Siren Lullaby

The outside of the chest was full of scratches. Probably, due to being pushed by the waves and bumping into rocks here and there. However, the chest had not been opened, perhaps because of the latch hanging on the joint. At first glance, the box looked too luxurious to be on this uninhabited island.

At that moment, the word "treasure chest" crossed through Iran's mind, but she shook her head and was speechless. She walked to the place where the box was.

'Maybe this isn't an uninhabited island? What If it had an owner…'

Iran walked over to the side of the box and looked around again. All she could still see was sand, rocks, and the sea with no one in sight. She thought about shouting, "Is there anyone?" but Iran, who soon realized the condition of her throat, turned to the box with a short sigh.

Should I open it….. or not…..

Iran struggled for a moment, staring intensely at the box. Then she concluded.

'No matter how many times I look at it, it's true that it was washed away by the waves. I don't know how this thing fell into the sea, but it seems fair to say that this chest has no owner.'

Iran picked up a large stone from the surrounding area to break the joint's latch. There was no hesitation in her actions when she was convinced.

Bang! Bang! Bang-! Crack-!!

The latch, which had been already somewhat loose, fell off with a clear sound after several strong hits. Iran gulped once and carefully opened the box. To be honest, She might have had some expectations for the contents of the box. However, a slight disappointment crept over Iran's face, as the lid opened and the inside of the box exposed in the sunlight.

'What's this... a box full of clothes?'

What was packed in the box was nothing other than clothes made of colorful fabrics. However, it was in a bad state because it was soaked in seawater.

Iran looked at one of the most decent clothes. The shape of the sleeves and shoulders inflated and there were laced all over the place was somehow reminiscent of medieval ladies' dresses.

'…...Is it a costume for the play? Who the hell threw something like this into the sea?'

Still, it was a grateful thing for Iran, which had no clothes. Iran diligently rummaged through the box, wondering if there were any clothes she could wear. Fortunately, there were also several pairs of shoes in the box.

The moment Iran put her hand deep into the box to get her clothes out, a tingling sensation pierced her fingertips.

"Ack-!"

Iran, who hastily pulled out her hand then looked at her left hand. There was something sharp on the bottom of the box. Red drops of blood were dripping from the tip of the index finger of her left hand. Iran, who was moving her other hand to stop its fingers from bleeding, stopped for a moment.

"........Huh?"

Then her right hand, which was facing the bloody finger, changed direction and went up to her neck. Slowly, The tips of her fingers gently caressing his neck.

"I can... I can speak?"

But how? Before she fell into the sea….

Above the confused Iran head, a clear voice came to her mind.

'......I can sing again.'

"Was that…... was that true?"

02. My name is not Siren.

"Sir, Admiral Lubros. We're about to arrive in waters near the accident."

Lubros, who was looking at the sea from the bow of the ship, responded with a slight nod to the lieutenant's report.

As if it were a few days ago when there was a loud storm, the sky was clear today. His dark red hair reflected like a wave under the sunlight.

It has already been three months since the search began, but not a single piece of wood that had fallen from the ship, let alone a sunken ship, was found. At that moment, a sailor who was watching the front from the main mast of the sailing ship shouted.

"There's an island-! There aren't any ships around the island, it looks like an uninhabited island."

In the seas surrounding the Andemos Islands, an active volcanic activity often created large and small islands. Therefore, people often found uninhabited islands that were not shown on the map in this way.

In particular, since they were located about three days away by ship from the capital of the Empire, it was difficult to find and record the newly created island in time.

Hearing the sailor's shout, Lubros asked his lieutenant.

"What's the difference from the route you searched the other day?"

"It's about 1 nautical mile south (about 1,852 m) further down."

".......then maybe we might have missed it on the last search."

The lieutenant looked at Lubros' thoughtful face and asked carefully.

"Sir, what should we do?"

".....We're landing."

Since it's an island near the accident area, there may be some clues left. Lubros looked carefully at the island, which was slowly revealing its outlines.

The waters near the island were too shallow for large sailboats to enter, so they lowered a small boat to reach the sandy beach. And there, Lubros was able to find one of the traces of the ship he had been searching for so long

"That wooden chest….. Maybe….."

An antique wooden chest containing dresses and accessories was left on the beach with its lid open. There were traces of whether it was someone's hand or that the inside of the box had been torn down. Lubros quickly ordered the soldiers.

"......There is someone on the island. Search for it."

Shortly after receiving his order, the soldiers divided into groups and began to look around the island. Looking briefly at them searching around the island, Lubros soon turned his gaze to the wooden chest and looked into it.

Perhaps it was due to the impact it received from falling into the sea, fragments of broken mirrors were scattered all over the bottom of the box. And Lubros could spot a bloodstain in the middle of the mirror.

He frowned slightly and carefully lifted the blood-stained mirror. It must have been quite some time since the blood was shed, and the bloodstains had already turned black.

".....surely there must be someone here."

There were quite a few footprints on the sandy beach around the box that appeared to belong to humans.

As he got up and looked around, he heard a shout from a soldier from the top of the hill.

"Sir-! this way-!"

Lubros immediately turned around and stepped in the direction of the sound.

