Chapter : 48
The next morning, Alec went to the market early.
After all, a letter should come with a gift. He wanted to buy something for Milena. Alec headed to a general store in the market, a shop that carried several high-end brands.
“Do you have anything that young ladies in their early twenties might like?”
The shop owner showed him a few items: handkerchiefs, brooches, perfume bottles…
Alec’s gaze lingered on a small silver bracelet. It was delicately engraved, a beautiful piece. He thought it would suit Milena. He pictured Milena wearing the bracelet.
Compared to that guy who couldn’t even buy her a single accessory, Alec was much better. He imagined Milena’s delight upon receiving the bracelet, and her coming to him instead of the other man.
Ah, perfect.
“I’ll take this. How much?”
“15 silver.”
Alec checked his pockets. It was nearly half a month’s salary. But for Milena, it was worth it.
“Please wrap it.”
The bracelet was beautifully packaged and placed in a small box along with the letter. Now he just had to figure out how to deliver it.
There were too many people at the residence.
‘I’ll have to leave it secretly at night.’
Alec decided to use the early morning patrol as cover. In his police uniform, no one would suspect him.
That night, Alec patrolled near the naval officers’ quarters. He stood in front of the house where Milena and Kaisa lived. The lights were off. Everyone was asleep.
Carefully, Alec set the box in front of the entrance, placing the letter on top where it could be seen. He wrote Milena’s name clearly on the envelope. Alec hesitated, peeking toward the door. He couldn’t see inside.
Stepping back a little, he peered through the window. He had already confirmed that Milena used the second floor. The room was dark. Alec pressed his lips together in frustration. His heart raced. What would Milena’s reaction be when she discovered the gift in the morning?
Alec was confident that his love would succeed. Only convincing his mother remained.
Milena paused as she opened the front door. Another gift had arrived. A letter accompanied it. She sighed, unsure how many such packages there had been already.
Kaisa approached. Milena carefully picked up the letter. The envelope read: “To Miss Milena on the second floor.”
She unfolded it. The handwriting was unfamiliar, and the page was densely filled with words. Milena sighed. These repetitive letters gave her chills.
‘A stalker? How did they even know I use the second floor?’
She clenched her teeth.
Kaisa’s voice was cold and quiet. Whoever it was, it was clear they had malicious intentions toward Milena. She hadn’t even brought the gifts inside; the piles accumulating by the door created an unsettling atmosphere.
“Who could it be?”
Milena thought for a moment. The Kaester mansion staff? No, they had no reason to do this. Moreover, the letters were growing increasingly brazen. Despite her efforts to strengthen local patrols, the timing of these deliveries was always inconsistent.
An unexpected variable was creating cracks in their daily routine.
Milena tried to shake it off, but Kaisa was different. He stared at the letters with persistent focus. A dangerous gleam flitted across his eyes and then vanished.
In the capital of Luikaron,
Miles stood before an old workshop. The sign read “Edmund’s Workshop,” weathered with age. When he opened the door, the scent of metal dust and oil hit him.
“Visitors, today…”
The man sitting at the workbench looked up and froze. His eyes widened.
“Miles? Miles Albertan? Is that really you?”
“Long time no see, Edmund.”
Edmund sprang up and approached Miles, his hands still stained with oil.
“By the gods, is it really you? After the academy graduation, I never saw your face!”
“I’m glad to see you too. You haven’t changed a bit.”
They had been classmates at the academy. Although their majors differed, Miles’ interest in engineering theory had brought them together frequently, and they became friends.
“I heard you’ve been active in the knight order. Impressive.”
“You flatter me. But I came to ask you something.”
At Miles’ serious expression, Edmund’s smile faded. Miles looked around and locked the workshop door.
“Why so serious? I heard about the recent accident. How’s the investigation going…”
“That’s why I came, Edmund. If you know anything about Poseidon… or the technicians currently managing it. And how to operate it.”
Edmund’s expression slowly hardened.
Miles sighed.
“I’m investigating the Blue Pigeon incident. But there are reports that Poseidon didn’t activate during the accident. I came to you because I trust you.”
Edmund let out a deep sigh.
“Sit down. Let’s have some tea while we talk.”
They moved into a small office in the back of the workshop. Edmund brought out two cups of tea.
He hesitated, then began.
“Three years ago, a shipping company commissioned me. That’s how I got detailed experience with Poseidon.”
“…Was there a way to extract energy?”
“There is. Not only can energy be extracted, it can also be swapped. Why, did something happen?”
“Perhaps.”
“This is madness! Are you saying the accident was manipulated?”
“Highly likely.”
“What kind of lunatics play with human lives like that?”
“Indeed. First, I want to explain the mechanism for extracting energy.”
Edmund brought some documents, spreading out the blueprints while explaining. Miles listened carefully. He was curious if there was a way to extract energy without opening the central control room.
He wanted to see if the culprit extended beyond just the royal family. But no matter how he examined the method, the answer was only the central control room. Miles sighed.
‘So it really is the royal family…’
Miles spoke quietly.
“Thank you. By the way, what project required you to access Poseidon? It must have been impossible without being a Poseidon technician.”
“Creating a portable Poseidon.”
Edmund lowered his voice.
“You made that?”
“No. The basic design already existed. I only helped make it practical.”
Edmund pulled out an old blueprint from a drawer, depicting a complex machine.
“The core of Poseidon is resonance. Monsters are extremely sensitive to certain vibration frequencies.”
“Vibrations?”
“Yes. Humans can’t sense it, but monsters’ sensory organs can detect special vibrations. Poseidon amplifies these frequencies and emits them as sound waves. It drives monsters away with frequencies they hate. It’s horrifying to them—like a siren’s song.”
Miles examined the blueprint. A large crystal-like object was drawn at the center.
“What’s this?”
“It’s called a Resonant Stone, a rare mineral mined only in the deep sea. It vibrates at specific frequencies when energy is applied.”
Edmund continued.
“Inject energy into the stone, and it begins to vibrate. The vibration is amplified in the resonance chamber and directed to the sea via the directional oscillator. Monsters within a 500-meter radius experience extreme pain and flee.”
“500 meters… that’s a wide range. But why is it so difficult to make portable?”
Edmund’s expression darkened.
