Not far from the island, a couple of medium-sized sailing ships came to a stop. Soon, men appeared on deck carrying buckets on their shoulders.

Actius, who had been quietly observing the ships, grimaced with anger.

“Those scoundrels again….”

The buckets contained rotten animal carcasses, decaying trash that had begun to stink, and chemicals used to kill pests like bugs and rats.

The pirates laughed among themselves and then dumped everything into the sea. In an instant, the water around the ships became polluted with garbage.

The creatures beneath the sea let out groans of agony from the sudden disaster. A curse slipped through Actius’s clenched teeth.

The pirates, who were polluting the sea, brought out large drums and started beating them loudly to create a commotion, intending to catch the attention of the island’s inhabitants.

They had been hired by a noble from the mainland to drive the islanders away.

This small island had been settled by warriors who had lost their families in the last war and had become wanderers. Despite its barren appearance, it was rich in rare medicinal herbs. Although crop cultivation was difficult, there was an abundance of fruit, and selling the herbs provided enough profit for a living.

Somehow, the mainland lord heard about this and became greedy. He tried to forcibly evict the islanders by bringing in spearmen, but the islanders were not easy to deal with.

Though they were wandering mercenaries, they had survived many life-and-death situations in the war. The ragtag soldiers of the local lord were no match for them.

However, using fire arrows recklessly could destroy the island’s resources, so they changed their approach. Like smoking out a rabbit from its burrow, they aimed to make the islanders abandon the island themselves.

They waited for the islanders to sail out and then sank their boats. Next, they dumped foul-smelling garbage around the isolated island, killing all the fish and shellfish.

It was a truly malicious method, but it proved immediately effective.

An islander guarding the watchtower spotted the pirate ships and urgently blew a conch shell.

Armed villagers rushed out, but they were powerless against the pirates who were aiming catapults from far out at sea.

“You bastards!”

“They’re polluting the sea again! At this rate, the clams and fish will all die!”

“Those scum deserve to be torn apart!”

The enraged islanders brought out fire arrows, but no matter how tightly they drew their bows, they couldn’t reach the ships.

Instead, the catapults on the ships launched large stones onto the beach where the islanders had gathered, causing damage.

It was a one-sided harassment, almost like a massacre. The cries and shouts of the furious islanders echoed throughout the small island.

This had been going on for days. Not only the fish but also the sea spirits were suffering.

Of course, Triton’s presence here wasn’t solely because of that.

Rolling a plump raspberry a few times in his large hand, Triton pursed his lips toward the sea.

The god’s breath carried sound on the wind to a distant place.

Before long, a giant red octopus swimming beneath the sea broke through the surface.

“……!”

The terrified screams of humans spread widely over the sea. The large sailing ship carrying dozens of people was shattered and sunk by just a few tentacles of the octopus.

Triton’s cherished giant kraken, Oroos, seemed to be in high spirits, enthusiastically destroying the pirate ships.

Triton, who frowned at the unpleasant screams and shouts of the humans, suddenly thought of that human woman.

A woman who hadn’t cried out loudly even amidst harsh trials. A pitiful and humble human who bit her lip and held back sobs with clenched teeth….

Recalling her fierce green eyes, filled with defiance as she fearlessly glared at a god, a chuckle escaped him.

“Just 100 days.”

“Within that time, I will surely destroy you.”

Her audacious words had been as red as her hair.

After surviving death, her boldness had made him bind her tongue, and her wide, innocent eyes seemed surprisingly naive.

Destroy me?

Even thinking about it again made him laugh. He had lived a long time, but he had never encountered a human like her.

“I assure you, it’ll be quite an exciting and thrilling time for you…!”

The woman’s confidence seemed quite believable. She was arrogant, yet intriguing.

How exactly would you make things exciting and thrilling for me? A hint of anticipation curved his lips into a slight smile.

Moreover, it would be convenient to uncover Echidna’s insidious schemes, so keeping her around didn’t seem like a bad choice after all.

However,

“…I wonder if she’ll even pass the first trial.”

At his self-mocking words, Actius looked at him, seemingly questioning what he meant.

Triton waved his hand dismissively, wearing a relaxed smile, as if to indicate it was nothing. Explaining the trials in detail would only invite unnecessary interest and meddling under the presumptuous guise of concern.

Concern? Worrying about a god? What a foolish notion!

Even if she claimed to have the power to change fate, could that truly be her destiny? It would merely shake the fragile and wretched fate of that feeble human to its core.

Triton’s destiny carried a different weight compared to that of other gods. This was due to the existence of his counterparts, the ‘Tritones,’ who were both his avatars and brothers.

While ‘Triton’ succeeded his father and ruled the sea, countless nameless ‘Tritones’ guarded the parts of the ocean beyond his sight.

Even if something were to happen to Triton, his avatars would protect the sea without any gaps.

His avatars existed solely for the purpose of destiny. This was what they referred to as an army of a thousand horses.

As he laughed confidently, he suddenly turned his head slightly. He sensed a presence behind him. Actius seemed to notice it too and whispered discreetly to Triton.

“There’s someone here. Should I check?”

“…No, leave it. Besides, Selene’s messenger has arrived.”

Triton stopped Actius from turning around and reached out into the air. A pure white butterfly flew from somewhere and gently landed on his fingertip.

Soon, the butterfly dissolved into white smoke that lingered in the air, and the smoke quickly formed letters that hovered before him.

The goddess of fate said the sea would soon stir.

Please, beware of the red, my Triton.

The red, the red….

If he thought about the red that circled around him, it could only refer to that one thing.

A woman who dared to threaten Triton, something no one else had ever done, despite being merely human….

He grasped the white smoke floating before his eyes and laughed.

You, of all beings, are what I need to ‘beware’ of? It was unthinkable. Had the goddesses of fate lost their minds? Or could it be that you were capable of doing something so significant that fate itself would send a warning?

Triton found it absurd, yet he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation.

An infinite lifespan was enough to make a god arrogant. In his ocean-blue eyes lay an old ennui, clinging like dried residue. The sudden intrusion of this red into his otherwise endless life was almost delightful.

Hoping that the human woman would meet his expectations, Triton popped the last raspberry into his mouth.

The tart fruit melted fragrantly on his tongue.

***

Time passed gently, and several days slipped by in an instant.

One day, two days, three days, four days….

As Triton tried to gauge the passing days, he grew bored of waiting.

She seemed quite confident, but in the end, did she fail to overcome even the first trial?

It was disappointing. Had he placed too much expectation on a weak human? It was almost disheartening. He felt so let down that he wanted to revive that human woman just to mete out divine punishment.

Forget it. It was a futile endeavor.

As he contemplated whether to withdraw the trial and retrieve her body to sever the arm tainted by Chrysaor’s dagger….

The flow of seawater around him shifted. The corals and small fish decorating the surroundings moved uneasily. Triton’s stiff neck slowly lifted.

…Squish, squish.

A heavy, dragging sound echoed.