Little Pink Starfish

Alika was gasping from the mental shock of seeing things so bizarre he had never once imagined them in his entire life, when the senior administrators stormed into the room and said:

“How is it, Administrator Alika? Isn’t it truly magnificent?”

“Honestly, it’s still a bit nauseating to me.”

“But you keep wanting to come back and look, right? At first, they just seem horrific, but the more you see them, the more charming they are. My favourite is this purple one, personally.”

Alika, who had been staring blankly at their conversation, finally came to his senses and screamed.

“What the hell is all this?!”

“Ah, don’t you recognise them? These are monster eyeballs.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t know what they were! The massive display cases were filled to the brim with monster eyeballs, floating in glass jars in every shape and colour imaginable. There were uncountable quantities of grotesque, inhuman eyes that were far removed from anything found on humans or regular beasts.

“Crazy…”

Alika muttered a curse as he locked eyes with one bulbous orb whose pupil contracted sharply. Seeing his horrified reaction, the senior administrators scratched their heads.

“Didn’t you say you liked monsters?”

“When did I ever say that?!”

“You kept praising the monster models… kept going on and on in admiration…”

“Yes! I admired them! Because they were realistic and frightening—good for attracting tourists! But this—what the hell is this…!”

Backing away, stammering, Alika suddenly remembered the earlier whispered conversation between the senior administrators and the mages. His face went pale, and he asked:

“Don’t tell me… did His Lordship make all of these himself?”

“Who else could create something like this but His Lordship?”

Someone said this proudly, and Alika’s eyes trembled in disbelief. Just then, Administrator Petro approached with a solemn face and scolded him.

“Alika, can you really call yourself loyal to His Lordship like this?”

“That’s right. If you’re truly loyal to His Lordship, you must accept every aspect of Him.”

“I still can’t get used to the monster eyes… but since His Lordship likes them, I like them too.”

You lunatics…! You insane labyrinth mage!

Alika ran off without looking back. When he got home, he seriously considered submitting his resignation. But the thought didn’t last long. He’d already worked here for three years, and the salary and benefits were far too generous to abandon.

Thankfully, no one treated him any differently for fleeing that night. The senior administrators acted as if nothing had happened and even began offering him tea and snacks now and then, for no clear reason. Whether it was a quiet apology or another recruitment attempt, Alika couldn’t tell—but he hoped it was the former.

After mulling it over for a few days, Alika realised that although he didn’t understand the appeal of collecting monster eyeballs, his Lord’s hobby wasn’t exactly harmful.

At the very least, his Lord didn’t abduct young girls and imprison them in the castle, or squander the domain’s finances obsessively purchasing prized horses, or declare war on a whim. Even with a somewhat grotesque hobby and an occasional knack for causing trouble, Alika felt his Lord was leagues above the other lords he had ever heard of.

Of course, that didn’t mean he had any intention of joining a club full of monster-eye-loving maniacs and obsessive Lord-worshippers…

At times like this, when witnessing His Lordship’s extraordinary quirks, Alika did feel an urge to run away. But even so, he was proud to be a trusted retainer in His Lordship’s service.

Especially during domain-wide events, his pride and loyalty reached their peak.

❄

The most prominent event in Solar was undoubtedly the Winter Festival. Held in honour of Morunka before the full onset of winter, this celebration drew so many pilgrims and tourists that the territory practically burst at the seams.

And naturally, this also meant the administrators were driven to the brink with work. Every year, the crowds grew larger and larger.

“Administrator Alika! Looks like we’re going to run short on festival wine. Go get approval from either the Chief Steward or the First Administrator to order two hundred more crates of grape wine from Sobletz. Oh! And also pork, wheat sacks, wagons, and dried fruits.”

“Yes, sir!”

At the senior administrator’s command, Alika sprang to his feet and accepted the documents. He didn’t know where the First Administrator was, but he did know where the Chief Steward would be right now—so he headed straight for the Lord’s study. Arriving at the closed door, he knocked.

