“Tek here, I haven’t had many chances to ride on a ship on Earth--it seems that my first time will be in a fantasy world. I have had many first times in this world.”

 

Currently, I’m standing on the deck of the ship departing Gururian, waving at the people who came to see us off. It’s not only Princess Menea and her escorts, but even the Viceroy, his wife, and Ririna.

 

There were foolish young nobles, and the ruffians that they had hired, who were aiming for Liza’s spear waiting for us at the harbour. But the Viceroy’s soldiers arrested them before they could cause us annoyance--it seemed that Karina’s maids had heard some disturbing rumours and notified the Viceroy beforehand.

 

The nobles had probably seen Liza’s spear during the fight with the Demon yesterday. They must have been rather deluded if they thought that they could still beat her, even after seeing her fight.

 

Karina is joining us on our journey, and I would get a terrible reputation if I left without her--she was also planning on following along anyway, so it would be better to have her near, since more Demons may appear at any time.

 

Last night, before we slept, I talked to Arisa about our Britains--I was incorrect when I guessed that we came from the same Earth, since she hadn’t ever heard of The Discovery. But--she did admit that she was Japanese, adopted into a British family. Which had caused issues, since the family who adopted her was rich and upper-class.

 

“Are you still worrying about how, and why, you were summoned?” Arisa’s concerned voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

 

Of course I had told Arisa about my worries, especially how I had been summoned into a place where I was forced to wipe out a lot of Dragons, and the theory that it might be related to the Demon Lord--I also told her how I wasn’t any of the people summoned by Princess Menea, how I had hoped to get an explanation.

 

I realize that we have left the harbour, and moving on autopilot, I had stopped waving, but I still stood at the side of the ship. Pochi and the others are standing on the bow and looking out over the water’s surface--well, Liza is standing by my side calmly, she occasionally glances over at the other girls.

 

Arisa embraces me, pushing her face right near me and her forehead against mine--“Well, there is no need to worry. It doesn’t matter if the Demon Lord summoned you--You just need to kill it!”

 

Liza nodded intently beside me, her tail swaying slightly.

 

“Thank you, Arisa.” I smile, pulling her closer and giving her a quick kiss--before pushing back and walking over to join the others at the bow.

 

Karina is staring at us with flushed cheeks, but as soon as my eyes meet hers, she looked away.

 

***

“This is another thing off my bucket list--unfortunately I was too late last time.” Arisa giggles as she spreads her arms, standing on the bow, while I embrace her waist to support her.

 

“Umm, Chevalier, it’s dangerous, so, could you--” The lone tour guide looks troubled--this area of the bow is actually off-limits, but because of Arisa’s urging, I requested access.

 

Since I was a noble, the tour guide could only nod and follow along behind us, politely requesting us to not do anything too dangerous.

 

I nod to the worried guide, carefully lowering Arisa back onto the deck--keeping my arms wrapped around her slim waist. She looks so satisfied, snuggling back against me--she grasped my still-clasped hands with both of hers.

 

The ship’s deck is wide enough to hold four carriages--although, since there are other things like the masts, it can only actually have two parked side-by-side.

 

Right now, however, only our wagon is sitting on the deck.

 

This ship is three layers, the top one has the captain’s cabin and our guestrooms. Karina and her maids are in a different room, of course--though I will pretend that I didn’t hear about her quietly muttering about it being ‘unfair’ and ‘forced separation’.

 

The bottom two layers are for horses, cargo room, and where the sailors sleep.

 

At first, I was worried about people getting seasick because this was their first voyage by ship, but only one of Karina’s maids was the only one affected--she was kneeling by the deck and whimpering pitifully between bouts of throwing up.

 

Everyone else is fine, and saying that it’s far better than the wagon’s vibration.

 

I will give some motion-sickness Medication to the maid in a bit.

 

It’s 300 kilometers to the Capital, but since we’re going by ship, it will only take around 2 days. If the ship hadn’t been chartered by the Viceroy, and had to stop at cities along the way--it would take between 3 and 4 days.

 

The tour guide had prepared a sofa on the deck--they seemed relieved that we no longer wanted to play in dangerous places, so there were no complaints.

 

“It’s boring.” Karina stood in front of me, hands on hips and staring at me.

 

“Karina, how about exploring the ship’s interior with the others?” I lay back against the comfortable seat and looked back at her--she flushed a little, lowering her eyes as her gaze met mine.

 

Only Liza and I are here, the others went exploring. I didn’t think that Lulu would be interested in going too, but since this was the first time she had been on a ship--and Arisa dragged her off-- she went with them.

 

At first, Liza had been standing near the couch, like a sentry. But I convinced her to sit next to me--and then pulled her into an embrace. It was rare--outside sleeping together, in both meanings--for me to have a chance to be affectionate with Liza. She took her duty as a ‘bodyguard’ rather seriously.

 

Right now, Liza was leaning against me as I held her, one of her hands holding mine--the other was still holding her spear, as though she was ready to use it if required. Though her tail was wrapped around my waist, with the tip occasionally poking my side.

 

I don’t think that she would bother me for training in this kind of place--since she wielded enough power to cause severe damage to the ship if she accidentally lost control.

 

“My, even though such a beautiful girl is visiting you, you immediately send her away?” Karina asks while raising an eyebrow, tilting towards me and resting a finger under her chin--I think she is deliberately doing it, but she can apparently be rather cute. The reason I don’t know for sure, is because this girl is rather innocent.

 

“I have no such intention. Feel free to sit down.” I roll my eyes at her and pat the cushion on the other side of me.

 

Karina sat down, facing me and not the front of the sofa, crossing her long, slim legs, “So, won’t you sign the letter from Consul Nina?”

