Chapter 55

"…Lalakie?"

"Yeah, that's what the Skeleton King on the ghost ship said,"

Satou passes on the information he learned after the battle with the ghost fleet ended to Arisa and me. The skeleton leading the enemy was a powerful monster known as the 'Skeleton King', who escaped the slaughter at the last minute.

"That name sounds familiar… Wait, didn't the ghost captain of that blue sunken ship say the same thing?"

"He may have come to search for the 'key to Lalakie' in the ruins of Nonolie because I deactivated the anti-magic trap,"

"So, do you have it?"

"Nope,"

"Didn't Captain Ghost say something about keys and coffins and stuff like that?"

Arisa was right. He did say something like that. The last words the captain said before he died were… "The key to Lalakie… Stolen. Now Lalakie…can no longer fly. All that remains is to bring the Coffin to His Majesty the Emperor in the Room of Reality…"

"All this happened a long time ago, so it probably reached this 'emperor' after that,"

"I guess so,"

Arisa nodded in agreement, and we put the subject of Lalakie to rest.

"Master! There's someone on the beach!"

When we returned to the deck, Lulu pointed back toward the water's edge as she called out. I could only barely see her, but it looked like it looked to be a woman with long white hair with the tips dyed blue.

"Oh no! We have to help!"

Arisa was the first to give the order as she ran to the ship's railing to get a better look. Once we were roughly three hundred feet from the shore, Satou used the 'Magic Hand' spell to lift the woman onto the deck. She was a pretty woman with dark-brown skin, but her face was pale and looked like she was in pain. Lulu produced a blanket from her Fairy Pack and covered her with it. Her hair ornament caught my eye. It was a key-shaped ornament that was some kind of magic tool.

"Master, this woman…!"

"I know,"

Satou is a perverted idiot with an eye for only one thing when it comes to women. I made no moves to stop Arisa from smacking him on the head when we all noticed his gaze. So what if that woman has a chest large enough to rival Karina's? There is more than those lumps of fat to a woman.

"Hi-ya!" Arisa's tiny fist bopped my head. "Judging by that face, you're not thinking what I'm thinking at all, are you?"

"What…?"

It looks like he finally cleaned up his dirty mind to notice what Arisa meant. The woman was a half-ghost. Since half-elves didn't exist in this world, seeing her race was quite a surprise.

"She's level one with only one skill, so maybe we shouldn't pry about her race?" Arisa suggested.

"What's wrong, Tama, sir?"

Turning at the sound of Pochi's voice, I saw Tama lurking behind the mast, glaring at the unconscious woman. Her tail was puffed up, and she clawed at the mast, growling a little. Maybe she is scared of ghosts.

"Satou,"

"Don't assault her!"

I can't take my eyes off Satou for a second. When I turned back to him, I found Satou leaning closer to the woman with his hands on her hip.

"I'm just checking her pulse," Satou said, passing a hand over her skin.

"How is that checking a pulse?!"

Lulu had to come over to hold Arisa back as she tried to pull Satou away.

"…Geh!"

"Nnngh…"

Something seems off… but I can't detect anything wrong with her with my 'Appraisal' skill, but when I use 'Spirit Vision', I see something strange. There are no spirits. I can see them around everyone else, but they avoid the woman. With my 'Magic Sense' and 'Magic Vision', I could see that she was pouring out magic at an alarming rate. It feels different but familiar… I swear I have felt this before…

Ah! I can see it now! I got a new skill called 'Miasma Vision' as I continued to look, and I now understand why Satou went pale. My vision turned black and white, and I could see an ominous aura of miasma around the young woman more clearly than before. The aura seemed to constrict the woman, and she cried out in pain again.

Satou reached out and grasped some of the miasma and broke it apart. It looked like it was helping as the woman's face relaxed. Satou started removing the miasma that was tormenting her. The shackle-like miasma around her hands and feet gave him some trouble, but Satou managed to remove it in the end.

"Aaaah!"

Arisa cried out and tried to rush forward, but I quickly stopped her as Satou kept working. He probably already noticed what was happening to the woman.

"Whew, all done… wait, what's going on here?"

How could he have missed it?

"Master Satou, we must bathe the larva and give it new clothing, I advise,"

Typical Nana. Whenever there is a child involved, she is always fast to act. Satou's actions somehow turned the oversized-chested woman into a cute little kid. I have no idea how or why she got younger, but it looks like the miasma surrounding her has disappeared. But before I could investigate further, Nana picked the girl up and carried her below deck.

"What in the world happened?"

"You started moving your hands like you were pulling on rope, and after a while, she started shrinking… or rather, getting younger," Lulu explained.

He really didn't know. How could he be so oblivious?

"Master, what were you doing?"

Arisa questioned Satou as soon as I let her go. Satou explained that he had been unravelling the miasma. Still, Arisa didn't believe him until I confirmed that was what happened.

"But why would that make her younger?"

"Don't ask me. She looked like she was in pain, so I just thought getting rid of the miasma would help her,"

"Maybe it was a curse?"

"That's possible,"

"More importantly, what do you think of that key-shaped hair barrette she was wearing?"

"She had something like that?"

"You boob-obsessed moron! You must've been distracted by that Karina-tier rack of hers!"

"Don't be ridiculous. I was just worried about the miasma around her,"

Sunlight began to peek through the clouds, bringing light to the deck, and Satou sweetly smiled, trying to look like a saint, but he wasn't fooling anyone. Arisa grabbed him by the ear before anyone could react and returned Satou's smile with one of her own.

"I'll let you get away with it this one time!"

<0 >

"Hero Kura!"

I suddenly heard Nana calling for me, so I hurried below deck with Satou following close behind. It was a mistake to let him come.

"I'll take it from here,"

I should have said I would handle this myself. I quickly cover Satou's eyes and push him out of the room. I knew Nana said she was going to give the kid a bath, but why was she naked, too? It didn't help that Nana made zero effort to cover herself when she turned around upon our arrival.

"Hero Kura, the larva has requested magic supply. Permission to proceed?"

