To be honest, Skadi wasn't particularly interested in whatever "fun" thing Steven was talking about.
For her, just sitting in a chair comfortably was already satisfying enough.
Of course, it would be even better if the other two Abyssal Hunters didn't cause her any trouble.
But when she saw Steven's exasperated expression, she could only nod in response.
Skadi didn't really understand why Gladiia and Specter liked this boy so much, but at the very least, Steven had once installed a smart toilet for her.
That alone was enough for her to consider him a decent person—so she didn't mind accepting his invitation.
She stood up silently, tilting her head slightly as she stared at Steven with blank curiosity.
"What is swivel chair-racing?"
"Uh… it's probably, maybe, sothing that makes people happy just by watching it?"
"The thing that would make happiest right now… is them finally staying quiet."
Skadi pointed directly at Gladiia, who was napping against Steven's chest, and at Specter, who—for so reason—seed to have developed a fear of Steven and was behaving unusually obedient.
Then, she let out a relieved sigh.
"That's different. Also, are you seriously telling you don't have anything you like doing?"
Steven was honestly impressed by the girl in front of him.
If it were him, he would've lost his mind from boredom ages ago.
Yet Skadi still seed perfectly fine.
"…Spacing out."
"Huh?"
"I like spacing out—imrsing myself in past mories, reminiscing about fighting alongside my companions. That alone brings joy."
"Just sitting here, in peace, with my companions… that's already more than enough for . As for interacting with others… it would only bring them misfortune."
Skadi hugged her ever-present greatsword, her expression dead serious—as if she wasn't joking at all.
"Co on, you can't just live in the past forever."
"You should be looking forward, you know? Beautiful mories don't just appear—they're made."
"And as for that whole 'bringing misfortune' thing… I've never believed in that nonsense."
Steven shrugged.
After hearing what she had to say, he had a pretty solid understanding of her now.
This girl didn't actually want to be alone—she had just convinced herself that interacting with others would only cause them trouble.
So instead of risking it, she chose to avoid forming connections altogether.
It was a simple and brutal solution.
But at the end of the day, it was still her choice.
Steven couldn't force her to change her mindset, so he decided not to push any further.
That being said—he had already invited her, so he wasn't about to take it back now.
"Maybe… but I still feel like the ocean suits us better."
There was a hint of nostalgia in Skadi's eyes—like she had just recalled sothing distant.
But in the next mont, her expression softened into a sigh.
What's the point of reminiscing?
They were just three stranded fish—so lost that they couldn't even find the direction ho.
Let alone the way back.
"…Thinking about Ægir again?"
Steven imdiately guessed what was on her mind just from looking at her face.
Scratching his head, he decided to just ask directly.
After learning about the tragic experiences of the Abyssal Hunters from Kal'tsit, Steven genuinely felt that this group was quite pitiful.
Especially when he thought about that deserted city of Ægir—it wasn't hard to guess who that trap had originally been set for, even though it wasn't ant for him.
"Yes, that was our holand. A place far more suitable for us than here."
"You can't go back?"
"What do you think?"
Skadi cast a helpless glance at Gladiia, who was sleeping soundly in Steven's arms.
Then, she turned to Specter, who had sohow crept behind Steven and was now using her hand as a blade, repeatedly miming chopping him into pieces.
In her gaze, a deep sadness flickered.
"I'm actually quite curious… how did you all end up like this?"
"From what you've said, you were once a team. So how did a group like yours end up in such a miserable state?"
Abyssal Hunters were among the strongest fighters in this world.
And yet, as far as he could see, there were only three of them left.
So what exactly happened?
A suicide mission? An internal conflict?
"There's no need for you to know the past of the Abyssal Hunters.
"I won't tell you. It would only bring you misfortune and trouble—nothing else."
Skadi paused for a mont, refusing to answer Steven's question.
"…Was it the Seaborn?"
Steven thought about it for a while.
And honestly, the only things in the ocean capable of taking down a group of Captain Arica-tier Abyssal Hunters…
Were those weird-looking sea monsters.
