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Chapter 57
Rose walked into the room with a heavy sigh and glared at me with an unpleasant expression.
“I didn’t expect anything anyway.”
“What?”
“Forget it.”
Rose stomped around, her footsteps loud and heavy for her small frame, and plopped down onto a chair as if to vent her anger.
E n ů ṁä. і̄ d
“So what’s this about?”
As soon as everyone gathered, Chloe spoke up.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Calling all of us here at this hour must mean you’ve got some information again.”
And the one who answered her was Maxwell.
“Just like Maxwell said. This time…”
“Kirin’s forbidden book, right?”
Е̇ nu̇ mа̌
Rose’s previous displeasure vanished instantly as she beamed, but—
“Sorry, not this time. It’s about Cled’s legacy.”
“Our family?! If it’s Lord Cled’s legacy then…”
The very item Chloe Hendel had long been searching for.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“The Aegis’s Shield.”
“Did you really have to bring this up now of all times?”
W ě b̌ǹ оṽеl̄ Е̂nu m̈ a
Rose, clearly disappointed it wasn’t Kirin’s forbidden book, began to grumble.
“I’m bringing it up now because this is the right time. The shield is close by.”
Besides, acquiring the Aegis’s Shield would take a considerable amount of time.
At Argen Academy, where attendance was crucial, you couldn’t simply skip several days in the middle of a semester. Vacation was the best timing.
“It’ll take quite a while, and during that time we won’t be able to return to the villa, so steel yourselves. We leave tomorrow morning.”
“When you say ‘quite a while,’ what do you mean?”
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“At the longest, about five days.”
The villa of House Cribel was rented for a week.
Which meant most of that time would be spent on the journey to retrieve the Aegis’s Shield.
“Excuse me, but during those five days, what do we do about food or sleeping arrangements?”
Shane carefully raised her hand to ask.
“No need to worry about that. Right, Maxwell?”
Ẃ е b̃ň о̊ v̄ ё l Е́ n̄ u̇ mа̇
“So that’s what this was about…”
Maxwell nodded and continued.
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“I already prepared emergency rations. That’s why I joined late in the first place.”
I had already informed Maxwell about the food situation.
Of course, simple rations could be packed from the villa, but thorough preparation never hurt.
“The Aegis’s Shield will, of course, be handed over to the Hendel family, and the process will be the same as when we dealt with the Horn of Glory.”
Е̊ n u mа̂ . і d̂
“Meaning it goes through our trading company, right?”
“Exactly. We’ll set a fair price—one the Hendel family will find acceptable.”
“That’s our area of expertise, so leave that to us.”
Drek grinned as he responded to my words.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Um… where exactly is the destination?”
Viola took advantage of the quiet moment to voice her concern.
Ẁe b n̂о̄vе̇l̄ Éñ u m̃ ӑ
“Saying we can’t return to the villa means… you’re expecting a long journey, aren’t you?”
“Well, the distance itself isn’t too far, but I’ll explain tomorrow.”
Clap!
I clapped my hands loudly to shift the mood.
“So all you need to remember is to go to bed early tonight and wake up early tomorrow. Departure is at 6 a.m.”
The time was just past 10 p.m.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
That meant nearly a full eight hours of rest—just right.
‘At least tonight, I’ll let them sleep peacefully.’
“Oh, Maxwell, wait a moment.”
I pulled Maxwell aside and whispered to him.
“No matter what happens tomorrow, don’t panic. Stay rational.”
***
Е̌ń ům̃ а̌ ._іd
“I remember you saying we had to leave early in the morning. But why exactly are we here right now?”
At dawn, before anything even began, Maxwell voiced his dissatisfaction.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“This is a crucial first step.”
“Leon… I always trust you, but… are you sure about this?”
Even Viola trembled uneasily, as though she could hardly believe me.
“I know you must feel uneasy.”
Ẁе b̀n̈о̊v̈ ĕ l Е ṅú m а
Most of the Secret Chasers didn’t respond to my words, and the only one who did was Drek.
“It doesn’t concern me since I’m not the one involved, but calling this ‘a little uneasy’ seems like an understatement, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“Look at Maxwell’s situation…”
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Following Drek’s words, I turned back toward Maxwell.
We were at the edge of a seaside cliff, about two hours from the Cribel villa.
Еňūm̄ ӑ
And Maxwell… was dangling precariously over the cliff, tied up from head to toe with ropes.
‘Yeah, no wonder he’s uneasy.’
“Set aside your fears for now. I’ll explain everything shortly.”
Though skeptical, the others held their silence for the time being.
“Our destination is Atlantis.”
“Atlantis? You mean the Atlantis I’m thinking of…?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Yes, the very same Atlantis you’re thinking of—the kingdom of the merfolk.”
“I thought Atlantis only existed in myths…”
***
The underwater city of Atlantis.
As Viola pointed out, it was a place spoken of only in legends, with no known eyewitnesses.
“Evils were also said to exist only in myth, wasn’t he?”
Ё n̂ um̃ а̂
“Well, that’s true…”
“Atlantis exists—just like Evils did.”
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It may have appeared only in myths, but that didn’t mean it was confined to them.
“Wait a second, what does Atlantis have to do with the Aegis’s Shield?”
“Because Cled gifted the Aegis’s Shield to Atlantis.”
“But history records that the Aegis’s Shield was lost in battle…”
W е̂b̌ n о̇ vé l̆ Е̂ n.üm а
“That’s only what was announced publicly. If it became known that such a relic was left behind on the forgotten continent of Atlantis, do you think the world would stay quiet about it?”
Chloe couldn’t refute my words and instead held her silence.
“I’m sorry, but this is a little hard to believe. How do you even know this?”
