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Chapter 108

“Oh! Fran! Master!”

“Esther?” Frances recognized the anxiety in her eyes and looked at Russell. “I see that Leonard came to the Magic Tower first.”

“Indeed. You are correct,” he confirmed. “No matter how powerful Moby Dick and Pablo are, their reach does not extend all the way to the Magic Tower. He said it would be too obvious to go to the Aquamarine, and that they may have set a trap at Bermuda as well.”

“He was smart to do so. Someone as cunning as Pablo wouldn’t neglect to set up traps like that,” Frances agreed.

According to what Benjamin told her, Moby Dick’s main fighting force was secretly on the move. If they were hiding out near the Aquamarine, they would have ambushed Leonard when he returned to the vessel and could have killed him. Even though she knew how powerful he truly was, she couldn’t feel easy at the thought of him facing Moby Dick. Their main fighting force was made up of Tenth Degree External Force Tier martial artists and several Class 6 mages. On top of that, the person leading them right now was in the Transcendence Tier.

“...Herman Melville,” she whispered.

He was the wandering swordsman who wielded four cutlasses. He had been scouted by Pablo only a few years ago, and everything from his place of origin to his martial arts techniques was unknown. If he didn’t use an Aura Blade, even the fact that he was in the Transcendence Tier would have been hidden.

“Moby Dick’s second-in-command, correct? Considering his power and status, there is suspiciously little known about him. In my experience, those types of people are the most dangerous,” Russell remarked.

“I agree,” Frances said.

In this world, there were three types of power: authority, wealth, and brute force. And they were all closely connected. If someone obtained enough of one type of power, the other two would naturally follow. Needless to say, the captain of Moby Dick was one such person who’d obtained authority and wealth through brute force.

That was the natural progression of things. But it was rare for someone as strong as Herman Melville to not openly pursue or flaunt these other forms of power.

“Now, allow me to tell you Leonard’s message.”

The boy had come to the Magic Tower as soon as he left District 5, but he was still racing against the clock. There wasn’t much to say about the request he’d made either.

“...That’s all? Really?” Esther said doubtfully.

“I-I cannot fathom such audacity...!” Marianne exclaimed. She and the mage looked at him with disbelief.

But unlike those two, Frances was quietly lost in thought, eyes closed. She went through hundreds of possible strategies, all of which would fail, until she felt herself growing closer to an answer.

Those who didn’t know Leonard would likely call his actions simplistic, but Frances didn’t think so. There were many times when he simply seemed like a stoic warrior, but most of the time, he acted with the bigger picture in mind.

She opened her eyes. “Russell.”

“Speak.”

“From here on out, can you take action not as a member of Aquamarine but as the Magic Tower’s Chief Elder?”

The Archmage raised an eyebrow with reasonable apprehension. One might think it was a trivial request, but there was a vast difference between the two positions. He’d already done a huge favor by defending Frances at the auditorium, but now she was asking him to use the Magic Tower’s authority and step in the Council’s way.

Leonard had essentially been the key for Russell to become Class 8, but even if the boy himself had made the request, Russell would have spent a considerable amount of time making his decision.

“You don’t have to think too deeply about it. I won’t ask you to do anything big,” Frances added.

“I will hear you out.”

“I want to have a secret meeting with one of the councilors.”

Russell pushed up his glasses, looking intrigued. “And who would that be?”

“You see, I haven’t just been playing around this whole time. I found out who in the Rift Preservation Faction was involved with the incident from eight years ago and those who weren’t. And apparently, there is someone who has as much power as Pablo and has been at odds with him.” Frances grinned. At some point, the ease had returned to her face. “His name is Gordon Haywood. I’m sure you know all about him.”

Russell paused. “I haven’t exactly heard good things about him, but of course I do. There’s hardly anyone more famous than him in the magic community.”

After all, Gordon was a Class 8 Archmage. There were only perhaps ten of them in the whole world, and among them, he stood out because he didn’t spend all his time locked up in his personal quarters or his own realm. He was very openly active in society.

He was also renowned for his talent in sorcery.

For those mages whose life goal was uncovering the wonders of magic, Gordon Haywood was a man who was hard to fathom.

“So you want to deepen the division between them? Gordon Haywood is not someone so easy to manipulate. In fact, that old man just may be more skilled in politics than magic,” Russell warned.

“I know. It hasn’t even been a year since he joined the Council, but he’s already become the second most powerful councilor. I would never underestimate him, and you’re right that we should treat him as a politician and not a mage. But that is the precise reason why it would be worth making contact,” Frances said.

In her opinion, dealing with fickle people like Jack Russell was the real challenge because it was impossible to figure out what they did and didn’t want. And even though Gordon Haywood had a massive amount of fighting power and authority, if she could just figure out what exactly he had his eyes on, there was room for negotiation.

“Gordon is completely different from Pablo. The only reason he joined the Rift Preservation Faction is because the Chairman of the Council is in the Rift Suppression Faction. If he doesn’t take the opposite stance, it becomes hard to covet the position of chairman,” Frances explained.

“Very interesting. I admit, I have never considered that point of view.”

“At least one of his goals is becoming the head of the Council,” the captain said. “If we offer a way for him to achieve that, he just might cut ties with Pablo and take our side.”

Besides, while most of the councilors in the Rift Preservation Faction were involved in the conspiracy from eight years ago, Gordon, of course, was not yet part of the Council. In fact, he had just settled down in Atlantis City. So, they could be sure that he didn’t share Pablo’s animosity toward Aquamarine. As long as he could rise to power, he would have no trouble abandoning a faction he had no attachment to and joining hands with Frances.

