"Magearna."
Cain barely opened his mouth and spoke a single name.
Hearing that word, Alva froze in place, staring at Cain with a stunned expression.
"Th-that... that name..."
"That should be precisely the greatest fruit of Nikola's arcane science you are referring to, correct? And I assume you have also discovered the secret of the Azoth Kingdom, including its castle and its walls."
Cain mentioned everything he remembered.
Since they were related to Magearna, he still remembered them quite clearly. As for the other less important information, after so many years he had almost completely forgotten it.
"M-my lord, how do you know?"
Alva asked, completely bewildered.
He dared to guarantee that within the entire Azoth Kingdom, the number of people who knew that secret did not even reach five. Even among the royal family, not everyone could freely enter that secret library to read those books.
Only because the old king was growing increasingly aged and his mind less clear, and because Alva had demonstrated an arcane science ability far superior to that of his father, had he been allowed to enter and consult those volumes.
Cain tossed a Cherish Ball into the air, and from it emerged a silver-bodied Pokémon, mechanical in appearance, covered in beautiful engravings and resembling an automaton.
Just by looking at it, one could tell that it was no ordinary Pokémon.
Although Magearna did not like to battle, Cain had never stopped training her. As a result, her strength was now quite considerable, and combined with the awakening of her aura power, her already sharp sensitivity toward other forms of life had become even more precise.
Thus, the moment she appeared, she immediately sensed the ill intent emanating from Alva.
Instinctively, she hid behind Cain and looked at Alva with complete caution.
Although, as a Pokémon, Magearna was far stronger than Cain, the truth was that she herself did not seem to be aware of this.
Cain smiled and gently patted her head, indicating that she did not need to worry. Only then did Magearna step out from behind him and once again present herself before Alva's eyes.
Alva looked at her as if gazing upon an unparalleled treasure, especially the place on Magearna's chest where the Soul-Heart was located.
Strictly speaking, the Soul-Heart was the true Magearna, while the outer metallic body was merely an especially powerful shell.
However, as Magearna's strength continued to increase, the durability and quality of that metallic body also continuously improved thanks to the power of the Soul-Heart itself.
After all, Nikola had invested an enormous amount of time and paid a great price to create a body compatible with the Soul-Heart.
The special patterns on Magearna's body were not mere decoration.
Alva tremblingly extended his hand toward the Soul-Heart on Magearna's chest. At that moment, in his eyes, only that core existed.
The Soul-Heart could be said to be the supreme achievement in the entire history of arcane science of the Azoth Kingdom. Even if Nikola were resurrected, he would not be able to reproduce it again. The number of coincidences and chance involved was simply too great.
"Th-this is the Soul-Heart, the core energy source of the entire floating fortress of the Azoth Kingdom..."
But just as Alva's hand was about to touch Magearna, an invisible layer stopped him. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get any closer.
Only then did he react. That Magearna was a Pokémon summoned by Cain. She was Cain's Pokémon.
When he raised his head and saw Cain's icy gaze, his heart trembled. The pores on his back opened and contracted instantly, and the clothes beneath were completely soaked.
"I know what you are thinking, but remember this: Magearna is my Pokémon. And since she is my Pokémon, there is no possibility of turning her into a tool."
Cain's voice was cold.
That was one of his taboos, a line no one was allowed to cross.
If anyone dared to touch that boundary of his, no matter who it was, there would be only one result: a fight to the death with no end.
"Yes! Yes!"
Alva hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead. In that moment, he truly felt that Cain would kill him. That killing intent had not been concealed in the slightest.
"I know the secret of the Azoth Kingdom, and I also know what you are referring to. If that were not the case, why do you think I would have come to find you? Only for the Mega Wave?"
"That thing, to me, is nothing more than a mediocre resource. It only serves to temporarily grant subordinates more strength."
Cain spoke calmly.
The current Magearna, compared to the one Cain had originally captured, had increased in strength by an unknown amount, and the energy of her Soul-Heart had strengthened to an entirely different level. If it were used now to activate Azoth's flying fortress, the result would undoubtedly be much better, the power greater, and all the weapons of the fortress could be brought into operation.
However, Nikola's design was extremely unfriendly toward Magearna. It was necessary to extract the Soul-Heart from her body and, moreover, eliminate the consciousness and will of Magearna contained within it in order to truly activate the flying fortress.
If that had to be the case, then to Cain, such a fortress was not worth it.
"Then, my lord's intention is...?" Alva asked cautiously.
Cain cast him a sideways glance.
"Develop a method to activate that flying fortress without harming Magearna. Of course, Magearna's Soul-Heart can serve as the energy core, but with one non-negotiable condition: it must be guaranteed that Magearna suffers no harm whatsoever."
"Can you do it?"
Hearing this, Alva nearly knelt on the spot.
Brother, with that tone of yours asking me whether I can do it, do I even dare say no? If I did, I fear I would not see the sun tomorrow.
"...Yes... I think it can be done," Alva replied, trembling.
"Mm?"
Cain's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes! Of course it can be done! It must be possible!"
Alva immediately put on a serious expression and nodded repeatedly, as if saying that only he could accomplish it.
Cain nodded with satisfaction.
(End of chapter)