TYND 46

“Since sirens are mainly active during summer, we always send out recon teams around this time. This year, the sudden shift from cold to warm seems to have made them confused. They were wounds on the corpse that sirens normally wouldn’t cause.”

Sirens typically inhabit the deep sea but would come closer to the coast when the weather turned warm. A few days ago, a siren attack had resulted in five casualties, leaving one dead—a young guard who was at the Aura Consumer stage. Because of that, the entire guard unit was in low spirits. 

“Is the body preserved?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“I’ll need to see it myself.”

“Understood.”

The guards brought the corpse on a stretcher, covered with a white cloth. Thanks to preservation magic, there was no odour. 

“Uncover it.”

“Ah, that’s—”

The guards hesitated. This was because the sixteen-year-old Rothy was watching them with wide eyes. It was something that happened when they visited each border region. 

“The siren’s poison had spread through the body… it’s in a horrible state… it might not be appropriate for His Grace to see.”

“It’s fine. The one standing before you is an archmage.”

“But… he’s still so young.”

By imperial law, seventeen was the age of adulthood, so sixteen wasn’t extremely young. But no one in the empire actually considered seventeen-year-olds as adults, so sixteen was still seen as an age that needed protection. Moreover, Rothy looked much younger than the average sixteen-year-old, and after the incident during the Snow Festival’s closing ceremony where he’d tripped and fallen, the perception that he needed to be protected had only grown stronger. 

Seeing the guard captain’s discomfort, Rothy spoke up.

“Uhm, it’s fine. I’m used to seeing horrible things.”

“But—”

“And this man was brave and valiant. He died dying to protect the fishermen. It wouldn’t be right to call that horrible.”

“Ah……”

Rothy’s words didn’t just shake the guard captain, all the guards’ eyes turned glassy with emotion. The young man lying there had been born and raised in a coastal village. His grandfather and father had both been guards, so he’d followed in their footsteps. The other guards were also from nearby villages, so they’d all known each other since childhood, and some were the dead man’s friends, while some were his father’s friends…… 

They all knew the risks when they stepped in and every one of them had put their lives on the line. But being prepared for your own death and actually experiencing someone’s loss were different matters. 

Peter had enlisted knowing he might die, and he protected the fishermen until the end. Peter had did his part. That was how they endured the deaths of their comrades—they reminded themselves that their fallen had fought for something.

But now, the young archduchess had—

“That’s right…… Peter protected the fishermen until the very end. Just as a proud Western Coast Guard should. The proof of that valour can never be horrible.”

He looked like nothing more than a delicate doll, but with just a few words, the young archduchess soothed the hearts of grieving soldiers and rekindled their pride. 

The guard captain pulled back the white cloth. 

The young man had been bitten on the shoulder by a siren. A third of his torso was gone, flesh and bone ripped away, and his entire body was covered in swollen purple blisters. His corpse no longer resembled a human but looked more like a carcass of a marine creature that’d washed ashore and dried out. It was a horrific sight, but no one grimaced or looked away. Even the weasel in Rothy’s arms was watching with wide eyes. 

“May he dream peacefully under Seará’s guidance.”

After a brief moment of silence, they examined the body carefully. Theon flipped over the shredded flesh near the missing arm with his gloved hand.

“These aren’t siren bite marks. These are molar marks.”

“Ah— molar marks?”

“Yes, and they look similar to a Cracollap’s bite. Rothy, what do you think?”

The guards were surprised that Theon asked Rothy for his opinion. Even if he was an archmage, he was still a child……

“These are definitely marks from a Cracollap’s bite, and next to them are the siren’s fangs. Cracollaps have sensitive hearing, so one must’ve been hypnotised by the sirens and were dragged along.”

“That happens often.”

Yeah, sirens are really awful……”

“But sirens don’t eat human flesh. They only suck our blood and discard the bodies afterwards. Why would they bite into the bone?”

“Sometimes sirens get violent when they’re angry. They don’t swallow human flesh, but they’ll bite into it out of rage and then spit it out…”

“What made them angry?”

“Because the sea temperature rose suddenly instead of gradually… When the water gets warmer, sirens get much hungrier. That makes them more aggressive.”