* * * *

Iran, who was organizing the clothes that she took out from the wooden chest. She looked on the other side of the island in surprise at the murmur coming from the shore. Although the content of the conversation was not heard because of the distance, it was surely a human voice.

"That direction is definitely...... The place where I discovered the chest…... don't tell me that someone came?"

Iran became impatient and moved quickly.

It's been three days since I had been living on this uninhabited island. Luckily, there were clear streams and fruit trees on the island that helped me survive, but it was almost at its limit now.

If she missed the opportunity now, she might not be able to escape from the island, so Iran's pace toward the other side of the island. She stumbled several times on the rough rocky road, but she still kept running without paying attention.

And finally, she found a ship anchored on the shore, visible down from the hill. The men, apparently off the boat, seemed to be looking around the coast for something.

"......I lived, I can finally get out of here."

Iran ran toward the people full of joy.

If she had been a little more careful, she could have noticed that the clothes they were wearing and the shape of their ships were unusual, but those things did not come into Iran's gaze, who had been isolated on the island for several days and suffered from loneliness.

Finally, those who searched the area recognized the presence of Iran running from the top of the hill. However, their reaction to discovering Iran was the opposite of what she thought.

They took out the sword from their waistlines and aimed it at her as if they're wary of an unfamiliar stranger.

'What’s that, a sword?

Under unexpected circumstances, Iran stopped running and faltered on the spot. It was then that Iran's eyes widened when she realized that their attire was strange.

All of them, with their swords sticking out in front of her eyes, were armed with armor that could only be seen in medieval movies.

At that moment, a man who was pointing a sword at her from the far right looked back and shouted something.

"Κὐρ ι Οϛ-! Ε ι ν α ι εδω-!"

'Which country language is that?'

Iran was baffled by the language she had never heard of before. But it felt like it's a word for calling someone. Behind the men who aimed the sword, someone in navy blue uniform was seen walking slowly.

Unlike others who were armed with armor, the man in a uniform decorated with gold tassels, chains, and jewels seemed to be a fairly high-ranking person at first glance.

A Strong physique and healthy copper-colored skin that can be felt even inside a uniform. The dark red hair that came down to the nape of the neck gave a strong impression along with the dark reddish-brown eyes underneath the dark eyelashes.

Iran’s eyes, who were observing the man staring at her tenaciously with a sharp nose shaded under the intense sunlight, tightly closed lips, and sharp eyes, rose little by little.

'How tall are you? Looks like you have a bigger head than me.'

When a man who was tall enough to exceed 180 glared at her with eyes as daunting as his physique, Iran felt a strange pressure and retreated without realizing it.

But before she could even take a step backward, the man who had made strides forward with long legs came close to her eyes. His lips, which had been tightly closed, opened slowly at that moment.

"π ο ι οϛ είς α ι ?"

Of course, Iran couldn't understand what he was saying. She talked to him, trying not to panic as much as possible.

"Umm…... Can you speak English?"

But there was no return answer. Somehow embarrassed, Iran stared blankly at the man.

However, the man's gaze, who had been looking up and down at Iran for a long time, suddenly became sharp. His eyes were on none other than what Iran was wearing.

Embarrassed, Iran lowered her head and looked at the white dress she was wearing.

'My dress….. What's wrong?'

The clothes she is wearing now were peplosian dresses, reminiscent of ancient Greek women, which she found a few days ago in a wooden chest. The white fabric with gold bands around the sleeves and waist was chosen because it looked more active than the other fancy dresses in the box.

Could there be any meaning in this seemingly insignificant outfit?

Then at that moment, I could hear a grunting sound above my head, and the man growled again.

"Είν α ι α υ τ ό ς αϛ κ ά υ ε ι, Siren?"

I couldn't understand the first word, but I could understand the last word.

'Siren? Are you asking me if I am a siren?'

The dolphin she saw on the beach a few days ago called her Siren too. But it was just a nickname for Iran, not her name.

She shook her head without thinking and said.

"My name is not Siren. I'm….! Ukh-!"

But Iran's next words didn't come out. The man's hand, which came in an instant, suddenly strangled Iran.

".......!"

Iran, which was unable to defend against the sudden situation, struggled with suffocation due to the force of his tightening grip.

But no matter how hard she tried, the hand of the man who strangled her did not move.

He shouted again in a fierce tone.

"Ρώτ η σ α ε ί υ α ι α υ τ ό π ο ύ κάν ε ι σαϛ!"

Iran couldn't understand what he was saying and why she was treated like this.

Even amid suffocation, he was still angry.

'What the hell is wrong with you? I didn't do anything wrong!'

She scratched and hit the man's arm as hard as she could in a struggle to relieve any pain, but no matter how hard she struggled, his arm still strangled her.

Gradually, the strength in her body was weakening.

In the hazy consciousness due to lack of oxygen, she remembered the words of a dolphin she had seen on the island a while ago.

'......Siren has sinned. God tried to punish the Siren, but the child of God begged him. She asked for one more chance.'

'If you give me another chance….. what are you gonna do to me to deserve this nonsense......'

In the darkening vision, Iran heard the sound of the waves crashing wildly.

And for the last time, she was unconscious again.