FVN Chapter 46 Tsunami
Chapter 46 Tsunami
As night descended, the slender crescent moon hung high in the sky, its faint silver light casting an ethereal, almost ghostly glow over the landscape. The illumination was so delicate that it barely touched the ground, leaving most of the surroundings cloaked in shadow. The wind carried a biting chill stirring the garden.
A lone figure standing beneath the towering walls of the Ducal House, their robe whipped from their body by the cold breeze.
The robed figure, Cassius, stood beneath the towering walls that protected the Ducal House, his gaze fixed on the dimly lit windows of the mansion. He was here at the Duchess's command, though doubt gnawed at him in the quiet of the night. His mind replayed the choice that had led him to this moment, the weight of it pressing heavily on his chest.
Just as Cassius was contemplating whether to leave, as if on cue, a window on the upper floor creaked open. A black shadow—swift, fluid, and leaped from the sill and dropped into the night, and darted in Cassius' direction.
"Let's go, let's go," the Duchess whispered urgently, her voice trembling with excitement as she drew closer to Cassius.
"Head Butler?" Cassius asked, his voice steady but laced with curiosity, as he glanced at the black veil that concealed the Duchess's face.
"He won't notice anything," the Duchess replied, her tone calm, almost dismissive, though the thrill in her voice lingered. She didn't elaborate on what she had done to the Head Butler, but the implications were clear.
'Just how did that old crook even become an Imperial Mage when he got drugged by my little pudding?' the Duchess thought, her mind briefly wandering as she cast a sideways glance toward Cassius.
The Duchess had struck a deal with her daughter - she had agreed to hand over the new necklace that she got from her husband in exchange for her daughter cooking something using the mysterious ingredients provided by her, and then feeding it to the Head Butler.
The Duchess was familiar with the personality of the Head Butler, he loved her little pudding a lot. If she cooked something for him then he would not care if it was an elixir or poison, he would devour it without a moment's hesitation, blind to any danger it might pose. It was this same blind devotion she had learned to exploit over time.
Cassius would never have suspected that the Duchess, for something as simple as an outing, would go so far as to use her daughter to drug the Head Butler.
Then, a loud, piercing voice cut through the noise. The merchant, standing on the railing near the edge of the deck, was shouting at the workers below. "Work faster! Work faster!" His voice was shrill with frustration, echoing off the wooden planks. "It's high time we set sail for the Western lands. I don't want to ruin my relations with the Duke because of your incompetence. You peasants work like snails!" His words rang out across the ship.
"It's the dead of night, not noon! Why are you working like snails? Work faster!"
The merchant, his anger still simmering, stormed off toward the cabin, muttering curses under his breath. Cassius, watching him carefully, turned to the Duchess and asked "Shall we head inside the cabin?"
"Why would we go there? Did we come here to sleep? Follow me" The Duchess's feet barely seemed to touch the ground as she made her way to the ship's bridge. With effortless precision, she settled on the railing by the steering wheel, her back to the crew and her gaze fixed on the endless sea before them. Cassius, ever vigilant, positioned himself a few steps behind her. Though the effect of the Concealment Scroll cloaked them from sight, he remained alert.
The ship glided smoothly into the black sea, its sails catching the wind as the final crates were loaded. The Duchess sat elegantly on the railing, her feet moving rhythmically as she hummed a soft, ethereal tune, her voice barely rising above the whispers of the sea. Her gaze remained fixed on the vast, dark expanse before her, As the ship sailed deeper into the black sea, watching the waves as they danced and crashed against the ship's hull. The harbor behind them grew steadily smaller until it completely vanished from plain sight.
"Cassius, are we still near the harbor?"
Cassius, standing close by, his eyes scanning the horizon, replied with unwavering precision, "Miss, it's been over thirty minutes since we passed the harbor."
"Then why do the waves look the same?" she asked, her voice laced with an unspoken unease.
Cassius's eyes snapped to the sea below, his attention suddenly razor-sharp as the Duchess's question gnawed at him. His gaze flicked over the waves, now seeming strangely shallow. After a tense pause, he spun around to face the Duchess, his normally calm demeanor shattered. "Miss," he said, his voice tight with urgency, "we have to leave. Right now. No questions asked."
Before the Duchess could speak, Cassius's senses flared with urgency. He whipped around, his eyes locking onto the horizon as an overwhelming surge of mana flooded the air—unnatural, powerful, and terrifying. His breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
A colossal tsunami loomed right behind them at its maximum height before anyone could react, the wave crashed down, swallowing the entire ship in a single, overwhelming surge of water.
Then, just as abruptly as it had appeared, the wave vanished. Within five seconds, the water returned to its calm, normal state, as if the monstrous tsunami had never existed at all but there was not a single trace of the ship.