The Namhae Archipelago was literally a collection of numerous islands on the vast sea.
Certainly, the territory of the empire or the place where its power does not fully reach.
The islands scattered all over the wide sea were a natural condition for pirates to thrive, and the farther you go to the sea, the stronger marine monsters are infested.
Even though it is the territory of the empire, how can you draw a line on the sea?
The sea was also called the same because the inland where the feet touched the South Sea was the land of the empire, but in fact the influence of the mermaids was greater. It was a place to hold on to.
So I had to be strong. The existence of mermaids, monsters, and pirates demanded strong military force from the admiral.
Thanks to trade and a large floating population due to the geographical location of the sea, the taxes collected were also plentiful, although not as much as the Kruger family.
So, if you look at the conditions, the position where you can become infinitely powerful was the position of admiral of the south, but in reality it was not so easy.
The area to be managed was wide, and few people were properly controlled, and there were many people who were greedy, so they escaped as much as they collected a lot of taxes and died at sea as much as they raised elite soldiers.
It is strong and solid, but its roots can collapse at any time.
In such a situation, the monopoly of southern Siren, which Arman had obtained from the capital, caused a great upheaval.
“Good job.”
“thank you. father.”
A contract that brings unimaginable amounts of money. The admiral, who was checking the paper on which it was written, looked at Arman standing in front of him.
“Let’s go out.”
“yes.”
The desolate air. that flow.
However, Arman, who had already gotten used to it, looked at his father with calm eyes and turned around.
An admiral who is upright, honest, and stronger than anyone in the South.
As if it were natural, there were mermaids or pirates and southern nobles who were in the opposite point.
No matter how much he patrols and catches marine monsters, the nobles who are supposed to support him have already backed off a long time ago.
Far from eradicating the pirates, he held hands with them with the authority given to him and plundered them, and even though he had to keep the mermaids in check, he secretly conspired, so he always knew that the admiral would have to suffer from his work.
It’s been like that since I was young.
Things like piranhas aiming for the bleeding sea serpent.
It’s been over ten years since the admiral faced that with his personal strength and charisma.
‘It almost reached its limit now.’
Meeting Adelian and Innocent in the capital this time will be a turning point.
‘It’s not that I couldn’t prepare because I didn’t know, it’s just that I didn’t have enough energy even though I knew.’
He knew that someone from the southern nobility teamed up with the mermaids to keep Armand’s family in check.
However, there were too many suffering commoners to use that as an excuse to hit them.
If you cut off some of the power right away, marine monsters will appear and pirate intrusions will become more frequent.
Is it a war between families or a defense of the powerless?
At that fork in the road, the admiral chose the latter, and that’s how his breath was tightening.
‘But it’s different now.’
In addition to the capital started with Siren, the work to improve the quality of Adelian and the planned forces.
There.
‘If what Innocent told me is true.’
Arman’s expression softened. Although it is superior to others, it is still only a B-grade trait.
Like his father, the admiral, [Legion], which buffs all warships under his command, or [Hunting], which becomes stronger when chasing someone, were only the highest traits of sailing and faith.
If it wasn’t for the trait of naval battles, the family would have seemed even more belittled.
‘But it’s different now.’
No matter how other aristocrats in the south looked after the Huxley family, the ruler of the south was the Arman family.
It was something that could not be overturned in Armand’s stand. In order to do that, he had to be the strongest among the heirs like himself.
Arman walked to his room and suddenly touched his collarbone.
The day the messenger of Innocent, who looked like an elf, came. The pressure and living that I felt then. and strong.
‘I didn’t believe everything Adelian said at first, but.’
What Innocent showed after that was enough.
If it is a place where such a strong person belongs, and if the goal is the peace and well-being of the continent.
Even if it’s actually a lie, I can’t help but stretch out my hand.
Even if it’s a gamble of life and death.
“Have you been?”
Arman came to his room, was greeted by his adjutant, nodded lightly, and sat by the window.
“Even if I’m wrong, there’s no way the family will collapse in five years.”
“Suddenly, what do you mean?”
In order to obtain strong power, you must be prepared to sacrifice that much.
After Arman finished the calculations in his head, he opened his mouth again.
“The oldest of the children in the collateral is about 10 years old.”
Even if the really worst comes. You should be able to withstand it.
‘Since I received the proof of the promise.’
Arman took out two sheets of parchment from his bosom and began to look through them.
‘A contract from God with a promise that Innocent will actively support the family and identify and support talented people in case I go wrong.’
and another sheet.
“We are going to Sea Dragon Island.”
At Arman’s words, his adjutant said, ‘Yes?’ he said in a surprised voice.
“How are you going to get there? The exact location is unknown to anyone.”
A place like a rumor that is passed on from mouth to mouth. It is said that it is somewhere in the vast South Sea, but no one knows that it is a place that is said to be located on an island carried by a giant turtle.
