Chapter: 27
The reception room fell silent at the concise report.
Gaston and Philip, who had followed the knight inside, stood beside their respective lords as if trying to grasp what had happened.
It was Alexis who broke the quiet.
“Megal… what?”
“Megalodon. A monster that resembles a shark living in the sea.”
Philip whispered the answer into his ear, and Alexis couldn’t help but let out a few incredulous, half-laughs.
“A shark? That puny monster? Can’t we just go out and catch it? Do you know what I just heard from that Claude guy…!”
Alexis was fuming, while Philip made a helpless face and tried to calm him down.
The intruding knight briefly glanced at Alexis, then continued reporting to Claude.
“That’s not the only problem. It seems the Megalodon has evolved and flown through the air to invade.”
“F…flies?”
Gaston, who had been listening from the side, jumped in surprise.
“It seems it’s an evolved form…”
However, from the moment Claude heard the name “Megalodon,” the surrounding voices seemed to fade as if he were underwater.
Why now?
That incident wouldn’t happen for another two years. It was supposed to be avoided from Alexis at this very place…
“Jeanne.”
Jeanne didn’t know the weaknesses of an evolved Megalodon.
His heart sank. Overcome with worry for her, Claude’s mind went blank, and before he knew it, he was running frantically down the corridor.
Two days had passed since Jeanne arrived in Cassis. Under Laurent’s command, the 1st Division knights patrolled their designated areas.
The town was lively, and the reputation of Marquis Laches, the lord of the territory, was favorable. Fishermen even testified that the Megalodon, which had been attacking fishing boats, had been quiet for some time.
At night, while everyone slept, Jeanne secretly went to the sacred stone to infuse it with holy power.
There was nothing particularly difficult about it, but…
“Your grilled sea bass is ready. Enjoy your meal.”
Yet one thing remained: the question of why she was doing it had not yet been resolved.
“Wow!”
Iris cheered at the dish steaming on the pan. Seeing her so happy was pleasant, but the absurdity of the situation couldn’t be ignored.
Originally, after morning duties, everyone would gather in the dorm to eat lunch together, so eating separately at first felt awkward…
[Division Commander, I’m sorry, but may I have an hour of individual activity?]
[Huh?]
[Actually, Your Highness entrusted me with a task.]
[…Le Bois, by any chance?]
[How did you know?]
[Oh? Really? Go quickly then!]
[Why do you look like that?]
[Huh? It’s nothing! Enjoy your meal!]
Laurent’s sly expression was troubling, but he was more concerned with urging her to go quickly than anything else.
With no choice, Jeanne went to the restaurant Le Bois with Iris.
“It’s my first time eating freshly caught fish!”
“Oh. Doesn’t the Hisar Kingdom distribute fresh fish at all?”
“They do, but it’s all salted or dried. Also, it’s expensive, so commoners can’t afford it.”
Hearing this, Jeanne understood why Iris was so delighted.
“Then eat as much as you want while you’re here.”
“Yes!”
Iris gleefully cut a piece of the fish and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes widened at the first bite, and she quickly urged Jeanne to eat too.
I guess I can just write in the report that it’s fresh, cooked perfectly, and the staff were kind.
Jeanne placed paper and a pen beside her, then picked up a thick, white piece of fish with her fork. As she chewed, the firm flesh released a rich, buttery flavor. Her eyes lit up.
“Delicious, isn’t it?”
“Right?”
She seriously considered writing in her report, “so delicious it makes one angry.”
“Seems someone’s won the lottery this year.”
A voice, amused, came from the side.
Turning her head, she saw a slender, middle-aged nobleman watching her with interest.
“Marquis Laches?”
Jeanne and Iris quickly stood and bowed. The marquis gestured for them to relax.
“Marquis, what brings you here…?”
“This is my regular restaurant. I come here whenever I feel like it.”
“I see.”
Until that day, Jeanne had only greeted the marquis behind Laurent, never speaking directly. That’s why her words were formal and stiff.
But one sentence he said first caught her attention.
“May I ask what you mean by ‘someone won the lottery’?”
“It’s a tradition of the Loren Knights.”
“A tradition?”
“Long ago, the 3rd Grand Duke of Loren wanted to recruit a mercenary he liked as a knight, but the mercenary refused several times.”
His gaze fell on the half-eaten fish.
“Eventually, the Grand Duke brought the mercenary to this restaurant to eat sea bass together. The mercenary proposed that if he could eat this food for free until his death, he would become a Loren Knight.”
“You mean this tradition started from that?”
“Yes. Since then, the Grand Dukes have sent knights they didn’t want to lose to this restaurant so they could taste this dish.”
“….”
“As far as I recall, the deputy and division commanders have both visited here once.”
Finally, Jeanne understood Laurent’s meaningful expression.
Still, to be swayed by a mere dish…
She shook her head and looked out at the vast sea in front of the restaurant. Calm waters, smiling faces, and delicious food.
If he saw the same scene and a high-ranking noble personally acknowledged her, it wouldn’t seem so absurd.
Anyway, hearing that Claude acknowledged her in some way wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
“What’s that?”
Her good mood shattered as she heard murmurs from the coast.
A black speck against the blue sky and sea looked out of place. What she had thought was a single dot spread across the sky like mold.
“A bird?”
“Isn’t it an insect?”
“Coming this way?”
From the murmurs, a familiar word could be inferred.
As people gawked, the black horde silently approached. Too large to be insects, and its wings barely moved, unlike a bird. As it drew closer, its shape became clearer despite the backlighting.
People began to realize one by one:
A pointed snout like a spear, black eyes with crescent-shaped yellow pupils, massive fins like horns on its back, a head larger than a human’s with sharp teeth, and a body several times larger than a person. Its scales shimmered.
Jeanne knew. Because of this flock of flying monsters, Cassis had been destroyed in erased time.
“M-Megalodon!”
The first person to recognize the creature shouted.
“It’s coming this way!”
“Run!”
“Aaaahhh!”
Screams of terror echoed across the harbor.
Instinct alone controlled the people—they ran inland in a panic.
Why now?
Sadly, no one could answer Jeanne’s question.
The Megalodon swarm was intent on devouring all the people of Cassis, and at this point, Jeanne was the only one who knew the evolved Megalodon’s weakness.
She grabbed the sword by the table.
This was no time to question why the Megalodon appeared or what the plan was. The priority was to evacuate Laches and buy time to prevent the monsters from reaching land.
“Marquis.”
But there was no response. He seemed dazed by the Megalodon’s invasion.
“Marquis Laches.”
“….”
“Marquis!”
Jeanne shouted and shook his shoulders. Finally, he flinched and looked at her.
“Get a grip! Now is not the time to be dazed!”
“Y-Yes…”
The marquis shook his head sheepishly, then surveyed the approaching Megalodon with clear eyes.
“What are those things…?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, escape. And Iris—”
“Yes!”
“You take the marquis with you.”
“And you?”
“I’ll handle it. Also, relay what I say to the division commander.”
Jeanne spoke as if ready to deliver instructions.
“I reinforced the sacred barrier in the Houston area, so it’s okay for now. But Clahe Cape and Plage Coast haven’t been strengthened. The Megalodon will gather in areas where holy power is weak.”
She gave concise orders to avoid confusion.
“I’ll handle Clahe Cape, so tell the division commander to go to Plage Coast. Also, evolved Megalodon is covered in tough scales, so simple attacks won’t work. Use aura or target the only weak spot—the gills. Lastly, they can attack from range using their scales, so make sure to bring shields.”
“…You just reinforced the sacred barrier…?”
Iris couldn’t believe what she heard.
“…A child of the goddess?”
