—Splash!
With a sudden intake of air, Nathaniel surfaced from the sea.
Nathaniel clenched his teeth and balled his fist before striking the water in front of him.
What the fuck was happening?!
Adrian was kidnapped?!
This did not happen in his previous timeline!
Nathaniel didn't understand why everything had gone astray from his previous timeline, especially when it came to that little brat in this current timeline?!
"Rooaarrr!"
Upon glancing toward the source of the commotion, Nathaniel saw a group of individuals fiercely battling the Kraken in the distance.
The sea monster was being attacked from all sides, taking heavy blows from every direction.
Nathaniel recognized some of them—they were the Academy's teachers and the Tower's Elder was present.
Each of the Tower's Elders held authority over every branch in each region, which explained his presence here.
In an instant, a blindingly bright crescent of light hurtled toward the monstrous creature.
"Rooaarrr!"
With a deafening screech, the colossal beast recoiled as the Wind Blade sliced through its writhing tentacle.
A geyser of thick, green blood erupted from the wound, drenching the surrounding area in a sickly shower.
The severed tentacle writhed and thrashed frenziedly, lashing out in all directions.
Its spasms grew more and more violent, sending droplets of thick, green blood flying through the air.
—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!
The force of the explosion sent debris hurtling into the air, accompanied by a massive spray of water.
Shifting his attention to the Telesphere, Nathaniel swiftly scanned the device's tracking data to locate Adrian's last known position.
Since the Blinking Sphere had a limited range of only 5 kilometers, Nathaniel believed that Adrian couldn't have been taken too far away.
As the Kraken was being dealt with, Nathaniel's attention was now solely on finding his little brother.
Soon, a red dot was seen flickering on the map outside Syna; approximately three kilometers away from his current location.
Wasting no more time, Nathaniel chanted inwardly.
However, the sound of bubbling water next to him caught his attention and Fredinand emerged from the sea.
There, a black-robed man slung over his broad shoulder—the same man he had killed only moments before.
Ah, it seemed that Ferdinand instinctively retrieved the enemy's body for further investigation.
"Let's go."
Nathaniel prompted, and Ferdinand followed suit.
Using their Manipulation abilities, they propelled themselves toward the shore with remarkable speed.
As they made their way, Nathaniel instructed Fredinand.
"I'll head to Adrian's last known location. Please meet and inform Duke Florance of the situation."
Nevertheless, Fredinand voiced his disagreement.
"Your Highness, would it not be perilous to proceed unaccompanied?"
Nevertheless, Nathaniel remained resolute in his decision.
"We have no other option. The city must be secured as soon as possible."
"I understand."
Upon reaching the shore, they split up to do their respective tasks.
While Nathaniel was en route to his brother's whereabouts, he contacted his subordinate's Tele-code.
// Boss— //
"Deploy all standby members of the mercenary to search every corner of Syna for my brother, immediately!"
Recognizing the urgency in his voice, the man on the other side immediately complied with his command without question.
// Understood. //
After ending his call, Nathaniel hastened his pace.
.
.
.
The plaza was filled with numerous people, all in various states of distress.
The injured were moaning and groaning in pain, their faces twisted in agony as the physicians treated them.
The sight of the wounded and dying was heart-wrenching, and the fear in the eyes of those who had survived was palpable.
In the midst of the bustling plaza, the tall figure with striking lilac hair and piercing purple eyes bellowed orders to his knights, his voice echoing off the surroundings.
He was Andarc Florance, a man in his forties; the head of the Synesta Region.
As soon as he heard about the Kraken's appearance, Andarc immediately rushed to the scene.
Glimpsing a figure coming closer, the knights surrounding the Duke drew their swords in unison.
Andarc glanced over and saw a black-robed man wearing a white mask standing not too far away from them, and an unconscious person slung over his shoulder.
The white-masked man revealed the coat of arms of the Lancaster Family, giving away his identity and Andarc ordered his knights to back off.
Stepping forward, Fredinand dropped the corpse body in front of Andarc.
—Thud!
Andarc furrowed his eyebrows upon seeing the corpse near his feet.
