The knights that had been deployed 20 minutes ago had not yet come up.
âTheyâre a little late this timeâ¦.â
Benko spoke in a worried voice. He glanced at the Grand Duke. The Grand Dukeâs expression in Benkoâs eyes was not good. Benko noticed that things were going wrong.
âJake.â
âDid you call, Your highness?â
âIâll go.â
Jakeâs face noticeably stiffened at Ivanâs words.
Are you saying that the Grand Duke himself will get in the water?
âIâll go. Your Highness, please stay here and take command.â
âNo, Iâm going in, myself. If you want to follow me, you can follow me.â
Even Jakeâs worried request did not change Ivanâs mind. Now that this happened, the only option left for Jake was to follow the Grand Duke.
Jake said with a sigh.
ââ¦Iâll follow you.â
âHey⦠youâre going in there now?â
Benko looked at the Grand Duke and his men with incredulous eyes. This is crazy. Just because the knights who went in earlier did not come back, the commander and even the Grand Duke will go directly. This is crazy.
âWe donât have time to call for backup, so we canât help it.â
Ivan didnât want to lose any more time. Perhaps by now the mermaids have flocked to the square, and Adelia is using her powers to tie them up.
If I drag it out, it may strain Adeliaâs body.
Ivan recalled Adelia, who hadnât woken up for two days.
Like a dead figure.
The figure gave Ivan new fears.
âHurry up.â
Ivan jumped into the sea without hesitation. Jake took a sigh and followed Ivan into the water.
Splash~
Unlike the rough surface of the sea, it has a strange calmness under it. Ivan dived deeper. Heavy water pressure began to weigh on him. Nevertheless, Ivan did not stop. Then a huge object emitting colorful light came into his sight.
Ivan moved his finger to signal Jake to approach the pearl. At that moment, a snake-like figure quickly passed under Ivan and Jake. The two immediately stopped and identified the huge shadow.
What kind of thingâ¦.?
Jake couldnât take his eyes off the monster in front of him. The life flowing through the waves made his body numb. He thought heâd be swallowed up if he let his guard down. He feels like heâs sweating even though heâs in the water. It was undeniable fear.
I canât moveâ¦.
Jake was seized with a raw fear he had felt for the first time in a long time.
At that moment, Ivan raised his hand and ordered Jake not to move. Jake kept the order faithfully, trying to straighten out his shaky fingertips.
Are you going to deal with that alone?
Ivan drew his sword. Markina, the black sword blended into the dark sea and gently exudes its presence. Jake forgot the current situation and ended up admiring Markinaâs beautiful appearance.
A huge shadow quickly approached Ivan. As he got closer, the shadow that was surrounded by darkness was revealed.
A giant mermaid
The bumpy scales covering the skin of the mermaid rose sharply as if to warn the intruders. The eyes that shine eerily seem empty. Whenever the mermaidâs tail moved, the waves roared.
Jake instinctively touched the sword and then paused. recalling Ivanâs orders to stay still.
Ivan did not shy away from the fast-charging mermaid. Rather, he made his way towards the mermaid. His flamboyant movements without hesitation divide the waves.
Markinaâs blade resonating with Ivan, dark blue auras roar violently.
Boom~
He only swung it once. But the power was beyond imagination.
Kiek~
Ivanâs sharp sword penetrated the mermaidâs hard scales. The mermaid wriggled in pain. Soon the shape of the mermaid collapsed with a huge sound.
Jake realized that his worry was nothing but a quirk. He forgot for a moment Ivan Hamiltonâs monstrous ability.
Haha⦠Yeah. If itâs your Highness, this is easyâ¦.
Jake smiled inwardly and shook his head.
As soon as the sea turned red, the fishy smell spread. Jakeâs vision became blurry so he felt troubled.
Thump.
There was a huge echo nearby. In this situation where you canât see an inch ahead. He canât believe that the Grand found the mermaidâs core.
Gradually the blood began to dissipate and their vision began to return. Jake could see Ivan rescuing the knights that had previously gone in. He hurried to help Ivan and rescue his colleagues.
Soon the two took the knights that fainted to the surface.
âOh, theyâre up! The other knights are there too! Hurry up and help them!â
As Benko shouted in an urgent voice, the waiting crew moved busily.
Ivan, who climbed onto the deck, immediately went to the communication area. The communication sphere glittered a few times and soon showed Lensleyâs face.
â Your Highness! Are you all right?
âWhatâs the situation over there?â
â Our side is clean. The mermaids disappeared without a trace.
Benko cheered at Lensleyâs words. He exclaimed, unable to control his excitement.
âOh wow! Did I share the moment of defeating disaster with you? Oh, my! I have to write this down soon.â
The sailors burst into laughter at the ivory towerâs scholarly remarks. Rain clouds that covered the sky cleared and warm sunlight fell on the deck. The expedition, which seemed impossible to overcome, finally ended successfully.
