RPWS Chapter 090

‘I’m coming with you.’

 

That’s what Hilaire said on the day the letter arrived from the Magic Tower.

But Ash slowly shook his head.

 

‘No, you stay here.’

‘Why? I’m…!’

 

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand. Hilaire’s father, Walter, had gone missing while searching for Talos Asgar. He was on his way to find someone who may know her father’s whereabouts, or who may be responsible for his disappearance. How could she not want to accompany him?

But…

 

‘You’re injured, aren’t you?’

 

Three days ago, Hilaire received a wound on her leg while out on a mission. As Philres’ second-in-command, she rarely got hurt, but the battlefield was a place where you never knew when and where something might happen.

Her injuries weren’t fully healed yet. They didn’t know how long the chase would take, and if she overexerted herself, her injuries could get worse.

 

‘It doesn’t matter. Please let me accompany you.’

‘I will do my best to ensure that your movement isn’t hindered, so…’

‘Hilaire.’

 

Ash knew he had no right to stop her. He knew his words may be cruel, he knew better than anyone how it felt to just wait without being able to do anything.

Still, he had no choice.

 

‘Wait here until your injury heals.’

‘I won’t make you wait long. So, could you hold on a little longer?’

 

This was not an order, but a request. It was the moment he had to fulfill his responsibility as a lord who carried the loyalty of this foolishly upright daughter and her father.

Hilaire’s eyes shook. The sky-blue eyes, resembling her fathers, soon became determined.

 

‘If that is the Lord’s will. I will support you until the end.’

‘Please come back safely.’

 

He could hear the sound of crashing waves.

Ash looked out over the boat railing, feeling the cold sea breeze. The waves crashing against the side of the ship broke, turning into foam, and the large square sails billowed and fluttered in the sea breeze.

The ship had already left the port and was moving quickly through the water.

“Here, take this.”

A voice called out from the side. When he looked over, a large, gnarled hand reached out.

Ash snapped out of his thoughts. The man had the rough look that was typical of a sailor, a haphazardly trimmed beard, and a bronze face beneath a wide-brimmed hat.

The captain moved the wheel with his right hand and held out his other hand again.

“What is this?”

Ash looked down at the captain’s palm and narrowed his eyes.

It was a small bronze statue, the size of a finger. It was a woman with a fish tail, a sculpture of a mermaid.

“I’ve been holding this and praying towards the sea to let us cross safely.”

It was said that the sea god, who loved mermaids, would listen to their prayers. It seemed to be a superstition passed down among sailors since ancient times.

Elaine spoke nearby.

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of that before.”

Despite the enormous sum of money they’d spent to get the ship to set sail, the man was still nervous about sailing through Kraken-infested waters.

But Ash cut him off.

“I don’t need it.”

“Why?!”

“I don’t believe in superstitions.”

“Well, actually, neither do I…”

“We don’t have superstitions for no reason. And it’s a superstition, so you can’t argue with that, right?”

The captain held his forehead.

“You guys aren’t scared? How can you people be so careless?”

The captain gave them an incomprehensible look, the two of them were obviously calm.

If someone who didn’t know what was going on saw them, they would’ve thought they were going on a vacation somewhere rather than a sea where monsters roamed.

However, one was the greatest swordsman on the continent, and the other was a knight with the power of a witch. In fact, the boat they were on was the safest place on the sea.

However, Elaine and Ash were wearing hoods and didn’t reveal their identities. So, it was a natural reaction for the captain who did not know the facts.

“Anything’s better than nothing, and if one more person prayed, the god might hear us then! Do you really want to die in a place like this?”

With that, he reluctantly accepted the statue, because it was so important to the captain. They didn’t understand how he’d mustered up the courage to set sail. Was this really the power of money?

Elaine and Ash shook their heads and left the captain behind. Despite all the fuss, the ship was moving faster than expected.

Ash spoke as he crossed the deck.

“I think we’re halfway there. No sign of the Kraken yet.”

