With Prince Hodr gone, life returned to normal. We heard that the auditor loved the Reineke Hot Spring so much that he gave out the souvenirs he’d bought and recommended it to everyone. Even more tourists from the capital began pouring in, as did merchants looking to deal in our local specialties.
The Renard domain was brimming with vigor. Ship traffic increased, and everything was going well—until it wasn’t.
“A leviathan and kraken were spotted out in the sea, so we have suspended service of all large-scale cargo vessels,” my father announced. Leviathans and krakens were large monsters that lived in the sea.
Liam and I were in the marquis’s office, as he’d wanted to consult us about the impasse he was faced with. Lord Reineke was curled up and asleep by my feet.
“Again? The sea’s supposed to be calm at this time of year. How odd,” Liam said.
“That’s why it’s a major problem,” father replied.
Both of them sighed, though their expressions were blank.
We’d been dealt a hard blow just as tourism was booming.
“Also, our downstream neighbor lost another ship,” father said.
“That’s the third one this month,” Liam responded.
Father nodded. “I was going to keep an eye on it from afar, since it’s another domain’s business, but their feudal lord asked me for advice.”
“Right. I heard there have been no casualties so far, but at this rate, it’s only a matter of time,” Liam said, frowning.
“Search teams are trying to find the cause behind the accidents, but it doesn’t seem like a sea monster was responsible. They’re struggling to understand the situation.”
Father spread out a ship route map onto the table. Red circles indicated the sites of accidents, with the date and extent of damage noted for each.
“Looks like the accidents are occurring closer and closer to Renard,” I pointed out, just stating my observation.
My father and brother turned to me.
“That’s...true,” father said.
Liam patted my head. “You have a good eye.”
“Then we can’t just ignore this. We don’t know when an accident might happen within our bounds,” father said.
Liam and I nodded.
“Let’s focus on uncovering the cause,” Liam suggested.
Lord Reineke stood up.
“This doesn’t smell like a human’s doing,” he said, his muzzle wrinkling in displeasure. “Whatever it is has some nerve to be treading upon my turf. Liam, send out a ship! And Lune, voice your wish!”
The spirit was angry, but he couldn’t use his power to fulfill his own desire. It had to be his contractor’s wish.
“Lord Reineke, please help us to resolve the matter of the capsizing ships,” I requested formally.
Satisfied, the fox nodded.
✦ ✦ ✦
Liam, Bal, Lord Reineke, and I were on a ship sailing down the Renard River. Marcel was in charge, with three other men completing the crew.
We planned to pass the accident sites and investigate what had happened. But there was the danger of us ramming into the sunken ships, so we were all wearing leather vests filled with air that would keep us afloat if we fell into the water. It was compulsory to wear them on any Renard Water Transport vessel.
Marcel had proposed to bring a magical shield for protection, but Lord Reineke rejected the idea in case it alerted any monsters. For the same reason, the spirit made himself small enough to fit into my hands.
It was late fall, and the cold river breeze felt refreshing. My silver ears and tail were glad to be brushed by the wind. We followed the stream and enjoyed the ride until we reached a narrow pass called the Dragon Cascade.
“This part’s dangerous. Brace yourselves and hold on tight!” Marcel called out.
“Aye!” the valiant crew members responded in unison.
I stuffed Lord Reineke into the space between my body and the life jacket. Liam grabbed the brim of the ship with one hand and held me with the other. Bal held onto the gunwale too, fascinated.
“Whoa! That boulder looks like a floor!”
A large rock was submerged on the riverbed. The construction crew had had the most difficulty in this area—even their explosives failed to break it apart, leaving the large boulder behind. This had created a waterfall, and the area was prone to accidents.
However, with his extraordinary technique, Marcel managed to avoid the rock. The boat floated smoothly along the swift current.
“Ah! My stomach feels weird!” I said, hugging my belly.
Liam looked a bit unwell too.
“What the— I feel sick...but great at the same time!” Bal shouted.
The crew members laughed.
“Bal, you have the makings of a boatman!”
We safely crossed the Dragon Cascade, and the current was once again calm. That was when Lord Reineke lifted his head.