"No, I'll do it. Just put your clothes back on for now,"

I pick up Nana's clothes and hand them to her as I approach. The girl was kneeling on a massage table, but before I did anything, I took out a towel and wrapped it around her naked body. I noticed something I missed the first time I saw her. Her hair ornament was beautiful. The key-shaped ornament itself was golden, with six different-coloured gemstones set into it.

The girl stared at me as I covered her up. Her red eyes were blank and unfocused, suggesting she wasn't fully conscious. She grabbed hold of my hand with both of her own. She bit my pointer finger and started sucking on it feebly. My MP started to go down as hers rose up, but I could recover my MP faster.

As she continued to absorb my magic, the young girl slowly began to age. Despite Nana's blank expression, I could tell she was disappointed to see the kid grow up. The colour started returning to the kid's face, and a bit of warmth returned to her cold hands.

"Such…pure magic…"

The now slightly older kid sighed before she passed out with a satisfied look on her face.

"Kura, I'll give this girl a bath."

"Lulu! I shall care for the larva, I insist,"

And just like that, Nana was naked again. She dropped her clothes and picked up the kid before Lulu could reach her.

"If you are going to admire anyone, admire me!"

Satou was with everyone else as they entered the room, but Arisa quickly jumped in front of him, blocking his view. Nana, meanwhile, had already started bathing the girl with Lulu's help as Arisa dragged her perverted master out of the room. But stopping Satou from peaking was only one of our problems.

"Hmm? I don't see that young lady's clothes anywhere,"

Picking up Nana's discarded clothing, Liza looked around the room in search of the clothes, but they were nowhere to be seen. There was nothing on the floor, tables or hung up on the many hooks in the room. It was like they vanished into thin air. Pochi and Tama couldn't find them in the laundry basket, and her clothing was too different from anything we wore to get them mixed up with our clothing.

"Search,"

Mia went to the bath to look. It was pretty dark over there, and I couldn't see the girl's clothes over there either.

"Eeeek! Mia, I keep telling you not to leave the door and windows wide open when you enter the bath!"

"Mm. Sorry,"

Lulu was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, but Nana and the kid were naked, and Mia threw open a window to give her more light when she looked. Satou must have some perverted god on his side because that window gave him the perfect view of Nana when Mia opened it. Mia quickly shut it as Arisa started accusing Satou of cheating on her.

"They don't seem to be in here, either,"

Liza commented as she assisted with the search while Mia started questioning Nana.

"Clothes. Where?"

"Once removed, her clothing faded and disappeared, I report,"

Her clothes could be magical. Or they could be a ghost like the kid. No, that's stupid. Clothing can't become ghosts. They are probably some kind of magic item.

<0 >

"That's a good wind,"

It was late at night, and the star-filled sky was a sight to behold. We had just finished burying the dead army and were relaxing on the ship's deck. Magic made the job easy, but setting up the Holy Stones to prevent the undead from returning took longer than expected. But just as I lay down, I heard light footsteps approaching.

"Magic…please,"

"Here,"

I held out my hand, and the young girl, now wearing a baggy T-shirt, started sucking magic from my finger again. She'd looked around Arisa's age when she fell asleep, but now she looked like a preschooler. Unlike earlier, her red eyes were no longer glazed over. As she absorbed my magic, she gradually grew taller, and her curves started to fill out. When she'd had enough magic, she sighed with satisfaction.

"Thank… you,"

"Don't mention it," I smile. "It's a bit late for this, but I'm Kura. May I ask your name?"

"Name…?" The girl closed her eyes and furrowed her brow, trying to remember. She frowned, biting her lip. "I don't… know…"

"We found you washed up on the beach, so it's possible that you were in some kind of shipwreck. The shock might have addled your memory," Satou said. "But we have to call you something until you remember your name. What would you like to be called for now?"

"Name…?"

Her gaze shifts between Satou and me. I'm terrible at naming stuff, and Satou is no better. Even when I named Nana, I still called her her old name, just translated into Japanese. The young girl looked around uncertainly. Then her eyes fell on the city-rock.

"Soul lights…pretty," She gazed at the city-rock with a soft expression. The city rock was lit up with blue light, creating a solemn atmosphere. "Soul lights… How about…Rei?"

The first part of the Hallowed Language word for soul lights was pronounced "rei", giving the kid her new name.

"Nice to meet you, then, Rei. I'm Satou,"

"Nice to meet you…Satou,"

"I'm Kura,"

"Kura…"

We exchanged a friendly handshake, then smiled at each other.

"Thank you…for…saving me,"

"Don't mention it,"

"Do you know what 'Lalakie' is?"

"Lalakie…" Rei caught her breath abruptly at Satou's question. "…I want to go home…" Tears began to stream down her cheeks, so I wiped them away with a handkerchief. Rei touched her own cheeks in surprise, unaware of the reason for her tears. "Am I…crying?"

"Lalakie must be very important to you," I say, pulling her into a hug.

"I think…so. I don't know why…but my heart says…I want to go there…very much," Rei's small hands trembled as she wrapped them around me. "Um… Kura… could I have…a bit more magic…please?"

"Sure,"

It was cold out, so I let her wear one of my spare coats as she absorbed my magic. She hadn't eaten since we rescued her, so Satou handed her drink a sweetened nutritional supplement potion, a concoction he'd popularized in the elf village. Her hair ornament swaying in the breeze as she drank caught my eye again.

"Could I have a look at that, please?"

"No!"

I wouldn't steal it, but Rin held it tightly and shielded it from my view. It must be pretty important to her. Rin even dropped her potion to protect the ornament, but Satou caught it before the potion smashed into the deck.

"No one…can…touch this," Her voice trembled as she shook her head. "I don't…know…why. But…I feel it…deep in…my heart."

"I'm sorry,"

"Don't worry, Rin, we won't steal it from you," Satou assures her as he hands her back the potion. "Please continue drinking."

<0 >

"You cheater!"

