Desert Rose
Eira's responsibilities aboard Nautilus were maintaining public order and handling diplomacy. For security, it needed someone strong enough to keep things stable, but everyone on Nautilus with real recognized power was either from the rehabilitation gang or a mage. That made Eira, the sole noble aboard, the perfect fit for entertaining visiting nobles in diplomacy as well—her status matched theirs.
At first, Eira hadn't thought much of it. To even live on Nautilus, you had to have decent character, so major issues rarely arose inside. While Nautilus was sailing, the biggest report her guards brought her was a missing child. And even that turned out to be a kid who got off a streetcar in an unfamiliar spot, started crying, and was quickly escorted home by a local resident. So Eira figured it was a pretty cushy job.
But when Nautilus docked, she realized she'd been had. It was leisurely at sea, but once they anchored and opened to outsiders, Eira was swamped nonstop. The moment Nautilus's doors opened, first-timers flooded in just to gawk. And once inside, their eyes bulged at prices they'd never dreamed of.
In Bostain, it was the unbelievably cheap food. In Aldamina, it was the dirt-cheap water. Like ants returning home with word of prey and bringing the whole colony, Aldamina's residents heard from the bold ones who'd ventured in and came swarming. And among them were those with zero respect for the law.
As the saying goes, put five people together and one’s trash. With crowds pouring in, a steady percentage were scum, sparking endless incidents. Theft, assaults, drunks causing chaos—the guards on patrol rounded them up and dragged them to the station. Then came the reports: what happened, paperwork to file. Eira's reviews piled up sky-high.
“We nabbed a drunk causing a ruckus at Block 1 tavern.”
“Check for injuries and toss him in holding.”
“Caught a pickpocket in the act.”
“Get the victim's description from him, return the goods. If not found, log it in lost and found with key details. Confirm ID and get a receipt when claimed.”
“Grabbed a guy assaulting a shopkeeper and stealing.”
“Cuff him now. Get the owner treated, estimate medical costs and lost wages during recovery.”
With no proper manual yet, Eira had to judge everything on the fly. She gritted her teeth watching the holding cell fill. If they were Nautilus locals, she'd just ship them to the rehabilitation gang. But most were Aldamina residents, and Nautilus couldn't punish outsiders at will. So they sat in holding... and sat... pushing capacity to the limit.
“Haa.”
Eira sighed at the numbers. The cell she'd thought was wasted space when empty was now crammed, and it hadn't been long since docking. Before it overflowed, she'd need to beg Daiyen for warehouse space—but Daiyen was off trading in Aldamina, out of contact. Stuck.
As Eira stewed, the news she'd been waiting for arrived.
“Lady Eira, visitors from Golden Sand Tower.”
“About time they showed, you see?”
Aldamina was built around the mage tower founded by Archmage Aldamina herself. Its rule fell not to nobles but to her direct lineage, Golden Sand Tower. Eira had requested a meeting over Nautilus's crime wave and inwardly cheered—finally. But the guard looked apologetic.
“Uh, they asked for the diplomacy officer, not the security chief.”
“What... Haa, just as I feared, you see.”
She'd hoped for relief; instead, more work. Her face drained further as she told them to show the guest in, then changed. No iron-and-leather guard gear—instead, as noble lady and Nautilus diplomat, she donned the priceless dress Aurelia had gifted her, all jewels and frills like ornate armor.
The reception room, decked in furnishings and decor from Nautilus artisans that Bostain couldn't dream of—thanks to Aurelia's advice—held a bronze-skinned woman sipping tea. More a liquor type, by her vibe. Eira recalled her subordinate's briefing on Hasina and greeted her politely.
“Pleased to meet you, you see. I'm Eira Bostain, Nautilus's negotiation officer.”
“Hasina, the reddest sand of Golden Sand Tower.”
Rude by comparison, but the gap was huge: a mere caravan negotiator and baron's daughter from the boonies versus a high mage ruling empire-favored Aldamina. Beyond status, Eira sensed Hasina wasn't your average mage the moment she saw her. Her senses, honed training North Sea Ice Technique from Suhyun, picked up someone her age but stronger. The world was vast, she thought again. No peers her age in the North or academy to match her—yet right after leaving Bostain, here was one superior. Competitive fire flickered, then died.
