The Lord of the Seas - An Isekai Progression Fantasy [ Currently on Volume 2 ]

Anriette Vale looked the same as she did the day Lukas crossed paths with her.

The same mismatched coloured eyes: gold, one steel-gray. Soft, rounded features. A dusting of freckles across her nose. She still carried very same book she had the first time they crossed paths: "Codex of Naval Law & Wartime Judgment – Revised by Order of the High Admiral", it had never left her side.

"You know, I always thought it was weird that you shared the same name as the prodigy that's been making waves in Easthaven but...to think you were actually him? You are one strange man, Klein." Anriette noted, looking Lukas up and down, as if she still didn't believe her eyes.

Lukas could only shrug in response.

"It does make sense though. You were damn good at magic. Far too good for just an unknown bounty hunter." The Vice Admiral reasoned with herself which was amusing to watch.

Lukas was surprisingly genuinely glad to see her. It was good to see a somewhat friendly face, especially one that he recognized. It was good to know that she had endured through Rodan's madness and lived to tell the tale.

"What happened to your niece? And your familiar?" She asked him.

It took him a second to realize she was referring to the Kraken and Katrina. He couldn't tell her that Katrina was currently in the Kingdom of Linemall and the Kraken was now attached to his arm and concealed by an arm sleeve.

"They...didn't make it." Lukas answered with his gaze lowered, choosing his words very carefully.

Anriette's expression shifted, her eyes softening as she said that she had lost many close to her as well, and that she was sorry for his loss.

"Well at least you can rest easy knowing that the Leviathan of the Deep will no longer be terrorizing our waters." She reassured him. "But...whatever took down that man...I mean I really can't even imagine what could be strong enough to defeat Rodan."

Lukas frowned. And that was when he realized that his suspicions about Jakob Fronterra had been right all along. Even as someone as high ranking as Anriette Vale, a Vice Admiral, did not know who was responsible for taking down Rodan.

The Hero From Another World's existence was intentionally being kept under wraps. A secret weapon known only to the King and perhaps his most trusted individuals. Even someone of Anriette's standing had been kept in the dark.

That made him think of Darren.

Why had Darren told him about the Hero when his existence was shrouded in mystery?

Lukas did not know but it was no wonder he had seen the sadness in the King of Nozar's eyes in the Outer Cities when he saw his son again, Daerion must have trusted Darren endlessly if his youngest son had known about the Hero. But it also meant that Lukas wouldn't be crossing paths with the Hero anytime soon.

And that was, for now, a very good thing.

There was a lot more he wanted to ask Anriette but his eyes caught Rosalia being led away, her hand held loosely in her uncle's as they moved through the crowd.

The man was smiling, saying something about wanting to give her a proper tour of the Inner Cities.

Rosalia nodded, caught up in all of the excitement of reuniting with her uncle that she had not seen in years.

"Will...you just give me a second?" Lukas asked Anriette, before quickly weaving his way through the crowd without even waiting for the Vice Admiral's response.

Lukas reached them in a few strides. Rosalia looked up, surprised but not alarmed, and her uncle turned to face him as well. Maelis straightened, his expression shifting subtly, reading Lukas in the way a soldier reads another man's stance. Caution, calculation, maybe even a hint of challenge in those eyes of his.

"Greetings Admiral," Lukas spoke politely "I've a heard a lot about you from the Princess. I am Klein. And I have been appointed Rosalia's personal guard. Are you planning on showing her around the Inner Cities?"

The moment Lukas did open his mouth to speak, however, the Admiral's eyes narrowed slightly.

"So you're the Klein?" Maelis asked but he wasn't really expecting an answer, his voice sharper now, almost as if the name that Lukas had been going by left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Lukas offered a small nod, not really appreciating the way the man was speaking to him.

What was his problem?

Something flickered behind the Admiral's eyes—recognition, annoyance, maybe both. Maelis took a step forward. It wasn't a threatening one, not just yet. But there was something in his voice when he spoke next that told Lukas this wasn't going to be a friendly exchange.

"Klein. The Head Mage's Apprentice," Maelis said with a laugh. "All of Hiraeth can't seem to stop talking about you. The prodigy of the Magic Tower. The only mage that Magnus Elarion himself has ever taken under his wing."

Maelis paused, eyes flicking to Rosalia for a moment before returning to Lukas.

"But let's get something straight. You're not family. You're just a guard. That's it."

Rosalia's mouth opened slightly, caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone.

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"Uncle—" the princess started to protest, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"Rosalia, not now."

Lukas stayed calm. He didn't raise his voice. He knew Maelis was trying to provoke him and he was doing a decent job at it. But even someone as hot-headed and impulsive as Lukas knew that this was not the time nor the place to lose his temper.

"She's under my protection," Lukas simply told him. "I can't let her wander off, not in unfamiliar territory."

The Admiral gave a quiet laugh. "Unfamiliar territory? These are the Inner Cities of Nozar. It's only unfamiliar to you. An outsider."

