“A wizard?”

“That silver hair… I’ve heard of it!”

“Why is the Grand Duke of the North here?”

As if dealing with the siren swarm was nothing, Shilo didn’t even take his hands out of his pockets.

Shilo whistled, ignoring the people whispering about him.

“Impressive.”

I unconsciously blurted out praise as I watched the sea-colored magic particles burst like fireworks around him.

Spheres of light fly over the dark sea, preparing to attack.

Even this alone is a majestic sight that will linger in my mind, but what if he had struck down lightning with a real area-of-effect spell?

It would have been an incredibly fierce spectacle.

“Mereum. When you realize the song isn’t working well, that’s when the sirens will start creating whirlpools.”

At that moment, you must not miss that instant when the ship gets caught in the whirlpool and shakes violently.

I looked down at the hellish creatures while gripping the railing.

The thought of the magical power I would soon obtain was truly beautiful beyond measure.

[This is the timeline separator]

Thud.

Thud thud thud!

Inside the banquet hall, numerous people have collapsed, drunk with sleep.

On tables, on the floor, on chairs. Among those who had fallen asleep in all sorts of positions, a few people groggily stood up.

After staggering a few steps, they soon mixed in with the crowd of people gathered in front of the door.

They were the unlucky ones who had woken from a light sleep.

“Open… the door…”

“Have to… go.”

“Open the door. Open, the door. Open the door!!!”

It was no use for the soldiers with cotton-soaked ears to try and block them. Hands reached out from here and there, finally grabbing and shaking the doorknob.

The fortunate thing was that human effort was futile.

The banquet hall doors were designed to lock from the outside, and were even firmly blocked with planks, so there was no way to open them from the inside.

Meanwhile, outside, a hand-to-hand battle between sirens and soldiers was taking place.

The sirens attacked humans by throwing stones they had brought from the sea or leaping up by parting the water with the power of their tails.

At the same time, the whirlpool grew larger and larger until it seemed to swallow the entire sea.

“Aaargh!”

“Ugh, bleaurgh!”

Tilt.

Even the largest ship would shake in the face of such a whirlpool.

As the ship tilted heavily to the left, objects tumbled and shattered everywhere.

Cooking utensils from the kitchen, items piled in the storage room all fell and broke – how could people be unscathed?

Fighting was no longer the priority; now, the main concern was holding on and not falling off the ship.

“Tie yourselves with ropes!”

“Hold on! Hold on to the very end!”

At that moment.

A scream was heard from somewhere.

The brief scream was quickly drowned out by the sound of waves, followed by a couple of splashing sounds.

A long time after that. Perhaps after what felt like an eternity.

The shaking stopped.

The whirlpool dissipated as silently as it had formed, and the sea became so calm it was as if the chaos had never happened.

Suspiciously so.

[This is the timeline separator]

My ears are ringing.

Right after falling into the sea, the freezing water temperature enveloped my entire body, making me shiver.

It shouldn’t be this cold in summer, but it was due to the sirens from the north bringing cold currents with them.

“Leo!”

Mereum, who had jumped into the sea right after me, grabbed and hugged me tightly from behind.

A safe zone full of oxygen formed around him, allowing me to cough and spit out the water I had accidentally swallowed.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, my eyes sting.”

“Let me see.”

Mereum used a low-level spirit to create clean water and poured it over my eyes. Only then did the stinging subside, allowing me to regain my senses.

“It’s dark.”

“Indeed. Is this your first time underwater?”

Mereum nodded in response to my question as he looked around.

“I guess your brother never thought of sending you to the sea.”

“I suppose not.”

Because we were underwater, voices weren’t very clear.

They sounded slightly muffled, so I thought it would be better not to speak for too long.

It might make me dizzy if I kept listening.

– Kyaaaaaak!

– Kyaak!

Thud!

The sirens who discovered us and charged at us were repelled with a dull sound.

The Spirit King took us to the very bottom of the whirlpool without being asked.

Deep, and deeper still.

To the leader of those at the very bottom.

Through the long seaweed and schools of small fish that had gathered to increase their size, a dark figure could be seen.

A monster with a huge body and a tail covered in sharp reverse scales. A third eye on its forehead, making three eyes in total.

The old siren’s third eye flashed open when it discovered me.

-We knew you would come, fallen monarch.

The siren’s voice was as sharp as nails scraping against metal.

