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Chapter 15

Adrian let out a deep, frustrated sigh.

"Should I count this as fortunate or not?"

The Kingdom of Chelburg, surrounded by sea on three sides, was protected by the 'Mana River' that encircled the boundary between land and ocean. Naturally, any significant shift in that boundary was a bad sign.

"His Majesty is quite concerned as well. He told me not to go home—said he's worried monsters might fall onto the mainland. His jokes go too far."

"Perhaps he just likes you too much, Captain."

"Don't say such horrifying things."

"But it's true. He trusts you so much that our workload never decreases."

"……"

Adrian dropped his head onto the desk. There was far too much work.

As the owner of the trading company Yulcan and the captain of numerous ferries, everything he had was built from scratch with his own hands.

But he had caught the king's eye far too much—soon he was appointed as a knight responsible for monster subjugation in the Western Sea, and even took on the management of the Mana River in the region.

Of course, much of that was thanks to the impeccable mage Sasha beside him—but even so, Sasha was his own man.

"This incident has brought out those who were waiting for an opportunity to stir things up."

"Predictable. 'Entrusting the nation's border to a man of immigrant blood leads to this'—you know the line. 'How can someone with lowly immigrant blood handle such grave matters?' Let them take it all away, then."

"That would be disloyal, questioning His Majesty's command."

"Go tell him that."

Let me resign. Adrian lifted his heavy head. A few strands of his neatly slicked-back dark hair fell across his forehead.

His eyelids, weighed down by exhaustion, rose and fell slowly. The sunlight streaming through the window cast a languid warmth across him.

He forced himself to lift the pen, which felt heavier than a dumbbell.

Sasha, as if waiting for it, refilled his coffee cup.

Adrian always talked like that, but his nature demanded perfection—so he'd find a way to get it done.

'No wonder they give you more work.'

Sasha had no reason to make unnecessary remarks to his diligent boss—especially since Adrian, who at least guaranteed evening hours, might just order overtime.

---

"Sorry, but we only hire experienced staff."

"What? I can't hear you! We can't use anyone with a small voice in this noise!"

"You're all bones. Heavy labor won't suit you."

"If you work as a trainee, it's about fifty nets a month—would that be alright?"

Alexa's shoulders slumped. She'd been scanning everywhere as she trudged home, looking for any place that might be hiring. But as expected, no suitable work had appeared by the time she reached home.

Grrrrr.

"I haven't eaten anything today, have I."

She plopped down on a chair and sighed. The one silver lining was that her health, which should have worsened after collapsing, had actually improved somewhat. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't hungry.

She clutched the two nets left in her pocket. She thought about buying a small snack, but with no money to spare, spending even this would leave her truly destitute.

'I can hold out for now. I'll manage.'

She set down the money and unfolded today's newspaper to look for work. The dress shop run by Laura kept popping into her head—but she shook it off.

'How shameless. Borrowing all that money from Laura and then asking to work there? Still in debt, and asking for a salary? To pay off someone else's debt with that?'

Unthinkable. No matter how brazen she could be, this was beyond the pale.

She turned her gaze back to the print. Scanning carefully so as not to miss anything, her eyes landed on a listing.

「Maid Wanted / Experienced / Neat Appearance / Daily Pay」

'…No.'

Alexa tore her eyes away and read through other job listings. But before she knew it, she was examining that one in detail.

After a moment's hesitation, she put the newspaper down.

---

"Who died?"

He'd been about to wrap up and rest. Before dawn even broke, Haley burst into Adrian's office.

Pressing his groggy, sleepless head, Adrian asked back.

"Captain Max Dennan of the Glory!"

Adrian stopped moving. That very man who had been shouting at him just yesterday—why all of a sudden?

"Well… he left a suicide note and threw himself into the sea."

"Suicide?"

"That's the official finding, but we're in an awkward position."

"Why."

"He tied a rope to one of Yulcan's ferries… The fortunate thing is that the body didn't drift away, so we found it quickly."

"……"

"He was found… in poor condition. Some parts were missing. The bigger issue is the note—ha, it's full of absurd lies."

"Tell me."

Haley let out a deep sigh and cautiously spoke.

"It claims that Yulcan threatened to monopolize the route, and that he couldn't bear the financial losses, so he chose death over bankruptcy…"

Adrian squeezed his eyes shut. A pounding sensation in his head made him feel as if his skull might crack.

"I've already informed Sasha—he'll come soon to check for any irregularities. I've also reported it to the guard a moment ago."

Adrian rose and put on a thick coat. Winter hadn't fully passed, and the sea air was cold.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

---

Sailors and fishermen starting their early shifts stopped and gathered in a crowd.

"Hey! Stay back—you can't disturb the scene!"

The guards warned them sharply, and though the crowd backed off a little, they couldn't tear their eyes away. Word of the dead man had already spread like wildfire.

Someone pushed through the crowd. A man who'd been shoved aside looked up with irritation.

"Who's pushing—! Oh, Captain?"

Adrian and Haley pushed through the throng and entered the scene.

"What's he doing here?"

"Shh! Quiet—he'll hear."

Though the note's contents hadn't been disclosed, people seemed to know something, their eyes following Adrian's back.

Suddenly, Haley's eyes flashed as she spun around—and the crowd quickly lowered their heads. Her sharp gaze caught a familiar man among them.

"That bastard!"

It was the captain of the Jenice, who had visited Adrian's office the day before, glaring at them with hostile eyes.

As if seeking revenge for Max Dennan, he had clearly blown the rumors out of proportion while conveniently omitting his own faults.

'He doesn't even appreciate all the favors he's received!'

Haley wanted to run over and kick him in the shin, but she knew—at least for now—she couldn't.

The more volatile things became, the less she could afford to lose her composure. Absolutely not.

With a calm face, she stood quietly beside Adrian.

Just then, the body was fully pulled ashore.

"Ugh. What is that?"

"Is that Max Dennan?"

People covered their mouths and eyes in shock.

It had only been in the water for a few hours, but the corpse was grotesque—barely recognizable.

"How horrible!"

"But can fish eat away that fast?"

"Only bones left…"

The recovered body had flesh torn away in many places, bones clearly visible.

Moreover, the remaining skin clung to the bone, so emaciated that one couldn't imagine the once-plump Max Dennan.

Had it not been for the shabby suicide note and the gaudy rings on his fingers, they might not have recognized him.

'Grotesque.'

Adrian, however, scrutinized the body with sharp eyes—from the salt-crusted tips of his hair to his gleaming shoes, leaving nothing unchecked.

What broke his focus was the angular shadow beside him.

"Captain Adrian Yulcan."

A guard conducting the investigation stood beside him. Adrian finally turned fully to look at the man.

The guard, trying not to appear condescending, delivered his message.

"You'll need to come with us for a while."

"…Go where, exactly?"

The answer came not from Adrian, but from Haley, who had been glaring like a vigilant chihuahua.

Her demeanor suggested she might bite and leave a hole in him if he misspoke, but Haley herself thought she was holding back admirably.

'Don't get worked up. Don't get worked up.'

Haley barely reined in her composure and curled the corners of her mouth.

"So, where exactly do you need us to go?"

But despite her efforts, she only looked like a chihuahua barely suppressing its temper.

"Since Sir Adrian Yulcan's name appears in the note, we need to conduct an investigation following procedure…"

"Nonsense!"

Something snapped in Haley's head.

Investigation following procedure? In other words, they were taking him in as a suspect?

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