The moment Luke realized he had transmigrated was the day he received his acceptance letter to the Imperial Army Officer Academy. From that point onward, he meticulously built his life plan step by step.

At first, he considered abandoning the idea of becoming a soldier altogether. Maybe he could invent groundbreaking modern technology or create revolutionary goods and become a billionaire. But then a thought occurred to him.

What if the novel never reached its conclusion?

If he’d ended up in some background extra’s body, it would have been fine. But to wake up as such a critical villain in the storyline—essentially the protagonist’s pacesetter? It wasn’t a position he could ignore.

So he worked for it. Both as a villain and as a soldier. And finally, he had brought his grand plan to a close. Theo was now Commander-in-Chief, and there was nothing left to hold him back.

The next stage of Luke’s plan was simple:

[Live a life of leisure. Do nothing. Move to a quiet place where no one would look for him, with plenty of money to spare.]

It was a thought he’d nurtured ever since Theo’s ascension to Commander. Now, at last free of the shackles of his military service and villainous role, Luke could embark on his journey. Well, calling it a "journey" was generous—it was more like a long-distance move. But no matter. He’d already chosen his destination and resolved his housing situation. All that was left was to get there.

“Quickly, move inside! A sea monster has appeared!”

Of course. Who could’ve foreseen that a monster would rain on his parade just when he’d finally decided to leave? Sure, he was well aware of how infested this world was with ugly, nonsensical monsters thanks to his grueling time in the Imperial Army. But this was his first trip since retirement! His first chance to create his own happily ever after! This was just cruel.

The waves surrounding the ship swirled into a vortex and shot up into the sky. The unsettling sight defied gravity itself. One of the crew members, who had been trying to tug Luke inside, flopped to the deck in terror.

Salt-laden winds whipped viciously across the deck, and Luke’s hood was ripped away, unveiling his silver hair as it glinted in the sunlight.

A strange, resonant noise echoed through the air, as though a colossal drum was being struck underwater. Soon after, the sea monster’s massive form began to surface. Its entire body, crafted from seawater, sparkled like liquid glass—a testament to its oceanic origins.

“A sea dragon… Judging by that size, it’s probably a mid-tier, Grade 5 monster,” Luke muttered, calmly observing the creature as if sightseeing.

“W-what? It’s too dangerous out here! You have to go inside!”

Luke felt a weak tug at his trouser leg. The terrified crew member, trembling but still determined to fulfill his duty, was desperately trying to pull him to safety.

“D-don’t worry! The military will—AARGH!”

The ship rocked violently again as the waves surged upward, nearly flipping the vessel over before letting it crash back down. The sea dragon, apparently toying with its prey, demonstrated an unsettling intelligence.

“It’s sly and calculating. That bumps it up to Grade 4,” Luke concluded with a nod.

“W-what…?”

“You know, the Empire pays civilians who exterminate monsters. Long live the Empire, right?”

“What are you saying right now—?”

“I figure I might as well kill that thing since it ruined my trip. Might as well collect the reward, too.”

Luke’s lips curled into a wry smirk, and the crew member’s brain short-circuited. Amid the chaos of a sea monster attack, this man was calmly spouting nonsense. Had he died and fallen into the afterlife already?

The absurdity of it all was shattered by a deafening roar. The sea dragon had spotted Luke. Its jaws yawned open, pulling torrents of swirling seawater into its maw. The gathered water coalesced into a massive, shimmering orb.

The crew member had a chilling realization: No, I’m not dead yet… but I’m about to be. He cursed himself for leaving the safety of the cabins. Why had he bothered to save this crazy man?

“Agh! I’ve lived a good life! I was always kind, like my mother said! This isn’t fair!”

Faced with his imminent death, all sorts of thoughts erupted. He had been good and kind all his life, like his mother told him, because that was supposed to bring blessings and send him to heaven. But now I’m dying at this young age!

He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable.

“…”

Oddly enough, there was no pain.

The crew member slowly cracked open his eyes—and froze.

The silver-haired man was still standing on the deck, completely unshaken. Both hands stretched out in front of him, he seemed to be holding back the attack. Around his hands, the massive ball of water split neatly into two, dispersing harmlessly into a mist. It was as though an invisible wall shielded him.

“She sounds like a good mother. Maybe I’ll try being kind from now on, too,” Luke said casually, as if making small talk.

The water, no longer cohesive, scattered into droplets. As the sun hit the mist, a rainbow formed—a strikingly beautiful scene that felt entirely out of place given the circumstances.

“…Ah…”

The crew member let out a breathless sigh of awe. Amid the mist and light, the man stood proudly, a faint, inscrutable smile playing on his lips.

Realizing its attack had failed, the sea dragon roared again, this time preparing for a direct assault. It swelled, absorbing more water to increase its size, before launching itself straight at Luke.

If I counterattack with magic, the ship will be caught in the blast, Luke thought, eyeing the civilians still cowering nearby.

“Guess I’ll just have to send it flying.”

Luke clenched his fist, concentrating pure, unformed magic into his hand. Without hesitation, he slammed his fist into the incoming dragon’s face.

A thunderous crack split the air as the dragon’s massive form was hurled backward, crashing into the waves far beyond the ship.

“Ugh. This is why I hate close combat.”

Luke sighed, flexing his reddened knuckles. He scanned the deck for a weapon. Since he had surrendered his military-issued gear upon retirement, all he had left was money.

His gaze fell on the trembling crew member’s waist.

“Is that a spyglass?”

“Huh? Uh, yes…”

“Isn’t that classified as a magical device?”

“Y-yes…”

“Mind if I borrow it?”

The crew member, dazed, handed over the spyglass. As a nation advanced in magical engineering, the Empire had a wide range of enchanted tools for civilian use. This spyglass, embedded with processed mana stones, was no exception.

Luke gripped the long spyglass tightly, and sparks of violet mana began to crackle along its surface. Unable to withstand the flow of power, cracks began to spread across the tool.

The sea dragon, regaining its composure, prepared for another attack. Without a moment’s hesitation, Luke hurled the spyglass like a spear.

The spyglass sliced cleanly through the air, closing the distance in an instant before lodging itself directly in the sea dragon’s mouth.

Luke snapped his fingers.

A surge of energy exploded from the spyglass, releasing stored lightning mana. The sea dragon writhed, electricity coursing through its watery body.

“GRAAAAH!”

The dragon’s agonized roar echoed across the sea as its body shattered into countless droplets, splashing harmlessly around the ship.

“…”

As the chaos subsided, Luke dusted off his hands.

“I thought you said you were just borrowing that,” the crew member mumbled weakly.

“Ah.”

Before Luke could respond, the seawater that had once been part of the dragon crashed back onto the ship. The pressure splintered the hull with a loud crack.

“…This was an expensive ship, wasn’t it?”

“No ship could withstand that kind of force…”

“I see…”

The two of them stared blankly at the deteriorating ship, sharing a resigned, bitter laugh.