Chloe let out a dry laugh as she asked.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Even the direct descendants of Cled—the Hendel family—knew nothing of this.
Yet here I was, not even a citizen of the Crihaiten Kingdom, claiming to know.
Е̌ nù mä
Add to that the mention of Atlantis, a place out of myth, and it was only natural they found it hard to believe.
“I only learned of it recently. My family managed to decode some documents left behind by Garon, and that’s how I found out.”
A convenient excuse—documents left behind by a fellow traveler.
Of course, no such documents actually existed.
Back then, the heroes had all agreed to keep Atlantis a secret.
But Chloe had no way of knowing I was lying.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“And those documents also explained how to get to Atlantis.”
I said this while glancing at Maxwell, still tightly bound with ropes.
“What do you mean by that…?”
Step, step, step.
“Wait, Leon Jodrick? Why are you coming closer?”
Sensing something ominous, Maxwell’s expression quickly hardened.
Е ṅ û mа
“Wait, stop right the—!”
“Sorry, Maxwell.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Thud!
Without hesitation, I kicked Maxwell.
“Leooooon Jodriiiiick!”
Bound tightly in ropes, unable to resist, Maxwell plummeted straight down the cliff.
W̆ е̄ b̌n о ṽ ël̇ Е n u m̌ а
For a long moment, his scream echoed against the cliff walls.
Splash!
“Wow, that’s high. Took forever for him to hit the water.”
I stared at Maxwell thrashing in the sea for a moment, then confirmed he wasn’t coming back up.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
…
“Le… Leon?”
Ẁ еb̀ñо̇v̆еl̇ Е̄n u ḿ ã
“What did you just do?”
“Don’t panic. This is how we get to Atlantis. Maxwell and I arranged this in advance.”
“Arranged it? His reaction didn’t look like it…”
“When it’s right in your face, anyone would panic, wouldn’t they?”
I calmed the kids down as I continued my explanation.
“There’s only one way to reach Atlantis—an invitation.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
It’s a place said to exist only in myth, unseen by anyone since the time of Cled and the other heroes.
If it were somewhere you could just stumble upon, it would’ve been discovered long ago.
“And the condition for being invited is simple. Atlantis chooses to invite someone who is both talented and good-hearted, when that person faces a life-or-death crisis near the sea.”
Cled himself had been invited on his return journey after the great expedition, his body weakened by battle with the Demon King, then struck by illness and caught in a storm.
In the original story, Maxwell too had fallen into the sea—after trying to rescue Rose, who panicked and accidentally blasted him with stray magic.
I could have explained all this in advance.
Е̃n̄u m ȧ
‘But there’s no way they would have agreed to a plan like this.’
It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
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“I have a question.”
“What is it, Rose?”
“I get what you’re saying, but if that’s the condition, then only Maxwell will end up going to Atlantis.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll see a reaction soon enough. Drek, give me what I asked for.”
W.ӗb nо v̈ еl Е̂ n̆ um_ӑ
At my words, Drek pulled something from his pocket and handed it to me.
“Here, this is it, right?”
A liquid used to moisten dry, irritated eyes.
Artificial tears.
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“Perfect. You got exactly what I needed.”
I immediately poured a generous amount into my eyes, enough to overflow, then handed it to Chloe.
E nů m̊à
“Huh?”
“You too. Put in a lot—enough that it runs down your cheeks. All of you, do it.”
Nodding, the others slowly applied the artificial tears.
Soon, everyone’s eyes were wet, and the liquid trickled down their faces like genuine tears.
Whoooosh!
A deafening roar echoed from the sea below.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“What was that?”
“This has never happened before…”
“The ocean… the ocean is splitting apart…”
With a thunderous sound, the sea began to divide.
Like Moses parting the Red Sea, the waters opened as though to reveal the depths below.
But the ocean’s bottom never surfaced—only a vast, shadowy silhouette rising from the deep.
Е n ũm̈ а́.і̌d
Just as that silhouette prepared to emerge—
“Everyone, kneel.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Kneel? Out of nowhere? Can you explain what—”
“Just kneel!”
There was no time to indulge Chloe’s complaints.
Once I confirmed the kids were kneeling, I too went down on my knees.
Е̄numа̀
I drew in a huge breath.
I had to cry louder than I ever had in my life.
Filling my lungs to their limit, I released a howl.
“Maxweeeell!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
I wailed with all my heart, as if my grief could shake the heavens and split the sea itself.
“If only we hadn’t been late! I’m sorry, Maxweeeell!”
W ӗb ñ о v̀ ĕ l Е n̈u mа.
My sudden cries threw the others into confusion, but Drek—the merchant-born—was quickest to catch on.
“Maxwell!”
He followed my lead, sobbing alongside me.
Chloe, the Cribel twins, and Shane only looked back and forth between us in bewilderment, unable to understand what was happening.
“I have to go save him! If I go now, I can still bring him back!”
“No, Leon! It’s already too late—we can’t risk losing you too!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“But Maxwell… Maxwell!”
Drek’s acting was better than expected.
I could see now why the Evan Trading Company had grown into the largest in all of the Argen continent.
As our dramatic performance unfolded, someone broke the surface of the sea.
Instead of human legs, ten enormous, suction-cupped tentacles—like those of a kraken—emerged, attached to the muscular torso of a man.
“My name is Quitor, servant of the Sea King, sovereign of the ocean.”
Е̃_n̂ü m̄ а̌ .і̃d
In the original story, this general of the sea appeared right after Maxwell’s plunge, when the grieving Secret Chasers cried out for him.
Quitor.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Moved by their genuine sorrow, he confirmed Maxwell’s safety and extended Atlantis’s invitation.
So right now—
“What in the world is happening…”
“Maaaxweeeell!”
Е̂nū mа
I had to keep crying.
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