Black Sail

Aran Imperial City.

The Eternal Clock Tower pierced through the sky, reaching straight up to the clouds.

The city walls were majestic, with watchtowers standing like forests.

In terms of reputation within Aran, Mika had already surpassed Liszt, becoming a key figure during the time of post-duel fermentation following the Continent Martial Arts Competition.

As Mika was an Aran person, there was also a criminal record in the official files for poisoning a Royal Court emissary at Chenxi Port.

Only Mika knew that the Royal Court emissary was a friend of Caesar, and the cause of death was due to heart paralysis by the Flying Electric Snake venom. It just so happened Mika had this kind of magic potion in his house and the emissary stayed overnight at his place, making him the prime suspect.

Mika did not agree with the Royal Court coroner's findings and appealed to the Royal Court for a re-examination.

However, his fiancée suggested that since Mika himself was a forensic doctor, conducting the autopsy personally was most appropriate.

So it was Mika who allegedly killed the man, and Mika who examined the body.

Even with a hundred mouths, he could not talk his way out of it.

The matter of killing the Royal Court emissary had already been conclusively established.

But now, things have taken a dramatic turn, and Mika was pardoned by the Eldest Prince Soloren as a national hero, with the charges erased.

Legally, he was a free man, but due to the undercurrents within the Royal Court and the power struggles among various factions, he was now placed under house arrest in the guise of protection and prohibited from communicating with the outside world, especially with Liszt and his group.

To prevent Mika from being disturbed or mistakenly saying something provocative to the media, the Aran Royal Court had discreetly arranged for his concealment.

In the secluded manor, there were people coming every day, seeking different answers to the same questions, regarding the ultimate closing of files on Zote from the Old Aran Witch Hunting Secret Place, verifying the authenticity of the Overlord Descendant, and questioning the true intent of Liszt.

Mika considered his answers to be flawless.

On this day, yet another group came, inquiring about the death of the Royal Court emissary at Chenxi Port all those years ago. With Mika's past escape, a final inquiry needed to take place for closure.

Within the manor.

The golden fountain stood in the center of the courtyard, with a lion head statue spouting clear streams of water, the splashes creating a glitter of silver as they fell, reflecting the neatly trimmed maze of hedges around.

The marble path meandered through the rose garden, the lush lawn extended far away, and the wisteria clung to the pergola, its petals and fragrance covering the stone path when the wind blew.

Inside the library filled with the scent of ink and leather, Mika withdrew his gaze from the window. Dressed in plain attire, he faced the Royal Court official's questions, feeling as though he was in another world.

"Eight years ago, the Royal Court emissary came to Chenxi Port on confidential affairs. At that time, Aran's national strength was not robust, and the Narrow Sea affairs were chaotic, so an emissary went to Chenxi Port to apprehend officials violating the rules for profit. Clearly, you were made the scapegoat, giving the officials at Chenxi Port time to clean up their trails. Now, as we re-investigate this matter, can you think of any suspicious points?"

The Royal Court official smoked a cigarette, his leg crossed, the notebook resting on his knee, listening to Mika's response.

Over the past few days, Mika had learned to distinguish who belonged to the Eldest Prince's faction, who was neutral, and who still wanted to target Black Sail.

The visitors this time were aiming to overturn his case; with Mika being thrust into the position of a national hero, even though pardoned, the records needed to be minimized to reassure the people.

The Continent Martial Arts Competition had ended, Aran had lost at the Mulong Front, the Advancement Movement had been obstructed, and the time for secret mourning had passed, so the Emperor himself might be aware of the situation.

The Aran Army could not afford mistakes; demotions at best, at worst, it meant losing one's head. Someone had to be held accountable for the failed military operation. With Crocodile Island dead, unable to take responsibility, how could the Aran Army let Black Sail's group escape for the failure at Mulong?

"Suspicious points..."

Mika was silent for a long time. At the beginning of his escape, he thought of countless suspicious points, thinking day and night, unable to sleep.

But oddly enough.

If not for this incident, as a hangman and forensic doctor in the Judicial Hall, with a fiancée, he should have had a complete family and a prosperous life.

The nearly decade-long exile overseas, the reason he could overturn his case, was not due to justice, but the blood-soaked struggle, the word of one powerful figure.

He had once thought of countless ways to take revenge on those who framed him, how to torture them with medical reagents by a thousand cuts, even dissecting their minds alive, but suddenly...it all seemed irrelevant.

What was lost could never be regained, not even the urge for vengeance.

He was no longer Mika Brookner, nor the shadow of his former self, but a completely different person.

Yet, everything must come to an end.

"That emissary was Caesar's friend. After a drinking session with Caesar and the emissary, the emissary was so drunk he couldn't stay awake and spent the night at my home. You know what happened afterward, although I conducted the autopsy, the person was not killed by me. As for Caesar, he was a classmate from my school days; beyond that, I know nothing."

Mika thus responded, without the thought to carefully plan revenge on an existence that was both real and illusory.

Every gift from fate has already been secretly priced.

For his then-younger self, the Twelve Golden Dragons were already a burden that could crush his entire family.

This is the price of the Twelve Golden Dragons.

Just let things be as they are, Mika was too weary to seek anything more, only feeling indifferent.

"Caesar..."

The Royal Court official pondered for a moment. He was the illegitimate son of a Duke, and since the Duke had no other offspring, he had inherited the ducal title. In the documents, this person was one of the main profiteers from the various regulatory violations in Chenxi Port back then.

But now, based only on sworn testimony, even from a national hero, it was difficult to shake the Duke.

It seemed it could only be hastily closed.

"We understand the situation, your former family tutor involved in the case had their revoked clinical license reinstated and compensated. As for your former fiancée, her situation... I am not sure if you want to know about it."

The Royal Court official closed the notebook and looked at Mika, while his future appeared bleak. Were it not for Soloren's unknown status, Mika would merely be a high-ranking prisoner.

Mika paused for a moment.

Much of the past is already buried, and without turning back time, the full picture will never be seen.

Mika did suspect she was involved in the incident since she was the one who suggested it.

But no matter what, she was irremovably part of his life.

If pressed to talk about insights from his many years of exile.

That would be.

Pain is insurmountable, eternally buried, with the vessel holding it growing larger, making it appear smaller.

What's important is not healing, but living with the pain.

"I want to know; please, do tell me."

Mika became earnest, determined to put a thorough end to nearly a decade of exile.

"After you fled, the engagement was naturally nullified. She seemed to stumble upon unexpected wealth, lived extravagantly in Duguli for a few months, and eventually died from an overdose of hallucinogens. Being someone from Heaven Port, you should know what that was, an herb extracted from Mirror Sea, but supply has since been cut off."

The Royal Court official adjusted his cufflinks, believing Mika's mindset at this moment could only be one of revenge fulfilled. With years of experience in criminal investigation and internal affairs understanding, he had understood the truth.

However, Mika felt no vengeance fulfilled, only paused in a daze.

"So... that's how it was."

His eyes lowered, suddenly feeling much older.