Tamed or Captured

Nek sighed.

“Yes. But he’s dead. The flower spirit killed him.”

Asha was at a loss for words at the shocking story. Then, she asked hesitantly.

“You’re not a Water Spirit, are you?”

Nek replied, smiling triumphantly.

“Finally, you realize my worth. But since you’ve already made a contract with the Wind Spirit, I must go find my true master. Goodbye!”

Nek turned back into a person, opened the window, and awkwardly prepared to jump out.

“Wait…!”

Asha reached out, but he had already jumped out of the window.

Asha held onto the windowsill and looked down. She quickly left the room to find him. She didn’t want to let him go without possibly hearing the rest.

However, soon she heard the screams of the maids outside.

Asha let out a deep sigh.

     Going around the palace naked will only cause chaos.

Just in case, Asha grabbed her bow and arrow before leaving the room.

In the distance, the maids seemed to be covering their eyes as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have. Asha ran towards them and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“Lady Vanessa! There’s…a madman…”

The maids replied, unable to think of a better adjective than the one Asha had used earlier.

Asha sighed and asked.

“Where did that crazy person go?”

“We saw him heading to Sonya’s room just now!

Asha’s eyes widened and she quickly ran toward Sonya’s room.

She wouldn’t let Sonya look at that perverted dagger for nothing.…. 

Amid her regret, she heard Sonya’s screams coming from her room.

“…… Kyaaak!”

Asha saw the door open, she rushed to the door and froze.

A man with only his lower body covered with a white towel turned around and stood confidently with his hands on his waist.

In front of him, Sonya was cowering on the floor, shivering and covering her eyes.

     Poor Sonya……

Asha inwardly clicked her tongue but didn’t notice that Sonya had all five fingers slightly spread out.

Asha raised her bow and aimed it at the man. 

Nek looked back at her.

“Where are my clothes?”

Asha looked down for a moment, stunned.

He looked down as well. He noticed that the towel barely covered his hips and raised his eyebrows nonchalantly.

“I may be a dagger, but I do have one thing that’s long.”

Asha shot an arrow at him without hesitation. He dodged by moving to the side as if he were dancing.

“I would have stayed quiet if you hadn’t taken my clothes!”

“Quiet? You were making noises like a grazing goat, you perverted spirit!”

Nek quickly escaped through the gap between the servants and ran outside.

The maids at the doorway screamed and covered their eyes as he sprinted down the hallway with all his might.

The knights who came running were taken aback as he leaped high like a monkey, stepping on their shoulders and making his way out.

“Lady Vanessa! What on earth is going on?!”

Asha straightened her bow and furrowed her eyebrows.

“I think we have to catch that madman.”

Following her instructions, the knights thoroughly searched the palace.

The entire place was put on alert due to the unbelievable incident that occurred at dawn.

As soon as Karaf heard the news, he drew his sword and stormed into the Empress’ palace.

“Are you okay……!”

But when Asha saw his face, her eyes widened.

Flower petals were stuck all over his face.

He had suddenly appeared barefoot in front of her when he was putting on a face mask.

It was a truly ridiculous sight, but Asha calmed him down by holding his arm.

“I’m fine, Your Majesty. But that man seems to be a water spirit.”

“A water spirit?”

Karaf’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Yes, and his former master was a man named Cylon. He might know something about Your Majesty’s curse.”

Karaf’s eyes widened in surprise. At that moment, a knight shouted.

“He’s in the outdoor bath!”

He immediately ran down the hallway in hot pursuit.

When the knights arrived at the outdoor bath, they stopped and stood still with incredulous faces.

A naked man stared at them like a water ghost, his face flushed with embarrassment, with only his eyes and nose exposed above the water.

Karaf spoke again in anger.

“Even if I chop him up with this sword, it won’t be enough punishment for that shameless bastard!”

He fiercely jumped into the water with a sword in his hand, but Nek pulled his body back and easily dodged the attack.

“Uh? It’s a flower spirit……? Did you kill my master back then?”

 Suddenly, his eyes gleamed.

When Karaf heard that, he swung his sword with madness, but Nek spat out an exclamation of ‘hey’ at him, avoiding the attack.

Nek ran at an incredible speed like a wild horse, and Karaf couldn’t catch him even when he chased and swung his sword.

Duran chased after the naked man, watching Karaf swing his sword and Nek laugh and jump around cheerfully.

Then Karaf said in a low voice.

“That crazy man.”

Nek looked at him and said.

“My name is Nek, not crazy!”

“I’ll give you what you want.”

“Really?”

As Nek said enthusiastically, Karaf spoke coldly.

“If you beat me.”

Nek’s eyes widened. But soon, he started laughing.

“I didn’t know the flower spirit was a fighter!”

Karaf rushed towards him, and Nek pulled back his body, easily dodging his sword and reaching out a hand.

A water stream like a tentacle grabbed Karaf’s sword. 

