Chapter 61
“That’s not what I meant!”
Katrina shouted in shock.
“I don’t want to die here! Do something!”
Clatter, clatter!
The ship shook wildly.
What had been gentle rocking suddenly turned violent, the boat tilting side to side as if it would flip over any moment.
Katrina, feeling herself about to fall, desperately clung to Sylas’s arm.
“Sylas, please…!”
With nothing else to hold onto, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Sylas abruptly held his breath.
“…Just hold on tight so you don’t fall. I’ll figure something out.”
Then Sylas lifted Katrina into his arms.
“Wrap your arms around my neck.”
Katrina obediently followed his instructions. She didn’t want to die here.
Even as the ship pitched violently, Sylas kept his balance and moved steadily.
He stopped in front of a box he had brought and began rummaging through it.
Rustle, rustle.
It sounded like a lot of things were stuffed in there.
…Were those all relics?
This man was insane.
He might be even more outrageous than the Carlo family.
Katrina thought she now understood how Sylas had managed to abduct her.
With that many relics, surely one could make someone sleep.
“…Are you smuggling relics or something?”
There was no way anyone could collect that many legally.
“Is that your type?”
“What?”
“I heard you were planning to marry a relic smuggler, so I thought maybe that was your thing.”
What?
“Then maybe I should try smuggling too.”
What was he even saying?
“…I’m not talking to you anymore.”
Katrina gave up trying to reason with Sylas.
More importantly—where had he gotten all of that?
What if he got caught?
“There we go.”
When Sylas activated one of the relics, the tornado calmed immediately.
It was an incredibly powerful item.
If he gets caught, he’s dead meat, Katrina thought.
If the imperial family or the temple found out he had hidden this from them, Sylas wouldn’t be let off easily.
And he used it right in front of me?
Unintentionally, Katrina had gained another piece of leverage over him.
If she ever wanted to bring him down, she could expose his illegal acquisition of relics.
Not that I’d go that far, she thought.
She already had dozens of things she could use against him. This was just one more to add to the list.
***
The sea trials didn’t end there.
“Ahahaha! Nice ship! We’re taking it!”
In the blink of an eye, pirates boarded Sylas’s ship.
Katrina was ready to lose her mind.
It happened while they were in the middle of a meal.
The tomato she’d been holding in surprise slipped from her hand and rolled across the floor.
Sylas glanced at the pirates, then casually picked up the fallen tomato and ate it.
Why is he eating that?
Then, saying it had been a while since he’d stretched, he went out and knocked all the pirates out in one blow.
He plundered the pirates.
The Rockfenheim family was supposed to be known for their chivalry—how did someone like him come from there?
At this point, it was hard to tell who the real pirate was.
“Sylas, you’re supposed to report anything taken from pirates to the imperial court…”
Yeah, right. He didn’t even report his relics.
Katrina decided to just leave him alone.
Survival was her top priority right now.
***
The entire voyage had been a nightmare.
Eventually, Katrina came down with a cold.
Cough.
She lay helplessly on the bed, her body drained of all strength.
Someone save me.
“…Hey. Katrina, open your eyes.”
“Uuugh…”
She could only moan, too weak to respond.
“…Ugh.”
“Damn it.”
Sylas quickly brought a towel and bowl of water.
He approached her bedside, looking visibly flustered for the first time.
With care, he began wiping the cold sweat from her body.
“…That towel is cold.”
“…Sorry.”
He looked genuinely apologetic.
That expression was strange to Katrina—it didn’t suit him at all.
Fortunately, the cold passed quickly.
***
When she opened her eyes, they were finally nearing the island.
The exhausting life at sea was briefly over.
But the island itself radiated an eerie aura, even from afar.
Floating on the dark sea, it felt abandoned by time—still and ominous.
Its coastline was jagged rock, waves crashing with a screech like metal scraping.
And the sea fog that clung low around it only added to the unease.
This must be the island Sylas mentioned.
Katrina didn’t want to be here even for a second.
“…Why exactly did we come here?”
The island’s sinister atmosphere made her want to turn the ship around.
But part of her was curious—what was his reason for coming here?
Ever since she’d returned to this world, Sylas had become impossible to read.
Understanding him had become the greatest mystery.
Maybe by watching what he did here, she could learn something.
Like how he knew I had been possessed.
That was what Katrina wanted to know most.
She knew he wouldn’t just tell her, so she’d been waiting for the right moment.
When they finally reached the shore, Katrina followed Sylas off the ship.
That’s when it happened.
“Who goes there?”
A group of people approached them.
A middle-aged man led them, followed by what appeared to be guards.
“I am Angelé, the master of this island.”
The master of the island?
Katrina belatedly scanned their appearance.
They wore garments popular among the imperial nobility.
Because of that, Katrina hadn’t assumed they were islanders, even though they came from inland.
“It’s rare to have outsiders here—aside from ‘them,’ of course.”
Them?
“I heard there’s a festival soon.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re here. It’s rare, but some people do come to enjoy the ‘party.’”
Angelé welcomed them warmly.
“Our island has a certain reputation, but it’s not all rumors. Please relax and enjoy your stay.”
“I see.”
“No need to worry. Just enjoy yourselves. Now, show our guests inside!”
At his command, the guards began escorting Katrina and Sylas deeper into the island.
As they entered, Katrina saw a crowd gathered.
What is this?
They were dressed strangely too.
Most of them wore capital city fashions—very expensive-looking ones at that.
Then one man spotted Sylas and asked with a grin,
“What’s your charge?”
What kind of question is that?
“Murder,” Sylas replied casually.
“And hers?”
The man looked at Katrina.
As she didn’t respond, dozens of eyes turned to her.
W-what is this place…?
