Protavist's Arrival
After half a day and two more hours of sailing, they finally reached De Marinda's port as morning dawned. When an unfamiliar ship entered the harbor, the sailors preparing for an early fishing trip grew wary.
"What in the world is that?"
Though the vessel was battered in places, its size was still large enough to be called a proper sailing ship, so it was impossible not to be surprised. Ignoring those stares, the helmsman steered toward an empty dock. Somehow, he managed to dock the ship flush against the pier—a feat even modern vessels struggled with—despite the ship having nothing but sails and a rudder.
Once the ship stopped, Gale took command of the crew in Selena's stead. Selena, as if she had urgent business, disembarked without a backward glance and headed straight for De Marinda Castle.
'She really wanted to rest that badly?'
(Her eyes look like they're on fire right now.)
Bagan and Sally, knowing how serious her condition was, exchanged glances before hurrying after her.
The path to De Marinda Castle was one Selena had carved out herself. It was exactly the kind of route her mind would produce. Bagan barely swallowed the words, "Is there even a path this way?" They took so many shortcuts that they eventually arrived at the imposing De Marinda Castle.
She searched for the castle gate with bloodshot eyes, spotted the nearest entrance among several, and practically sprinted inside.
"Ah, uh! What brings you—"
"Navy Grand Admiral Selena. Move aside."
"Huh? L-Lady Selena? Understood. No need for an escort—"
"It's fine. Let the guests following me through as well."
Annoyed by the soldier's endless questions, Selena gave the necessary information upfront to speed things along and marched into the castle like a one-woman army. Following her, Bagan overheard her muttering as she passed the soldiers, sounding utterly exhausted.
"Damn it, this castle is pointlessly huge."
It was a clear demonstration of what happened when someone was overworked without rest for too long.
'She must be really angry.'
(Yeah, but the moment she hits a soft bed, she'll pass out cold.)
The two followed her rapid pace, guessing just how deeply fatigue had sunk into her bones. Along the way, Arien, who had been wearing an uneasy expression, did something adorable.
"Lord Bagan. Has Big Sister returned to the spirit realm?"
She had jumped to that conclusion because she could no longer see Sally's spirit form.
'Well, it would be hard to tell without actually talking to her.'
Since Bagan and Sally could converse through thoughts alone, Arien had been left out of the loop. Feeling slightly guilty, Bagan exchanged a fond smile with Sally and nodded. As expected, Sally manifested and gently stroked Arien's hair.
"You missed your big sister, didn't you, cutie?"
"Yes."
From then on, Sally walked hand in hand with Arien.
Following Selena's "guidance," they reached the castle where Razetta worked. Selena told them she had something to take care of and asked them to wait, then disappeared into her office. After a few awkward minutes standing with the soldier guarding Razetta's study, Selena emerged.
They wondered what she had been doing inside—only for her to reappear in the exact form Bagan was familiar with.
'She changed into her proper naval uniform.'
Until now, she had been wearing tattered pirate clothes. They had been presentable enough in their own way, but her true presence shone when she wore her military attire. Though different from modern uniforms, the crisp, authoritative outfit perfectly suited her rank as Grand Admiral.
"Done. Let's go."
Her clothes had changed, but her sharp gaze had not. She straightened her posture, and Bagan could only nod at her commanding charisma.
Knock, knock!
At Selena's knock, a tired voice answered from inside. It was Razetta.
"It's Selena. I'm coming in."
She didn't even say "May I?" Without waiting for permission, Selena opened the door and strode into the study one determined step at a time, as if she were conquering a castle.
"S-Selena? How did you get here?"
"Lord Razetta. I thought you had forgotten about me."
Thus, the two finally met. Bagan, Sally, and Arien, who had been following behind, entered Razetta's study once more.
"It's been a while. You look worn out. But why did you bring them along?"
"Without them, I would have died."
Selena blurted it out without preamble, and Razetta's expression darkened with worry.
"W-What happened?"
Even so, Razetta cared enough about Selena to abandon her work and pay attention. Throwing the document she had been reading onto the floor was not something she would do unless the matter was truly serious. Selena seized the moment and began recounting everything that had occurred, reporting in detail as if she had rehearsed it. She explained how they had been attacked, that it was Bagan who helped, how they found the dungeon with Sally's power and nearly died inside, how they fought what turned out to be a demon, and the properties of the Dungeon Stone.
"So that's what happened. But why did you come here?"
Even after hearing the whole story, Razetta still didn't understand Selena's feelings. After all, Selena's mission had been to hunt Leviathan and Kraken to protect Razetta from Cyron's advances.
At Razetta's reaction, Selena's beautiful face twisted in frustration.
"How many months has it been since I last got any rest?!"
