115 Ch. 115: The Bet [7]
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A few hours ago.
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In a cozy room adorned with elegant furniture, a white-haired man named Arthur sat hunched over a desk, his red eyes fixed on the paper before him.
The room exuded an air of tranquility, but Arthur's troubled expression betrayed his inner turmoil.
As he dipped the quill into the inkwell, his hand suddenly froze in mid-air.
Frustration welled up within him, and with a heavy sigh, he tossed the quill onto the desk and reclined in a plush chair.
He massaged his temples, attempting to alleviate the throbbing headache that had plagued him for days.
Arthur's mind was consumed by thoughts of his lost sons.
The recent events had left him distraught and unable to focus on anything else.
"Those little brats."
Arthur muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with a mix of anger and concern.
"Where the hell did they go?"
Just three days ago, Arthur received news that his son, Adrian, had been found along with Duke Florance's daughter.
However, the relief was short-lived, as he was soon informed that both of his sons had vanished without a trace, despite the city being placed under lockdown.
The investigation team revealed that the trio had been seen entering the Corbenik Mercenary Agency.
Naturally, they promptly conducted an investigation, only to discover that the agency was actually owned by none other than their own first son, Nathaniel!
A Diamond-Rank Mercenary Agency, boasting numerous branches scattered across the continent, was being managed by a mere 12-year-old brat!
Nevertheless, Arthur decided to keep this information confidential until he had a chance to speak with Nathaniel about his agency's status and determine whether he should ban it altogether.
Upon the completion of the investigation, it was unveiled that they had been utilizing a Blink Sphere to teleport to an unknown location.
The investigation team inquired about the whereabouts of the boys, but they were completely unaware of his son's destination.
They explained that they were solely to provide fuel for the Blink Sphere, without ever questioning the destination.
Furthermore, since the Blink Sphere was a single-use device, they were unable to track their location.
The authorities questioned the staff and the other mercenaries, but they had no idea about it either.
As they found nothing about his son's whereabouts, the Imperial Intelligence tried to track their location but to no avail, both Princes Telesphere's tracking systems were offline.
In contrast to his second son, whose last known location was spotted outside Syna, the whereabouts of his first son remained unknown, as if the tracking system on it had been removed.
Furthermore, their Telespheres could not be contacted on multiple occasions, which was quite peculiar.
Even the Elder of the Tower had no idea what could be causing this issue.
It appeared as though their Telespheres had been sabotaged, leaving the investigation at a dead end with no leads to follow.
Overwhelmed by frustration, Arthur brushed his face with his hands and let out a weary sigh.
Despite the uncertainty and fear gnawing at his heart, he could only hope that his sons were safe wherever they may be.
"Tsk."
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Arthur reluctantly picked up his quill once again.
He was determined to focus on his task, but before he could write a single word, a loud running sound echoed through the corridor outside his room.
—Step —Step —Step
Arching an eyebrow, Arthur turned his attention towards the door.
It was a well-known rule that running in the corridors was strictly prohibited within the palace.
As the sound grew louder, the door swung open abruptly, revealing a young man with long, dark blue hair.
"Haa… haa… Your Majesty!"
Erudian gasped for breath, his voice filled with urgency.
"Haa… Please pardon my rudeness, but you have to see this!"
Closing the door behind him, Erudian hurriedly approached the Emperor and placed a rectangular device on his desk.
Arthur activated the device, and as the screen flickered to life, Erudian began to explain the situation.
"The surveillance system of the lighthouse in the sea near the Kearny-Aeon territory captured both princes boarding a ship."
Erudian revealed, his voice still tinged with breathlessness.
The surveillance system was a device that functioned like a real-time CCTV, providing live updates of the situation.
However, it lacked the ability to record, which explained Erudian's haste to bring the news directly to Arthur.
For your information, it was the same device that Gizel used to introduce the Elemental Canon back in the Refugee Camp.
"Previously, the surveillance team was focused on tracking the whereabouts of the Kearny Princess, but unexpectedly, they spotted the Princes instead."
Concern etched across his face, Arthur asked.
"Have you contacted the nearby patrol ship to head toward their location?"
Erudian nodded, his expression determined.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I have already dispatched three galleons, which are currently en route to the Prince's last known location."
"Very well."
As the rectangular screen in Arthur's hands flashed to life, he was met with a chaotic scene.
His heart sank as he witnessed his two sons, accompanied by mercenaries and Kearny Knights, engaged in a fierce battle with a strange creature on the deck of the Imperial patrol ship.
Furrowing his forehead, Arthur's concern deepened.
It was the same creature that was found inside Syna's drainage system.
Following the abduction of his son, a disturbing revelation emerged in the kidnapping case that had spanned over three years: the perpetrators had been using the abducted children as involuntary subjects for their experiments, treating them as mere guinea pigs.
The anger and helplessness Arthur felt were overwhelming.
Despite the passage of three long years, he had been unable to solve the kidnapping case or bring those responsible to justice.
And to make matters worse, the kidnappings were not isolated incidents limited to Syna alone; they had occurred across the entire continent.
"My sons are currently engaged in a war."
Arthur muttered under his breath.
"Huh? A war?! It's—"
Erudian's voice trailed off when Arthur turned the device's screen toward him.
The image displayed a grim battle scene unfolding on the ship's deck.
"Wait. Weren't those creatures originally from the Syna drainage?"
As the battle continued to unfold before their eyes, Arthur pieced together the puzzle.
"The presence of my sons, fighting alongside those mercenaries and the Kearny Knights against those creatures, strongly suggests their awareness of the assassination plot against the Kearny Princess."
Despite his understanding of the situation, Arthur couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.
The frustration welled up within him.
Instead of informing him—their father, and allowing the adults to handle such a dangerous situation, his sons had once again taken matters into their own hands.
"Why are they so obsessed with becoming heroes?"
Arthur muttered to himself, his voice filled with a mix of concern and exasperation.
Not long ago, they were grounded, and now they are repeating the same mistake once again!
Brushing it off, Arthur locked his eyes on the screen, watching how the battle unfold.
As he observed, he couldn't help but click his tongue in awe and admiration.
Despite their young age, his sons displayed a remarkable level of skill and composure amid war.
Their movements were fluid, their attacks precise, and they seemed to be well-versed in the art of combat, not inferior to the seasoned knights and mercenaries surrounding them.
Shortly thereafter, the battle ended swiftly, but unexpectedly the cabin burst and revealed a Bellueel.
The intensity of the fight escalated, yet Arthur found himself mesmerized by Adrian's magical prowess.
Not only did he provide support to his brother, enabling him to move freely, but he also ensured the safety of the people on the deck while launching occasional attacks of his own.
Watching his sons in action, Arthur couldn't help but marvel at their abilities.
Were they even teenagers?
They certainly didn't appear as such at this moment.
Despite his concerns and frustrations, a warmth spread through Arthur's heart, filling him with immense pride.
Soon, the battle came to an end and Adrian received a call, upon seeing it, Arthur immediately ordered the man next to him.
"I will send you Nathaniel's Tele-code. You can call him, and I will call Adrian."
"Understood."
Nevertheless, their attempts to reach their sons proved futile.
After what felt like an agonizing half-hour of trying, a miracle happened, and Nathaniel finally answered Erudian's call.
Soon, Erudian handed his Telesphere to the Emperor, enabling him to speak directly to his son.
Without beating around the bush, Arthur spat his piece of mind.
"So, how is your escapade going, my sons? Are you having fun?"
Arthur's voice dripped with a hint of mockery, a mix of concern and amusement evident in his tone.
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