Little Pink Starfish

Seeing how pale Ginas had become, Eira poured him a cup of tea and earnestly began to explain.

“ I had no choice but to collect them for my research on magical beasts.”

“…Magical beast research, you say?”

“Exactly. Think about how many people suffer because of magical beasts. The more we understand their characteristics and behaviors, the better we can deal with them. Thanks to my advice, the number of injuries has gone down, hasn’t it?”

“That’s… certainly true.”

There were always certain territories where magical beasts appeared more frequently—Solar was one of them.

They were so common that a significant portion of the population made a living by hunting them. Even the soldiers had become highly experienced in subjugating magical beasts.

Each season brought new threats, but at the same time, it was those very threats that sustained the livelihoods of the people.

Despite his other responsibilities, Eira had spent time researching the various types of magical beasts that roamed Solar.

He had gathered valuable accounts from retired soldiers and hunters who had spent years fighting them.

With his experience as one of the top magical beast researchers in the labyrinth, he had provided the people with practical advice and methods to craft useful tools.

As he recalled all this, Ginas nodded seriously, convinced once again of his young lord’s competence.

Sure, Eira—being a labyrinth mage—often engaged in bizarre activities, but he was undeniably capable.

Even those unsettling eyeballs in the glass display case…

As incomprehensible as they were, Ginas made an effort to accept that they must serve some purpose.

“Thanks to you, the number of soldiers injured or killed has dropped significantly compared to last year.”

“That’s right. All of that research came from these.”

Eira cast an affectionate gaze at his beloved collection.

“It takes years of careful observation to truly understand them. Do you know how difficult it was to collect these…?”

Ginas, who had been nodding along, suddenly hesitated.

Something about Eira’s wistful tone made him narrow his eyes.

Having spent enough time working with him, Ginas had learned to recognize certain red flags in his lord’s behavior.

He schooled his expression and spoke carefully.

“…Now that I look at them again… they are quite beautiful. It must have been difficult to preserve them in such pristine condition.”

Surprisingly, Ginas’s words made Eira light up with enthusiasm.

“Ah, right? They’re translucent, almost like gemstones!”

His eyes gleamed as he launched into an impassioned explanation.

“Magical beasts are fundamentally different from ordinary creatures. Once their core is removed, their bodies disintegrate completely.”

“Ah, that’s true. They do vanish…”

“But that means—if you don’t remove the core, the body remains intact! So after various experiments, I found that inserting a high-purity core fragment before separation prevents disintegration. I went through so many cores to figure this out. But look at them, Sir Ginas—aren’t they absolutely stunning?”

With an almost reverent expression, Eira pointed at the collection.

“Just look at that crystalline glow! They’re more beautiful than any gemstone or mineral. You can’t make something like this from just any body part—it has to be the eyes. The longer they’re preserved, the harder and more transparent they become. Eventually, a polyhedral crystal starts forming at the center—it even grows into a perfect icosahedral dodecahedron…!”

Completely captivated by his own lecture, Eira continued to shower his collection with praise.

And then—

He noticed Ginas watching him with an icy, expressionless stare.

It was the look of a man who had just realized that all of this had absolutely nothing to do with legitimate magical beast research.

“…Sell them.”

“No!”

A brief but intense argument ensued.

In the end, Eira had to admit that these were nothing more than a niche, highly impractical collection with zero market demand.

Only then did Ginas drop the subject, though he was still visibly displeased.

Catching his breath, he scolded Eira.

“You spent all your labyrinth earnings on this?”

Hearing his beloved collection being dismissed as ‘this’ felt like a dagger to the heart.

But…

Eira had no real rebuttal.

The truth was, while these magical beast eyes were aesthetically pleasing, they were utterly useless.

There was a reason he had spent twenty years in the labyrinth and still hadn’t amassed much wealth.

Ginas, who had never once complained about the financial state of the territory, suddenly unleashed an uncharacteristic barrage of criticism.

“I don’t care about your hobbies, but you should have planned for the future!”

“But I thought I’d be spending my entire life in the labyrinth. Housing and food are provided there, so I never really needed personal wealth…”

Eira had truly believed he would dedicate his entire existence to magic and magical beast research.

Neither he nor Ginas had ever expected him to suddenly become a lord.

After a brief, solemn silence, Ginas sighed.

“There’s nothing we can do about it now. But at the very least, you must never let anyone other than myself or Steward Botello see that collection. It could cause… problems.”

“Is it really that difficult to understand?”

“Yes. Extremely.”

His firm tone made Eira feel a little dejected.

Sure, they were technically eyeballs, but didn’t they look more like crystal ornaments than actual eyes?

Maybe Solar was just a lot more conservative than he had thought.

Pushing aside their discussion about the collection, they returned to business.

The territory had enough food to sustain the people through winter.

Fortifications were being repaired, and workers were flocking to the quarry.

Despite the cold season approaching, the newly built tunnel allowed continuous trade with the outside world.

The people’s satisfaction had risen by almost 10%, reflecting the improved conditions.

Though the 10,000-cell debt still loomed over them, Ginas’s expression was lighter, as if a great burden had been lifted.

He had even regained some weight after finally getting proper rest.

However…

Now came the real problem.

Eira hesitated for a moment before smiling sadly.

Unfortunately, he was about to shatter Ginas’s sense of security.

Noticing his expression, Ginas frowned.

“By the way, my lord—shouldn’t we stop purchasing more food? The storage is already full. And now that we have year-round trade routes, there’s no need to hoard supplies.”

“That would be true… if we could keep living here.”

Ginas’s face stiffened.

“If this is about the debt, we can repay it with the stone trade. We still have time—”

Eira shook his head.

With a sinking feeling, Ginas realized this wasn’t about money.

“Sir Ginas, how much do you know about the rumors of a dragon in Sobletz and Volni?”

And with that, Eira began to explain.

He carefully omitted specific details about Janus, but he told Ginas that a dragon had been spotted in Volni…

And that it was coming to destroy Solar.

By the time Eira finished speaking, Ginas’s face had turned deathly pale.

If this was true, then a 10,000-cell debt was the least of their worries.

“Why would Volni go through all this trouble with the debt if they had a dragon? If they planned to destroy us, the debt wouldn’t matter at all.”

“Because they don’t have full control over it.”

If they did, they wouldn’t need underhanded tactics.

But the bigger issue was…

What happens when Solar is gone?

Would Volni be next?

Would Sobletz?

Would the entire region become a dragon’s feeding ground?

That was why Eira had been stockpiling food.

And why he had a plan.

“We need to build temporary shelters near the quarries. Stockpile food in separate locations. We have to be ready for the worst.”

Ginas, visibly shaken, clenched his jaw and nodded.

“…Understood.”

Eira sighed.

He had no intention of abandoning Solar.

No matter what.

Not to Janus.

Not to anyone.