Dugong, startled by Actius’s outburst, flailed his hands and shook his head.

“Calm down, it’s nothing like that.”

Actius glared at the spear he was holding. It was unmistakably a symbol of the goddess Athena. There was only one person who could have launched this spear at him.

“…Oh my, is this your fiancée’s spear, Actius? Where on earth was it launched from? With this kind of force… is she nearby?”

That couldn’t be. If she had been nearby, she wouldn’t have just shot a spear. She would have surely come running to capture him. Since that wasn’t the case, she must have heard about today’s wave meeting from afar.

Actius lifted the spear with a stern expression and examined it. Upon closer inspection, bold black letters, like they were branded by fire, sparkled on the shaft.

On the night of the next full moon, I will bear your child.

…Sion, you damned woman.

Actius ran a cold hand over his pale face. Whatever was going through her mind, this girl was growing more audacious by the day.

“Hahaha! Isn’t this a declaration of war? Indeed, Sion! The most favored warrior of the goddess Athena!”

The spear plunged into the back of Dugong’s head as he laughed, oblivious to Actius’s turmoil.

Ignoring the massive Dugong’s body sinking into the sea with a groan, Actius quickly disappeared beneath the waves.

His worries about the human woman with red hair were completely forgotten due to his fiancée’s aggressive declaration of war.

***

After waking up from the first trial, Livia’s daily routine began and ended with chasing Triton. In fact, that was all she could do in this underwater world.

Before facing the next trial, she had to diligently pursue him. She had been allowed to stay by relying on the meager mercy and curiosity of the sea god, so she had to keep piquing his interest by any means necessary. Whether or not her ambush succeeded didn’t matter.

Once again, she searched for him all day, but for some reason, she hadn’t caught a single glimpse of his shimmering blue hair.

Where could he be?

She wanted to grab someone and ask, but everyone avoided her as if making eye contact with Livia would bring disaster. Moreover, since she couldn’t speak, it was even more frustrating.

With no other options, Livia crouched on the spire from where she could clearly see his dwelling. Resting her chin on her knees, she stared at his bedroom, recalling the events of the other day.

On that day, she had sneaked into his bedroom, determined to wait for him all day. Clinging stubbornly to the coral bedpost, she waited until he leaned defenselessly against the bed. Then she jumped at him, trying to slash his neck with the golden dagger. But the result was a dismal failure.

By mere seconds, he had effortlessly overpowered her.

“That was quite a decent attempt.”

Her body was flipped roughly, and her hair was seized by him.

“Have you been waiting for me here all day?”

His soft voice reached her ear as her neck was wrenched backward, making her gasp. His low laughter seemed to mock her.

The more she struggled to escape, the stronger the force pinning her down became. By the end, she felt as if her insides would burst again. Unconsciously, she panted and shivered. Remembering how she had died from the intense pressure, the pulse in her neck throbbed erratically.

At that moment, something happened that made Livia’s heart nearly stop. Triton sank his teeth into the nape of her neck.

Livia, who was panting, gasped and stifled a cry. The tension made her breath come even faster.

The fortunate thing was that, despite seeming like he would tear her neck apart, it wasn’t as painful as she feared. The unfortunate thing was that, because it wasn’t painful, she could feel the cool touch of his lips on her neck all too vividly.

“…Humans are indeed so weak.”

As if hesitating whether to bite or not, Triton slowly rose after gnawing on her neck.

Livia scrambled away from him, but her teeth ground with frustration. What was the point of bathing in the Styx if she couldn’t even defend herself, let alone attack! The spot on her neck where his teeth had marked her burned hotly.

She gritted her teeth, promising to try again, but the laughter sticking to the back of her head was humiliating.

Livia rested her forehead on her bent knees and sighed deeply. She wanted to become stronger, but time was short, and she didn’t know how. To make matters worse, she had to endure the trials he would impose, making time even more pressing.

As she chewed her lip in frustration, something rapidly approached her.

Having faced threats to her life several times, she instinctively sensed danger. Livia snapped her head up. Within her swiftly turning field of vision, she saw a black creature charging at her fiercely.

