༺ Warm Southern Territory (4) ༻
I didn’t think I’d come all the way here and end up walking alone. I brought it upon myself, but…
“Why don’t we go together, Irina? I heard it looks beautiful.”
“I’m sorry. I’m feeling sick for having ridden the carriage for a long time.”
“Hmm. Then, how about we have fun together once you feel better?”
That was at yesterday’s lunch. I told Louise it would take some time before I recovered and sent her back.
I didn’t feel good while rejecting Louise’s invitation. I wanted to say I would go with her as soon as I saw her making a gloomy expression, but I’m definitely going to see the Executive Manager again if I hang out with Louise. That made me discard the idea.
I feel like the Emerald Sea would look bloody red instead of emerald if I saw it with the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager. I’m really sorry, Louise. I also wanted to come here with you, but it will be tough.
That’s why I went somewhere else alone after hearing that Louise had left. It would be a waste to stay still after coming all this way.
‘It’s beautiful.’
I sighed softly at the sight, which felt like looking at a giant emerald. Thankfully, the sea was big, so there were many beaches. I probably won’t meet the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager if I don’t go where Louise went. That’s also why I deliberately chose a less popular spot.
‘It would’ve been nice if we saw it together.’
Although the scene was beautiful enough to make me sigh, I felt slightly disappointed. This was all because of the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager. I was planning to have fun while hanging out with Louise and watching the guys who like her compete with each other. But now, I found myself running away because of one person.
I sat down by the sea while dipping my feet into the water, feeling disheartened. I had even bought a new swimsuit and put it on, but what’s the point if I’m exploring alone?
‘The one at fault is that person.’
I pouted while digging my hands into the innocent sand. I couldn’t help but feel fear when he was present, but I felt wronged and resentful when he wasn’t in sight. My family suffered a great deal, and it was my family that was wronged. Why do I have to go through all this?
But there was one silver lining. While we were stuck together in the carriage, I hadn’t seen him since we arrived at the resort. He doesn’t seem to have any intention of looking for me.
“Go ahead. I left something behind.”
For some reason, he seems to be considerate.
I buried my head in my knees. My head felt messy. No matter how much I thought about it, he was definitely showing me consideration.
‘But why would he show consideration towards me?’
Why would that wicked head of the Prosecutor’s Office be considerate to me? I couldn’t think of any reasonable answer. The image of Louise yelling and swinging her fists seemed more realistic.
I don’t know. He just shouldn’t appear before me instead of doing so and confuse me.
‘Just because of something like this.’
Why am I so shaken? What happened between us wasn’t such a big deal.
Maybe it’s because I’m friends with Louise, or maybe it’s because he’s Erich’s oppa, so I wish he was a good person. Maybe I keep thinking that he’s a good person to escape from reality instead of trembling in fear every time I see him. And maybe he really is a good person.
But if he’s a good person and I can have a good relationship with him… What about my family? My father who was unjustly dragged away, my mother who fainted, my Oppa who bore the burden, and my younger siblings who cried without knowing what was going on.
— Don’t worry about that anymore. It was just bad luck, an accident.
My father said that. He said that I should brush it off. That’s the best way to deal with the Prosecutor’s Office. Even if I have resentment or lingering feelings, there’s nothing I can do about it.
“I hate you…”
Since there was no one listening, I quietly muttered those words. No matter how thoughtful he was, I couldn’t help but tremble in fear whenever I saw him. So I just wish he remained in the distance, where I couldn’t see him.
I lifted my head and stared at my toes. Even though it was a school trip meant to be enjoyed, my worries just seemed to be piling up—
‘Huh?’
There was suddenly a loud splash, and then a shadow appeared over me.
What’s going on?
I raised my head and froze. It was impossible to even imagine what appeared right in front of me. A gigantic monster with ten tentacles and was larger than most buildings was staring down at me.
— Kuurr!
After hearing its cry, I couldn’t think of anything, let alone running away. My body wouldn’t move. All I could do was tremble.
‘Why, why?’
Why did such a monster appear in a resort like this? Was this my punishment because I lied to Louise, and because I foolishly imagined that someone who’s basically our family’s enemy could be a good person?
But still, wasn’t this too much? I might have wished for the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager to be far away, but I didn’t mean I wanted to go somewhere I’d never see him again!
— Kuurrgghh!
“KYAA!”
I lowered my body as the monster swung its giant legs. I don’t want to die like this! If I die like this, my last words to Louise will be a lie, and the last person I thought of will be that man!
I don’t want to die because of such a squid! There’s no way I’d be able to die peacefully if such a thing happened!
Extreme fear of impending death, mixed with a tiny bit of shame, left my body beyond my control. Even if I wanted to, my body wouldn’t move.
Dad, Mom, Oppa…
— Boom!
Suddenly, I heard a deafening sound, and something fell from above my head.
‘W-what…?’
