The Kingmaker System-Chapter 491 - 490. Can’t Sleep (1)

That night, Reina couldn’t sleep well, she had left right after spending some time with her father and also because she couldn’t leave Sol alone for a long time.

Reina/Ocean sat in the armchair with a game of chess laid out before him, his eyes were blank but behind those blank veils lay the deep and stormy waves that clashed, rose and fell. The news about the Elvenland wasn’t a big deal but there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind.

The Dark Elves could have managed to gather forces but the thing that they thrive on was dead mana and that was rare to find. So, how did they manage to get strong enough to beat the natural Elves?

Having no knowledge on the geography of Elvenland it was hard to make any plans for Ocean.

The communication brooch twirled over his long, slender fingers while he sat there with his legs crossed and hair resting messily over his shoulders. He was dressed in a simple white button down shirt with white loose trousers, no shoes.

Ocean thought for a moment before he poured his mana into the communication brooch.

"Roan," he spoke.

"Roan?" He spoke louder.

"... Master?"

Roan’s voice was thick as if he has just roused from deep sleep.

"Is something wrong? Why are you calling for me at... 2 in the morning?" Roan asked.

"I need you to do something for me, try to make it urgent." Ocean spoke in a calm voice.

Roan yawned as he sat up in his bed, "What is it?"

Ocean explained to him what needed to be done and Roan groaned a bit running his hand through his already messed up hair.

"I’ll get it done, but are you sure? I mean... these are uncharated territories and with what you just said, it’s very risky."

"That’s why it needs to be done, do as I say and if it couldn’t be done then let me know."

Roan scoffed, "Which fool would dare say no, Master? I’ll get to work-"

"Do it in the morning, sorry to disturb your sleep." Ocean spoke and Roan chuckled.

"Good night, Master."

Ocean hummed before the glow of the communication brooch faded and he sat there still pondering over the issue, Ocean closed his eyes for a brief moment letting the sounds of the night take over. The winds whooshing outside, the sounds of the night guard patrolling, the night owl shooting at a distance and the soft footfalls that were approaching him.

Ocean remained silent until he felt the warm fabric drape over his legs and he cracked open his eyes.

"Taking care of your Uncle, how sweet." Ocean spoke with a smile and Sol who stood there adjusting the blanket over Ocean froze.

"I-if you’re awake why are you sitting here?" Sol asked.

Ocean studied his expression for a moment before he leaned ahead placing his arms over his thighs.

"You heard everything."

It wasn’t a question, Sol’s eyes grew hard as he kept his eyes away from Ocean’s, Ocean didn’t pry further but just waited.

Sol kept quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he sighed.

"You said... that there was going to be a war between the Elves... Are you planning on helping them?" He asked cautiously.

Ocean hummed leaning back in the chair feigning to think it over while his eyes stayed blank and Sol stared at him.

"Are you not going to help them? Even after trying to find out about them?" He asked and Ocean tilted his head looking at Sol.

"Let’s put the matter of helping the Elves aside for a moment and answer me Sol, do you know anything about Dark Elves?"

Sol waited for a brief moment, Ocean could see that he wanted the Elves to be helped but Ocean didn’t want to give in just like that. Sol still had a lot of things to explain about and Ocean was done waiting. The only way left now was to probe Sol for answers time and again whenever the need arose.

Sol released a deep sigh before he said, "I do, they are the kind of existence that go against the Elves who draw their mana from the nature. Dark Elves use the dead mana... As you might know that dead mana can only be found where a lot of deaths happen that’s why they are associated with the bad omens or the bringers of death."

"I know that much," Ocean said, "but how could the Dark Elves, a minority, can start to fight toe-to-toe with the majority natural Elves?"

"How would I know?" Sol sighed and Ocean stared at him.

Neither of them said anything until Sol started to grow uncomfortable, his fingers fidgeted and sweat coated his brow before he looked at Ocean who simply gazed at him.

