“So, the fish bite the bait on their own?”

Cahill couldn’t take his eyes off the fishing line, fascinated by it.

“I thought you had to go into the water and catch fish with your hands…”

Then, he mumbled to himself before turning to look at Holly. Her mind wandered back to their early days of traveling together when they tried to catch fish in a river.

“Could we try it too?”

Reading his eager heart, she asked. She, too, was weary from the monotonous journey. The elder scanned Cahill and Holly.

“Well, if you’re willing to pay a fair price…”

The elder rubbed his thumb and index finger together. Before Holly could intervene, Cahill rummaged through his pocket and produced a gold coin.

“This, this is…!”

The elder’s face turned to shock at the generous payment. He looked incredulously between the gold coin and Cahill, then quickly pocketed the coin as if afraid it might be taken back.

“Here, sit this way…”

The elder’s demeanor changed after pocketing the gold coin, now more accommodating than when he was merely answering Cahill’s barrage of questions.

“Here, take one each…”

He handed out spare fishing rods to both of their hands. Settling into their spots as guided by the elder, Holly felt the gold coin was well spent after seeing Cahill brimming with anticipation like a child.

“Then, just attach the bait and wait quietly.”

The elder grinned, opening a container supposed to hold the bait, but it was empty.

“Ah, we ran out of bait. I’ll go inside and fetch some more.”

The elder, who had been eagerly preparing everything, apologized and dashed inside the ship.

“Adam!”

Cahill called out to Adam, who was a short distance away, after watching the elder disappear. Adam, who had been asking about the schedule from the navigator, hurried over with urgent steps.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Adam’s face split into a wide grin, seemingly pleased to be called by Cahill. Despite wondering if his devotion to Cahill had waned during their travels, it seemed it hadn’t.

“Come closer.”

As Adam stepped closer, puzzled by the command, Cahill reached around his back. It was as if he was hugging him. Their stunning looks, captivating regardless of gender, made the gesture feel natural.

‘I wonder if they’re a better match than me…’

Holly felt a twinge of sadness.

“Don’t come out until I pull.”

After a moment, Cahill looked at Adam and instructed.

“Yes!”

Adam responded energetically, now tied with a thin line.

“Make sure to wiggle your body to be seen well.”

“…Yes!”

Despite the fact he looked puzzledly at Cahill while following his instructions, after a moment’s hesitation, Adam’s response was spirited. Unlike the straightforwardly responding Adam, Holly sensed something odd.

“Cahill, what are you…”

At that moment, Cahill suddenly lifted Adam and threw him into the sea. Cahill’s fishing rod soared into the air. Without difficulty, he reached out and grabbed the branch floating in the air.

Splash―

Adam plunged into the sea, causing water to spray upwards. Shocked, Holly leaned over the railing to look for Adam, who had vanished from sight.

“What if you fall in?”

Cahill scolded her, pulling her back by her waist. Holly, held back by him, scanned the now calm sea. There was no sign of Adam above the water.

“But Adam…”

Holly looked around for someone to help, her hands gripping the ship’s railing, ready to jump in herself.

“Didn’t you hear the old man? You have to sit quietly and wait.”

Cahill remained calm, in contrast to her alarmed expression.

“You didn’t use Adam as bait, did you?”

He nodded.

“The better the bait, the finer the fish. Adam’s well-fed and healthy, so he’ll make excellent bait.”

Holly worriedly gazed at the part of the sea where Adam had disappeared. The water surface that had swallowed Adam remained gently rippling.

“If he feels like he’s going to die, he’ll come out on his own. He’s flexible enough for that.”

Cahill reassured her, leaving her confused about whether his assessment of Adam was too harsh.

“I’ve kept you waiting!”

The elder, who had gone inside to fetch the bait, returned while running. Holly glanced at the sea where Adam had disappeared and then back at the elder with a complicated look.

‘…Should I tell him what Cahill used as bait?’

She could almost see the elder’s shocked expression. Holly was about to speak as the elder approached her.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, something brushed past her face, and a cold sensation spread over her nose. Holly rubbed her nose with her finger, feeling the wetness.

“Water?”

Looking up, she saw raindrops, now falling steadily with visibly thicker drops. The wooden deck of the ship darkened where the rain hit.

“It seems we won’t be tasting fish today. The fish caught in the waters in front of Centuria are especially delicious. What a pity.”

The elder said regretfully after watching the rain.

“We still have several days before reaching land, so let’s try fishing another time.”

The elder added, seemingly uncomfortable about taking the gold coin without providing anything in return. Cahill, who seemed inclined to linger, quickly put down the fishing rod and approached Holly.

“Let’s go inside.”

Cahill created a shield with his hand to protect Holly’s hair from getting wet.

“Wait.”

While being led by Cahill, Holly stopped suddenly at a thought that crossed her mind.

“We have to take Adam with us.”

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped his lips. He clearly had forgotten about Adam, whom he had thrown into the sea.

Holly’s narrow gaze prompted Cahill to quickly grab the fishing rod and give it a slight tug backward. With that, water surged up, and a thoroughly drenched Adam landed back on the deck, his fall splashing water all around.

“Is it over already? I could do more.”

Adam looked disappointed. The elder, who had just witnessed a human used as bait, turned pale.

“That’s right. Next time, I’ll let you do more, so give it your best then.”

Cahill patted Adam on the shoulder as if to encourage him. Despite the backhanded compliment, he looked admiringly at Cahill.

Holly shook her head, looking back and forth between them.

“Truly a perfect master and servant.”

Cahill glared at Holly with a look of offense upon hearing her comment. Adam had a complex expression, somewhere between laughing and crying.

Then, a sound much louder than when Adam came from the sea echoed somewhere, causing the ship to rock with a giant wave. Holly staggered.

“Th, uhp!”

Holly blinked in surprise as Adam covered her mouth, preventing any screams. As Cahill quickly removed Adam’s hand and steadied Holly, she found stability in his familiar embrace.

“Oh my!”

The elder, who had no one to catch him, was rolling on the deck. Holly quickly reached out to help him up.

“Thank you so much.”

“What’s happening?”

After smiling at the elder, who kept bowing in gratitude, Holly turned her gaze. Something round was rising from the water’s surface, looking like a barren rock at first glance.

“It’s a Kraken!”

As if on cue, someone shouted.

“…A Kraken?”

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