"I was told to watch over the Princess. And so that is what I will do, Admiral." Lukas repeated.

The Admiral's eyes hardened, and for a moment, Lukas thought he might say something sharp. But then the man just smiled—tight-lipped and cold.

"What? Just because you're the Magic Tower's golden child, you think that means something? You're saying you think she'll be safer with you? Rather with me, an Admiral of Nozar, in the Inner Cities of Nozar? Her uncle? Are you hearing yourself?" Maelis taunted, his words as sharp as a sword.

Yet, Lukas did not fall for such provocation.

"It is my duty to protect the Princess. I will not let her out of my sight, Maelis."

The Admiral's expression tightened, jaw clenched, shoulders squared. Maelis wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to being challenged, being questioned, especially not by someone younger and someone with balls big enough to stand against the most powerful of Nozar especially right in Nozari territory.

Lukas saw it in his eyes—that flicker of disbelief that someone would dare stand their ground against him.

Maelis probably had never met someone who could look him in the eye without feeling intimidated.

Lukas had met men exactly like him.

Men who had been blessed with talent beyond anything that they deserved.

Men who had always had their way, not surprising since her uncle was former royalty.

Maelis had never had to fight for his authority. It had just come with the strength that he had inherited from his bloodline. But Lukas wasn't backing down. Not when it came to Rosalia's safety.

"Is there a problem here?" Anriette's voice came quiet but firm, tugging gently at Lukas' sleeve.

Her tone wasn't scolding, but warning. She didn't want this to escalate any further than it already had.

"Don't forget," the Vice Admiral whispered but soft enough only for Lukas to hear, "you did the same thing with the King's second son. That didn't go so well. And it's going to be even worse if you lose your shit again, Klein. Don't be foolish."

Anriette was right. And Lukas knew it. They were quite literally in the Heart of the Nozari Empire. Surrounded by tens of high-ranking marines, all of whom were powerful in their own right.

When Lukas glanced towards Velena, he saw the King standing by her side. Daerion was watching the scene unfold before his eyes.

Yet that was all he was doing, watching them with great interest.

The King of Nozar wanted to see what would happen. But the one who truly broke the tension wasn't Anriette.

It was Jesse.

He appeared suddenly at Rosalia's side, hands in his coat pockets, casual as ever; his voice smooth and harmless.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Admiral Maelis," he said, flashing the uncle a friendly smile. "I heard you were going to show Rosalia around the Inner Cities. Would it be too much to ask if I tag along too?"

Rosalia's uncle blinked, clearly caught off guard. "And who in the world are you?"

Before Jesse could even answer, Velena stepped in; her voice light but firm.

"That's my grandson Jesse, Admiral." she replied. "And he is also a very close friend of Rosalia's."

The Admiral's lips pressed into a thin line. He couldn't act as brazenly towards Lukas as he did with Jesse. As the story went, Jesse Ilagron was of noble blood. Disrespecting Velena's grandson would mean disrespecting the Countess herself. And the King had ordered to treat the Countess with the highest respect.

"I want Jesse to come!" Rosalia interjected quickly, seeing the opportunity that had been plopped right in front of her.

That sealed the deal.

The uncle couldn't argue with Rosalia, not without looking like a tyrant in front of the King, the guild, the marines, and all these watching eyes. With a tired sigh, Maelis nodded, though the disapproval didn't leave his face.

"Very well." Rosalia's uncle whispered. There was nothing else he could do to argue against Jesse's self-invitation.

Jesse gave Lukas a little sideways glance and nodded once; reassuring him that he would look after Rosalia.

Lukas smiled.

Sure Jesse wasn't as strong as Lukas, nowhere near it in fact. But that didn't change the fact that Jesse Sterling was a dragonborn of Linemall. Lukas knew Rosalia was in safe hands.

As they started to walk away, Lukas let his gaze linger on Rosalia for just a moment longer.

Then, without a word, he activated the Crown. It was subtle—barely a flicker in the air, a warmth like sunlight passing between them. Not even the sharpest of mages would be able to detect the Crown's magical presence.

The thread of connection reached out and gently linked to her, brushing her mind like a whisper.

The princess paused.

Her head turned, eyes locking with his across the crowd.

Through the link, Lukas' voice came to her clearly. Soft but steady.

"If anything happens, little one, call my name. And know that I will tear this Kingdom apart to get to you and make sure that you are safe. Do you understand? I am here for you, Rosalia. Always."

Rosalia didn't say anything out loud, but Lukas felt it. The way her heartbeat steadied. The quiet strength rising in her again. And then she turned and walked on, Jesse at her side and her uncle just a few steps ahead.

Lukas stood there for a moment longer, letting the crowd swallow them, letting his mind stretch gently across the distance to stay with her. He would always be with her. No matter where she went. No matter who tried to stand in her way.

Because she was family. It was more than an oath that bound her to him. It was the true love that he had for that little girl.

And Lukas would keep her safe, if it was the last thing he did.