CHAPTER 191: BATTLE PREPARATION (1)

"Brother!" Elina shouted, running hurriedly toward him.

When she was just two meters away, she instantly spread her arms and hugged him tightly.

Burying her face in his chest, she bit her lower lip and said softly, "Thank goodness you’re okay. Do you know how worried I was?"

When the giant magic circle appeared, the first thing on her mind had been her brother’s safety. And when a meteor emerged from it, her terror only deepened.

Fortunately, it had all passed so quickly it felt as if the magic circle and meteor had never existed, leaving her instantly relieved.

Nolan returned her hug, rubbing her head affectionately.

"Well, there’s no need for such worry or anxiety," he said in a soothing tone. "I’m standing here safely in front of you now, so stop crying, okay?"

He loosened his embrace and gently wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

"M-mmm!" Elina nodded, a beautiful smile slowly blooming on her face. "You’re right, Brother. I’m sorry. I was just too worried about you."

"I’m glad to know you care about me that much." Nolan let out a small chuckle as he patted her head. Then, glancing around the quiet surroundings, he asked, "By the way, where are Rafine, General Luvistar, and our fifteen hundred troops?"

The port was eerily silent, as if abandoned. Rafine and Luvistar were nowhere in sight.

"They went to save themselves," Elina replied softly. "When the magic circle appeared, we evacuated and tried to flee. Luckily, it vanished just in time—otherwise, the city of Thalora might have disappeared from the map."

Letting out a long sigh, she continued, "After that, Young Lady Rafine, General Luvistar, and I split up to look for you. Thankfully, I was the one who found you."

Her explanation left Nolan feeling both ashamed and guilty. He hadn’t expected the magic circle he cast to have such a devastating impact.

If he had known, he never would have done it.

It’s all Malverna’s fault, he muttered in annoyance. If she hadn’t challenged me, I wouldn’t have done it.

Had Malverna heard those words, the corners of her lips would have twitched before she scolded him, "You shameless man! You did it yourself, so why am I being blamed?"

Unfortunately, she wasn’t there to hear it—and thus had no chance to scold him.

"I see. Then let’s go find Rafine and General Luvistar. We need to come up with a plan to deal with the sea monster."

Elina simply nodded in agreement. Without wasting another moment, the two headed toward the place where Luvistar and Rafine were waiting.

***

Inside a simple wooden room, Rafine, Luvistar, Nolan, Elina, and Darel stood around a square table.

On it lay a blue map of the Nureus Sea and its surrounding waters, marked with islands, coastlines, and various symbols used by merchants and fishermen for navigation.

Luvistar picked up a long, thin stick from the table and pointed to a spot roughly five kilometers from Redhoven Harbor.

"Is the monster located here, Viscount Hermes?" he asked seriously.

"Yes, General," Darel replied with a small nod. "It inhabits that area. According to some witnesses, it often appears within about five hundred meters of its usual position."

"I see," Luvistar muttered, rubbing his chin. "I didn’t expect the monster to be this aggressive. It seems intent on disrupting all trade between other empires or kingdoms and the Great Velmora Empire. Could its presence in the Nureus Sea be tied to someone deliberately trying to destroy the eastern region’s sea trade and the Velmora Empire’s economy?"

His speculation caught everyone in the room off guard—except Rafine, who found it entirely plausible.

To be fair, the monster had never attacked Redhoven Port or Thalora City. On the contrary, it targeted only merchant and fishing ships.

Naturally, this stirred her suspicions. It wasn’t impossible that someone was behind the incident, working from the shadows.

Meanwhile, Nolan was lost in thought. In truth, he had harbored that suspicion for some time.

A monster was usually an aggressive creature, driven by instinct to destroy anything in its path. Yet this sea monster in the waters of Nureus behaved differently.

It merely guarded the sea, blocking ships from entering or leaving Redhoven Port.

Aside from the possibility that someone was controlling it, Nolan could think of no other explanation.

"Alright—whether someone is pulling the strings from behind the scenes or not, we must kill that monster to resolve the eastern region’s crisis," Luvistar declared firmly.

Elina, Nolan, Rafine, and Darel all nodded in agreement before turning their attention to planning the operation.

Learning from the destruction of the two warships earlier, they dared not act rashly and had to remain cautious. Even with Luvistar’s confidence, there was no guarantee they would return home victorious.

"We’ll divide the soldiers into two groups. They will serve as the ship’s crew and attack the sea monster with the cannons at our disposal," Luvistar explained calmly. "I will lead the first ship, while the second will be commanded by one of my trusted subordinates. Do any of you have objections?"

His gaze shifted between Nolan, Elina, and Rafine. Knowing Elina’s and Rafine’s stubbornness, he understood that forbidding them from fighting would be pointless.

Thus, he didn’t stop them from participating—but he still decided to assign special protection to the three of them.

"I don’t mind," Nolan replied evenly.

"Me too," Elina and Rafine echoed almost at the same time.

"Good." Luvistar nodded in satisfaction. But before he could continue, Nolan cut in.

"General, I have a suggestion—and a request."

Luvistar was slightly surprised but didn’t refuse. "Of course, Your Highness. Please, go ahead."

"I want Elina on the first ship with you. I hope you can protect her," Nolan said solemnly.

Elina froze, staring at her brother in disbelief. She was about to protest, but Luvistar had already nodded.

"Don’t worry, Your Highness. Princess Elina will be in my care. You can leave her to me."

Once, he might have looked down on Nolan—but not anymore. What Nolan had shown in the past few days was nothing short of extraordinary, far from the image of the fool prince everyone believed him to be.

Elina bit her lower lip, casting her brother a worried glance. Nolan simply smiled and took her left hand in his, rubbing it gently.

The warmth of his touch eased her heart, wrapping her in a quiet sense of comfort and security.