Project Noah.
It was a name I couldn't ignore—especially having grown up constantly hearing something similar.
"Noah, huh… There's no way it's a coincidence that it shares the same name as Mount Noah, right?"
"…Probably not. Especially considering Mount Noah is adjacent to the White Line."
"I see. Then the deep zone between the White Line and Mount Noah—that's where the truth we're looking for must be."
"Most likely, judging from the signs so far."
From the structure of Ark, the White Line's deep zone connects directly to the inside of Mount Noah. The true depths of the White Line. Even Isabel—revered as the lady of the White Line—wouldn't be able to enter that place freely.
["…I remember. Because of the unique ether resonance, even I couldn't go in."]
"What if you forced your way in?"
["Hard to say… But if I had, I probably would've been swept away by the ether resonance inside Noah and ended up just like them."]
"You mean you'd die?"
["Something like that. I'd drift between them, slowly losing my sense of self."]
Even Esther, now at the level of a Beyond-Grade Spectral Entity, couldn't enter. If anyone tried to break in physically, war with the White Line would be inevitable.
'We could dig a tunnel from the upper section of Mount Noah and descend… but that would get us discovered immediately.'
Of course, with the forces I'd assembled, a war with the White Line wasn't something I particularly feared anymore. Depending on the purpose, even using my Turncoat status would be an option. But the act itself would stir chaos inside Ark—and that, in turn, would sap our overall strength.
'I'll explore other methods first. If nothing else works, I'll consider it a last resort.'
And the right timing would be after I gathered all of the Sail's fragments. That wasn't too far off. Judging from the combined form of the fragments so far, there was likely only one piece remaining.
"That aside…"
Now that the subject had come up, there was one thing I needed to confirm with Isabel. Her desire for the Sail—what it symbolized—meant it contained some possibility beyond mere ambition.
"Do you believe the place you call humanity's homeland still exists?"
This planet wasn't where humanity was originally born. Which meant we couldn't know whether our true home still remained. Beyond those stars in the night sky—was Earth, or whatever it was, still out there? Perhaps it had ceased to function as a 'home,' which is why we had to leave.
A natural question, if one knew the truth of the Sail.
"…It might be too late."
To my surprise, Isabel didn't deny the possibility.
"But if I were going to give up just based on that possibility, I wouldn't even be standing here."
"I see."
Her refusal to abandon her purpose on mere 'possibility' showed how deeply her will ran. Even the Shadow Order' ambition to take over Ark was ultimately just a step in her journey.
"What do you plan to do with the Sail here?"
"If I could, I'd take it myself. But with this recent outing, the White Line's eyes will be on me. If I make a wrong move, the Sail's existence might be exposed."
"I understand. I'll handle it."
"…I trust you'll do it well."
"No need to worry. I'll store it safely—in the space where I keep the other fragment."
The [Rift Space]. So far, no one but me had been able to access it. In terms of security, there was no better vault.
"Yeah… I still don't know where you hid it, but I couldn't find it no matter how hard I tried."
"You were searching?"
"You knew that already."
"I figured."
There was no way someone like Isabel, obsessed with the Sail, wouldn't have tried. She'd probably even snooped through my hideout in Mount Noah.
"Do you know where the final Sail fragment is?"
"…No. But given the kind of places we've found them, I can guess. It won't be easy. It'll be somewhere no one can find easily."
I agreed.
Whether or not the White Line had hidden them, if the fragments were easy to find, someone would have found them long ago.
'I do have one place in mind, based on the fragments we've already found…'
But I'd wait to confirm that before saying anything.
"So how do I get into the White Line's deep zone? Do you know a way?"
"You'll need to get in touch with at least one of the White Line's senators."
"Senators, huh… That won't be easy."
There were only a handful of senators—the power elite of Ark. Getting in touch with one wouldn't be easy, even with my rising influence.
