Everyone was blinded by the light that was emitted from Krone’s pocket. She took that opportunity to run up the ramp and head for the ship’s deck. She had to go to Heim. Recalling what she’d just seen, she steeled her resolve and boarded the ship. The ship’s crew only regained their vision moments later, and before they knew it, she was on board.
“I don’t have time!” she called. “Please! Let me set sail for Heim!”
She was always able to calmly reason with others, but this time, her feeble voice conveyed her desperation. The ship’s crew took pity on her, but they shook their heads, unwilling to allow the young lady to head into danger.
“Fine! I’ll move this ship myself!” Krone said.
“My lady! Please wait!” a crew member frantically called out.
“Wait, the anchor hasn’t been raised! She can’t do that herself!” another shouted.
The frantic crew immediately regained their calm. They didn’t want to forcibly drag her off the ship and continued to call out to her from the pier. I can’t move this ship, she thought. Her face was riddled with desperation as she racked her brain and looked around, but no solution came to mind. Graff had finally arrived.
“I know why you want to head for Heim!” Graff shouted. “But I won’t permit it! I can’t allow you to!”
“Grandfather, please! I’m begging you! Let me go to Heim!” Krone yelled back.
“Absolutely not! No amount of reasoning will bend me to your will this time around!”
“Ein’s fighting alone! I can’t just quietly sit here and wait without doing a single thing to help him!”
“And I said that you can’t go! Return to the manor right this instant! Your father and brother have arrived safe and sound, so go see them already!”
Krone had been busy and hadn’t met with Harley and Riel yet. As Graff pointed that out to scold her, he outstretched his arms.
“I’ll say it again. It’s been a while, so spend some time with your family and calm yourself down,” Graff said.
She gazed down at her grandfather and recalled Chris’s actions from the other day. The elf had been gravely injured, but had gone to the Tower of Wisdom for Ein, and even fought against Oz. The sight was seared into Krone’s mind. She felt the same. She would risk her life because she loved him so. Her feelings hadn’t changed, ever since she left her home nation and had wished to be by his side.
She’d received a star crystal from him, seen his kind character, and had fostered her love for him since she arrived in Ishtarica. And she’d only confirmed her feelings earlier. She didn’t mind if she had been hallucinating, but his voice and his presence were soothing—she knew that her place was by his side. Krone couldn’t give up—she never would. Resignation was the one path she refused to take.
“Grandfather, I can’t do that,” Krone said as she conveyed her feelings.
Her voice sounded ephemeral and beautiful, her desperation gouging out the hearts of those who heard her and commanding everyone’s awe.
“I haven’t changed—never have. I’ve always risked my life for my love for him,” she said.
Perhaps her words were worthy of scorn. Perhaps people would despair upon gazing at the girl who drowned in love. Yet her words were convincing—she was the very same young lady who’d cast aside her family name and braved the treacherous ocean to reach Ishtarica. Every day, she made an earnest effort to do her best.
But that didn’t mean that she would be allowed to leave. Graff ordered his men to drag her off the ship, and they raced up the ramp to grab her. Krone braced herself as she clenched her fist in front of her chest, but she knew that there was very little she could do against a horde of grown men.
“GRAAAAAH!”
A mighty roar that rocked the waves of the ocean echoed throughout the city. The water around the port rose high in the air and created a liquid shield that surrounded the entire area.
“You came for me,” Krone murmured.
Two Sea Dragons popped out from the shield of water—El and Al. They surrounded the vessel that Krone was on, their beautiful scales reflecting the port’s light. They elegantly stretched their necks out and received a good petting from Krone before they used their Ocean Current skill to sever the anchor that tied the ship to the docks. The vessel slowly moved forward as the crew members and Graff approached it to stop Krone.
“Grrr...” El growled, forbidding the men to move another inch.
“Stay back, everyone,” Graff ordered.
“But chairman...” one crew member started.
“I told you to stand back! We can’t do a thing against these two!”
The twin Sea Dragons viewed Ein as their father, and knew to never harm Ishtarican citizens. Even now, they were protecting Krone and exhibited zero hostility, but that didn’t mean that Graff and the others could suppress the dragons. With a look of resignation on his face, Graff looked up at the deck and locked eyes with Krone.
He was stunned. Since when was she able to speak with such a dignified air about her? The chairman was struck with wonder and awe—an amazement much greater than he felt while in the presence of Queen Lalalua. The old trader had never expected to see his granddaughter in such a light.
“I shall go to the castle and explain the situation to His Majesty,” Graff said as he turned away from the Sea Dragons.
When the ship approached the wall of water, the dragons used their Ocean Current skills to create an opening—as if sailing through a door, the vessel was allowed to pass through. Krone’s ship gradually grew smaller and smaller as it sailed away from Kingsland, and past the docked Leviathan.