Ch.197Chapter 197 – Sinking

At last, the morning of departure for the Western Continent dawned.

I woke up to the sound of seagulls, and then heard a knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

“Count. I’ve come to escort you as there are three hours left until departure.”

“Ah, Lady Baek Yu-wol.”

The person knocking was Baek Yu-wol.

Since I had already packed everything the previous evening, I got dressed and opened the door.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“The accommodations prepared by your family head were quite nice. Thanks to that, I was able to sleep deeply for the first time in a while.”

Indeed, befitting lodgings prepared by the head of the Han Dongbaek family, I was able to spend an incredibly comfortable night.

It was truly amazing that I could wake up in the morning without feeling tired and have an energetic day ahead.

“Currently, all ports in Honggung are being controlled so that no ships can depart until your ship leaves.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Everything is for your safety, Count. If by chance someone with ill intentions were to approach and cause an accident, it would be a disgrace to our great family.”

I conversed with Baek Yu-wol as we walked from the lodgings to the port.

“By the way, the great families should also unite their strength to confront the Demon Cult.”

“The family head was already talking about gathering renowned martial arts masters from various regions to form a special task force for this purpose.”

“A special task force?”

Creating a special task force sounds like they’re planning to form a unit of elite troops to strike at the Demon Cult.

That’s not a bad idea. Although the Demon Cult is strong, that only applies to a small number of people.

However, it would be somewhat troublesome if they have something like a drug that can turn people into Ma-in.

After all, Ma-in can exhibit superhuman abilities at the cost of their lives.

“The Demon Cult is a troublesome group in our country as well. They possess drugs that can turn ordinary people into martial arts masters called Ma-in. If we don’t wipe them out before they take the drug, they’ll become Ma-in with terrifying power, so we must eliminate them before they can consume it.”

“Thank you for the valuable advice. I’ll relay your counsel directly to the family head.”

As I chatted with Baek Yu-wol about various things, the ship I would be boarding soon came into view.

It was slightly smaller than the ship I had taken to get here before, but it was still quite large for a wooden vessel.

“This is a fast ship operated by a family allied with our Han Dongbaek family. Though it’s a bit smaller than the ship you arrived on, it’s large enough to take you as far as the Archipelago Alliance.”

“Will I be changing ships at the Archipelago Alliance?”

“I don’t know the details, but I heard they’ve prepared a ship for you there.”

Hmm. Hearing that the Archipelago Alliance has prepared a ship makes me nod involuntarily.

Come to think of it, it might be better to travel on a ship prepared by the Archipelago Alliance.

While it might not be extremely luxurious, ships made by people who spend long periods at sea are comfortable to travel on.

Of course, the only ship from the Archipelago Alliance I’ve been on was a warship.

Anyway, it seemed clear that both the Archipelago Alliance and the Liu Empire, along with the great families, were providing various conveniences.

“Thirty minutes until departure! Everyone please board the ship!”

It was time to board.

I looked at Baek Yu-wol who had come to escort me this far.

Her face showed regret.

“Lady Baek Yu-wol.”

“Yes, Count.”

“I’ll send you a formal invitation soon. We have quite a few good spirits in our country, and it wouldn’t be bad for you to come and try them.”

“H-hmm. I-is that so? Then I’ll be waiting for your invitation. Please take care on your journey back.”

After saying my final farewell to Baek Yu-wol, I gathered my belongings and boarded the ship.

My luggage consisted only of gifts for Sister Regina and a few presents I had bought for other acquaintances.

Once aboard, I went to my assigned quarters.

I was told that the quarters were deliberately placed slightly below the deck so that I would feel less seasick even if the ship rocked.

Indeed, when I entered my assigned quarters, I found them decorated with elegant ornaments that exuded the atmosphere of the Liu Empire, though not excessively luxurious.

After putting my luggage down on one side of the bed, I decided to get some sleep.

Since we had a long journey ahead, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some rest in advance.

This fast ship was said to reduce a journey that would normally take a month to just over 20 days, unlike conventional vessels.

After waking up, I would need to greet the other people on board.

So I went to sleep…

And that was my last memory in this world.

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

A member of the Demon Cult who was temporarily employed as a sailor gathered below deck.

“As you all know, this ship already has regular crew members, but we’ve hired you additionally this time. For reference, the additional personnel will only be assigned simple loading or cleaning duties, so don’t worry too much. We’re usually sufficient on our own, but since we have an important guest on board, we need to be cleaner than usual. So everyone, rest well today.”

“Yes!”

The name of the person who had secretly boarded this ship as a sailor was Geum-hyun.

As a member of the Demon Cult, he had lived hiding his identity, so no one knew he belonged to the Demon Cult.

He was grateful for the day of rest given today.

‘If rest is given, that means I have plenty of time to work in the sailor’s quarters.’

