Time passed swiftly, and Stella returned to her homeland. She vanished quietly like a mist, leaving only a note while everyone was asleep.
She said she didn’t want a tearful goodbye and that she was relieved to see me living so happily. Strangely, my nose felt tingling.
Stella left Ios like that, leaving behind those who struggled with the overwhelming feeling of loss.
As I sat at the table, contemplating, Theo handed me a warm cup of chocolate.
“You haven’t been looking so well lately, and you seem very tired.”
The concern in his voice made me realize that I wasn’t feeling well today. It wasn’t just today. Sleep overwhelmed me at odd times, and despite doing nothing strenuous, fatigue easily set in.
“Maybe it’s the onset of a cold…”
Theo murmured, gently caressing my face. Looking at his momentarily darkened expression, a faint smile escaped me.
“I’ll be fine after a little rest.”
Theo handed me the chocolate, and just as I was about to take a sip, suddenly my stomach rumbled, like I was getting motion sickness.
“Ugh.”
“Why, what’s wrong?”
Theo’s face turned pale, evidently shocked.
“I think I’m having trouble digesting.”
“I’ll call for Mrs. Volcaran right away.”
Mrs. Volkaran was a physician who lived in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, due to her husband falling seriously ill recently, she had to temporarily close her clinic.
She was currently occupied with caring for her husband, so unless the patient was severely ill, she refrained from providing medical attention. I held Theo’s hand and protested.
“It’s nothing serious; there’s no need for that. It’s already quite late.”
“Then let’s go to the town right away…”
“Go to the town at this hour? It’s okay; don’t make a fuss.”
“Are you really okay?”
I lightly laughed, nodding my head, but Theo still seemed uneasy. He jumped out of his seat, ready to leave, as if he’d remembered something.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll go nearby and get some Pensocen tea leaves.”
“No…….”
Ignoring my response, he grabbed a knife and a large pouch and swiftly left the house. His disappearing figure seemed almost like lightning.
Pensocen was a tea leaf abundant in the nearby grassy areas, known for aiding digestion and boosting energy. I hadn’t actively sought it out due to its rather unpleasant taste.
While it may be worlds apart from the herbal remedies prescribed by Mrs. Volcaran, it could still help with minor symptoms.
I waited impatiently for Theo. Whether he intended to tear off all the Pensocen in the forest or not, his return was unexpectedly late.
‘He’s later than I thought..’
While waiting for him, the persistent discomfort in my stomach continued, and I felt the desire to go outside and feel the cool breeze.
Since he should be coming soon, maybe I should go out to greet him. Bibi, who had followed me without my notice, vigorously wagged her tail as if eager to go out.
I petted the excited dog several times. It was a moonlit night, and the moonlight blended with the waves, creating a splendid view. Immersed in the breathtaking scenery, the discomfort that had plagued me earlier had mysteriously disappeared.
As I walked along the beach, I contemplated moving towards the nearby grassy area where Theo might be. I didn’t mind the feeling of the soft sand beneath my feet as I walked.
When the distance to the grassy area was almost gone, I discovered a woman collapsed near the beach. shirtless.
“Growl-“
Vivi, who rarely barks at strangers, lowered her head and bared her teeth.
The woman lay motionless on the sand, only the occasional waves brushing against her body.
Anxiety crept in, wondering if what I was witnessing might be a corpse. My heart raced as if it had malfunctioned. Summoning courage, I approached her.
“Excuse me. Are you okay?”
No answer came back. Could she really be dead?
As I was about to get closer to her, the woman, who had been lying still like a corpse, smoothly rose with a sleek motion. She, standing upright, was much taller than me.
Her jet-black hair and contrasting fair skin seemed more like a perfectly crafted protein doll than a human.
There was no sign of life in her sea-nymph-like face. It seemed like a masterpiece, almost as if someone had created it after modeling it with the goddess of beauty. As our eyes met, I felt my mind go blank.
