“Congratulations on your marriage.”

“And you didn’t even send a gift?”

“Well, you didn’t contact me either.”

Fabrice spoke lightly and offered his hand. Isillis didn’t refuse, placing her hand in his as she gently landed on the boat, just like when they were kids.

Fabrice, who had stormed into the sea in a fit of anger against his father’s actions, had met a beautiful sea nymph — or rather, given her strength, he had dubbed her the Goddess of the Sea. The bond formed in childhood continued into adulthood, with conversations over a communication stone.

But with this incident, the stone ceased working properly, forcing Fabrice to come out to sea directly to summon Isillis.

Looking at him as he kissed the back of her hand, Isillis softly asked.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s serious, Isillis.”

“I’m asking what it is.”

“The maritime power unit isn’t working.”

“What?”

The Maritime Empire of Ipfaf relied on a power source to keep its massive ships afloat. The power was provided by magic stones from Larchen. Suddenly, the stones stopped working, particularly the one imbued with Isillis’s powerful magic, which had lost all its energy.

With the central stone that stabilized everything losing power, it was natural for the structure to start collapsing, with a third of the ship already submerged.

Isillis frowned upon hearing this explanation.

Ships were meant to float on the sea, but these carried much more. Homes, buildings, and an entire empire that didn’t need to land. The central stones, key to maintaining Ipfaf was Larchen’s magic stone.

It was only controllable by the Larchen’s Emperor and couldn’t be touched by anyone, not of Larchen’s bloodline. This was the driving force behind the Ipfaf Empire’s sustenance and why, despite its grandeur, Ipfaf had to bow to Larchen.

“How could this happen…”

“That’s why we hoped you’d come personally. If it’s a problem with your magic, only you can fix it.”

“The communication stone didn’t work either?”

“Only the one you gave me.”

It was peculiar. Isillis’s magic was the most powerful in the Larchen Empire, and there had never been an issue with the magic stones infused with her power. This was a first.

“I really must go see for myself.”

Fabrice nodded to Isillis’s words.

“But even so, aiming cannons at us as a form of protest isn’t acceptable. Next time, send someone to request peacefully.”

“I know. The situation was urgent and sensitive. I couldn’t just send someone. You know, if this gets out, it could compromise the safety of the Ipfaf Empire. And since the communication stone wasn’t working, I thought this would make you come immediately. I apologize for the mistaken approach.”

“Just words?”

Teasingly, Isillis prompted Fabrice, who flinched and asked.

“What do you want?”

“The world beyond.”

“Isillis. It’s better not to know.”

Fabrice’s warning made Isillis frown.

“Why?”

“Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. You can’t possibly take care of everything.”

“….”

He was right. Hadn’t her advisors always told her that caring for Larchen was enough?

Her curiosity wasn’t about wanting to take on more. But she genuinely wanted to know. But if Fabrice was reacting this way, perhaps there was something beyond the sea she gave to be concerned about.

“So, in two days? Tomorrow isn’t good?”

“Yes, not tomorrow. Two days. We’ll see.”

As Isillis floated up after responding to him, Fabrice whispered as she glided back across the sea, the same way she had arrived.

“She’s still the same.”

She was still as beautiful and desirable as ever.

If only she weren’t the Empress of Larchen, he would have clipped her wings to keep her by his side. As the admiral of the Maritime Empire, it was crucial not to be at odds with Larchen. Isillis’s magic and her position as the Empress were essential to him.

“If it weren’t for the magic stone.”

He shouldn’t have given her to that half-hearted imperial family. The decision was momentary, but the regret lingered.

* * *

The next morning, Allure noticed her absence and searched for her. He explored the ship but couldn’t find her, so he used the flight magic to climb to the highest point of the ship.

His Majesty was far away at the harbor while coiling the water. This rare outing seemed to delight her.

