The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne - Chapter 369

369: A Mysterious Fog (3) 369: A Mysterious Fog (3) “Hey…

It feels like a dream to be escorting two members of the royal family at once, along with two Constellation Mages.” In his room, Jack sat in a chair, sipping a glass of beer.

Throughout his career as a sailor, he had only once escorted a member of the royal family-the first prince, Aldric.

That had been five or six years ago, making this only the second time he had accompanied royalty.

Gulp!

He took another sip, and warmth spread comfortably through his body.

To relieve boredom and fatigue, he drank beer every night.

Of course, the alcohol content was low-only four percent.

Sea journeys were often just as dangerous as land journeys.

Sudden storms, pirate ships, or even worse-sea monsters-could appear without warning.

Of all these, sea monsters terrified him the most.

He had only encountered them twice, but that was enough to leave him traumatized.

The monsters were ferocious and merciless.

Bad weather could be anticipated, pirates could be fought-but sea monsters were nearly impossible to defeat.

Unless there was a Sage-level or Celestial-level mage on board, he and his crew could never truly feel safe.

That was why he was genuinely happy about this journey.

Cassiopeia and Draco were on board, natural protectors ready to spring into action at the first sign of those damn monsters.

Jack continued sipping his beer until, without realizing it, the glass was empty.

Placing the glass on the nightstand, he got up to freshen up.

Being the captain didn’t mean he could simply relax.

He still had to supervise his men and organize the shifts so everyone could get proper rest.

Fifteen minutes later, he finished his shower, donned his new sailor clothes, and walked toward the door.

But just as his hand reached for the doorknob, a loud noise came from behind him.

Dong!

His body froze, eyes widening in shock.

He spun around and muttered, “What was that?” The sound had been so clear that he could hardly believe it was just his imagination.

His eyes narrowed cautiously, though he tried to keep calm.

He slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door.

A greenish-white fog burst into the room, rushing toward him.

Jack stumbled back, quickly stepping outside and slamming the door behind him.

“Fog?

Is it raining?

But… how?

The sky was clear just two hours ago,” he muttered, frowning.

He studied the fog carefully, realizing this was no ordinary mist.

Decades at sea had taught him to recognize every type of fog, and this was unlike any caused by rain or natural weather.

“Don’t tell me… It’s the ghost ship,” he whispered, his tone grave.

The ghost ship was a sailor’s nightmare across the continent.

Its appearance always meant a ship-merchant or fishing-would vanish without a trace.

There had been many victims, and instinctively, Jack knew it.

Rumors now claimed the ghost ship had moved from the middle of the ocean to the waters of the Great Velmora Empire.

This was troubling-not just for him, but for every sailor in the Empire about to set out to sea.

“I need to check it out.

If I’m right, they won’t attack immediately.

They wait… sometimes indefinitely… before striking.” During that time, he had to steer the ship away from the fog.

The odds were slim-this mist lay squarely in the ghost ship’s territory-but he had to try.

Avoidance was always better than confrontation.

Without hesitation, he ran toward the deck, even though the fog obscured his vision.

… Tap… Tap… Tap… Down the ship’s corridor, the sound of light footsteps echoed in all directions.

Soon, a figure emerged from the thick fog-Nolan.

“Tsk!” Nolan clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“What a strange fog.

It’s not dangerous, yet wind magic can’t dispel it.

Could this really be the legendary ghost ship Loid mentioned?” About ten minutes ago, he had been fast asleep when a loud bell rang behind him.

He woke instantly and checked outside his room.

Strangely, the fog had rolled in from both sides, quickly spreading to fill the entire corridor.

It happened so quickly that he didn’t have time to react.

Fortunately, the fog was harmless, so he didn’t need to worry if his sister, Sharon, came out of her room.

Nolan continued walking calmly.

Despite the thick fog, his vision remained perfectly clear.

His eyes glowed faintly purple, instantly revealing his surroundings.

He slowly climbed the stairs to the ship’s deck, only to be met by an even denser fog.

The deck seemed deserted and silent-something that should have been impossible.

The crew was divided into two shifts, so logically, there should have been someone on watch.

Yet at that moment, he was alone.

“Could I be mistaken?” Nolan raised an eyebrow, eyeing the fog suspiciously.

“Don’t tell me this fog has illusory powers… or something else entirely.” It was the first time he had encountered anything like this.

He felt no magical energy in the mist, yet the crew had vanished without a trace-a big question mark.

Nolan walked to the railing and peered into the distance.

The fog stretched for five to ten kilometers.

Even if the ship tried to escape, it would be nearly impossible.

Just as Nolan was lost in thought, the loud bell rang again.

Dong!

Dong!

This time, the sound rang twice in quick succession, and Nolan immediately turned toward its source.

“Oh?” His eyes widened.

“A ship?

Could it be the ghost ship?” Before he could think further, he heard footsteps behind him-and a cold voice calling out.

“Die, monster!” Startled, Nolan spun around and raised his right hand.

Bang!

A sharp pain shot through his arm, and Nolan realized it was his sister, Sharon, who had struck him.

“Sister?” Nolan frowned.

“What are you doing?

Why are you attacking me?” Sharon’s eyes flickered with surprise, but her expression quickly hardened again.

“You must be a monster disguised as my brother!” She pivoted and kicked toward the left side of Nolan’s face.

He easily blocked it.

“Sister, what are you doing?” Nolan scolded.

“It’s me-your brother!

Stop attacking me!” But Sharon didn’t believe him.

She planted her feet firmly and launched a relentless flurry of punches.

Nolan dodged while trying to reason with her, but she refused to listen.

Annoyed, Nolan dodged her attack, rolled behind her, and held her with his left arm.

Then he raised his right hand and gave her plump buttocks a sharp slap.

Smack!

Sharon’s eyes went wide, and she let out a loud scream.

“Ouch!

That hurts!”