But I didn't need to worry too much. After all, standing in front of me was someone from one of the White Line's most prestigious families.
"You're bringing this up now because you can't do it yourself, right?"
"…Right."
The so-called Young Lady of the White Line. A princess in the eyes of many—but that was it. The El family, one of the White Line's core families, had little real power left.
"But you must have a plan. Even if it's just in name, you still have some connections."
"…I can't approach them directly. That would draw too much attention. But I do know someone from a senator's direct line."
"Who?"
"Lloyd Garcia. He's the second son of Lowell Garcia, current senator of the White Line. A strong candidate to inherit the family."
"Can you arrange a meeting with him?"
"I can't do it myself. But if you make the approach, it shouldn't be a problem."
Isabel added,
"Talk to Ganesha Tripathi. He and Lloyd Garcia are close. Go through him, and you'll have no trouble."
"That could spark a conflict between the White Line and the Rose Line. Worst case—Ark could be torn in two, and civil war could break out."
There were many routes where this had happened before—conflict between the White and Rose Lines. It wasn't a risk I could ignore.
"…Don't worry about that. I don't intend to sit back and do nothing."
"Oh? I expected you to stay on the sidelines."
"Don't joke. I've staked everything on this."
"I still don't know why you're going this far… but fine. Understood."
Isabel looked at me.
"Carl Marcus."
"What is it?"
"I believe… that you'll make it happen."
She didn't say what exactly, but I felt I understood.
"Don't worry."
"…Thanks. That's good to hear."
Isabel nodded and slowly turned her gaze away.
"One day…"
She opened her mouth as if to say something, then stopped herself.
"What was that?"
"…Nothing."
She smiled. A rare sight—I couldn't remember the last time I saw her do it.
* * *
Isabel left first. With the White Line already watching her, she had to return to Ark as soon as possible.
["Hmm… Quite the interesting story."]
"…."
The mouth of the Turncoat King emerged from Janus's chest and spoke. It was grotesque—but I'd grown used to it.
"Do you know anything about the White Line or the Sail?"
As the first Turncoat, he had lived longer than any other. Surely, he knew something.
["Sometimes… memories become so old, you can't tell if they're real or dreams."]
"Not helpful."
["Expecting my memories to remain intact in this form is the real mistake, don't you think?"]
He laughed—a harsh, ragged sound. I'd never heard it before.
"…Didn't know you could laugh."
["Humor is a privilege of intelligent life. Once, I was human. I deserve at least that much."]
"Do you have something to tell me?"
["Not really."]
Then he added, laughing again,
["But… I think I understand what the Great Will desires."]
"That so? What is it?"
["Liberation. The Great Will desires liberation."]
"…What?"
On the surface, it didn't sound like much—but I couldn't ignore it.
Because that was exactly what my sister, Lania Marcus, once said—the duty of the Marcus bloodline.
"What do you mean?"
["That's all I can say. Anything more… might just be the rambling of a fool lost in dreams."]
"You doubt even your own memory?"
["Always. When you become something mixed—something that keeps blending with others—you stop knowing what's yours."]
He hadn't lived long just for the sake of time. He had devoured too many beasts, too many monsters. And now he even questioned if his memories still belonged to him.
'Regardless…'
What I had to do was now very clear.
First—stop the coming Wave, as always.
Second—find the last Sail fragment.
And third—uncover the truth behind Project Noah.
None of it would be easy. But it wasn't something I could put off either.
'First… I need to meet Lloyd Garcia.'
If Isabel was right, going through Ganesha Tripathi would make that easy enough.
'And if there's time… I should meet Lania and Kurilta again.'
I hadn't paid much attention to the duty of the Marcus bloodline until now. But after what the Turncoat King said—I couldn't ignore it anymore.
The Heir of the Great Spirit.
Something that sounded eerily similar to the Great Will the Church of Morte worshipped. Whatever it was, it clearly held a secret tied to this world.
===BREAK===
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