Sea Monster Stew Chapter 26

As Kisa snapped his fingers, the abdomen of the giant hide concealing him split open wide. 

 

He cautiously leaned his upper body out from within the hide and carefully received the unconscious Biche.

 

In contrast to her small, deathly pale face, her chest rose and fell rhythmically and her breathing was soft and even, making her seem perfectly at peace. 

 

A thin, dried trail of tears was etched on her cheek. 

 

Kisa carefully wiped it away with the back of his hand.

 

Just then, a murderous presence made itself known behind him.

Holding Biche in his arms, Kisa swiftly retreated back inside the giant hide. 

 

With another short snap of his fingers, the opening in the abdomen sealed shut quietly.

 

He rested her unconscious head against his shoulder, held his breath, and focused on the sounds outside. 

 

Sailors holding lanterns and spears came stumbling hurriedly towards his location.

 

“Admiral Kisa? So you’ve joined the search party as well, sir!”

“Yes. All this commotion over one fearless little rat,” Kisa replied nonchalantly, carefully adjusting Biche’s body resting on his lap.

“If we don’t quickly apprehend that woman and resolve this situation, the Vice-Captain will be furious when he wakes up.”

“We’ve already combed every inch of the main island… But there’s no trace of her. Not a single hair to be found.”

“She hasn’t been missing for long, so she might not have even gotten far from the castle yet. From now on, focus your search more thoroughly around the castle rather than these outer areas.”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

 

Who would ever dare to think that Admiral Kisa, the Captain’s heir, was hiding the Vice-Captain’s assistant? 

 

As Kisa half-heartedly joined the search party and wandered the island, not a single person suspected him.

 

As he stroked the head of Biche lying on his lap, confidence that they would escape this situation welled up inside him, and he secretly whistled a tune.

 

Unlike his main body, which was humming a tune and leisurely playing with her hair, the giant hide concealing him moved its steps nervously.

“What a fearless wench. To even think of escaping within the domain of the great pirate Hawk!”

 

Unlike the giant hide, which was grumbling with a fierce expression, a pleased smile graced the lips of the real Kisa.

By the time they passed through the busily moving sailors and opened the castle gate, he was even singing triumphant songs in his heart.

 

His plan was to return to the guest room he was staying in, hide Biche there, and then send her to Ire Island, under his jurisdiction, first thing in the morning.

Who would dare to barge into an Admiral’s quarters, supposedly to search for a runaway woman?

‘There’s a saying about the darkest place being under the lamp,’ he thought.

 

He chuckled softly and carefully picked up Biche from his lap again.

 

The smile vanished from Kisa’s lips in an instant as he walked calmly. 

 

Hildert was striding purposefully towards him, leading a group of sailors.

His arms holding Biche instinctively tightened. 

 

He had never imagined he would run into Hildert while returning with her hidden inside the giant hide.

 

His eyes met Hildert’s directly. 

 

Hildert was scanning the castle grounds with bloodshot eyes. 

 

Of course, Hildert was only looking at the false eyes of the giant hide, but Kisa felt an eerie discomfort, as if they had made direct eye contact.

It felt as if Hildert’s gaze was piercing right through him, seeing even the hidden girl. 

 

Instinctively, he carefully covered Biche’s mouth and nose.

He was afraid even her faint breathing might be heard by Hildert.

 

“…Hey, Hildert.”

Hildert ignored Kisa’s call, emanating a murderous aura as he swept past him. The sailors who had been hurriedly following Hildert all bowed their heads towards Kisa in unison.

“The Vice-Captain is in a very bad mood right now…”

“Please understand, Admiral Kisa, sir. Well then…”

The following sailors bowed their heads hastily and disappeared. Their whispers no longer reached Kisa’s ears.

He was merely grateful for Hildert’s temporarily distracted attention.

If that man had maintained his usual sharpness, he would have undoubtedly detected even Biche’s faint presence.

 

Only after the men, led by Hildert, had moved far away did the tension finally drain from him.

Biche, with her tightly closed, swollen-from-crying eyes, was leaning obediently against him. 

 

Seeing her innocent face, completely unaware of the chaos unfolding outside the hide, made his vision darken with frustration.

“…Damn it, she’s slept through it all.”

A pang of belated guilt pricked his conscience, accusing him of stealing the freedom she could have had to escape to her homeland.

Kisa swallowed a sigh and buried his face in her hair.

‘Since you chose me, there’s truly no turning back now…’

 

 

* * *

 

 

As soon as the incident had settled, Kisa hid Biche within the giant hide and boarded her onto his pirate ship. 

 

It was a ship heading for Ire Island, his domain, but unfortunately, he couldn’t board it himself. 

 

He had to remain on the main island to wrap up the escape incident.

 

Kisa entrusted Biche to his most trusted subordinate and instructed him to hide her at the very top of his castle on Ire Island. 

 

It was a secret place Kisa had created for his solitary rest.

Being the only place in all of Karabas where he could truly relax, the top-floor room was a cozy space filled only with his favorite things.

A wide, soft bed large enough for five or six grown men to lie down with room to spare. 

 

A plush carpet that tickled the soles of his feet. A massive window overlooking the entirety of Ire Island.

Even a compact kitchen for enjoying tea time anytime and a huge bathroom modified to accommodate his large frame.

 

In that place filled with all his favorite things, now resided his most favorite being.

He was unbearably happy about that fact.

 

‘Is she still worrying about Muir?’

Kisa gazed blankly at the Admirals gathered in the main island’s outdoor conference area. 

 

Everyone’s expressions were grim due to the incident of the Vice-Captain’s assistant’s escape.

Hildert was sitting at the end of the table, staring silently into space. 

