Meeting Monique

A bone was thrown at the other side of the table.

"You old thing dare to steal the last piece of chicken!"

"I knew that it was a bad idea to buy you! Dammit. What now? Are you going to do something? I have taken the last one, so what? You ugly green thing."

I was sitting at the messy table in our current house. My butler and our new companion completely let go of whatever reservations they had around me and competed for food.

During the whole duration of the meal, I thought about why my side mission wasn't complete, and at last, I decided to give it one last try before giving up.

"Calm down, guys. I need to talk to you."

Zurkx put down the chicken leg that he was about to throw with a disgruntled face. Otto placed down the serving plate he had used as a shield with a smug smile, and I thought that they looked more like children than adults.

"Otto, I already told you my plans for the future. What do you think about serving as my first officer when we set sail in the future."

"Mm … I don't mind. It's my first time being an officer, but I have already sailed in my past plenty of times, so I don't think that it would be a problem'"

"Just say yes or no and leave out the rest."

"Eh, why?"

"just do it."

"Ah well, okay …. Yes, I would like to be your first officer on your ship."

DING!

[Side Mission complete! Issuing rewards!]

A flow of memories about swords that I had never experienced quickly entered my mind and fused with my current memories.

The process wasn't painful, maybe because the beginner swordsmanship mastery was a relatively small amount of experience, or I had gained a stronger soul due to my transmigration.

[Status upgraded! New skill added!]

[User: Adrien Holmes]

[Race: Human]

[Occupation Captain LVL 1]

[Skills: beginner swordsmanship mastery]

[Current main mission: Steal a medium-sized ship]

[Reward: ???]

[Objective: defy fate and live a happy life]

Great, now I had the itch to try to hold a sword and swing it, but I had to wait.

[New side mission: recruit 10 crewmates to form a basic crew to set sail]

[Reward: Intermediate swordsmanship mastery]

Well, the solution was a lot simpler than I had imagined, but let's also ask Zurkx.

"Hey, Zurkx, would you also like to join and be our navigator."

"Ke ke if the young master wants it, sure. Yes, I would like to be your navigator on your ship."

I waited for a response from the system, but nothing came, so while thinking, my eyes started squinting.

"Young master, was my response unsatisfactory?"

The bold goblin was gone, and he was now sweating a bit. He probably thought I was angry with him.

"No, it was fine, but since you will be with us for the foreseeable future, what do you think about removing this slavery contract and becoming both parts of the same team instead of being master and slave?"

"Ah, really! Thanks, brat. Finally, I can get rid of this binding chain around my neck ke ke."

Zurkx had a bright smile on his old and wrinkly green face. He looked ridiculous while laughing in his current purple and yellow attire.

"But for now, you will still have to call me young master."

His smile immediately dimmed a bit. I started rethinking the decisions I had made until now. Both of my current subordinates liked calling me a brat too much.

I am not that young. My current age should be .... mm? …. Oh, I don't even know the current year, but it should be before the start of the main plot since I have yet to reach Osegard island, where I will attend Silverleaf college with the main character.

Well, whatever. I started reciting the spell the slaver/merchant told me in my mind.

[I, as the master, Adrien Holmes, have decided to grant freedom to my contracted slave, Zurkx]

As the sigil on my hand and the tattoo of a chain on Zurkx's neck started to disappear, I said to the smiling goblin.

"So, Zurks, would you still want to join as a free person?"

"Ha ha HA, sure…Yes, I want to join your crew."

DING!

[Side mission: 2/10 crewmates recruited]

I breathed a sigh of relief, and now I approximately knew how the system in my mind worked.

I got up from my chair and told them.

"So are we going to visit the Red-light district and thank Monique"

Otto looked at me with pity

"Young master, I know that you had a difficult childhood because your mother passed away early, and you haven't had many romantic interactions, but..."

A vein popped on my forehead, and I immediately realized that it was just early afternoon, and all the brothels were closed.

"Okay! I know my mistake. Quiet down, Otto!'

"Everyone is free to do what they want until evening, bye."

