What am I even doing?

Metal rang. Swords clashed. Blows were traded as footfalls clacked on the deck. Soon, bodies fell and tumbled. It was one against many.

She isn’t around, right? Evelyn thought. She swung a mass-produced broadsword and knocked off a sailor’s sword. The gap between skill and strength was by far wide. The number of sailors moaning on the floor numbered seven. However, the number around her easily surpassed 20. Even so, Evelyn kept her calm.

Evelyn bit her lips as she toppled another sailor with a kick. Damn it! I devised this for her, not against some sailors I was forced to go against!

Although surrounded, the sailors could only take on Evelyn one after the other. At most, three at a time.

“I ain’t going near that!” said a Sailor.

“Hell, that’ll chop us to pieces!” said another.

On Evelyn’s rear and sides, swords perpetually fell, creating a somewhat pseudo barrier with swords. The swords dropped from around two and a half meters above the deck and vanished at about three inches before hitting the floor. It was a bizarre way of making a protective yet harmful form of barrier.

The nature of Evelyn’s blessing made the feat possible. Any solid objects, no matter its state, with size restrictions, could be stored into Evelyn’s so-called ‘Inventory’. Evelyn had first taken advantage of its nature by using arrows flying in mid-air, hence her not needing a bow in order to shoot arrows. However, of course, there are disadvantages. The state could not be altered from within the ‘Inventory’.

In either case, Evelyn tried to devise a plan or technique against Amelia before she was knock-offed unconscious. That was altering an object’s state by manifesting the object. It was not the most efficient, but Evelyn had to work around limitations. However, letting gravity do the job of altering an object’s state was a breakthrough for Evelyn.

Hence Evelyn’s perpetually falling barrier of swords—partially perpetual if all things considered.

“Like I told you, it’s no use.” Evelyn lifted her sword and put up a stance. “You’ll only make things worse if you keep going at it. So just listen to what I have to say and unsheathe your swords. At the least, from what you can see, I have not mortally wounded any of your comrades. I guess that’s enough proof that I’m not lying.”

 

“As if we’d immediately listen to some stranger who managed to climb the ship out of nowhere!”

Right. No one would listen to some weirdo who tells everyone to surrender after appearing in the middle of the sea. In the first place, why did I let myself be dragged like this?

Evelyn’s stomach rumbled.

I’m certainly well in the real world, but hell this hunger here definitely feels way too real. If only that madman wouldn’t keep on repeatedly snatching whatever food I took out, I wouldn’t even be here! Just what are those reflexes?! Is she not feeling weak from hunger at all?! And why did she have to break the boat?!

Evelyn held it in, however, her body quivering from hunger could not be satiated with mere will.

And here I am surrounded. Take their attention my ass! I can’t even eat in this kind of situation!

In the moment of nothing but a chorus of moans and sounding gulps, a voice echoed throughout the deck.

“Cease this!” It was none other than Darwin.

 

---

 

“What are doing here, Laurel’s Princess?” Slowly, Darwin raised his arms in surrender. He felt nothing could be done if a blade had reached his neck without him sensing. The difference in ability was too wide of a gap for retaliation—Darwin’s experience considered. “Running away from home, are we?”

Darwin grinned as he cracked a joke.

“I’m here because I was taken as a hostage.” Amelia did not cut corners and went straight to the point.

“A hostage?” Creases formed on Darwin’s forehead. First and foremost, why would a hostage board a ship and take it over? It did not make sense. “You sure know how to bewilder others.”

“Do I really?” Amelia narrowed her eyes, focusing on the slightest of changes on Darwin’s expression. “Still, it makes me think why a non-mercantile nor non-fishing vessel is near Surtur. Considering the surroundings, which there are no other ships in sight, this is far from an exercise.”

“…”

“Consider this. A few people will sail from Laurel to Surtur. Then, those same people will transfer to another vessel and sail towards Libet.”

“…”

“Those same people had a hostage with them. Namely, Laurel’s Princess. This then caused the shift on the routes taken by mercantile ships. It all makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Darwin gulped. It wasn’t hard to piece the information. The single piece that would make the picture clear was the reason why the routes changed. Considering what Amelia said, that she was taken a hostage, the picture naturally became clear.

Those same people who he was supposed to fetch had kidnapped a Royalty. Failing will cost him his life.

“I-I see… I see…” Darwin muttered.

Then, considering them washing ashore, something happened partway to Surtur. However…

“So, you intended to take over this ship and turn it back towards Laurel.”

“Not quite.”

 

Darwin expressed his confusion.

Shouldn’t she be searching for a way to return?

“I could have headed straight for any mercantile ships if I desired to return. I could also land on Surtur and wait at the southern post.”

“You… deliberately made yourself a hostage? If then, this was all your scheme?” Slightly, Darwin’s tone rose. He felt a shiver down his spine. If his fears served him right, it was all over for him and his crew.

“Partly. I myself never knew something would occur in the middle of the sail.”

Darwin’s mind was swarmed by a mix of doubt, fear, and confusion. It was unsettling that Amelia had been telling him things that could have been used as a card. He was afraid that she was setting him up with a play of words—to which he feared the most. In the first place, the Lord’s words were what made him what he is at that moment.

“In that case, what are you after?”

“As I said earlier, I’m taking over this ship. What happens next is entirely a different matter. But rest assured, if you follow my orders, none of your crew will lose their life. Not even yours. This I swear by title bestowed to me.”

 

---

 

Wounded sailors were rounded up and formed a neat row on the deck.

