Chapter 124: Victory?
As the dust gradually settled, and the last of the heavy rain slowly softened into a light drizzle, calm finally began settling back over the island as Ethan and the rest of the group gathered together near the shoreline, the storm clouds overhead already thinning into pale grey wisps.
"Thank you for all your hard work. This couldn’t have been accomplished without every one of you."
The king, surrounded by several of his personal guards, addressed Ethan and the others directly, genuine gratitude evident in his tone, a warmth in his voice that hadn’t been there during their earlier, more calculating conversations.
By this point, a grand and monumental royal ship sat anchored just off the island’s coast. This particular vessel had spent years under careful construction, since the kingdom, along with the broader realm of man, had always harbored ambitions of properly conquering the Great Sea, a goal spoken of in court for generations without ever quite materializing.
Until now, though, those ambitions had never truly borne fruit.
"We’ll bring His Highness back with us. From there, we can begin the interrogation properly."
The king added, his expression sobering slightly at the thought of the conversation still waiting for him back at the capital, then, as though suddenly remembering something important, his gaze drifted sideways toward Ethan.
"Before I forget, do you need any additional help preparing for your next summoning ritual? Perhaps the head of a Demi-God this time?"
The king teased lightly, clearly poking fun at how consistently difficult Ethan’s evolution requirements tended to be.
"No, this one’s actually fairly easy, to be honest."
Ethan replied with a faint smile, the ache of the last several months still lingering somewhere beneath his calm exterior.
Relatively speaking, of course. It didn’t require him to hunt down rare materials or track down some impossibly powerful beast this time. Instead, it demanded something entirely different: sustained hard work, and a considerable stretch of time, the kind of patience most summoners his age had never once been asked to exercise.
A very long stretch of time.
"I see. That’s a relief to hear."
The king let out a small sigh, glancing once more across the assembled group before turning to walk off alongside his men, his retinue falling into step around him without a word needed.
At the same time, further down the shoreline, Nicolas and his crew had already primed their ship’s sails, preparing for departure.
The group of thirty attackers had been fully subdued and taken into royal custody. All that genuinely remained now was for everyone else to make their way back to wherever they’d originally come from, the island slowly emptying out behind them as ships pulled away one after another.
"Tier 6 in just a few short months. You move fast, kid."
Kang said from the side, clapping Ethan firmly on the back as they boarded the ship together, a rare note of genuine approval in his usually clipped tone.
Genuinely, reaching tier 6 meant Ethan no longer counted as simply another promising talent among the younger generation. Across the broader kingdom, someone at that tier typically held standing equivalent to an elite heir or a respected elder within a noble family, the kind of rank most people spent decades chasing.
"Haha, that sounds about right."
Vira added, offering Ethan a similar pat on the back as the ship finally pulled away from the island, cutting steadily toward the horizon, the last traces of the storm dissolving into ordinary grey clouds behind them.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Time passed.
Somewhere back in Windgrave.
"What do you mean he’s already back?"
"And he didn’t even tell us?"
"Well, I’m telling you now, aren’t I?"
Inside a small carriage rattling steadily through the city streets, heading toward one of the outer, less developed districts, a handful of feminine voices carried back and forth, the argument light but insistent as the wheels bounced over uneven cobblestone.
Following the king’s official decree, Arian had marched directly into the Dracontis family estate and retrieved her daughters by force. Naturally, some resistance had followed, though with the king’s explicit backing, Mister Mysteries had managed to smooth things over without lasting incident, a favor Arian suspected she’d be repaying for some time.
"Wait a minute. Why are we heading toward this underdeveloped area?"
Ella asked, glancing out the carriage window as the surrounding buildings grew noticeably sparser the further they traveled, the paved streets giving way to packed dirt roads.
"Ethan chose this location himself."
Arian replied simply, just as the carriage rolled to a slow stop before a modest, makeshift gate.
Standing guard at the entrance were two Punishment Hall members, along with a familiar young girl standing between them. She’d been rescued back in Blackwater during the city guard’s purge of Algar clansmen, her face instantly recognizable to everyone in the carriage, the memory of that night still fresh enough to draw a few surprised glances.
"Good day, sisters. We’ve been expecting you."
She greeted warmly, guiding them out of the carriage and through the gate with practiced ease, her posture carrying none of the fear she’d shown that night in Blackwater.
[In the earlier days of humanity, there existed a human king, beloved by his people and blessed with talent for building and the forge. With his hammer, he crafted legendary weapons. But it was with his heart that he truly inspired men, drawing entire villages to rise up and build alongside him without ever once needing to command them.
Summoning Requirement: Build a homestead by hand for your people, and rally them behind your banner. On the eve of your success, before their presence, break your hammer and call forth your summon.]
Ahead of them, scattered across the open ground, a considerable amount of raw material had already been laid out, and construction work had clearly begun in earnest, both Ethan and Fin visibly hard at work among the half-finished structures, sleeves rolled up and sweat clinging to their brows despite the cool afternoon air.