Triton stared at Livia without moving. Even the corner of his mouth, which bore a quiet smile, remained perfectly still.

Setting down the woman he had been holding, he brushed back Livia’s disheveled red hair and whispered a question.

“Where did you hear such nonsense? Was it Echidna?”

“…If it’s nonsense, then you’re saying she lied?”

“You should just listen to and believe my words, so why do you keep getting swayed by the words of such an evil being, Livia? Hmm?”

“If… if her words aren’t true, Triton.”

Livia strongly gripped Triton’s collar. Her desperate fingertips had turned white.

“Swear on the Styx.”

“……”

“That as you say, the evil Echidna’s words aren’t true. That your tail… won’t be cut off for my sake…. Swear that on the Styx, Triton.”

Livia read Triton’s eyes as he quietly looked down at her. Storm clouds gathered in his eyes that had once resembled a calm sea.

Though he pretended to be calm, Livia’s heart grew urgent when she saw the waves in his eyes becoming rougher.

“You can do that, right? Please.”

Please, say you can do that.

Please, tell me her words were lies, that it was just a trick to confuse me, say that.

Triton’s cold hand gently stroked her back. He ran his fingers through her reddened hair, caressed her nape, and stroked her cheek.

He kissed beside her eyes that desperately waited for his answer, traced her soft earlobe with his tongue tip, licked her cheek, and then pushed his tongue between Livia’s panting lips.

After carefully sucking her small, stiff tongue, he hugged Livia tightly and whispered.

“You have nothing to worry about, Livia.”

At Triton’s words, Livia’s heart sank.

This wasn’t the answer she had demanded from him. Triton hadn’t answered her question. This was clearly an evasion.

Livia wasn’t foolish enough not to know what that meant.

Livia looked up at him, feeling her world crumble.

“No, Triton.”

Though her contorted face and pale complexion openly revealed her miserable feelings, he just silently kept stroking her cheek, behaving as though everything was fine.

“It’s alright, Livia.”

His love was more enormous than she had thought. Livia felt she would suffocate under his one-sided affection that overflowed like a flood.

“No. You can’t do this, Triton. Please….”

The terrifyingly overwhelming love felt frightening.

To think love could be scary. Because this emotion too was a first, she had no idea what to do. A thick panic she had never experienced before crashed over her.

“Shh. Calm down. It’s not as big a deal as you think.”

“Triton!”

How could cutting off half of his body not be a big deal?

Moreover, it was proof and evidence that he belonged to this sea. It was clear proof of his sea bloodline that he had possessed since birth and that no one had been able to take from him!

“Don’t. Don’t do this, Triton. Okay? Please!”

“But Livia, I can’t let you die.”

In the end, it was true that he had made such a choice because of her.

Because he couldn’t let her die, to keep her alive. Because of her, he planned to cut off his tail.

It felt like all the blood drained from her body.

She couldn’t accept that her love that she had only just discovered, her great god, would cut off his living flesh because of her.

A sharp headache struck, seemingly splitting her head in two. With trembling hands holding onto him, she spoke desperately in a pleading voice.

“Triton, I was lonely. I was abandoned so many times before meeting my current family. But not anymore. Your love has made me happy. Because of you, thanks to you, even if I were to die right now, I would have no regr—”

“Shut your mouth, Livia.”

In that moment, a terrifying voice flowed from Triton’s mouth. His fierce gaze poured down on her, suggesting he absolutely could not accept those words from her right now.

His touch, which had been careful, seemingly caressing something infinitely fragile, became forceful. He strongly gripped both her cheeks to make her look straight at him, then murmured.

“There is nothing happy enough to be worth dying right now.”

“…Triton.”

“If you speak such foolish words again, I will bind that wretched tongue. Understand?”

His eyes glowing blue appeared terribly cold and sharp. They suggested he would cut off her voice right then.

“Answer me, Livia.”

Though his strongly commanding voice threatened her, Livia was also desperate, so his threats didn’t work. Rather, she became suddenly angry and shot back at his words.

“You promised never to touch my voice again.”

“……”

“Don’t threaten me with things like that. Don’t try to intimidate me with things I can’t do because you’re a god and I’m human. That will only make me angry!”

Livia pushed hard against Triton’s chest that was embracing her and stepped back. With tears filling both her eyes, she glared strongly at Triton before turning sharply and running away.

Even so, wherever she went would only be somewhere within this golden castle where his gaze could reach….

***

Aaaaargh!!!

A scream that seemed to tear apart echoed thunderously in Atlantis’s underground prison. It was Echidna’s scream, trapped in the pain of her body being torn apart and regenerating over and over.

She had a body mixed with ancient creatures that could regenerate even when dismembered. She now endured Triton’s t*rture.

Because Livia could also be in danger if she died, Triton couldn’t kill Echidna. Hecate had also said that Echidna needed to be alive to sever her connection with Livia.

