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Chapter 19

Adrian let out a deep sigh. He felt like cracking open a monster's skull and crawling inside to find answers.

'I need to find the cause quickly.'

Trade with other nations would shrink drastically, and the countless ships belonging to Yulcan would rust away.

It wasn't just about Yulcan alone.

The only remaining routes would be the kingdom's official ones, and using them would be like plucking stars from the sky. Slow and cumbersome, to say nothing of the hassle—Nest and the Western Sea would naturally decline rapidly.

"You don't have to bear it all alone. Why should a private company take on such burdens?"

"After all, you didn't settle in Nest because you liked it here, did you? Quite the opposite, I'd say."

Sasha's dry voice overlapped, and Adrian shut off the faucet that had been pouring water.

Outside the bathroom, the door clicked shut, and light footsteps faded away. The owner of that voice had apparently already reached his own room.

He roughly wrapped a towel around himself, shook his head, and stepped out. That man was definitely part of the reason he couldn't rest.

"You're late."

Giving him only an hour's leeway and calling him late—that didn't make sense. The time hadn't even fully elapsed yet.

Not bothering to respond, Adrian slumped onto the sofa. Leaning his heavy head against the backrest, he felt his body go limp.

He glanced at Sasha and shook his head in exasperation. His neat attire, gleaming glasses, and tidy tied-back hair—it was astonishing how quickly he'd washed, groomed, and arrived.

The moment their eyes met, Adrian laid his head back down as if seeing a ghost.

'…Ominous.'

Sasha was giving him a dangerous smile.

"We've run into a bit of trouble."

"…What now."

"I heard there was a major incident inland…"

Before he could finish, a bright light entered the communication port in Adrian's bedroom.

As the gentle light faded, a wax-sealed letter lay in its place. Sasha retrieved it, since Adrian was too tired to move.

Gold-trimmed paper and red wax—only a handful of senders used such materials.

"Would you like to see it yourself?"

"No, I'll leave it to you."

If the king had seen this, Adrian would have been forced to kneel for disrespect—but this was just his modest private residence, far from the capital.

Sasha opened the letter with practiced ease and read aloud.

"'To my beloved knight, president of Yulcan, captain, and guardian of the seas. Guardian? That's a new title."

Adrian gestured for him to continue.

"'I express my gratitude for your tireless efforts in maintaining peace at sea with blood and sweat.'"

"Just the core."

"'A Deep-Sea Gate has opened in Carlton Territory.'"

"What?"

Adrian shot up.

The towel wrapped around him nearly fell—Sasha quickly cast a spell, muttering a mild curse, though Adrian, startled, didn't notice.

"Sasha."

"The 'major inland incident' I was about to mention is this—I didn't expect His Majesty to summon you so quickly."

Sasha gently handed him the letter. Adrian grabbed it and read it again.

The contents were exactly as heard.

"Sasha."

"Yes."

"We had a crab hunt in the middle of the sea today, didn't we?"

"Well, it was a bit large, but a crab is a crab…"

"Yesterday, the captain of the Glory died."

"Correct."

"And now I receive this letter from the capital."

"Yes."

Adrian felt fatigue and stress pile up as unresolved cases mounted. He rubbed his bleary eyes and forced them open.

"Let's head to the capital and talk things over—at least for the parts that raise suspicions. My head's too fried to think straight."

"I agree."

"Get ready… you're already done. Get out so I can dress."

"Are you going now? Leave at dawn tomorrow—they'll understand given the circumstances."

"I doubt it."

Adrian set down the letter.

The very last line was written with extra pressure, the ink darker.

「I command you to come to the capital at once. No—immediately.」

---

Alexa thought she'd had a bit of luck today.

She had managed to find work as a maid again, without even a letter of recommendation!

After all, this was the job she did best, and more importantly, the pay was better than elsewhere.

She wasn't educated enough to be a etiquette teacher, nor cultured enough to teach piano—not that she could claim to be a baron's daughter in name only. With a debt to repay within a deadline, she had no other options.

"Start tomorrow. Be here by four in the morning."

She'd thought it would be difficult to find maid work again, after being fired from the viscount's household over nasty rumors.

When the head maid heard her name and looked at her resume, her heart had truly pounded. She feared the woman might say, "Ah, that maid?"

But fortunately, there was no such comment—just a bored flipping through the pages.

The household belonged to a fairly renowned merchant from the capital—not a noble, but the house was large enough to employ several maids, and the pay was slightly higher than her previous position.

Alexa was assigned to the second floor, where the master's room was. Her smile lingered for another reason:

'After three months of probation, I'll be hired permanently!'

The probationary wage was five nets—she couldn't imagine what the full salary would be.

'At this rate, I can repay the debt and still have money left over.'

She trembled with joy.

Walking with a light heart, her steps almost flying, she found herself nearing home.

The bright sky from earlier had quickly grown dark. Night fog was beginning to settle in.

"Lately, the weather is impossible to predict."

Alexa tightened her coat against the creeping chill. Just a few meters remained before she reached home.

Just then.

"Miss."

Alexa flinched and turned toward the voice. A woman stood there. The moonlight illuminated her face in patches.

Her face was flushed red, a liquor bottle in her hand. She looked tattered, as if she hadn't been home in days—or months.

Assuming she was just a homeless wanderer, Alexa brushed off her surprise.

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"Why… why?"

The woman staggered closer. Clearly drunk, she struggled to keep her eyes focused.

"Lend me some money."

"Excuse me?"

"Ah, money! So I can buy—hic—drink. No, I'm hungry, so lend me some—"

"Hah…"

Irritation flashed across Alexa's face. Without another word, she turned away.

Money, debt, alcohol, gambling—she'd learned to ruthlessly cut off any sympathy that arose when those words reached her ears.

"Come on! Who said I wanted it for free?"

She stumbled and grabbed Alexa's arm.

"Here! I'll give you this, so just give me some money!"

In the homeless woman's grimy hand lay a small hairpin.

"With your tangled hair, one of these would look nice, wouldn't it?"

"…No thanks. If you need money, find someone else."

"Hey, don't be so stiff. Do you know how precious this is?"

Alexa shook her hand off and walked ahead briskly.

Her home was right there—but she couldn't go there. The homeless woman might learn where she lived and come looking.

She passed her own mansion and moved farther away. Behind her, frantic shouts rang out.

"You damn wretch! I'll see how well you live! You heartless thing! Don't you feel sorry for me?"

Pretending not to hear, Alexa pressed forward, biting her lip.

Feel sorry for her? Not at all. How could she pity someone when she didn't know how they'd lived? Drinking, gambling—this was the result.

'Just like someone.'

James, whom she'd pushed to the back of her mind, surfaced and made her head throb.

'Why does everyone come to me for money? Do I look like a pushover?'

"Hey! Give me money—aaaagh!"

Alexa covered her ears against the howling still aimed at the sky. The half-crazed voice made her afraid. She clutched her pounding heart.

What if that woman followed her and did something? She walked faster, eyes fixed on the ground.

'She's drunk, so she can't keep up.'

She convinced herself that such a worst-case scenario wouldn't happen, and hurried to get away.

"Ah!"

Looking only at the ground, she walked straight into someone's chest. Her steps tangled, and as she wobbled, a hand caught her waist.

Startled, she quickly straightened and bowed her head.

"I'm so sorry—I wasn't looking where I was going."

"……"

"Are you hurt?"

Rubbing her forehead, Alexa looked up.

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