Axel

Chapter 468: Arrival at the Aggras Sea

Added 2025-05-27 15:08:01 +0000 UTC

Drusineia imitated Gareth Mecklenburg, also killing a Black Phoenix clansman. However, unlike Gareth, who swapped his attire entirely, she only changed her outer garments. Lacking the Beast God Transformation technique, she smeared a handful of sea mud on her face as her disguise.

Gareth had long concealed his presence, vanishing without a trace. Drusineia, meanwhile, found an empty cabin and carefully retrieved a crystal vial. Staring at the vial filled with turbulent seawater and the elegant, swan-like miniature ship inside, she smiled confidently.

Suddenly, she sensed someone pushing open the cabin door. Quickly stowing the crystal vial, she drew her Blood Demon blade, only to see a young couple embracing as they entered. Cursing her bad luck, Drusineia leaped forward, striking the sides of their necks with her palms. The couple collapsed silently to the ground. Against a Saint-ranked combatant like Drusineia, they had no chance to resist and couldn’t even discern who had attacked them.

After dealing with the two, Drusineia glanced at the young woman's attire. Comparing it to the roughly stolen clothes she currently wore, the naturally fastidious princess of the Sherlock Dynasty did not hesitate to strip the young woman bare and change into her outfit. Feeling the sea breeze as she stepped back outside, her mood instantly lifted.

“Should I return to Juno’s side?”

“As long as I stay more than twenty kilometers away from Juno Arthur, he cannot control me. I have the Blood Demon blade and the Swan Lake at my disposal! If I head straight to the New Continent, I might carve out a promising future for myself and perhaps even restore the glory of the Sherlock Dynasty.”

Drusineia was well aware that Charlot Mecklenburg was not heading to the New Continent but rather to the Aggras Sea in search of Agmirlas. He would soon return to the Old Continent, and Juno Arthur wouldn’t pursue her to the New Continent. That was precisely why she had joined Georgia Hadrian’s fleet.

“Gareth is a blood thrall too. Could he also be planning to escape Charlot’s control?”

“Or perhaps we can collaborate?”

“Alone, I lack resources and allies. But if I can recruit a high-ranking blood butcher like him, establishing myself on the New Continent will be far easier.”

Resolving to find Gareth, Drusineia stealthily roamed the ship. Despite Gareth’s efforts to stay hidden, he was not a Black Phoenix clansman but a Farsian. His demeanor and behavior would inevitably betray him, and he was likely keeping to himself.

Soon, the striking red-haired princess discovered Gareth huddled at the stern of the ship. He had changed his appearance yet again, a testament to his mastery of the Beast God Transformation technique.

Raising a delicate eyebrow, Drusineia said, “Perhaps we should talk?”

Gareth offered no response, not even a glance. He sat with his head buried between his knees, as if lost in regret.

Smiling gently, Drusineia continued, “We’re in the same situation. Both of us have been turned into blood thralls, forced to obey others. I don’t want to live like this anymore. A caged canary can never soar high. And you’re not even a canary—you’re just an enforcer. I’m sure you’re as unwilling as I am.”

“If we distance ourselves by more than two hundred kilometers from our masters, they won’t be able to control us.”

“You know it, and I know it. They’re only staying in the Aggras Sea for a short time before returning to the Old Continent. They won’t pursue us to the New Continent. This means if we stay hidden aboard Georgia Hadrian’s ship, we’ll reach the New Continent and gain our freedom. From there, the vast sea and sky will be ours to roam.”

“You’re a Saint, and so am I. We can easily survive on the New Continent.”

“With our strength, building a faction won’t be difficult. The land there is plentiful and unclaimed. Who’s to say we can’t establish a nation of our own?”

Seeing Gareth remain unmoved, Drusineia gritted her teeth and added, “If I become queen, you could be the empire’s prime minister or a duke with real power!”

Finally, Gareth murmured, “I already am a noble of real power.”

The Mossred Ducal Family was one of the strongest, and its current duke, Rembrandt Mossred, wasn’t like the ineffectual Ferdinand or Joseph. He wielded power capable of staging a coup.

As Rembrandt’s younger brother, Gareth could not inherit the title of duke but was a viscount with substantial authority. His territory was prosperous, and he commanded his own order of knights.

Charlot had not concealed these facts. Gareth still held his title, wealth, land, and knights... though his knightly order had been merged into the West Wind Knight Order.

Unbeknownst to Gareth, his title was altered from Viscount Mossred to Viscount Mecklenburg. Charlot had even requested Antonio’s help to formalize this change, making it legally flawless.

Drusineia fumed at this revelation. Juno had once mocked Charlot for being cunning enough to claim even this small advantage over Gareth. Frustrated, she turned on her heel and stormed off, thinking darkly, “I’ll kill that man when I get the chance.”

Charlot, meanwhile, remained unaware that both Drusineia and Gareth had followed him. Occasionally, he regretted losing the two, even apologizing to Juno. Juno, however, dismissed his concerns, saying, “Blood thralls sometimes throw tantrums. Don’t take it to heart.”

Charlot’s fleet had resumed its proper course. By his calculations, they would reach the Aggras Sea just before the deadline.

He avoided unnecessary conflicts, even when encountering Georgia Hadrian’s fleet multiple times along the way. Instead of engaging, he bypassed them, preventing any clashes.

Though Georgia Hadrian had deployed fifteen magical alchemical warships in pursuit, Charlot’s fleet, guided by Golden Ram Herolf—a legendary pirate among the top ten—remained elusive. Herolf’s expertise far outshone Georgia Hadrian’s navigators, keeping them just out of reach.

Two days before the deadline, Charlot stood at the ship’s prow, gazing into the horizon. Suddenly, the diary in his arms grew warm. Opening it to the page on the Agmirlas Labyrinth, he found a single line written there:

“Charlot Mecklenburg has reached the Aggras Sea and is about to enter the Agmirlas Labyrinth.”

The vast Aggras Sea, dotted with countless islands, offered no clues to the labyrinth’s exact location.

But Charlot had his methods. Having immersed himself in labyrinth magic for years, he possessed a sliver of the Labyrinth God Agmirlas’s power.

When a flock of seabirds flew overhead, Charlot extended his hand. Instantly, the birds descended against their will. Injecting each one with a trace of labyrinthic energy, he released them again to search for the way forward.