As I finished talking, I started walking to my room while Otto continued rumbling about my relationship status, and Zurkx bolted outside to do whatever he wanted.

----- ----- -----

The sun had already set, and the only bright lights in the sky were the moon and a few big stars.

I had just bathed in a big bucket of room temperature water and was wearing my new clothes. They were dark like my coat, maybe just a shade lighter and a bit wrinkly since they were stored at the bottom of the supplies bag.

"I'm back!"

A raspy shout reached my hears. Zurkx had returned, and we were almost ready to go.

We hid the things we had bought in a hidden compartment under the dining table and took a few things with us.

A new silver sword and its brown scabbard made of leather was hanging from the left side of my waist. Otto also had a long blade, but it was older.

Zurkx had hidden a couple of knives in his inner pockets. He was a bit dissatisfied as he had to wear an old brown overcoat since it was cold at night.

I took my black coat and left the house with my companions in the almost complete darkness since oil lamps weren't common in the slums.

As I was walking, a soft and cold breeze hit the exposed side of my face. The smell of the sea briefly cleaned my nose from the foulness of the slums. It came from the other side of town, where the harbor was.

It got me a little excited. I had yet to see the seas of this world, and I had already started to miss sailing. The only thing that I feel nostalgic about in my original world was the freedom that I had.

Now I had to struggle toward an uncertain future.

------ ----- -----

We were standing in front of a giant wooden building. A large sign was hung above its open doors. Written on it was the name of the place, Ethereal Palace.

The road where we were standing was full of people, and many of them entered and exited various brightly lit establishments.

"So, Otto, is this the place."

"HAHA, for sure it is!"

Both Otto and the goblin had the same depraved smile on their face.

As I was thinking that maybe they tricked me into just coming to a brothel, a soft hand interlocked with mine.

A beautiful woman with long black hair and a light smile stood before me.

"Hey, a handsome gentleman, would you like to enjoy some time with this lady in the Ethereal Palace.'

I was already blushing a bit, but I managed to reply with a calm voice

"Excuse me, miss, but my companions and I are looking for Monique. Could you guide us to her"

Her eyes left my face, and she looked wide-eyed at Otto

"Ah! The impotent old man is here!"

The passerby's looked at him. Otto's face looked had if he had swallowed a fly.

"It's not true, don't listen to her young master. She's a liar."

As my new supposed first officer was fuming, the lady turned toward the ingress and, while softy laughing, said

"He, he, come this way. Monique's old friend and his young master are always welcome as for the goblin; this time is an exception."

The inside of the place was well decorated. Red lanterns created a sensual atmosphere. Clients and beautiful girls hang around wooden tables seated on soft couches.

On the stage, a masked woman dressed in a revealing dark red dress sang a soft melody while her fingers played with the cord of a golden harp.

We followed the gorgeous lady to the second floor, where she knocked on a door twice.

"Excuse me, madam, your old friend Otto and his companions wish to see you."

An enchanting voice reached our ears.

"Sure, let them enter."

The door opened and what greeted us was another alluring beauty. Light brown hair was collected in a bun with a few strands covering her face's sides.

Her crystalline azure eyes landed on me.

As the door closed softly behind us, she said

"So why are you here? Otto did your boy get hurt again …mm … it seems not to be the case."

Otto and Monique started chatting, and I was standing there stunned. I already knew her. Her name sounded familiar, but after looking at her, I confirmed that she was a character from the novel.

Monique Von Rosefeld was one of the most famous light magicians of the Woflen empire. Her father, an aristocrat, decided to forsake his noble title to be a merchant.

The problem was that she wasn't supposed to be working in a brothel as it's madam because, in the story, she was the light magic professor that taught the basic concepts of healing magic to the new students in Silverleaf college.

A voice brought me to my senses.

"Your young master looks very healthy to me, so if you are just here to thank me and not even a customer, you can just leave."

Immediately asked hurriedly before we were thrown out

"Wait for a second. Madam. Could I ask you a question?"

"Just one"

"I have heard from Otto that you are a powerful light magician, so why would you be working for this establishment?"