Did something appear again?
“Irina, are you okay?”
As I carefully raised my head…
I saw the last person who I wanted to see.
“Ah…”
I could see the decapitated Kraken behind him.
Am I alive? I had survived the Kraken only to encounter someone even more dangerous. He was even holding a spear in each hand.
“Irina?”
“Sob-“
My body suddenly went limp.
* * *
It was a simple motion. He grabbed the spear with his right hand and twisted his waist. Pulling his right arm back, his right leg followed, setting his stance. It was an ordinary and unremarkable movement that anyone could do and one that you could see anywhere. That’s what the Captain thought of the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager’s movements.
That’s also how the sailors looked when they were about to throw their harpoons in their free time. The only difference was that the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager was preparing to throw it at a Kraken, not a mere fish.
He must be trying to divert the Kraken’s attention. If he got lucky, the irritated creature would approach the ship and the magicians could launch a coordinated attack. Even if it ran away, they could stop it from attacking the civilians.
“It might shake a bit.”
“What?”
The Prosecutor’s Executive Manager spoke to him out of the blue while the Captain was trying to wake up the Head Magician. He couldn’t understand what he meant, but there was no need to do so.
— BOOM!
His body experienced it first before his head could understand it.
“W-what? Did that bastard attack us first?”
The Head Magician got up in surprise after hearing the loud noise.
“It did appear.”
“It used to run away all the time. Has it finally gone mad? Where is it?”
The Captain pointed to where he’d been looking. The Head Magician, who’d been preparing a spell, lowered his wand and stared blankly at one spot.
“Where is the Kraken…?”
“It used to be a Kraken just a moment ago.”
“Woah…”
After laughing in disbelief, the Head Magician looked away from what used to be the Kraken.
“So that’s how it looks under the sea.”
“This is also my first time seeing it like this, although I’ve seen it while diving.”
The Captain nodded at the Head Magician’s words. Carl had thrown the spear lightly, but the outcome wasn’t light at all.
The ship shook because of the spear-throwing motion. It was a ship that was covered with magical effects, so it shouldn’t shake unless it was bombarded. Yet, the ship had tilted from a mere spear throw.
The sea from the ship to the shore split for a moment. Kraken? The sea had just split. Who cares about a random squid? The Kraken had already died. Its head had exploded because of the spear the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager had thrown.
“Luckily, it didn’t miss.”
The Prosecutor’s Executive Manager casually said that. He looked around at the beach where the Kraken had appeared. The sound of the Kraken exploding sounded like an explosion. If he had even missed a bit and the spear had struck the cliffs behind the sandy shore, what would have happened?
The Prosecutor’s Executive Manager grabbed the other two spears and told the Head Magician.
“Head Mage, let’s go to the beach.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Will three spears be enough? I know the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager is strong, but fighting on land is completely different from fighting on the sea.”
The Head Magician had expressed his concerns about the number of spears until they set sail, but the situation was solved with just one spear. The Head Magician might be asking himself what he’d been doing all this time while floating on the sea.
The Captain, who understood the Head Magician’s thoughts, felt slightly sorry for him.
* * *
It’s been a while since I’ve used a spear, so I asked for three, just in case. Luckily, I ended it with one. Yeah, could you even call it hunting if you couldn’t capture a Kraken with just that? It will be their anniversary soon, so it would be troublesome if I had to bring embarrassing news.
If I hadn’t ended it at once, that bastard Kagan might have laughed at me while burning somewhere in hell. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.
I headed to the beach to make sure the Kraken was dead and to check on the victim who had narrowly avoided being involved in the incident when I saw someone unexpected.
‘Irina?’
Irina was trembling while surrounded by pieces of the Kraken. I thought she would be with Louise, so why was she here alone? I told Louise yesterday that I would be away. Did the message arrive a bit late?
“Irina, are you okay?”
“Ah, aah…”
She probably ended up in this situation while trying to avoid me. I asked her worriedly, but Irina couldn’t give me a proper answer. It seemed like she was really surprised.
“Irina?”
“Sob-“
Irina, who’d been shaking, suddenly started to cry and clenched her legs. It was certainly a life-threatening situation, so it’s understandable that she would cry… Huh?
I covered the eyes of the Head Magician, who was looking at the corpse of the Kraken.
“Executive Manager? What’s wrong?”
“You can go first. I’m going to return with her.”
The Head Magician seemed puzzled by my sudden request, but he still turned around and left. He seemed curious about why I had covered his eyes, but that was a secret I couldn’t reveal.
“Sniff, sniff…”
“Eh, Irina?”
“Waaaah!”
Irina tried to hold back her tears while her shoulders were shaking, but she eventually burst into tears because of a mixture of fear and shame.
Sadly, Irina’s tears didn’t just flow from her eyes. Irina probably knew it too, as she cried even more sorrowfully.
I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.
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