The following day, I heard Arisa's cry from Satou's room. I can see that Rei had shared a bed with Satou and returned to her adult form. Her shirt is pretty tight in a certain area, and Liza is holding Arisa back as Rei is barely covered up by the shirt. I had left Satou alone with her last night to help Nana after she tripped and got tangled up in some fishing lines, but she wasn't nearly this big the last time I saw her. She must have been sucking up Satou's magic as they slept next to each other.

"Hero Kura, the larva has vanished, I report!"

Nana swiftly clung to my arm in panic despite what her blank expression would tell you.

"She's over there," I tell her, pointing to Rei.

"Hero Kura… Has the larva grown? I inquire,"

"She might have absorbed too much magic last night,"

As I explained the situation to Nana, Satou was getting a lecture from everyone else about his actions last night. At least it didn't look like they did nothing but sleep last night, so he isn't grilled too hard.

"Hey, is she shrinking again?"

"Hero Kura, she is almost there, I report,"

Once Rei shrank back down to the size of a young girl, she opened her eyes. Greeted by the sight of the entire group staring at her, she winced.

"G-good…morning,"

"Mm. Morning," Mia seemed to be the only one to be able to understand Rei, but she soon showed off why. "Ring."

Mia held up the translation ring on her finger for me and the others to see. When we were in the elf village, she'd worn one to match with the rest of us. The translation rings we got from the elves supported Hallowed Language.

"Good thinking, Mia,"

Nana was also wearing one of those rings.

"Riiings?"

"I want to talk, too, sir,"

Everyone else took out translation rings from their Fairy Packs, put them on, and introduced themselves individually.

"Nice to meet you… I'm Rei,"

Rei looked uncomfortable at all the attention and clung to Satou as she introduced herself.

"You remembered your name?"

"No… Satou… Kura… gave me… this one… yesterday," Rei must have forgotten that she named herself.

After breakfast, we paid our respects to the poor souls the Skeleton King forced to serve him in a small service where we gave a moment of silence while Mia played a funnel song. Once that was resolved, we planted Treant seeds around the island as Aialize requested during our travels.

<0 >

I sat on the deck the following day, watching a battle play out.

"Master Satou! Do not monopolize the larva for yourself, I beseech,"

Satou was harmlessly giving Rei some candy and a drink when Nana got jealous and stanched her up. Rei is getting pretty used to Nana by now. There was a time when she looked uncomfortable as Nana hugged and rubbed her cheek against hers, but now she doesn't look fazed.

"Good morning…Nana,"

"Good morning, Rei, I greet,"

"Mrrr. Excessive," Mia emerged next, shaking her head at Nana.

"Cuteness is justice, I declare,"

"Good morning…Mia,"

"Mm. Morning,"

Rei smiled as Mia sat down on my lap.

"Good morning,"

"Good morning, sirs!"

Tama and Pochi run onto the deck, dragging Arisa with them, who is struggling to keep her eyes open. She's been having trouble waking up early since we left Bolenan Forest.

"Wake uuup?"

"Time for calisthenics, sir,"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Tama and Pochi dragged Arisa forward, but she couldn't stand.

"Part one,"

Mia started playing a lute version of a radio callisthenics tune from Japan as Satou helped Arisa participate. Even Nana and Rei joined in once Rei could free herself from Nana's grip.

"Ughhh, I hate mornings…"

Arisa groaned initially but was back to her usual self by the time the callisthenics ended. Once we finished part two, a delicious smell drifted up from the ship's vent, and the girls' stomachs began to growl. When Liza stepped onto the deck with an enormous stockpot, everyone's attention was quickly drawn to her.

"Breakfast is ready,"

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I report,"

"Mm. Let's go,"

<0 >

"Master, I've spotted a ship run aground,"

Liza called down from the lookout mast. We were almost clear of the Seadragon Islands, and it wouldn't be long until the last islands were out of sight. Satou, who was inside the ship working on something, quickly emerged to take a look.

"Kura, look,"

Mia pointed at an island up ahead. Just barely visible was a ship among the reefs, and as we got closer, the reason why it was abandoned became clear. The ship's three masts were all intact, but the hull of the ship was full of holes.

"Isn't that a Shiga Kingdom flag?"

"Yeah. And the one below it is from the Ougoch Duchy… it's Viscount Emerin's flag,"

As Satou and Arisa discussed the flags of the ships, I noticed several lifeboats were missing. After informing the others, we decided to search the area for survivors. We were attacked by monsters that looked like manta rays multiple times as we moved through the area, but Liza's harpoons and Mia's bow made quick work of them.

"There are survivors. That's a relief,"

It took Satou some time to find them, but he managed to detect them with his map-searching skill. According to Satou, this area had loads of blank spots, slowing us down, so we had to sail closer to multiple islands. Lulu couldn't help but sigh in relief when Satou said there were roughly thirty survivors.

"Then we'd better save them right away," No one objected, but our ship would be too small for thirty people. "We have to prepare a bit first."

We returned to the run-aground ship, planning on repairing it, but to hide Satou using cheat-like skills and magic, the rest of us distracted Rei.

"All done,"

"Welcome back, master,"

By the time Satou was finished, the ship looked like it was brand new. At Arisa's insistence, Satou put a few dents and caused some damage so the survivors wouldn't get suspicious. Satou brought out several living dolls to help control the recently repaired ship. The living dolls had squat, gnomelike bodies and wore loose, hooded brown robes.

"Scarecrow, control the living dolls according to the 'sailor' preset,"

As soon as Satou gave the order to the figurehead golem Scarecrow, the living dolls began moving about briskly, miming various sailor-like tasks.

<0 >

"There are people on the beach, I report,"

"Yeah, they probably came because they saw the ship,"

"I believe there are people hidden in the woods near the beach as well, master,"

"None of them seem hurt,"

Satou, Liza, Nana and Sara joined me as we headed to the beach aboard the newly repaired ship. The others wanted to come too, but we told them to stay on our ship, which we kept out of range from any attack launched from the beach. Once we were close enough, we dropped anchor and had the living dolls head back to our ship in one life raft while we approached the beach on another. Once we landed, it didn't take long before one of the survivors approached.

