Chapter 184 Intruders

As I was about to complete my order, a sudden shift in the atmosphere caught my attention. The air around fallen king Kanit began to shimmer, and within seconds, ice started to encase his body at a breakneck speed, hardening his blood and internal organs. The fallen king's eyes widened in the realization of his inevitable fate, yet he accepted it wholeheartedly without even flinching.

"You are the first opponent that I have faced that has given me such a challenging battle" I admitted, interjecting before the ice completely enveloped his head. "Your valiance will forever be etched in my memory".

"Toothless.." I ordered.

"ROOOAAR!"

"Finish him" I commanded.

And she did.

With a forceful motion, Toothless shattered the icy crust that had formed on the ocean's surface, her jaws gaping wide open as she devoured the frozen body of the fallen king Kanit in a single gulp, before promptly clamping her jaws shut with a resounding ---

"Bam!"

In an instant, the frozen figure of the fallen king split open, cracking and disintegrating into a fine dust that was carried away by the ocean's currents, eventually dissolving into the sea.

As the remnants of the fallen king were swept away by the waves, Toothless dove back into the ocean with a resounding "Splash!".

I stood there, watching as she disappeared beneath the sea surface.

It was over.

Fallen King Kanit, one of the three renowned kings, had met his demise.

I turned around and strolled forward. With every step, my boots tapped rhythmically on the surface of the sea, which was transformed into a glistening, crystallized wonderland that bore my weight with ease.

As I glanced sideways, I observed Bones absorbed in deep contemplation while creating a minuscule crystalline bridge for me, simultaneously demolishing the alternate path behind us.

Even. the sky, which was once shrouded in darkness, slowly cleared up as the gloomy clouds dissipated. The snowflakes that had fallen heavily earlier melted into the sea and vanished, erasing any trace of the horrific landscape altering battle that had taken place.

Except well --

My eyes gazed upward to behold a vast expanse of a cloudless sky, as if an enormous force had expelled every last wisp of vapour from the immediate surroundings.

In truth, I found myself warming up to this new iteration of Bones, not simply because of his newfound might, but also because of his growing self-awareness regarding himself and the world around him.

Our vessel came into view in no time, and without a moment's hesitation, I slammed my foot on the frozen bridge, hardly bothering to glance down as it instantly disintegrated and sank deep into the ocean. Using my mana to control my descent, I leapt gracefully into the sky and softly alighted on the floorboards of our ship.

I could hear the sound of several nervous gulps resonating in my ears, as both men and women acknowledged my presence with either a fearful or withdrawn expression, their barely concealed terror evident on their faces.

Was it weird that I was literally thinking of saying something that would make them shit in their pants?

No. Not at all!

However, I shook my head, dispelling most of these ideas from my mind. Now was not the opportune moment for such things; it was time to be serious.

Previously, as my magical energy had run rampant, wreaking havoc throughout the surrounding area, I could discern the presence of several unwanted visitors.

My steps came to a halt as I stood in front of Annabelle, my gaze fixed on her.

"Escort her to one of the rooms and ensure that she remains there without causing any trouble" I ordered sternly. My attention shifted to Edna, who appeared dazed and unfocused, her mind clearly in a state of distress, as I surveyed her form.

Annabelle regarded me with a scrutinizing gaze before wordlessly nodding her head and proceeding to carry out my orders.

I watched as she helped the fallen queen to her feet and led her onto the ship, Edna following without any resistance.

Turning my gaze away, I focused my attention on the first intruder.

An exasperated sigh escaped me.

Why the hell did she suddenly collapse on her kneels as I approached her?

Looks like my battle with fallen King Kanit sent a deeper message to those around me.

I stopped in front of her --

"Bamm!" But before I could say anything, she abruptly slammed her head against the wooden floorboards.

I frowned. Instead of the feral, animistic rage, I was met w --

"Prince Wyatt...Captain!" She spoke without hesitation, though unsure of how to address me properly. "I am here to ask for your forgiveness, given how badly I have treated you and your crew...".

I interrupted her before she could continue. "Except for a few, all of my crew members are now dead" I stated matter-of-factly.

She gulped audibly, the fear evident in her expression. "I...I..." Her words became unstable, and in a haste, she cleared her throat before continuing. "I'm sorry about that. Although I don't know how they died, I'm sure that their souls are in a...".

"What do you want?" I asked bluntly, cutting her off.

Her lips slapped shut. Claire stared at me with a myriad of emotions flowing within them. Without a second thought, she slammed her head against the floorboard once more and uttered, "I need your help!".

I remained silent for a moment, studying her closely, before finally speaking. "Raise your head" I commanded.

A soft, audible sigh escaped from her lips as she slowly lifted her head, her eyes still reflecting her inner turmoil.

"Than--" she began to say, but I quickly interrupted her.

With lightning speed, I latched my hand around her neck, and she felt the force that threatened to squeeze the life out of her. "W-Wait!" she gasped.

I paused. "What?" I demanded, my grip on her neck still firm.

I contemplated her fear-stricken expression as she whispered "I... I don't want to die".

My response came effortlessly as I mused "Interesting. But, I believe we've reached a point where the only thing I desire from you is for the winds to carry your ashes to the graveyard".

As I tightened my grip, her eyes widened with terror, knowing my words were not idle threats.

She had witnessed me almost take her life before and even watched as I killed a king. Her mind was undoubtedly in disarray. Despite this, she searched frantically for the right words to plead for mercy, but I remained unmoved.

The seconds ticked by, and she got paler.

"I a…m aw…are.. th…at yo..u lost your memories" Her lips blurted out.

I cocked an eyebrow in response, my mind amused at the words. After all, I knew that anyone who bothered to do a little digging into my information would find the word 'amnesia' written in bold on my profile. But that was only if Captain Crimson Eye had chosen to disclose such information to the public.

"So?" I responded nonchalantly.

"I...I...can h..elp you" She stuttered nervously, sensing my growing impatience.

"Help me do what?" I asked with a hint of annoyance in my voice.

"Help… y..ou g..et ba..ck your memories" She replied, her eyes pleading with me to believe her.

I paused for a moment, contemplating her offer. 'How?' I finally asked, wondering if her proposed solution was worth sparing her life. After all, her frustrating behaviour during my first few days in this world had made me want to slowly squeeze the life out of her and watch as her ghost gave up her body. But perhaps there was another way.

"I... I am your sister-in-law remember?".

I nodded. Of course, I knew that.

"I will tell you everything I know about you and the empire of Endossa… Everything you need to know…. Everything.." She responded, desperately.

Inwardly, my lips twitched. It would be a lie if I said that I wasn't interested to know about the former Prince Wyatt's life, especially when I could get it without stress or a single sweat drop.

I unleashed her. Her hands instantly wrapped around her neck as she gasped for breath, desperately.

"Haaaa…." She breathed loudly.

"Can you cook?" I asked.

"Yes" She immediately responded.

"Can you clean?"

"Yes"

"Can you make repairs and upgrades on a ship?".

She looked around the broken areas of the ship and slowly nodded her head. "I can try".

"Alright" I nodded. "Though I would have loved to end your life right here, I will leave that for later considering that I am currently lacking a crew" I cracked my knuckles. "So for the next few months, you will be filling up their rows. Do you have any objections?"

She shook her head immediately "No".

"Good. For now, I am not going to attempt to kill you anymore" My hands flared with magical energy and I quickly latched it on her left shoulder.

"Huh!!"

"CRACK!!".

Claire let out a scream. "AHHHH!!!!".