Meeting such beings might be familiar to me, but not to Mereum. Wondering if he might be shocked, I looked up and was relieved.

Mereum’s eyes showed not a hint of wavering.

-It would be the greatest honor to become part of the Great One. However, in exchange for giving you my magic core, I wish to receive one promise.

“A promise?”

-We did not come down here of our own will. We merely responded to the call of another high one. Please accept my magic core and allow my children to return to their homeland.

The “high one” they speak of must be none other than Beliphor.

Since they came down to this land with the intention of killing me, it wouldn’t be strange if he had moved the siren swarm.

“Very well. You have obtained a promise in my name.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the siren leader brought its hand to its third eye.

Crunch.

The plucked-out eye immediately lost its light and hardened.

The siren, having given its core to me with its last ounce of strength, breathed its last while singing a sorrowful song.

“Is it over?”

“Yes. It’s over.”

The core of such an ancient monster was almost completely black. As I received it with both hands, it gradually melted into a liquid.

Tilting my head back, I drank the magic core without leaving a drop.

Slippery and cold, it lit a fire in my stomach like strong alcohol.

“Ha!”

Spasms run through my entire body. The force that spread to my toes in an instant made my waist bend like a bow.

‘I can feel the magic core becoming full!’

The magic core that Faivel had given me was now about half full thanks to Mereum. Having gained the siren’s power to fill the remaining half, the magic core itself would grow one step larger.

It’s one step closer to my original power.

“Let’s go up now, Leo.”

“Yes. We should.”

“I’ll remove the barrier when we get near the surface. It’ll be cold, so don’t be too surprised.”

“Your body temperature is so hot that I can’t even feel the cold.”

Having greedily swallowed the magic power and feeling good, I responded languidly.

Such concentrated power!

‘I should thank Beliphor for this.’

Thanks to you, I was able to consume such high-grade magic.

‘You wouldn’t have known since you’ve never been a monarch. Even a named monster will voluntarily offer its magic core before a monarch-level being.’

Beliphor. All my slow-witted brother can do is give orders to monsters.

Even those orders don’t work properly, so it’s just pitiful.

What use are orders shouted into thin air!

“Cough, cough!”

“Your Majesty the Empress! Are you alright?!”

Mereum, who had pulled me up with all his might, swam against the current.

The knights clinging to the railing shouted with pale faces, and I coughed roughly.

“Your Majesty!”

Shilo, who had discovered me, came down as if stepping on thin air and stretched out both arms.

Mereum, clicking his tongue, reluctantly handed me over, and I was safely brought onto the ship in Shilo’s arms.

Meanwhile, Mereum climbed onto the ship holding just one rope. What impressive arm strength indeed.

“Bring a blanket!”

“Doctor! Go wake the doctor!”

The people surrounding me caused a commotion.

But the noise was soon settled by two men.

“Rise and disperse.”

Restraining the knight who was offering a blanket, Mereum first made the moisture on my body rise into the air. I was glad that my damp hair quickly became fluffy.

Only then did Mereum wrap me in a blanket.

“Then this is what I can do for you.”

Following that, Shilo clapped his hands. A small fireball was created and floated towards me as if it had its own will.

“It’s a flame magic that absolutely won’t hurt you. You’ll feel warm.”

“Thank you, Duke.”

“I was really surprised. If you had come out a little later, I might have dried up the sea.”

When Shilo says it like that, it doesn’t sound like a joke. In ancient times, there actually was magic that could evaporate even part of the sea.

“But where is this cinnamon sugar smell coming from…?”

At that moment, Shilo’s nose twitched.

I pretended not to notice and wrapped my arms around Mereum’s neck as he picked me up.

“Everyone, make way. Her Majesty needs to rest.”

The flame certainly warmed my cold hands. But what warmed my body was Mereum’s body heat.

I closed my eyes while leaning on Mereum.

Fatigue rushed in like madness.

[This is the timeline separator]

And there was someone watching this scene from afar.

In his eyes, he could clearly see the explosively swirling demonic energy. And that the Empress was at the center of that demonic energy.

“…Cinnamon sugar smell.”

The figure trembled as if shocked.

He wanted to believe it wasn’t true, but this sweet scent was the same as that smell that clung to his mind and wouldn’t wash away.

For him, it was the smell of sin and the scent of guilt.

‘No. It can’t be. It can’t be.’

The figure who had been backing away collapsed on the spot.

It was a realization that occurred in darkness, unknown to anyone else.