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Chapter 20

"Are you worried about me right now?"

The man stepped forward out of the darkness. Standing before her was someone she hadn't expected at all.

"…Creditor?"

Alexa's eyes widened. The sparse moonlight made her peculiar olive-colored eyes gleam especially bright.

"……"

"…Creditor?"

Adrian tore his gaze away from her and turned his head. Alexa, unable to hide her unease, asked him.

"I-it's only been three days, though?"

"……?"

"Did you change your mind?"

"…Ah."

"I was planning to pay interest too—within two months. Of course, only if I have anything left over…"

"Hold on."

Adrian looked down slowly at Alexa, who was rushing through her words. Feeling herself shrink under his gaze, she found it hard to meet his eyes.

"Breathe."

"Huh?"

Had she stopped breathing? Alexa suddenly gasped for air.

Her head spun and she swayed, nearly losing her balance, but she steadied herself by putting strength into her ankles.

In that instant, Adrian, who had been about to reach out to her again, instead raised his arm and pointed down the road she had come from, as if he hadn't done anything.

"You seemed to be running away from over there—am I right?"

"Ah, yes."

Somehow, her tense heart began to calm.

Even though he was just the man who held her debt, why did she feel relieved? Unable to understand her own emotions, she gave up trying.

"Anyway, I'm not here to press you for the debt. I just happened to be passing through on other business."

"Ah… I see."

"But where are you going at this hour?"

"I was on my way home…"

Alexa suddenly remembered something and stepped closer to him. She pointed toward the direction she'd fled from and whispered very quietly.

"Over there—there's a drunk woman."

Adrian's neck tensed. Not because the words were shocking—but because Alexa's breath was close enough to brush the fine hairs on his skin.

She was simply being extra cautious, knowing that on a quiet, foggy night like this, even small sounds carried far.

Perhaps that was why—from the direction she'd pointed—a thin, metallic voice came drifting.

"……?"

Sensing a presence, the two of them looked toward the distant alley without a word.

"…Hel… p me."

Alexa gasped, goosebumps rising on her arms. She looked up at Adrian, her face stiff, and saw that he too had frozen.

"Stay here."

He pushed her aside by the arm, and Alexa managed to speak, her eyes filled with fear.

"C-can't we call the guard? It could be dangerous."

"I'm better."

After a moment's hesitation, Alexa released his sleeve. She bit her lip and stepped back, looking resolute.

Seeing her like that, Adrian paused, then gently pulled her behind him.

"It'll be safer if you come with me. But stay right behind me—not a step away."

In this situation, being alone was probably scarier and more dangerous. Alexa nodded and stood directly behind him. He then walked quickly toward the source of the sound.

The voice had been faint from the start, and now it was fading. Adrian clenched his fists. He couldn't shake off his unease.

"A peculiar corpse was found in the capital a few months ago."

"The body was completely desiccated, but the area was drenched—with torn flesh marks."

"It doesn't make sense. Is what's coming to my mind the same as what's coming to yours?"

"…A deep-sea monster."

Thud. Something hit the ground. Adrian and Alexa drew closer.

The air brushing against their skin felt unnerving—almost fortunate if it had just been someone who'd fallen drunk.

Adrian stopped.

Just around the right corner, a leg was visible. White, withered like a mummy.

Alexa cautiously peered out from behind Adrian, who had suddenly halted.

"Don't look."

His low voice made her shrink back.

What if it was the drunk woman who'd been causing trouble, beaten by someone? Or had she drunk herself to death?

Amid her anxious thoughts, guilt forced its way in.

What if it's because of me? What if she came after me and met with misfortune? If I'd just given in to her demands, would this not have happened?

So… did she die because of me?

"……!"

A large, warm hand covered her trembling, cold one. Adrian was still watching ahead warily, but he seemed unable to ignore the fearful tremors coming from behind.

His warm touch, as if telling her it was all right, pulled her mind out of the mire.

Adrian frowned at the faint smell of sea salt near the body lying neatly before him.

To confirm the truth, he stepped forward cautiously.

Rustle, rustle.

'The body is clearly dead—so why is its clothing moving?'

Something was definitely happening, but inexplicably, his vision was blurry. He couldn't light a torch, so he focused all his senses on that spot.

'Damn it. If only it weren't for this fog.'

At that moment, a dull, tearing sound—like thick paper ripping—echoed.

Crunch—Splash—

"……!"

After a short, heavy noise, Adrian witnessed something incredible.

If there were such a thing as a deeper darkness within darkness, that would describe it. Somewhere between the ground and the air just above it, a gap had opened.

Adrian held his breath.

'A different space… opened?'

And soon, from within that pitch-black void, dozens of thin legs crept out.

Adrian bit his lip.

Why was a deep-sea monster on land? No matter how many times he looked, his eyes and mind couldn't seem to agree—it was simply unbelievable.

Moments later, its head flopped out of the black hole.

The gelatinous creature resembled a jellyfish—a small deep-sea monster called a "Krillar."

Just as the creature, without hesitation, split open its horizontally gaping mouth and lunged to sink its teeth into the corpse's leg—

"No."

Mmph!

Adrian quickly covered Alexa's mouth, but the creature had already heard and stopped moving.

Sensing the ominous shift, Adrian's eyes grew sharper as he stared ahead.

Darkness favored the deep-sea monster. Its eyes flickered, then sharpened with hostility. The situation was tense—it could pounce at any moment.

'No choice.'

This wouldn't end until one of them was dead or near death.

"Step back. As far as you can."

Carefully and slowly, Adrian pushed Alexa back, avoiding any sudden moves that might provoke the creature.

Fortunately, it wasn't a particularly difficult opponent.

But the real problem was visibility.

Adrian clenched his fist and fixed his gaze on the creature.

'……?'

Something was off.

He thought he'd misjudged due to the darkness—but that small monster wasn't looking at Adrian, the immediate threat. It was looking past him.

At Alexa McDonner.

'Is it going to attack the weaker one first?'

Adrian kept his eyes on the creature and slowly stepped back—until Alexa was pressed close behind him.

"Alexa, this is very dangerous. I'll explain later—"

"Hey!"

Adrian turned to look at her, slightly bewildered. He looked down, wondering if she'd lost her mind—but her expression was different from what he'd expected.

Frowning, hands on her hips…?

'Is she angry?'

"Hsss!"

She stepped out from behind him, standing beside him, staring straight at the creature.

"No, you're insane—"

"Go!"

…What? Adrian's jaw dropped in disbelief—then he quickly pulled her toward him, warning in a low voice.

"This is dangerous. That won't accomplish anything. It's agitated, so it might—"

"Ah—it's moving."

"Yes, so be quiet—"

Huh? Adrian narrowed his eyes and looked at the Krillar. As she said, it was moving.

Not toward them—but back toward the black hole it had come from.

Dragging its legs as if displeased, it lifted them one by one and stuck its head back into the void.

It's leaving…?

The creature squirmed as it crawled back inside, but kept its eyes fixed on Alexa until the very end. Even Adrian could feel its reluctance—as if it were obeying only under protest.

"Is there food in your left coat pocket?"

"…How did you know?"

Adrian involuntarily stepped back a pace.

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