------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
Chapter 68
Luna looked at me again, her mouth opening and closing as if hesitating to speak.
Should I grab her by the hair?
No.
Hold it in, you fool.
She's still my fiancée.
Still, I couldn't deny I was feeling a bit annoyed.
"Young Lady, I dislike dealing with people who enjoy playing others in the palm of their hands."
At my words, her smile wavered slightly.
"Hmm... I thought you might like it."
"What?"
"When Grandfather first mentioned the engagement."
Her smile softened.
"Grandfather was determined to make our engagement happen no matter what."
She twirled around me, looking up as she spoke.
"He's never been the type to force arranged marriages on the family, so everyone was surprised. Especially since it wasn't even within the Empire but with a noble family from another country. That made me curious, you see? Wouldn't you be?"
Her eyes reflected me entirely.
"I wasn't going to say this, but I found out that the Cascadia family holds a grudge against the Kraken. And I thought… if Mielephon slays the Kraken here, wouldn't you be quite disappointed?"
I couldn't answer her question.
I had been played right into her hands, but if Mielephon were to eliminate the Kraken now…
Then my revenge would be lost.
"I originally had the right to refuse, but since Grandfather spoke so highly of you, I got a little interested and did some digging. After all, it's always better to see and judge for myself, isn't it?"
She gave a lighthearted laugh, and I remained silent.
Fine.
It makes sense that she looked into me and realized I was seeking revenge.
Misha, the head lady-in-waiting, had told me that despite being the daughter of a duke, she had always had a rather frivolous side.
If she truly just wanted to help me get revenge on the Kraken, then…
Well, I suppose I can accept that.
As long as she doesn’t have any other ulterior motives.
I nodded.
"I overreacted. My apologies, Young Lady."
"It's fine. I'll consult with you next time."
She smiled brightly.
When I turned slightly toward Luna, I noticed she was looking at the young lady with a complicated expression.
"Luna?"
"…It's nothing. There's no malice, so don't mind me."
She said no more.
Then,
"By the way, I've been curious—your relationship with Luna doesn’t seem to be just healer and patient. What exactly is your connection?"
I hesitated for a moment.
Strictly speaking, we were healer and patient.
Luna was also a guest of the Cascadia family, a highly esteemed one at that.
Could I call her a friend as well?
I considered it, but defining our relationship in one clear term felt difficult.
"She’s both my patient and my friend."
"Is that so? You two make quite the lovely pair."
Not exactly the kind of thing you'd expect a fiancée to say.
Though Isna’s unexpected addition to the group changed things slightly, my mission remained the same.
"Grandfather was so mad—he nearly kicked me out, you know?"
It seemed the Sword Saint had approved of her joining the expedition, but he still found her unreliable.
Out of curiosity, I asked,
"Why exactly did he try to throw you out?"
"Oh, well, I heard that some delicious fruit grows in a cave by the cliffs nearby. Hehe. So I went to get some, but I lost my footing and fell into the sea… and then the Kraken attacked me…."
As she spoke, Luna and I exchanged glances before looking back at her.
"Alone?"
"Grandfather was so mad. I mean, what’s the big deal?"
"…"
For a moment, I was speechless.
How do you even get lost to the point of getting attacked by the Kraken?
She must have been swimming in the ocean.
Either she was fearless, or she had some ulterior motive.
Regardless, she almost died, and seeing that must have made the Sword Saint, Osberg Mielephon, feel she wasn’t ready.
To me, Isna Mielephon did not seem suited to the Mielephon family's strict traditions.
"Let's make one thing clear."
"What is it?"
"You will not act alone under any circumstances. If you do, I will report it to the elder, and I will refuse to work with you."
She reminded me of that reckless mage, Farell Berli, who once called me "brother" back in the Barta Kingdom.
Which meant one thing—she was destined to die a foolish death somewhere.
"Alright. I'll be careful."
She agreed readily, but I remained skeptical.
"I’ll believe it when I see it."
"So, my lord, what’s our next move?"
"…"
Did she even listen?
Luna mouthed words again.
Should I grab her hair?
No.
Hold it in.
"More importantly, you said you were attacked by the Kraken?"
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
"Uh… well, I didn’t see the Kraken itself, but a huge tentacle did shoot out from the water."
The Kraken was an enormous creature—its limbs alone could crush and capsize large ships.
To survive an encounter with it, especially in the sea, was nothing short of a miracle.
"How did you survive?"
Or perhaps… had she planned something?
"A giant shark got caught instead?"
