Vlad captured Cleo, who was swallowed by the water, through his night vision binoculars.
It was a magic tool that, when equipped with an ether battery, allowed one to see in dark places as if it were bright for a few minutes.
Beyond the lens.
Cleo, drawn deep into the surface of the water without being able to take a single breath, did not surface for a long time.
If the red-haired girl who jumped into the water right after hadn't caught him, Cleo would have drowned just like that.
Bzzzt.
As the binoculars' battery ran out, Vlad's suspicious eyes were reflected in the blackened lens.
Even though he was a wizard wielding such powerful magic, Cleo clearly seemed to be terrified of water.
His younger brother, who had a large age gap with him, had a weak body and a melancholic temperament, but he had no particular fear of going near the water.
After all, that child was born and raised by the sea.
The moment the suspicion in his seemingly affectionate grayish-blue eyes transformed into dark certainty.
Dione, spotting Vlad, urgently deployed a [Defense] magic.
It was because she caught the spray of water rushing toward the dock.
"Watch out! [The light of protection is faint but not extinguished, it shall be as firm and solid as my will!]"
The wave that swallowed Cleo finally reached the port.
Swaaaaash! Crash!
Its momentum had weakened so it wasn't enough to destroy buildings, but it was a wave that could easily knock people over.
...
Cleo slowly regained consciousness to the sound of a man and a woman murmuring.
It was an unfamiliar room.
'A hotel near the port?'
The wallpaper, furniture arrangement, linen engraved with initials, and the view of the port from the bed were all quite typical.
Only then did the meaning of the words exchanged near his pillow begin to enter his mind.
The man was Vlad.
"Since you protected me, Lady, I must repay this debt for the rest of my life."
The woman was Dione.
"It's a very attractive offer, Vice Representative Asser, but I feel it would be a bit difficult to have a man weaker than myself as a lifelong contract partner like in marriage."
Even in a half-asleep state, he could feel the sharp thorns in Dione's beautiful voice.
At that moment, Dione was the first to notice Cleo's pale eyelids fluttering open.
"Ah, ah! Young Master, are you awake?"
At Dione's fuss, Vlad, turning toward the bed, put on a brightly smiling expression.
His acting skills for facial expressions were top-notch.
"Are you awake, Ray? How is your body?"
At Vlad's behavior of consistently calling him by his pet name without forgetting, Cleo felt a dull ache in his stomach.
'Anyway, he really has a knack for getting on people's nerves.'
"...I'm fine."
"Lady Dione's healing magic must have been effective. Of course, your magic was also amazing. But did you trade your swimming skills to gain magic skills? To think you'd become afraid of water."
Compared to his reluctance towards water in the past, his current aversion wasn't even that great...
But even that seemed strange in the eyes of his blood relative.
Cleo could instinctively sense that this was a kind of test, even with his clouded mind right after waking up.
His fast-working brain quickly came up with an answer.
"It seems to be because my body lost its strength right after using a major magic spell, Brother."
Isiel flinched slightly.
In her view, today's incident was an accident caused by fear of water, not ether depletion.
"Oh dear. I hope you recover well in every way. I'd like to take care of you a bit more, but it's such a pity that I can't delay any longer."
'Take care of me, my foot. Isiel and Dione did all the work, didn't they?'
Anyway, he was a guy who was good at spouting bullshit he didn't mean.
Wondering how he could get Vlad to leave, Cleo looked at the clock on the mantelpiece.
Before he knew it, the time was heading towards midnight.
Noticing Cleo's expression, Dione tactfully wrapped things up.
"As his former guardian, I will take responsibility and nurse the young master. Asser Corporation is opening the largest booth among Albion's participating companies at the expo, aren't you? There's nothing more important than that. Vice Representative, please don't worry and go get some sleep."
"Then, I will properly thank you next time. I am moved by your generous heart, Lady Dione. Ray, let's see each other at the expo."