"I am a noble of the Ougoch Duchy in the Shiga Kingdom. For my valiant battles against monsters, I have been granted the Ougoch Duchy Blazing Scarlet Medal. They call me Baron Jeetbert!"

He was a middle-aged man using a large two-handed sword like a walking stick. He greeted us in a clear voice as his medal shined in the sunlight.

"His Excellency has introduced himself. Now it is your turn!"

"Before that…"

A small man who looked like a mage shouted after a moment of silence had passed, but the baron stopped him. There were a few men behind them with large shields and spears acting as honour guards while the other sailors hid in the tree line with bows at the ready.

"Lady Sara," The baron quickly dropped to his knees. "I am sorry for not greeting you properly the moment you arrived." Behind him, the rest of the group quickly kneels as well. "I assure you I meant no disrespect."

"It's quite alright," Sara softly smiled. "Baron Jeetbert don't need to bow to me either. I left my family for the temple, so I am no longer a noble." As the baron raised his head, Sara's smile quickly dissipated his fear and nervousness. "I am glad to see you and the men behind you are in good health. Are any of the sailours hiding in the trees in need of healing."

"Thank you for your kindness, but fate favoured us in that regard. We were lucky to have no serious injuries after we lost our ship,"

"I am relieved to hear that," Sare continued to smile before turning towards us. "Now I shant get in the way of your introduction to my friends any longer."

"Yes… of course," The baron soon looked towards us again. "Like I said, I am Baron Jeetbert. May I have the honour of knowing your names?"

"I am a noble of the Muno Barony in the Shiga Kingdom. For fending off a lesser hell demon in Gururian City, I have been granted the Ougoch Duchy Sapphire Medal. My name is Satou Pendragon, hereditary knight,"

"…The Sapphire Medal?!"

The baron started at the medal as Satou put it on his chest. The people around him were mumbling in surprise, too. A few of these men were muttering things like, "Isn't the Muno Barony that cursed territory?" but most of them seemed to be more surprised by the medal.

"I'm Kura Suou. A knight in the service of Earl Seiryuu and a hero. It is a pleasure to meet you, Baron Jeetbert,"

"A he… Gjallarhorn and Claidheamh Soluis… both swords of the an…"

"Baron Jeetbert,"

The mage-like man had to catch the baron as he nearly collapsed seeing my swords. That was a first. People have gushed over my holy swords, wanted to hold them, cried at the sight of them, and a few wanted to have them, but so far, Baron Jeetbert is the only one to nearly faint.

"Yes… I know," The baron clears his throat after taking a moment to collect himself. "Sir Pendragon, Ladies Sara and Kura, might the three of you be willing to take us to the trade city of Sutoandell on your ship? We are the sole survivors of Viscount Emerin's trade fleet. Naturally, we shall reward you however you may wish."

"Yes, of course," Satou answered, and the rest of us nodded in agreement. "Perhaps it was fate that I discovered that ship adrift at sea."

"Adrift, you say?"

"Indeed. Since it was flying the flag of Viscount Emerin, I thought it prudent to search for survivors on the nearby islands. This is the last island in the area, so I was quite relieved to find you here,"

"Well then, Sir Pendragon, if you do not mind a brief wait, we shall prepare to depart at once,"

The baron called over the sailors and asked how long it would take them to prepare enough water for the trip.

"Five days… No, if we mobilize everyone with the 'Item Box' skill, we can do it in three," The sailor responded grimly.

"Your Excellency," Satou interrupted. "Pardon my intrusion, but if it's water that you need, we have more than enough on board for the journey to Sutoandell."

"A… are you quite certain?!"

Satou nodded and handed over several barrels.

"Yes, that is more than enough. Why, with that amount, we could make a round trip to the ends of the Seadragon Islands and still reach Sutoandell safely,"

After they looked at the water, Satou handed over a map.

"Wh… what a detailed map!"

"It even includes the watering holes on the islands and the distribution of monsters…!"

"You really searched the islands this thoroughly for survivors…?"

The last sailor was on the verge of tears as he gazed at Satou with admiration. None of us say Satou only spent the last half an hour drawing the map.

"Your Excellency, from here, we should be able to reach Sutoandell within less than ten days,"

Hearing that, the stranded sailors hugged each other and shed a few tears. Even the people who were meant to be hiding in the tree line were jumping with joy.

In the end, we decided to depart the following morning. The sun had set while the men carried their supplies from their base onto the ship. We'd decided to have a banquet that night to celebrate the departure. Sara, Satou and I sat with the baron. We sent Nana and Liza back to the others after some sailors stared at them lustfully. None of them would dare touch Sara because of her rank, and I was too small for people to look at me the way they looked at Nana. These guys are just as bad as the boobed-obsessed Satou.

"Oh-ho, that smells tasty. How long has it been since we've had any seasonings but salt?"

"Sir Pendragon was kind enough to share some of his spices, so I used them to the best of my ability!"

Everyone was happy when the food came out. It mainly was seafood the sailors caught, but to celebrate their rescue, the crew brought out the ale they were saving.

"Sir Pendragon, you have women in your crew, no? It's bad to bring women on a long journey at sea, you know." The baron took a swig of ale. "Some captains bring their wives or lovers on board, but that often leads to mutiny, see,"

About halfway through the celebration, I overheard the baron whispering to Satou. He was careful to be quiet, but I managed to hear everything thanks to my "Keen Hearing," skill.

"Thank you. I'll keep your advice in mind,"

Satou nodded, but we didn't have any mutinies to worry about. Just Arisa and her attempts to seduce Satou.

<0 >

"Raise anchor"

"Anchors aweigh!"

"Anchors aweigh!"

I could hear the sailors on their ship all the way from ours. They call out orders and shout replies as they climb up and down their ship's rigging while raising their anchor. As their ship starts to move, I turn to the others.

"We should get moving too,"

"Aye-aye!"

"Anchors aweigh, sir!"

