Whoosh!
The soldier had barely finished speaking when Orm shot to his feet.
"What did you say?"
He raised his right hand in disbelief, his expression turning cold as he pointed toward the soldier.
"The person you're talking about… could it be Arthur Curry?
"Arthur Curry, the bastard who has made the Kingdom of Atlantis a laughingstock since the day he was born?!"
Before the soldier could respond, Orm had already turned and swum toward the exit of the council chamber.
At this point, he was utterly furious.
The mother box, the coming war, all of it could go to hell!
He would personally deal with that bastard!
But just as Orm was about to leave the council chamber, Duchess Carlson, the Speaker of the Council, suddenly called out.
"Orm, stop!"
Hearing her shout from behind him, Orm gritted his teeth but showed no intention of stopping.
No matter how disgraceful Arthur's birth might have been, he was still Atlanna's biological son and therefore possessed a legitimate claim to the throne of Atlantis.
Atlantis was not a strictly patriarchal kingdom. Women of the Sea Clan also possessed inheritance rights, and Atlanna's circumstances were even more complicated.
Besides being Queen, Atlanna had once seized the throne through a successful coup and ruled as the legitimate Queen of Atlantis for two and a half months. During that period, she had even received greater support from the Council than many previous rulers, earning her own place in the historical records of Atlantis.
Therefore, even though Arthur's father was merely a surface dweller, Arthur still possessed a legitimate claim to the throne.
That was also why King Orvax had told Orm about Arthur while lying on his deathbed.
Normally, parents would never want their children to learn about the scandals of their generation.
But the affairs of a royal family could never remain completely hidden.
Orm had heard Arthur's name from his father when he was very young, and much of what he had done since then had been motivated by one goal, ensuring that Arthur could never take his throne.
Yet even though Orm had imagined Arthur appearing before him countless times, he had never expected it to happen now.
He had only just been injured and was still undergoing emergency recovery. His body had not yet returned to its peak condition.
Thinking about this, Orm's speed unconsciously slowed.
Could this be Arthur's scheme?
If he rushed over recklessly, would Arthur exploit his weakened condition and damage his reputation among the people?
As Orm hesitated, Duchess Carlson's displeasure became unmistakable.
"Orm, stop! This is the Council's order!"
Hearing this, Orm finally slowed down completely.
He took a breath, regained his composure, and turned back toward Carlson with a grim expression.
Duchess Carlson remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Orm, even if Arthur's birth represents a terrible humiliation for Atlantis, he did not choose the circumstances of his birth.
"Your mother, Atlanna, has already paid the price for that matter. She was banished to the Lost Kingdom and eventually became one of the Wraiths who died at the hands of the Trench.
"I deeply regret Atlanna's death. Her banishment and death have already paid the price for Arthur's origins.
"Therefore, unless Arthur has deliberately violated the laws of Atlantis, we have no right to judge him, and we will not do so.
"As for the current situation…"
Carlson turned toward the guards.
"Bring Arthur into the council chamber.
"Since he has come to the ocean at a time when Atlantis is facing the mother box crisis, he should contribute to his homeland and his own people!"
With that, Duchess Carlson waved her hand, ordering the guards to bring Arthur in immediately.
Orm's heart sank.
He had never expected that remaining in the council chamber would result in them releasing that bastard Arthur!
Damn it!
Where was Atlantis's pride? Where was their disdain for those with surface-dweller blood?
Was Duchess Carlson desperately grasping at any possible advantage?
Had she lost her mind?
Or had she been waiting for an opportunity like this all along?
What exactly was she thinking?
Watching the guards leave to carry out her orders, Duchess Carlson narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
The Ocean Council had always staunchly upheld the supremacy of the monarchy among the Five Kingdoms of the Sea throughout history.
But that did not mean the Council and the monarchy were truly allies.
What a joke.
How could the Council and the King ever genuinely see eye to eye?
Past and present, the Council had always sought to reduce the King to a figurehead.
They would never openly challenge the throne, but that did not mean they would reject power and influence when an opportunity presented itself.
The current situation in Atlantis was exceptionally favorable.
The mother box had disappeared. An enemy was approaching. The old King was dying, while the new King had yet to establish himself.
