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Chapter 13

"It's a location-tracking spell. The magical tether is bound to your wrist, so you won't be able to escape. You said you wouldn't run, so I'm not worried—but people's hearts can change…"

Leaving the sentence unfinished, Sasha offered a gentle smile. Alexa, instinctively sensing another side hidden behind that smile, nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes. I absolutely won't. Don't worry."

"The spell will dissipate the moment the debt is settled. Oh, and the magical band is visible only to you and me, so there's no need to mind it. It won't get in the way of anything."

"Yes, yes."

Alexa finally looked at her wrist. A very thin cord was barely visible, hovering there.

She raised her arm and turned it this way and that out of curiosity. Sasha narrowed his eyes at her once more with a gentle smile. Alexa, about to smile back, suddenly came to her senses and bowed her head.

"Oh—thank you! I'll definitely repay you!"

"You're quite fortunate. Our captain is notoriously known for never extending debt deadlines…"

"Sasha."

Got time to spare? Adrian's sharp glance made Sasha raise his eyebrows with a shrug.

"Two months."

"Yes! Understood."

Adrian gave the deadline curtly, then tossed the Ocelton necklace he'd been holding onto the table.

"You can return the necklace later. If you keep it as collateral, I'd feel less guilty…"

"…Just feel guilty."

Adrian swallowed whatever else he was about to say. Then, as if to say let's go, he turned and gestured to Sasha.

"Th-thank you!"

Alexa bowed deeply, folding at the waist. Then, with a faint cracking sound, the surroundings fell silent.

When Alexa looked up, the two were already gone from the house.

"…They left?"

She looked around, dazed. After confirming that no one was left, relief washed over her and her legs wobbled. She managed to reach the nearly collapsed sofa and collapsed onto it.

Was this a dream? Alexa stared at the translucent magical band around her wrist.

She'd been bound. And she'd survived.

She tilted her head back. The gaudy wallpaper, bearing the tastes of the former owner, made her head spin.

"Two months."

Tight, but not impossible. No—even a week would have been a blessing. Alexa shot to her feet.

There was no time to waste. She had to find work right away.

---

"How are you going to fix this?!"

A middle-aged man with a short, curled mustache stomped his foot.

He'd resolved to remain calm and had dressed neatly, but within ten minutes, his shirt was already disheveled.

No matter how he looked at it, the losses were enormous. He'd come here at dawn without sleep, and the captain of Yulcan had disappeared again! Where was he? Could there be a more serious matter than this?

Two large vessels following the designated route had been attacked. Without even a scream, the ships—along with their premium tea cargo—had sunk straight to the bottom.

And that route was one of the few Adrian Yulcan and his mercenaries had carved out through bloody battles.

'How could this happen!'

Veins bulged on the man's forehead.

Once a route was cleared of monsters, they rarely reappeared—yet two had struck in succession, causing this catastrophe.

By the time the Yulcan company received the report and dispatched a team, it was already too late. All that remained on the sea were wooden splinters from the ships.

The two men seated around the square table wore similarly sour expressions. They, too, were the owners of the damaged vessels.

A man with a face tanned dark by the sun searched his pockets for a cigarette, then gave up.

Adrian Yulcan, the representative and captain of the trading company Yulcan, despised cigarette smoke—and this was his office.

The man just clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"When will Captain Yulcan arrive?"

"He'll be here shortly."

A woman answered from the head of the table. She had listened silently to the entire situation. Max Dennan, the captain of the Glory, briefly glanced at her face—Haley—as if sizing up her age, then turned away sharply.

"Oh, enough! How will compensation be handled?"

"Compensation will be provided by the state, according to the law. Additionally, under Yulcan's internal regulations, we will determine the scope of responsibility and damages…"

"And how long will that take?! We've already received payment, but our goods are at the bottom of the sea!"

"…We deeply regret that. That is why we will swiftly and accurately assess the damages and pay you without any shortfall, so that you won't feel wronged."

"How much will the state compensate? If we can't deliver on time, we have to pay ten times the penalty! Without shortfall? Will Yulcan pay that much right now?"

Before the jumping captain of the Glory, Haley stared at him quietly. The corner of her lips twitched faintly.

Short, sleek blonde hair, delicate features, light brown eyes—a fragile appearance that seemed ill-suited for rough seafaring work or dealing with coarse, strong-willed sailors.