"AH! Otto! Did you rat me out to your young master!"

A heavy pressure started radiating from her body

"I … I don't remember telling him, but …"

A sight escaped from her beautiful lips, and she stared at us with a heavy gaze.

"Well, it's alright if you told your young master, but I hope that your loose tongue won't reach my father…."

"Well, since you already know me, it doesn't matter if I answer your question. Many don't know, but I entered a relationship with a deserter of the Woflen empire's navy. My father disapproved of my relationship, but I managed to escape with the man I loved until I reached Shremel's port."

Her eyes showed a tinge of remorse and tenderness as she told us her story.

"Unfortunately, when we were about to set sail, the harbor got blockaded by the city guards that arrested my husband and his crewmates but set me free thanks to my father's contacts."

I immediately remembered that she was once referred to as a widow in the novel.

"So I decided to hide in the red light district while waiting for a chance to free my husband from prison, but not a lot of time remains."

A crazy thought entered my brain after she finished her story. What if I could save her husband from his death? Maybe I could also save his crewmates to complete my side mission and gather some experienced sailors.

"But madam Monique, why did he even become a deserter in the first place?"

Her eyes were getting more and more watery despite her strong façade

"He is a demi-human from the bear tribe. He managed to hide for a long time that he wasn't a human, but a suitor of mine in the army investigated him and discovered his secret."

"Then he had to escape since demi-humans aren't allowed to serve in the military."

Not a crazy murder check.

They were probably going to escape via the sea, so there is a high probability that their ship had also been sized.

With a big smile on my face, I said

"So, since you saved my life, I think it is my duty to help your husband!"

"Young master … mn …you have the same grin ass me when I look at gold Ke ke."

Dammit, this foul thing. I swore that the next time I saw a goblin in a cage, I would kill it.

Monique lowered her head and thought for a minute while silence descended in the room.

As the atmosphere got tenser and tenser, she lifted her face and looked me in the eyes.

"I am sure you wish to return the favor for saving your life, but I also understand that you are not doing it for free … so what are your conditions?"

I took a deep breath.

"I wish to recruit your husband and his sailors to seek fortune at sea."

She immediately started laughing while shedding a few tears

"pffff … HA HA HA … give me a second … that is a good proposition, but I don't know if my husband would agree to it."

"Is there any way we could ask him while he is in prison"

"Of course, there is a way. Do you think that I have been just helping to manage this business without doing anything to help my husband? But I will need some time to contact him, at least two days."

"Sure, it's a deal. We will wait for your response. I imagine you know where we live."

She showed us a big grin.

"Of course, I know. Hey Erika, accompany our guests outside."

I guess our time here is up

As we were exiting through the door, Monique said

"And by the way, you have to pay two bronze coins for the food your little companion ate"

While walking, I looked to my left where Zurkx was, and I saw him standing there with an empty bowl where I could guess some fruits once were.

"Ke ke, I got hungry and…."

Otto interrupted him and threw two coins to Monique. She made them float to her hand.

That's very cool. I need to learn how to use magic as soon as possible.

"Thanks for your patronage, and hopefully, see you soon."

----- ----- -----

We dragged the troublesome goblin outside and started our journey home.

Zurkx tugged my coat, so I looked at him only to see his wrinkly face looking up at me. While a shiver ran from the tip of my feet to my head, he asked.

"Young master, why would Monique accept your help? Haven't you said that she is a powerful light magician?"

I looked disgusted at the old goblin that grabbed my clothes like a cute child would. This will give me nightmares…

"Almost everybody knows, but magicians are classified depending on their attributes. The most common ones are fire, wind, earth, water, light, and darkness."

"The last two are peculiar because they don't have strong attack power. Usually, light magicians specialize in healing magic."

"I understand now. Goblins like me rarely interact with magicians, Keke."

I got this knowledge from the novel I read in my previous life. I also was aware of something that the goblin avoided mentioning, and few people knew.

Humans used matrixes as a medium, but demi-humans interacted with magic spirits to cast spells.

I glanced at the night sky, sighed, and continued walking to our house.