# 87
After Jin-ha had taken about five deep breaths, Riyekan and Legas finished their conversation and approached him. Riyekan was smiling.
“I have good news for our island owner.”
Riyekan was a far more suspicious man when smiling broadly than when frowning. Jin-ha, who had somewhat regained his senses, asked without hiding his wariness.
“…What is it?”
“Congratulations. Our Sea Serpent is pregnant.”
“Aren’t Sea Serpents oviparous?”
“Hmm, I didn’t expect you to point that out. Yes, to be precise, it’s brooding eggs.”
The question of why the Sea Serpent hadn’t shown itself was answered, but Jin-ha frowned, unable to understand why this was news worth celebrating. Riyekan continued his explanation with a bright expression.
“Sea Serpents don’t eat anything while brooding their eggs. It will gradually become weaker.”
“That’s… really good news.”
Hearing this, it was indeed good news. The danger level of extermination would be much lower, and if they could catch it without injuring it, they could sell the byproducts for a higher price.
“Yes. So I’m thinking of waiting a bit and catching it after the young are born.”
“I don’t have any particular reason to object…”
“And I’ll tame the young for research purposes. We’ll be renting the island from the tower, is that okay?”
“You don’t need to ask for my opinion.”
“Of course I do. This island now belongs to Jin-ha of the Noon Moon Tower.”
“Hah…”
Would it have been better to sign the marriage registration instead?
No, whatever he chose, Riyekan would have done as he pleased. Upon further reflection, the island ownership transfer document was still better than the marriage registration.
Riyekan took Jin-ha’s hand, which was writhing in the agony of accepting valuable gifts, and whispered as if telling a secret.
“I’ll pay the rent regularly from now on.”
It seemed Riyekan was deliberately provoking Jin-ha to enjoy his disgusted reactions. Jin-ha hesitated for a moment, not wanting to fall for it, but when Riyekan kissed his finger, he pulled his hand away in shock. The reaction was followed by Riyekan’s amused laughter.
***
“Now, please sign here.”
Jin-ha looked at the folder of documents Legas presented and remained silent for a moment, feeling bleak. He thought everything was finished after signing the island ownership transfer agreement yesterday, but Riyekan had not ended the joke as a joke and had gone ahead to prepare an island usage contract.
“…I thought it was a joke.”
“Even between close associates, such matters should be handled thoroughly. Remember that.”
Riyekan, who had alone consumed enough breakfast for three meals, boasted. It wasn’t something to boast about at all.
The contract stated that 150 gold coins would be paid monthly while using the island. According to the information Jin-ha had gathered so far, a commoner family of four used about 70 silver coins, and a noble family about 300 gold coins per month. 150 gold coins was an absurd amount for Jin-ha.
“Riyekan, are you crazy?”
“Of course not. Just sign it already.”
“…Do I have to sign it?”
“Why?”
“I’d like to lend it to you for free.”
Riyekan raised his eyebrows as if telling him not to try any tricks.
“I explained before why I can’t accept accommodation fees.”
“This is money for Jin-ha of the Noon Moon Tower, I told you.”
“Hah…”
There’s no getting through to him. Jin-ha sighed deeply.
The document stated that the gold coins would be paid through the Noon Moon Tower account. They could be withdrawn after identity verification at the first-floor counter. Actually, he could just ignore it. Then it would eventually revert back to the Noon Moon Tower.
But strangely, it felt uncomfortable. After thinking about it carefully, Jin-ha realized it was because he didn’t want to leave too many traces in a world he would soon leave and never return to.
It was a sort of instinct to keep an emotional distance from Riyekan.
When he glanced at Riyekan, their eyes met, and Riyekan reached out his hand toward Legas while resting his chin on his other hand.
“It seems the choice is difficult, let me help.”
Jin-ha wondered how he was going to help, but what Legas handed to Riyekan was the marriage registration form.
“You’ve already used the marriage registration trick. It won’t work anymore.”
“Let’s see if it works or not.”
Then Legas also took out the island ownership transfer agreement Jin-ha had signed yesterday and handed it over.
Wondering what Riyekan was planning, Jin-ha watched as Riyekan used magic with his fingertip to trace over Jin-ha’s signature on the island ownership transfer document, then traced it again onto the marriage registration form.
“Riyekan!”
