#047
About ten minutes passed like that when Yaong stirred awake from sleep. True to its magical beast origins, Yaong grasped the situation immediately without any explanation.
「Catherine... is ridiculously bold sometimes.」
It muttered a short exclamation toward Catherine, who was calmly turning the pages of her book.
"I told you. Even if Chezare said just to read a book."
「Normal people would be fidgeting like crazy after hearing that.」
Said the one yawning and stretching right beside the bed.
Catherine was more worried about others than herself.
"I wonder what Fontpado Madam and Percival are doing. I feel bad being the only one with time to relax."
「Even if you squeezed in there, you wouldn't help a damn bit.」
How was it saying the exact same thing as Chezare?
Soon, the serene atmosphere on the Lilith Ship, quiet as the deep sea, began to grow noticeably chaotic. Even in the VIP quarters, the murmurs were so loud that Catherine closed her book and perked up her ears.
> This is not a drill.
> All VIP guests, please evacuate to the deck immediately.
> Repeating announcement...
The repeated magical announcements made it impossible to focus on the book.
「Looks like the mass illusion has completely lifted.」
Indeed, the illusion on her and Yaong seemed to have worn off faster than on others.
Should I step out for a bit?
Just as she cracked the door open to check the hallway.
If she wasn't imagining it, a familiar voice reached her ears.
"...Mu, ...h!"
Whose voice was that?
「Yawn... nom!」
She clamped a hand over Yaong's mouth as it bounced over cluelessly and yawned right while she was listening.
The voice didn't come again. But the face of its owner flashed in her mind.
「Pfft! Bleh! Gross! Why'd you suddenly cover my mouth like that?」
"...I think I just heard my little sister's voice."
If it wasn't her imagination, it was definitely Magi.
'A huge shipboard party is planned in Christopher in a week. It's invite-only, but I got lucky with an invitation.'
Right, she'd said something like that when they reunited after so long.
Convinced it was Magi, Catherine grabbed her bag and Yaong, then left the cabin.
「Eek!」
It might have been nothing, but Catherine had clearly heard a scream.
The passageway had fallen silent again, unlike before. Had everyone gone up to the deck?
Catherine dashed toward the only direction with noise.
"Get lost!"
And there was Magi, whom she'd reunited with after just a few days...
"Don't touch a lady's elbow!"
...pummeling someone with punches.
"To survive on this floor, how much I've...!"
Magi was half a head taller than most men. Plus, she'd minored in knighthood studies at the academy, so her stamina and strength were exceptional.
Thwack!
Even so...
Thwack!
No matter that the guy was small...
"I was already stressed, and you just had to show up!"
Should she say hi or pretend not to see and leave? As Catherine hesitated,
Yaong popped out of the bag, bulked up, and lunged toward Magi?
「Meow! Tasty mage!」
No— it swallowed the black-robed man Magi had been beating in one gulp.
「Urk... ptui! Blech, bald tastes awful.」
But Yaong soon spat him out with a retch, and Magi looked up at it with a stunned face.
"What the...?"
Magi's wandering gaze turned to Catherine. Even with her appearance altered by magic, Magi recognized her instantly.
"Sis?"
Just as Catherine was about to tell Yaong to bring Magi,
Half a dozen more black-robed men poured out from an open cabin between them.
"A beast?"
"How's a beast here...?"
One of the men who'd frozen pointed blankly at Yaong.
"...A gargoyle."
His greedy eyes gleamed white. He pointed at Yaong.
"Definitely a pureblood gargoyle. Capture it now!"
「Huh?」
In that instant, Catherine's mind reeled between two choices.
One: Trust Yaong's strength and wait for it to handle things.
Two: Yaong takes Magi and escapes that way; I go mine.
The first had huge risks if it failed. Pureblood beasts were what magic-obsessed scholars hunted obsessively for research. She could guess what they'd do if they caught Yaong.
She'd seen it a few times as a kid.
Definitely...
...No, that can't happen.
Catherine stopped hesitating and yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Yaong, take Magi and run that way!"
「W-wait, but Cather...」
"Hurry! I'll go to Chezare!"
She spun and bolted. No footsteps followed.
