Sea Monster Stew Chapter 54

The moment Kisa heard Hildert’s name, his eyes snapped wide open. 

 

The guards’ voices, which had felt distant like an echo, suddenly became clear.

“A traitor who killed his own captain has become a Helio noble—who wouldn’t see red and struggle?”

Kisa stared at the iron door and, without realizing it, jerked upright. Hildert. Helio. Noble. These three words tangled complexly in his mind.

 

There was only one way for Hildert, a former mage of the pirate fleet who had even risen to Vice-Captain, to become an Imperial noble.

To become a privateer, offer a massive tribute to the Emperor, and in return be granted a title and lands.

 

“Hey!” Kisa rushed to the iron door and began pounding on it roughly. “Is that true? Did that son of a bitch Hildert really become the Empire’s dog?”

 

But no matter how much he shouted, no answer came from the guards. 

 

Only faint laughter, clearly meant to mock him, drifted back.

“Seems he had no idea.”

“Well, of course. What would a solitary cell have, a newspaper?”

 

The guards’ frivolous laughter grew louder. That alone was answer enough.

 

Kisa pressed his forehead hard against the cold iron door, gritting his teeth. Wasn’t it obvious?

 

The reason Hildert had become the Empire’s dog and stepped into noble society was to reach Biche’s bloodline.

‘That bastard Hildert… He knows Arco is the Duke’s granddaughter.’

The image of Hildert approaching the Duke to demand his granddaughter, of him seizing his escaped test subject once more, flashed vividly in his mind.

A fury that felt like his blood was boiling upside down constricted his chest. 

 

The magic-suppressing manacles binding his wrists dug heavily into his flesh, but their weight only solidified his resolve further.

“…This isn’t why I sent you away.”

His low murmur bounced off the damp stone walls and returned. 

 

It wasn’t just a murmur; it was a firm oath. 

 

A vow to prevent Hildert from ever reclaiming his hold on Biche’s leash.

 

It was right then that his bloodshot eyes fell upon his manacled wrists. 

 

If he could just tear one off, he could regain even a tiny bit of his magical power. 

 

Just a sliver, but for now, that would be enough.

Kisa wrapped the chain of the manacles tightly around his left wrist. Then, without a hint of hesitation, he pulled his right hand back violently.

Even as the chain dug into his flesh, biting deep to the bone, he didn’t stop. 

 

His eyes shone with the same resolute, cold light as when he was choking the guard.

 

* * *

 

He never expected infiltrating the Ducal estate of Akstain to be this easy. Orca inwardly cheered at the unexpectedly lax security.

 

‘The rumors that the Duke lost his mind after his daughter’s death must be true.’

 

Hiding half his face in the shadow of his helmet, he surveyed the castle interior. 

 

Compared to the Ducal house’s fame and authority, the castle was far too gloomy and quiet.

 

The servants moving through the corridors with their heads bowed all had dark expressions.

 

They all looked like people crushed by the melancholy, dark aura dominating the entire castle.

The knights and soldiers guarding the castle were equally listless. 

 

Although infiltrating the main keep was difficult, thanks to the utterly incompetent guards, Orca managed to slip into the high tower without issue.

‘The security is far too lax for the tower where the Duke’s granddaughter lives.’

The number of soldiers and knights guarding the tower, and even the resident servants, was far too small. 

 

It felt like an attempt to thoroughly hide the granddaughter’s existence and minimize the number of people who encountered her.

 

Disguised as a tower guard, Orca silently ascended the spiral staircase. 

 

Torches were sparsely hung on the walls of stacked cold stone, but their flames had long since died, leaving only black soot behind.

With each step on the stairs, the stone floor echoed heavily, the sound spreading through the tall tower’s interior like a long echo. 

 

At the end of the seemingly endless stairs, a thick iron door appeared.

A table where guards could rest was placed in a small space beside the iron door. 

 

An old guard, having removed his helmet, was dozing off, his head bobbing as he sat at the table.

