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Chapter 16

With even her pretense of civility gone, the guard stared at Haley in bewilderment. Deciding this wouldn't do, he stepped closer to Adrian and spoke quietly.

"Since you're implicated in this matter, refusing could put you in a somewhat… difficult position."

"Difficult? Difficult?!"

Haley, with her impossibly sharp ears, shouted. The guard now wore an exasperated expression he didn't bother to hide.

Not that his expression mattered to Haley one bit. She raised her voice—loud enough for even those shooting Adrian accusatory glances to hear.

"We agreed to cover all the losses! Even though the Glory breached the contract, Yulcan—who did nothing wrong—was going to take it all on! And now he kills himself just because we temporarily restricted the route? Do you honestly believe that?"

The onlookers turned away with awkward expressions. Haley kept raging until the very end.

"We're the ones losing out! We did everything we could!"

"D-disperse! Disperse now!"

One of the guards frantically waved his hands at the crowd, and they scattered as if they'd been waiting for the word.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Very well. However, we have strict orders from above to conduct a thorough investigation."

"Hmph! Of course you do."

"Haley."

Adrian looked at her, still seething. She huffed but held back further words.

It was obvious that those insufferable nobles were taking this opportunity to tarnish Adrian's reputation. Did they think they could seize these routes without him? The routes Yulcan had carved out, drenched in monster blood? They were ingrates with no conscience—they might as well toss it into the sea!

She vented her anger by turning her reddened face away.

"Ahem. Anyway, we're currently interviewing various parties involved, so please don't take it too personally."

"Understood."

"Then let's go."

The guard, escorting Adrian, glanced back nervously. Seeing those fiery eyes still fixed on them, he rubbed the back of his neck and quickened his pace.

---

Adrian paused at the door. Through the haze of smoke, the guard captain sitting in the center of the sofa came into view.

Spotting him first, the captain relaxed his brow and rose.

"Oh, you're here."

"It's been a while."

Despite the circumstances, they exchanged cordial greetings. The room was so thick with smoke from the guard captain's incessant smoking that it was stifling—but Adrian showed no sign of discomfort as he sat across from him.

White smoke rose ceaselessly from the cigarette between the guard captain's fingers. Once Adrian was seated, he let out a sigh.

"I'll report to my superiors."

"Yes."

"What in the world is going on? Tsk."

He stubbed out his cigarette with a sour expression.

Deaths were unfortunately common in this line of work—especially for those who lived by the sea, always at risk from the water.

And this sea was no ordinary one—it was infested with monsters. Yet a death like this was not merely unusual but exceptional.

"A body so emaciated it looks drained of all moisture, with parts missing—matching the description in the directive from the capital… I still can't believe it."

"…I see."

"Could it be some kind of plague?"

He glanced at Adrian sideways, probing.

"No. I don't know either. But if it were, the kingdom would have issued a widespread warning to the public, so I doubt that's the case."

The guard captain curled one corner of his mouth. Whether Adrian truly knew nothing or not, he wouldn't spill it anyway. He dropped the subject.

"It's been a week since the top-secret directive came down. It was marked in red ink: 'Top Secret.' Only His Majesty and a handful of core officials are supposed to know… but I've discreetly confirmed that no such unusual bodies have been reported in the south or east. Naturally, no directive from the capital has reached them either."

"…Are you sure you should be divulging such secrets to me?"

"Well, you are one of His Majesty's core officials, aren't you?"

As if he'd known all along, the guard captain chuckled lightly.

"Ah, and I'll find the one who wrote that suicide note soon. What madman writes someone else's suicide note?"

"Just as I suspected."

"The fool can't even match the handwriting! Among those who entered Max Dennan's home, we've narrowed it down to a few suspects. It's still under investigation, so it's classified—but shall I give you a little hint?"

"…Is it really classified?"

"Hahaha!"

Did laughing it off make it alright? Did he even understand what "classified" meant?

Suspicion welled up in Adrian's mind—but the guard captain, as if aware or not, simply poured tea into his guest's cup.

