* * *
The moon had changed, and summer was nearly over.
The massive ship cut through the waves, heading for the center of the Silam Strait.
Tanned sailors bustled around, but the deck was strangely empty.
The cargo hold, which would normally be packed full, was bare except for a few balancing loads.
It wasn’t a standard voyage.
This ship had been borrowed temporarily.
A massive sea monster had been reported in this area recently.
We were here to deal with it.
Not every monster appearance required the Tower Master’s personal attention, but something this big and dangerous warranted it.
It was a bit like a public show of strength.
A little more useful than that, but still.
Ateol had stepped away, and behind me stood Lessa and Serta.
Neither of them looked happy.
Serta despised Ateol, so this was no surprise.
I only managed to bring Serta into the Tower after securing Ateol’s promise to leave the Tower’s people alone.
To his credit, he kept that promise—he never touched Serta or anyone else.
But their relationship had soured so badly, it was almost concerning.
Well, it’ll all be fine once I disappear…
“I grew up hearing legends about the Silam Strait.”
Lessa suddenly spoke.
She was always a talkative one.
This silence must’ve been too much for her.
“They say if you follow a secret route only sailors know, there’s a graveyard of ships in the middle. Have you ever seen it, Tower Master?”
“No, never.”
A ship graveyard?
What a creepy name.
In games, those places always had kraken-like monsters.
The sky would suddenly darken, the sea would churn…
“…”
“M-Monster sighted!”
Black, writhing clouds rolled in, casting shadows over the deck.
The ship lurched ominously.
The water, which had been crystal clear, now held something massive and malevolent moving slowly beneath the surface.
I knew that silhouette anywhere—even upside down, that was a kraken.
“Yuri.”
Ateol had returned and was suddenly at my side.
At the same time, my body floated upward.
Not just me—everyone on the deck lifted into the air.
Then, a huge, inky tentacle with suction cups the size of pot lids burst from the water.
The ship, tilted like it was surfing a wave, bobbed unnaturally.
No time to think—I used magic to hold the ship and the falling crew aloft.
The kraken, furious for some reason, slammed its limbs down like it was trying to crush the entire strait.
In an instant, the sea churned into chaos.
A giant whirlpool formed around the monster.
If our ship hadn’t been supported by magic, we’d have been sucked into the vortex.
“It’s dangerous. I’ll take care of the beast—”
“Who do you think you’re talking to?”
You, who had me strung upside down, now want to protect me?
Besides, krakens grow a new limb when you cut one off.
You have to burn them—quick and all at once.
The fire I summoned burst forth, licking across the sea’s surface.
It didn’t extinguish in the water—it clung to the kraken’s body and blazed.
The kraken screamed with a thunderous wail as if the world were ending, thrashing madly.
And then… it started to smell absolutely delicious.
A growling noise was heard from somewhere.
When I turned my head without thinking, one of the sailors sheepishly hugged his stomach with an awkward smile.
A kraken… is it edible?
Red sparks crackled in every direction, and a delicious smell wafted through the air.
Ever grilled dried octopus over a brazier?
Picture that, and you’d be close enough.
It probably wasn’t poisonous, but still—I couldn’t tell them to eat the corpse of a magical creature.
Only after the massive kraken had been completely incinerated, shriveled up, and reduced in size, did we finally put out the fire and return its remains to the sea.
I did worry a bit about environmental damage, but honestly, ashes left behind by a burnt kraken probably do less harm to the ocean than the kraken itself.
Once the kraken was gone, the sky cleared up like magic.
The sea, too, became calm as if it had never raged in the first place.
The sailors, who had all crowded at the edge of the ship to gawk at the kraken’s floating remains, scattered as soon as the captain barked out an order.
The ship turned around and headed back toward the port.
A crowd of people, including the sailors’ families, was waiting there.
When they saw the ship return unharmed, cheers erupted.
“Your Majesty!”
“Tower Master!”
Surprisingly, quite a few of the voices were calling out to me.
As I stepped off the dock and was about to walk, the crowd suddenly stirred.
Even Serta, who was walking right beside me, paused and frowned.
When I turned around, I saw Ateol kneeling in front of me.
“On behalf of the Empire, I thank the master of the highest tower.”
He wasn’t shouting, but his low voice carried far.
Everyone present must’ve heard it.
Still on one knee, Ateol looked up at me and whispered softly.
“Please, kiss my forehead.”
Honestly, this guy really loves his theatrics.
But it’s not like I could ignore him in front of this huge crowd.
With no other choice, I stepped closer and gave his forehead a quick kiss.
It was barely a touch—more like a suggestion of a kiss than the real thing.
I thought I’d gotten away with it, but the next second, Ateol shot up, wrapped his arm around my waist, and kissed me on the lips.
The crowd cheered again.
“……!”
Sure, from the public’s perspective, the union of the Mage Tower and the Imperial Palace might look like the very symbol of peace. I understood that—logically.
Emotionally, I was just barely stopping myself from slapping Ateol across the face.
I mouthed the words silently so only he could see:
“Are you insane?!”
“Why?”
“Why? What do you plan to do when the truth comes out?!”
I was a fake.
And if he played up the romance like this, what would happen when the real Yuri… Siwoo came back?
The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
And all that disappointment would fall squarely on Ateol, who never got his happily ever after.
“Do you want to look like a fool when it all gets revealed?”
Ateol chuckled quietly and replied.
“The Grand Duke made a rather cryptic comment, actually.”
“…Duke Roanes? What did he say?”
“He spoke in circles, but basically, he implied you might be a fake and that it’d be best to quell the marriage rumors quickly.”
My face turned pale in an instant.
There was no room to run anymore.
The Duke really knew the truth. My heart sank.
“Then why are you fanning the flames?”
“Didn’t I tell you? If I say it’s real, then it becomes real.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. The real one exists, and the moment he shows up, it’s all over.”
“That’s if he shows up.”
“What?”
“If the real one never appears, then that’s the end of it.”
Ateol smiled faintly.
“The ‘real one’ you speak of—isn’t he already in our hands?”
“…….”
I stared at Ateol in disbelief, wondering what I had just heard.
He gave a playful wink like he’d made some brilliant joke and stepped back.
Sorry, but that wasn’t funny at all.
* * *