 

His face had been consistently expressionless throughout the meeting. 

 

He didn’t look like a man who had lost a woman he cherished at all.

‘Well, that’s fitting for the Vice-Captain, I suppose…’

 

Just then, a subordinate, hopping anxiously, caught his eye, trying to get his attention.

Checking the other Admirals’ reactions, Kisa rose from his seat. 

 

At that moment, Moose swiftly grabbed his sleeve.

“Where are you going, Kisa?”

“To the restroom.”

“Who in the world goes to the restroom with such a serious face?”

Ignoring Moose’s remark, Kisa signaled to his subordinate with his eyes. 

 

The subordinate hid behind the stone wall of the outdoor conference area as instructed. 

 

Shaking off Moose’s hand, Kisa strode purposefully towards the wall where his subordinate was hidden.

 

“Admiral Kisa, sir!”

The subordinate greeted him with a pale face.

“What is it?”

“A message came from the castle steward. It’s about that… “kitten’” you’ve been having cared for at the castle lately…”

The subordinate trailed off, glancing furtively over the wall. 

 

“Kitten” was the secret nickname Kisa had given Biche. 

 

He’d given her the name because her feisty manner, like when she fearlessly pulled on his raw-hide beard, reminded him of a spirited cat.

“What about the kitten?”

“After she woke up, she cried and cried, asking for someone named Muir or something… and when she found out she was on Ire Island, the place you rule, sir, she started screaming and throwing a fit…”

“What? A fit?”

“Yes, sir. And on top of that, even when we provide clothes and food, she rejects everything. The clothes are repeatedly torn to shreds, the food is wildly overturned, the room is a complete mess…”

Kisa placed his large hand on his forehead. 

 

The giant hide concealing him stood in the same posture, rubbing its forehead.

“They say she’s straining to get out of the room, but as you know, sir, that room is a hidden secret location at the very top of the castle. The entrance is sealed from the outside, so there’s absolutely no way a frail girl’s strength could possibly…”

“Wait, she’s refusing meals?”

The subordinate looked up at Kisa, bewildered by the interruption. 

 

Watching Kisa’s furrowed brow, the subordinate nodded hesitantly.

“Y-yes, sir. She hasn’t eaten anything for the past three days. I heard she screamed something like, “I won’t eat anything given by that live-skinner Kisa!”… The steward tried to force-feed her, but she’s utterly stubborn, and it was useless.”

Kisa gritted his teeth, tearing at his hair. ‘How much must she hate me to harm her own body and refuse everything from me? What did I do so wrong?’

“And also, about that kitten…”

“There’s more?”

“For three days, every time we gave her clothes, she was frantic to tear them all to shreds… It seems she was trying to make a strong rope out of them…”

“What? A rope?”

“She connected all those rags, piled up as high as she is tall, into a rope… and escaped through the window…”

“She did WHAT?”

Kisa raised a large hand and grabbed the subordinate by the collar. ‘All that long-winded explanation, and you save the most crucial part for last!’

“Escaped through the window? Do you realize how many floors up that is? How could she do something so dangerously reckless!”

“W-well, since no body or bloodstains were found, it seems she… l-landed safely, but…”

“Dispatch the sailors immediately to find— No, forget that. I’ll go myself. Tell everyone not to make a fuss and to stay put! Damn it!”

If he carelessly set the sailors loose on the island causing a noisy commotion, it would likely draw everyone’s attention. 

 

He had to handle this as quietly as possible, even if it meant moving personally.

 

‘Does she think she’s some long-haired princess from a fairy tale? She’s utterly fearless!’

 

Gritting his teeth, Kisa hurried towards the port. 

 

The unfinished officers’ meeting was no longer in his thoughts.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Unlike the sunny main island, a steady rain was falling on Ire Island. 

 

Biche walked through the empty streets, getting soaked.

Fortunately, it was rainwater, devoid of the sea’s essence, so even thoroughly drenched, no scales erupted on her skin.

She stared blankly at her dripping wet hands and staggered forward. 

 

Perhaps because of the rain, not a single soul, nor even a stray dog, was visible on the streets.

 

“Muir…”

Muttering weakly, she walked and walked through the deserted streets. 

 

The ankle she had twisted while escaping from the castle throbbed horribly, and her body, having gone days without proper water, was burning with fever.

But she had no choice but to move forward. 

 

She had to find the missing Muir, and she had to escape this terrifying island ruled by Admiral Kisa as soon as possible.

 

‘…Now that I think about it, he spouted all that nonsense about hiding me or whatever… How ridiculous. Why did he lock me away in his castle?’

She moved forward, recalling the enormous face of Kisa she had encountered just before losing consciousness.

‘If he figured out I’m a half-breed monster and plans to slowly torture, play with, and then kill me… I’ll bite off that big, ugly nose of his first…’

 

Imagining biting him made her feel slightly better for a moment.

But as her starving stomach cried out in protest, even the strength to continue that fantasy faded away.

 

Staggering, unable to even properly moan, she finally collapsed onto the ground.

Her face plunged directly into a puddle of accumulated rainwater. 

 

Icy water gushed into her slightly parted mouth.

Biche, who had reflexively gulped some of the water, jerked her head up in surprise, gagging and spitting out the half-swallowed water.

But she lacked the strength to keep her head up, and her face sank back into the puddle. 

 

This time, the water rushed into her nostrils instead of her firmly closed mouth.

Though she found her own appearance—gasping for air while submerged in rainwater—pitiable, she lacked even the strength to laugh.

‘Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to suffocate and die like this,’ she thought.

 

At that moment, a large hand appeared and effortlessly scooped her up by the waist.