Finally unable to endure the silent stare he sighed loudly, exasperated.

"Fine, I’ll tell you all of what I know." He almost shouted and Ocean’s lips twitched.

"The Dark Elves are strong, and can stand toe-to-toe with the natural Elves but like you said they’re a minority, so the only way that they could have grown in power would be because of a lot of deaths. If there is more dead mana then they would be more stronger, the more the mana in the air the more they draw and more stronger they get. That’s the basic reason why the Elves choose to live in seclusion in a natural, untouched environment so that they could use the pure mana from the nature."

Ocean listened patiently before he leaned ahead and picked up a black pawn from the chess board in front of him.

"But what could have caused so many deaths?" Ocean asked and Sol frowned.

"I don’t know,"

Ocean’s eyes glinted before he looked at the chess board.

"Look here, since you don’t know, I’ll explain my theory to you." Ocean said and Sol turned his head looking at the chess board.

Ocean smiled watching the little boy focus before he pulled Sol over making him stand between his legs facing the chess board in front of them. He then removed the blanket that was over his lap and draped it over Sol’s shoulders.

Sol turned his head but Ocean placed his one hand over Sol’s shoulders firmly before he leaned ahead pointing at the chess board.

"Now, listen," Ocean spoke and Sol turned his head staring at the chess game.

Ocean pointed at the white pawns, "Those are-"

Just as Ocean was about to start explaining, there was a knock on the door. Sol and Ocean both looked at the door with frowns on their faces.

The presence had told them who it was but the timing of their arrival was quite strange. It was nearly quarter past two in the morning so, why was he here?

Ocean sighed before he rose to his feet.

"Wait," he spoke before he made his way to the door.

The spike in the Aura and the way the hostile energy was pulsing beyond the door was enough to tell Ocean that this guy was angry or restless.

Ocean opened the door and faced Davian Montaire who was dressed in his nightwear. The black shirt with top two buttons undone and black trousers with shoes, his outfit looked ruffled and hair disheveled as if he had been tossing and turning a lot before he decided to come here.

"What’s the matter, Your Highness?" Ocean asked leaning his shoulder against the doorframe.

Davian stared at Ocean for a long moment before he spoke, "I can’t sleep."

Ocean cocked a brow, "So? Do you want me to come and sing you a lullaby or something?"

Davian didn’t seem to be in the mood for the lighthearted comment as he stared blankly at Ocean.

"I’d prefer some answers, Master." He answered in a grim tone.

"Is it urgent? I’m busy." Ocean said.

"Yes, if you won’t answer me now, I’m afraid I’ll either rip my hair out in frustration or go kill someone." Davian spoke in a controlled tone.

His aura and Ocean’s mana clashed in the background, creating the friction in the air that could have even set the frigid air outside ablaze. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Ocean’s eyes drifted up and down the young man. His fists were clenched at the sides, and with the way he stood practically looking over Ocean it seemed as if he was too strained within himself.

Even his strong heartbeats sounded like the thundering of the hooves of wild horses on the ground as he stood so close.

Ocean felt the heat rising towards his neck and he cleared his throat shoving away the physical reaction that he was getting and composed his expression.

"Fine, come inside." Ocean said stepping aside and Davian walked in.

Sol, who sat on the armchair with the blanket wrapped around him gave Davian and Ocean a puzzled look.

"What’s he doing here?" Sol asked.

"He can’t sleep," Ocean answered as he gestured for Davian to take a seat while he seated himself on the armrest of the chair where Sol sat.

Davian took a seat but still appeared strained and Ocean sighed, "What is it?"

Davian inhaled evenly before he asked, "Master, are you hiding something from me?"

Ocean’s eyebrows twitched, "Why are you asking this kind of a question? Of course there are some things that are hidden. Which one do you mean?"

Davian pursed his lips, almost glaring at Ocean with a look of being wronged or betrayed in his eyes before he asked.

"Why didn’t you tell me about Miss Reina?"