The white steam curled and drifted away.

"Anyway, there are eyes watching, so stay a little longer before leaving. I've got to show some deference to those higher-ups who'd love to find fault with Adrian Yulcan."

As burly as he was, he was just another employee mindful of his superiors.

Adrian looked at the large teapot on the table. It seemed a bit oversized for a simple cup of tea…

Beside it were dried tea leaves—not top-grade, but decent enough for guests—along with dried fruit, sugar, and warm milk. The anchor-shaped teaspoons and forks, bearing the Navy's emblem, were almost comically dainty. The clear crimson tea the captain had brewed himself smelled quite fragrant.

"Stay as long as you like, and drink your fill."

---

"Ferry 13 is docking today, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Haley had taken Adrian's place at his desk, flipping through documents.

Even with the captain taken in, the work at hand had to be done. If docking schedules and berths got tangled, it would be a major disaster.

"Alright, the berth is fine… Once we receive the cargo, we transfer it to the contracted shops immediately… Keep the silk and premium tea separate. That should fill about one warehouse… Hmm, we'll use Warehouse 9."

Haley muttered as she checked off tasks. If she didn't voice her thoughts out loud, her mind would become a jumbled mess and nothing would get done.

Just then, a thick stack of documents was placed on the desk. Haley looked up at Sasha, who had brought them.

"Required paperwork for ships departing in a month. Today's the deadline—this much came in."

"Ahhh…"

Despite the chaos—a man dead, Adrian hauled off by the guard—ships still lined up to use Yulcan's routes.

Meanwhile, the rumors continued to grow, layering upon themselves, and Haley was on edge, as if covered in thorns.

"Damn it."

Haley slapped down her pen midway through reviewing the departure documents.

"If you're going to badmouth us, don't use our routes."

"We have to carry out the scheduled operations."

Sasha was sorting through her share of the work beside her.

"That's exactly what I mean! I'd cancel all of it if I could. They use our routes and talk so much behind our backs!"

"Perhaps it's because our captain never gets swept up in such gossip."

"Whose side are you on?"

Haley snapped the documents shut in irritation. Not that she was absorbing any of it anyway.

"I'm just saying it'll calm down soon, so don't stress too much. No matter how hard they try to tear him down, the routes remain his, and they still have to use them. It's clear who holds the upper hand."

Haley's bristling defenses—like a fish caught in a net—deflated.

In the long run, he was right.

"Pushing too hard to control the routes will only fuel the rumors. Just keep doing what we've been doing. Stick strictly to the contract."

Sasha shook the documents he'd been reviewing and placed them in front of her.

She let her shoulders drop and looked down at them. A familiar name caught her eye.

"…Yona?"

"It says he'll be on this ship."

"Have these people lost all sense? After what happened to the Glory, they're using Mage Yona's name again?"

"We'll put this ship on hold too. We need to confirm whether Yona is actually boarding."

"Ugh!"

Haley sighed and glanced at Sasha.

"…What's with that face?"

She slid the documents back toward him. Sasha tilted his head slightly.

Just as he wondered what she meant, Haley curled the corners of her mouth in an uncharacteristic smile.

"You'll go, won't you?"

"……?"

"A mage should deal with a mage. If a civilian like me goes, I won't get a word in. I'd be too afraid to even raise my voice, worried he might use magic."

"Do we really need to raise our voices? And he can't possibly be unaware that using magic illegally would mean being bound to Jenol iron for life."

"If I'm dead, it's over—whether he's bound in Jenol iron forever or not doesn't matter to me."

"……"

"Sasha? You'll go, right? Riiight?"

Haley winked and smiled at him.

He froze as if turned to stone. It felt like a many-legged insect was crawling from his forearm up to the back of his neck.

"…I'll go."

"Yes, thank you."

She turned back to the documents with a straight face, as if nothing had happened.

Sasha shook his head in disbelief.

'What a force of nature…'

He resolved that for any future negotiation, he would definitely bring her along. Anyone who saw her in action would surely concede favorable terms within five minutes.

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