「The Royal Audience Hall.」
"Allen, my child."
The King's voice, tinged with weary authority, was like that of a father reasoning with a misguided, naive child:
"Do you have any idea what you're saying? To renounce your noble bloodline in pursuit of some ethereal legend? These Wizards… they may exist, but they are beyond our comprehension, and we should not meddle with them!"
"Just be a Prince. Black Reef City will one day be your fief. Why must you…"
"Father," Allen interrupted him calmly. His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried throughout the great hall. "What I desire is not a fief, but truth itself."
"Truth?" His third brother, Kane, scoffed. His brawny frame looked intimidating even beneath his formal attire.
"Allen, spare us the childish words from your books. You couldn't even pass the physical trial for a Knight's investiture, and now you're babbling about a path ten thousand times more difficult?"
He took a step forward, his voice growing louder. "Let me remind you of one thing. The moment you leave, your right to inherit Black Reef City will be immediately reassigned. Those 'new mills' and 'improved farm tools' you worked so hard on will belong to someone else in the blink of an eye. Are you sure you want to give up these tangible benefits for some ethereal legend? Don't be so naive!"
"Our third brother is right."
Another of his royal sisters added in a "gentle" tone, "Seventh Brother, stop this nonsense. Do you know what that ship is for? It's a place where destitute wretches who can't survive sell their sons and daughters for money! You're a Prince, yet you want to mix with them? Have you no regard for the royal family's honor?"
'An illusion? You can't speak of ice to a summer insect.'
'Explaining the sea of stars to a group of people who only stare at their own little patch of land? A complete waste of time.'
Allen couldn't even be bothered to feel angry.
Under the stunned gazes of the King and the court, he offered not another word of explanation. He simply unfastened the royal insignia and the ring of authority that marked his station, placing them gently on the cold floor.
"From this day forward, the Rhine Kingdom no longer has a Seventh Prince Allen Wesren, only a commoner in pursuit of truth."
「In the days that followed, he silently made his preparations, ignoring all admonitions and mockery.」
He sold off all the assets in his name that could be converted to cash. In truth, the wealth a former Prince could mobilize wasn't much.
When he piled a heap of Golden Crows, Silver Sepuls, and various jewels before a mysterious merchant, only to receive an unremarkable leather pouch in return, the old attendant beside him gasped, his heart aching at the sight.
Allen opened the pouch. Inside were fifteen crystals, each the size of a thumbnail, with a murky luster. They felt faintly warm to the touch.
"Only fifteen Magic Stones?" the attendant couldn't help but whisper. "Your Highness, all your treasures…"
"It's worth it," Allen cut him off, tucking the small pouch into his coat.
「On the day of boarding, the sky was a dreary gray.」
The port was crowded with commoners who had come to watch the spectacle. Waiting with Allen in the designated area were several hundred teenagers, boys and girls alike. Most were dressed in rags, gaunt and sallow-faced, their eyes a mixture of fear and a desperate, last-ditch hope.
When they saw Allen, they all subconsciously took a few steps back. This boy, dressed simply but still clean, with an air that set him completely apart from them, inspired both awe and distance.
"Look, that's the Seventh Prince…"
"Has he gone mad? Giving up being a Prince to compete with us for a spot?…"
"We were sent here because our families have no money. Is the King short on cash too?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! What the hell do you know about the affairs of nobles…"
The whispers drifted over on the wind.
Allen paid them no mind. His gaze traveled over the crowd, landing on a high point in the direction of the palace. There, he could faintly make out a few familiar figures, watching the scene below with cold indifference.
They were watching the final performance of the "disgrace of the royal family," the "foolish abdicator."
He took a final inventory of his pack: a change of clothes, a few strips of dried meat, a small waterskin, and, hidden close to his body, the leather pouch containing fifteen Low-Tier Magic Stones.
As shabby as a refugee's.
The salty, fishy sea breeze at the port did little to disperse the crowd's unease and commotion. Allen wrapped his coarse linen cloak tighter around himself, standing at the edge of the crowd and staring intently at the distant horizon.
Advisor Merlin had only said a "ship" would come, but no one told him it would be *this* kind of "ship."