Of course, that was only the surface. Those who had dealt with Haley shook their heads. Rumor even had it that her fiery temper made Adrian himself yield a step.

Already, Max Dennan's insistent tone had made her light brown eyes turn dangerously intense.

Ten times the damages. Would they pay that much?

The answer was simple.

"No."

"…What?"

"As I said earlier, we'll assess and compensate adequately—but not immediately."

She simply reiterated her previous statement and leaned back into the sofa.

"Miss, this isn't something to bluff your way through."

"Miss?"

That single word made a flash of madness cross Haley's eyes.

Even if he lacked tact, Max Dennan could read the worsening atmosphere. He took a step back and changed the subject—which only further inflamed Haley's temper.

"So when is Captain Yulcan coming? I don't have time to talk to you."

"Indeed. I wish the same."

Haley silently counted in her head. Just thirty seconds. I can hold out. Before that, the captain will arrive. Definitely. If she knew her own temper… he should have come by now.

Before the composed Haley, the Glory's captain grew even more agitated.

"This is infuriating! Isn't this a route your people opened? Wasn't it supposed to be absolutely free of monsters?!"

Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty-seven…

"Has Adrian Yulcan's reputation gone to ruin? Huh? What are you going to do about it?"

"You should be grateful I'm here as the representative of the captains' association. Everyone's trust is shattered—do you have any idea how much they're saying?"

Dammit… eighteen.

"So if you take a fee, you should do the job properly!"

…F-fifteen.

Haley, who had been glaring at the office door, turned her clear light-brown eyes toward Max Dennan.

"Fee?"

"…Huh? Yes, fee! Do we use the routes for free? We pay, don't we?"

"How much do you pay?"

"The state sets the amount! It's fair!"

…Fair? Did she just hear "fair"? Haley couldn't help the scoff that escaped.

"From what I know, the Glory pays twenty-five nets, and the Jenice pays twenty-two."

The Glory's captain cleared his throat awkwardly.

It seemed he was aware that on this monster-infested sea, he paid barely twenty nets—not even enough for a single night's drink—while earning hundreds of times more in profit.

"Don't insult Yulcan's finances. That money is just a formality set by the state—so that you captains can sail with peace of mind."

"……"

"Of course, it's truly unfortunate that your ships ended up like that… but this isn't the kind of route we opened to be insulted like this!"

"You think I wouldn't curse when thousands of nets are flying out of sight? I trusted this route, and this happened—of course I'm angry! And you're complaining about a few curses? Tsk."

This is why fragile women… Max Dennan muttered under his breath, and Haley's eyebrow twitched.

Unable to hold back any longer, she rose from her seat and yanked open Adrian Yulcan's desk drawer. With rough hands, she rifled through the documents until she found what she was looking for—then slammed it onto the desk.

Entry and exit contract?

Why that all of a sudden? As the captains looked on in confusion, Haley flipped through the pages rapidly. Finally, she stopped at the section with the Glory's captain.

With hawk-like eyes, she scanned the terms and pointed at one clause.

"'The ship must employ at least one mage among the crew. Failure to comply will result in non-compensation for any resulting damages.'"

Haley pressed her fingertip hard against that clause, her finger turning white. The contract quivered as if about to tear with any more pressure.

"Let's see—mage Yona? The entry and exit report says he boarded…"

"Ahem. Hmph!"

"That mage—was he actually there?"

Seeing the captains' eyes waver, Haley twisted her lips. She flipped roughly through the contract again. Her gaze stopped at another spot, and she stared straight at the captain of the Jenice.

"This one says Mage Terena boarded, doesn't it?"

The Jenice captain flinched.

"Surely you don't mean that—Yona Terena?"

"……"

Haley slapped the document shut.

'Look at these bastards.'

It was the same old complacency. For them, the sea routes were mostly safe. Unlike the busy crew, a mage who just stood on deck draining money must have seemed increasingly unnecessary over time.

Foolishly, they failed to realize that a mage resting idly was a blessing in itself.

"Not only did you fail to take a mage—you even reported that a mage who wasn't there had boarded. Let's see, Mage Yona? I wonder how much you paid just to borrow his name."

The men who had been arguing so fiercely now clamped their mouths shut.

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