Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Hughes and Zoe were dumbfounded. After a while, Hughes suddenly turned his head toward Zoe.

Zoe herself was stunned. “N-no way? Could it be…”

Hughes’s expression grew serious. The sudden appearance of a Transcendent was no small matter—who knew whether this was some conspiracy of a heretical cult?

Even though they were on Castel Island, they could not afford to be careless. It was said that some secret societies were quietly spreading within Castel.

Moreover, suddenly becoming a Transcendent might not necessarily be a good thing. Extraordinary Power was called a “Transcendental Curse” for a reason—there must be some kind of price.

『Who’s at the testing ground? Tell Richard to come see me immediately!』

Without wasting words, Hughes directly called to the Banshee through the Mind Link.

『He’s right beside me. I’ve already told him—he’ll be there at once!』

“Lord, did you call for me?”

Almost moments later, Richard arrived. The entire Castel Island was within the Banshee’s Mind Link range, and as a 【Chrysalis】, Richard was especially adept at moving swiftly. Information transfer in Castel was remarkably efficient.

“Richard, Gaia has become a Transcendent—without undergoing any Ritual. And this lady, Zoe, she too became a Transcendent without any Ritual.”

“Gaia, you became a Transcendent?”

“Zoe, you too?”

Richard froze for a moment, then widened his eyes at Hughes.

“Wait, became a Transcendent without a Ritual?”

His gaze toward Zoe and Gaia changed—as if he were staring at monsters.

“That’s why I called you. You understand how unusual this is. We must investigate immediately—and best not to let this spread.”

“Understood, my Lord. I’ll begin the investigation at once!”

“Besides the abnormalities on them, the entire island must be checked. As a 【Chrysalis】, you’re skilled in detection. I’ll have the Banshee assist you as well.”

“No problem. Ladies, please come with me.”

After the three left, Hughes rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. The sudden appearance of these Transcendents truly caught him off guard.

And as it turned out, this was only the beginning of his surprises.

Later that evening, an urgent report was placed on his desk.

“White Mist!? A white-haired little girl!?”

Across the northern wastelands, two figures—one tall, one small—rode side by side on horseback.

They carried some luggage, though not much. One even had a massive backpack strapped to his back.

“Grisha, honestly, I didn’t think you’d actually manage to get us out. I thought the Expeditionary Army would catch us for sure.”

“Mm, I didn’t think you’d actually convince Lady Nora either.”

Grisha glanced back at Hunter’s pack, a trace of disbelief still in his eyes.

He and Hunter had originally agreed to sneak out of the Military Camp together—to see the Front Line for themselves.

The Expeditionary Army’s supervision over Hunter was not strict; after all, he had even donated his own family estate. He hardly seemed the type to run away.

Hunter was interested in the Front Line, but he wasn’t foolish. No matter how experienced Grisha was, he was still just a child. If Hunter didn’t want to risk his life recklessly, he needed some help.

So, he set his eyes on… Nora.

After the previous operation, though Richard had warmly invited her, Little Nora still planned to go north. She wanted to witness the Resistance’s return with her own eyes—and see the Expeditionary Army avenge her in person.

It was a fair request. Richard was regretful but still arranged for the Expeditionary Army to escort her north. Nora promised to return after the war to continue assisting with the experiments.

Nora did arrive at the Front Line, but considering her physical weakness, Alexei placed her under the army’s protection.

For someone as spirited as Nora, that was reasonable—but she would never like it.

She had always charged at the front, yet now she was to be sheltered at the rear.

So when Hunter approached her, Nora thought for a moment and agreed—first, because she believed these two sneaking off alone would be in danger; and second, because she truly wished to see the Front Line herself.

Thus, this peculiar trio—Hunter, Grisha, and Nora—set off together.

“Seriously, you two are bold. Aren’t you afraid of being caught? This is a Military Camp, you know. If caught, we might end up in the Tribunal.” Hunter chuckled.

Nora poked her head from the backpack and gave him a sidelong glance. “Grisha isn’t technically a combatant, and I was never officially enlisted in the Expeditionary Army. Getting caught isn’t a big problem. But you—if I recall, you’re still on assignment, aren’t you?”

“My assignment ended long ago. The Watts family’s castle has already fallen. Staying there would’ve been a waste of time.” Hunter spread his hands.

“Besides, I was already sentenced to remain in Castel for years. What’s a few more days? As long as I can continue my research, I’m fine.”

Nora sighed, saying no more. Instead, she turned to Grisha. “Grisha, this is my first time seeing you since leaving the Expeditionary Army. How’ve you been with Gwen?”

Her gaze fell upon Grisha’s steel prosthetic leg.

“Pretty good. Everyone in the Resistance takes good care of me. Sister Gwen has been especially kind—she even made me a pair of prosthetics herself. Unfortunately, I lost them…”

Hunter, looking at Grisha’s legs, interjected, “Actually, I’m kind of curious—how do you manage not to fall off the horse?”

These horses had once been Hunter’s private mounts—docile in temperament. But still, with prosthetic legs, riding should’ve been impossible!

Hunter, who had trained in horsemanship since childhood, knew exactly how difficult it must be for Grisha.

Grisha didn’t even use the stirrups; he was just sitting astride the horse like that!

“It’s simple! I told the horse that I don’t really know how to ride, then I just sat still and tried not to move around. Let it keep the balance for me!”

As he spoke, Grisha swayed lightly. His center of gravity shifted, and immediately, the horse adjusted itself, regaining balance and letting out a displeased neigh.

Hunter gaped—it was the first time he’d seen anyone ride a horse like that.

Others made themselves adapt to the horse; Grisha made the horse adapt to him.

Surprisingly, it worked quite well—after all, a horse knew better than a man how to run.

Nora’s eye twitched. She felt she was falling behind the times. Why did every young person nowadays seem more absurd than the last…

“Right, where are we going?” Grisha turned to Hunter. He wasn’t familiar with the battle situation here.

“Of course, to the Canary Mountain Range. The Expeditionary Army has already pushed the front line to the far north. If we keep heading north, we’ll witness the Northlands’ final battle.”