“I know, right. I honestly didn’t expect it to be this quiet.”

“Still, we mustn’t let down our guard.”

The predators of the sea could bare their teeth at any moment. They stayed alert so that if the Kraken appeared, they could react quickly.

Even at the peak of their mastery, they couldn’t fly, so a ship breaking up at sea would be a problem. It wouldn’t be life-threatening, but it would slow them down.

Elaine glanced at him while scanning the sea. A small portion of his face was revealed through the hood fluttering in the wind.

A calm expression, slightly lowered long black eyelashes, and purple eyes that reflect the waves of the sea.

He seemed to be lost in thought the whole time, and he was now.

‘He’s probably thinking about… Sir Walter.’

Ash didn’t know yet, but she was able to guess why Walter went to see Talos Asgar.

Unless Walter was acquainted with the wizard, there was only one assumption she could make.

‘Maybe he also noticed something strange about the Seveka incident?’

So, if that wizard harmed Walter…

Elaine’s eyes sank as she remembered her family. She looked at the side of Ash’s face and clenched her fists.

It was still too early to tell what happened to Walter. Anyway, everything would become clear when they found the wizard. What happened in that cold land 10 years ago?

It was then.

“Look, over there!”

Suddenly, the captain was heard shouting loudly from the bow. The voice was not one of fear or terror, but rather one full of excitement.

“We’re finally here!”

When she turned her head, she saw the horizon where the deep blue sea met the sky, and a small island floated before it. Gradually the island got closer.

Elaine and Ash made eye contact.

The long chase had finally come to an end.

 

* * *

 

The Magic Tower was comprised of a group of the most outstanding wizards on the continent.

Norton Ianov was one of the highest-ranking wizards there. In addition, he was also the only wizard who could use tracking magic.

He often received requests to find the whereabouts of a missing family member or someone else.

Due to the rarity of his abilities, his high position in the Magic Tower, and the time and effort it took to fulfill a request, a huge commission fee was required, but people were willing to pay the price to find someone important.

Then one day, a request came in from Duke Killiard.

He was a man so famous that everyone had heard of him, for better or for worse.

He thought about how he’d never received a request from someone like that before, but that was it. The only thing that came to mind was the habitual self-deprecation that flowed every time he took on a request.

What’s the point of finding someone else’s lost person, when I can’t even find one apprentice who ran away.

The old wizard shook his head.

It’d been a few days since he completed the request…

Whaahhhhhhh~!

A loud sound assaulted his ears. Wizards were gathered in the hallway leading to his lab, chattering.

“Mr. Norton!”

A wizard who saw him quickly approached.

“We’re in big trouble! Norton’s lab…!”

He had an ominous feeling. Before the wizard had finished speaking, Norton moved quickly. As he made my way through the buzzing wizards, he saw his laboratory door wide open.

His lab was a mess. Numerous research books on the shelf were spilled onto the floor, and drawers and boxes were left open and turned over.

“How could this…!”

Norton rushed into the room.

Was it a thief? He’d had a locking spell on the door. How many thieves were skilled enough to break through the security measures set up by a high-ranking wizard like him?

No, more than that-

‘What’s missing?’

He quickly looked everywhere to see if anything had been stolen.

The research materials he’d written last night, the experiment reports on the bookshelf, and the rare experiment materials that were difficult to obtain even with money, were all intact.

So, what did they take?

There was no way they would turn a Magic Tower laboratory upside down and not take anything. There must’ve been some purpose. While checking the drawers of the desk, Norton discovered that the third drawer was completely empty.

‘This…!’

It was the place where request records were stored. After a certain period of time, documents were to be moved to another location or discarded.

It occurred to him what document he’d had stored here.

It was the result of Duke Killiard’s request.

Norton’s wrinkled face distorted. A client’s data must be thoroughly secured. This was clearly his mistake.

He picked up a piece of parchment lying around and quickly scribbled on it.

The destination was the Duchy of Killiard.