“This is where I would’ve expected something to happen.”
“What do you mean?” Liam asked.
“This place is accident-prone, which makes it perfect for hunting humans,” Lord Reineke responded as though it should’ve been obvious.
My ears drooped upon hearing such ominous words. I hugged Lord Reineke tightly, and Liam hugged me in turn.
“I’ll keep you safe, Lune,” he whispered sweetly, making my tail wag all on its own.
Lord Reineke clicked his tongue.
“Don’t think I will sit idly by either!”
Marcel and Bal laughed at his indignant shout.
The boat continued traveling down the river. In the distance, Paravento Rock came into view. It was a beautiful sight to behold, a great stone standing as tall as a wall and surrounded by red autumn leaves.
“Wow... So pretty,” I said in wonderment.
Marcel chuckled. “Despite its looks, that place is dangerous too. Look over there—there’s a second river. They join at that spot, crashing against Paravento Rock. If we get careless, the whole ship might slam into it!”
I shuddered, but Marcel just grinned.
“Don’t worry. We won’t make that kind of blunder, eh?”
“Aye aye! We’ve got this!” The other crew members pounded their chests.
Bal stared at Marcel with admiration.
“Thank goodness there are so many reliable people in Renard!” I said, smiling.
Just as Liam nodded, I suddenly heard a beautiful singing voice echoing around me. It was a wondrous, suffocatingly sweet voice that made my fox ears perk up.
The crew members fell into a trance, staring raptly at Paravento Rock where the song was coming from.
One moment the voice sounded like a bubbling stream, the next like a roaring sea. I found myself curious about what it would sound like next. The mysterious, elusive song glided over us like ocean waves. It was so wonderful that I simply had to listen to it, yet no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make out the lyrics.
“Is that singer a foreigner? But...where are they?” Bal asked, leaning over the edge of the ship.
“Are they on top of the rock? I can’t see from here.”
“Could a person even climb up that perilous rock?”
“Well, either way...”
The crew members talked among themselves. Marcel looked puzzled.
I closed my eyes to focus on the song.
“Lune, snap out of it!” Lord Reineke said, smacking me in the face with his tail.
My eyes flew open.
“Lord Reineke?!”
“This is the voice of a merfolk! If we don’t do something, the ship will crash into that rock!”
Everyone had become so mesmerized by the song that they weren’t paying attention to where the ship was going.
“What should I do?!”
I tried to come up with an idea, but the singing voice was distracting me, making my mind feel like mud.
Oh no... I feel like I’m losing consciousness...
I was starting to panic. Lord Reineke put his paw pad on my nose.
“Calm down, Lune. I am here.”
The fox smiled, then pressed his nose into my ear and exhaled. Suddenly, I could no longer hear the merfolk, and my thoughts cleared up.
“Thank you, Lord Reineke!”
He nodded smugly.
I raised my head. Everyone had lost their sanity because of the song, and I was sure they couldn’t even hear Lord Reineke anymore.
“Lune, do as I did and smack them with your tail! That should wake them up!”
As a spirit, Lord Reineke couldn’t use his magic to influence the human world as he liked. I had to act on his behalf as his contractor, and he could only use his magic through me.
“Guys! Get a hold of yourselves! That’s a merfolk’s song!”
Liam was still holding me. When I hit his arm with my tail, he looked down at me with a glazed look in his eyes.
“What is it, Lune?” he asked sleepily. He looked adorable when he was so out of it, but this wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
“Brother! A merfolk is enchanting everyone!”
My words finally snapped Liam back to his senses. He gripped the Eclipse Blade, and I felt the Lord of Darkness stirring within.
“No!” I shouted, pushing down his hand.
What if Mr. Marcel finds out that Liam’s contracted with the Lord of Darkness?!
My brother surmised my worries and lowered the sword back into its scabbard with a frustrated sigh.
“I should be able to wake them up with my tail!” I said.
Liam released me from his hold. I rushed over to Bal, smacking him with my tail.
“Bal! Wake up!”
“Huh? Soft...” Bal mumbled, blinking absentmindedly.