Karaf tried to pull it out, but the sword didn’t slip easily from Nek’s hand.

Nek looked at him and said calmly.

“Hmm, it seems the flower spirit has lost its strength.”

At that moment, water tentacles flowed out of Nek’s body again and tightly wrapped around Karaf’s body, lifting him off the ground.

The more he struggled, the tighter the water squeezed his body.

“Your Majesty!”

Duran drew his sword and rushed to attack.

His sword slashed through Nek’s body diagonally, but no blood flowed, and the cut flesh instantly reconnected as one.

The knights’ eyes widened in shock.

It was apparent that Nek was a type of water spirit that could not be harmed with a sword.

Duran was about to run to save Karaf, but Karaf stopped him.

“Don’t come!”

Karaf spoke strongly.

Nek said mischievously, looking at Karaf who had cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

“Be careful not to lose your mind. The moment you lose your mind, even a little bit, you’ll die.”

The knights flinched at the terrifying words.

“Your Majesty…!”

Duran shouted with an unusual anger.

Karaf knew that his confrontation with the water spirit was not yet over. Since Cylon had placed a curse on his heart, he could never get close to the water spirit.

However, he only wanted to prevent the knights, including Duran, from falling into a disaster due to their fight. 

Above all, he had to protect Asha.

When the knights couldn’t stand it and tried to rush in again, Nek raised his other hand and spoke fiercely.

“If you move one more step, I will kill the flower spirit.”

Due to the water spirit’s severe emotional ups and downs, everyone had to be cautious in their actions.

Karaf felt like he was suffocating and losing his mind as he was surrounded by a whirlwind of water.

Nek walked towards him step by step.

Karaf glared at Nek with his red eyes, his face red as he gasped for air.

Nek tilted his head and murmured.

“Strange. I wanted to greet you after a long time…. Why are you sleeping?”

He carefully scanned the spirit’s energy from Karaf’s chest.

But just as Nek lowered his hand toward Karaf’s chest, he was thrown backward before his hand could touch him.

He rolled several times before finally stopping.

At the same time, the water stream that had bound Karaf’s body disappeared in an instant, and he fell to the ground.

Nek looked at him, his eyes widening as he lay face down on the ground.

“What… what happened to you?”

But then, strong winds blew from all directions, and arrows surrounded Nek’s body.

When he turned his head, Asha, holding a bow, appeared behind him.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

Karaf, who had been lying on the ground, stood up.

He clenched his chest with one hand and said.

“I’m fine. But I have something to say to him.”

Karaf immediately glared at Nek, who was still looking at Asha with his eyes bulging, as if he didn’t understand.

Karaf’s gaze was fierce enough to tear him apart.

“….You’re a water spirit. Why are you here?”

“Huh? Why did you ask me that when I was left in that woman’s room…?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Nek’s face hit the ground.

Suddenly, Duran was savagely thrusting a blade against his neck from behind.

“Answer, you pervert.”

“I feel wronged…!”

Duran once again grabbed Nek by the back of his head and banged it on the ground.

“I…… I just wanted my clothes back….”

Nek cried out in a choked voice, feeling unjustly accused.

Asha looked at him with pity, while Karaf frowned and asked.

“What kind of crap are you talking about?”

Asha sighed and approached Nek with a scabbard.

“I’ll return your clothes, but you must answer my questions.”

Nek looked up at her with tear-filled eyes and nodded.

“First, transform. I’ll put them on for you.”

Karaf raised an eyebrow, but Nek obediently transformed into his dagger form.

Everyone’s eyes widened at the sight of it.

But, Asha calmly put the dagger back in its scabbard.

Karaf asked, furrowing one eyebrow.

“It’s similar to that horse bastard. How can it transform like that?”

“Water has no form, so I can become anything!”

Nek replied.

Asha stopped asking and lightly touched Karaf’s arm.

When Karaf turned around, Asha gave him a serious look and told him to return to his room.

He was so angry that he hadn’t thought of that. Many eyes were watching them.

Even though they were outside, it was easy for rumors to reach the ears of the nobles.

It would be hard to hide the rumor that a strange spirit had been roaming the palace. And since there were many witnesses, it was better not to spread rumors related to Karaf’s curse.

Karaf nodded.

“Let’s go to my room.”

* * * * *

Once in his room, Karaf ordered the knights to keep everyone away.

He sat cross-legged in a chair and looked at Nek, dressed and kneeling on the red carpet, tightly bound in chains.

Karaf maintained a heavy silence for a while before slowly opening his mouth.

“…… So, you’re a dagger, and Vanessa hid your clothes and that’s what caused this commotion?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

When Nek suddenly raised his head, before he knew it, Duran, who was next to him, pressed his head roughly again.

Karaf glanced briefly at Asha, who was beside him.

“And, did that bastard appear at the Empress’ Palace at dawn and touch the Empress’ body?”

Only then did Nek, who finally understood the situation, start to sweat.