CH 25

Of all people, Mirta happened to be a servant on the fourth floor.

In other words, he knew that I was a fake Ferro.

“How could he…?”

The issue at hand was not about the source of the leaked information. Typically, someone aware of the repercussions for breaking the rules would readily divulge the truth if they had someone protecting them.

In Mirta’s case, there were only two households capable of shielding her from the wrath of the Argenta family: the Cartiel of Wind or the Alors of Water. Regardless of which side obtained knowledge about my secret, the consequences would be dire.

“Chase him immediately. Can we determine his location…?”

The contract didn’t have a GPS tracker, so it wouldn’t be easy. However, an answer emerged surprisingly.

“According to the shadows, he was last seen heading towards the northern border area.”

“North?”

I knew it from looking at the map. If it was the northern region of Argenta…

“—Cartiel?”

The maid nodded in response to my question.

Vielle’s expression was also deadly serious. It was because the contract was violated when someone leaked information about Argenta. Could it be that he has already disclosed the secret to someone from Cartiel?

As I recalled the map once again, I suddenly felt something was amiss.

‘…But Cartiel and Argenta are separated by mountains. How did he pass it?’

No, there was no need to travel by land.

“The sea…”

“Madam?”

As Vielle gazed at me, I quickly turned to her.

In the absence of monsters, the endless sea was no different from any ordinary sea, right? A ship could sail upon it without difficulty. Moreover, if there were someone from Cartiel who could manipulate the winds by my side, we would have an advantage in terms of speed, surpassing any land route.

“They’re going by ship. Find the nearest coastal area to set sail right away.”

Vielle’s eyes widened at my words.

“…Certainly, if he has someone from Cartiel accompanying him, that could be possible, but if that’s the case, the ship would be racing at an incredible speed.”

She calmly stated.

“If we leave now, we won’t be able to catch up.”

“No, we can do it…”

I muttered again.

“We won’t know until we try.”

Having stood before the sea in the past, I felt confident in my abilities. At least on the water, I believed I could hold my ground against Cartiel. After all, the domain of water belonged entirely to the Alors.

Vielle’s eyes widened in surprise at my bold statement.

* * *

Around the time of Krua’s departure, the monsters in the first zone were swiftly eradicated with Diello’s intervention. Fortunately, there were no aberrant water-controlling monsters among them this time.

“Thank you, my lord.”

Field Commander Amos bowed his head. He was taken aback by the unexpected presence of Diello, as he had only reported the invasion of sea monsters, not anticipating the head to come in person. In reality, the commotion wasn’t necessary in the first place, but Diello willingly joined the battle.

He believed it was an opportunity to stretch his body, but the true underlying reason was different.

The sea.

For some inexplicable reason, he longed to gaze upon the sea. No, in truth, he yearned to see Krua. However, when he witnessed her enthusiasm for leaving Argenta, his judgment became clouded.

In essence, it was a foolish way to release his pent-up frustration.

“I’ll politely decline. My goal is a peaceful retirement.”

Krua’s firm voice echoed.

Diello’s eyebrow arched, a slight tingling sensation coursing through his fingertips. It was the very spot where he shed blood to seal the contract with Mirta, and now a dark blue flame flickered to life. It was the punishment flame that ignited when a contract was violated.

His smile widened as he reminisced about Mirta. He finally made a move.

“Where was Mirta last reported?

As he asked, Casillus, the Deputy Commander of Argenta’s Knight, who was beside him, answered immediately.

“He was reported near the northern coast.”

It was clear that the individual in question was attempting to cross into Cartiel. Mirta was not the only one seeking passage to Cartiel, there were others as well.

Diello, along with the intelligence agents under Rick’s command, were well aware of this fact though they chose not to pursue them directly. There was no need to chase after them when they would reveal themselves one by one as they moved.

As soon as they started moving one by one, the traitors would expose themselves, eliminating the need for a chase. Diello could easily capture them along the way, extracting valuable information before they reached Cartiel.

How would they proceed to reach Cartiel?

“Cartiel.”

Diello turned to look at the distant mountain range.

The Kaltein Mountains were located between Cartiel and Argenta. A typical betrayer would try to hide in the mountains, but Mirta wouldn’t go to the mountains. Unless he wanted the mountains to turn into a sea of fire, making him stuck between two families.

In that case, there was only one answer: ‘The sea.’

Since there had been a major invasion of monsters in the northern sea not long ago, the number of monsters in the area was likely to be small now.

“It will take time to break through Cartiel’s maritime defenses.”

Diello said as he gestured.

The whirlwind around Cartiel, which swirled around Cartiel’s sea, was the cause of the endless sea monsters that flooded Argenta. Even if Cartiel’s people accompanied Mirta, it would take time to break through. In the meantime, he could go there and deal with him.

“Lord, the personnel to capture him has already departed.”

“I see.”

Diello replied curtly to Cassillus’ words.

“Prepare the ship.”

If they started chasing from this location, they could catch up in no time.

Diello’s lips drew a smile as he imagined the scenario. However, his respite was short-lived. Soon, he would encounter an unexpected situation… no, an unexpected individual.

* * *

Whoosh.

Controlling water wasn’t difficult at all. Once I was on the sea, my confidence surged once again. Was it true that Krua’s water manipulation ability was weak?

Perhaps it was because the original female lead, Krua’s maid, was not aware of her powers.

“When was the last time the Cartiel’s whirlwind occurred?”

I asked Vielle, who stood beside me.

“There was a report two days ago, so it won’t happen today at the very least.”

She replied promptly as if she had been waiting for my question.

“Then, we have no time to lose.”

As I steered the water, the ship glided swiftly as if we were on ice. I strained my eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mirta’s ship, but unfortunately, it wasn’t in sight.

“There is an uninhabited island nearby for waiting purposes. He might be there.”

Vielle said as I gazed at the sea.

Vielle and Argenta’s informants had verified that the whirlwind controlled by the Cartiels wouldn’t dissipate on that day. Nonetheless, our time was limited. The ignited contract involving Mirta indicated that he had leaked information about Argenta.

This meant that he had undoubtedly made contact with someone outside of Argenta, most likely someone from Cartiel. It was highly likely that the people of Cartiel knew precisely when the whirlwind would dissipate.

Therefore, if Mirta had set sail that day, it meant that the whirlwind’s disappearance was imminent.

Whoosh!

There was no time for hesitation. I intensified my manipulation of the water, swiftly gliding through the surroundings as if on ice. With the water itself propelling the ship, there was no faster way to travel.

“I see the uninhabited island!”

One of the Argenta people who had been observing ahead shouted. Even with my naked eye, I could vaguely see something.

“That is…”

However, as we got closer, something strange was seen.