 

“I sent a letter of refusal the other day.” I turn my head towards her--I’m not going to release Liza on one of the rare occasions that she is willing to be embraced, she was even snuggling me with her face buried in the crook of my neck--she did this when Karina approached.

 

Nina’s letter requested that I became a Special Liaison Officer from Baron Muno’s territory. In short, I would have to coax influential nobles all over the Dukedom to invest in Muno territory--as compensation, she said that she would remove the ‘honourary’ part of my peerage. But, it’s not worth it in my point of view, so I politely declined.

 

“Why though?” Karina asked, looking like she really couldn’t understand my reasoning, “If you become a Chevalier, your children would inherit a peerage, you know?”, she moves her face right in front of me.

 

“Well, I feel that Honourary Knight is too excessive--I don’t really want more than that.” I flick her forehead softly.

 

She flinched back a little, and rubbed her forehead with teary eyes and a pout.

 

Right then, Pochi and Tama seem to have finished their exploring and dart up.

 

“I’m home!”

“Home!”

 

Seeing Liza and Karina have taken my sides, they sit on my feet and wrap their legs around my ankles--and rest their chins on my knees, looking up at me. I move my arms slightly, still holding Liza, and stroke the two girls’ hair and ears--Liza made a pleased sound as my movements pulled her tighter against me, her tail tickling me as the tip moved.

 

Oops, I think I was patting the two girls a little too enthusiastically. Karina is staring at me with that look that seems to be a combination of desire and yearning, maybe hunger. Tama and Pochi have their eyes shut, Tama is purring and Pochi seems to have drooled a little on my knee.

 

Arisa comes back with Mia walking beside her, they are talking about something--scheming quietly.

 

Mia clings to me from behind the sofa and ruffles my hair.

 

“You’re all so affectionate--” Karina said as she averts her eyes, ‘subtly’ glancing back at us a few times--at least she didn’t lose control and ask to fight or train, she seems to be improving.

 

***

Our gathering was over soon after the girls returned, and Arisa pulled me over to the side of the ship.

 

“Look, look! It’s mermaids--mermaids!” She pulls on my hand, pointing.

 

I look where she is indicating, and there are certainly mermaids. The Heads-Up-Display shows that they’re the Finmen species (Mermaid/Fin-Kin). They are semi-aquatic Demi-Humans--I wonder if there are Platypus-kin; their King should be called Perry.

 

It seems that the Mermaids are gathering shellfish and prawns, carrying them to small boats with Humans on them. When I look at the small boats, the tour guide has notices and calls one of the boats here--which results in talk of buying aquatic products, and I go with Lulu and Liza to the ship’s side.

 

There are shellfish as big as trays, lobster-sized shrimps, and an octopus with two meter long tentacles.

 

“Octopus?”

“This guy!”

 

Tama and Pochi sees one of the Octopi that has taken the chance to run away from the bucket--they are having a hard time, since the tentacles are coiling around them.

 

It seems that Pochi got irritated with the tentacles that she couldn’t pry off--she begins to bite and tear at them. Tama managed to escape and begins to prick at the octopus with her sharp claws--stop enjoying it so much and help Pochi. Well, since her harassed behaviour and expression looks so adorable, I do understand. However, I should probably help her soon.

 

“Tek.” Mia is calling out to me with a pitiful voice, from behind me. When I turn around, I see that she is also entangled in the tentacles.

 

Arisa speaks the words of praise that rise in my heart--“Erofu is here!”--while helping her.

 

Lulu begins helping, and the tentacles are torn off. Nana and Liza begin helping Pochi.

 

The glorious scene soon ends, and Arisa seems to have noticed my slight feeling of disappointment--she looks at me, rolls her eyes and pokes her tongue out at me.

 

Those images are saved in my brain, in my hentai folder.

 

“Sticky.” Mia says with displeasure, while looking pitiful.

 

I ask the tour guide to get some water.

 

Suddenly, I hear Pochi scream, “Please help!” behind me. Quickly turning around, I see both Pochi and Nana are now dyed black with ink. Liza and Tama seem to have avoided it.

 

The guide brings over a partitioning screen and buckets of water, the three Octopus’ victims take baths behind it. I surround the screen with Air Curtain, so it won’t get blown away.

 

Mia and Pochi begin to go around the screen to dry themselves in the breeze and sunlight, but since there are a few male sailors, I give them some cloths and push them back behind the screen and tell them to wipe off back there.

 

I’ve seen some good things today.

 

Lulu decides to cook one of the Octopi--as well as shrimp.

 

After Lulu goes off, muttering about how to cook it to ‘avenge her sister’. Liza joins Lulu with cook the shrimp that I ended up buying after the octopus fiasco, and Nana prepares some salads and fruit, we are going to be having lunch under the deep blue sky.

 

Tama, Liza, and Pochi are all happily, and at incredible speed, eating the shrimps--they sometimes forget to peel them. Maybe because it looks so good, Karina quickly finishes her salad, before jumping into the food melee--Pina, the maid tries to tell her it’s unladylike--Karina ignores her.

 

It seems that the Medicine is very effective, because Erina, the maid who looked like she’d die this morning--is happily stuffing her mouth with Octopus meat.

 

I have no idea that there were so many ways to cook Octopus, the tour guide explains them to Lulu--I don’t particularly like it, so I stick to the salad and fruit, I leave the shrimp to the very happy girls.

 

During the meal, I search for ‘Short Horn’ at the Capital--and I find more than 20 of them. I hope the Capital doesn’t get destroyed before the ship arrives. Then again, if worst comes to worst, I could hide from the sailors and use Sky Drive and dash to the Capital.

 

I also hope that Hayuna and her child are safe. I couldn’t really care less about Toruma.