“They said I had to talk to you to meet Nautilus's owner... You're more interesting than I expected?”
Hasina had sized her up too. Mages excelled at sensing mana over knights, and talented ones like her pierced Eira instantly. Common knight-level mana, but its quality was leagues beyond—colder than a midnight desert, flowing serene. Hasina's eyes sparkled.
“Ho ho ho, such high praise from a powerhouse like Lady Hasina—I'm honored, you see.”
Eira clocked Hasina's type quick from the exchange. Arrogant. Untouched by failure, dictatorial, aggressive. Even now, testing her—leaking mana unchecked, drawing Eira's out. She quashed her rising fire and smiled.
Feeling it ebb, Hasina tsked, amused. “I want to meet this Suhyun. Can you arrange it?”
“Might I ask your purpose, you see?”
“Hmm, just to chat.”
Eira pressed, unyielding at the evasion. Even if Hasina attacked, she wouldn't yield—but harm wasn't just brute force. In a world where one slip let politics crush you unexpectedly, Eira wasn't naive.
“I need to know the topic to ask Suhyun, you see.”
Hasina smirked provocatively. “What do a man and woman chat about when they meet?”
She licked her blood-red lips, and Eira flushed at the familiar ploy. She'd pledged body and soul to Suhyun, awaiting his call. Never come.
I even prepared victory lingerie...
First night on Nautilus, she'd endured mortifying shame for underwear half her usual coverage, heart pounding nightly for his summons. He never called. Not then, not since. Self-loathing at her secret history, but seeing another on the path, Eira advised earnestly.
“Suhyun isn't like that.”
“Jealous already?”
“Ahem, anyway—no meeting for that reason. If you truly want one, request formally through Golden Sand Tower.”
“Can't do that. I want to see this mage Suhyun now.”
“Are you mocking Nautilus?”
Hasina ignored the polite refusal, laughing as she pulled a sand orb. Placed on the table, her mana unlocked its powerful seal. Sand—crushed sunlight itself—whirled in layers, forming a rose of sand.
“Desert Rose. Desert sunlight infuses sand with yang energy, condensed and crystallized here. Any mage would crave it.”
Used to activate Sand's Radiance Holding the Sun, as catalyst or medium, or consumed to grow mysteries—a priceless elixir. Aldamina hoarded them against sandworms, rare to even glimpse. Few knew its worth, but condensed solar mana in sand form? Every mage's dream. Eira knew nothing of its magic or mysteries, but its brief reveal turned the room midday-desert hot with power. Unenchanted items crumbled to sand in the mana surge. She nodded.
“With an item like this, talking to Suhyun makes sense, you see.”
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Mages got mocked plenty. Frail weaklings. Book-smart but clueless scholars. Peddlers with endless catalysts unlike gear-light knights. Junk collectors hoarding magic trinkets. But mages had excuses: no time for workouts amid studies, theory alone ate all hours to grasp the world, endless gear needed for magic's versatility.
They even self-mocked it. Yet mages couldn't escape the grind. That's why battle mages were rare. Hang PhD-level gear from every lab and fight in war's heart? Who'd do it?
But lunatics did. Combat mages.
“Heh, younger than I thought?”
Hasina had assumed Nautilus's creator was ancient. Such artifacts needed vast knowledge and funds—decades even from birth. Yet Suhyun looked her age, maybe younger. For a crafter, his build was sturdy, stance flawless. Young body, but techniques honed like a lifelong master's. No crafter expert, but he'd outdone her idiot brother. And combat? Not below hers.
Siblings both tower geniuses, rivals spurring endless drive. Brother: youngest elder ever. Her: youngest combat mage recognized. Pride intact—until Suhyun shattered it like sand. Instinct sized him up.
Could I win with a surprise attack?
Even sword drawn now, no real damage—gut feeling. She tensed slightly.
“You wanted to see me?”
Grad student age, fresh from basics under her brother's wing—yet artifact like Nautilus, power overwhelming hers.
Nautilus is bonus; royals eye him for this. One feat draws the palace; two? Game-changer.
She shifted plans. Tease him till he squirmed? Nah—with this, pull him into her arms and steal his soul.