Pochi and Tama ran around in circles, raising the anchor. Our ship could do it by itself, but those two seem to enjoy spinning the wheel connected to the anchor. Liza and Pearl stood guarding on the lookout for monsters while Nana and Mia played with Rei, and Lulu tried to calm Arisa up. Satou decides to spend time on the other ship. Arisa is getting too excited as she starts making up stories about Satou and the sailors in erotic encounters.

The golems onboard our ship effortlessly lower our sails while the sailors on the other ship struggle to make up for their lack of numbers. Thanks to the help of the golems and automated systems on our ship, it wasn't long before we entered the current.

"Master, monsters are approaching us from the east,"

Not long after we had lunch, we were attacked for the first time. A school of torpedo squid numbering around thirty is rushing towards us. They are only around level ten in strength, but I am worried about the other ship. Ours should be okay with the defensive equipment installed, but the other ship was damaged and didn't have the same strength everyone on our ship possesses. If worse comes to worse, Satou would save them.

"Scarecrow, hold our ship in position between the monsters and the other ship,"

Our ship slows down until the other ship is alongside ours. Meanwhile, our spellcasters are already chanting while Lulu takes aim with her magical gun and Liza with her harpons. On the other hand, Pearl, Pochi and Tama are readying our ship's magic cannon. The two kids could probably use it alone, but Pearl was there to assist them since they still had mishaps loading the cannon.

"Fire!"

"Boom! Sir!"

The cannon fired with a large boom, shaking the ship and rippling the water before taking out several squids in a large explosion. Lulu fires next, cutting a squid in half as it leaps out of the water while Nana's magic arrows piece a second. A volley of spells decimates the remaining squids and Liza rapidly finishes of the surviours with rapid throws of her harpoons. In mere moments, the fighting is over.

"Hero Kura! More monsters are approaching, I report!"

Rock-head bass charge are ship as another school of squid attacks the other ship. But I didn't need to worry about them.

"Focus on the Rock-head bass,"

Even before I gave the order, the other ship was surrounded by a magical barrier, and cannons appeared from portholes. The cannons opened fire with a thunderous roar. Even all together, they couldn't match our cannon in sheer power. Still, with their numbers, the cannons on the other ship inflected numerous losses on the approaching monsters. Still, their cannons have one major flaw.

"Are we going to assist them?"

Sara asked as Liza harpooned the last of the Rock-head bass. Their cannons are slow in terms of fire rate. Pochi and Tama could reload and fire our cannon seven times when it takes them to fire once.

"No," I shake my head. "We would only get in the way at this point."

I wanted to help, but we didn't have a good angle on the remained squid attacking the other ship. Even if we did come to their aid, the sea around the squid has turned to ice and sparked with electricity as several stones slowly sank. The other ship must have been using magical rounds, unlike the explosive cannonballs we have been using. If need be, I could help them with magic, but since Satou isn't making any moves, the situation can't be that bad over there. In fact, Satou looks like he is having fun firing one of their cannons.

Ten minutes later, it was over, and we only needed to assist with the occasion magical spell when a squid got too close to the other ship. After the battle was over, we retired the cores and edible parts of the monsters before moving on.

<0 >

"Big gate!"

"It's holding back the Mr Water, sir!"

We finally reached the nearest port. Seven days since the battle against the rock-head bass, we were about to safely enter Sutoandell. We were sailing close enough to the baron's ship to hear their lookout shout, "It's the water gate to the port!" not long after, Pochi and Tama spotted it.

Satou had returned to our ship after a day or two on the baron's ship. His reason was the smell. Satou said no one bathed on the other ship, making it smell awful. Our small ship felt increasingly luxurious as I listened to Satou talk about life on the baron ship. We had a bath with warm water, a kitchen good enough to find its place in a noble home and our beds were comfortable. The baron's ship, meanwhile, has only hammocks and a simple small kitchen.

"Rei, you mustn't sing in front of other people, alright?"

"Okay...Satou,"

Satou gave Rei a warning as the large gate slowly opened. The rest of the group often sang together to pass the time on our journey, but whenever Rei joined in, it always attracted schools of fish or swarms of seabirds. Unfortunately, I am still banned from singing, and whenever I joined in, I was relegated to instrument playing.

Satou, meanwhile, had been busy making modifications to our ship. In preparation for a possible rematch with the Skeleton King, Satou had made portable Holy Stones for each group member and upgraded the ship's Holytree Stone engine to a bigger, more powerful model. In the future, Sato planned to add features like a rocket launcher and improve the defensive barrier.

"Wow, now that's a big gate,"

"They have so many big cannons and towers..."

Arisa and Lulu gazed in surprise at the gate and its fully armed defensive towers. The towers were staffed by birdfolk soldiers, archers, and mages.

"They use the gated entrance to the bay there to keep out monsters,"

Large pillars were placed inside the gates to ward off monsters, too, like the ones we saw on the huge river near the old capital.

"Master, the harbour watch ship has given us the signal that we may enter,"

"Thank you, Liza. Let's head on in, then,"

Thanks to the baron's ship preceding us, we could get into the harbour after only a simple identity check. Typically, the harbour watch would have to thoroughly inspect any weapons and search for smuggled goods before allowing us in.

"Lots of...big...ships,"

"Yeah, they seem to come from all over the world,"

Rei was standing next to me, pointing out the large ships. Several of the largest were Ougoch Duchy gunships; a few large and medium battleships were also anchored in the harbour. The most noticeable ships looked like paddle steamers with sails from the Saga Empire and Weaselman Empire ships with oars. There were plenty of other ships, too, from the southern islands. Suddenly, I heard the rumbling of the beastfolk girls' stomachs.

"Well, it's almost lunchtime. Shall we eat once we get into the harbour?"

"Meeeat?"

"I want meat, sir!"

Pochi and Tama hopped up and down excitedly. We mainly ate seafood during our travels at sea, so they were probably looking forward to eating a different kind of meat after all this time.

