TERMS 09

Chapter 9 ….

“You can do it whenever you want… even every night if you like.”

“Ugh!”

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but moan and dropped to my knees.

That kind of cute behavior is cheating!

I finally understood the true meaning of the term “heart-fluttering” that people often used in my previous world. This was exactly when it applied.

When I instinctively clutched my chest, Baron was startled and cupped my face with both hands.

“What’s wrong? Does it hurt anywhere?”

“No. It’s not that it hurts.”

I looked up and met Baron’s eyes, filled with concern.

This adorable creature…

I hugged Baron tightly.

“Because you’re just too cute!”

I thought Baron would shyly pull away, but after a brief hesitation, the little one hugged me back.

Ah… this is true cuteness!

I hugged Baron once more before standing up.

Thanks to Baron, I had captured the Search, and with the wind calm and the waves gentle, it was the perfect time to test its effectiveness.

I tied a rope connected to the basket around my waist, attached the glass bottle with a string to my left wrist, and held the net in my right hand.

“Baron, you go inside first. I’ve caught the Search, so I’ll just check the sea for a bit. If the water’s clear, I might try catching something.”

“What do you mean by ‘water’s clear’?”

“I mean the color of the seawater. The clearer it is, the better you can see underwater. If muddy water comes in, visibility drops.”

“Oh, got it.”

Baron nodded and unexpectedly said, pointing to a spot:

“Then I’ll make a small fire there. Come back by following it.”

I was speechless at Baron’s cleverness.

He was just seven years old, yet he was thinking like this.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if Baron were the male lead. Not that he could be the Red-Eyed Emperor, of course—he had violet eyes.

‘Still, no matter how smart he is, asking a child to start a fire is too much.’

Going into the night sea without any marker would be extremely dangerous.

I stacked a few pieces of driftwood and transferred embers from the hearth to it. Soon, even a small fire would burn.

“I’ll leave it like this. Could you come out sometimes to check the fire? Just in case it goes out… um…”

I looked around, then plucked two palm-sized leaves and handed them to him.

“Use these to pick up some wood and put it in the fire.”

Baron took the leaves and asked,

“Are you worried I’ll get pricked?”

“Yes. Don’t get too close to the fire.”

I smiled, patted his head, and headed to the sea.

Last night, when catching conches, I hadn’t gone deeper than ankle height. But now, thanks to the Search I just caught, I could wade up to my thighs and check the water.

The Search’s light was incredibly bright.

‘It would be even better if I could put it underwater and see.’

Unlike underwater lanterns in my previous world, this being alive made that impossible.

Holding the glass bottle in my left hand, I scanned the sea. The basket tied to my waist floated well on the surface and moved as I pulled it.

Soon, I spotted a conch partially buried in the sand. As I gently scraped it with the net, something whitish flickered at the edge of my vision.

“A crab!”

Instinctively recognizing it, I quickly raised my head. Shining the Search around, I saw six or so crabs scuttling across the sea floor.

“Awesome.”

No one else was catching them, so they were all mine.

This meant I wouldn’t have to struggle for long.

‘Maybe I could even build a new house soon?’

I silently congratulated myself for taking up shellfishing as a side hustle.

Just then, something unusual flashed through the water.

“Eh?”

Startled, I turned quickly. A huge black shadow seemed to appear. My tension rose automatically.

‘Could it… be a monster?’

But no matter how much I looked around, the shadow was gone.

At the end of the path where the shadow passed, a huge crab was resting on the seabed. That must have been the shadow.

Hooray!

Baron watched Ignis Patus, named “Search,” slowly drift away from Hailey and muttered quietly:

“Karmen.”

A stone as big as Baron rose before him. This was an Earth Spirit that used its innate powers powered by the contractor’s permissioned magic.

Karmen bent slowly to bow.

Baron pointed at the small campfire with leaves in his hand.

“Add some wood to keep the fire going.”

Karmen went back into the ground. Soon, small vibrations rose from the floor as scattered dry wood pieces moved and stacked neatly on the small fire.

Though the small fire nearly went out in the process, Baron ignored it and pointed to the cabin.

“Make sure the foundation is strong so the house doesn’t collapse, tidy up the surroundings, repair without leaving traces, and be careful not to make noise.”

Hailey didn’t seem to notice, but Baron had received a report that the cabin wasn’t entirely safe when he first had his subordinates tidy it.

It would be fine in good weather, but heavy rains or typhoons could damage it, hence Karmen’s repairs.

Creak—

A small tremor and sound came from the old cabin. Completely silent work was impossible because the cabin was already leaning.

Some pieces of wood fell to the floor, and the logs supporting the roof nearly shifted, but Karmen’s power held them together.

Clatter.

Debris around the cabin slid along the ground, piling up in one corner.

Watching Karmen work, Baron recalled Hailey’s voice:

“B-Baron, did you clean this?”

Her eyes, wide with admiration, seemed to sparkle like sapphires.

Baron smiled, looking at his left index finger.

‘Come to think of it, this did sting a bit.’

He pretended a thorn had pricked him since he couldn’t say he had his subordinates do it.

But the soft feeling of lips brushing his finger lingered vividly.

Hailey’s lips.

Baron closed his eyes unconsciously, bringing his finger to his lips.

Remembering the warmth of her lips and her embrace, which had also touched his cheek earlier, made his heart race.

These undefinable feelings were new but incredibly pleasant.

Just then:

“Raven Honor, I have come upon hearing Black Rivia’s message.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Baron cleared his throat, raised a hand to hold Raven at bay, and summoned another spirit.

“Salamander.”

A tiny fire lizard appeared at Baron’s command.

“Light the fire. Also, revive the embers inside the house.”

“Peep.”

The adorable fire lizard crawled into the small fire.

With a pop, the almost-extinguished fire flared brightly. The Salamander crawled into the cabin.

Baron kneeled, glanced at Raven with his head bowed, then looked back at the sea.

Seeing his master silent, Raven turned to check the night sea and carefully asked:

“Your Majesty, it seems a citizen entered the sea. Should we make them come out? It’s dangerous at night because sea slimes roam.”

“Ah, sea slimes.”

Bloden snorted.

“They dislike strong light. So it’s fine.”

Sea slimes were nocturnal, large leeches in the sea, which would attach to animals and suck their blood to death.

Hence, citizens never approached the sea at night and worked from boats during the day, using nets, fishing rods, or scoops. It was common practice in the empire.

“Fine, Your Majesty?”

“I’ve contained the Ignis Patus in a glass bottle.”

‘Excuse me? You placed a spirit near a citizen?’

No wonder it looked brighter over there!

Raven gaped in shock. Baron, indifferent to the subordinate’s astonishment, added:

“The Ignis will stay with them. Hailey knows it as a ‘flash firefly,’ so coordinate well.”

“Wh-Who is this Hailey?”

“My housemate.”

“Eh?”

“We’ve started living together since yesterday.”