Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Only a few hours earlier...

Dozens of ships had gathered not far from the western sea, the territory of the Dark Elves.

At the center was an extravagant cruise ship.

Dozens of escort vessels surrounded it.

And aboard that ship...

A lavish party was in full swing.

"Hahahahaha!"

"This is the life!"

A man lounged inside an outdoor bath surrounded by women.

"Deputy Chief, is it really all right for you to come out and enjoy yourself like this?"

"I heard the Chief is seriously ill."

Unlike the western sea ruled by the Dark Elves, humans controlled the eastern sea.

Humans were creatures who instinctively gathered into groups.

Naturally, they had established something resembling a nation atop the sea.

More precisely...

It wasn't quite a kingdom.

It was closer to the Yangtze River Waterway Strongholds or the Green Forest of Murim, where nine separate factions had formed an alliance.

Under the banner of that alliance...

They ruled the eastern sea.

The man known as the Deputy Chief was named Stark.

He was none other than the Chief's son.

Gulp. Gulp.

He casually drank the liquor in his cup as though his father's condition meant nothing.

"Keuh!"

"Who cares?"

"If anything, it's a good thing."

"That damned old man's on his last legs, so there's less surveillance on me now."

"That's why I can finally come out and enjoy myself like this."

He looked toward the women beside him.

"And when we're outside, don't call me Deputy Chief."

"Use my name."

He pulled both women closer.

Their cheeks flushed as they leaned against him flirtatiously.

"Oh my, Lord Stark."

"You're so forceful."

"Hohoho."

"As expected, Lord Stark is every bit the man the Chief is."

"No..."

"Even more so."

It wasn't only the women.

Everyone else enjoying the party aboard the ship was busy flattering him as well.

"You're the man destined to become the next ruler of the Sea Dragon Stronghold, which governs this vast eastern sea."

"Naturally, no one else can compare."

"Exactly."

"The setting sun can never be the same as the rising sun."

"Wouldn't you agree?"

"Hahaha!"

"Kuhahaha!"

"I don't particularly like being compared to that old man..."

"But those are some pleasant words!"

"Come!"

"Everyone, have another drink!"

They continued indulging themselves.

Then the man who appeared to be captain of the guards approached Stark and lowered his posture respectfully.

"...Deputy Chief."

"You should return now."

"If we continue like this, we may truly cross the boundary."

"For your safety, we should turn around before something happens-"

SLAP!

Stark immediately stood and struck him across the face.

The captain's head snapped sideways.

"Whether I go or return is my decision."

"It's not something a bastard like you gets to question."

"Do you understand?"

The others laughed at the guard captain.

Stark, however, still looked irritated.

He grabbed a bottle of alcohol.

Then...

Pour.

"..."

"Consider this punishment for ruining the mood."

"Drink it gratefully."

"Kukuku."

Liquor poured over the captain's head.

Even in such humiliation, he lowered his gaze and continued.

"...My apologies."

"But you truly need to return now."

"The weather has been deteriorating for some time."

"The wind has also become unusually strong."

"If this continues, we may be swept off course."

"Enough-"

"And if a Dark Elf vessel discovers us, you could be placed in danger."

The captain hesitated.

"More importantly..."

"Lord Gahen is deeply worried about you."

Stark froze.

The moment the name Gahen was mentioned, his expression turned icy.

The atmosphere around them also immediately chilled.

Grind.

"You bastard...."

Then...

The ship violently shook.

The previously calm water suddenly surged over the deck.

Everyone stumbled.

A massive shadow fell over the ship.

They all looked up.

Then someone's face went pale.

"A-A tidal wave...!!"

BOOOOOOM!

Back in the present.

The humans had been subdued, tied with ropes, and dragged outside the ship.

The Dark Elves dropped the unconscious Stark and the others onto the ground.

"Hah."

"Human royalty truly are frail."

"We barely frightened them and they all passed out."

Everyone except the guard captain remained unconscious.

Trukal placed his kukri against the man's throat.

Shing.

"Answer me."

"Why did you come here?"

"Your treatment will depend on your answer."

"...We were simply swept here by the current."

"The cannon fire was also an accident."

"We saw your vessels and panicked."