After the meeting disbanded, Geum-hyun headed to his quarters.

Both sailors and guests stayed below deck, but temporary sailors were specifically assigned rooms closer to the port side.

Geum-hyun realized a perfect opportunity had come when he saw the room arrangement.

The guest’s room was located directly above his room, which was positioned below the port side.

‘This is an opportunity granted by the Demon God. A chance to completely blow that person away!’

After confirming no one was around, Geum-hyun took out items he had brought in his bag.

A liquor bottle, cosmetics, herbs, charcoal powder—everything he pulled out from his bag were common items easily obtainable in the market.

What he intended to make with these was a type of improvised bomb.

Through several experiments, he was already confident that the bomb he made would work properly.

A bomb made with ingredients the size of a small medicine bottle had enough power to bend an iron plate one meter thick.

If a bomb made with such a small amount of materials had that much power, the amount he had brought now—equivalent to a large liquor bottle—would be devastating.

If his calculations were correct… this bomb would have enough power to not only split the ship but completely shatter it into pieces.

‘And from what I saw earlier, the ship’s storage contains quite a lot of flammable materials.’

True to its name as a fast ship, this vessel didn’t just use sails but also gained additional speed from a primitive steam engine.

And the material used to operate that steam engine was “flame stone.”

What was used in the Western Continent to fuel blacksmith forges was used here to light and maintain the fire in the boiler that supplied steam to the steam engine.

‘Flame stone is sensitive to explosions, which could cause additional explosions.’

Geum-hyun was grateful for the large amount of flame stone on board.

This meant that the chances of his plan succeeding were very high.

Geum-hyun carefully prepared his plan.

“Geum-hyun, was it? You’re on night watch today. But don’t feel bad about it—you’ll have a day off after your watch until the next day.”

As if helping Geum-hyun’s plan, he was even selected for night watch today.

‘Great! I’ll blow up the ship today. Everything for the great cause!’

That night, Geum-hyun took out the bomb he had prepared in advance.

It was a time when everyone was asleep, so no one was awake.

Only Geum-hyun and a very few night watchmen were awake, but since there was only one watchman per floor, no one but Geum-hyun was awake on this floor.

After completing all preparations, Geum-hyun took out the prepared bomb and opened the lid.

A sweet fragrance flowed out, but Geum-hyun knew this scent was the fragrance of death.

‘Everything is for the great cause. Demon God, remember me.’

After finishing his prayer, Geum-hyun picked up the bomb and smashed it on the floor.

The container holding the bomb cracked, and the liquid inside splashed out—

[BOOM! KABOOM!]

A violent chemical reaction occurred, creating high-temperature heat and strong pressure, causing a massive explosion that shattered the ship into pieces.

Moreover, the flame stones stored near the boiler were exposed to high heat and pressure, causing a chain explosion, and the ship carrying Patos disappeared without a trace.

“Oh, my goodness.”

And all of this was witnessed by an imperial trading vessel that happened to be passing through that sea area.

The trading vessel hurriedly rushed to the explosion site to rescue people, but all they found were burning wooden pieces and a few boxes and barrels that hadn’t burned.

The trading vessel immediately headed to Honggung to deliver this news, and people at the port learned that the exploded ship was the fast ship that Patos had been on.

This news spread instantly throughout the Eastern Continent, and it was also delivered to Cheon Hye-ryeong, who had returned to Cheonma Mountain after confirming that Patos had entered the territory of the Han Dongbaek family.

“Is that true?”

Cheon Hye-ryeong, upon hearing the news, was calm, perhaps due to her extreme anger.

“Yes, Cult Leader.”

“Who instigated this?”

Cheon Hye-ryeong was curious about who had instigated this.

What madman would dare touch what belonged to Cheonma.

“I regret to inform you that we must investigate to find out.”

“Investigate. Investigate and let me know.”

“As you command!”

After the Manoe who received Cheonma’s order disappeared, Cheonma sat down.

Then she took out a crystal ball from her bosom and infused it with her inner energy.

The crystal ball became transparent, establishing a magical communication connection, and the person who had given her this crystal ball appeared through it.

[What’s the matter?]

“Sister. Something truly unbelievable has happened…”

Cheon Hye-ryeong, who had to deliver the bad news to the owner of the crystal ball, resolved.

Just for a moment, for his revenge, she would return to being Cheonma rather than Cheon Hye-ryeong.

On the day she completed his revenge, she would finally comfort his soul as Cheon Hye-ryeong, not as Cheonma.

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

The palace of the Great Goddess Epitrina.

Epitrina, the owner of this place, was looking at the golden soul resting on her palm.

“I didn’t expect to meet you this way. Your story isn’t over yet, so go back to earth and finish your story before we meet again.”

What she held in her hand was Patos’s soul.

“Still… I’m glad to meet you again, even like this.”

Soul fragment of ●●●● ●●.