Chapter 21
Unexplained Popularity
Kaiman instinctively realized that his letter had turned into a handful of ashes.
“So she burned it outright….”
Unlike his exaggeratedly drooping, sorrowful voice, his red eyes curved wide like a child who had found something amusing.
“Octa, what should we do about this?”
“ᚾ……?”
“It looks like it’ll be hard to get close to Kalia.”
“ᛁᚾ!”
The dark water in the shadows surged and overflowed.
Two enormous tentacles with suction cups burst out and gripped the cave walls tightly, causing a faint tremor throughout the entire cavern.
“No matter how much you throw a tantrum, it won’t help. Kalia is far too cautious.”
I guess this is what it takes if you want to date Richard.
A faint trace of mockery lingered in his casually added remark.
“ᛗᛓ…….”
The kraken’s tentacles slid down as if in despair, and large chunks of rock fell along with them, splashing loudly.
Nearby pirates screamed and ran toward the shore.
Kaiman chuckled at the sound, then suddenly stood and walked toward the shadows.
Plunging his hand into a pool of seawater, he spoke.
“Are you that upset, Octa?”
“……”
“Should I punish her for you?”
“……”
“I’ll make Kalia regret not following you. What do you think?”
At his coaxing tone, the kraken beneath the water fell silent, as if deep in thought.
Smack—
Instead, a pale gray fin suddenly popped out and struck the back of Kaiman’s hand.
“Mono? Why did you hit me?”
Smack smack—
Without answering, the fin struck his hand again, then splashed water toward his face.
“Ugh. Use words, Mono.”
He dipped his arm deeper into the water and soon lifted the owner of the fin.
Water poured down like a waterfall, revealing a massive monster larger than three grown men combined.
At first glance, it resembled a dolphin, but its entire body was covered in small, sharp gray horns. It let out a high-pitched cry.
“—”
“Wow, my ears are about to bleed.”
“……”
Ignoring the blood dripping from his hand where the horns had pierced him, Kaiman grumbled.
“What’s bothering my second child so much that you had to hit me like this?”
“……”
The monster in his arms stayed completely still, like it was dead—
as if afraid that moving would hurt Kaiman further.
“If my good Mono is hitting me, then I must have done something very wrong.”
“…ᛗ.”
At the faint whisper-like sound, Kaiman listened quietly.
The smile on his face stiffened for a moment before returning.
“…You like that woman?”
“…ᛚ.”
“Haha… how interesting.”
Carefully setting the living weapon down into the water as if it were a baby, Kaiman muttered.
“It’s one thing for the youngest, who knows nothing of the world. But how did the second one—who wasn’t even there—end up being charmed?”
“—”
Mono said something, but no one present could understand the meaning of the high-pitched sound.
Kaiman’s red eyes sank coldly.
Tilting his head up, he looked at the hole in the ceiling where the sunset light seeped in and spoke.
“…Alright. I’ll send Kalia another letter.”
But if she burns it again, then it can’t be helped.
With that added, Kaiman brought out a fresh sheet of paper and a red quill.
Whoosh—
At that moment, a small shadow slipped through the hole in the ceiling and approached him.
“Hello, Tree.”
Unlike the other monsters, Tree had the appearance of a small, adorable bird—
except for its three pairs of wings.
Thanks to this little one, he could leave letters in Kalia’s room without anyone noticing.
“ᚡᚤ…….”
“Alright, alright. You had a hard time.”
Tree chirped weakly as it circled around Kaiman’s head before settling on his broad shoulder.
It rubbed its tiny wings against his cheek, clearly pleased with the warm welcome.
After fussing over its feathers, Tree pulled out a small piece of paper from within.
“Hmm? A reply?”
Splash—
Plop—
Flap—
Rumble—
The cave was instantly filled with the sound of water splashing.
Rrrrrumble—
Outside the cave, the ground shook, and screams echoed.
“Aaaah!”
“Th-the island is collapsing!”
At the sudden chaos, Kaiman shook his head in disbelief.
“…They usually all do whatever they want, so what’s gotten into them now?”
It seemed all his siblings on the island had been paying attention to this.
Even though their appearances and behaviors were all different.
“Oh, right. The reply.”
As if remembering suddenly, Kaiman looked down at Tree, who had hidden between his shirt and chest to avoid the splashing water.