At such a critical moment, if the Council could produce another legitimate heir capable of challenging Prince Orm before he ascended the throne, they would gain tremendous leverage.
Even if the Council could not place Arthur on the throne as a puppet, they could still force substantial concessions from Atlantis's next King by exploiting the rivalry between Arthur and Orm.
And politics was never decided in a single day.
Sometimes, a few small concessions were enough to create a chain of events that eventually became impossible to reverse.
Orm, convinced that he had made the wrong decision by staying behind, could only grit his teeth and endure.
Eventually, the burly, disheveled Arthur was dragged into the council chamber by more than a dozen soldiers.
The instant Orm saw him, his eyes widened.
Damn it!
He had imagined Arthur's appearance countless times, but he had never expected his mother's other son to look like such a savage!
Of course, Arthur was not actually a savage.
His personality was simply a little rough around the edges.
He struggled against the soldiers restraining him, then defiantly looked around the chamber.
His gaze moved across the eleven elders seated on the Council's high platform before settling on Orm, who was doing his best to appear disdainful.
Arthur grinned lazily.
"So you're King Orvax? Tsk, tsk. You're pretty damn young…"
"Presumptuous!"
Before Arthur could finish, Orm left his throne and rushed toward him, stopping directly in front of him.
Arthur looked at the furious young man for a moment, seemingly recalling something.
Then he laughed loudly.
"You're not happy when I call you King, and you're not happy when I say you're young.
"Then you must be younger than me.
"So you're Orm?
"Holy shit, did you stage a rebellion or something? I thought they were bringing me before the King, but you're the one sitting at the highest point.
"You damn…"
Boom!
Orm drove his fist into Arthur's stomach.
Arthur immediately doubled over like a shrimp.
Before he could recover, Orm grabbed him by his long, disheveled hair and pulled his face toward him.
"Arthur Curry!"
Orm's voice was cold.
"Perhaps countless people are qualified to speak about my father, but you are certainly not one of them!
"Your very existence is one of the greatest mistakes in this world. Because of you, I lost my mother, and everything surrounding your birth caused my father to become depressed and bedridden for years!
"You are simply…"
"Tch!"
Before Orm could finish, Arthur spat a mouthful of bloody mist into the water.
He savagely licked the blood from his teeth before grinning at Orm.
"I thought you were going to say something interesting.
"Ultimately, isn't this just because my father and your mother slept together?
"To be honest, buddy, your father was the third party. Our mother and my father were together first. You should know that…"
"Enough, Arthur Atlanna!"
Duchess Carlson interrupted him from across the chamber.
Arthur froze for a moment before immediately turning toward her.
"It's Arthur Curry, Madam!
"I haven't seen much of my mother, but I still care about her. That doesn't mean I'm going to abandon my father's surname!
"I know you people are impressive. You have an entire ocean, countless kingdoms, and an underwater capital that looks like something out of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
"But you'll never understand.
"Without all those stupid jokes about the Clubhouse, you people still wouldn't mean half as much to me as my old man.
"I'll never forget who raised me, buddies!"
"Have you finished, Arthur… Curry?"
Duchess Carlson rubbed her forehead.
She was already beginning to reconsider her plan.
If someone this crude became King, then decades from now, perhaps every Atlantean would be making bizarre jokes.
Still, power was more important than having an outrageous heir.
In fact, the more outrageous the heir was, the easier it would be for the Council to sideline him.
Therefore, despite her exasperation, Carlson was actually becoming even more optimistic about Arthur Curry.
With that thought in mind, she waved her hand and smiled.
"Guards, unbind him.
"The Council chamber will never use force against an heir to the throne."
"What are you talking about, Carlson?"
Orm immediately stepped forward.
"He is not an heir to the throne. My father is still alive and well!"
But the guards had already carried out Carlson's order.
A moment later, Arthur flexed his wrists and boldly raised his middle finger toward Orm.
"Tsk, tsk. His Royal Highness Prince Orm, hahaha!
"Your own people don't even listen to you, and you have no authority over them. Is that what you call being a prince?"
"Arthur Curry, the Ocean Council serves no single monarch. We serve the entire Sea Clan.
"And you, please stop wasting time. I want to know why you broke into the First Temple."
Duchess Carlson cut off Arthur's mockery and asked the question that actually mattered.