There are sleeping sea dragons and enormous wealth, but if you are not greedy, you can only get treasure without waking the sleeping sea dragon, but if you hold too many things with excessive greed, the sea dragon wakes up in anger.
“It was three years ago that the last coral necklace said to have been brought from Sea Dragon Island was sold. Whether that’s real or not is still up for grabs. Arman-nim, what are you trying to do by believing in a vain rumor and finding that island?”
‘That’s a few treasures, isn’t the Siren southern monopoly a bigger benefit?’ At the words of the adjutant, Arman opened his mouth.
“If you knew how to get there?”
And if you can get power there, not a treasure.
“Wouldn’t it be worth risking my life to do?”
It was said in a playful way, but the adjutant closed his mouth at the dark eyes.
* * *
It was a desolate and dry place. Kane instinctively sensed that this place was created by his abyss.
None of the party members could create a scene like this.
There was no sun, moon, or stars, and the wind blew, but it was a dead wind.
The world after everything is over.
Not even a blade of grass or a single insect is alive.
The sea is dyed black, leaving only sticky and disgusting foam. Every time the wind hit the waves, the dead and melted things clung to the rocks and flowed down.
‘Is it a post-apocalyptic world?’
This would have been all in his own pitiful imagination. After all, the world after failure.
A place where all living things die and all that remains is Kane alone.
A place where no one remains even after wandering endlessly.
So, Kane stopped walking, sat down on the fallen rock, and took out a red book from the subspace ring.
A source of nightmares and an incomprehensible object.
The first part was written in the common language.
An inferiority complex and fear that started from a very young age. Traces of incompetence that I personally felt even though I hadn’t checked it in the temple yet.
A diary in which young Adelian’s resentments and fears, including hard work, anger, crying, and prayers, were written down.
self-blame and self-reproach. An insect-like life without the trait of [courage] to end a worthless life on its own.
Hatred and desire for destruction of the talents accumulated over the years while thinking that way.
Then, one last sentence written in common language.
[All memories returned.]
‘Probably right after checking the trait in the temple.’
After reading this, Kane thought he couldn’t understand Adelian.
Just looking at what was written in that diary, Adelian was already ruined.
It was to the extent that the appearances he showed himself were rather like lotus flowers that bloomed from a broken spirit.
His greed and hatred that he would rather destroy if he could not have it.
Perhaps to the extent that if Adelian had remained the same, he would have tortured Cain himself to the point of death. Kane thought it was strange that Adelian knew of a talent he didn’t even know existed.
And the first letter you see written after a sentence written in a common language.
A new language different from the fairy or magic script seen over the shoulder of a warlock.
A text I had never seen before.
It’s as if people changed from that starting point.
Unlike the handwriting that was written with hatred and resentment. A little more, with a feeling of something more relaxed, the lighter pen pressure and the letters written in handwriting.
Cain had always wondered about it, but he couldn’t ask Adelian, who gave it to him without even knowing it was his diary.
If it was a figure that bloomed on top of the fragments broken by hatred and pain, I didn’t want to destroy it.
‘but.’
Kane raised his head.
He looked at the world that he could see with his own eyes, that had already ended.
‘I’ll be disappointed.’
One day, after meeting Verbut for the first time, Adelian saw the letter again when he was recording his appearance separately.
From noble mtl dot com.
‘It’s not a public text. what. Is it a character you made up?’
‘Then why don’t you let me know when the time comes? If there is a text that only we know, wouldn’t we have something to write about later?’
A text message that informed him with a slightly shy face without knowing his plan.
And the rest of the diary I understood only then.
[Soon I will come. To send Kane to a proper happy ending.]
His legs were cut off and he was almost killed by trolls, dragons, and cyclops, and the reason why he moved with his body that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get anything.
Kane put the diary back into the subspace. I could feel this star dying beyond my feet.
“Is this your fear?”
Adelian climbs up on the rock where Kane was sitting and sits down, looking at the same place.
“maybe.”
“My colleagues, after all… A place without your brother?”
Kane smiled at Adelian’s words.
“After all, if you follow your lead, you will be able to meet my sister.”
At Cain’s words, Adelian laughed and shook his head.
“Yes, we can meet.”
There is a loud noise somewhere. Resonance and echo as if the earth they were standing on was twisting and screaming.
From far away, the world was breaking apart.
“It could be your fear that it all ends.”
‘Something majestic.’ Adelian, who muttered, put Kane on the shoulder, telling him to trust only him.
“I believe in you. You know, you wouldn’t make the world this way. you trust me I told you. You will become the strongest on the continent, and I will treat you as my knight.”
At Adelian’s words, Kane laughed out loud, which was rare.
Either I fail everything, or
Even if I destroy everything.
Adelian is.
“Yes, it is just a meaningless imagination.”
Whoever shoves in the contract is a person who will do as he pleases, even if he shoves the damn green juice into it.
Because he is a person who splits himself apart and changes the world.
The moment Kane closed and opened his eyes, he was standing in a tent with a bonfire burning, not in a world that was being destroyed.