At this point, the guards’ expression couldn’t have been more astonished—their eyes were almost bulging out. Theon and his party weren’t surprised, though. They’d already been through this kind of situation several times. Yolone Sirin must’ve sent Rothy to the battlefield far more often than they’d expected. First, Rothy didn’t fear demonic fiends. They realised this when they first encountered those in Hydra’s Nest.

“It’s a hydra!”

“Don’t let even one escape!”

“Hurry, light the fires!”

While the newly recruited Black Lion Knight apprentices trembled like aspen leaves, Rothy prepared his magic with the same calm expression as always. Of course, Theon had no intention of giving him the chance to use it. As soon as the hydra appeared, he’d wrap Rothy in his black cloak, pulled him into his arms, and unleashed his aura, wiping out the front of hydras, then…… stepped back. 

Since they’d come partly for the apprentice knights’ field training, he deliberately held back. 

And when the battle was over……

“Theon, hydras dig underground dens and live in groups. If we block that hold, they won’t be able to come out for a while since they’ll think the snow hasn’t melted yet.”

Rothy had whispered that while nestled in Theon’s arms. That was when Theon first realised that Rothy’s knowledge of demonic fiends was considerable. It was another proof that he’d fought in the war himself. That day, Rothy handled the aftermath by piling huge boulders at the entrance of the hydra’s underground nest with magic.

However, this fact became slightly distorted in retelling, and rumours spread that Rothy had defeated the hydras with powerful magic. Theon hadn’t bothered to correct it. 

“You’re quite knowledgeable about Maton’s offspring, Your Grace. You’re indeed Archduke Yolone’s disciple.”

Respect filled the guards’ eyes. 

Theon had deliberately steered the conversation to show off Rothy’s competence. He wondered if he should be proud, considering Rothy’s past, but thinking of Rothy’s future, he certainly should be. 

“No… I’m not that great.”

Rothy shrank at the praise, his shoulders hunching. 

“It’s my fault……”

“What do you mean?”

Theon hadn’t expected that response. He frowned and looked down at Rothy, who was hanging his head dejectedly. 

“The seasons should’ve warmed gradually, but since I activated the climate control trehmule too early, the weather became warm too quickly. That made the sirens angry, and they killed people… It’s my fault.”

“……”

How in the world did he end up with that trajectory? Theon stared for a moment, completely thrown off. He’d forgotten just how low Rothy’s self-esteem was. He knelt immediately on one knee, moving fast enough that it might’ve appeared urgent to anyone watching. He met Rothy’s downcast eyes and said:

“No, Rothy. It’s the opposite. If the tremuhle reactivation had been delayed even slightly, many people in the North would’ve starved to death. You saved the Northerners from hunger and brought back spring. Also, I was the one who asked you to reactivate the tremuhle. If what you’re saying is true, then the blame lies with me for giving the order, and—…”

Whether it was persuasion or a plea, Theon kept talking for a while. After being briefed on the recent siren activities, they headed to the dock to set out for the open sea. The vessel docked there wasn’t the typical ship used in naval battles. Since this mission was more about recon rather than combat, they’d prepared a fast patrol boat instead.

Theon’s group exchanged greetings with the captain and the maritime guards before boarding. With a long blast of the foghorn, the ship pulled away from the coast. Even as they sailed, the discussion continued. 

How deep they’d venture, how many sirens they needed to cull, how much luxury seafood they’d collect during this inspection… Most of it had already been decided in advance, so they were only reviewing the plan.

Scree.

Theon stopped mid-sentence at the small tug on his sleeve—It was Chi-chi. 

Scree. 

Following the weasel’s head gesture, Theon looked at Rothy, who was gazing outside through a small window. The sun was already setting, the red sunset spreading across the blue waves like spilled paint. Rothy’s face was filled with quiet awe, his plump lips were slightly parted as he stared outside, lost in the view. Immediately—

“This meeting’s over.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Understood.”

Everyone had already guessed what kind of order the archduke would give the moment he saw his young spouse mesmerised by the scenery. The crew exchanged amused glances as they dispersed, and among them, Chungnip and Zey were almost beaming. But Theon ignored them and beelined for Rothy. 

In the bustling atmosphere, Rothy flinched slightly and turned his head abruptly.