Beyond the iron door, it was silent as a grave. 

 

Orca steadied his breath and cautiously approached the door.

The rusted iron door looked immensely sturdy, and the lock was firmly secured. 

 

Orca glanced at the sleeping guard’s hand. He was sleeping, clutching a keyring tightly in his grasp.

“Ahem.”

Orca deliberately cleared his throat to make his presence known. 

 

The guard started, jerking his head up. He stared blankly at Orca, whose face was hidden by the helmet, then stretched lazily.

 

“Is it a shift change already? I’m dead tired…”

Orca silently held out his hand. The old guard handed him the keyring, then picked up his spear and hobbled down the stairs.

The moment the sound of yawns and footsteps faded down the spiral staircase, Orca unhesitatingly inserted the key into the door lock.

After pausing a moment to steady his breath, he carefully placed his palm against the door. 

 

Pushing it open gently, a sharp metallic screech echoed coldly through the entire tower.

 

Orca cautiously peeked his head through the gap in the door. The room inside was spacious and silent.

It was far too barren a place for a Ducal lady’s chamber. The furniture was all old, and the air filling the room was excessively chilly.

The dawn light streaming through the small window covered the floor like blue waves. And in the very center, a woman sat.

Orca instinctively tightened his grip on the door handle. 

 

The woman was sitting at a long wooden table, reading a newspaper. 

 

It was the very same woman who had jumped from the resistance ship on that stormy night.

Her complexion was haggard, but her serene gaze and seated posture retained an indescribable grace. 

 

The dawn light filtering through the iron bars settled calmly on her shoulders.

Orca frowned at an inexplicable glare. For some reason, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from this haggard woman.

 

At that moment, the woman looked up from the newspaper and slowly raised her head. 

 

Seeming to notice Orca standing dumbly outside the door belatedly, her calm eyes widened considerably.

Her pupils, turned away from the dawn light, looked dark, yet at the same time, strangely deep and clear. 

 

The moment their eyes met, Orca was seized by an unexpected confusion.

It felt like being sucked into a green abyss. 

 

He momentarily held his breath. 

 

An inexplicable turmoil churned in his chest.

“…The newspaper. I’ve already received it,” the woman said, carefully lifting the newspaper spread on the table. 

 

Her movements were cautious and slow. Even that slow motion held Orca’s gaze firmly.

For a moment, he wondered if she had recognized him, but he was currently wearing a large helmet concealing his face. 

 

She seemed flustered by a guard suddenly opening the door.

“Excuse me. I said I already received the newspaper.”

The woman rose hesitantly from her seat and glared at him. 

 

It seemed the guard who had stepped away earlier had given her the newspaper. 

 

Orca nodded silently.

‘Why did the Duke lock this woman here? Just to hide a half-breed? Or is there another reason…?’

While his mind struggled to find a plausible reason, his heart was moving in a completely different direction. 

 

Anger, pity, and an indescribable emotion tangled complexly deep within his heart.

 

“Excuse me,” Biche whispered. Her voice resonated faintly and subtly, like moonlight. “You’ll end up in danger too if you stay. Please close the door.”

Her words were simple advice, but they contained a concern for another’s safety before her own.

“What are you doing? Please, close the door…”

“This wasn’t my original plan,” Orca blurted out impulsively, removing his helmet.

As the white face and silver hair hidden inside the helmet were revealed, the woman’s lips parted and she pressed herself closer to the wall. 

 

She seemed to have recognized his face.

“Wh-why are you here…?”

“I only intended to confirm the young lady’s face and leave the castle quickly…” He tucked the helmet under his arm and slowly looked around the desolate bedroom. 

 

“But seeing you like this, I simply cannot leave. Why has the Duke imprisoned you here?”

“…You saw me clearly on the deck that day, and yet you ask that?” 

 

The woman let out a deep sigh and picked up a shawl draped over the back of her chair. 

 

“Your subordinate called me a ‘half-breed’ that day.”