MTFBMP Chapter 30

Dion could not have his successor title snatched from him without ever having done anything, so he conjured up this beast.

 

‘When this beast was shown to me, it was to test me.’

 

When Dion first encountered the beast, he was overwhelmed just standing there, and he had to force himself to stay put and keep from fainting.

 

— Grrr!

 

The flying beast cried out in a high-pitched scream and struggled, as if it were screaming at the humans.

 

With each stake it laid, a human was torn apart by its claws and blown away by its beak. 

 

After both wings were secured, when it caught them off guard, it pulled out one stake and shot it like an arrow.

 

‘Behold, Dion. That’s the ugly face of the curse the Empire wants to hide the most.’ 

 

Dion heard the words in his stifled voice. There was a disgust and anger in his tone that he could not hide.

 

The beast turned toward Dion, perhaps in response to the voice. Its eyes locked, and Dion felt the fear that took his breath away.

 

He wanted to flee, to break free of his restraints at once, to lunge at him and tear him limb from limb. Maybe the beast was sending him those thoughts.

 

‘This is a beast that cannot be tamed.’

 

Dion’s instincts screamed at him.

 

Suddenly, Dion realized why his father had kept the beast in the basement of the great ship instead of elsewhere, to let it drift, on purpose, when the time was right. To die before anyone could find it.

 

‘This is how the sun of the empire will be cast into the sea.’ 

 

Since that time, he’s changed little by little. Whenever he could, he would come to this ship to check on the beast, and he seemed to grow more and more dazed, like a man who had lost his mind.

 

I was afraid of what he might decide when he had disposed of the beast in the way he wanted.

 

Finally, Dion made up his mind.

 

Let’s go to White Gold Beach and see if my brother truly was there. If we’re lucky, we might even get some information from the rumors.

 

‘Next, we’ll kill the beast before reaching the Imperial black market, and trade the carcass.’

 

Duke Noir hasn’t betrayed or disloyal to the Empire, he’s simply returning an accidentally killed beast to the Empire.

 

Since he did not kill the beast himself, the curse that would be cast upon him should not affect his estate.

 

Thus, Dion planned to be recognized as the rightful heir.

 

“I’m sure that was the plan, but nothing ever goes as planned.”

 

As a result, Anthele was now on this ship. He put on an innocent face, as if he knew nothing.

 

‘You keep calling me captain on such a subject.’ 

 

It didn’t take me long to realize that this wasn’t the kind of captain that the rest of the crew spoke of as if it were a joke.

 

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the first time.

 

Anthele was the first person to treat him as a real captain.

 

“What do you think, Jade?”

 

“Regardless of the truth of the rumors, you are the rightful heir.”

 

“I hope you’re right.”

 

The letter referred to her, so of course I assumed the hidden child was a girl. It was not an entirely unreasonable conjecture, as some rumors about the lord’s wife were that she had been killed while trying to kidnap a girl in the castle.

 

But it was the innkeeper at the White Gold Beach Inn who was the center of the rumors.

 

He wasn’t the family they’d been looking for. So they took him aboard.

 

‘But…’

 

Dion turned away from the men who approached him. 

 

Of course, many dreamers, both male and female, tried to get close to him. 

 

Some had even invaded his bed, and he knew enough to recognize the difference between a man’s and a woman’s embrace.

 

A sharp sensation of awareness flashed through Dion’s mind when he buried his face in the sensitive nape of her neck, or when he saw her wet.

 

“I’m going to go check on the ship.”

 

He forced himself to stop thinking and stood up.

 

“What’s all the fuss about the ship, anyway?”

 

It was a routine reconnaissance, but the entire ship was in disarray. Many sailors weren’t where they were supposed to be.

 

“Let’s find out what’s going on…”

 

Dion hadn’t even finished his sentence. A huge noise that resembled a cheer erupted from the direction of the kitchen.

 

“There they are.”

 

Spotting Dion and Jade, they quickly shook their heads and scurried away. But the others, too preoccupied to recognize them, were still busy talking loudly.

 

“What, did the captain lose or win?”

 

“Oh, wait, hold on, I haven’t put the coin in yet!”

 

The lanky sailor patted him on the side, and he shrugged it off, but kept his eyes fixed on one place.

 

Peering through the crowd of heads, I see the source of the commotion, and at the center of it all are Anthele and Rhodon, sitting at a table.

 

Rhodon was one of the sailors he hadn’t quite gotten the hang of. He was also a manipulative figure, one who could create trouble for his crew.

 

Despite having him before her, Anthele looked intensely focused, not at all intimidated.

 

“He lost! Kid wins!”

 

Anthele had won. Once again, there was a great uproar.

 

‘What’s with the look on her face?’ 

 

Anthele’s face was getting paler and whiter as Rhodon approached, but when Rhodon reached out to her…

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Somehow, before Dion could think, he was blocking Anthele’s path.

 

💫

 

At that moment, a huge wave narrowly missed the ship.

 

However, it didn’t escape all the aftermath, causing the ship to tilt once and then return.

 

— Urgh!

 

The instantly enlarged flying beast cried out high in time with the waves. If it weren’t for the loud crashing of the waves, the cry would have pierced the ceiling and rattled the deck.

 

How dare he?

 

The flying beast shuddered. It flapped its wings to fill the cell. The beasts in the dungeon together ducked into corners as best they could.

 

It was only a matter of time. Just a little more concentration.

 

‘If only the glowing human had called me more clearly.’ 

 

I would have torn through these planks and taken flight in an instant. My chest swelled with uncontrollable hunger.

 

— Come on, now, call me.

 

And then, suddenly. I realized there was no name to call from those lips.

 

— …

 

And the beast realized it had no name to call either.

 

It tried to think of names that other humans called, but they did not come to its mind.

 

A name. The beast needed a name to call.

 

💫

 

In front of him was Dion’s broad back, not Rhodon’s.

 

The tilt of the boat suddenly caused my body to lean against his back, and I was now hanging off his back. He’s a man, not a girl, though he’s still a man, and he’s still standing there, holding my body lightly.

 

“Anthele, are you okay?”

 

I nodded, pulling away from him in a whisper so low only I could hear it. Dion turned his head back to look ahead as if he understood.

 

‘So Dion is a grown man.’

 

It was a new realization.

 

I hadn’t realized how soothing it was to not see Rhodon, but the vision haunted me, like a memory etched into my soul, even though nothing had happened yet.

 

‘But why did I think Adelaine would save me?’

 

In the vision, Adelaine…, after disposing of Rhodon, plunged a sword into my heart.

 

The images of Adelaine’s naked body flashed through my mind, and I was embarrassed. I felt sorry for Dion, who was standing in front of me.

 

“Go ahead and get them dismissed, Rhodon.”

 

“Yes, yes, don’t worry, Master!”

 

There was a hint of displeasure in his obedient reply, but neither Dion nor Rhodon took issue with it.

 

“Have you been gambling on my ship?”

 

“Oh, no. It’s just…”

 

I guess I’m next in line for a scolding.

 

Dion was looking down at me with a vicious glare. I almost hiccuped in surprise. My mouth clamped shut as I tried to come up with an excuse.

 

“Come with me, Anthele.”

 

With those words, Dion turned and began to walk out of the kitchen, Jade following close behind.

 

‘No, it’s not gambling.’ 

 

It was a simple bet, far from a game of meandering gambling, or so she excused herself.

 

“Well, where are we going, anyway?”

 

“To my room.”

 

The response was a resounding denial.