Chapter 17
Suspicious and Strange
Night fell, thick and deep.
Inside a carriage racing along the forest road of the Lavius estate, a low voice issued a command.
“Zipfel, report.”
“From the additional interrogation, it has been confirmed that there is a noble colluding with Caiman.”
At the report from the driver’s seat, Richard’s blue eyes sharpened like blades.
Caiman—the mad ruler of the pirates who controlled the Croker Archipelago.
Up until the era of the previous Aquilus admiral, pirates and monsters had been separate enemies of the navy.
Monsters were hostile to all humans, nothing more than savage beasts without reason.
But thirteen years ago, everything changed with the emergence of Caiman, who could command monsters.
Each year, the number of civilian and naval casualties caused by him rose into the dozens.
“The identity of the collaborating noble?”
“My apologies. The spy died before we could extract it.”
“A colonel’s interrogation skills aren’t usually that lacking.”
“Caiman had prepared in advance. It was a curse that destroys the brain if certain levels of information are revealed.”
At the mention of a curse, Richard briefly glanced down at his own hand.
The spy had been disguised as a marine.
At first, he had been recorded as someone who made a mistake during artillery transport.
But something felt off, and Richard personally interrogated him, exposing his identity.
Had nothing unusual occurred, more information would have been extracted that day.
That is—if a monster’s presence hadn’t been detected near the naval fishing site that same day.
“…Any connection to Lady Lavius?”
“Nothing confirmed yet. But it’s certain that woman is suspicious.”
Yes.
Ignoring orders to leave the fishing area and stubbornly holding onto her rod—one could dismiss that as the ignorance of a central noble lady unfamiliar with such matters.
But from the moment she avoided Richard’s hand when she nearly fell into the sea, her behavior had been undeniably suspicious.
At that time, Richard had been the only one capable of dealing with the monster lurking beneath the sea without causing a commotion.
Yet the moment he jumped in, he witnessed something shocking.
A kraken-like monster was gently pulling Lady Lavius toward itself—as if handling a delicate child.
He remembered clearly how that same creature had killed his subordinates.
Crushing them with massive tentacles.
Binding their bodies and breaking their bones.
Spraying venomous ink to poison them.
Most who had faced it had died so gruesomely that proper funerals weren’t even possible.
And yet—
That exact same grotesque monster was treating Lady Lavius with care, as though she were made of glass.
“Of course, there’s no evidence that the Lavius family has allied with pirates, but…”
“It’s just as absurd that a monster would treat her with care.”
At first, Richard had assumed she might be someone like Caiman—capable of controlling monsters.
But strangely, despite the creature’s apparent favor, the lady had seemed on the verge of drowning.
Unlike Caiman, who was nearly half-monster and could breathe underwater.
Whether she was a foolish conspirator or an innocent civilian, he had planned to retrieve her and find out the truth.
That was why he drove the kraken away and brought her ashore.
When Lady Lavius regained consciousness, she looked at him—and recoiled in shock.
The emotion in her green eyes had clearly been fear.
Richard knew that look well.
He had seen it countless times.
—“I must be seeing things. I should probably faint again.”
She had muttered as if speaking her thoughts aloud in confusion.
Afterward, she thanked him, but avoided his gaze.
And she seemed eager to leave as quickly as possible.
Furthermore, even after being exposed for knowing about his curse at the residence, she failed to properly explain how she knew.
—“I don’t know exactly, but maybe the Sea God! Maybe the Sea God told me!”
It was clearly a hastily made excuse—one he had pretended to accept to guide the conversation, though it lacked credibility.
“Zipfel. What did the Temple of the Sea God say about her?”
“They said she has never visited even once. It’s doubtful she even knows the Sea God’s name is Islea.”
Though somewhat biased, his adjutant was not one to lie.
“Not only is there no plausible connection to the Sea God she mentioned, but there are also widespread rumors that she had conflicts with a saintess of the Heavenly God in Linefelt.”
“…Investigate that as well.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
Calia Lavius.
A person full of suspicious elements.
