Chapter 114: Ah, Get Lost.

The next day, just as the morning sun rose over the sea.

On the sandy beach less than ten minutes on foot from Mudside Port, five ships were stranded.

Their hulls, covered thickly in barnacles, were riddled with holes.

The proud sight they had boasted just yesterday was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a wreck that seemed pitiful.

“Damn it, what the hell is this?”

“Haaah… What a mess….”

The faces of the sailors and soldiers watching from nearby were full of irritation and worry.

Ships that had been perfectly fine suddenly ended up full of holes, reduced to this state overnight.

Even though they belonged to the great Count of Tread’s fleet, their appearance was nothing short of disgraceful.

‘This… it’s enough to make one believe in ghosts.’

‘How could such a thing happen….’

It was a bolt from the blue.

But since nothing had been revealed, all they could do was sigh in frustration.

At that moment, inside the Mudside Administration Office.

Unit Commander Chillas, his face flushed bright red, slammed the desk furiously as he shouted.

“Speak the truth! This was all instigated by your side, wasn’t it?!”

Viscount Cobalt frowned as he replied.

“Now, aren’t your words going too far? And on what grounds do you say such a thing?”

“Isn’t it obvious! Who else but the Daphne Viscounty would have reason to do this in the current situation?!”

“Don’t spout nonsense! Have you already forgotten that we were aboard that ship too? I find your words very offensive!”

“Or perhaps you boarded on purpose, exactly to feign innocence?”

“Unit Commander Chillas! You’ve crossed the line!”

The composure that once filled Chillas’s face was long gone, and Cobalt too stood firm, refusing to yield an inch.

As the two men’s voices escalated without end—

‘Th-the atmosphere….’

‘I can’t breathe.’

The air in the room grew so suffocatingly tense that most present couldn’t even dare meet each other’s eyes.

Just as the chaos reached its peak—

Clatter!

“My ears are about to fall off.”

The door swung open roughly, and a man suddenly appeared.

“Huwaaahm.”

Hardin walked in, scratching his stomach as he yawned, his face worn with fatigue.

“H-Hardin?”

“Brother….”

The men of Daphne looked a bit surprised.

“……You.”

The faces of Chillas and the men of Count Tread’s side showed clear displeasure.

Hardin scratched his head before speaking.

“Hey, you, the one-eyed guy. Your name was Chilli… what was it again?”

“Unit Commander Chillas.”

“Oh right, that’s what it was.”

Hardin gave a slight nod, then waved his hand lazily.

“If you’re here to cause trouble, then leave. I already have heartburn from losing business because of you lot.”

“What… did you just say?”

“What I said. And don’t pretend you didn’t hear it.”

As Hardin answered with a bored look, Chillas’s brow furrowed sharply.

“Do you even realize who you’re being insolent toward?”

“Before who? Why, before a great young master of a noble house… standing in front of nothing more than a petty knight.”

As Hardin spoke in a calm voice full of leisure, Chillas ground his teeth.

“……”

His face trembled faintly.

Chillas’s jaw muscles twitched before he finally opened his mouth again.

“Don’t tell me… it was you?”

“What was?”

“I’m asking if you were the one who did that to the ships.”

“What happened to the ships?”

When Hardin shrugged, Chillas pointed a finger at him and shouted.

“Don’t play dumb! While Viscount Cobalt was drawing our attention, you were the one who bored holes into the hulls, weren’t you!”

Then—

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Hardin clapped a few times, then smiled slyly.

“Kehh. Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“What?”

“You’re saying I could pull off something that amazing. I should be grateful you think so highly of me.”

Chillas barked back in a voice dripping with anger.

“Drop the act! It could only have been you! Who else in these waters would dare such a thing if not you?!”

“Who else? There are plenty of candidates. For example….”

Hardin stroked his chin, then grinned mischievously as he continued.

“Maybe a Kraken from the open sea? Or perhaps… an extremely pissed-off narwhal.”

“Youuuu! Nonsense!”

Bang!

Chillas slammed his palm down hard on the table.

The teacup sitting on it toppled over, spilling its contents down the side.

A heavy silence fell instantly, tension deepening on everyone’s faces.

With a crooked smile, Hardin spoke.

“Well, let’s give you the benefit of the doubt and say it was us. But tell me….”

His gaze suddenly sharpened as he finished.

“Got proof?”

“What? Proof?”

“Yeah, proof. Can you really accuse people like this with nothing to show for it? Or is this just your way of insulting our house?”

At that, Viscount Cobalt stepped in front of Hardin with a troubled look and said.

“Hardin, there’s no need to go that far….”

Chuk!

Hardin brushed him aside with his arm, signaling that it was fine.

