Departure
The sunlight was just right, and the wind was pleasantly cool.
It was a perfect day—nothing to complain about.
“…We’ve been resting for days, so I’m rea— rea— rea— you idiots! This is your fault for teasing me! You kept calling me weak, so I went and trained, so what are you going to do about it?! Honestly, I’ve been streaming a lot lately. Seriously, I’ve had it on all day except when I was sleeping for weeks—can’t I take a break? Huh? Can’t I or can’t I? Say yes already!”
For someone, apparently, it wasn’t a very good day at all.
Daeun was standing a little apart from the rest of the group, fuming and chattering away at top volume.
She was talking loudly enough that anyone should have found it odd, but since no one seemed the least bit confused, it must have been something related to the other world.
“…I’m sorry. It was my fault….”
It was so very Daeun to shout her head off in a fight and then, in the end, tuck her tail between her legs.
But still…
Wasn’t it a little much to suddenly start doing a handstand?
Daeun had clasped her hands together and gone upside down, and since that apparently didn’t trip whatever filter Edel had created, her odd behavior drew the attention of many, including Celine.
“…Ms. Journy?”
“Hah, ngh—ahh…. …Huh? You called?”
“What are you doing?”
“…It’s an exercise that’s popular among Apostles these days.”
“I-I see…. But why suddenly…?”
“Ugh…! Phew, I think my body’s been getting a little sluggish lately. This is supposed to be really good for your lower back muscles, flexibility, and sense of balance. Would you like to try, Celine?”
“Mm, I’m sorry, but I must decline. I’m not very confident with physical exertion.”
“Hmmm….”
“…Ms. Journy?”
“Honestly, I don’t think Celine should do it either. …‘Ten thousand won if you can get Celine to do a deep bow for you’—what, do you really think I don’t know what you people are after? I already said I’d upload my fight with that Cruumo-whatever as a clip, and I did the deep bow you told me to do, so we’re done! You perverted little monsters….”
“What an unusual person….”
“Yeah, I agree.”
I nodded along with Atisha.
It wasn’t a bad thing.
If Daeun weren’t unusual, we probably never would have gotten this close in the first place.
Perhaps Atisha hadn’t meant it in a bad way either, because a tiny smile was floating at the corner of her mouth as she looked at Daeun.
“Thanks to Journy, I’ve lost quite a bit of my hostility toward humans….”
The long war between demons and humans.
The Second Race War had left behind a deep hostility between the two sides.
Even if demons had provided the spark, they had their own reasons—survival, in their case.
They could understand the humans who rejected them, but for the sake of survival, they still had to treat them as enemies.
Especially demons born during the war, or after it ended; unlike the older generation, they didn’t carry those complicated, conflicted feelings and often showed intense hostility toward humans.
But on the day the shadow of Cruumo attacked the village, they had seen it.
They had seen a human running herself ragged for their sake, not caring that she was scratching herself bloody in the process.
They had seen a hero willing to stake her life without hesitation just to save a child she had never even met.
Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to wash away years of accumulated hostility.
“Still, knowing there are good people out there means things should get better little by little….”
It seemed Atisha had been troubled by the new demons who hated humans unconditionally.
Breaking the cycle of hatred, huh.
…Well, I didn’t know. Even if we cut the chain on our side, it felt like the other side would still remain bound by it.
I didn’t really understand the idea, but it wasn’t my problem, so there was no need to object.
So instead of picking a fight with Atisha’s words, I changed the subject.
“Is everything ready?”
“Perfectly….”
She spread her chest with pride as she listed everything she’d prepared: the ship that would carry us to Laxia, supplies, the route, and so on.
“…And you’re the one steering, just like you said before?”
“Yeah…. Among people who can actually handle a ship, nobody can resist Magi as well as I can….”
“Hmm.”
“Why…?”
“Nothing.”
I stared carefully at the long dark circles beneath Atisha’s eyes, then shook my head.
Well, it should be fine.
If need be, I could always beat her awake.
“…?”
Perhaps sensing something off, Atisha kept looking over her shoulder and rubbing the back of her head several times.
In the end, unable to find anything suspicious, she made a vaguely bothered face.
“It feels a little late to ask now, but… are you sure you don’t need to rest anymore…?”
“I’ve rested more than enough. If I keep resting, my muscles will start to waste away.”
“That’s true….”
“You’re not supposed to agree with me.”
She was one of the culprits who’d trapped me in bed, and it was irritating to see her nod along as if that had never happened, so I narrowed my eyes at her.
“I’m the kind of person who doesn’t forget a grudge. Keep that in mind.”
“…That might be a little scary….”
Atisha shivered.
Yes, that was the proper reaction.
When I said things like that, people were supposed to get a little scared, unlike someone who would briefly panic and then come beaming in for a hug.
“Got you, Kana!”
“…Sigh.”
Speak of the devil, and she appeared.
The moment I thought of her, that someone came striding up and scooped me right off my feet into a hug.
Feeling my body go light as air, I said calmly, “Put me down.”
“Nuh-uh! You said you’re not fully recovered yet. So stay nice and still and let your big sister hold you! Hehe, you’re so soft.”
