052
This was an entirely different kind of problem.
My father?
Are you saying we should turn the ruler of this vast Pashayen, that Sea Overlord and Fist King, into stone?
“Chessie my dear. Your power is special. It even works on Awakened beings.”
“………”
“The only small issue is that it takes a few seconds for your hair to transform into snakes…”
Step.
Bernstein approached.
He curled his lips into a smirk, he wrapped his hand around the disgusting, snake-like strands of hair, which flicked their tongues in the air.
“The stronger and faster the Awakened won’t miss that brief moment. That makes petrification difficult, doesn’t it?”
“What are you trying to say? Are you out of your mind?”
“Poor Cecilia Pashayen, always desperate for love. How much longer will you just wait like a child?”
Wait. Who was this man?
A wave of unease surged through Cecilia, making her take a step back.
But behind her was only a dressing table.
There was no escape.
“Until Leviwood grows up. Until he becomes the heir. You’re just going to keep waiting like this—how do you expect power to fall into your hands?”
“Move aside!”
“All you do is whine, Chessie. ‘I’ll be good, so please acknowledge me. Love me. See me as more than just my sister’s shadow. Then I won’t do anything to overthrow the family.’”
“………!”
Ssshhk!
Cecilia’s eyes flared in rage as he struck a nerve buried deep within her heart.
Her snakes, sensing their master’s emotions, lunged with bared fangs, but Bernstein vanished effortlessly into the shadows.
“What…!”
Caught off guard, Cecilia whipped her head around in shock.
“Where are you? Come out now! How… how did you disappear into the shadows? That’s…!”
That was a power of the Velarion bloodline.
Just as direct descendants of Pashayen could breathe underwater, those recognized as direct heirs of Velarion could move through shadows.
‘This isn’t something to take lightly. I have to go to Father immediately!’
Her husband had always been unremarkable.
Their relationship lacked deep affection, but she had never once considered him an enemy.
Why would she?
Bernstein had always been a quiet, almost invisible presence, never asserting himself at family gatherings or any important occasions.
She had never had a reason to suspect him!
“Chessie, my love.”
As Cecilia hurried toward the door, shadows slithered up her ankles.
In an instant, they coiled tightly around her waist and neck, transforming back into Bernstein.
“It’s alright. I’ll make your wish come true.”
“Let me go! LET GO OF ME! IS THERE NO ONE OUTSIDE? SOMEONE, HELP—AAAHH!!”
“There’s no one.”
“You lash out whenever you’re angry, so everyone ran away.”
Bernstein’s lips curled into a ghostly grin as he held the struggling Cecilia in a suffocating embrace.
Then, from within his mouth, a thick, writhing black worm emerged.
“Swallow this. You’ll feel at ease. Just focus on your desires, Cecilia.”
“Aaaaahhh!!”
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.
Though, in truth, it didn’t sound much different from Cecilia’s usual fits of rage.
So… Cecilia screaming and throwing fits was something everyone was used to.
And Bernstein going in alone to calm her down? That was routine too.
“…….…”
Once the shadow worm disappeared down her throat, Cecilia collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Her hair, which had turned into snakes, returned to normal.
Only then did Bernstein open his eyes, smiling in satisfaction as he laid Cecilia onto the bed.
‘It’s done.’
How long had it taken to get to this point?
Lurking beside Cecilia, waiting for the right moment to feed her the shadow worm—this was Bernstein’s most critical task.
‘Now, all that’s left is to wait for Velarion’s response.’
[ “Success.” ]
With that single word, he wrote a note and let it drop into his shadow.
Soon, it would reach his true master—the head of the Velarion family.
‘The family head of Pashayen has lived for far too long.’
It would be ideal to eliminate both the family head and the Resonator.
If both were removed, Pashayen would fall into chaos.
With the two elders who held the most crucial positions gone, their power would inevitably weaken.
The current generation of Pashayen was dangerous, but they were still young—there would be plenty of opportunities to eliminate them.
“Wake up. There’s much to discuss once you open your eyes.”
Bernstein gently caressed Cecilia’s cheek, whispering in a voice that was sickeningly sweet.
***
“Yahoo!”
The sun was shining bright, and the ocean sparkled!
Today, I was brimming with excitement from head to toe.
I quickly finished my meal, brushed my teeth, took a bath, and got dressed!
Once I was ready, I grabbed the Admiral’s hand and climbed into the carriage.
“A ship! A big ship!”
“Yes. It’s a military vessel.”
“It’s bigger than all the other ships!”
“That’s because it belongs to the commander. It’s a bit larger than the rest.”
With my face pressed so hard against the window that my nose and mouth were squished, I couldn’t contain my excitement.
Because today was the day!
The day I got to visit a ship with the Admiral!
“What did we say we’d do today?”
“Ship tour!”
“…And?”
“Play with the Navy big sisters and uncles!”
Hearing my enthusiastic response, the Admiral rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
“Well… that’s true, but… more importantly, we’re here to learn how to control your power. To understand how to manage great strength.”
“Yes, sir!”
Thump, thump.
My little heart pounded with excitement.
Last night, the Admiral promised to show me the Sea Dragon today!
‘It was called… what was it again?’
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ kindly refers to it as an area-wide technique.]
Oh, right! Area-wide technique!
‘Brother Mikard said that when the Sea Dragon soars, the ocean dries up, and all the ships wobble and flip over.’
Could that really be true?
“We’ve arrived. Let’s get off.”
Before long, our carriage stopped at the harbor.
“This is Iquas Port. It’s where all of Pashayen’s naval vessels are docked. Only military ships are allowed here—no cruise ships or fishing boats.”
“Ah-ha.”
“And this is the Commander’s ship—the one you’ll be boarding today.”
The Admiral stood tall in his crisp white uniform, sunlight shining behind him like a halo.
The large stars on his chest were incredibly cool.
Because around the four stars, a Sea Dragon coiled majestically.
“Welcome aboard, Your Excellency!”
“Rear Admiral, is the ship ready for departure?”
“All preparations are complete!”
Oh?
As the Admiral carried me into the ship, all the cool-looking navy officers saluted.
While watching them, I noticed something interesting—each officer’s uniform had different numbers and sizes of stars.
“Hey, Admiral!”
“Yes?”
Curious, I quickly tugged at his sleeve.
“Look! The stars are different!”
“That’s right. The number of stars on the uniform changes based on rank. Some don’t even have stars but different insignias.”
“Whoa. So it’s like a name tag?”
“You’re quite clever.”
The sea was calm, though the ship still swayed slightly.
Not enough to make me seasick, though!
“Go on, take a look around.”
“Yes, sir!”
The deck!
As soon as the Admiral put me down, I dashed to the front of the ship.
My twin ponytails bounced, and my skirt fluttered in the breeze.
“Heuk… So cute.”
“So this is what the youngest lady is like in person. I’ve only heard rumors…”
“Keeping all this cuteness to himself—Admiral, that’s unfair…”
The navy officers whispered among themselves, but the moment they saw the Admiral, they snapped to attention.
It was so funny that I giggled.
Then, using all my strength, I grabbed the railing and leaned forward to see beyond the edge.
An endless, vast blue ocean stretched before me!
White foam and sparkling sugar-like light.
Beautiful and refreshing.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the ocean breeze.
The salty air was a bit damp, yet soft and comforting.
Somehow, it felt… warm.
Like returning home.
‘Not a place to leave… but a place to come back to…?’
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t really felt like I was going to leave here anytime soon.
Why was that?
“Shupetty.”
And then—