Unexpectedly Frediand activated the Silence Magic Device and a transparent bubble enveloped them.
Confusion etched onto Andarc's face, however, before he could open his mouth, Fredinand dropped the bomb.
"Lady Leticia has been kidnapped along with His Highness Prince Adrian."
"Huh?"
Andarc's heart skipped a beat and his mind raced as he heard the words.
"W-what?"
He stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
"This person is one of the kidnappers. Please give the order to lock down the city and dispatch your knights to search the entire city."
Fredinand's urgent tone snapped Andarc back to reality and without much thought, Andarc nodded his head.
"I understand. Thank you so much for your information. I will dispatch the Knights as soon as possible and lock down the city."
Leticia was his only child, and the thought of her being in danger filled him with a sense of dread.
With a heavy heart, he gave the order to his knights and prayed that they would find her before it was too late.
.
.
.
A young man with long dark blue hair and piercing eyes stood outside the door of the king's chambers.
—Knock —Knock —Knock
He knocked three times and announced himself.
"Your Majesty, this is Erudian."
"Enter."
As he pushed open the door, Erudian was greeted by the sight of a cozy room with a warm fire burning in the hearth.
The white-haired man—the Emperor was seated at a desk with a quill in his hand, scribbling something on a piece of parchment.
Erudian approached the desk and stood before the king, waiting for his attention.
"Sire, I received an urgent report from Duke Florance just now."
Without looking up from his writing, Arthur responded.
"What is the content of the report?"
Erudian took a deep breath before delivering the news.
"His Highness Prince Adrian has been kidnapped."
Arthur's hand froze mid-stroke, his quill hovering over the parchment.
"What the hell? How could this happen?"
He demanded, his voice rising with anger and fear.
Erudian hesitated before continuing.
"Also, His Highness Prince Nathaniel's whereabouts are currently unknown."
Arthur put down his quill and brushed his face in frustration.
Every time!
Every time his sons stepped outside the Capital City, accidents seemed to occur.
First, they went to the Refugee Camp, and the damned place they visited turned into a battlefield.
Second, they went to Syna, and out of the blue, a Kraken appeared and destroyed the harbor.
He didn't understand.
Why did it seem like dangers were flocking to them?
Was it just bad luck, or was there something more sinister at play?
Arthur let out a tired sigh and looked at Erudian with a somber expression.
"Say, Erudian, should I chain my sons inside their Palace instead?"
"Pardon?"
Erudian looked at him quizzically, unsure if he had heard Arthur correctly.
Brushing it off, the Emperor began again.
"Never mind."
"I–I understand."
—Tuk —Tuk —Tuk
The white-haired man tapped his fingers on his desk.
"When is the Kearny Princess' arrival?"
"Estimated around 5 to 7 days."
After a brief silence, Arthur eventually gave him the order.
"Dispatch the search team along with the Investigation Team. Also notify the Investigation Team to find both Princes before the Kearny Princess' arrival, otherwise–"
Arthur's tone became serious.
"—I will demote them."
"As you wish."
Erudian bowed respectfully before exiting the room, leaving Arthur to ponder the situation at hand.
.
.
.
—Rustle —Rustle —Rustle
Nathaniel's heart raced as he made his way through the dense forest, his eyes darting from tree to tree, searching for any sign of his little brother.
As he jumped from one branch to another, his black hair whipping around his face, Nathaniel's mind whirled with worry and fear.
After venturing for what felt like an eternity, Nathaniel finally emerged into a sun-drenched clearing.
His eyes immediately fell upon the two Telespheres lying on the ground, their beads cracked and shattered.
"Ah…"
Nathaniel breathed, his heart sinking as he recognized one of them as Adrian's.
He strode forward and picked them up, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.
Scanning the surroundings, his golden eyes searching for any clues.
But the forest was eerily silent, and there was no sign of a struggle or any footprints.
Panic set in, and Nathaniel's heart pounded like a drum against his chest.
"Adrian… where are you?"
He whispered, his voice barely audible in the stillness of the forest.
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