The one who spoke in a dialect and sounded rural, from Kaletta, a Westerner, was none other than Lugh.

When she directly heard what the people from the Trade Bureau and Francis Grey were talking about earlier, she simply overlooked it. However, upon seeing the dazzling Hayden, those words stuck firmly in her mind.

“Did you know I was coming?”

Lugh deliberately refined her voice and chose the most natural reaction in this situation.

“No. I just heard you were coming and came out because I was glad.”

Hayden flicked his finger, asking why she didn’t hold onto it.

Now, even when she shook hands with his large and extended hand, she had to be prepared and grip it firmly. If Hayden was aiming for that, he must be a very skilled and quick-witted person.

Lugh silently took a deep breath and shook his hand as she got off the carriage.

“Thank you.”

The tall and robust Hayden, who was roughly the same height as her, seemed unfamiliar when compared to the boy she had in mind. As the distance closed when she got off the carriage, his refreshing and pleasant scent became closer.

Above all, the problem was his gaze on her. She wished he would be as fierce and unpredictable as when she first came to Shalea. At that time, he had insisted on spreading rumors like ‘Emperor Perseita can’t even have a peaceful night.’

It would be better if she could just say, “You’ve grown well. You did a good job helping and taking care of me back then,” and pass it off. Once personal feelings start to mix strongly, everything tends to go wrong. Lugh somehow felt pathetic.

“Was today the last day?”

Breaking that feeling, Hayden asked. Lugh quickly regained her composure and replied.

“Yes. All the subsidiaries have been sold, and we are in the final stages of the current work.”

“Viscount Flache seems to have successfully concluded the sale of subsidiaries. Well done.”

This way. Instead of words, Hayden gestured with his head, leading Lugh inside. While doing so, he squinted his eyes and asked.

“Did I come because I missed you?”

Ah, she had forgotten because she was so preoccupied with her own concerns.

Hayden, who persistently made such problematic remarks, had put the other person in an awkward position. Lugh, who hadn’t come because she missed him, was pressed with a cheeky internal feeling. How dare she come to the Emperor’s office.

“I came to report on some minor matters. It’s nothing important; you can hear it later.”

“The person who came out to greet you because you came is going to ask you to report later.”

Emphasizing that he was saying so, Hayden looked at her as if to say, “Go on, tell me.” The distance to the Emperor’s office was quite considerable.

As they walked slowly, if she talked about who she coincidentally met at the harbor today, they would reach the office without realizing it.

Hayden sat Lugh on one side of the sofa in the office.

“In the Hermoa Sea, there’s Delgau.”

Delgau? What’s Delgau? It was the first time she had heard the name. Well, it was faster for Lugh to find something she hadn’t heard of in Perseita.

“Exactly, between the Perseita Sea and the Kaletta Sea, right where the barrier ends on the east coast, that’s Delgau’s territory.”

Hayden tapped a world map hanging in the office. It was exactly the point he mentioned.

Although she had seen it when she first arrived during the Kaletta construction, this side of the map still seemed unfamiliar. There were many countries around Perseita that she hadn’t learned during her time with the Kaletta Imperial Knights. Of course, there were none to the south; they were all in the east or north.

“Delgau is the king of the Hermoa Sea.”

“A person?”

“It’s a monster. Originally, it was from the southern sea. It’s so powerful that it doesn’t matter if it’s called the monarch of monsters, and it’s also incredibly huge. So, it’s impossible to go to Kaletta through the Hermoa Sea. Even though the Monster Wave didn’t happen, strangely, the monsters it leads are scattered all over the sea. Do you know about it?”

“Yes.”
In Kaletta, it is known that sea monsters roam the sea. However, now Lugh roughly understood what it meant. It seems they couldn’t build a barrier all the way to the deep sea. So, instead, they sent monsters from the South Sea to the East Sea to fulfill the role of the barrier.

Hayden glanced at the map, then turned his eyes to Lugh. His lazy smile and relaxed posture made him look like a noble among nobles who had lived very leisurely and elegantly. The young soldier, who had been desperate just to survive, couldn’t be imagined at all.

Therefore, he no longer seemed like the younger brother she had fed, put to sleep, and taken care of. That was the problem.

“So, no ship could avoid Delgau, and they’re making ships with monster parts. What do you think?”

“I don’t know what will happen, but I think it’s not a bad idea to leave the possibility open towards the sea.”

He nodded at her words.

“Good idea.”

“As for the result and how long it will take, I don’t know, but we plan to support the monster parts obtained from our house first.”