The Oceanos Coast expedition came to a successful conclusion. Anyone who knew the inside story wouldn’t use the word “successful,” but as always in official reports, any content related to accidents was completely omitted.

This was actually fortunate. Nothing good would come from the Imperial ears hearing about the negotiations between Oceanos and Count Pergamon.

Upon returning to Angelus University with the clear sky at my back, the first thing I did was record everything. Explaining how Ophelia, caught in the storm, somehow made her way to Angelus easily filled an entire page. From that point on, I moved my pen tip without hesitation.

Humans who invaded territories for the city’s peace, magical creatures who created storms to protect their domain from that invasion. The prolonged struggle where right and wrong couldn’t be distinguished continuously produced victims on both sides. Though this incident surfaced due to its severity, quiet wars were likely occurring somewhere even now.

I felt like someone desperately trying to plug holes with bare hands on a sinking ship rather than escaping. Is coexistence between magical creatures and humans even possible? If nature’s law dictates that only the victor survives in the competition for limited resources…

“In the end, only one side can remain.”

I froze after writing this raw thought. The thick paper was on the verge of tearing under the sharp pen tip pressing down hard. Every sentence written with such pressure contained nothing but negative opinions.

Belatedly, I crossed out the sentences with my dripping pen. The line stretching across the paper served as a barricade telling me to stop thinking this way.

Why did I have such thoughts? I should obviously aim for coexistence… Something lodged in my mind seemed to be eating away at my brain. Unable to control the impulse, I put down my pen almost throwing it.

Just then, a gentle voice came from the window.

[Why ruin a masterpiece?]

A beautiful veil, like the aurora shimmering in the night sky, entered my vision.

“…Oceanos…”

When I called his name, the corner of his mouth visible beneath the veil curled upward.

[That was the first time your true feelings were expressed. Isn’t it a shame?]

Under the sunlight filtering through the window, Oceanos had the appearance of a pure angel statue. I had seen him sitting next to Asrein in the carriage returning from Pergamon Mansion to the sanctuary. Though I dismissed it as a mere hallucination, now that he was speaking to me, I couldn’t simply ignore it.

“Why are you here?”

[I see. Normally, a mere ‘fragment’ of me… No. I should have been absorbed by you already, but somehow I’m becoming increasingly separate.]

Oceanos muttered while stroking his chin.

[…Was there an error in the ritual?]

I couldn’t help but doubt the identity of this being pondering the reason. Despite his capricious nature, Oceanos possessed the dignity befitting a king of a nation. However, the Oceanos who appeared in my research lab now exuded a strangely light atmosphere. It was strange that he felt like a different entity despite having the same appearance.

Feeling my scrutinizing gaze, Oceanos shrugged.

[Well, it’s fine. Thanks to that, I’ve seen something quite interesting.]

Oceanos approached with light steps and stopped half a step away. His slightly curling lips made me uneasy. Eventually, the tip of his cold index finger tapped my forehead.

[There are quite fascinating desires overflowing in here.]

Though I wanted to hide my emotional turmoil, I couldn’t conceal my honestly wavering eyes.

“What… do you mean?”

Instead of answering, Oceanos suddenly extended both hands and cupped my cheeks. Then, slowly lowering his head, he opened his mouth seemingly about to steal my breath. Like the whale with dozens of eyes I saw in my dream that day, he looked ready to swallow me whole.

Just when I thought I would be helplessly devoured—

“Tae-oh?”

I immediately turned to the side following the voice calling my name. My eyes met Jin’s, who had opened the door and entered. Jin stood at the doorframe, apparently startled by my sharp gaze.

“I knocked, but you didn’t answer…”

Meanwhile, Oceanos had vanished. Though relieved he wasn’t spotted by Jin, Oceanos’s last words bothered me, causing my expression to stiffen involuntarily. Touching my dry lips, I murmured:

“…I was lost in thought and didn’t hear you.”

“I-if I’m interrupting, I’m sorry. I’ll come back later.”

I hurriedly approached Jin, who was trying to leave with an awkward smile, and grabbed his arm.

“No! Please come in.”

