Miya Meets Asne
I asked Asne for her understanding, then woke Miya and brought her over. “Miya, this is Asne. You’ve never met her before, right? You’ll be seeing a lot of each other as fellow inhabitants, so say hello. Asne, you’ll be seeing Miya often too, so please greet her.”
Humans live together. No matter how much someone prefers solitude, being the last person left in the world would be worse than death. We’re social creatures, after all. But what about Miya, a snow leopard? Or Asne, a siren? Miya ran away from home. Asne created a territory where nothing else could approach. How would the two of them react?
“Ah, hello. I-I’m Miya, of the snow leopard clan.” Her ears drooped and her tail—long enough to wrap several times around her thighs—twitched as she offered a timid greeting first. She really did seem terrified of sirens.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Asne, a siren. You seem to know about us, but since we’ll be living together as inhabitants, there’s no need to be so frightened.”
Asne smiled warmly, clearly finding Miya adorable. Miya glanced between me and Asne, still uncertain. She really was too cute. When I nodded to reassure her that everything was fine, she broke into a bright grin.
“P-please take care of me!!!”
“Of course. Let’s both do our best to support our lord together.”
Fortunately, thanks to my ability, neither of them showed any hostility toward the other.
‘Whoa… what a picture.’
Two stunning women bathed in the crimson light of sunset. One wore nothing but a white bikini, while the other was dressed in a tank top and hot pants. The sight alone was enough to make my eyes happy. They looked delicious enough to finish a bowl of rice in one go.
“Minsoo! I’ve never talked to a siren like this before!”
“Really? Me neither, actually.”
When I kept staring, Miya’s tail slowly unwound and her ears perked up. She turned to me and bounced over, clinging affectionately. It had only been two days, yet the distance between us still felt strangely natural. For someone this attached to decide to run away… were the snow leopards really okay? Surely not everyone was starving to the point of being skin and bones. Miya had said she didn’t hate her family, so maybe I should help them?
“Ahem. My lord?”
“Did you call me, Asne?”
“You speak quite casually with Miya.”
“Ah… it just turned out that way.”
My first impression of Miya had been that of a strong older sister. Back then, I’d tried to act like a proper lord and used stiff, formal speech. Something like, “Yes. I am the lord of this place,” spoken in a deep voice. In the end, though, Miya felt more like a cute little sister. Using honorifics with her would feel awkward.
“I-I’d like you to speak casually with me too.”
I looked at Asne curiously. Her expression was serious. She met my gaze for a moment before turning away. The redness on her ears and cheeks was probably just from the sunset.
“If that’s what you want, Asne, I’ll do that. You can speak casually with me too, you know.”
“Ah… thank you! It’s a kind offer, but I’m more comfortable this way.”
A smile appeared on Asne’s lips, which had been tense until my answer.
Clap! I clapped my hands to gather their attention.
“Alright, let’s get to work before the sun sets completely.”
Both of them listened attentively.
“Miya and I already have a temporary shelter, so let’s quickly build a place for Asne to rest first.”
“Got it!”
“Thank you for looking out for me.”
I’d had a rough plan in mind ever since the association. “Asne, would anywhere in the sea be fine?”
“Hmm… as long as it’s not too deep or polluted, anywhere is fine.”
“You can’t go into deep water?”
“I can, but I don’t like how dark and cold it gets. There aren’t any such places in the territory you govern, so anywhere is good.”
When I summoned her, the terrain had been described as shallow seas. That explained why she preferred to avoid the deep ocean. The “deep places” she mentioned were probably the abyssal depths—where sunlight couldn’t reach, pressure was crushing, and the water was freezing.
“If we go farther south, there are deeper areas, but we’d have to travel quite a distance. That’s not what I’m looking for anyway.”
“Then what place are you thinking of?”
“The place Minsoo wants? We’ll do our best to get it for you!”
“Let’s move for now.”
Miya and I climbed back up onto the rocky shore. Asne said she would travel through the sea itself.
“Ah… the food Minsoo gave me…! I was supposed to share it with the siren lady…”
Once we reached the rocks, Miya spotted the food she’d left nearby.
“Let’s pack it up and eat later.”
“Okay!”
We walked until we reached the former location of the Skywalk, the landmark made of transparent bulletproof glass or whatever it had been. Now it was nothing but a broken frame.
The sun had fully set, leaving the sea in twilight.
“Do you see that island over there?”
“Is that the place you want, my lord?”
“An island…? I’m not very confident at swimming…”
According to the map, the most suitable island was the one visible from here. Its name was Heugildo. A little farther out was Baekildo, and beyond that were smaller islands leading to Wando. I wasn’t planning to go that far yet—I still didn’t know how to expand the territory.
“Yeah. The sea is dangerous, so people stopped coming here. I want to use that island as a starting point and expand from there. If we’re building a house, it should be over there.”
I checked the distance on my phone. From the Skywalk where we stood, the closest point was about 1.7 kilometers. The inhabited area was a little over 3 kilometers away. Since no one lived there now, the closer spot was better.
The seas around Korea’s three sides were all dangerous. When the monsters appeared during the Great Depression, everyone either evacuated to the mainland or died. Jeju Island was the only exception—its air routes remained open, so people could escape by plane. Places like Ulleungdo and Dokdo had lost all contact. The last messages mentioned monsters invading, so there was probably no hope left.
Most islands in the area had become uninhabited. Even though sea routes weren’t completely cut off, traveling by boat was extremely risky. That was why no one wanted to sail anymore.