At least, that was what her instincts told her.

“We’ll carry out the second step of the plan depending on how the meeting with Gordon goes,” she said.

“Is it a contingency plan?” Russell asked.

“No. We’ll use everything we have. Aquamarine is too weak for us to put all our faith in Gordon, and a crafty politician like him can easily break any verbal agreements.”

Since they were running straight into the fire anyway, it was better to face it head-on rather than stalling.

She fell deep into thought. After some serious consideration, she said, “We’re going to try to make contact with the Pequod—I mean, the phantom ship. If they retained their memories of their past lives, we may be able to draw them to Atlantis using the Moby Dick as bait.”

“Are you serious? Even if Leonard is there, you can’t be sure you’ll win against those undead. You’re really going to approach them?” Russell said skeptically.

“Explorers can’t help but explore,” Frances said, quoting the words her father would say. She turned and looked out to the distant Council building. There was something raging like fierce waves in her ocean-colored eyes. “Pablo has already cast the die, so now it’s my turn. And we won’t know whether it’ll land on a one or a six until we actually roll it.”

Russell felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he studied her backside. He couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. He tilted his head. He’d thought that she was too careful and clever to be Njord’s daughter, but the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Even when they were pushed to a precipice, the pair had the same courage and determination to always look for a way out. She had the disposition of an explorer more so than a member of royalty.

Russell grinned wide. He had made his decision.

“I’m intrigued. You know, I’ve been thinking that it was about time that this city turned upside down.” He took a step forward and held out his hand. “Let us go meet Gordon. It’s been a while since I’ve seen his face.”

“Yes! I’ll be counting on you!” She took his hand into hers.

It was do or die. It was time for Aquamarine to fight back.

* * *

If someone asked anyone in Atlantis City which area had changed most over time, there were only two answers its residents would give.

District 2 and District 3.

The shopping district and the entertainment district were the most popular areas in the Alliance. But of course, District 2 was more important to Atlantis’s functioning than District 3.

It had everything from forges that made and repaired explorers’ equipment, general stores that carried everything required for a voyage, and even pawn shops to buy and sell magical tools such as scrolls and artifacts.

If District 2 were forced to pause its activities for even the briefest moment, it would cause astronomical financial losses.

A certain man tirelessly weaved through crowds of thousands, possibly tens of thousands of people, before slipping out to the side of the street. His movements were strangely smooth, but there was no one around who noticed him.

“Hm.”

He was using the Waning Moon Fleeting Art, a technique from the Central Plains, a place in another world, in order to conceal his tracks.

“How bothersome,” he growled. Though the speaker had the face of a typical middle-aged man, the killing intent spilling from his eyes was very intense.

Of course, this man was none other than Leonard. Not only had he used a concealment art, but he’d also used a Face Changing Art. Yet he still hadn’t been able to achieve his goal, and now he was growing uneasy.

Not even someone in the Transcendence Tier should be able to see me unless they’re very close, but whoever it is hasn’t taken their eyes off me even once. Either they’re using magic on me in some indirect way or they’re using some other kind of power that’s not magic.

As soon as he returned from District 5, Leonard had gone right to the Magic Tower to talk with Russell. He’d sensed these eyes on him ever since. He’d immediately used concealment arts and Face Changing Arts to avoid any potential watchers or pursuers, but so far, his efforts were futile.

At this rate, he would be playing right into their hands.

They haven’t announced a death warrant for me yet, so it’s very unlikely that they’ll ambush me somewhere with so many people. And if I head over to District 3, I’ll still be safe even after the sun sets.

Pablo’s attempt to frame Leonard for Lucciano’s death to create a justification for killing him was a very clever plan, but it also left his hands tied. After all, it would be hard to make an all-out attack against Leonard until Bermuda confirmed the crime and gave Pablo permission to retaliate.

Leonard had suspected as much from the very beginning, which is why he’d gone to a big shot who could call Pablo’s accusation into question. Because Lucciano was dead, they couldn’t completely dismiss the charge, but they could buy time.

After that, Leonard himself had to make the next move.

Maybe I should attack first after all.

He sensed a trap on his heels, and so he would discard his concealment and his disguise.

As long as his pursuers were able to keep tracking him with some unknown means, he couldn’t run forever. In that case, his first priority should be getting rid of as many of Pablo’s forces as possible before they joined up with their leader.

It’s been a while since I’ve confronted others with the Heavenly Net Formation... my blood is already starting to boil.

He’d encountered the Heavenly Net Formation several times before as the Sword Emperor, but he remembered how taxing it was, even after he’d reached the Creation Realm. His cultivation and stamina had been completely drained, and he had to kill his enemies with physical cultivation alone. Still, it had been a valuable learning experience.

As the memories of that fierce battle resurfaced, Leonard’s bloodlust unconsciously started seeping through viciously until he straightened his breath.

I should find a good location.

When one was outnumbered in a fight, the most important thing was having control of the environment and the conditions of the battle. That was also why some people had fights in a dead-end alleyway or a tight street corner. If one fought a collective force in a large, open space where they were open to attacks from all sides, it would be a grueling fight even if their opponents were several times weaker on an individual level. Leonard had to also take into consideration the fact that there may be mages and spiritualists, so it would be even harder to find a suitable location.

“Heh. As I thought, this world sure is fun,” Leonard said to himself, suppressing a bloodthirsty grin.

He slipped back into the crowd, sensing those eyes following him as he set out to find a suitable place to become their graveyard.

Above him, the sun was gliding toward the west.