"All right, let's find a place that sells some good meat dishes,"

Satou called out, and everyone except Mia cheered in agreement.

"And rice and vegetables, too, of course," I added.

"Mm, yeah,"

At that, Mia smiled and nodded, too.

<0 >

"Well, Sir Pendragon, Ladies Sara and Kura, let us meet again at the New Year's Kingdom conference! I'll repay my debt to you then with treasures the likes of which you've never seen!"

When we entered the trade city of Sutoandell in the Ougoch Duchy, Baron Jeetbert shook our hands fiercely before riding off to the viceroy's castle on horseback. He would borrow an emergency high-speed boat from the viceroy to hurry to the old capital.

"Wobblyyyy?"

"Kinda feels like we're still on a ship,"

Tama, Arisa, and a few others were stumbling around, unaccustomed to solid ground after so many days on the ship. Pearl was by far in the worst shape, needing to lean on my shoulder for support.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, master,"

"It's fine," I try to assure Pearl, but she still looks embarrassed by the situation. "Just keep leaning on me until you feel better."

"You'll get used to it pretty quickly. For now, let's take care of things here and find somewhere to eat,"

Leaving the ship to the figurehead golem and the living dolls, disguised with Illusion, we went to the harbour's chamber of commerce to rent a small temporary warehouse and place some requests with the merchants. We used up most of our supplies and needed to replace them before carrying on. Once that was taken care of, we went to a meat restaurant as promised, which was a big hit.

Aside from Mia and Rei, everyone dug into their meat like they had been starved for days. Only Sara showed some table manners, even if she ate her meal faster than usual. Patting their bellies, everyone practically bounced out of the shop once we were done.

"So full?"

"Meat really is the best, sir,"

"The mutton was truly delicious. Its sinew had such an excellent mouthfeel,"

"The eel was very good,"

"What? The lamb steak was way better,"

"The sauce was very flavorful. I can't wait to try to make it myself,"

"Larva, what is the matter? I inquire,"

"I'm okay... It's just...bright,"

Rei staggered as soon as we left the shop, but ever swift when it comes to larva, Nana held her up. She was a little dizzy, and her face looked strangely pale. We decided to find an inn as soon as possible so she could rest.

"Pilaf tasty."

"The seaweed salad was delicious,"

"Yes... the pilaf... and the salad... were very... good,"

Mia and Sara were the last to leave the restaurant with a comment, and Rei nodded in agreement.

"I agree with the larva. The seaweed salad was delicious as well, I report,"

Everyone was right. I sampled bits and pieces of everyone's dishes and can say that the restaurant had no bad meals on its menu. Even the non-meat dishes were delicious.

"So we're spending a night here, right? What are we doing after that?"

Arisa turned around as she led our group through the streets.

"I want to buy some scrolls at the magic shop, so we'll check out some street stalls along the way,"

Like in the harbour area of the old capital, there were a lot of exotic sights and people wherever we looked. Everyone was friendly, too. There were a few people who looked down on demi-humans, but thankfully, those jerks were few and far between. I picked up a few foreign language skills. Still, most of them were dialects of languages I knew, so I didn't put any skill points into them.

"In that case, I'd like to take a look at some accessories!"

"Mm. Yeah,"

Walking alongside me, Mia nodded in agreement with Arisa, who was still facing us. Even though we'd recently eaten, the beastfolk girls and Lulu were eyeing all the food stalls.

"Okay, but could you stop walking backwards like that? It's dangerous,"

"All riiiight... Hmm? Who's that?"

Looking past us, Arisa tilted her head in confusion.

"Sister! I've found you at last!"

A chill ran down my spine as a voice spoke up behind us. It had a strange echo to it. Turning around, I saw a slender young girl with black hair, the ends of which were red, standing with her shoulders squared. Her skin was so light that it almost blended with her white clothing. She bore a strong resemblance to Rei when she was in young-girl mode.

But this girl's eyes had me worried. They looked like a photo negative: black where there would typically be white and white where the pupils should be black. And those eyes were already eyeing up everyone around Rei like we were all a threat.

"It's me, Reiaane! Father sent me to collect you!"

She stares directly at Rei and softly smiles. So, Rei's real name is Reiaane. But while she looked happy to see Rei, Rei was trembling and hiding behind Satou. Rei clung to him even tighter.

"It's the shadow person... Scary..."

"Grrr..."

"Tama, what's wrong, sir?"

Tama was growling at the black-haired girl like she'd reacted when we first met Rei as a mist started to rise around us.

"Listen to me, Sister! Aside from the long- 30 Highlighter lost Crimson Cane, we have gathered all the Sacred Treasures. All we need now is a large crystallized Firelight Pearl, the Box, and your key, and we'll be able to bring Lalakie back to the skies!"

Something about Rei suddenly changed. The light left her eyes, which became unfocused as she looked up at the girl. I was initially worried that this newcomer had used some magic on her when she was speaking, but that didn't appear to be the case.

"Lalakie must not be returned to the skies. The queen's dying wish was for it to rest at the bottom of the ocean forever..."

Rei spoke in a voice and manner that didn't sound like her own. Her tone resembled a prerecorded announcement being played back.

"Sister? What is wrong?" The new girl asked, squinted at Rei.

"Hi there. Are you a friend of Rei's?" Satou tried to sound friendly, but the girl only glared at him.

"Out of the way, servant. Don't interrupt my reunion with Sister Reiaane… Can you hear me? I'm telling you to get out of the way," Satou didn't move an inch as the rest of us moved in front of him. "So you intend to keep blocking my way..."

As she scowled, a gear-like ring of light appeared over her forehead. It looks similar to how Nana uses magic only less refined. Nana readied her shield to block the attack while Sara, Mia and Arisa began to chant.

"Then perish!"

SHWNESHWNEEEE!

A bird's cry echoed over the girl's voice. Before we knew it, twenty or so skeleton pirates rose from her shadow and attacked.

"Aaaagh!"

"Monsterrrs!"

The passersby who'd been gathered around talking about the girl fled at the sight of the pirates. I used Enchant: Physical Protection and Enchant: Magic Protection on everyone as the fight began.