So Triton kept Echidna in a state of ‘just being alive.’ Regardless of what form that took.

It was rather fortunate. Considering her evil deeds until now, a single death wouldn’t be enough to pay for all that karma of sins.

With her eyes, mouth, and ears sealed, her soul was already becoming tattered in endless pain from her body being broken and regenerated countless times.

Even she who had been raging like a madwoman seemed to have given up now, busy begging and crying, pleading to be killed quickly.

Dugong cautiously approached Triton who watched that miserable scene with emotionless eyes.

‘D*mn that cunning eel Actius!’

Dugong inwardly cursed at Actius who had pushed him to this place.

Although Actius should have been here, he had sweetly persuaded Dugong to switch duties, asking hadn’t he never been to the underground prison before.

Thanks to that, he now shared in the terrifying k*lling intent his master had been pouring toward the witch for several days.

The pain-filled screams were just a bonus. After continuously hearing the screams, he kept waking up hearing things even in his sleep. He truly verged on developing neurosis.

“Um, excuse me…. Lord Triton.”

His massive body and beard trembled, speaking carefully to Triton. Cold eyes devoid of emotion turned to look at Dugong. Though he had served by his side for several hundred years, this was the first time seeing such eyes. Startled, Dugong spoke with extremely polite and modest gestures.

“Well, I, I questioned that one, and there seem to be some regrettable aspects I should report….”

Dugong carefully added while pointing at the lake god bound on the opposite side from Echidna. Triton coldly stared at Dugong who spoke of feeling sorry for someone who had sided with Echidna. Sweating nervously, Dugong quickly added, making an excuse.

“It turns out his child was a nymph of the golden castle. But Echidna deceived him by saying Lady Livia had killed that nymph and used him. So, I had my subordinates investigate what had happened. It turns out that nymph had fallen victim to Echidna’s sorcery. He didn’t even know Echidna had killed his child, and was used while being deceived by that woman….”

“And so.”

“…So, I think we could show him some leniency.”

“His daughter fed broken pottery pieces to Livia.”

“…Pardon?”

“Even without Echidna, she was a nymph destined to die by my hand.”

“I-I didn’t know that….”

Dugong’s long beard trembled as he sweated profusely. After staring at Echidna for a long while, Triton asked Dugong.

“What happened to the dead nymph?”

“…Echidna turned her into a firefly and sent her above the sea.”

“A firefly?”

“Yes. Originally that nymph wanted to become a moon halo…. Saying she would grant that wish….”

At Dugong’s words, Triton looked at the lake god hanging on the wall like a corpse, drained of power.

Though called a lesser god, that one was a spirit of the deep sea lake. Even Triton had rarely heard stories of ‘those ones’ creating families and giving affection.

Beings with barely any sense of self, existing simply because they were born….

Yet it had created a child and even given it love.

Family…. What exactly was it? No, what was that emotion that made one cherish something so specially?

Triton thought of Livia. No, in truth he had been thinking of her all along.

“No. You can’t do this, Triton. Please….”

Triton tilted his head with an expressionless face.

Because he couldn’t let Livia die, he had thought to give his heart.

Though it would take time if his heart was damaged, it could regenerate. He would fall into a deep sleep, but that was better than losing Livia.

His only worry was Livia being alone while he slept. He felt anxious there might be those who would target her during that time. Like that beast cub from the underworld….

Then Hecate said she had found a way to save Livia without him falling asleep. She said he just needed to give his tail.

Yes, his tail.

It was no more or less important compared to his heart. But compared to losing Livia, there was nothing he couldn’t give.

Though they said his control over the sea would weaken, it wouldn’t completely disappear.

So he decided to give his tail. There was no hesitation or reluctance.

Because it was for Livia.

Because he loved Livia.

Love.

Something he had never had or learned settled naturally in Triton’s heart.

It was a feeling where nothing felt too precious to give.

If someone had caused his Livia to die, yes, he too would probably have his eyes roll back like this one.

Would he just have his eyes roll back? Whatever took his Livia from him, he would destroy and shatter without leaving a single grain. Even if it meant turning this world into his enemy, he would do so.

“……”

Watching Regis hanging lifelessly without movement, Triton impulsively undid the chains binding his hands and feet.

Regis’s body sprawled on the floor like spilled water.

“Dugong.”

“Yes!”

“Tell that one where the nymph flew to.”

“…Pardon?”

Though Dugong stared at Triton with wide small eyes, seemingly wondering what that suddenly meant, his master’s face appeared so serene that his dull eyes couldn’t read anything from it.

However….

“If there was real ‘love’ in that one’s heart…. He would want to visit even where she died.”

He only carefully noticed that the ice-cold eyes watching the witch had changed to be slightly, very slightly, softer.