Hearing this, Arthur adjusted his slightly loose waistband after his recent battle and chuckled.
"What else would I be doing?
"Am I supposed to sneak into some run-down birdhouse and steal your prince's position?
"Don't be ridiculous, big sister. I have no interest in you people.
"Even if you asked me to become King, I'd rather stay at my lighthouse.
"As for why I came here…"
Arthur shrugged.
"Didn't you hear that sound earlier?
"I was on the west coast helping a dolphin find its mother when I heard that massive boom.
"I didn't know this was your forbidden territory. I had barely gotten close when thousands of your people surrounded me.
"What a joke. Is your King not here because he's inside those ruins having some wild party with his goddaughter?
"And I almost found out…"
Boom!
"Shut up, you bastard!"
Arthur took another punch.
Duchess Carlson stared in shock.
She had finally realized just how terrifying the power of those Mickey Mouse Clubhouse jokes could be.
Arthur instinctively curled up again, but after only a brief moment, he raised his head and spat out more blood.
"Heh heh…"
He flashed a wild grin at Carlson.
"This little buddy of mine has a bad temper, but he doesn't have much authority.
"You're the one calling the shots.
"So tell me, woman, what are you going to do with me?
"If you absolutely have to kill me, could you at least throw me into a room full of Atlantean women and let them finish the job?
"I've never had much experience with Atlantean women…"
"Don't be ridiculous, Arthur."
Carlson sighed.
"You know very well that you are also a son of Atlantis.
"Your blood calls to the ocean. That instinct allows you to swim through the sea just like every member of the Sea Clan.
"And beneath that rough exterior of yours, don't you also care about the ocean?
"Otherwise, why would you have rushed here after sensing the anomaly surrounding the mother box?"
"Mother box?"
Arthur frowned.
"What's that?"
"It is one of the spoils of war our ancestors obtained after defeating an ancient enemy.
"But now, that enemy has returned for it.
"He has already stolen Atlantis's mother box, and his next targets will be the mother boxes preserved by humanity and the gods.
"Arthur Curry, both the sea and the surface are now facing an immense crisis.
"You are the son of both worlds.
"Perhaps… I could ask you for a favor?
"If you agree, your strength may prove more useful than that of Princess Mera and Vico.
"Atlantis needs your strength.
"Your homeland, and your mother's homeland, both need your help, child."
Meanwhile, as the members of the Atlantean Council worked to persuade the stubborn Arthur and pacify the increasingly irritable Orm, events were unfolding in the Amazon temple.
Diana resolutely picked up the Lasso of Truth, securely bound the mother box, and strapped it to her back.
Seeing her daughter preparing to leave, Hippolyta approached with concern and gently grasped Diana's wrist.
"Diana, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Don't try to dissuade me, Mother.
"If I can't protect the mother box, then even with all of you here, it will be extremely difficult to keep it safe.
"This enemy is incredibly powerful. The kind of powerful that gives me a massive headache.
"But compared to Axel, this one is nothing.
"As for my safety…"
Diana snorted.
"As long as I don't provoke Axel, he won't be excessively harsh with me.
"In short, if I can deliver the mother box to Axel's city, he will never tolerate an invader entering his territory.
"The mother box, and the Earth, will be safe under Axel's terrifying power."
Diana tightened the ropes around the mother box and gave them another firm tug, making sure they were secure.
After confirming that the box would not fall, she continued.
"Don't worry, Mother. I've already thought this through.
"Perhaps this is the true purpose of a scoundrel like Axel appearing in this world.
"His existence is certainly a massive problem for every good person on Earth.
"But his existence can also become a massive problem for every villain in the universe!
"I don't have the ability to deal with Axel, so why can't I use him?
"He's done so many…"
Diana paused, clearly struggling to find a polite way to phrase it.
"Damn it, he's done so many incredibly rude and foolish things to me!
"No matter how you look at it, he wouldn't completely get rid of me simply because I brought him a little trouble.
"In any case, I've decided, Mother.
"While I'm gone, please take care of yourself and our people."
Before Hippolyta could say anything else, Diana soared into the sky and quickly disappeared into the clouds.
As she flew with the mother box secured to her back, however, her heart was far less certain than her words had suggested.
Axel… you damned bastard.
Do I really have to see you again?