"Of course I know you've been working hard, but what about me? Do you think I've been playing around? It hurt to send you away, and I've been struggling to keep De Marinda running."
"That's not what I'm talking about. Just admit it already!"
"A-Admit what?!"
Razetta looked flustered by Selena's relentless words. Her face showed a surprising range of emotions—perhaps because she usually spent all her energy on work and rarely had the chance to express her feelings.
"Admit that you accept Lord Cyron. If you need money, just ask for it!"
"Are you seriously saying that right now? I can earn money myself. That's not the issue!"
The two poured out their emotions as if Bagan and the others weren't even there. Just as the tension between them deepened, an interruption came from outside.
"My lord! Someone else has come requesting an audience."
It was the soldier guarding the study door. Thinking the man had no sense of timing, Razetta shouted back.
"Tell them to come back later!"
But the soldier sounded like the situation was urgent.
"W-Well, the visitor introduced himself as the guardian of Lord Cyron's lair."
The soldier's words struck like lightning. The moment they had been dreading had finally arrived. One of the guests they had desperately hoped would not come had appeared after all. Razetta and Selena's faces darkened at once. Both of them had guilty consciences.
With a trembling voice, Razetta said, "L-Let them in."
At her command, the soldier replied, and the study door opened.
Creaaak!
In the tense silence, the sound of the door seemed especially loud. Then came the soft, wet footsteps—nothing like a human's—and the figure claiming to be Cyron's guardian stepped into the room.
"Is this where the lord of De Marinda resides? I am the guardian of Lord Cyron's lair. My name is Protavist."
Not all dragons had them, but guardians were standard for most. Palamus had even kept maids, after all. Protavist was ultimately just another servant.
Step. Step. Step.
After taking one more step fully into the study, the creature stroked the appendages on its chin like an old man.
Slurp. Slurp.
Who would have thought stroking a beard could make such a sound? The reason was simple—Protavist's head was that of an octopus. Its torso and belly were a turtle's shell, and its arms and legs were made of water. It was remarkable how the water maintained its shape and function as limbs. Thanks to that, the study floor quickly became soaked with dripping water.
Though her office had turned into a puddle in an instant, Razetta did not panic. She took a quiet, deep breath and greeted the visitor politely.
"Yes, I am Razetta, lord of De Marinda. What brings you here?"
She introduced herself courteously and asked why he had come. She had a rough idea, but asking first was only polite—she saw no need to surrender the initiative right away.
"I heard you did not answer Lord Cyron's summons. Even after we released Leviathan and Kraken to secure the nearby waters and bring you as respectfully as possible, some shameless individuals hunted them down."
Unfortunately, Protavist knew everything about their actions. He was indirectly demanding an apology by phrasing it this way.
"W-Well, I had other matters to attend to, so I merely postponed it for a while."
"As a soldier, I simply hunted intruders who clearly violated our territorial waters."
The two offered their excuses in perfect sync. But—
"Purupuru! You call that an excuse? The great dragon Lord Cyron summoned you, yet you delayed because you had other business, and even after we asked for your understanding to escort you with the utmost respect, you hunted them anyway."
"How were we supposed to know those monsters' intentions?!"
"Since you seem unaware, allow me to explain. As Lord Cyron's guardian, I have been given command over all Leviathan and Kraken."
The pair realized their mistake too late. Their expressions hardened in real time. Protavist had been directly involved in the incident from the start. Of course he would know that the Leviathan and Kraken he had sent had been hunted.
In the end, they had no choice but to apologize.
"It was a rash judgment. On behalf of De Marinda, I sincerely apologize for all our misconduct."
"I'm sorry."
Selena bowed her head right after, and Protavist nodded his smooth octopus head, apparently satisfied.
"Very well. Then follow Lord Cyron's orders. We are going to his lair right now."
"What?!"
Bowing her head had already wounded her pride—being forced into courtship with no say in the matter was even worse. So she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"There is no such law! I refuse to go."
"Then I suppose I have no choice but to take you by force."
Protavist seemed to have already received orders to bring her by any means necessary. His arm suddenly stretched out and bound Razetta's body.
"Lady Razetta!"
Selena could only watch helplessly. Protavist's speed had been far too fast, and she no longer had the strength left to use her powers. She wanted to trap him with water, but she couldn't. All she could do was stare in despair at the spot where Protavist had vanished.
Selena's despair came not only from Razetta being dragged away, but from something else as well.
'I have to work again!!'
As expected of someone serving under Razetta, who was trapped in an endless cycle of work, Selena's life was also consumed by duties with no hope of rest. Perhaps that was why she vented her frustration on Bagan.
"Why didn't you stop him?!"
Bagan grinned proudly, as if he had gotten proper revenge for their first meeting.
"Aww, how cute."
He felt quite pleased, having repaid her in full.