Allure flew straight to Isillis and prostrated himself before her. His difficulty setting foot on the harbor, now floating above the sea in prostration, appeared as if a devotee was praying to a revered goddess. This caused all the imperial citizens to watch and hold their breath.

“Your Majesty.”

“Ah, you’ve come.”

Isillis, who had been crafting a dragon with her hand, dispersed the magic. It vanished into droplets of water.

“It’s dangerous.”

“There’s nothing within Larchen that can threaten me.”

“I know, Your Majesty, but still…”

Watching Allure survey the surroundings, Isillis laughed.

She gestured with a wave to the imperial citizens who couldn’t come close and were merely watching from a distance. Standing up from the sea made her feel more at ease, unlike the pressure she felt while seated at the harbor.

Creating a spray of water towards the harbor, a rainbow formed. Isillis smiled at the cheering citizens and then turned away. She didn’t look back even as shouts of “Long live the Empress!” followed her. Allure was right behind her.

“Please don’t wander alone, Your Majesty.”

“Ah, I woke up early this morning.”

“I heard from the Consort that you haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“Berthas has been telling tales, I see.”

Isillis showed no displeasure at this, causing Allure to bow his head. The issue was that Her Majesty possessed too powerful magic without enough caution. While almost nothing could threaten her, Allure worried.

A moment of complacency could lead to irreversible consequences.

“Please, Your Majesty…”

“I understand.”

Her Empress, Isillis, was far off at the harbor, encircling the water. Her rare outing seemed to bring her joy.

As Allure flew down before Isillis, bowing deeply, the sight of him prostrating on the water’s surface, as if beseeching a revered goddess, caused all the onlookers from the empire to hold their breath in reverence.

“Your Majesty.”

“Ah, you’ve come.”

As Isillis dissolved the dragon she had formed from the water back into droplets, she greeted Allure’s concern with a light demeanor.

“It’s safe here within Larchen’s bounds for me.”

“I know, Your Majesty, but still…”

Allure’s scanning gaze made Isillis chuckle.

She waved cheerfully to the citizens who dared not approach, merely watching from a distance. She then stood from the sea, feeling much more at ease compared to when the magical pressure weighed her down on the port.

As she created a rainbow with a splash in the direction of the harbor, it drew cheers from the citizens. She responded to the cheers with a smile before turning back. Behind her, the cries of ‘Long live the Empress!’ echoed, but she did not look back. Allure following closely.

“Please, don’t wander alone, Your Majesty.”

“Ah, I awoke early this morning, that’s all.”

“I’ve heard from the consort that you’ve not been sleeping well lately.”

“So Berthas has been talking.”

Observing Isillis’s unaffected face, Allure bowed slightly. The problem was her immense magical power which rendered her nearly fearless, something that troubled Allure. A moment’s complacency could lead to irreversible consequences.

“Please, Your Majesty…”

“Understood.”

Allure swallowed his sighs, seeing how lightly Isillis took his concerns. He could grasp why Berthas was worried. The consort must have felt the same worry, perhaps even more keenly.

Only then did Allure realize his concern; his Empress knew no fear.

“Take the rest of the day off.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

It was a leisurely day. Even Isillis’s wizards couldn’t relax as much as she could. Larchen, an empire more reliant on wizards than knights. Some of them needed a break, which was why they were brought here, especially since they weren’t expected to enter the battlefield directly during this deployment.

Days passed until the agreed date arrived, and the Maritime Empire came.

Differently from their initial aggressive approach, the admiral of the Maritime Empire, accompanied by his ship, greeted Larchen’s wizard with respect.

Fabrice, leading the entourage, extended his hand to Isillis.

“Empress of Larchen, Isillis Larchen, I am Fabrice Ipfaf of the Maritime Empire.”

“Empress Isillis of Larchen.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you like this.”

“Likewise.”

Isillis stepped onto his ship taking Fabrice’s hand, followed by her wizards who soared across the sea to join her on the Maritime Empire’s ship.

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