Darwin nudged the scabbard of the sword on his waist. She’s defenseless. This might be the chance.

About three meters away was Amelia crouching down on each wounded sailor, her lips muttering a familiar chant—heal. Clutched in her left hand were the sword and scabbard that she used on Darwin. In addition, her clothes were simple rags. In the literal sense, it made Amelia look far too defenseless, fragile even.

At first, Darwin could not believe that Amelia was fine with her clothes. He thought Royalty valued their body like precious stones and avoided revealing clothes. However, Amelia’s demeanor expressed a sense of maturity.

Still, it’s a beautiful sight.

Darwin’s mind wandered. He could not help but admire how Amelia ignored the surrounding eyes. And, comparing her to the Nobles he met in his life, he thought Amelia was far detached to what he used to know about Nobles.

No. She’s an enemy. Observe and find a way out.

Darwin moved his sight towards another girl. Platinum blonde hair at a medium length with fringes covering most of her forehead. A slightly rounded face. Green irises. A set of well-balanced armor of leather and alloys. Her appearance gave out the impression that she was a girl around seventeen years of age.

From the look of it, this girl is at odds with the Princess.

Darwin had considered Evelyn’s strength in defeating a few of his crew on her own.

She’s been looking around. She’s eyeing the boats. Is she intending to escape?

Evelyn was visibly tensioned. From what it seemed, a lot had been running on her mind.

If that’s it, then I must wait.

 

---

 

“The tide has set,” Marina said while seated on a rock near the southeastern coast of Surtur. “But Evelyn, Sir Dwight and she hasn’t washed ashore. Do you think they… drowned? Or maybe…”

Marina held her knees close to her chest. “It’s kind of sad if they did. I mean… our time with Evelyn had just begun.”

William leaned on the rock and used a knife to shred a piece of meat from a coconut. “Can’t say I don’t feel the same. But I believe that girl is alive. She’s a Hero for God’s sake. I’ll even bet she has a boat stored using her Blessing.”

“But it was dark then. Though we were immediately knocked unconscious by the impact, I think it’s hard to defeat a Halvsoth. That is if what Veight said was true. Just imagine. Fighting a creature at the sea at night. Without comrades. Without a foothold. I’m sure it’s… difficult. If it was this island’s Flameclad, I think it’ll be manageable since we are on land.”

William frowned. “Now if you keep thinking like that, you’ll only pull yourself down.”

“I can’t help it. Darwin and the others returned to their ship. Veight went to meet the captain of soldiers from Laurel. And most importantly, we knew something happened during the sail and were unable to help. In the end, only debris of the boat washed ashore. So, I can’t help but think they didn’t make it.”

“Right. We owe our lives to Veight.”

“Still, I can’t help but think why Veight prioritized us over the Hero?”

“He is her trainer. I think he wanted to see what the girl is capable of in that environment. Or maybe, he believed the girl could pull it off.”

“But—”

 

“Bah!” William stood with a gust. “Let’s change the topic. Keeping this up will only sour the mood. So, why not think with me on what should we do? And let’s keep that pessimism at bay for now. Let’s come up with plans with our next adventure with the Hero.”

Marina sighed. “In that case… the recent explosion? There’s also the news of the Silver Princess announcing that a priest from Libet was responsible for the recent forest fire.”

“Thinking back eh? Well, I think that announcement was just an attempt to pin us down on a tight spot while they supply Brent. That way, they can limit the resources coming down our shores. That aside, we have no idea about the explosion. But before we left, I heard Hero Charles had visited the site.”

“Well, I’m not all good at thinking ahead. I’m more suited on thinking back on events and tracing them to the present. Though I say that, I don’t think I’m particularly good at it.”

William chuckled. “It’s fine. But now that I mentioned Hero Charles, there still that brat.”

“That… I might consider too. A brat, that is. Still, he is a Hero. I think he owes due respect.” Marina fidgeted. “I mean, Madeleine went with him. I’m sure the Princess found something interesting regarding him.”

“A brat is a brat, Marina. I’m sure the Princess joined him in order to tame him.”

“Even so.” Marina shook her head. “Though he may be like that, I heard his progress was something… rapid?”

“Well, the kid had rushed out of the capital and went on a hunt after his training. Still, no matter what he becomes, I think that kid isn’t a bright one.”

“Well, he could leave all the thinking to Madeleine. I’m sure they’ll become something formidable when the time comes. Especially when the winter sets—when the demons are most probable to attack.”

 

William grumbled. “It’s quite a situation we have in all honesty. Though Brent vowed to retake Niveria, I don’t think they’ll launch an attack soon.”

“It’s winter after all. Supplies are scarce.”

“True, but it’s mostly because of the refugees. See, they take quite a sum of supplies intended for war. And the fight between Brent’s factions isn’t doing well either. Considering that, it won’t be a surprise if the second Prince launches an attack in the name of Niveria’s last Royalty.”

“I don’t think separated forces will do good.”

“It won’t. But trust me. Those demons are most likely to attack us rather than Brent. They’ll be sandwiched between us and Laurel if ever they conquered Brent.”

“But what if they do a sporadic attack? Won’t that tactic throw us off?”

“If they were to do that, I bet it’s to lure the Heroes and isolate them.”

“That’s… most likely possible.”

“Still, we don’t know much about the demons. What we do know is that they too have a Hero. Numbers are unconfirmed though.”

“I hope it’s at most one…”

“I hope so. We can’t have unexperienced Heroes face a veteran one on one.”