I reasoned that if Levina had been resting beneath the sea when the war took place, she should have attacked us in rage. So why hadn't she?
Her response was casual. "Oh, I was told by Freyja to remain neutral throughout the battle."
Ah. So she'd been coerced into neutrality—just like me.
Well, it was Freyja we were talking about. Arrogant, bossy, and utterly convinced she could order anyone around. Levina interfering in the battle would have disrupted her little chess game, so she made sure that wouldn't happen.
We should probably be grateful she didn't force Levina to join instead. Now that would've truly been cheating.
But still…
"And you agreed just like that?" I asked, frowning.
Why would the sovereign of these coastal waters, the ruler of the vast sea, simply comply?
Levina chuckled. "Well, I didn't want trouble with the gods, and she promised the battle would only last a few days..."
I stared at her in silence.
She smiled at that. "I see… That's why you're my beloved. You don't buy it, do you?"
No. No, I didn't.
Levina let out a small, amused sigh and admitted the truth.
Apparently, she had been bored.
The battle was nothing more than entertainment to her, a distraction while she gorged herself on the warriors' pain, suffering, and negative emotions.
And as if that wasn't enough, she took the fallen soldiers from both sides and turned them into water demons—her eternal servants.
Shrewdness, personified.
Freyja probably wouldn't have cared about the fallen pieces on her chessboard, meaning Levina was free to do as she pleased with them. It was likely an unspoken agreement between the two.
"Are you satisfied with my answer, my love?"
"It's 'my Master,' you forgot," I corrected. "And yes, I'm satisfied. Honestly, I was just curious. That war is behind me now."
Levina touched her cheek thoughtfully. "Oh, that reminds me. What brings you out here to Pison? Weren't you in Gihon?"
I summarized everything that had happened since Chapter 1.
...Wait. What chapter are we even on now?
Whatever.
As I explained my struggles, Levina nodded sympathetically, then declared that she'd never let me get deceived again.
That… actually stung a little. Like she thought I was some naïve fool who needed constant supervision to avoid buying a cheap crystal from a street peddler.
I told her about my plan to visit a human town and relax for a bit—at least until Pluto gave me my orders.
Of course, my main job was to eliminate Cthulhu—still so absurd that I kept shelving it in the back of my mind—but Pluto had agreed I should weaken her first before engaging fully.
Levina, however, didn't take me seriously.
"Hahaha! Husband of mine, you truly have a great sense of humor."
I'm not your husband. And I'm serious.
But, well… if I were an outsider, I'd probably laugh at the fool planning to challenge a cosmic entity like they were about to negotiate a business deal.
At least Levina had something useful to offer. She mentioned knowing the way to a nearby settlement—a tribal village that had existed for centuries.
She even offered to take us there.
Perfect.
Maybe they'd have a young deer for me.
Sure, I could go months without food, but why not indulge when given the chance?
As I pulled out the remnants of the bread Pluto had given me, Levina spoke up.
"Master Raven."
I paused.
Huh. The sack's contents—food, clothes—weren't wet or ruined. Must be enchanted or something.
I wanted Alicia to eat—it had been a while since her last meal.
Also, she adored the Bone Saw Pluto had gifted her.
It was shrunken down to the size of a regular saw now, but it could expand at the wielder's will. Judging by the way Alicia's eyes sparkled as she gazed at it, she was dying to use it.
In time, I'd teach her how to fight and defend herself. If anything happened while I wasn't around, she needed to be prepared.
Ah, right. Levina was saying something.
"I want to show you my abilities."
The moment she spoke, it was as if she had granted Platform permission to access her mind.
Information that had been locked earlier was now available to me.
"Oh!!" Levina gasped, trembling as she covered her mouth.
"Wh-what?" I asked.
"Master… Master is inside me. It feels sooooo—"
…Yeah, okay. That was just a full-blown perversion seizure.
Ignoring her, I focused on the data Platform relayed to me:
{Queen of the Coast: Levina
Pact: Servant of the Dark Fenrir
Blessings: Banner of Ruben
Class: Cosmic-level Principality
Attributes: Water 99%, Wind 60%, Earth 40%, Fire 30%, Lightning 60%, Darkness 80%
Special Gift: Marine Kingdom
Abilities: Black and White Water, Envy-Dominion, Envious Trade, Water Dominion, Dark Magic}
Yikes. That's a lot.
Not like I'm one to talk, though. Mine had "etc."
Looking at this arsenal, I could already tell she could easily kill a powerful principality or champion if they weren't paying attention.
But what caught my attention was that my attributes had no percentage tag.
…What's that supposed to mean?
And what's with this "Banner of Ruben" blessing? I'm not that important. Can I get that removed?
Oh, and while we're at it—how long is this Pact supposed to last?
I asked her directly, and she responded with a thoughtful hum.
"Hmmm… Maybe we set it to eternity?"
Not only was she asking me back, but she also said "we."
So she doesn't even know how the Pact was formed?
Which means… she had help.
Well, what's done is done. The Pact exists, and I'm bound to it.
Honestly, I don't even want to meet the monster that helped her manipulate what we normally consider common sense.
But that Special Gift of hers—Marine Kingdom—piqued my interest.
"So, Levina," I started, "would you mind telling me about your Special Gift?"
"Of course, my love!"
It's "my Master," though.
She stood up, beaming at me.
"But why don't I show you instead?"
She reached out her hand.
"What? I'm supposed to hold your hand?" I asked.
"Indeed! E-Else the gate won't open."
Hmmm. She definitely sounded like she was lying just to hold my hand, but… fine. Let's humor her.
I grabbed her hand, and she took a moment to savor the feeling, grinning from ear to ear.
Then—
"Why are you holding HER too?!" Levina burst out.
"Huh? But I thought we had to be holding hands, or else we wouldn't be able to enter the Marine Kingdom?"
"What? Who told you such a lie?!"
"…"
…Confusion.
Realizing her slip-up, Levina quickly backpedaled.
"Ah, I mean, I just… Okay, let's all hold hands."
Tsk. This sea monster.
Then, seemingly by her will, a ripple surfaced in the air. The water stirred, forming a shimmering gate before us.
And just like that, we stepped forward.
I still don't see why we needed to hold hands for this.
But now I'm curious—what kind of place is this Marine Kingdom?
I expected it to be something like my Shadow Realm, but from what I could sense, it wasn't just a void designed to hold objects.
It was an actual place.
And as we arrived on the other side, the ripple disappeared behind us—revealing a completely new world, displayed in Panasonic before my eyes.