The Romelin family of the third district in Haeun had long maintained a neutral stance in the political strife between the Spinola and Grimal families.
Some criticized the Romelins as opportunistic for staying out of the fray, but Vittorio, the head of the family, had always been proud of his choice.
Maintaining balance without being swept up by any single faction—he saw this as essential for the future of both his family and the Floating Archipelago.
However, now he felt it was finally time to get off the sidelines.
“...To think all of this happened overnight. I knew things were chaotic, but I didn’t realize it was this bad,” Vittorio muttered, adjusting his reading glasses as he carefully reviewed a stack of documents.
The collapse of the central temple, the disruption of the island’s mana-driven support system, and the harm inflicted on the island’s residents would require significant resources to repair.
“And you say that an outsider named Lantra managed to resolve it all? We owe him a great debt.”
“His real name is Theo Ragnar,” Marti, his granddaughter, corrected.
“Ah, that’s right. Ragnar...” Vittorio lowered his glasses, gazing thoughtfully at Marti, who stood before him.
Since the tragic loss of his son and daughter-in-law in a shipwreck years ago, Marti had become Vittorio’s most treasured family member.
“From wolves to tigers—inviting the Ragnars into our home feels like opening the door to new dangers. Who knows what they’ll do next. And he’s supposedly the successor of Kriemhilt...”
Within the Floating Archipelago, public opinion of Troivan had already hit rock bottom. Some even spoke of war.
Would it be any different with another noble family like Ragnar?
Vittorio remained skeptical.
However...
“I don’t trust the Ragnars. But I do believe we can trust him.”
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“What makes you think that?”
Marti hesitated.
“Maybe he’s putting on an act for power now, but once he secures it? What will he reveal then?”
Vittorio’s lined face creased into a skeptical frown.
“I’ve spent a lifetime as a sailor, drifting across the world. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that I can’t trust anyone beyond myself, my family, and those close to me. People always prioritize their own gain. Why should this boy be any different?”
*Tap, tap.*
Vittorio tapped his papers as he continued.
“Perhaps we can take a step back and consider trusting him for the time being. But in the end, he’s still beholden to Ragnar’s influence, making him a burden for our Archipelago.”
His declaration was firm: Theo, in his view, was no different from Troivan. He, too, would eventually display ambitions to consume the Floating Archipelago.
“But I still believe Theo Ragnar is different.”
“And why do you believe that?” Vittorio pressed.
Marti vividly remembered Theo’s actions during the chaos. As he plummeted towards the sea, he fought desperately, risking his own life to save even one more person. She could still feel the intensity, the tension, the heart-throbbing pressure.
“Meet him. Once you do, you’ll understand what I mean.”
Since she couldn’t convey it all with words, Marti could only urge him to see for himself.
“...”
Vittorio studied her for a long moment.
“I haven’t seen you insist on something this strongly since you joined the Temple Knights.”
Finally, he sighed and rose from his seat.
“Well, we’ll soon find out if he’s worthy of placing Romelin’s and Venota’s fate in his hands.”
A sharp glint flickered in Vittorio’s eyes.
---
Theo was deep in a dream.
Fragments of a past life he had nearly forgotten flashed before him. Times when he’d struggled desperately to survive but ultimately failed. Memories he’d long buried in the far recesses of his mind.
- "It’s been a while since a young guest sought me out. So, what brings you to this old soul?"
He was walking, recalling a time when he had encountered a group of gypsies who offered to read his fortune at a low price.
But he couldn’t remember what question he’d asked back then.
The response, however, was etched clearly in his memory.
- "A curious question, indeed. Quite a peculiar fellow you are. Hold on a moment. Let me roll my cards. Now, pick three cards."
- "Like this?"
- "Hmm. Let’s see..."
- "What does it say?"
The moment he saw the cards, he remembered feeling an ominous sense of dread.
The Wheel of Death.
A knight skewered by dozens of swords.
A queen laying down her crown.
Each one foreboding.
- "You’ve drawn some strange cards, indeed. They’re rare, not something you usually see. Let’s start with this one."
The first card, the Wheel of Death, signified...
“Theo, Theo!”
He awoke abruptly to the sound of someone calling his name.
Where... am I?
“Are you awake?” Ray was staring at him with a concerned expression.
Theo quickly recalled what had happened before he’d fallen asleep.
‘Ah, I’d collapsed right on Umbrac’s back from mana exhaustion.’
Realizing he’d passed out without a word must have alarmed her.
Looking around, he realized he was in an unfamiliar room.
“Yes, I’m fine, Ray. But where is this place?”
“It’s Marti’s house. She helped us. She even helped treat you.”
“Treat me?”
“It seems you don’t remember. You were out for four days, idiot! We were all worried sick about you!”
Just then, Selperd and Arin walked over, shaking their heads. They had apparently sensed Theo waking and hurried over.
Selperd provided a brief explanation. After Theo collapsed, Marti had rushed him to the Romelin estate for treatment.
When word spread that the warrior was injured, doctors and herbalists from across the Floating Archipelago had gathered, bringing rare elixirs and remedies.
Outside the ruined temple, residents crowded to offer prayers for his recovery, leaving barely any space to enter.
“Fortunately, the doctors who checked your pulse were optimistic about your recovery, claiming you were healing unusually fast. Did the medicines work wonders?”
Theo smiled, unable to explain that his awakened Dragon Blood now allowed him to heal from most injuries on his own.
