Chapter : 49
Even with that, Milena had disappeared because someone had provoked Poseidon. The thought churned my stomach. I wanted to throw the culprit straight into the belly of that monster.
“First, the Resonance Stone is too rare to obtain easily. Second, activating it requires an enormous amount of energy. If you try to make it portable, you’ll need twice that energy. And if you do that, its size just keeps increasing. That’s why no one has ever succeeded.”
“So someone else is trying to make it?”
Edmund glanced around cautiously. Miles was a lone wolf—he didn’t have anyone he was close to. He was someone who only focused on his own work. Whatever they discussed here wouldn’t leak out. Edmund spoke in a low voice:
“It was the Lorensia Grand Duke. The Grand Duke’s request. The shipping company was just a cover.”
Miles’s face hardened.
“Edmund, don’t tell anyone about this. Your life could be in danger.”
Edmund nodded and added:
“And that ship… it was completed recently. If Duke Kaisa had known, he would have been pleased. I heard he put a lot of effort into it.”
Miles clenched his teeth. If Kaisa knew, then Zenemia must know too. Yet no one had said anything until now. Miles said:
“Thanks, Edmund. That helped a lot.”
Edmund grasped Miles’s arm.
“Is Duke Kaisa safe? Rumors say…”
“I don’t know either. But we will find him.”
Miles lifted his gaze toward the Lorensia Grand Duke.
Adelhart fiddled with his watch as he headed toward the Imperial Palace. The watch on his wrist felt heavy. It had been a gift from Crown Prince Stout in his childhood.
“Adelhart, this is our promise. I’ll always be on your side.”
At the time, he had truly believed it. He had trusted him as a brother.
But now things were different. The more he investigated Poseidon, and the more he uncovered about the shipwreck, the darker a certain shadow became. Adelhart regretted getting involved. Perhaps ignorance would have been better.
Crown Prince Stout.
He had been the only royal who had ever shown kindness to Adelhart. Someone he sometimes thought of as family. But Stout…
“I think, Adelhart, that one god in this world is enough. You can’t have two suns in the sky, can you?”
A slightly dangerous thought, selfish and arrogant.
Adelhart shook his head at the memory. The night view of the palace, rarely seen by him, remained splendid. Countless lanterns lit up the darkness, yet to Adelhart, the light felt hollow.
When he arrived at the Crown Prince’s office, a servant greeted him:
“Prince Adelhart, His Highness the Crown Prince is waiting for you.”
Adelhart nodded and entered. In the spacious office, Stout, standing by the window, slowly turned around.
“Long time no see, Adelhart.”
Stout’s voice was soft, yet his gaze carried an unreadable emotion. Adelhart entered calmly.
“I heard you called for me.”
“Yes, I was curious where you’ve been wandering these days.”
Stout took a sip from his cup. He seemed to already know that Adelhart had looked into Poseidon. He offered another cup toward Adelhart.
“Shall we have a drink?”
“No, thank you.”
Stout smiled lightly, returning to his desk.
“You visited the Poseidon Central Control Room, correct?”
Adelhart’s heart sank. Of course he knew. Stout spoke directly, as if unconcerned. Adelhart replied as calmly as possible:
“There’s an upcoming naval training, so I checked just in case. Is that a problem?”
“No problem. I’m just curious what you wanted to see.”
Stout’s eyes sharpened, and he exhaled.
“Lately, the Empire has been noisy. There are still many investigating the shipwreck, fearlessly. Roela is involved as well. I hear you’ve been associating with her?”
“What do you mean?”
Adelhart responded smoothly, concealing everything. Stout could turn cruel at any moment. The first person he ever killed was a boy who boasted more spoils at a hunting competition.
Adelhart remembered all the secrets. How much the Emperor tried to cover up that incident. Since that day, he had left the palace behind. Here, the only hand he could hold was that of a killer.
Stout set down his cup, leaning forward:
“Adelhart. Let’s be honest. You’re suspicious of something, aren’t you?”
“……”
“You think the cruise ship sinking wasn’t an accident, correct?”
A heavy silence followed. Adelhart met his brother’s gaze.
“And what do you think, Your Highness?”
“Me?”
Stout smiled again, but the warmth was gone.
“Sometimes sacrifices are necessary, for the Empire.”
Stout stood.
“Power is delicate. It can be taken at any moment. Duke Kaisa is certainly a talent the Empire needs. But at the same time, he’s the greatest obstacle. The Lorensia Grand Duke’s power is too great—even greater than the royal family. I cannot tolerate another sun above my head.”
For some reason, Stout revealed his inner thoughts. Adelhart clenched his fists, breath trembling.
“Brother……”
“Surprised? But this is reality, Adelhart. The miserable fools daring to covet their master’s place—this is reality.”
Stout walked toward the window:
“As long as Kaisa lives, the royal authority will always be threatened. As long as the people love him.”
“So… that’s why you sought to eliminate him?”
Adelhart’s voice trembled—whether from anger or fear, he didn’t know. Everything felt suffocating.
Stout slowly turned his head.
“Eliminate? That’s too blunt a term. I’m only trying to set the world straight, Adelhart. And in that, I see an opportunity. A chance for me to rise further.”
A chill ran over Adelhart. He feared what he was about to hear.
“Do you know you can tame ancient monsters?”
Stout smiled faintly. Adelhart began to tremble. He knew what Stout meant.
“The Kraken. If I can control that monster with my own hands, if such a world comes to be… I will truly be a god, Adelhart.”
Adelhart’s face turned pale. This was beyond imagination. Control the Kraken? A monster older than humans, ruler of the Monster Sea since its existence.
Stout laughed coldly.
“With it, Swordmasters are useless. And with that power, I can rule the Empire better—and the surrounding nations as well. Our Luikaron will rise to the top of the world.”