"Can't we talk this out, please?"

"I will kill you and bring my sister home, along with the key. Those are Father's orders,"

"They're level ten," Arisa called out as Satou's attempts to end things peacefully failed. "They have the Paralysis effect, so watch out for unarmed attacks, too!"

The girl produced another gear-shaped magic circle over her forehead. For some reason, Satou soon lept into the air and grabbed her. Is she like Rei? He is acting just like he had when he freed Rei from her miasma chains, so maybe she is. I'll let Satou take care of her then.

My help isn't needed in the battle against the skeleton party. I just guard Rei as everyone else deals with them. Nana blocks every attack while Pearl, Liza, Pochi and Tama attack with support from Arisa, Mia and Lulu. Sara, though, is in a league of her own when it comes to fighting undead. She uses holy magic spells to bring down more skeletons than the rest of our group combined. The battle wasn't even a battle. It was a one-sided massacre and was over in a matter of moments.

"Behind you!"

Hearing Arisa's shout, I turned around and saw a bird appear from Rei's shadow. It was fast but not fast enough, and I managed to catch it. I knew it wasn't a real bird, but I could still hold it as long as I let my mana flow through my hand as if I were creating a spellblade.

SHWNESHWNEEEE!

The bird cried out and tried to peck my hand, but it couldn't even scratch me. The shadows at my and Rei's feet turned into a dark pool, but nothing happened.

"Don't expect to get away with using space manipulation in front of a Space Magic user like me!"

Arisa grinned, her arm stretched out toward Rei and me. She'd used her Space Magic to block the Shadow Portal. But there were still some shadow tentacles starting to emerge from the pool.

"There!"

"Take this, sir!"

Lulu shot down a tentacle that tried to grab Rei, and Pochi sped in to stab the vortex of shadows with her Magic Sword. The shadows shrank back, the tentacles freezing in place.

"Dun-dun-duuun!"

Tama sliced through the shadow tentacle that had grabbed Rei's leg.

"We will never surrender the larva, I declare,"

Once Rei was freed, Nana lifted her up. Then, finally...

"No mere shadows can stand up against the Magic Spear master gave me,"

"Nothing can stand up to the Magic Sword my master gifted me,"

Using 'Spellblade,' Liza used her Magic Spear to destroy the shadows, leaving a red line in her wake as Pearl's sword gave off blue sparks.

"Get away!" The girl struggled desperately to escape, but Satou wouldn't let go. "Nnngh! Ch-Chibi! Help me!"

SHWNESHWNEEE!

The bird struggled to escape me, but I refused to let it get away.

GHWEGHWEEE.

"Ch-Chibiiii!"

The girl gave a worried cry when she heard the bird's scream. Before I could stop it, the bird tore off its legs and flew away, leaving them behind to disappear in my hands. Satou swiftly punched the moment the bird approached him. Shadowy feathers flew everywhere.

"Get away from me, you fiend! How dare you do that to Chibi! Release me at once! I shall avenge Chibi!"

SHWNESHWNEEE!

Tough little guy.

"Chibi!"

The girl's face lit up when she heard the ghost bird's cry echoing from somewhere.

SHWNESHWNEEE!

Oh… so that is how he survived. Moments after the bird cried out again, multiple shadow bids surrounded Satou. He must be able to make copies of himself like that demon we fought in Muno Castle. They all attacked at once, but it was only cover.

"Master, she's gone!" Arisa exclaimed.

The girl had already vanished.

"Wait for me, Sister!" The girl's voice seemed to come from nowhere. Not even Satou could locate her. I'll save you from that black-haired demon, I promise!"

It looks like Satou has gotten a new nickname. It must have really annoyed him because he punched the air for…

"Eeeeek! He's coming! It's the black-haired demon!" Did he find her? Satou's fist disappeared into thin air as the girl cried out in fear. "Chibi cut the connection! Quick!"

SHWNESHWNEEE!

The bird uttered a cry, and a few decomposing corpses emerged, causing Satou to jump back as they reanimated into undead monsters.

"Larva! Hero Kura, the larva has fainted, I report. Requesting assistance!"

Turning around, I saw Nana holding Rei, who'd lost consciousness. Satou was already moving to assist her, so I let him handle it as Pochi and Tama took care of the new threats. I'll take care of the new arrivals.

"Hey, you! What's the meaning of this?!"

The sound of hooves clattered through the streets as the town guard finally arrived.

<0 >

"Miss Hero, we simply cannot thank you enough for the help provided by you, Sir Pendragon, Lady Sara and your other companions,"

We were being given a royal welcome by the viceroy himself. It was only Sara, Satou and I here but the others were being well cared for in a separate room.

"I had no idea that you were the viceroy of Sutoandell, Viscount Emerin,"

Viscount Kirk Emerin was a high-ranking noble of the old capital on the brink of ruin before Satou saved him with his god-tier cooking skills. Satou proved why he is known as the miracle chief when he popularised the unsellable lulu fruit. The viscount had been so close to bankruptcy because of the destruction of Baron Jeetbert's fleet. He was far from resentful, instead simply overjoyed that some of his vassals and friends had survived.

"Indeed. Traditionally, I would have a while longer to wait before becoming a viceroy, but certain circumstances sped things along a bit,"

The previous viceroy of Sutoandell, Count Bobino, had been removed from his post because the former head of his family was supporting the demon lord-worshipping cult, the Wings of Freedom.

"At any rate, Sir Pendragon, you need not stand on ceremony so. I believe I told you that you may simply call me Kirk. You saved my vassals from being stranded on a remote island. I owe you a great debt."

"Precisely! When Sir Pendragon appeared sailing our ship that had run aground, we thought an agent of the gods had come to us, and then Lady Sara appeared like an angel,"

I was there too!