"What?"

Trukal stared at him incredulously.

"...That's absurd."

"That area is dangerous territory to begin with."

"Krakens live there."

"Even we avoid it unless necessary."

"..."

"For now, separate the ones who appear to be royalty from the armored soldiers."

"Strip the soldiers of their equipment and lock them in prison."

While Trukal and the other Dark Elf warriors dealt with the situation...

Sella looked at the unconscious Stark and quietly asked Suhyeok,

"Did you know they would come here?"

"Yes."

The same thing had happened before Suhyeok's regression.

They had been holding a party on the ship, carelessly drifted too close to the boundary, and were eventually swept toward Arknel by the current.

Sella looked curious.

"I'd like to know how you knew, but I won't pry."

"Still..."

"You said earlier that persuading the humans would now become easier."

"What did you mean?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"Don't tell me you plan to use him as a hostage."

Suhyeok smiled meaningfully.

"I'm not threatening them."

"I'm threatening the unconscious idiot himself."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that while he was drifting all the way here..."

"A civil conflict already broke out among the humans."

Suhyeok looked toward the eastern sea.

"By now, it should be mostly settled."

His name was... right.

Gahen.

Gahen.

The man who, while the overall Chief was gravely ill, would use this incident as an excuse to attack the Sea Dragon Stronghold and seize the position of overall Chief.

Originally, he had merely been the Chief's strategist.

But this incident must've looked like an opportunity to him too.

He had long been dissatisfied that the position of Deputy Chief belonged to Stark instead of himself.

"...Oh?"

Sella quickly understood.

"Then in his eyes, instead of an incompetent delinquent heir with no achievements..."

"He must've believed someone capable like himself was far more qualified."

"Exactly."

By then, Bong Taesu, Kim Hyuna, and Lee Yumi had arrived and understood the situation.

Bong Taesu looked at Stark, who still hadn't regained consciousness.

"Hmm."

"Then what are we doing with these people?"

"If we hand them over, they'll probably die."

"But keeping them here will cause problems on this side too."

"We're not handing them over."

Suhyeok answered calmly.

"We'll make him return by his own choice."

"And..."

"We'll help him wipe out every rebel faction."

Bong Taesu blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you say we were going to use him as a hostage?"

At that moment, Stark was absolutely essential to Gahen.

There was no other way around it.

Even if Gahen had seized most of the authority within the Sea Dragon Stronghold, his legitimacy was weak.

He hadn't been chosen by the overall Chief.

Nor did he possess a strong faction openly supporting his claim.

More importantly...

Their political structure was an alliance, not a monarchy.

That meant rebellion could easily break out.

In other words, whether Gahen liked it or not, he needed to place Stark, the current Deputy Chief, in front as a puppet while he stabilized his own power base.

Lee Yumi nodded as she understood.

"...So what oppa means is..."

"Instead of letting those guys use that puppet..."

"We're going to use him ourselves."

"That'll make finding Atlantis easier."

"And while we're at it, he can serve as leverage during negotiations too."

Kim Hyuna raised her hand.

"But won't we be short on time?"

"Just resolving their internal conflict could take a while."

"And if things go wrong, it might even turn into a full-scale war."

It was a fair concern.

Unlike the eastern sea, which was relatively close...

Traveling north to the Merfolk territory would take a long time.

The route itself was dangerous too.

Even Suhyeok couldn't guarantee a completely safe journey.

That was probably what Kim Hyuna was worried about.

"And more importantly...."

She glanced toward Stark.

His upper body was bare.

Kiss marks covered him from head to toe.

Kim Hyuna's eyes filled with disgust.

"...I don't know if anyone would even follow trash like that."

"If anything, that Gahen person sounds more suitable."

• Scary ㄷㄷㄷ

• Her eyes are terrifying ㅠㅠ

• O-Okay but I kinda like it hehe...

• Bro.

• Bro;;

Rustle.

"Ugh..."

"Where am I...?"

Stark finally regained consciousness.

His eyes widened when he saw himself tied up and surrounded by Dark Elves.

"W-What the hell is going on?!"

"Is nobody there?!"

He struggled wildly, twisting his head around as he desperately searched for a way out.