At first, it was just a black dot, tearing through the cloud cover rather than appearing on the sea.
It descended silently, its silhouette rapidly growing larger in the morning light, bringing with it an oppressive presence that defied all logic.
It was a cold, inhuman marvel of engineering!
It finally hovered ten meters above the port, its shadow swallowing half the docks.
The hull was made of a dark, light-absorbing metal. Not a single rivet or weld seam was visible; it was as smooth as if forged from a single piece.
Its shape was like a triangular arrowhead magnified millions of times over, and its ominous aura shattered the materialistic worldview of his previous life.
No sails, no oars, no smokestack, not even a single window.
There was only its disturbingly smooth surface and the occasional faint blue light that flowed across its underside, briefly illuminating the dizzyingly complex geometric patterns there.
"A miracle… It's a miracle!" An old man beside him fell to his knees, trembling, and a large portion of the crowd instantly followed suit.
But Allen did not kneel.
His heart hammered in his chest, not out of reverence, but from the thrill and tremor of having his entire perception of reality overturned.
'There's no way the Middle Ages could build this thing, and even Earth would have a hard time… Isn't this just a fucking spaceship?'
'DSeek, analyze the target!' he roared in his mind.
[Warning: Target structure exceeds database cognitive parameters. Internal structure cannot be probed.]
[Inference: Object is not of natural origin. Materials unknown, propulsion system unknown, principle of anti-gravity behavior unknown.]
The string of "unknowns" made Allen's scalp tingle.
This ship was the most resounding slap to the face of his past understanding. It hung there quietly, like a celestial beast from the sea of stars, resting under the mortal sky as it indifferently scrutinized the tiny lives below.
This was the world he truly sought, the one he had burned his blueprints for!
That magical, magnificent world was revealing a corner of itself to him in the most staggering way imaginable.
A cold metal ramp slid silently from the ship's belly. Its foot landed on the stone slabs of the dock with a soft CLANG.
The sound wasn't loud, but it brought all commotion to a standstill for a moment.
A cold voice rang out: "Board the ship."
What followed was even greater chaos.
The several hundred teenagers began to stir, shoving one another. Their faces were filled with terror and hesitation, yet they were compelled by some unseen force to begin climbing.
Watching the chaotic scene, Allen also started forward, walking toward the ramp without a backward glance.
Just as he was about to step onto the ramp, a sharp voice pierced the port's clamor.
"Allen! It's not too late to turn back! Stop chasing that damned dream!"
It was his third brother's voice, shouting from the high platform of the distant palace, carrying one final, condescending "admonition."
Allen didn't break his stride, nor did he even glance back.
He simply raised a hand and gave a casual wave behind him.
Then, he took a step onto the cold, matte-colored ramp.
Feeling the unique sensation of metal under his feet, he left all the mockery, misunderstanding, and mortal ties completely behind him.
The ramp was wide, enough for four or five people to walk abreast. He walked along the very edge, keeping a certain distance from his raggedly-dressed peers.
They smelled of sweat, filth, and poverty, while Allen smelled only of clean linen and the sea breeze.
This incongruity made him feel like an island.
He didn't walk quickly, but his steps were exceptionally steady.
A girl with freckles stumbled, nearly falling off the edge of the ramp. Allen subconsciously reached out and steadied her.
The girl gave him a terrified look, her lips trembling, unable to even utter a word of thanks. She immediately shrank back and scrambled up the ramp on all fours, leaving him behind, as if terrified of being associated with him.
Allen withdrew his hand, his expression impassive.
At the top of the ramp was a huge, circular opening leading into a deep, bottomless darkness.
There were no welcomers, no guards—only a silent, all-devouring entrance.
Once the last person was aboard, the ramp began to retract silently. The docks below shrank rapidly, and the clamor of the crowd quickly faded into the distance.
Allen took one last look at the royal city where he had lived for over a decade. In the gray morning light, it looked small and distant.
'Goodbye.'
The ramp sealed shut against the hull with a low CLICK, fitting together seamlessly.
In his mind, a notification from DSeek quietly appeared:
[New Journey Log initiated. Objective: Analyze the true world.]
Allen responded in his mind, with unprecedented clarity and determination:
'That's right. Analyze… and control.'