Sitting next to Viscount Emerin was Baron Jeetbert. Several members of the viscount's family were also present. However, his second daughter, Rina, who has a small crush on Satou, was absent. She would probably curse herself for missing out when she found out Satou was here. She was returning to the Muno Barony with Miss Karina to study as a lady's attendant. Satou did say he was planning on returning to the Muno Barony. Poor kid. She probably thought she would get to spend time with him there.

There was a knock at the door, and a servant peered inside.

"Your Excellency, Baron Jeetbert's family has arrived,"

At that, the baron half rose from his seat, looking eager.

"Is that right? Baron Jeetbert, don't feel obliged to stay. You may go and see them,"

"I appreciate your kindness, Your Excellency,"

With a bow to Viscount Emerin and the rest of us, Baron Jeetbert hurried out of the room.

"Lord Kirk, I believe this is yours,"

"Th… this is the Magic Bag I entrusted to the crew!" Viscount Emerin exclaimed in surprise.

"I found it when we discovered the sunken ships. At first, I thought I should give it to Baron Jeetbert, but the contents seemed incredibly valuable, so I wanted to deliver it to you directly,"

Peering into the bag, the viscount was at a loss for words. It didn't contain much in the way of gold or silver coins. Still, there was a great deal of sculpted coral, delicate magical handicrafts, large, high-quality gems like jade and agate, and a fantastic amount of raw ore containing more gemstones.

"Wh… why, Sir Pendragon...?" He didn't look as happy as we expected. "With all this treasure, you could buy yourself an honorary baron title or even a permanent one! Why would you give this to me without asking for any reward in exchange?"

"Well, it belongs to you, doesn't it?"

Oh, I think I know what is happening. It must be similar to dealing with bandits, stolen goods and property found in a labyrinth. Finders keepers. I still remember how I found out about it. It was how Pearl came to serve me after her previous master was killed in the newly formed labyrinth under Seiryuu City.

"What are you saying? Anything found in monster territory, be it from a sunken ship or flotsam and jetsam, belongs to the person who finds it. Piracy is another story, but in this case, these treasures belong to you by rights,"

So I was right. It is the same.

"All right. Let me explain, then,"

"Explain what?"

I wonder what kind of lie Satou would come up with.

"I did not mention this because I thought you might find it hard to believe, but these bags and sunken treasures were given to me by the ghosts of the captains who passed away in the Seadragon Islands."

"Wh… what?!" I really didn't expect him to take that route. I nearly said what out loud, like the viscount. "Incredible! Such loyal vassals they were..."

"Quite so. Once I promised to carry out their wishes, they seemed to be able to pass on peacefully,"

"Thank you for bringing these to me. What can I ever do to repay you?"

"Well, I do have one rather impudent request..."

In the end, all Satou asked for was permission to buy and sell scrolls and spell books in Sutoandell.

"Are you sure that is all you desire? If you wished it, I would be more than happy to even welcome you into my family..."

Rina probably would have volunteered to be the bride in a heartbeat. If I remember correctly, all the viscount's other daughters are already married. Still, Satou probably thinks he dodged a bullet with all this talk of marriage.

"If you intend to travel to Labyrinth City, I imagine you will pass through the trade city Tartumina on your land route. Perhaps I can give you some items that will likely make a large profit there,"

As it turned out, Viscount Emerin wasn't done rewarding us yet. That night, he held a ball honouring Baron Jeetbert and everyone involved in his rescue. Viscount Emerin dragged Satou around, introducing him as his 'new friend, leading to Satou being surrounded by eligible young women and nobles with unmarried daughters. He got lucky, and Rina's older sister helped him escape. Only it wasn't really an escape.

"What an exquisite aroma! Whatever could it be?"

"It resembles the freshness of new leaves but with a faint trace of sweetness. How delightful,"

This time, she and her friends surrounded him instead. The cologne Satou received as a parting gift from the brownies was a big hit with them.

"I have never seen this particular fabric before, either,"

"It has the lustre of jade silk, but it's not quite the same... It's almost like the legendary fairy silk,"

"The way it gives off a jade-green shimmer when it catches the chandelier light is so beautiful,"

But I was in a similar situation with a few noble ladies surrounding me and examining my dress. But they were getting a little too close for comfort. But strangely, a single look from Sara was enough to get them to step back. For some reason, the nobles are trembling, but when I look, all I see is an angelic smile gracing her face.

<0 >

"So you drank until morning, hmm?"

Satou went out drinking last night after the ball, and when he returned to the viceroy's castle, Arisa tried to scold him only to be ignored. Instead, he asked the maid to send for their regular tradesman.

"Are you going to order something?"

"That too, but I wanted to see if they could send some articles of the deceased to their respective families,"

We had the items delivered directly for those related to people we knew in the old capital or their retainers. As for the others, Satou suggested we send them to Tolma to deliver.

"You must really trust Tolma,"

"You could say that,"

Tolma had a very strong sense of duty despite how he typically acted.

<0 >

"You're departing already? Why not stay a little longer and rest?"

"Thank you, but I recovered more than enough energy at last night's ball,"

Viscount Emerin seemed disappointed we were leaving so soon, but he still came to see us off. On top of that, he even gave me a large supply of silk, jade silk, and transparent glasswork.

"Hero Kura, all cargo has been loaded on board, I report,"

Nana called from the deck of the ship with Rei by her side. She was now wearing a fake key Satou made that should weaken the skeleton king or that girl if they were to steal it. It looks so real that it should fool them. The real key was hidden in a pouch she wore around her neck.

"Here is the inventory list, master,"

Liza soon appeared with paperwork in her hand.

"We haggled'em down, don't worry,"

"There were some good bargains, too, so we purchased them like you said, master,"

"Kura,"

Arisa, Lulu, and Mia, who'd gone to pay the merchants, returned to the ship shortly after we did. Now that we were all back, we boarded the ship. Waving goodbye to Viscount Emerin, Baron Jeetbert, and the others coming to see us off, we left Sutoandell behind us. They had offered to send gunboats along to escort us to the border of the neighbouring Ganika Marquisate. Still, we turned down the offer with some made-up excuse. The real reason was that we wouldn't be able to fly if we had an escort.