“Hey, I’m just gonna go out for a minute!”
“Again?”
“Oh, um, the scenery here is just too beautiful. I should explore diligently while I’m here. Don’t worry about me; take your time and work comfortably.”
I’ve noticed that Stella’s outings have become more frequent lately. Her awkward laughter somehow resembled that of a young person in love.
Once, while out for a walk with Theo, I caught her blushing while talking to Raon.
I chuckled lightly as I remembered Theo cheering on them.
Regardless, something subtle between the two of them had undoubtedly developed—something between a man and a woman. Too bad Stella would have to leave for Xenos again soon.
“Now, shall we go enjoy our date?”
Theo, ready to go out, spoke with an excited voice.
“Psh, it’s not a date; we’re going to work.”
Today, Theo and I planned to visit a famous restaurant in the city for market research purposes. We heard they recently introduced a creative new menu.
Theo, being the obsessive culinary researcher that he is, couldn’t resist his curiosity.
Ever since he came to Ios, his face has been filled with an indescribable vitality. Whenever Theo, who had carried a heavy burden in his heart, showed such a bright expression, my heart inexplicably swelled with emotion.
Theo’s large hand tightly held mine. With excited hearts, we set off for the city.
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“Hmm, this is really delicious.”
“Is it that good?”
“Yes! There’s a reason why famous places are famous.”
As soon as I tasted the food, admiration flowed out involuntarily. The chicken stew simmered in pineapple sauce disappeared from my spoon at lightning speed.
On the other hand, the more I reveled in the food, the more shadows fell over Theo’s face.
It seemed to stem from a subtle sense of defeat. But what can I do? It’s just so delicious. Having finished off the stew, I now attacked the salmon pie with a fork.
“Wow, this is even better!”
Theo’s eyelashes flickered at my unexpectedly intense reaction. After devouring the salmon pie in a frenzy for a while, I noticed Theo’s gaze turning seriously grave.
Sensing something odd, I temporarily set down my fork and glanced around. It was only then that I noticed middle-aged men at the nearby table, engrossed in a dark conversation.
Intrigued, I listened intently to their conversation.
“Does that make sense? It’s been gone for a while.”
“I thought so too. But Cain said he saw it clearly. He got lost and somehow ended up near the Sea of Death, and there it was, in the middle of the ocean, a beautiful woman with only her head sticking out, staring at a boat full of fishermen.”
The topic of their conversation was the enchanting beast with the appearance of a beautiful human, Litharanas.
“But how did that monster get through the Death Sea?”
“The Death Sea isn’t what it used to be. Litharanas might really come through.”
The men’s faces deepened in worry.
Although the Sea of Death hadn’t changed its boundaries like before, and there hadn’t been any terrifying storms capable of flipping giant ships in an instant, the result was Litharanas.
I’ve never seen one, but the story of the legendary Litharanas circulates around here. When I became an Ios Islander, I often heard tales of Litharanas.
Although Litharanas is long gone, the fear surrounding it has been passed down from generation to generation among the people of Ios.
Even adults, half-jokingly, would tell crying children that the sea monster would snatch them away.
“We don’t know what will happen in the future. If we don’t prepare in advance, we might face a massive disaster.”
“It gives me goosebumps all over to think of them wandering around on land.”
The man looked horrified and shuddered as he spoke.
‘A sea monster that can freely wander on land. Is that really true?’
Just beyond Ios, there’s a sea with harsh cold all year round, and that’s where Litharanas was rumored to reside.
In the worst-case scenario, if humans were to fight them, they would have to travel there and take them by surprise. Just as the Iosians had done so long ago in history.
Engaging in a battle near the mainland, where villages gather, would be reckless. If some of the Litharanas managed to sneak onto the land, preventing a disaster would be impossible.
“Shouldn’t we send word to the Pekov Palace immediately?”
“Why would the palace care about this place? They’ll probably only figure out what happened to Ios after those things sweep over it.”
Of all places, our house was close to the sea. Suddenly, the thought of facing a horde of sea monsters every day made my appetite vanish.
Theo quickly wiped the seriousness off his face, smiled broadly, and held out the untouched food to me.
“Go ahead and try this, too. If it gets cold, you won’t be able to taste it properly.”
At his words, I picked up my fork and knife again, but perhaps due to my mood, I couldn’t taste any particular flavor as I did before.
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After Stella came to our house, there was one change. Raon started visiting without any particular reason, and Stella became the one welcoming him, not me.
Theo looked strangely pleased whenever he saw it, and now that I think about it, he’s been strangely gentle with Raon lately.
“Isn’t your expression a bit too bright?”
“Me? Hm, maybe something good happened.”
But as the time for Stella to leave approached, it became impossible not to notice a faint sadness on her face.
One day, while having breakfast together, I brought up something I had thought about.
“Stella, why don’t we have a little farewell party before you leave?”
Upon hearing this, Stella put down her stew and looked visibly uncomfortable.
“I’m fine.”
“Still, it’s a shame to send you off like this…… I don’t know when you’ll come back.”
“No, I just want to leave quietly. I don’t want a lonely farewell scene.”
Perhaps it was a misunderstanding, but her response seemed to consider Raon.
Whatever was happening between them, it was impossible for Stella to stay on Ios or for Raon to follow her to Xenos. So, the conclusion for the two of them seemed predestined.
In the afternoon, Stella and I had tea time in the garden. It felt like returning to everyday life at the Imperial Palace.
“I can see why you chose to settle here. It’s truly a beautiful place. You can release all your worries and concerns while you’re here.”
“Then why don’t you come live here too, Stella?”
In response to my playful words, Stella smiled quietly and tilted her head.
“Overwhelmingly ecstatic dreams can poison reality. While I indulge in romance, my people will be waiting patiently for me to return.”
Stella’s words hinted at a deep affection for the members of the Priodos organization.
Although she was young, she was a leader who earned tremendous trust from the organization’s members. Abandoning responsibilities and settling in a strange place would be truly unrealistic for her.
The Stella I knew was a wise person. Whatever decision she made, she would move in the direction she truly desired.
“Still, you two have turned that dream into reality. You look much happier than when you were at the palace.”
“I still feel like I’m dreaming. I’m not used to this kind of happiness. Sometimes, I worry if something unexpected might happen again.”
Since that day, I have coincidentally heard the story about Litharanas, and occasionally nightmares haunt my sleep.
A bizarre creature covered in scales all over its body like a fish, with eyes, nose, and mouth like a human’s face, slaughtering residents… In any case, being overly sensitive was never a good thing.
“Is there really something happening? Theo asked me to do him a favor.”
“What favor?”
Caught off guard by her unexpectedly random remark, I couldn’t help but ask Stella about it.
“He asked me to send a large number of magical tools and weapons as soon as I arrive in Xenos.”
“Why would he say something like that?”
“Well, it seems this place is a self-governing region separated from the Pecov Kingdom, so he mentioned focusing on maritime security here… or so he said.”
Stella tilted her head, looking at my grave face.
The fact that Theo would even ask her to do such a thing made the image of the terrifying Litharanas, which still existed only in my imagination, seem even more vivid.
