"Can I at least get down now?" Nimuk asked, clearly tired of being held up by the golems.
When the golems finally lowered him to the ground, a sudden gust of wind blew in—riding on it ca another unexpected arrival. But this ti, it was soone familiar.
"Octo, you look... terrible," Marian said, eyeing him. He looked like a man who’d worked ten years straight in a mine with no food or rest.
"Don’t ntion it," Octo muttered, brushing past the comnt with no intention of explaining.
Then, spotting the beautiful woman sitting beside Auran and Marian, Octo raised an eyebrow.
"And who’s this lovely lady?"
"Well... that seems to be Nimuk," Marian replied awkwardly.
"Get this off first," she added, clearly irritated, as she tugged off the woman clothes Nimuk was wearing. In one swift motion, the disguise ca off—exposing his naked body.
"..."
"Put so pants on," Auran said, turning his head away, having seen more than he wanted.
"You bastard!" Marian shouted, furious. "Not once, but twice—you tricked !"
With rage boiling over, she kicked the now-naked Nimuk away. He crashed into Octo, but Octo smoothly dodged him—and in the sa movent, caught Nimuk by one arm, pinning his movents with practiced ease.
"Oh, you’ve got so moves," Auran muttered, impressed by Octo’s reflexes.
"Just picked up a few things here and there," Octo replied as he released Nimuk. Afterwards few clothes put onto nimuk by him.
Then, once again, the guiding wind stirred—and yet another figure arrived through its current.
Henry.
"What is this, a reunion?" Auran exclaid. "Why is everyone showing up at once?"
"Nice to see you all," Henry greeted with a casual smile—until his eyes landed on Nimuk.
He paused.
"...Who are you?" Henry asked, eyes narrowing with confusion.
"Believe it or not," Marian said, "that is actually Nimuk."
Upon hearing her, Henry fell silent.
"Did ti Accelerate in on itself while I was gone, or did so divine miracle happen?" he asked, staring in disbelief. "Because I clearly rember Nimuk as that ugly, fish-faced guy."
At that mont, unnoticed by most, a single tear slipped down Nimuk’s cheek.
"You bastard... stop that," Nimuk snapped, voice cracking. "Even I have limits, you know! None of you recognized —none! That just shows how little I mattered to you as a comrade. Only Auran... only Auran saw for who I am. From now on, he’s my true comrade!"
With that outburst echoing in the air, Marian blinked, then turned toward Auran.
"Now that you ntion it... Auran actually did recognize him. How’d you do it?"
All eyes turned to Auran.
"I thought it was obvious," he began casually. "Nimuk is a fishman. And at a certain point in their lives, fishfolk undergo a transformation—they shed all their scales and take on the full form of a human. It’s called their passage into adulthood."
"Wait... seriously?" Nimuk asked, genuinely confused. "Even I didn’t know that."
"Well, judging from your appearance now, sothing extra must’ve happened," Auran added, tilting his head. "No offense, but no normal transformation turns soone that handso. What exactly happened?"
Nimuk sighed, then began to explain what had occurred on his way back to the mansion.
"After everything that happened... my perspective on won completely changed," he said with a distant, shaken look. "They’re fierce beings—mysterious and unpredictable. If you let your guard down, they’ll swallow you whole and twist you around until you don’t even know who you are anymore."
He paused before continuing.
"It’s their unpredictability that makes them terrifying. One mont, they’re gentle and kind—almost divine. The next, they’re wild beasts ready to rip you apart. I barely survived. Truly."
And just as Nimuk entered the mansion, the first thing he saw was Clara standing by the doorway.
"Arghh!"
"What... what is there a woman in here?!" Nimuk yelped, leaping back with a panicked, twitchy shake.
"Who the hell are you?" Octo asked sharply, his tone defensive.
"Huh... who are you, lady?" Henry added more gently, puzzled.
"She’s Clara," Auran answered as he walked past them casually. "My acquaintance. You all don’t need to worry about her—I strongly believe she has no interest in any of you."
With that, Auran disappeared down the hallway toward his room with Clara, not even looking back.
Only once he was completely out of sight did the others begin reacting.
"Auran has a girlfriend?!" Octo blurted out in disbelief.
"Yeah... that’s what I thought too," Marian nodded, agreeing with Octo’s suspicion.
Only Henry and Nimuk remained silent—both lost in their own thoughts. Though Nimuk’s silence was more panic than reflection.
"There’s a woman in this house..." Nimuk muttered, clearly disturbed. "Ugh! Quick—I need to hide! I need to hide!"
Without waiting for a response, he darted off toward his room in a frenzy.
"Poor guy... he really seems terrified," Marian remarked as she watched him bolt away.
"Yeah, I’m heading to my room too," said Octo. "I only got a temporary break. I’ll have to head back soon—but before that, I need to enjoy so rest."
With that, he left for his quarters.
"What’s with all of them looking so gloomy?" Marian mumbled. "Whatever... I should rest too. Henry, if you’re hungry, just order the minions to cook you sothing."
She waved a hand lazily as she disappeared down the corridor.
For a mont, Henry stood completely alone in the quiet mansion.
Then, after a few thoughtful seconds, he finally moved—walking silently in the direction of Auran’s room.
As Henry approached Auran’s room, he noticed Clara stepping out and heading into the room next door. She entered casually, as if it were her own space.
"There’s even a naplate on the door... she must’ve been here for several days," Henry murmured to himself, eyes narrowing. "Could it really be that Auran has a new girlfriend? But... sothing doesn’t add up."
Still doubting the idea, he turned toward Auran’s door and knocked.
"Auran, it’s Henry. May I co in?"
After a brief pause, Auran’s voice responded from inside.
"Yeah, co in."
Henry opened the door and stepped into the room.
---
anwhile, far away in the outside world...
Around a massive, half-subrged white globe embedded in the ground, the royal protectors marched in continuous rotation, keeping vigilant watch for any signs of danger or activity.
A small group of magicians stood nearby, observing the strange globe intently.
"Ever since it appeared," murmured a female mage, eyes locked on the surface of the sphere, "it hasn’t shown any sign of movent. No life, no threat—nothing at all."
"Sir," another mage asked, turning to an old, wise-looking man among them, "what do you think this thing is made of?"
The old man narrowed his eyes and placed a hand near the sphere, as if sensing it.
"The material that forms this globe seems to contain spatial mana... but there’s sothing else mixed within it," he said. "It’s similar to source energy—but far more refined. I believe it acts as a kind of shield... protecting sothing inside."
"Spatial mana and sothing superior to it?" the female magician echoed. "What could possibly be stronger than space?"
All of them glanced at one another, the weight of the question settling into silence.
And then the old man answered, his voice low and serious.
"Ti mana."
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