Little Pink Starfish

Until now, whenever Veloan was sent outside, Ishar had only done so under circumstances he could completely control.

The personnel dispatched alongside him always prioritized protecting Veloan over completing the mission.

When even they were unable to help, Ishar would intervene through his familiars and ensure Veloan’s safety. Others might get injured, but Veloan had never suffered so much as a bruise.

“You’re not just my disciple—you’re family. So…”

Veloan had always been fiercely independent, even as a child. Ishar only realized too late that the meticulously crafted “greenhouse” he placed Veloan in must have felt stifling.

“I understand better than anyone how you see me, Master. Please don’t worry.”

The way Veloan rubbed his cheek against Ishar’s hand, like an affectionate pup, was heart-meltingly adorable—but that only made Ishar more anxious.

He worried not only about the monsters or the criminals among the Krybule unit, but about something else entirely.

“One last question. If the dragon that’s targeting you appears, what must you do?”

“In that case too, I must summon you.”

As he spoke, Veloan stopped rubbing against him and hugged Ishar tightly. Resting his head on Ishar’s shoulder with a teasing affection, he eased his master’s tension.

“Be sure to wear the bracelet, too. Not just the ring.”

“You mean the defense artifact?”

“Yes. I always wore it when I was the Tower Master.”

Even Zischka, the dragon, wouldn’t be able to instantly break through the highest-level defensive magic Ishar had crafted in his Tower Master days.

That bracelet had originally been given to Kaiedel when Ishar stepped down as Tower Master, but he’d reclaimed it in exchange for the promise to deliver Crodone’s head once the beast was dead.

It was petty to take back something once given, but for Veloan’s safety, Ishar would gladly act petty.

“If you’re in danger, you must summon me.”

“Master, do you realize you’ve said that over ten times now?”

“I’ll say it a hundred more if it’ll get through to you.”

“Master…”

What Ishar didn’t tell Veloan was that when crafting the summoning ring, he’d also embedded a spell to erase Veloan’s unique mana signature.

This was in response to Zischka tracking him to the Imperial Palace last time.

He’d also sealed the lips of anyone who knew about Veloan’s enlistment in the Abyssal Subjugation Force, just in case there were humans cooperating with Zischka.

There were other precautions as well. One was a covert order to Shuzel, who had not yet returned: to plant a detection and tracking artifact near Zischka’s lair.

‘If Zischka makes a move while Veloan’s in the Abyss, I’ll take that lizard’s head myself.’

With that resolve, Ishar gently pushed away Veloan’s arms, which were still tightly wrapped around him.

“…It’s time. You need to go now, Veloan.”

“Can’t we stay like this just a little longer? Once I leave, I won’t be able to hold you again until I return. You and I will both be busy.”

“Hmm?”

Veloan’s lips brushed Ishar’s neck as he spoke. Though it was through his clothes, the memory of being roughly bitten there once made Ishar’s body flinch.

The arms around his waist tightened, pressing their bodies together.

“What’s so great about hugging a stiff body like mine? Do as you please.”

“I like it because it’s you, Master.”

“You always know how to say the prettiest things.”

Silence fell between them—but it was a light, affectionate silence. They remained in that quiet for a while.

“Master.”

Veloan finally let go and stepped back half a step.

Ishar watched him closely, sensing that he wasn’t just leaving like that. Veloan raised his hand. Then—

“Please return this to me when I come back.”

He placed around Ishar’s neck the red gemstone necklace he had never once taken off.

Feeling the weight settle over his clothes, Ishar could only stare blankly at Veloan, breath catching in his chest.

He couldn’t react right away. After a long pause, he finally forced out words.

“…Isn’t this something you’ve always cherished?”

Admitting that this necklace—a symbol of his guilt—was precious to Veloan made his chest ache like it had been crushed under a stone.

“Hurry and take it back, Veloan.”

He didn’t have the courage to even touch it. He could’ve just taken it off and returned it, but his body froze.

