The people around them froze for a moment, then began clamoring.
"Lord, has something happened?"
"Are there enemies?"
"Is it those pirates? Are they coming to rob us?"
"Lord, we're not afraid of pirates! My dad was a soldier, and I can fight too!"
"For the Count!"
Theus stepped into the crowd and raised an arm, shouting, "Everyone! Please listen to me!"
The people fell silent, watching Theus with excited expressions like soldiers awaiting the order to charge.
"Our advance team has discovered strange monsters in the sea. They are enormous and difficult to stop. More importantly, they are gathering in our direction!"
Ash's repeated investigations had confirmed that those long serpents were deliberately extending toward Castel. This small island in the Storm Ocean was blocking their path.
The workers around them grew restless. The word "monster" was far too distant from their everyday lives, and once some of them processed what it meant, fear appeared on their faces.
Without hesitation, Theus immediately raised his voice. "People of Castel, do you remember when a monster was hauled up at the docks? Do you remember what I said then?"
The people around him paused. Castel was not large, and quite a few of them had gone to the docks to watch. They remembered what Theus had said.
"I said I would build schools for you and freely give precious knowledge to my people—and now you see it before your very eyes."
That was right. The workers were standing at the entrance of the school, and beside Theus was a half-dismantled steam engine. He had fulfilled his promise.
A strange light appeared in their eyes.
"I also said that so-called monsters are merely creatures from unusual environments. A lifeform that is normal beneath the sea becomes a monster when it comes to