The moment I looked into her mysterious red eyes, a potent force enveloped and overwhelmed me, making my head spin and my entire body stiffen.
It was as if some powerful force was emanating from those crimson eyes, imprisoning me. The woman reached out to me slowly. As if to say, “Come closer.
‘Aahh, I shouldn’t go…….’
I felt an instinctive refusal, but my body, ruled by a dazed mind, refused to listen. I took slow steps.
When I was close enough, less than a meter away, she smiled. No, I thought she laughed. Between her parted lips, sharp teeth were revealed.
“Bark, bark!”
Bibi sensed danger and barked loudly, snapping me back to reality. I was so startled that no scream escaped me.
I was about to take a step back when a long tongue slithered out of the woman’s mouth like a snake. That’s when it happened.
“Duck!”
A dagger flew out of nowhere and hit the woman squarely in the eye. Suddenly, the eerie force that had inexplicably held me captive vanished. The woman, hit by the dagger, glanced at Theo and plunged into the sea.
As her body touched the water, blue scales began to emerge all over her skin. A sea monster, a Litharanas. Overwhelmed by the approaching terror like a tidal wave, I clenched my heart, feeling it might burst at any moment.
As I realized the situation, my hands and feet tingled, and cold sweat broke out. Theo, who had rushed to my side, already wore a pale expression.
“Are you hurt? Are you okay?”
He thoroughly checked my body, heaved a sigh of relief upon finding no injuries, and then hugged me tightly.
“Approaching a monster without fear, what were you thinking?”
His reproachful voice conveyed a myriad of worries.
“I… I didn’t know. I thought someone had collapsed…”
“Well, I guess you couldn’t have known. They look almost identical to humans.”
“Did it scare you much?”
“…In that brief moment, it felt like I went through hell.”
In the distance, I could see the pensocen tea leaves that Theo had tossed to the ground, scattering across the sand. It was a moment of realization about how urgent the situation had been.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
A few days later, rumors about sea monsters spread from various sources.
Several people claimed to have witnessed suspicious entities near the sea, and among them was Raon’s father, Mr. Carrot.
Despite being intoxicated, he distinctly remembered seeing a woman protruding only her head from the sea late at night.
Theo’s once bright face, since our arrival in Ios, was now shadowed by faint concern. Though he didn’t openly express his unease in front of me, it was impossible to conceal it completely.
I remained indoors and stuck close to Theo after that, but I couldn’t live like this forever.
The thoughts of other Ios residents were not much different. Realizing this, the villagers gathered for a meeting.
“We need to send someone to the Pecov Kingdom. We can’t handle that monster on our own.”
“Pecov? Do you think they consider Ios residents as their own citizens? It’s pointless.”
“Still, we have to do something. We can’t just sit and wait for the monster to attack us.”
As each person added their thoughts, Theo, who had been silent, spoke up.
“Pecov is currently preoccupied with fierce power struggles for the throne, leaving no room to care for provincial citizens. It’s fortunate if there’s no war in the weakened state.”
The atmosphere sank even more heavily at the seriousness in Theo’s voice.
“So, what should we do?”
“The only way is to fight it ourselves.”
“What, fight them ourselves?”
A brief commotion arose in the room. Everyone paused for a moment, looking at Theo.
No matter how skilled Theo was with the sword, the thought of him leading a group of ordinary people to capture a monster made my anxiety skyrocket.
Moreover, he no longer had the ability to use magic. If by any chance they faced a perilous situation… I grabbed Theo’s sleeve, but he just held my hand with a gentle smile.
“Still, wouldn’t that be too risky? We’re not prepared for anything.”
Mrs. Marchelle raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth. Theo, however, seemed unconcerned and simply replied with a nonchalant face.
“As long as you don’t make eye contact at close range, it’s not a lost cause.”
As people hesitated, Theo spoke more firmly.
“We don’t have much time. The Litharanas have likely already finished exploring this island. We need to move before they lead a group to Ios.”