Startled, Livia’s eyes widened.

A black shark, Sympho.

Its gaping maw seemed poised to swallow Livia whole. Just as it was about to close in, the black shark suddenly stopped.

“…….”

The sea predator halted right in front of Livia, locking eyes with her. Seemingly puzzled by her standing still and staring back without flinching, it circled around her once before stopping again, directly facing her.

I had thought sharks couldn’t stay still, but apparently, this one defied that common belief.

The shark and Livia stared at each other as if they were observing something strange. Each time the shark opened its mouth, its sharp teeth glinted menacingly. Just one bite from those teeth could easily split a small human woman like Livia in half.

However, if she didn’t have the courage to face a single shark like this, she wouldn’t have dared to confront the god of the sea. Livia focused her gaze and gave a clear command with her voiceless lips.

‘Go.’

You’re not scary at all.

There was no reason to fear a beast that obeyed its master’s orders. After all, that master had decided to let her live for now, so she had the implicit understanding that these creatures wouldn’t harm her.

Grrrk—

Instead of roaring, the shark spewed out a rough stream of bubbles. Then it brushed past her, nudging her body provocatively.

Of course, Livia didn’t hold back. She quickly extended her hands and pushed the shark hard, but the creature, weighing hundreds of kilos, didn’t budge, as if mocking her efforts. Instead, it pressed even closer, teasing her.

Her green eyes filled with determination. She changed tactics, struggling not to be pushed back by the shark. She reached her hand into the shark’s open mouth.

She felt the shark flinch, startled by her reflexive action. It seemed to sense that her skin was different from that of other humans.

Her body had been submerged in the River Styx. Unless a god stronger than the Styx tore her apart with force, no ordinary attack could penetrate Livia’s body. The same applied to the fingers she had placed inside the shark’s mouth.

“Hup…!”

She gripped the jagged teeth tightly, exerting all her strength. Her face turned red, and her heart pounded as if it would burst, but she didn’t stop applying pressure. Her jaw trembled from clenching her teeth so hard.

Annoying toothy fish.

She was determined to pull it out. If she couldn’t do that, she planned to break it somehow. At that moment, as she applied pressure, the triangular tooth shifted.

“……!”

The shark seemed to feel it too, as it shook its body and suddenly surged upward with incredible speed.

Livia braced herself against the rushing current, using her other hand to grip another tooth to hold on. Her body swayed as if it might come loose at any moment, but she couldn’t give up now.

Even if it meant being eaten alive by this shark.

Crack.

Bit by bit, the tooth that had been loosening finally detached completely from the tissue. As she felt the rough, sharp tooth in her palm, a shiver ran through her entire body.

It was ecstasy. An overwhelming ecstasy that coursed through her whole being.

Livia laughed like a madwoman, clutching the shark’s tooth. She had only pulled out one tooth, but she felt as if she had defeated the shark, no, Triton himself.

In contrast, the shark, frustrated by the loss of its tooth, became even more aggressive in its biting. Just as it opened its jaws wide to finally swallow Livia, a white shark suddenly charged in and rammed into the black shark’s body.

Grrk!

The black shark stirred up angry bubbles, irritating the white shark’s nasty temper. However, the white shark remained unfazed. Called Neo, the white shark swiftly descended with Livia in its mouth.

To say it had bitten her would be inaccurate; it was more like it was simply holding her in its mouth. Its movements were so gentle, it was hard to believe it was a predator of the sea.

What, what is this, why are you doing this?

Livia was just as bewildered by the white shark’s sudden actions. Before she even realized what was happening, she was back at the spot from earlier.

At the top of the spire overlooking Triton’s dwelling.

As the black shark, having chased the white shark with fierce waves, attempted to ram into them, the white shark bared its teeth.

Grrrk!

The white shark, stopping the black shark in its tracks, pointed its snout somewhere. The black shark looked in the direction indicated by the white shark. Livia followed its gaze.

Triton.

The man, who had returned without her noticing, stood by the window, watching her.