That was also a major reason he accepted her absurd proposal for a contract relationship—and she herself was aware of it.
—“Keep an eye on me as much as you like. Whether I’m truly suspicious, whether I’m a villain trying to use you, whether I reveal your curse to anyone else.”
Even that, in itself, was suspicious.
Richard frequently dealt with merchants skilled in persuasion due to his control over maritime trade.
Even to him, Calia’s reasoning had sounded fairly convincing.
Too convincing, in fact, for someone reputed to be a foolish and violent villainess.
—“My terrible reputation will protect you from people approaching you.”
So, as she suggested, he had decided—for now—to keep her close and observe her.
But…
“…What did you think of her today, after observing her directly?”
“……”
Instead of answering, Richard rubbed his face dryly.
“…She was strange.”
“So she finally revealed her suspicious nature—”
“Not suspicious. Strange.”
She had appeared in the southern summer dressed as if for winter.
Then nearly collapsed from the heat, only to smile like a child over a single sherbet.
She had completely overwhelmed the bothersome Manehill lady in an instant.
And then…
—“What a waste. It tastes so good.”
Richard roughly opened the carriage window.
The moment she suddenly licked his cheek like a small animal had been startling enough.
But what unsettled him more was what came after.
“Does she lack fear… or have too much of it…?”
Holding his arm was one thing.
But the way her fingers kept tracing apologies over the back of his gloved hand…
Richard looked down at his hand.
He was still wearing the black leather gloves Calia had given him.
They were well-made, crafted carefully by an artisan.
But that was all.
Snap—
A branch from a passing horse chestnut tree brushed against his hand.
The moment it touched his bare skin—once the glove was removed—it withered instantly.
Just like the red hydrangeas had days ago, the curse remained as strong and absolute as ever.
And yet—
Even after seeing it with her own eyes.
Even though she had clearly been afraid.
“…Perhaps it was a strategy to lower my guard.”
It was the first time.
The first time someone who knew about his curse had reached out and touched him first.
Even if he had been wearing gloves.
“….”
Richard looked at the branch in his hand.
Then, as if shaking off the lingering sensation on his skin, he tossed it out the window without hesitation.
It may have been the first.
But it must also be the last.
“If she continues to disturb you, I will deal with her at the right time.”
“No. My emotions are mine to handle. You will investigate what I ordered earlier—the relationship between Lady Lavius and the saintess of the Great Temple of Harnellia.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
For now, Lady Lavius had faithfully upheld her end of the contract today.
As promised, she had blocked anyone attempting to approach Richard.
Though…
Her methods had been far more extreme than expected.
Despite spending the entire day in the bustling Viselium Street, he hadn’t once felt the need to be wary of others approaching him.
Half of that was… because her antics left him no room to think of anything else.
Richard stared at the passing trees for a while before closing the window.
“I’ll determine for myself whether she’s up to anything.”
At the same time, on Aihaz Island in the Croker Archipelago—
Inside a black sea cave carved by the waves, several large and small chambers stretched inward.
At the entrance of the deepest chamber hung a curtain made of woven garnets.
Beyond the sharp, blood-red gemstones lay a space thick with incense smoke.
At its center, atop a massive stone seat covered with black wolf fur and deep crimson velvet, sat a man sprawled lazily.
“….”
Despite his massive frame, he held in his hand something resembling a child’s toy—a wooden sword and a doll.
His large hands, covered in crooked ancient numeral tattoos from the back of his hands to his fingers, toyed idly with the worn objects.
Tick—
Tock—
Each soft clacking sound made the dozen pirates kneeling to his right tremble.
Some even lost control of themselves in fear.
“M-my lord… It was a mistake. We found his relatives and returned the body, so please… just this once…”
Whirr—
The wooden dagger spun in his hand like a pen.
Without even glancing at the kneeling pirates, their lord, Caiman, spoke.
“Octa, what’s going on?”
His languid, sticky voice filled the chamber.
Moments later, the surface of a deep pool of seawater to the right began to swirl violently.
Something massive stirred beneath, dragging its body forward.