“Are you in any pain? Do you feel dizzy?” Arin asked, concerned.
Theo shook his head.
“No, I’m fine. Just a bit sluggish, that’s all.”
“That’s good. I was debating whether to send a report requesting aid, but if you’re well...”
“No, not yet. Just wait a little longer.”
“Oh, I see! You’re worried the higher-ups will try to take credit after all your hard work, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t deny it,” Theo said, glancing at Selperd with a smile.
“On that note, what’s the situation outside? Things must be chaotic.”
“Chaotic? That’s an understatement. It’s a complete mess,” Selperd replied.
“Please, just tell me,” Theo urged.
“You’re a patient. You’re supposed to rest, not worry about work! Can’t this wait until you’re fully recovered?”
“This *is* my way of resting.”
“...You workaholics are beyond my understanding,” Selperd muttered, shaking his head as he continued.
“Marti’s been busy. She raided the guard headquarters, seizing evidence, and began arresting Grimal’s associates and merchants with suspected ties...”
The entire Floating Archipelago was now under martial law. All ports were closed, cutting off any means of escape for the residents.
Marti was leading the surviving Temple Knights in rounding up all those attempting to flee. With the Ghost Slayer unit disbanded and the guards losing legitimacy, the Temple Knights were the only remaining military force.
Any resistance was met with summary judgment, and any hint of suspicion meant prison. While this led to administrative delays, the Romelin family had provided reinforcements to fill in the gaps.
“Grimal’s family is pretty much ruined, and what about Spinola?”
“Not much different. Grimal’s charge is ‘attempted assassination of the warrior,’ so they’re throwing Spinola in with him.”
Theo chuckled. This essentially left only the Romelin family standing among the three great families of the Archipelago.
“The prison must be overflowing.”
“Tell me about it. They’re constantly begging for mercy, and the noise is driving me crazy...”
Selperd’s explanation was cut short as a commotion sounded outside, and the door burst open.
“Please, Warrior! You have to help us! Weren’t we on your side?”
A man threw himself to the floor before Theo’s bed, pleading.
The Romelin guards who’d followed him in looked flustered.
“You insolent fool!”
“This is the Warrior’s resting place! Get out now!”
“Please, I beg you! Save us!”
“One moment.”
The guards paused as Theo gestured for them to wait.
He looked at the man, recognizing his face as one of the Black Skull’s officers.
“So, you’ve come crawling to me, huh?” Selperd muttered, shaking his head as if he’d expected this.
‘So they’ve been abandoned,’ Theo thought, quickly grasping the situation.
Apparently, Marti had decided to sever ties with the Black Skull just as he had planned.
Theo gestured for the guards to leave, and they exited, bowing.
*Thud!*
The door closed, and the man who had been pleading now looked nervous and couldn’t meet Theo’s gaze.
In the four
days since Theo’s collapse, his reputation had soared, nearly matching that of the island’s leader.
“W-Warrior, we... we stood against the Ghost Slayers and...”
“Do you want to live?” Theo cut him off sharply.
The man immediately straightened, nodding desperately.
“Yes, yes, I do!”
“There is one way.”
“O-One way, you say...?”
“Senior,” Theo called to Selperd.
Selperd smirked, standing guard by the door, while Arin watched from the window, and Ray scanned the area outside.
Theo released a controlled wave of mana, sealing the room.
*Gulp.*
The man swallowed nervously, fear filling him as he looked at Theo’s intense, dragon-like eyes.
“Become a dog.”
“...!”
“Bark when I tell you to bark, and wag your tail when I tell you to.”
“...”
“Can you do that?”
What Theo wanted from the remaining Black Skull was absolute obedience—a loyal servant to help him control the Archipelago.
The man had only one possible answer: to lower his head.
[‘Skill: Hatchling Sync’ activates, implanting a deep-seated trauma in the target’s psyche.]
[Attempting to brainwash...]
The man trembled.
“We’ll do anything. We all feel the same way.”
[Brainwashing successful.]
[The target now feels an intense fear of you and will obey your commands without question.]
[You’ve discovered a new application of ‘Skill: Hatchling Sync.’ The skill level increases.]
“Good.” Theo smiled coldly.
He’d wondered if he could implant a specific thought using Hatchling Sync instead of merely reading one. Apparently, his success owed much to the target’s pre-existing fear of him.
This felt like he’d discovered a new key to building his power base.
“Then here is your first order.”
“Yes, anything!”
“All remaining Black Skull members are to join the Temple Knights.”
“I-I understand!”
The man didn’t ask why. He was just a loyal dog, after all.
‘This will allow the Temple Knights to fill their ranks and strengthen Marti’s position.’
Additionally, it could serve as a way to keep Marti in check if necessary.
Theo didn’t expect Marti would betray him, Kriemhilt’s successor, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.
“Tell them I gave you this. It should make joining the Temple Knights much easier.”
Theo tossed a small booklet in front of the man.
“What is this?”
“It’s Nibelung,” Theo replied firmly.
“Kriemhilt’s sacred scripture.”
“...!”
This would enable him to transform the Temple Knights into the true *Knights of Kriemhilt,* binding them with loyalty and power.
By controlling the Floating Archipelago, he would tap into its vast economic influence over the Empire through banking, shipping, trade, and brokerage.
Money.
Seizing it would be key to his ultimate scenario.
At that moment, a chuckling voice came from behind him.
“Well, it seems you’re planning something grand. Think this old man could add his spoon to the pot?”
A gentle laugh filled the room.