Then, wiping the last trace of a smile off his face—

Srrring!

He drew the sword from his waist and said.

“If you’re going to keep making baseless claims, then get lost. Or else, we can settle this with a duel.”

“……”

In that moment, a blue glow flickered in Hardin’s eyes and along the edge of his sword.

Then—

Srrring!

“What do you think you’re doing!”

“Put that sword down at once!”

The knights of Count Tread, who had been standing by, quickly drew their blades and leveled them at Hardin.

“Step back, Young Master!”

“Brother!”

Cobalt, Malion, and even Mulgybson drew their swords, facing off.

“Hiiiik!”

The retainers, shocked pale, raised their hands in the air.

It was a hair-trigger moment.

Just as the tension in the air grew taut, Chillas spoke with a displeased look on his face.

“After pulling a stunt like this… do you really think you’ll get away unscathed?”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind finding out how it turns out.”

Hardin’s expression hardened further, his grip tightening around his sword.

Wuuuuung!

As he drew up his mana in earnest, the glow in his eyes deepened, and even his hair swayed as if caught in a current.

Then, a dark crimson aura burst forth from Hardin’s body, spreading in all directions—

Paaat!

—before surging directly at Chillas.

‘……?!’

In that fleeting instant, Chillas’s eyes widened like lanterns.

For as soon as Hardin’s aura touched him, he saw a vision—his own neck being cut by Hardin’s blade.

The tang of blood at his nose, the sting against his skin.

Why was it?

This was nothing more than a cocky brat who looked barely over twenty. Yet in Chillas’s eyes, Hardin seemed almost…

‘Like a finely forged blade.’

It was something only Chillas could sense, he who had earned the epithet “One-Eyed Demon” after countless battles and victories.

That boy before him…

That very existence, like an incarnation born of pure malice and wrath, was sending him a warning.

Chillas clicked his tongue.

‘So he’s been hiding his strength all this time? Or is it….’

…The situation has turned out differently than expected.

The knights of Tread had been exhausted from bailing water out of the ships all night, worn to the bone by the chaos.

If they all attacked together, perhaps they could win, but—

‘There’s no need to take such a risk now.’

After all, this confrontation… we came here with the intent to overwhelm them.

Chillas closed his eye tightly, then opened it, raising his hand in command.

“Put down your swords.”

“What?”

“But they were the ones who first threatened—”

Ssshh.

Chillas raised his hand toward his scarred eye and gently rubbed it.

“I said, put them down.”

Flash!

The eye he had kept closed until now opened wide.

At its center gleamed a glass prosthetic eye.

Over the unfocused black orb glimmered a faint blue light. The way it refracted differently from a real eye, combined with the scars around it, evoked the gaze of a demon or fiend.

‘That gaze….’

Gulp.

Not only the men of Daphne, but even Chillas’s own subordinates stiffened in nervousness.

One by one, the swords were lowered.

At the same time, the killing intent that had been pressing from Hardin’s body dissipated entirely.

Chillas raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk.

“So you’re Hardin, the Young Master… Quite a spirited fellow for your age.”

“I don’t need your evaluation.”

In response, Hardin tapped his shoulder lightly with the flat of his sword as he answered.

Then Chillas slowly rose from his seat and declared.

“We’ll withdraw here for today. As for the ships… we’ll return to reclaim them later.”

“Well, suit yourself.”

Hardin shrugged, and Chillas shifted his gaze as he spoke.

“Viscount Cobalt, we would appreciate your assistance… so we can leave this place smoothly.”

“Ah, well, that can be arranged….”

Cobalt glanced nervously at Hardin.

“……”

Hardin folded his arms and gave a silent nod.

At that—

“Then tell me, what exactly is it you want us to help with?”

Cobalt, licking his lips that had gone dry from tension, spoke in a composed voice.

---

At Mudside’s docks.

“Come on, slowly now, carefully, one at a time!”

“Over there! Please wait just a moment!”

The ships that had been stuck in the harbor began leaving in a line.

So many were departing all at once that the harbor workers didn’t have nearly enough hands to keep order.

But…

“Haaah, we’re finally heading out.”

“I thought we were really done for. At least if we hurry, we can just barely make the delivery deadline.”

Relief and smiles spread across the sailors’ faces as they steadily departed from the port.

Just then—

“Hmmmm.”

A merchant with a fine mustache, standing aboard one of the ships, looked curiously toward the shore.

On the sandy beach not far from the port—

There, five warships flying the banner of Count Tread were stranded in miserable condition.

Nearby, well over a hundred of Count Tread’s men bustled about.

They were busy transferring cargo from the ships onto carriages borrowed from the Daphne Viscounty.

The mustached merchant stroked his beard and muttered.