"Ah…"
So she just got incredibly lucky.
At least now, I was certain.
"It seems certain that the Kraken is not in a normal state."
"How can you tell?"
"If the Kraken were in a normal state, it wouldn't have been able to escape from a mental attack. The Kraken's mental attacks are more than enough to kill a person."
At my response, Isna flinched slightly.
It was a very faint reaction, but it was enough to paint a scenario in my mind.
If someone important from Mielephon had been exposed to the Kraken's mental attack?
I stared at Isna from Mielephon.
I recalled the memory of when I first met her.
It's not often you see someone acting like that.
Hmm, I’m fairly certain now.
However, if someone is exposed to the Kraken's mental attack without proper defense, even an experienced Sword Master would struggle to hold out for long.
So if Mielephon is desperately trying to capture the Kraken, it would mean that someone within Mielephon is still alive, not dead.
If that person is still alive due to an issue with the Kraken's mental attack, then it makes sense that Mielephon is going to great lengths to capture the Kraken to undo the mental attack.
That person is... well, I don’t have to look too far.
"Ah, now the pieces are starting to fit together."
"Hmm, you seem to have a very unpleasant look on your face."
Ignoring Isna, who was giving me a strange look, I climbed up to a cliff near a pile of rocks and placed my hand on the ground.
Then, I tried to activate the new power transferred from the Hall of Sages.
"But what are you going to do here?"
"I'm going to check the Kraken's nest directly. I need to secure a route for future plans."
"Where is the Kraken here?"
As Isna tilted her head, I immediately pointed below.
"There should be a natural cave system underground in this area. The Kraken must have taken up residence there."
There are several conditions for a Kraken to settle in a spawning area.
First, a location close to land.
Second, a natural cave that can only be accessed by water but still has air inside.
There are other small conditions, but based on the information I’ve gathered, this is the only place that suits the Kraken’s needs.
It’s not like it’s just looking for a single spot for spawning for no reason.
"Are you using the power of the Heart?"
"You've been curious. I'll show you now."
Luna seemed quite curious about the power my heart possessed.
To be honest, it's quite the ability.
I focused and gave the command.
[Heart of the Machine God]
[Resonance]
It was at the moment I tried to activate the resonance of the Heart of the Machine God.
"Tidal wave!!!"
Screams erupted from the village.
At the same time, a large tidal wave could be seen approaching from the far-off sea.
Although only about 50 centimeters tall, even a wave of that size could cause unimaginable damage.
The direction was directly toward the village.
If left unchecked, the fishing village would be submerged in water in an instant, causing a huge disaster.
Although the population wasn’t large, if you count the members of the extermination squad, several hundred people could be swept away in the blink of an eye.
Could it be that the Kraken noticed the presence of the extermination squad?
The Kraken is a clever sea monster with many defenses.
It probably couldn’t just stand by while humans gathered to hunt it during its spawning season.
Unable to control the surrounding life forms with its mental domination, does it intend to wipe them out instead?
Even so, with the Sword Saint Osberg around, it could be stopped, right?
As if noticing my doubts, Isna added an explanation in a somewhat stiff voice.
"My grandfather... he left the area after looking seriously into something."
Luna frowned slightly.
"Leaving it like this will result in everything being swept away."
Although she calls herself a fallen angel, her compassion makes it clear she is nothing like the evil demons from the books who enjoy destruction.
Seeing the villagers hastily trying to move, I stopped my actions.
"Leon."
"Saving lives is the priority. Let’s go down to the village first."
Having lost my family to the Kraken, I didn’t feel right about just watching people suffer at the hands of the Kraken.
Although I hadn’t expected the Kraken to take the initiative, if it had noticed us and attacked, I needed to stop it before the damage grew too large to minimize casualties.
The fact that it hadn't fled and was causing chaos in this area likely meant its spawning preparations were nearly complete, so it wouldn't be escaping.
Luna, Isna, and I quickly left the rocky area and headed toward the village, where people were already scrambling to evacuate.
The knights from Mielephon and the dispatched mages were hurriedly preparing, but it’s difficult to stop natural disasters.
In fact, with the scale of this, even as a 6-circle necromancer, it would be nearly impossible for me to stop it without taking damage.
"Ahhh!!!"
"Save us!!"
Seeing the panicked members of the extermination squad and the villagers, I quickly made my decision.
If the Kraken was in a state where its mental domination was not effective, it was highly likely that it caused this tidal wave with the intent to clear the area.
But the Kraken didn’t seem like the type to act so meticulously...
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