“....”
A warm pressure settled on my head.
I had no idea what was so appealing about my hair that she had to rub her face against it like that.
If this was the “girly” behavior my father had wanted so badly, then I’d probably never manage to become girly no matter how long I lived.
Even if she kept holding me, the only one getting tired was Daeun, not me.
Thinking that, I relaxed all the strength out of my body and went limp.
That made Daeun laugh again, sounding ridiculously pleased with herself.
“You’re like a cat when you do that.”
“Cat or whatever, I don’t care. If you’re ready, let’s go.”
According to the plan, we should already have finished our checks and set sail.
The reason we hadn’t was Daeun’s sudden handstand performance.
I’d had enough fun watching it to not complain, but now that it was over, shouldn’t we be leaving?
“Unless you want to do it again?”
If that was the issue, I could help.
I thought sailing while hanging upside down from the mast might be a pretty unique experience.
When I murmured that suggestion, Daeun shook her head so hard it practically whirred.
“N-no, I’m good!”
Then, still carrying me, she hopped aboard the ship.
The ship Atisha had prepared for us was quite large.
It was the kind of vessel that made me think, You’re telling me only four of us are boarding this thing?
I wasn’t thinking about waste or extravagance—just genuinely wondering whether four people could even handle a ship this size.
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like a vessel of this scale would need a lot of hands on deck.
She must have prepared it because she can do it.
Would she really have gone to the trouble of finding a ship like this on the mere thought of repaying a debt?
“I’m confident in sailing, so don’t worry….”
Atisha, who had climbed up after us without me noticing, said as if she’d read my mind.
“If you live near the sea, you can’t help getting used to it, even if you try not to…. You have to go out on the water if you want to catch fish…. Though apart from that, I just enjoy sailing, so I learned how….”
“Oh, really? What, is fishing your hobby or something?”
“No…. I just like steering the boat…. When it rocks with the waves and I can feel the wind blowing in from Laxia, it gives me this nostalgic feeling….”
“Ah….”
“It worked out, then. You get to go to the Laxia you wanted so badly.”
“Well… yeah…. Even if I can’t set foot on land there….”
As Daeun mumbled awkwardly, I cut in, and Atisha nodded.
While we were talking, Celine also boarded the ship, and I gave everything one last check to make sure nothing had been forgotten.
After carefully confirming that the ship was in perfect condition, Atisha spread the sails wide and hauled up the anchor that had been planted on the seafloor.
“Ungh…ha….”
“Would you like some help?”
“No, I’m fine….”
Daeun had quietly come over to offer help, but Atisha firmly shook her head.
In truth, though the grunting sounded dramatic, hauling up the anchor didn’t seem to be taxing her all that much.
She probably hadn’t been kidding when she said sailing was a hobby; she finished preparing for departure all on her own, without taking a single ounce of help, then wiped the beads of sweat gathering at her temples.
“Then… shall we set sail…?”
“Don’t we need to row?”
“Do you want to row…? Here….”
Thud.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…!”
Daeun took the oar Atisha had tossed her and stared at it miserably.
Then, suddenly noticing me cradled in her other arm, her face brightened.
“Still, if I imagine us rowing together all lovey-dovey, Kana, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad…?”
“Why would I?”
I hadn’t even said I would, so why on earth was she imagining that?
I really couldn’t understand, so I tilted my head a little—and she looked down at me with betrayed eyes.
“…You’re really going to do this?”
“What do you mean, ‘do this’? Don’t you think it’s weird to use someone as elite labor like me for rowing?”
“W-well, yes, but….”
“I wanted an orc boat date….” Daeun muttered something incomprehensible under her breath.
I looked up at her miserable face with a deeply unimpressed expression, then snatched the oar from her hand and—
Whoosh.
Threw it far, far away.
“Ah!”
“We don’t need this.”
From the start, Atisha had probably never intended to row us anywhere by hand.
She was just teasing Daeun.
I could tell from the way she was clearly trying not to laugh.
When I shot her a small look, Atisha quickly straightened her expression and spread both hands wide.
Whoooosh—
Thick Magi poured out from her open palms and the one intact horn on her head.
The Magi that spilled forth soon turned into a fierce gust, slamming into the sails.
“Whoa?!”
As the ship suddenly surged forward, Daeun lost her balance and lurched.
For one instant, the strength in her arms tightened so hard around my waist that it nearly crushed the breath out of me.
It wasn’t like I was actually suffocating, but the sudden pressure still made an involuntary choking sound escape my throat.
“…Ghk.”
“Ah, sorry…!”
“…If you’re sorry, could you maybe put me down now?”
“Hmph. Did big sister make you dislike her?”
“You’re making me think I will, so put me down.”
At last, freed from Daeun’s pouty grip, I regained my liberty.
I stretched both arms high into the air and worked out the stiffness in my body. Daeun watched me with a pleased expression.
“…What?”
“Nope. I just think it’s cute when you stretch like that.”
“...?”
She really would call anything cute.
Ignoring her familiar nonsense, I kept working the stiffness out of my body.
In the end, Daeun didn’t take her eyes off me until I finished stretching.
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