuel’s games of tag, Arthur let out a sigh.
“Samuel must resent me.”
“…Pardon?”
“Nothing. Anyway, no special news?”
By “news,” Arthur meant something about Karl.
“That’s actually why I came. I’ve received word that the ‘important guest’ has boarded the ship.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. It was reported this morning, and I confirmed it several times.”
“That’s good.”
The timing of Karl’s arrival was excellent.
Smiling at the good news, Arthur then noticed Raymon hesitate before continuing.
“However, there’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
“Well… I heard that when the guest boarded, he was unconscious.”
Arthur froze mid-bite, setting down his utensils and staring.
Under that gaze, the captain swallowed nervously.
“Unconscious… Does that mean he’s in danger?”
“No, it seems his life isn’t at risk. But his exhaustion is severe. They said he’ll need some time to recover.”
“Exhaustion?”
Karl was a 5-star powerhouse.
It was likely not physical exhaustion but mana depletion.
Meaning that on his way out of Demtor, Karl had faced dangerous circumstances.
“How long until we meet that ship?”
“Half a day is enough.”
Arthur nodded and rose.
He wouldn’t rest easy until he checked Karl’s condition himself, but since his life wasn’t in danger, there was no need to rush.
If Karl was injured, then Demtor’s situation must be dire.
If Karl decided to flee, even Arthur would struggle to catch him.
For someone like him to be pushed past his limits, one of Demtor’s Stars must have acted personally.
It wouldn’t have been Grand Duke Bersen Clarke, since he was tied with the Ivory Tower’s siege. That left only one.
Gram Seraphim?
The Blood-Drinking Chalice.
It seemed her pressure was far greater than expected.
Which means the information Karl brings is even more important.
Until now, Arthur had treated Demtor and Prime Root separately in his plans.
He judged there could never be an alliance between the two.
But with Kamel’s reappearance, that impossibility might become possible.
Kamel was the sort who, if it profited him, would even ally with Gram, the one who killed him.
Arthur’s thoughts lasted only a moment, for as he reached the deck, they were blown away.
“What…?”
A bizarre scene unfolded.
Samuel was bound tightly with rope, struggling desperately.
Above him, Lily wore a victor’s expression, while Keros howled proudly.
Samuel, gagged, spotted Arthur and wriggled toward him, muffling “Mmph! Mmph!!”
Lochter noticed Arthur first and approached. Arthur asked,
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Only that the game of tag ended.”
“You joined in too?”
“That’s the most useless question I’ve heard lately. Do I look that idle?”
Arthur sighed and approached Samuel.
Removing the gag, Samuel burst out with an aggrieved complaint.
“Boss! Isn’t this wrong? She promised she’d stop bothering me—!”
“I never bothered you!”
“Ridiculous! How can you say that when I’m in this state?!”
As Lily and Samuel bickered, Arthur shook his head and asked her,
“Why did you catch him?”
Blinking innocently, Lily answered,
“Well… because he runs away when he sees me?”
“You caught him just for that? No other reason?”
“Yup.”
Arthur gave a hollow laugh and looked at Samuel.
Under that stare, Samuel thought hard and frowned.
“…I guess I just ran. Instinct, maybe.”
“Instincts really are frightening.”
As tension hung between Lily and Samuel, Captain Raymon rushed onto the deck with news.
“A magic ship ahead!”
In the direction he pointed, a large shadow came into view.
The mist above the river slowly cleared, and another Ship Gridment appeared, moored at the riverbank.
Bwoooom~!
Raymon sent a signal, and the other side answered with the same.
The resounding horns filled the river as Arthur finally faced the magic ship carrying Karl.
Once the two ships closed the distance, Arthur’s group leapt aboard the other deck.
There, familiar faces greeted him.
“Lord Arthur!”
They were ghosts.
At first wary, once they saw Arthur, they sighed in relief and hurried over.
There were four in total, seemingly having worked with Karl on the Demtor mission.
“Are you all unharmed?”
“We’re fine. But the Master…”
Listening quietly, Arthur learned that in breaking through the outer encirclement, Karl had overexerted himself to buy time for the ghosts to escape.
“The problem was magic.”
“Our concealment was useless against mages. It was difficult to flee.”
Indeed, ghosts and magicians were a poor match. No matter how silently they hid, one spell revealed their position.
“Was the Master of the Black Tower there too?”
“It was Gram of the Black Tower who encircled the Ivory Tower. Everything that happened to the Master was her doing.”
Clearly still resentful, the ghosts cursed Gram.
Arthur wanted to hear more details but first ordered their ship to set sail.
Bwoooom—!
Two Ship Gridments sailed downstream along the Kenline River, bound for the Maritime City Clayton.
Meanwhile, Arthur followed the ghosts to Karl’s quarters.
Karl lay wrapped in bandages, unconscious despite the presence of others. It seemed it would take time before he woke.
Seeing the bloodstains seeping through in places, Arthur felt heavy.
It had been his decision to send Karl to Demtor.
“Were the supplies delivered?”
At his question, the ghosts nodded. They had managed to transport the vast stores from the ship’s hold to the Ivory Tower.
“How did you pierce the encirclement with such heavy surveillance?”
“Until the supplies were delivered, the watch around the Ivory Tower was loose. The encirclement only tightened, and Gram herself only moved, after the supplies reached the tower.”
Arthur paused at those words.
“You mean Gram acted personally because of the Union’s supplies?”
“Master Karl said so. Her plan to starve the Ivory Tower failed, and that lunatic began her rampage.”
Though the phrasing was coarse, if it was Karl’s judgment, it was accurate.
“Did he leave any words before losing consciousness?”
“Yes. He told us to deliver this message to you first.”
Before fainting, Karl had said:
[The Seals of the Stars have found their masters.]
Lord of the Ivory Tower, Modin.
Lord of Radiance, Ren.
Lady of the Blue Tower, Ella.
It seemed the Seals of the Stars Arthur had given had entered the hands of their rightful masters.
This carried very great meaning.
It meant they were willing to accept Arthur’s request.