“My Lord, this is Administrator Alika. I’ve come to see the Chief Steward.”

“Come in.”

Upon receiving permission, he entered. His Lordship was in the middle of getting dressed. Since His Lordship was in little more than an undergarment, Alika respectfully kept his gaze lowered and hurried over to where Ginas, buried in documents, was working.

“Chief Steward, these are the documents for additional procurement of festival supplies. I request your approval.”

“Hm, could you wait a moment?”

“Yes, Chief Steward.”

Both the Lord and Chief Steward were so busy that His Lordship was levitating several sheets of paper in the air while being dressed by attendants at the same time. Ginas was no better—pausing mid-trouser, scribbling with a quill, putting on a shirt, then reading more documents. The only one with time to spare was the Red Dragon, stretched out on the sofa and snoring away.

Alika himself hadn’t had a proper meal all day, so he took the chance to catch his breath while waiting for the approval. As he watched the Chief Steward frown and read through papers, he glanced at His Lordship.

The head attendant, Botello Oron, and the others were dressing His Lord with the utmost care not to disturb Him. Though His Lordship typically found elaborate grooming a nuisance, today was different. He often emphasised the importance of appearance and dignity, especially when seen by both Solar citizens and those from other domains.

High-quality matching uniforms, no drunken brawling, no coarse language—these were the standards.

As someone from Sobletz, Alika knew well the reason behind it.

His decision to move to Solar had been made after seeing the Crimson Knights. Their gleaming armour and flowing red capes, the way they defeated monsters that had attacked Sobletz and protected the people—everything had left a deep impression.

Even the squires were sharp and composed, incomparable to the fat, drunken knights of Sobletz who harassed locals. Alika had felt sure that Solar was a better place to live. The requirement for administrators and knights to maintain their dignity made perfect sense.

Today, His Lordship had even given up the thick winter clothes usually worn, just for this day. On top of tall boots were patterns carefully etched by a master artisan and small gems resembling snowflakes. To balance style and warmth, thin layers of fine clothes with gold and silver embroidery were layered, and a robe trimmed with white fox fur completed the ensemble.

Finally receiving the signed documents, Alika ran out, handed them over to the senior administrator, and quickly helped his colleagues check each other’s outfits. They couldn’t be late for His Lordship’s speech and hurried to the plaza.

Just three years ago, Alika had watched the Winter Festival from the crowd. Now, he stood among the trusted retainers, guarding His Lord up close. Yet seeing the illusion magic that unfolded as the Lord took the stage was as awe-inspiring as ever.

This time, it was a massive, blue bird emerging from beyond the mountain. The ice-formed bird glided overhead, scattering flurries of snowflakes over the crowd. People cheered, stretching their arms skyward to catch the flakes. As the cheers grew, the plaza quieted when His Lordship finally began to speak. Alika felt a quiet heat in the eyes of the glittering crowd.

Our Lord… Our Lord truly is the best.

Even though he had never once uttered “our lord” while in Sobletz, the words naturally came out. It was only natural—for a Lord so capable, so beautiful, so attentive to His people’s lives, who saved them from hunger and cold, of course everyone would say “our Lord” from the heart, no matter their origin.

Lords from other domains had also been invited and sat among the guests. They were each dressed in their own flashy way, but to Alika, they all looked like pigs wearing gold chains. Surely he wasn’t the only one who thought so.

The final speech came from young High Priest Attera De Acte, honouring both Morunka and His Lordship. And with that, the festival officially began. Alika worked busily without pause—but still managed to steal a day to enjoy the festival with his family.

It had already been a month since the grand Winter Festival ended, and yet the feeling lingered.

His Lordship’s attire that day… it was so stunning… I wish I could see Him wear it again.

He sighed repeatedly, unable to shake the image from his mind—until suddenly, he met the eyes of a fellow administrator, also sighing just like him.