Peeking out between the loosely crossed black straps, Tree held the note in its beak.
As Kaiman unfolded it, a heavy tension settled over the cave.
“You guys weren’t even this tense when facing Richard’s fleet….”
Smack—
At Mono’s impatient smack telling him to stop talking nonsense and read it, Kaiman sighed.
“What’s so special about this woman… hmm?”
As Kaiman stopped speaking, all the monsters sharpened their senses at once.
“Well now….”
Tree pecked at his chest as if telling him to hurry.
Kaiman smiled.
“Sorry, guys. It’s not from Kalia.”
The note was from a spy Kaiman had planted on the mainland.
Splash—
Crash—
Boom—
A furious wave drenched Kaiman mercilessly.
“Pfft. Don’t be too disappointed.”
After staggering briefly, Kaiman regained his balance and brushed back his wet hair, chuckling.
“I might be able to go see Kalia before autumn arrives.”
“ᚤ!”
“ᛓ……!”
“But wouldn’t it be nice if we could get closer before then?”
Humming lightly, Kaiman pulled Tree away from the black straps it was pecking at.
“Tree, could you do me one more favor?”
Resting on his hand, Tree pretended not to listen while grooming its feathers.
“I’m going to write another letter to Kalia—”
Flap—
Tree immediately flew up, grabbed Kaiman’s collar with its beak, and dragged him toward the corner where dry paper was kept.
Kaiman still wore a smile, but his red eyes grew colder.
“Why do my siblings like you so much, Kalia?”
A dark aura flickered in the large hand that picked up a sheet of paper.
“I’m curious….”
The pale brown paper looked completely normal on the outside.
Anyone lacking sufficient skill wouldn’t notice anything unusual even if they saw it.
Because the black magic he placed on it wasn’t a curse meant to harm.
“So this time—”
Whoosh—
“…Tree?”
Flap—
“I haven’t even written anything yet…?”
After a blissful day off ended, the day of my date with Richard returned.
Having fully experienced the power of extreme heat during our first date, I completely gave up on flashy midsummer fashion.
Instead, I chose a summer dress with an open neckline and back to stay cool.
“How is it, Mihail?”
“…The sunlight is quite harsh. Even if you travel by carriage, it would be better to wear a light outer layer.”
Wow, I thought he was a weather forecaster.
His voice even had a pleasant tone—if this were Earth, I would’ve seriously recommended him for the job.
“I was asking if the outfit suits me… but thanks for the advice anyway!”
As I thought about what kind of outerwear I could possibly wear in this heat and turned back toward the dressing room—
the maid Ella, who had suggested today’s outfit, held out a parasol with both hands.
“My lady, you do not need any more clothing. Please take this.”
“Oh, uh… thanks.”
She held it out so forcefully, it felt like I’d been handed a sacred sword.
It wouldn’t have been strange if she had said, “Use this to behead the enemy general.”
“Then, I wish you victory!”
“Right… thank you…?”
Wasn’t her lover a naval ensign?
Maybe that’s why her farewell sounded so dramatic.
‘Then again, my lover is a naval admiral… should I sound even more intense?’
Thinking such nonsense, I ran toward Richard, who was waiting at the mansion gate.
But my steps gradually slowed.
Wow. He’s seriously handsome. His face is a public service. How can someone be this good-looking? It’s like the gods created him with blatant favoritism.
“Kalia?”
“…Ah, sorry. I haven’t seen you in a few days, so I wasn’t prepared for your looks.”
Richard looked unsure whether I was joking or not—
even that expression was handsome—
so I answered solemnly.
“I swear on my heart, I mean it.”
Richard laughed. The low sound made my heartbeat quicken.
“You also… look, hm, beautiful today.”
He averted his gaze awkwardly mid-sentence, which made his sincerity slightly questionable.
“Do you mean that?”
“…Yes. But on the way to our destination, it would be best to stop by a boutique and buy you an outer coat.”
Was my dress too revealing?
Compared to the noble ladies I saw on our first date, it didn’t seem that bad.
“…Is it too revealing?”
“It’s not that… it’s just that the place we’re going today is the Temple of the Sea God.”
Richard said with an awkward smile.
“…The Temple of the Sea God?”
“Yes. You seemed to like the Sea God.”
“…Wow.”
This is bad. I don’t even know the Sea God’s name.
