Lord of Mysteries:Fire of Destruction

Loen Kingdom, Backlund. Empress Borough.

Holding the newspaper in her hands, Audrey Hall could not contain the joyful squeal that seemed to come from the depths of her soul.

Unable to help it, the young gem reread the headline for the umpteenth time.

--

ESPIONAGE AND INCITEMENT TO VIOLENCE! AMBASSADOR BAKERLAND ARRESTED!!

--

"Chiii!" Her legs kicked happily in the air, a brilliant smile on her face.

Jumping up from her bed, her hair completely disheveled, Audrey held out the newspaper to her best friend.

"Look, Susie, we did it! We caught the rat!"

Biting the huge bone with some elegance, dog Susie tilted her head to one side, her tail calmly wagging. Her bright brown eyes looked at her curiously.

"I don't quite understand... But if it makes you happy, it makes me happy too! Woof!"

No sooner said than done, Susie wasted no more time and returned to her arduous work of chewing her huge bone.

Seeing this, Audrey just put a hand to her mouth and laughed softly.

As soon as they entered the privacy of her room, her best friend set to work on gnawing the bone that Chariot's messenger had given her.

It was, by far, her favorite activity.

'Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't get tired of it. Isn't it tiring to chew the same thing every day?

She had hardly made any progress!

Although, if she put herself in her shoes... Maybe that bone tasted really good?

It seemed that her thoughts were not as silent as she thought as Susie stopped chewing for a moment and hugged her most precious treasure with her little paws.

"Get yours!" She shouted, lowering her head and pouting very much like her.

Holding her hands up in defense, Audrey laughed uneasily, "I wasn't going to do anything, Susie. Don't worry; that bone is yours and yours alone."

"MMM." Squinting her eyes intensely, the Spectator dog just looked at her deeply for several seconds before 'smiling.'

"Good!" Immediately after saying that, Susie happily returned to eating, her tail wagging joyfully.

It took a few moments before Audrey understood what had just happened.

'Did... did I just get bullied by a dog?' The corners of her mouth twitched a little.

'When Chariot said I was a mouse, I thought he was just trying to annoy me... But if I can't even stand up to my pet, is that a bad comparison?'

Not wanting to think or imagine that she agreed with the man, she lay down on her bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling of her room.

"..."

Straightening up and grabbing the newspaper from earlier, Audrey looked at the headline, confused and somewhat concerned.

'Why did the Kingdom choose to publish that Bakerland had been arrested and that he was a spy?'

The first thing she could understand. The party-loving Ambassador, being as well-known as he was, they would find it very hard to hide the fact that he had been arrested.

But revealing that he was a spy? She didn't understand that!

Audrey couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this...

Elsewhere in Empress Borough, Macht House.

Putting down the newspaper and glancing at his wife, who nodded calmly, the head of the family could only sigh inwardly.

"How long do you think we'll have? Madam Macht murmured.

"If we're lucky, a year. But with how things are going in the Kingdom, it's bound to be shorter. Maybe 9 months?" Rubbing his forehead with a handkerchief, the man could only sigh.

The revelation of Ambassador Bakerland as a spy was undoubtedly the first public blow to the Intis Republic.

It was only a matter of time before Intis responded.

"I pray it's after Hazel goes to Lenburg..." Maury Macht tapped his chest four times.

Neither parent doubted that their daughter would be admitted. They were both sure she would succeed.

Not only was she extremely intelligent and capable, her creativity and tenacity meant that neither of them feared for her future. Even if she never married, Hazel could easily lead the various companies that her father and mother would leave her.

But for that to happen, she had to grow up.

With the possibility of war on the horizon, they would both feel much safer if Hazel was in Lenburg.

Although Lenburg did not have very good relations with the Intis Republic either, they were undoubtedly much better compared to the Loen Kingdom. Like the security of the country, it was not to be underestimated.

Once Hazel entered the University of Wisdom, the possibility of something happening to her in the coming conflict was greatly reduced.

Sighing slightly, Riana took the newspaper from her husband's hands and looked at it for several moments.

"The pound has already fallen by 3 percent..."

"It is very likely to fall much further. I wouldn't be surprised if the pound isn't the strongest currency in the world by next year." Maury replied reluctantly.

This was what happened when you placed a large part of your economy in such a delicate and cheap-handed area. If something happened to that place, the price you would pay if you didn't have some kind of backup was serious.

Riana nodded with a solemn expression, she put the newspaper in her hand back on her husband's desk and returned to her seat.

"We should be able to pay for her studies without any problem. But it wouldn't be a bad idea to start setting aside a little of our earnings in case something happens."

"Good idea. I'll also see if I can find her a place to live in the meantime. Before the pound drops any further in value, we should use it to its full potential while we can…"

…

Somewhere in the Sonia Sea.

