By Zephyria 
The following days passed by with great speed and chaos.
It was all because the Golden Turtle had come ashore.
The Golden Turtle was once a body where a god had resided, a legendary Divine Beast consistently mentioned throughout the Yulan Millennium Dynasty. Its corpse held a divinity comparable to the Statue of the Goddess’s Head or the Sanctuary of the Sun, and it possessed a dazzling golden hue that anyone would covet.
Those who held positions in the land of Yulan swarmed in.
The desperate Yulan siblings and nobles visited us in turn, alternating between persuasion, intimidation, and pleading.
While everyone in Yulan knew of the Golden Turtle legend, no one in the Sierran Empire had ever heard of it. So, at first, I wanted to hand it over to the Yulan royal siblings and leave them to handle it themselves. However, after listening carefully to Ivan and Ruben’s explanations, I realized that wasn’t possible.
It was because the corpse of a Sieran Citizen was found inside the turtle’s belly.
The Yulan nobles, who wanted to neatly prepare the newly appeared holy body and use it as a tourist attraction, clashed fiercely with Rubel, who wanted to preserve its original form for analysis as evidence to finally catch a Black magician.
It was both Ruben’s and my doing that the creature was brought ashore.
Ruben and I led the Golden Turtle to Songbrue Port. The Yulan Kingdom Citizens, whose homes were soaked and who were terrified, and the Yulan Spirit Callers, who stood guard to prevent another disaster, all witnessed the sight. It was what the Nereids had done to chase us, but that was the result.
I cut down the spirit that conjured high waves. The spirits of Yeldidus and mermaids helped push the Golden Turtle, which had drifted ashore, onto the beach. Fish caught from the sea belong to the fishermen, so a Golden Turtle caught in this manner was also our property.
However, from the Yulan people’s perspective, it was an unprecedented disaster. It was originally theirs, from their land. I couldn’t just leave those who lamented their injustice, so I did my best to manage the situation.
And so, the place where I am now sitting is a villa belonging to the Yulan Royal Family.
The large main hall, which was likely used as a private bedroom, was divided in half. On the left side, I have a sofa and table where I can sit and rest, and on the right side, Rubel has a raised desk and chairs for guests to meet people.
Opening the west window, I could see the Tourmaline Lighthouse beyond the low wall. Further beyond that, the white rooftops of the Yulan Royal Palace were visible. This villa, neither too far nor too close to the Yulan Royal Palace, was lent to us by the royal siblings because our current residence was not yet clear, allowing Yulan nobles to visit freely.
Inside the villa’s walls was a small garden. This garden was also a Coral Garden. We moved the red and yellow corals aside and placed the Golden Turtle neatly in the center.
It gleamed as if a piece of the sun had been broken off and placed in the garden, illuminating the surroundings brightly both day and night. The turtle, having regained its beautiful form with the help of spirit masters and various spirits, lay as if it were about to exhale, full of life. It shone bright light towards this window by absorbing the sun’s rays, making my eyes ache.
However, it couldn’t be moved or cleared away.
It was placed where I could always see it, in case someone tried to steal it or cut off a piece. Although guards were posted, if anything were to happen, I could open the window and leap out myself to deal with it, so this was better.
The sofa I am sitting on is very soft and comfortable, perhaps because it was used by royalty. When we first arrived at the villa, I stood behind Ruben to protect him. However, Ruben found it uncomfortable, so I had someone change the room’s layout to what it is now, and I’ve been passing the time since.
Two or three Ranunculuses, squeezing through the half-open window, flew into the sky.
Immediately after the incident, Ruben requested that three mages with deep knowledge of Black Magic be dispatched from the Sieran First Magic Tower. He also summoned knights to prepare for any contingencies and diplomats to mediate potential national disputes.
But the distance from the Sieran capital to Yulan is not short, is it?
We sent out Ranunculuses to Withrow and the other three ducal families as well, but there were few useful individuals immediately available. None of Ruben’s informants held a suitable position. Because of this, Ivan Bikoff, who had inadvertently become his right-hand man, was running around frantically.
And so, I, by chance…
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
I was sitting opposite Baroness Vikoff, enduring the silence.
It was incredibly awkward, but there was no other way.
Hundreds of people had gathered to claim the Golden Turtle. The interest in our party was intense and fervent. The safest place in this villa right now was by my side. How could I refuse Ivan’s request to protect his wife safely while Ruben was busy with his tasks?
Recalling how I treated my friend’s wife in my past life was of no help. Due to the separation of men and women, I had never been in the presence of their wives without my friend.
And should I treat her like a junior disciple? Although she was my friend’s wife, she was also a man. Treating her like a common woman had its limits, and speaking to her was incredibly difficult.
“…Ahem.”
“…! Yes, did, did you call me?”
“…No.”
Moreover, she trembled nervously at a mere cough, so how could I speak to her…?
My large build was not for nothing. I swallowed a sigh and refilled her empty teacup with tea. Sienna Bikoff, paying great attention to etiquette, lifted the small cup with her large hand, took a sip, and set it down, her fingertips trembling pitifully.