“I want to build the house on the far side, not the part we can see from here, and make that the center. So, Asne, is it possible to expand your territory?”
“It is. I can affect up to 5 kilometers.”
“Could you explain in more detail?”
“Well…”
She explained that while she could put things to sleep within a 5-kilometer radius, the farther something was from her, the more effort it required. Her maximum power was concentrated within 1 kilometer. At around 5 kilometers, she couldn’t even put a Sea Grok to sleep. Separately from her power, she could warn monsters up to about 15 kilometers away.
Checking the map, from the center of Heugildo—the island I wanted—the 15-kilometer range reached the Dadohaehaesang National Park near Wando to the right, and down past Nohwado to Bogildo.
Since the islands were uninhabited now, their names didn’t really matter.
“That works. Then…”
Grumble—
“Ehehe… my stomach’s being rude… sorry…”
Asne and I both looked at Miya with fond smiles. The sight of the food earlier must have triggered it.
“We’re not in that much of a rush right now… so let’s eat first.”
“Yeah!!!”
“Sounds good.”
We settled on the rocky shore. When Asne climbed up, seawater dripped from her soaked cloth. I’d have to suggest a swimsuit while we ate.
“What do you want to eat, Miya?”
“Me, me! The bulgogi flavor from this morning!!! I like that one!!!”
As expected of a snow leopard, Miya definitely preferred meat. What about the siren?
“What do you like, Asne?”
“As long as there’s ambient energy around, I don’t need to eat separately. This place has very clean and abundant energy, so I like it a lot.”
“Really? You can’t eat food at all?”
“I can eat. I’ve only tried it a handful of times, so I can’t really say what I like.”
“Then let’s figure it out by trying different things.”
“Hehe… I’d like that.”
Sirens might be a powerful race, but food was another matter. Eating the wrong thing could be fatal, regardless of external strength. Especially for a siren who didn’t usually eat, her digestive system might be weak. I decided to be extra careful.
“Oh, and about clothes… since you live in the sea, regular clothes would get wet and uncomfortable, right?”
“That’s true.”
She was still wrapped in the dripping cloth.
“Then let’s pick out some clothes while we eat.”
I bought the food first. Since Miya liked the bulgogi flavor, I made that the main dish. I purchased a regular bulgogi meal kit with plenty of broth, a portable burner, butane gas, and a wide pot for hot pot. I set the burner on flat ground, placed the pot on top, poured in the meal kit, and lit it. With a whoosh, the flame ignited. Now we just had to wait for it to boil.
“Whoa! That smells amazing!!! Bulgogi flavor? It smells exactly the same!!!”
“This is real bulgogi. What you had this morning was just an imitation of the taste.”
“Eeeeeh!!! If the fake one was that good, how delicious must the real thing be?!”
“You’ll have to try it to find out.”
“Ugh… I can’t wait!!!”
The wide pot was filled with vegetables, glass noodles, generous portions of meat, and rich broth. Even though the snow had stopped, eating hot soup while looking at the scattered patches of snow on the ground was pure bliss. The primary effect of warming the stomach, combined with the sweet flavor—there was no greater luxury.
“How about you, Asne?”
“It smells wonderful. Sweet and savory… a warm dish to melt a cold body… I like it even more because I can feel your consideration, my lord.”
I hadn’t really thought about it that way, but she was right. Hot soup was perfect for winter.
“While we wait, could you take a look at this?”
“Pardon? This is… the device that captured my image earlier, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem like a magical tool, yet it’s truly fascinating.”
“You don’t sense any magical power, right? That’s because it was made with science and technology. Think of it as a magical tool that runs on something other than mana.”
“Hee…”
Asne watched curiously as I held up the phone. A ridiculous thought crossed my mind—something about hypnosis apps from adult comics or anime where you’d say “Kochio Mio!” and instantly hypnotize someone—but I shook my head to clear it and searched for women’s swimsuits instead.
Various swimsuits appeared on the screen, and Asne looked even more intrigued.
“These are called swimsuits—clothes that don’t get very wet even when they touch water. As you can see, there are also styles that aren’t too revealing. Pick whichever one you think is fine.”
“Oh my… to think you’d go this far for me… I’m touched.”
“I’m your lord, after all. And I’m planning to rely on you two a lot, aren’t I? I want to at least take care of your basic needs—food, clothing, and shelter.”
“Thank you again. Then I’ll pick one out.”
I showed her how to operate the phone and handed it over. Asne understood immediately and began navigating it. Miya, on the other hand, had her eyes glued to the pot.
Living with these two beauties… well, probably not just the two of them. I’d keep summoning more inhabitants.
‘Damn… this is way too good.’
Both of them had looks that could make top idols and celebrities bow their heads. And their figures were incredible too. Yet they didn’t dislike me—in fact, they smiled contentedly whenever our eyes met. Every time that happened, my chest swelled with emotion.
‘Maybe being a lord suits me after all?’
Male inhabitants would probably appear too. As the territory grew and became more like a real domain… people would fall in love, get married, have children… and strangely, the thought didn’t bother me. It actually felt satisfying. That was still far in the future, though… just like this slowly simmering bulgogi, we’d take our time coming together. My role as lord was to blend all the different ingredients and sauces into harmony.
Bubble bubble—
Glug glug—
“It’s boiled enough now.”
Before anything else, we needed to fill our stomachs. I scooped a generous portion of bulgogi into bowls and called Miya and Asne over.