Alger Wilson stood at the bow of his ship, his eyes locked on the dense fog that surrounded him. Not even the crimson moon in the sky was able to pierce it.

It had been about 20 minutes since the ship had entered the fog, and it shouldn't take long to get out of it.

As a Seafarer, he could feel and see the currents of the sea and the air, and he knew how to use them to the maximum to increase the ship's speed. In addition to his extensive experience as a pirate, a journey of at least 12 days was reduced to a short trip of 4 days.

Which would leave him with a few days' rest for the pirate audition. Something his men would no doubt appreciate.

Looking around and barely able to see five meters ahead through the thick fog surrounding them, Alger calmly turned the rudder towards a slower current.

"Stay alert!" He shouted to his men, his sharp eyes trying to see through the gray veil but failing.

At their speed, if they hit something, it could cause problems. Although the Blue Avenger was a ghost ship that could repair itself and was highly resistant, Alger would not take any chances.

A Seafarer never underestimates the sea. That was one of the main rules of acting that he had discovered after going through several storms and dodging a few others.

The weather at sea had been varied over the last few years, with storms and fog covering areas for days before leaving. This was quite common.

Before, Alger didn't give much importance to these events, but with the information he now possessed, he couldn't avoid seeing these natural events in a different light.

Old Gods rose from Their dreams, and Evil Gods returned to where They belonged...

'Perhaps this is the planet's way of announcing that times are changing?' Thinking about it for a while, the man could only sigh and put such thoughts aside.

Turning his attention back to piloting the boat, he calmly turned the rudder to the left, making sure to stay in the slower current.

A small stretch of the route appeared in his mind, and he frowned slightly.

A moment ago, the current direction changed. Turning a little more to the right and maintaining that course. If it continued like this, there was no doubt they would soon be off course.

This was not unusual, but it stood out a little with the calm waters.

Following his instinct, the Seafarer looked at the ship's highest point and shouted, "Ciel! Do you see anything?"

One of his men had climbed the rigging and was up on the foredeck. This had been done some time ago to guide them in case there was better visibility.

If anyone had a chance of seeing anything, it was him.

It took a few seconds, but soon, there was an incredulous cry from a man.

"G-ground ho! To the north!!"

"What?!" Alger stared in amazement at the thick curtain of fog that prevented him from seeing what was ahead.

Had they reached land so soon?!

The Seafarer's mind quickly went over the nautical maps he had read, as if it were possible that there was an island nearby, and that was what his man had seen.

But, with a deep chill, Alger noticed that the nearest island was miles to the south. It's not that close!

It could also not be an undocumented island. He had passed through this area many times and could not remember ever encountering an island there.

The possibility of them being lost in the fog was much less; Alger's knowledge of navigation and instinctive awareness of currents and winds ensured that, as long as he was at the helm of the Blue Avenger, it would never be lost!

The calm, dense fog around them had become colder and more suffocating in his eyes as if something within it was hiding and stalking them.

Quickly, Alger turned the wheel and set the Blue Avenger on the fastest currents but in the opposite direction. He then used his control over the water to accelerate the boat even more.

"Everyone, to your posts! Prepare for battle!" His voice thundered through the ship like thunder in the sky. His men quickly followed his command and readied the cannons.

Whatever his man had seen was close; that there were other dangers hidden was almost certain!

As an experienced seaman, Alger kept calm even though he couldn't see anything. His heightened senses as a Seafarer kept him focused on the job at hand.

Get out of this fog.

The gentle shifting of the currents together with the whisper of the wind silently guided him, knowing how important it was that he be attentive, none of his men made any noise, they just held their weapons and looked around on guard.

This tense and suffocating atmosphere lasted for several minutes, as Alger speeded the boat as fast as he could and his men kept guard.

After 20 minutes, the Blue Avenger broke through the fog. But before anyone could say anything, all the crew looked dazed at the horizon.

The crimson moon in the sky illuminated a large group of islands with calm and grace.

The captain recognized them almost immediately. That was where the Pirate audition would take place!

'We were 4 days away! How did we get here so fast?!' Knowing where the answer might be, Alger turned his head and looked back in the direction from which they had come.

The thick curtain of fog was already dissipating, but if before he could see nothing, now he could see a little through it, and what he saw terrified him.

A colossal silhouette of an island could be seen through that mirage a size such that it looked like a floating city!

But it only lasted a few seconds; the rapidly dissipating fog took that vision with it...

It couldn't have taken more than 4 seconds to disappear.

'What was that...' Barely containing his trembling, Alger turned back to look at his men, who stared dazedly at the scene before them.

Shaking his head, his grip on the wheel became a little tighter.

"Get ready to disembark!"

Right now, the waters were too dangerous to sleep in tonight.