Despite my bright smile, Jin kept glancing at me with suspicious eyes.

“Are you really okay?”

“Of course. …Why?”

“Haha, no reason. For a moment, the atmosphere made me think you were someone else.”

Perhaps that was also Oceanos’s influence. Not a particularly welcome change. Closing the door that was letting in cold air, I asked:

“What brings you here?”

“It’s about the Sainur we brought from Bivrint Forest before.”

“Did something happen to Nur?!”

“Whether it’s serious or not…”

Jin hesitated briefly before speaking with difficulty.

“I heard while visiting the herb garden that the Sainur hasn’t eaten for several days.”

“What? Is it sick?”

“No. We were concerned about health issues, so we examined it, but there’s nothing wrong physically. The flow of magical power is fine too. So they said they couldn’t figure out the reason.”

It was fortunate that it wasn’t a health problem, but skipping meals would inevitably strain the body eventually.

“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll go check right away.”

“It’s probably nothing serious. It might just be homesick.”

Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since Nur left Bivrint Forest. Why hadn’t I considered it might miss its natural habitat? No matter how well the greenhouse replicated the forest, Nur would eventually have to return to nature. Perhaps that time was approaching.

After Jin left, I crumpled the report and stuffed it in a drawer before heading straight to the greenhouse. Following the familiar path, I saw Nur curled up in a ball. Now much larger than before, Nur had grown into a proper magical creature.

As I approached, rustling the undergrowth, Nur slightly raised its head. I extended my hand in greeting as always. I expected to be scolded for coming so late, but Nur was unusually quiet.

Puzzled, I moved closer, and Nur bared its sharp teeth. It was unmistakably treating me like an enemy. Had it already forgotten me after my brief absence? Hoping against hope, I called its name.

“N-Nur…?”

Thankfully, upon hearing my voice, the wariness in its eyes subsided somewhat. After sniffing with its black nose, Nur wagged its tail gently.

[Oh. It’s you?]

“What do you mean? …Did you not recognize me?”

[Of course not. How could I recognize you when you’re wrapped in an unfamiliar energy?]

I belatedly remembered that Nur’s ma-an sees through to the essence rather than outward appearance. The tail that had been wagging happily soon began striking the ground, revealing its grumpy mood.

[You’ve done something again in that short time.]

“Ahaha… I really can’t hide anything from your eyes.”

[What have you done?]

“Umm, there were various circumstances.”

When I answered vaguely while scratching my cheek, Nur bristled its fur.

[Hey!!]

“W-what?”

[Please be careful. I warned you. Your essence is so faint that it’s easily stained.]

“Alright, alright. I’ll be careful.”

I came worried about Nur’s condition but ended up being scolded instead. Still, hearing its voice rising sharply as usual was somewhat reassuring. I squatted down in front of it and stroked its fluffy gray fur. As Nur gradually calmed down, I gently probed for the truth.

“More importantly, why aren’t you eating? Don’t you like the berries?”

Nur turned its head and blew a huff of air through its nose.

[…I don’t want to.]

“Huh?”

[I don’t want to grow. Why?]

“Why? You need to grow quickly and return to nature.”

Though Nur had grown considerably, it was still small compared to the size shown in the encyclopedia. I was already looking forward to seeing how magnificent it would look when fully grown. However, Nur cut me off firmly.

[That’s what I don’t want. If I grow any larger than I am now, I won’t be able to live here anymore.]

My intention to argue vanished completely upon hearing the rest. Nur wasn’t refusing food because it wanted to return to nature, but because it didn’t want to leave. However, a healthy magical creature couldn’t stay in the sanctuary indefinitely. That was the principle, painful though it might be.

“…But wouldn’t it be better to return to the forest?”

[Return? Where to? …To the forest where I was born? What’s left there?]

“…Nur…”

[You saw it too. What’s there… What I left behind.]

The cold voice left me speechless.

Even though the poachers had withdrawn, Bivrint Forest was still dangerous. It would be better to go to the forest where Ad Kune was held or to a protection zone designated by the Imperial Family. But Nur, unaware of the sanctuary’s principles, continued to build on its misunderstanding.