“What on earth… what could have happened to leave their ships in that state?”

The fellow merchant beside him only shrugged as he replied.

“Well, does it matter? Thanks to that, we’re able to leave, and Daphne even promised compensation….”

“Well, true enough. And they say the misunderstanding with Count Tread has been cleared up. Things should be smooth from here.”

With calm smiles, the merchants watched as their ships slid swiftly over the waves, leaving the harbor behind.

---

Meanwhile, on the sandy beach along the shore.

“Move faster! Check the captains’ cabins thoroughly too!”

“Yes, sir!”

Count Tread’s men bustled busily.

They hauled cargo out of the stranded ships and loaded it onto the carriages borrowed from the Daphne Viscounty.

‘Damn it, what the hell is this situation.’

‘Why do we have to suffer like this….’

Their faces were etched with frustration and displeasure.

Their mission had only been to blockade the waters of Mudside.

But then holes had suddenly opened in their ships, and now they were forced to recover all this cargo and return by land.

‘We… men of Count Tread… what disgrace is this?’

None among them had foreseen such a situation, which only made the bitterness worse.

“……”

Yet Unit Commander Chillas, who was the overall commander of this operation, merely stood with his arms crossed, silently watching the scene unfold.

Just then, as the work was underway, a voice came from the side.

“Unit Commander Chillas, is everything going smoothly with preparations?”

“…Viscount Cobalt.”

Turning his head, Chillas saw Cobalt and the Young Masters standing there, accompanied by several knights of Daphne.

Forcing a smile, Chillas replied.

“Yes, well. Thanks to the carriages you lent us… we should be able to return without issue.”

“That’s good to hear. When misfortune strikes, we must all help each other.”

“I hardly know how to repay Daphne’s aid.”

The two exchanged smiles as they spoke.

But somehow, beneath the surface of their words, a subtle sharpness could be felt.

At that moment, Hardin spoke up.

“Did you bring the money?”

“…Here it is.”

Chillas pulled out a pouch from his coat and handed it over.

Hardin snatched it, quickly rummaging through the gold coins inside to count them.

Then he raised his head again, answering in a rather disgruntled tone.

“This is all? Looks a little short to me.”

“That’s all the cash I have on hand right now. The balance… I’ll settle later.”

Hardin’s brow furrowed.

“Eh-hey, what kind of excuse is that?”

“But it’s the truth, what else can I do?”

“If you really can’t pay, then hand over some goods instead.”

“Hardin, there’s no need to go that far….”

Viscount Cobalt spoke with a slightly troubled expression, but Hardin waved his hand firmly.

“Eh-hey, no, money matters need to be handled properly. Carriages, horses, docking fees for those ships—it’s no small amount. What if they just skip out and run off without paying?”

“But didn’t they say they’d come back for their ships? Then we can collect later….”

What? Collect later?

‘This man is too soft.’

Hardin narrowed his eyes and exhaled sharply through his nose before replying.

“I don’t care. I want payment now, so hand over whatever you’ve got.”

At that, Chillas shook his head, then gestured toward the rear as he spoke.

“Pager!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Bring one of the reserve crates.”

“But that’s—”

“Now.”

“U-understood!”

At Chillas’s curt order, one of the knights rushed off, soon returning with a wooden crate which he set down in front of them.

“This should suffice.”

“…What is it?”

Hardin ripped open the wooden lid, revealing dozens of finely crafted swords inside.

Even at a glance, the craftsmanship was excellent—enough to make Viscount Cobalt’s brow twitch in recognition.

“They’re knight swords forged at Salamander’s Tongue. That should be more than enough for payment.”

Salamander’s Tongue.

The largest forge in Luden Shire, famed across the land for selling weapons, equipment, and inventions everywhere, and a source of immense wealth for the Count of Tread.

The quality of these blades matched that reputation perfectly.

Hardin picked out a few, inspecting them, then spoke bluntly.

“Well, it’s a little lacking… but I’ll let it pass.”

Just as the settlement was coming to a close—

“Unit Commander Chillas! Preparations are complete!”

A shout came from the men of Tread behind them.

Whish!

Chillas turned silently on his heel, then strode toward his subordinates and gave the order.

“Move out! As quickly as possible!”

“Yes, sir!”

Under Chillas’s command, Count Tread’s men began their departure.

As they grew more and more distant and finally vanished from sight—

“……”

The gazes of Daphne’s men, who had been watching their retreating figures, naturally turned toward Hardin.

Viscount Cobalt opened his mouth in a quiet voice.

“Hardin.”

“Yes.”

When Hardin answered, Viscount Cobalt moved his lips for a moment, then finally asked the question he had wanted to ask all along.

“What exactly… did you do last night?”

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