"Take care on your way, Brother."
Click.
They ended the conversation with only good words on smiling faces, but something was strange.
Vlad's behavior was incredibly uncomfortable.
However, a fatigue greater than the discomfort washed over him, and Cleo ended up passing out.
"Cleo!"
Isiel quickly reached out her arm and cradled Cleo's head, which was about to smash into the headboard.
"Young Master!"
Following that, Dione made a fuss about casting a [Mitigation] spell or not.
Although she looked neat on the outside having changed out of her wet clothes, Dione wouldn't have much ether left either.
She had used magic to evacuate people and recover Cleo, hadn't she?
Only after a long tug-of-war could Cleo dissuade Dione.
"Ah, no... It's not like I caught a fatal disease, so please save your ether. Right, Isiel, is Arthur okay?"
"Sir Arthur is safe. However, he went to bed early due to fatigue. Your older brother came after that."
"Mr. White, the companion, is staying in the same room as the prince. He said he would let us know if any problems arise. Did you say he was an experimental assistant? He looks young but is so capable."
Isiel, who couldn't hide her expression, just stared out the window where it was black and nothing could be seen, while Cleo pretended to be sleepy and hid his panic.
Perhaps because Fran himself burned all his portraits when leaving the Hyde-White mansion and made sure not to leave any photos, Dione didn't seem to know Fran's true identity.
'That's a re...lief.'
"I see. That's good. So let's rest. It's been a long day."
"Okay. I'll take my leave too, Young Master."
Perhaps she was also tired, as Dione grabbed the hem of her skirt and quickly left the room.
The last remaining person, Isiel, turned off the gas lamp in the room.
Holding a lamp in one hand and pulling Cleo's blanket up with the other, Isiel spoke heavily.
"Are you really okay after using such a great magic and even falling into the water? Your complexion is bad."
"No, I was fine because you saved me in time. You've saved my life twice now. I owe you a debt."
The moment Arthur missed Cleo, Isiel, who was waiting nearby, jumped into the water.
Isiel, who was originally much more skilled at swimming than Arthur, bravely crossed the fiercely howling sea and rescued Cleo.
"This is not something to be called a debt. It's what anyone should rightfully do."
Isiel's answer did not deviate from his expectations at all.
Perhaps she was embarrassed to hear words of praise, as only her ears were slightly red.
Isn't she a truly upright knight cadet.
While Cleo was feeling pleased, Isiel took something out of her pocket.
"Here, since defeating the beast is your achievement, Sir Arthur said it's right that you have this."
Isiel, who pressed a mana stone into her classmate's hand, turned around with restraint and left the room.
'Promise' revealed the identity of the mana stone.
In the darkness, the radiance of the white agate stood out charmingly.
[Agate of the Cloud and Mist : Mana Stone of Clouds and Fog]
Holding the warmly heated agate, somehow a corner of his chest felt ticklish.
Left alone, Cleo fell asleep with a soft smile.
***
The party arrived in the capital of Brunnen one day later than originally scheduled.
On the steamboat going up the Breck River, the major buildings of the city could be seen at a glance.
Koneburg was a city built in a very different style from Lundane.
The roads and buildings were all large and new compared to Lundane.
The city, built with yellowish limestone, had many square-shaped buildings, giving it a somewhat exaggerated yet clunky impression.
'It's a neoclassical style. Come to think of it, they said they laid the foundation stones from scratch along the riverside where there was only a trading post after the monarchy was established, so it's only been about thirty years since it was built? It's completely a new city.'
While Cleo was lost in thought, Arthur stretched his body out over the railing as if he had discovered something.
"Ray, Ray! Do you see? That must be Zeppelin Island."
"Zeppelin Island?"
"Yeah! Originally, there was a Door of Mnemosyne there too!"
He was a 3rd Prince who showed off that he had studied the guidebook hard.
At the tip of his finger, a small island dividing the Breck River into two streams could be seen.
Cle