[Are you trying to abandon me now?]

“What are you saying…! Why would I abandon you?”

[Then what is it? I thought you wanted to stay with me too.]

“Of course I want to stay with you. …But healthy magical creatures should rightfully be returned to nature. That’s the sanctuary’s principle.”

[Why should I follow principles made by humans?]

My lips, which had parted to say something, closed after exhaling a meaningless breath. Convincing Nur, who had unpleasant memories of the forest, was no easy task. For successful adaptation to nature, I should detach emotionally starting now. But… I still remember the weight of that life I lifted with my own hands.

“That’s…”

While staring blankly at my empty hands, a laugh interrupted my train of thought.

[You’re surprised because I hit a nerve.]

When I jerked my head up, I met aquamarine eyes. Oceanos was sitting on the rock that Nur usually guarded. Why now of all times…. The more I frowned, the deeper Oceanos’s smile grew.

[Don’t try to shoulder too much. Humans should know when to let go.]

“Don’t judge what I do because I want to.”

[If that were possible for you now, I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place. The gap between the ideal you dream of and the reality of your ability… you know it too, don’t you?]

His words were all the more frustrating because I couldn’t readily deny them. As I clenched my fist and averted my gaze, Nur suddenly pressed my thigh firmly with its front paw and asked:

[Who are you talking to right now?]

A chill ran down my spine the moment I saw those mesmerizing eyes. If even Nur with its ma-an couldn’t see Oceanos… then what exactly was this magical creature sitting plainly on the rock?

My immediate priority was to handle the situation.

“It’s nothing. More importantly, don’t misunderstand. I’m absolutely not trying to abandon you. I want to take you to the environment where you can grow best. Not Bivrint Forest, but… right. I went to Kune Forest before…”

[Do you know what I need when you say that?]

“Abundant food and a safe shelter, right? In Kune Forest, there’s Hyperion, and I’ll introduce you to many good friends. So…”

[Ha.]

A short scoffing sound cut off my words.

[Forget it. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.]

“Nur.”

[Go away. If you’re worried about my meals, I’ll eat berries or whatever…]

Nur bared its teeth again and growled lowly.

[Get out of my territory now.]

I couldn’t figure out where I had gone wrong, but our relationship, like a knitting project, had become a mess. Unable to untangle the haphazardly knotted threads, I was driven out of the greenhouse. Standing forlornly in front of the door, looking at the glass greenhouse, Oceanos standing beside me grated on my nerves.

[You’re being too harsh on a child.]

“Please, would you stop talking?”

[Hehe… Now you’re showing your true nature.]

Finally unable to contain my surging emotions, I lashed out at Oceanos.

“Why do you keep appearing? Our deal ended back then.”

[I’m not sticking around because I want to stay. You simply haven’t ‘digested’ me.]

“What do you mean?”

[Exactly what I said. ‘Oceanos’ gave you a part of himself, and I am merely his memory, a medium connecting you and him.]

The entity with Oceanos’s form spoke about Oceanos himself like a stranger.

[So when Oceanos severed the connection with your body, I too should have disappeared. No matter how flawed the ritual, I should have been suppressed by your essence and died. Yet here I am, still plainly alive. …Truly strange.]

Strange indeed, as he said, but I had no time to worry about Oceanos right now. Trying to escape reality, I tightly closed my eyes and shook my head vigorously.

“Whether you’re a hallucination I created or a remnant of Oceanos doesn’t matter to me. Just please stop interrupting my thoughts with empty words.”

[Empty words? Do you still think I’m speaking nonsense?]

Oceanos let out a hollow laugh.

[I’m merely conveying the desires I’ve directly seen within you.]

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, just leave. I want to focus only on Nur’s situation.”

I walked away, leaving behind the unreasonable Oceanos. But I didn’t get far before his quiet voice caught my ankle.

[Do you want to be the protagonist? Or are you trying to replace the novel’s protagonist who disappeared?]

I turned back belatedly at his words that exposed a secret no one else knew.

“…What did you… just say…”

But there was no one there.