Then he noticed Suhyeok and the other three.

His face immediately brightened as though he'd found a lifeline.

"Y-You there!"

"Hurry up and help me kill these bastards!"

"Now!"

"If you help me r-return..."

"I'll reward all of you handsomely!"

No one responded.

The silence only made him more desperate.

"D-Do you even know who I am?!"

"How dare you treat me like this!"

"I am Stark!"

"The next ruler of the Sea Dragon Stronghold!"

He raised his voice.

"You think you'll walk away unharmed after laying a hand on me?!"

The atmosphere grew colder.

His eyes began darting around uncontrollably.

"B-By now, the overall Chief must already be on his way here to rescue me!"

"So while I'm still asking nicely, untie these ropes right n-"

WHACK!

"Kuh...?"

Stark's cheek went numb.

Suhyeok had struck him with his sheath.

"Don't worry about that."

Suhyeok looked down at him.

"I'll make sure they have no choice but to follow you."

• Wait, why does this scene feel familiar... where have I seen this before???

• The rehabilitated white-haired pig, remember? lol

• LMAO that's it.

• Lee Suhyeok, professional rehabilitation specialist ㄷㄷ

• I'll never forget that heavy bat sound from the first time. One guy got rehabilitated, now it's your turn lol

Suhyeok slowly raised his sheath again.

"I learned something from experience."

"For beasts, a beating is the best medicine."

"We don't have much time."

"So we'll skip through your etiquette lessons quickly."

"W-Wait a secoooooond...!!!!!"

WHOOSH!

WHACK! WHACK! WHAAACK!

Two days passed.

At a point somewhere in the western sea...

Two warships floated alongside each other.

A handsome black-haired man crossed over from the opposite vessel.

He carried a feather fan that made him look vaguely reminiscent of Zhuge Liang.

Suhyeok and Gahen sat across from each other at the negotiation table.

"...I expected the Dark Elf chief to appear."

Gahen narrowed his eyes.

"Instead, a human suddenly shows up."

"Who exactly are you?"

Suhyeok ignored the question and asked one of his own.

"More importantly..."

"It seems the overall Chief didn't come."

"This concerns his own son, doesn't it?"

Gahen flinched.

"...Haha."

"His illness worsened recently."

"Unfortunately, he passed away."

"And now, on top of that, the Deputy Chief is in your hands."

"We've been placed in quite an inconvenient situation."

A lie.

The overall Chief's health had rapidly deteriorated over the past year because of Gahen.

"Before his death, he left a will granting me full authority over this matter."

"So I'd prefer if we resolved this as peacefully as possible."

The will had naturally been prepared in advance too.

Other fabricated documents would still require Stark's presence.

That meant Gahen had every reason to avoid provoking Suhyeok's side for now.

Let's see, then.

"Enough pointless questions."

Suhyeok leaned back.

"Did you bring everything I told you to prepare?"

"Of course."

Gahen glanced behind him.

"Bring them."

His subordinates immediately began loading numerous supplies onto Suhyeok's ship.

"Two men with extensive experience traveling through the northern sea."

"And a reinforced hull made from Current Stones to withstand the sea monsters in that region."

"The Dark Elves should be capable of installing it themselves."

Gahen smiled.

"Now it's your turn."

His eyes were filled with anticipation.

His head was probably full of one thought.

Almost there.

A moment later, several prisoners were escorted forward by Dark Elves.

Gahen stood before the line.

He lifted his feather fan, covering half his face, and slowly examined them with narrowed eyes.

Then he stepped in front of one man.

He patted the man's shoulder.

"Deputy Chief."

"It's good to finally see you again."

"You've suffered greatly."

"Come."

"Let's return together."

He tilted his head.

"Though..."

"It seems the ordeal has taken quite a toll on your face."

"You look very different from when I last saw y..."

Gahen trailed off.

Even he seemed to realize something was wrong.

Suhyeok sighed softly and pointed elsewhere.

"Wrong one."

"...?"

"The man next to him."

Gahen slowly turned his head.

Standing beside the first man was someone whose face had swollen so badly that he looked like a giant toad.

Yes.

It was him.

"...D-Deputy Chief?"

Stark.