Chapter 1006 Aldric's Fall and the Coming Catastrophe
"Y-You… Are you crazy!? If I die, you're finished too!" Aldric threatened.
"Hahaha! What are you talking about? No one will know who captured you or who killed you," Adalen said with a mocking laugh.
"Damn it!" Aldric cursed inwardly.
He hated Adalen with a passion. He wanted nothing more than to tear him apart, but he couldn't move. Those damn chains had him completely restrained.
"All right, I was just messing with you."
Adalen chuckled and waved his hand.
"I've changed my mind. How about you work with me?"
Aldric suppressed his frustration.
"What do you mean?"
Adalen crossed his arms and explained, "Basically, you'll lead the rebel forces I send out from now on. Together, we'll destroy the southern region."
His voice carried a terrifying hint of madness.
"What!? Work with you to destroy the southern region?"
Aldric's eyes widened in shock. He immediately refused.
"No, I won't do it! I'd rather die than do that!" he shouted.
"Hahaha! Whatever. I don't care whether you agree or not. But I have to admit, you really are impressive. At least you truly care about the southern region."
Adalen occasionally glanced meaningfully at the man standing beside him.
The man said nothing, as if he hadn't noticed the look.
Adalen stepped closer and crouched down in front of him.
"What are you trying to do?" Aldric asked warily, trying to back away, but Adalen wouldn't let him.
He grabbed Aldric's face and grinned.
"Aldric, you—alive and with a will of your own—are no longer of any use to me. So, die for me and become my slave!"
Buzz!
A golden light burst from his palm.
"Argh!"
Aldric screamed in pain. He struggled desperately, but he couldn't break free.
The light illuminated the entire room, forcing the masked man and the man who had accompanied Adalen to cover their faces with their arms.
A moment later, the light slowly faded. A burnt smell filled the room as white smoke rose from Aldric's face.
Adalen withdrew his hand and nodded in satisfaction.
"He's under our control. His soul has been sealed. He's nothing more than a puppet we can manipulate," he said as he stood up and took two steps back.
He then turned to the masked man and smiled.
"Good work. You'll get your reward later."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The man took off his mask, revealing the face of someone who had clearly been through a lot.
If Aldric hadn't lost consciousness, he would have been shocked.
It was Arkal, the Rowan family's butler in the city of Kalbar.
The man who always seemed calm and well-mannered was actually the mastermind behind Aldric's capture.
After Arkal left, Adalen turned to the other man and chuckled.
"So, don't you feel guilty after doing this to your own nephew, Duke Malvain?"
The man pulled down his half-mask.
It was Jason, the head of the Malvain family from the southern region.
A flicker of emotion flashed across his eyes before quickly disappearing.
"To get that potion, I'll do anything," he said casually.
"Hahaha!" Adalen burst out laughing and clapped his hands. "You really are something, Duke Malvain… truly something. I'm impressed by your determination."
His tone carried both admiration and mockery.
"Don't worry. My grandfather really does have that potion. Your dead fiancée can be brought back to life."
Jason said nothing. He simply nodded.
Then he turned toward Aldric, who was still lying on the ground. His gaze was cold and indifferent.
"I'm sorry, my nephew. It's all for the woman I love. I have to sacrifice you…"
…
The next morning…
Knock! Knock!
"Your Highness, I've prepared your breakfast. May I come in?"
A servant knocked on Aldric's door and waited. A few seconds passed, but there was still no response.
"Your Highness? Are you awake?"
He called out again, but there was still no answer.
"Could he still be asleep?" the servant wondered.
But it was already eight in the morning. It was unusual for Aldric, who had led the troops in battle the day before, to still be asleep.
After all, discipline was the foundation of military life.
Taking a deep breath, the servant reached for the door handle and was surprised to find it unlocked.
"Your Highness? May I come in?"
He pushed the door open and froze at the sight before him.
Aldric, whom he had assumed was still sleeping, was nowhere to be seen.
"Your Highness?" he called as he stepped inside.
He checked the bathroom, but there was no sound coming from inside either. Aldric wasn't there.
"Where did His Highness Aldric go?" he wondered.
Then, he noticed a towel lying near the bed. He picked it up and suddenly froze.
"This is the towel His Highness Aldric used!" he exclaimed in horror.
He was the one who had prepared everything in the room, so he knew for sure that Aldric had used this towel.
It was still damp.
"What happened? Why is his towel on the floor?"
It was unlike Aldric to carelessly toss a towel aside. Besides, he was nowhere to be found.
"I must tell the Baron!"
He hurriedly turned around and left.
***
"Prince Aldric is missing?"
Baron Rowan was startled.
"That's right, my lord! He's not in his room. I've searched everywhere, but I still can't find him," the servant said nervously.
Baron Rowan frowned.
"Call Arkal. I need to speak with him."
The servant nodded and left.
Five minutes later, he returned with a pale face.
"M-My Lord, Butler Arkal isn't in his room!"
"W-What!? How is that possible!?"
"I don't know either! The other servants said they haven't seen him anywhere."
Baron Rowan's heart started racing. A bad feeling crept over him, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen in Kalbar.
"H-Hurry and summon Vice General Drian from his camp! He needs to know about this right away!"
The servant quickly ran off.
Baron Rowan bit his right thumbnail and muttered, "What's going on? Why has everything suddenly turned into such a mess?"
…
"Prince Aldric isn't in his room?"
Drian was startled by Hadrian's report.
"That's right, Vice General. Prince Aldric wasn't in his room, and we couldn't find him anywhere in the mansion either. Why don't we go look for him? We should send all the troops out. I'm worried something might have happened to him," Hadrian said seriously.
Drian nodded.
"Let's do it."
But suddenly…
Whoosh!
A powerful gust of wind suddenly blew toward them, forcing both of them to shield their faces with their arms.
"That's a powerful gust of wind," Drian muttered.
He lowered his arm and froze.
The morning sunlight that had been shining over the city had suddenly disappeared.
He looked up, and his body went rigid.
Hadrian noticed his reaction and quickly looked up as well.
"W-What the… is that!?"
His eyes widened in shock.
A blood-red magic circle spread across the sky, covering the entire city.
Hundreds of smaller magic circles appeared around it, forming a giant dome over Kalbar.
Before they could even react, all the magic circles suddenly lit up.
An explosion more powerful than a nuclear bomb ripped through the city, destroying everything in its path.