As a gesture of consideration, I turned my gaze away from her. Various snacks were placed on the table, but no one touched them. Since the person opposite me was trembling without being able to eat a single bite, I lost my appetite as well. During this time, Ruben met and dealt with three or four Yulan nobles.
How much time passed like this?
Several unfamiliar individuals came and went. The people now in front of Ruben were not Yulan nobles but Sieran informants, and Rubel was busy listening to the power dynamics among the Yulan nobles.
Suddenly, I thought of something and looked at Sienna. She seemed bored from doing nothing and was fidgeting in her seat.
It would be better to give her something to do. I had no ulterior motives. I just thought it would be good if she gained one more skill, as she would be by Ivan’s side for the rest of his life.
“Baroness Bikoff.”
“Yes!”
“Would you perhaps be interested in learning some basic self-defense?”
“What?”
❖ ❖ ❖
Indeed, there is nothing like training to become close with a man.
To teach self-defense without injury, I started by explaining how to warm up.
Sienna Bikoff had a limited range of motion in her muscles. She was the stiffest person I had seen since Mage Boulder. It was fascinating to see how someone with such a formidable martial physique could end up like this if they never took the time to train their body separately.
I had her sit on the floor, as her long legs made it difficult to sit on the sofa. I instructed her to spread her legs wide and hold her ankles with her hands, but her ankles were out of the question; she could barely reach her knees. However, her upper body development was even. The biggest problem, in my opinion, was her poor balance, so I taught her exercises that were effective for lower body training.
If I had my way, I would have pressed down on her back to help her split her legs, but how could I carelessly touch another man’s wife? I only guided her with words, telling her to do this and that, helping her correct her posture, teaching her the Mabo Stance, and having her repeat stretches several times.
Sienna Bikoff was only hesitant for the first hour.
“Now, Mabo Stance again. We’ll do thirty minutes this time.”
“Gah.”
“Shh. Keep your voice down.”
“…”
She was now glaring at me. I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
“Do you not want to do it?”
“No, no…”
“Anything you learn will be beneficial. Especially for you, Baroness, your leg muscles are very contracted from lack of exercise, and if it continues, your walking speed will drastically decrease by the time you’re forty.”
“…Forty?”
“It might seem far off now, but age comes quickly. Come on.”
“…Yes…”
To set an example, I also took the Mabo Stance next to her.
In the Central Plains, it was common to place long poles with rocks or weights on the shoulders, but I didn’t do that here. I was cautious about breaking any valuable items in this place surrounded by precious objects.
Counting ten breaths, I extended my arms forward or sideways, balanced my weight, and focused my mind.
Sienna Bikoff, struggling to hold the pose, collapsed onto the floor in less than ten minutes.
If they were the disciples I used to teach, they would have gotten up immediately and continued the Mabo Stance for another hour. But seeing the Baroness, her short hair and shirt soaked in sweat as she rolled on the floor, I felt like I was making her do something terrible, so we decided to take a break.
“You’re breathing too heavily. Breathing is the foundation of martial arts, so instead of gasping with your throat, it’s better to inhale deeply down to below your navel and exhale all at once.”
“Yes, uh, Count, Count.”
“I am not a Count yet. Lord Ernhardt is sufficient.”
I felt like I had said this before.
“Yes… Lord Ernhardt… Uh, may I have some water?”
“Ah. Please do.”
Sienna Bikoff, clinging to the back of the sofa and climbing like she was scaling a mountain, collapsed onto the sofa. Without minding the teacup rattling, she poured water into the small teacup and drank three times in a row. Her unpretentious manner made me smile.
“Would you like to rest for a moment?”
“Yes. Haa, yes. Thank you… Thank you.”
“I heard you’re a good swimmer. It seems you’ve never exercised on land?”
“Well.”
She glanced at me nervously, as if it were a trivial matter. I nodded once to encourage her.
“You can be honest.”
“Yes… Actually, I don’t usually do the heavy lifting myself… I usually just handle calculations or navigation as the head of trade. The escorts are mostly mercenaries…”
The Baroness’s voice was polite, but her demeanor was not. She sat sprawled on the sofa with her legs wide apart. She seemed completely overwhelmed, her face flushed red as she rubbed it with both hands and blinked, appearing to be struggling greatly, so I didn’t point it out.
While waiting for the Teapot Artifact to refill with water, her gaze remained fixed on the teapot. Was she still thirsty after drinking so greedily? Still, her speech had certainly opened up more than before she started drinking. This made it easier for me to converse with her.
“Where did you learn to swim?”
“Actually, swimming too… I just know how to float. This time, it was less swimming and more just pulling people out of the water, and most of the help came from spirits.”
“This time?”
“Yes, at Songbrue Port.”
Even soaked, she immediately extended her hands, and it seemed she had pulled out several people besides me in that manner.
Rubel, noticing that Baroness Bikoff’s voice, which had always been small and trembling like a mouse’s, had grown louder, looked over and met my eyes. When I smiled at him, Rubel smiled back. It seemed this much noise didn’t bother Rubel, so I relaxed.
I didn’t want to see Baroness Bikoff, who finally seemed more at ease, shrink back again.
Her voice had grown louder, so I just changed the subject.