Jin-ha jumped up and grabbed Riyekan’s hand. His name was already half-copied onto the marriage registration form.
“This is forgery!”
Riyekan smiled sweetly as if wondering what was wrong. Despite committing a crime, his face was bright and innocent.
“Forgery?”
“Forgery is a crime.”
“Who says this is forgery?”
“You just, right in front of me…”
Jin-ha couldn’t finish his sentence.
This wasn’t Earth. There were no CCTVs, no appropriate channels to submit complaints. Even if there were, this was a class society, so one would probably need to be at least a noble to have the right to file a complaint.
No, since the Noon Moon Tower didn’t belong to any country, the subject of the complaint might be Riyekan himself. Reporting Riyekan’s forgery to Riyekan himself wouldn’t yield proper results.
Moreover, Legas, the only witness present, was undoubtedly on the side of that criminal.
“Shall I continue?”
“…Signing would be enough, wouldn’t it?”
“I thought so.”
Riyekan responded annoyingly as he tossed away the marriage registration form. After confirming that the half-signed marriage registration form had scattered in the air, Jin-ha ground his teeth and signed the island usage contract.
As soon as he signed, Legas took the document and put it in the folder.
Having signed the document, he was now the owner of an island and 150 gold coins that would come in like a pension every month.
Good Lord. To think that I would accept valuable gifts…
No, it was still better than the marriage registration form. Jin-ha sank into his chair and tried to console himself. Watching the scene, Riyekan said, as if exasperated:
“You signed the island ownership transfer document so easily yesterday, why the fuss now? This island is worth much more than 150 gold coins.”
“The island just felt like writing my name somewhere. But gold coins are different, aren’t they?”
To be precise, it felt like carving his name into a tree with a dagger. But gold coins, being a currency that could be used on Earth as well, felt completely different.
It felt exactly like becoming a corrupt public official.
Good Lord. To think that I would be a corrupt public official.
Riyekan, shaking his head while watching Jin-ha rub his face dryly, changed the subject.
“More importantly, there’s one thing I’m worried about.”
“…What is it?”
Jin-ha dutifully asked back, even while suspecting the worst.
“I’m worried Hunter Lee Jin-ha might get lonely.”
“I won’t.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely not.”
Last time they were alone, but now Legas was also present.
Jin-ha quickly responded, afraid that this man, who had no sense of time and place, might say something about getting an erection or something similar. When Jin-ha glared, Riyekan laughed softly.
“Then I can leave with peace of mind.”
“…What?”
“I’m planning to clear the surrounding seas for two or three days. I was worried that Hunter Lee Jin-ha might get lonely since I won’t be able to return during that time… Did you think something else?”
Despite having been the one to suggest such thoughts first, Riyekan wore an innocent and pure expression.
How detestable.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Well, of course not. How could Hunter Lee Jin-ha, who won’t even kiss someone he’s not in a serious relationship with, have had inappropriate thoughts.”
Jin-ha ignored Riyekan, who was excited about teasing him as he pleased, and asked:
“Is it because of the Sea Serpent?”
“Yes. The Sea Serpent has dominated the seas around here for quite a long time. Given its fierce temperament, it was quite the tyrant.”
“You mean it has enemies.”
“A pod of narwhals is reportedly waiting for the right time to attack. They want to dispose of the Sea Serpent when it’s weak and take over the sea. I’m going to lure it to the open sea and deal with it there, so the fighting doesn’t endanger the island.”
“Narwhals…!”
Narwhals were powerful monster pods that also dominated the Pacific Ocean on Earth. They ate anything smaller than themselves whole, and before their existence became known, rumors spread about a Bermuda Triangle-like area in the Pacific Ocean. It made sense since ships suddenly disappeared entirely.
They were impossible to exterminate with human power. Humans dealt with this by operating ships large enough not to fit in a narwhal’s mouth or by navigating close to shore.
But to ‘clear’ such formidable monsters?
“You’re worried again.”
Riyekan’s eyes curved gently.
“It’s fine. Narwhals have thick skin, so it might take some time to catch them, but it’s no big deal.”
“…Don’t narwhals have high magic resistance?”
“Resistance is just resistance. If you pour in magic that exceeds their resistance, that’s that.”
That might be true in theory, but such words couldn’t alleviate his concern.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