All he could do was clench his hand in resistance.

Veloan smiled lightly, innocently—as if he knew nothing.

If Ishar had retained even a shred of composure, he might have noticed the deeper longing quietly smoldering in Veloan’s red eyes.

But at that moment, even breathing felt suffocating, so Ishar couldn’t properly see the one standing before him. His focus was consumed entirely by the effort of simply drawing breath.

“There’s nothing more precious to me than you, Master.”

Veloan gently cupped Ishar’s chin in his hand.

“Even if we’re apart, I believe you’ll remember me through this necklace—any time, anywhere.”

That single sentence pressed harder than any command to never remove the necklace.

His hand slid down from Ishar’s jaw, over his throat, and stopped at the pendant.

Smiling softly, Veloan tucked the necklace beneath Ishar’s clothes, letting it rest against his bare skin.

The cold touch of the pendant made Ishar shiver involuntarily. Immediately, a gentle hand caressed his cheek.

It was a different kind of touch than when Ishar had stroked Veloan’s face—subtle, affectionate, lingering.

“Then, Master, I’ll take my leave. I’ll be sure to send a short greeting before departure, so don’t worry.”

With a final kiss to Ishar’s pale blue hair, Veloan gazed at him affectionately one last time before leaving the room.

Left alone, Ishar could only stare blankly at the door Veloan had exited through.

---

Normally, those heading to the Abyss as part of the subjugation force would be celebrated by the Empire’s citizens and proceed north with great fanfare.

But Veloan’s Krybule unit departed quietly, at dawn, accompanied only by a handful of knights and mages assigned for monitoring purposes.

Just before the departure, Ishar had to suppress the tightness in his chest as he recalled the red eyes that had stared at him for so long from atop a horse.

“I’ve returned, Your Majesty.”

Not long after Veloan’s departure, as if taking his place, Shuzel—who had been sent on a mission—returned to Ishar’s side.

Ishar looked him over, then scanned his body with mana before finally speaking.

“Report.”

“Thanks to the tools you provided, I completed the mission perfectly. As far as I could determine, no one noticed or witnessed me.”

“Well done. Are you unharmed?”

“Yes, I’m fine. And Your Majesty—were you well while I was away?”

“As usual.”

“On my way here, Elam informed me that Lord Veloan has departed north.”

“It was his decision, so I respected it.”

“You must feel his absence. The subjugation force usually stays for over half a year, doesn’t it?”

Hearing this from a loyal subject who placed his lord’s well-being above his own personal feelings, Ishar allowed a faint smile to cross his lips.

“Yes. But if the restructured Great Barrier Veloan designed works as intended, he may return in less than half a year.”

In truth, Ishar had secretly placed a member of the Shadow Knights within the Krybule unit—without telling Veloan.

The order-only-for-the-emperor Shadow Knights were convinced by Ishar’s argument: If Veloan gets hurt, it will cause great harm to me.

In addition, half of the knights and mages monitoring the Krybule unit had been replaced with those deeply loyal to Veloan.

They were individuals whom Veloan had saved or emotionally impacted during his prior travels across the Empire—each had gladly accepted the assignment.

Guessing all this with ease, Shuzel didn’t comment, but merely said:

“Whatever happens, I hope Your Majesty’s worries remain light.”

“Thank you.”

With that, their personal talk ended and Shuzel submitted his mission report.

Ishar skimmed through it quickly. The document, cleanly structured with only the key points, was exemplary in form.

‘Rekayan, that bastard—every report he submits lately is either a diary or a jumble of nonsense. I should make him learn how to write reports from Shuzel.’

Ever since Yujin stayed at the palace, Rekayan had fully embraced his “Uncle Ren” persona and become even more unhinged than usual.

It’d be better for him to start from scratch.

Once Shuzel left, Ishar planned to ask Elam to relay that message. He continued reviewing the report, page by page, down to the final line.