The mont he said that na—not only did Skadi freeze, but even Gladiia, who was breathing softly against him, and Specter, who was behind him, both paused for a mont.
"How do you know that word?"
"Aren't land-dwellers supposed to just call them sea monsters? Or… did Kal'tsit tell you?"
Skadi narrowed her eyes, genuinely curious about how Steven knew about the Seaborn.
"What if I told you… not only have I seen those things, but I've also killed a bunch of them?"
Steven spread his hands, making no attempt to hide it as he locked eyes with Skadi.
"…I'd believe you."
"Because you do have the scent of their blood on you."
Skadi leaned in slightly, took a few quick sniffs, and nodded in confirmation.
"But… why would you go so far?"
"You're just a land-dweller, aren't you?"
She trusted him.
That wasn't a problem.
But she just didn't understand why he would do sothing like that.
"I an… it's not like I can care about everything."
"But I can't just ignore it when it involves my adopted daughter—who just so happens to be an Abyssal Hunter."
Steven turned to look at Gladiia's sleeping face.
Her delicate features were still as peaceful as ever.
And the more he looked at her, the more he liked her.
She was beautiful, after all.
"Besides—if the Ægir you're talking about is so kind of high-tech city at the bottom of the ocean, one that's been sealed away by so strange force… then I think I've seen it before."
Steven briefly described the underwater city he had encountered before.
And honestly, if he wanted to confirm it, the best people to ask would be these three.
After all, according to Kal'tsit, the only ones on land who still rembered Ægir were the Abyssal Hunters.
"You've been to Ægir? But the Seaborn didn't attack you?"
"And how did you even find it?"
Skadi's calm expression instantly shattered.
She grabbed Steven's arm, her eyes filled with undeniable anticipation.
"There were, yeah. But I took care of them."
"As for how I found the city's location… well, I don't think you'd want to know."
Steven clearly felt the way Gladiia's body tensed unnaturally beside him.
He sighed, deciding not to bring up the Church of the Deep just yet.
"...Do you rember where it is?"
"Can you take —"
Skadi didn't finish her sentence, just stared at Steven, her eyes filled with expectation.
"Obviously not."
"You're not seriously planning to abandon these two, are you?"
Steven shook his head.
Sure, he knew the location.
But that empty Ægir city was designed as a trap specifically for Abyssal Hunters.
Telling them about it would be no different from throwing them into a fire pit.
"For now, you should focus on taking care of them, shouldn't you?"
"The only reason I told you all this… was to stop you from wasting your days away, lost in the past."
"Watching you sit there, staring blankly, really pisses off."
Steven patted Skadi's shoulder, grinning.
But Skadi was not giving up.
"Then what will it take for you to tell what I want to know?"
"We can make a deal."
Her urgency was undeniable.
This was about Ægir—how could she not care?
"A deal, huh?"
Steven sighed, rubbing his chin.
"I've been making way too many deals lately… I'm honestly kind of sick of it."
He had been negotiating with people left and right recently, to the point where he just didn't feel like dealing with any more nonsense.
And honestly, Skadi didn't have much that interested him.
It's not like she could offer herself or anything, right?
—Actually, knowing how dense she was, she might actually agree if he suggested that.
Steven had noticed that in many ways, Skadi was basically like a kid—especially when it ca to basic life knowledge.
"But this information is really important to —no, it's important to all three of us."
Skadi gripped Steven's arm a little tighter, her small face filled with desperation.
She wasn't actually that attached to Ægir itself.
What she truly missed was the Abyssal Hunter team she once fought alongside.
But now, returning to Ægir had beco the only goal she had left.
And maybe—just maybe—if they went back, Specter and Gladiia might recover their lost mories.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you."
"But are you sure you have the strength to handle it?"
"You know as well as I do—it's in the ocean.
"There are countless Seaborn lurking there."
"And worse… well, let's just say there might be sothing out there that's practically a god."
Steven recalled that eerie, unseen presence watching him from the depths.
Then, he simply shook his head, looking at her seriously.
< >
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