***
{The Miracle on Silicans territory!}
Adelia looked at the first page of the newspaper with a satisfied face.
Itâs worth the trouble.
Now peopleâs attention was focused on Silicans, who won the disaster without the help of the Duke of Valkyr.
This suggested a very important lesson. You can overcome the disaster without the help of the Valkyr family. Although it is still insignificant now, it would have had a huge repercussion like the butterfly effect.
Thatâs exactly what Adelia wanted. Creating an obstacle for the Valkyrâs, who glide with Hestine on their back.
I wonder what the reactions of Duke Valkyr and his son are.
What expression will the two make when they realize that Iâm the prophet? I am looking forward to it.
âThank you very much. Without the help of you and your Highness, Silicans estate would beâ¦.â
Baron Silicans, who was sitting opposite Adelia, bowed his head as if he were about to cry. Adelia smiled and replied to the baron.
âYou donât have to look down like that. It was possible because the baron believed in us in the first place.â
âBut I really want to repay you.â
Moore said with determined eyes. The baronâs attitude gave Adelia a satisfactory smile. Itâs so overwhelming to do someone a favor and be recognized for it.
âJust going to the capital is enough.â
The disaster was safely defeated, but the place where the disaster passed became a wasteland. It will take a considerable amount of time to restore it.
âHaha⦠My wife is very happy. Iâm really thankful to you. I should at least send you a present later.â
âThank you for your kind words.â
Clang~
The door opened and Ivan entered the drawing room. He was wearing a splendid uniform. No matter how many times she looks at it, she canât get used to it. Will Ivan hear her beating heart? Adelia clenched her fist and tried to ask a question.
âHave you been to the Imperial Palace?â
âMy brother said he wanted to talk about Silicans, so I went to the palace for a while.â
I wonder. Was he wearing a uniform to officially enter the Imperial Palace?
Adelia looked once again at Ivanâs appearance. She could hardly take her eyes off him.
Ivan, who noticed the gaze, asked with a playful smile.
âDo you like it? If you like it, Iâll wear it more in the future.â
Adelia turned her head, spitting out a silly laugh.
ââ¦I think you look better in your usual clothes.â
âLies are not good.â
âHow do you know itâs a lie?â
âYouâll know when you see it.â
âHuh⦠I suddenly miss my wife.â
Baron Silicans smiled awkwardly and looked away.
âBy the way, when will the baron go back to his estate?â
âOh, Iâm going back in a month.â
âA month?â
Ivanâs eyebrows flinched as if it was an unsatisfactory answer. Moore was quick to notice Ivanâs reaction and hurried to add.
âThe⦠Viscount Yurpheon asked me to attend the noble society for a whileâ¦. Of course, Iâm going to stay at a hotel while Iâm in the capital. You donât have to worry!â
âReally? Iâll reserve a hotel for you.â
âYou donât have toâ¦.â
âYouâre not supposed to say no to things like this.â
Baron Silicans dared not refuse when the Grand Duke came out to this extent. If he refused here, that sharp gaze of the Grand Duke seemed to choke his breath. Baron Silicans gulped down dry saliva.
â⦠I, Iâll take it, thank you.â
âThatâs a good choice. Darren, make a special reservation.â
âLeave it to me.â
Darren, who followed the Grand Duke into the drawing room, bowed his head lightly with a smile as if he had drawn it.
âHahaâ¦, Iâm going to leave now.â
âIâll guide you, baron.â
Moore hurried out of the drawing room after Darren. It looked like an herbivore running away from a predator.
Adelia, who was watching this scene, shook her head.
Ivan sat opposite Adelia, where Moore sat.
âAre you feeling well?â
âIâm fine. Iâm not tired.â
Adelia appealed hard that she was fine. Adelia stretched out her arms and revealed with her whole body that she was in good condition. He doesnât have to worry at all. Ivan took a close look at such Adelia.
Ivanâs quest continued for a while. The persistent gaze made her feel somewhat breathless.
Adelia sidestepped Ivanâs gaze and changed the subject.
âI wonder what His Majesty saidâ¦.â
Ivan smiled quietly and answered kindly.
âHeâs very happy that weâve solved the fourth disaster on our own. I had a hard time hearing the same thing for an hour.â
Adelia imagined Ivan sitting in front of the emperor with a blunt face and waiting for time to pass quickly. The brothers with a large difference were naturally depicted in her mind.
âAnd he wanted to have a party.â
âItâs a banquet⦠I think I know what your Majesty wants.â
The emperor would like to take this opportunity to turn the tables. The fourth disaster has left peopleâs attitudes toward the Valkyr family has become lukewarm, and expectations for the prophet have also grown in volume.
âThatâs great. Shall we go up on the stage that the emperor planned?â
Ivan rose with a gentle smile and moved to Adeliaâs side. Then he left a kiss on the back of Adeliaâs hand.
âIâd be happy to be with you.â