They had no interest in chasing her when a precious specimen was there.
Instead, Magi's urgent voice echoed behind.
"Catherine sis!"
At least it was fading, so Yaong was handling the escape fine.
Back to Chezare.
Damn, but where was he? The massive ship turned the regular cabins into a maze; crossing them alone took minutes.
Catherine finally collapsed in the empty indoor cafeteria, gasping for breath.
"Haa..."
Then.
A sigh not hers came from nearby.
"It's tough, but victory is in sight. We have to finish it over the ocean."
"Right. If we successfully summon the Bronze Ruler, we'll possess a demon the Empire and Papal Court can't ignore."
Of all places, she ran into even more dangerous people. Their suspicious talk suggested they were behind the demon-summoning circle engulfing the Lilith Ship.
'Bronze Ruler?'
Few could bear such a fearsome title. And bronze? Catherine knew only one: the Archdemon Behemoth.
This wasn't ordinary danger. Catherine prepared to flee again.
Can't get caught. Two more floors up is the deck.
Just slip back quietly the way she came.
But as always in these situations, unexpected mistakes happen.
Beep.
Damn. Catherine hunched low at the squeak of her shoe on the floor.
Unlike her prayers, four shadows rose one by one beyond the curtain.
"A rat's hiding."
And the simplest way to silence an eavesdropper?
"We needed more sacrifices anyway. Perfect timing—you crawled right in."
Murder, of course.
No choice but to run for her life. Catherine bolted for the stairs.
Why did this happen when Demian and Yaong weren't around!
But her escape didn't last.
"Mmph!"
A vise-like grip clamped her mouth and body. Immense strength she couldn't fight.
"We need at least forty solid sacrifices for the circle to complete. The deck's held by the Duke and papal knights—who knows."
"How many short with this one?"
"Still way short. But don't worry—our guys are searching the cabins."
Panic froze her mind. Her only ability? Magic nullification. No spells, no real combat skills—what could she do?
Still, I have to.
How? 'Summoning an uncontracted demon is like clapping before someone blind and deaf.'
Chezare's voice from the illusion pierced her mind.
How to call his demon.
Right—this.
She didn't know the method, but she had to try. No way she'd shout his true name, even in emergency.
But how?
No time to think. Then it hit her.
If his true name worked for Chezare, maybe for his demon too?
"Gah!"
With jaw strength she'd never mustered, Catherine bit her finger bloody and screamed with desperate fervor.
"[Remor]!"
"[Remor]!"
⟨ SUMMONING SUCCESS ⟩
A split-second silence passed.
How short, yet eternal? Her body chilled and stiffened. Then agony twisted her guts; she gritted her teeth.
"Nngh..."
Somewhere, a massive blue wave crashed fiercely. Amid the chaos, that sound rang crystal clear.
Soon, cool beach winds blew from the far end of the narrow passage. Simultaneously, a crimson magic circle etched in the air.
The man holding her slackened his arms.
"No way I misheard? How'd she summon the Duke's demon...?"
Incredulous, despairing voices rose among them.
"A sperm whale?"
Catherine seized the gap and sprinted beyond the circle.
Amid the sea foam filling the passage, a much smaller sperm whale than before appeared.
「My lord.」
A prickling presence that made her hair stand on end. Catherine stared blankly at the demon, Remor.
Am I a genius?
Even she was stunned. She'd nailed a summon Chezare said took five years of practice.
The icy ocean chill paralyzed everyone, her included.
「Not my lord... But this familiar scent is my lord's servant's.」
Half of Remor's transparent, massive body phased through the wall. It rolled huge eyes at Catherine.
「You? The little morsel who called me.」
An eerie voice swirled around her.
「Daring to summon Remor... Impudent, but rules exist for a reason. What is your purpose?」
Purpose. She hadn't expected success, so no plan followed.
As Catherine blinked, she saw the men backing away slowly.
She blurted the first thing.
"Drop these guys on the nearest island. Buck naked."
「A pathetically trivial request.」
Grumbling, Remor gaped its enormous maw. Unlike its transparent body, its throat overflowed with inky galaxies.
"A-aaagh!"
No need to watch the rest. Catherine turned and ran.