Just as Steven had said, after Irene understood the significance of his words and led him and Gladiia out of the village, the swarm of black, menacing Sea Terror immediately changed direction and began chasing after them.
Along the way, Steven was almost excessively well-behaved, which made Irene, who was leading the way, even more suspicious.
If it were any other criminal, wouldn't this chaotic situation be the perfect opportunity to escape? Yet, he acted as if he didn't care at all.
From the way Steven looked, he didn't seem like a fugitive being dragged along in an escape—if anything, he looked more like a wealthy young master out for a leisurely stroll.
Irene was starting to feel like she wasn't an Inquisitor escorting a prisoner, but more like a free bodyguard ensuring his safety.
"Have you stared enough? We're not out of danger yet. Can you at least take this seriously for a moment?"
Annoyed by Steven's constant staring at the lantern in her hand, Irene turned back and snapped at him.
The oppressive presence of the massive swarm of Sea Terror behind them was overwhelming, making it impossible for her to slow down.
Fortunately, Steven didn't need her to drag him along, so she didn't have to waste extra energy worrying about him trying to escape.
As for the white-haired Ægir girl whom Steven had been looking after, there was even less need for concern.
She might look delicate and frail, but once she started running, it felt like if she weren't holding back because of Steven in front of her, she would have already launched herself straight into the sky.
What's with these two? They're both freaks, whether it's their personalities or their insane physical abilities. Are they even human?
"It's not like I was staring at you. Why are you so worked up? Or do you Inquisitors treat your lanterns as part of your bodies? Does looking at it count as invading your privacy?"
Steven, maintaining his relaxed, almost tourist-like demeanor, finally shifted his gaze away from the lantern in Irene's hand.
This girl was actually pretty cute, but honestly, Steven was much more interested in the lantern she was carrying than in her.
He had been observing it for quite some time but couldn't see anything special about it—it looked just like an ordinary lantern. And yet, both she and that High Inquisitor had somehow managed to use it to repel those monsters.
If only his torches could do the same.
After all, the torches he used only prevented monsters from spawning.
But in this world, creatures clearly didn't just materialize out of thin air like in Minecraft, so he doubted his torches would be very effective.
That made him all the more envious of the lantern's ability.
If possible, he would love for Irene to share the crafting recipe with him.
"Even if you want to stare at it, at least pick the right time! Do you have any idea what will happen if I run out of energy to keep using the lantern and those Sea Terror catch up to us?"
If she had the time, Irene would have loved to crack open Steven's head and take a good look at what was going on inside.
"Huh? This thing needs energy to work?"
Steven's curiosity instantly dropped by half.
If the light wasn't perpetual, it was far less appealing
"THAT'S what you're focusing on?!"
Irene was so furious that she nearly passed out. Her breathing became noticeably heavy—if someone tried to sell her blood pressure medication right now, she'd probably buy a whole case.
"Well, what else should I be focusing on? You're acting like you're scared of those small fries behind us or something. I'm not scared. Are you?"
Even without a full suit of iron armor, Steven still didn't take the monstrous tide behind him seriously.
No matter how many small fries there were, they were still just small fries—the only difference was how much time it would take to deal with them.
"Dad, I'm not scared either."
Even Gladiia, jogging alongside Steven, chimed in at just the right moment, flashing a squinted, mischievous smile that made her look exactly like a little kid who had picked up bad habits from him.
"Good girl, but saying that will embarrass Auntie…"
Steven patted Gladiia's head and protectively moved her behind him.
It was one thing for him to be the one making jabs, but if Gladiia joined in too, who knew if Irene's mentality would completely collapse and she'd decide to take her frustration out on him?
"A— AUNTIE?!"
Irene stumbled mid-stride, clearly more wounded by that single word than by everything else that had happened up to this point combined.
"She's just a kid—she doesn't know any better. You're really going to take her words seriously?"
Even as he spoke, Steven couldn't help but laugh. He had to admit, saying this himself was pretty damn evil.
Expressionless, Irene turned back to glance at Gladiia again. But due to the girl's exceptionally tall height, Irene actually had to tilt her head up to look at her properly.
Th– this is supposed to be a kid?
"Why are you staring at her? Eight years old mentally still means eight years old. No problem, right?"
Steven shielded Gladiia behind him like a protective mother hen.
If anything, he was already overestimating her—whether she even had the mental capacity of an eight-year-old was still up for debate.
Irene clenched her fists.
For the first time in her life, she felt an overwhelming urge to throw logic out the window and just beat someone up.
And the more she thought about it, the stronger that urge became.
"…Forget it. Since you think those monsters behind us aren't a threat, if we don't manage to rendezvous with the Penal Battalion, you two should leave first. I'll stay behind to hold them off."
Forcing herself to suppress her rising frustration, Irene quickly regained her composure.
She wasn't actually afraid of the Sea Terror either—the problem was, she had no idea how much longer she could maintain the light from her lantern.
Maybe Steven was right—she wasn't afraid to fight these monsters. But once she did, she'd inevitably be delayed, and that was exactly what the creatures wanted.
On top of that, the Penal Battalion troops who were supposed to meet up with her and her superior were nowhere to be found.
That alone was suspicious enough to make Irene uneasy.
No matter what, if their true target was Steven and his companions, she couldn't let their scheme succeed.
"Huh? Aren't I still a suspect? You're just letting me go like that?"
Steven was genuinely surprised by her decision.
He had assumed she was the rigid, by-the-book type, but she was unexpectedly reasonable.
His impression of the Inquisition improved slightly.
"The true enemies of the Inquisition are the Church of the Deep and the ones backing them. It's my duty to stop their schemes."
She paused for a moment, clearly reluctant, but still finished her explanation.
"You may be strange, but at the very least, you don't seem like a bad person. I trust my judgment."