HPDBC Chapter 74
Chapter 74
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 74
She quickly bounced toward me, grabbed my cheeks with both hands, and examined my face from side to side.
"Are you really the young master?"
"Then who else would I be?"
"But... I heard you got caught up in a teleportation spell..."
"Yeah, I did. Ended up in the Kraken’s nest."
At those words, her eyes widened dramatically.
"The Kraken’s nest?! You actually went to that thrilling place?!"@@@@
"Are you crazy? No, wait—I misspoke."
"Hehe, it’s fine. It’s not like I don’t know you’re the kind of person who would bluntly ask someone if they’ve lost their mind."
"Uh, well..."
She really knew how to leave me speechless.
But honestly, wasn't it because her behavior was outright insane?
I wanted to shout that at her, but I held back.
"Let go, Luna."
I gritted my teeth as Luna suddenly restrained me from behind.
"Young lady, please—just one hit? Just one?"
"Of course not! Now, let’s go! Grandfather is waiting for you."
She effortlessly changed the subject and ran off energetically.
I shook my head and followed her.
* * *
Right after I disappeared, the Kraken attacked the village.
Its erratic behavior was likely due to its unease about not being able to control all living beings with its mind.
Moreover, the cultists had tried to interfere with the Kraken’s mind, which must have increased its anxiety even further.
Fortunately, thanks to the presence of the Sword Saint, Osberg Mielephon, the Kraken didn’t rampage too much before retreating.
Osberg Mielephon, who was overseeing post-battle operations in a temporary command tent, widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Luna and me approach.
He hurried over.
"You two! Are you alright?"
"Yes. Luckily, we weren’t teleported too far away and managed to escape quickly."
"Phew... That’s a relief. If something had happened to you, I wouldn’t have been able to face certain people."
"I heard the Kraken attacked?"
"Yes. It retreated fairly quickly, but the damage was greater than expected."
He sighed heavily.
An unprepared battle inevitably leads to casualties.
Still, the fact that there were no fatalities—only injuries—was likely due to Osberg’s extraordinary skill.
"Sir, with the Kraken rampaging beyond expectations, we’ve suffered significant material losses. There are also many injured."
Osberg’s expression darkened.
A cold-faced man in armor stepped forward.
A member of the Mielephon family—likely Isna’s uncle.
"To be blunt, the chances of a successful subjugation have become too low."
"What do you propose?"
"We should retreat for now, regroup, and request additional support from the main family."
"If we do that, the Kraken will have already laid its eggs. Are you suggesting we let the patriarch die?"
"Analyzing the situation objectively, if we continue like this, not only will the subjugation fail, but the task force could suffer irrecoverable losses."
The man spoke unwaveringly, and Osberg sighed deeply.
They had managed to stop the cultists, but the damage they had done was severely affecting the subjugation effort.
"This is my burden to bear... I should have eradicated them all in the past..."
"Grandfather, this isn’t your fault, is it? And, Uncle, isn’t it possible that the Kraken has weakened as well?"
"Regrettably, the Kraken is not such a fragile creature, Isna."
From the look of things, the resources prepared for the Kraken’s subjugation had been severely damaged.
"More importantly, its mental attack capabilities have significantly recovered. If we engage in battle, we may end up losing our sense of ally and enemy altogether."
"How many immunity artifacts do we have left?"
"We used most of them to evacuate civilians who couldn’t escape in time."
Osberg let out a suppressed groan.
Then, as if coming to a decision, he spoke.
"It's already been three days!!!"
Beren couldn't suppress his anger.
"Damn it! The Kraken subjugation is not some child's play!"
He had seen many young men overreach themselves in the hopes of making a name for themselves.
Beren trusted Sword Saint Osberg’s judgment.
That was why he refrained from making hasty judgments about Leon Cascadia, whom Osberg believed in.
However.
Up until the promised third day, Leon’s actions had been utterly disappointing.
On the first day.
He spent the entire day staring at the sea cliffs with a robed healer.
On the second day, his subordinates reported that he had slept all day.
And on the third day.
All he did was silently swing his sword in an open clearing.
The fact that the Kraken had truly not attacked for three days was curious, but they couldn’t stay idle forever.
The longer they remained on guard without taking action, the more exhaustion would build up, and the damage to the fishing village would worsen.
It was strange enough that Leon wielded both a sword and magic, but fine, that was still within reason.
However, this was too much.
"Is he still swinging his sword?"
"Yes."
"Take me to him."
"Ha... However, the elder instructed us not to disturb him...."
The knight, sweating nervously, flinched.
Beren’s gaze was cold enough to freeze a man on the spot.
"The Mielephon subjugation force is not here to babysit a fool who wastes time with no plan. Lead me to him, now."
Beren stormed off to find Leon.
There, he found Leon silently swinging his sword in the air, a robed woman watching him, and Isna standing nearby.
"Uncle?"
"Leon Cascadia."
Beren's voice was ice-cold as he approached, drawing his sword without hesitation and pointing it at Leon’s throat.
Isna blinked at the sudden action, while Luna observed the situation with an unreadable expression.
The common factor?
None of the three seemed particularly surprised.
"Knew this would happen."
"You’re the last person who should be saying that. Beren, please lower your sword for now."
"The elder gave you three days. And for three days, I have indulged your whims while leading the wounded knights of my house."
His voice was sharp and cutting.
"It's a miracle that the Kraken hasn’t moved. I’ll give you that. But what exactly are you doing?"
"Hmm."
"Do you think knights’ lives are something to be thrown away? Explain yourself—right now."
Leon glanced at Luna.
Should I strike?
When Luna raised her small fist slightly, Leon let out a sigh and shook his head.
"It's almost noon."
For three days, the Kraken had been silent.
But that was the limit.
"We'll begin the Kraken defense battle now."
"Are you joking?! We’ve wasted three days without even preparing to set sail! Do you think ships can be deployed instantly?!"
"Why would we set sail?"
The most difficult part of Kraken hunting.
It had to be fought at sea.
No matter how strong a warrior was, if the ship capsized, combat became nearly impossible.
"W-what?"
"We’re going to drag that thing onto the shore. It's exhausted to the point where it can't tell the difference between friend and foe."
"That’s nonsense...!"
"You seem to be mistaken, so let me clarify: no matter how weakened it is, it's still a Kraken. If we fight it at sea, we’re guaranteed to be annihilated."
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]