The first bolt zapped through the air. It stabbed right through the unsuspecting demon’s head. The second demon looked their way, but Remy put it down. Remy repositioned himself, inching closer to the balcony’s edge. He set the sniper down, searched for a target, and fired. He managed to down two more.

“Sigh… missed one again.” Remy moved away from the sniper, allowing Atilia to recharge it.

“Four of five is pretty good, don’t be too harsh on yourself.”

After she finished, she took both Remy and his sniper into her arms, before leaping into the sky.

“Generate, Wind!” Her wind magic slowed them down, landing on top of the ship, near the rear section. Remy hopped off and set down the sniper on the ship’s wooden railing. He continued firing, while Atilia fired magic spells toward the incoming demons. The demons had taken notice of their arrival. They ran for cover and shot pitch-black magic projectiles back at them. Atilia deployed a magic barrier. Cracks appeared as the demon struck it with magic.

“Mimiyat! I think that's enough!” Atilia yelled.

“Prepare the ship!” Mimiyat shouted from a point high above them. She grabbed a demon and threw it down, the demon falling and crashing down the city’s side, landing on another demon. She jumped down and stabbed right through the two demons, before fighting off another one.

Atilia ran to the ship’s starboard side, the side near the balcony, and cut the rope that tied it to the docks. She pulled the plank up, before heading to the port side, doing the same. The ship began shaking, thanks to the stream underneath them, but it didn’t move.

Atilia looked around, looking for the thing holding them down. She then ran toward a circular device on the front of the ship, the ship’s capstan, and held one of the levers in her hand. She applied some magic to herself, evident by a silver aura surrounding her. She began pushing, turning the capstan around. The ship began swaying. Remy ran out of ammo. He hid underneath the wooden railings as demon attacks struck the shield barrier.

Atilia then used magic to form rock knives, sending them up. They sliced through the ropes, sending the sails down. She then ran to the ship’s port, the side facing the city, and yelled, “Mimiyat!”

Mimiyat jumped down from the city, a group of demons chasing after her, firing magic spells. Atilia reinforced the shield and fired her spells, hitting some of the demons. She looked toward Remy and realized that he had stopped shooting. She kneeled beside him and recharged his sniper. Once she finished recharging, she returned to the side. She assisted Mimiyat with covering fire. Bolts of magic flew all over the place. The shield wouldn’t be able to hold for long, cracks intensifying on it.

Atilia then turned toward the single sail, aiming her hand up toward it. “Generate, Wind!”

A powerful gust of wind blew through the ravine, sending the ship forward. She went back and extended her hand off the deck. “Mimiyat! Quick!”

Mimiyat’s body glowed a light green, her speed increasing. She jumped amid the enemy’s attacks, reaching out and holding onto Atilia’s stretched-out hand. Atilia pulled her onboard. Remy adjusted his aim and fired his last shot, downing a demon. Atilia ran to him, recharging his sniper, while Mimiyat ran to the rear, firing away at the demons. After recharging, Atilia took the helm, controlling the ship as it sailed forward.

“Bright Forth, Wind!” Mimiyat turned around and aimed her hand at the sail. The wind boost propelled the ship forward, away from the demons. Remy wasn’t ready for it and tumbled down to the floor, while Atilia held on to the helm. Mimiyat ran to the front of the ship and used magic to turn her hand into a torch, lighting up the way forward. Remy stood up once more.

A demon magic shattered the shield, but at that point, they were too far. He pulled the sniper up and put it down on the wall at the rear of the ship. He could see a demon trying to chase after him. Remy rested his finger on the trigger, but he didn’t fire, the fatigue taking over. He let out a sigh, letting go of the weapon. Remy let the sniper rest on the wooden wall, sitting behind Atilia.

“... Are we far enough?” Atilia asked while looking forward, navigating the ship through the darkness.

“Pretty sure, yeah.”

Atilia controlled her magic, letting the wind slow down. The ship cruised above the waters, Atilia sailing carefully to not hit anything. They went past the two cows that had escaped before. Remy wished them luck as he sailed past.

“Well, that didn’t go as planned,” Atilia said.

“I managed to kill a lot. The guild could finish the rest.” Mimiyat said with a dry tone. “Damn it,” she whispered. It was so faint that Remy couldn’t tell whether he misheard it or not. He then wiped a sweat clean off his face, his breathing ragged.

“You two are impressive. You did all that and don’t seem tired.”

“Oh, believe me, I am,” Atilia said with a chuckle.

“If you two want to flirt, please keep it away from me,” Mimiyat yelled from the ship’s bow, her loud voice echoing through the cave.

“That isn’t flirting!” Atilia retorted, her voice echoed back.

“But… I guess it’s kind of fun?” Atilia whispered, probably not wanting to bother Mimiyat. Remy squinted his eyes, looking at Mimiyat. She kept her shining hand high, acting as the torch in the darkness. She wiped a sweat off her cheeks, staring straight ahead.

“Yeah… I kind of wish I had more than one life, though.”

“You’re heading into heaven after this.”

“That’s the same as going to sleep after a losing streak. No fun.”

"You haven't lost, though. Not yet." Atilia shrugged. Seeing her, a little smile crawled onto Remy’s lips.

“It would sure be nice if I could have a pineapple pizza,” he said, lying on the ship’s deck.

“Don’t make me stomp on you.”

“Step on me, Miss.”

“Please keep this Mimiyat friendly.”

“Pfft.” Remy held in his laugh. Mimiyat glanced back at them, letting out a tired sigh. Remy, meanwhile, let out a yawn.

“So who’s whoaaam the sleepy one now?” Mimiyat said.

“At least don’t yawn when you say that!”

“Atilia… can I sleep?”

“Sure.”

“Not fair.”

“You can sleep after we get out of this cave.”

“Good night.” Resting his body on the deck, Remy closed his eyes.

* ••

“Hmmm.”

The sky had turned yellow by the time Remy opened his eyes, the afternoon sunlight pouring into his retinas. He brought his hands up to cover his face, allowing his eyes to adjust to the bright light.

“Zzz…”

Remy heard the sound of someone’s calm breathing above him. He realized his head was no longer sleeping on the hard wooden deck, but instead on something soft and warm. He pulled his hands back to his sides, looking up at the warm afternoon sky. Underneath that sky was Atilia, sleeping peacefully, basking in the yellow light.

She’s beautiful.

He reached his hands out, touching her cheeks. They felt smooth, soft to the touch. He felt relieved that their little adventure to the dungeon didn’t harm her.

“Mmmm…?” she opened her eyes, glancing down at the hands that touched her.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Sorry, did I wake you up?” Remy was about to pull his hand off when Atilia held it, pressing it into her cheeks with her hands.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been sleeping for a while,” she said with a tender smile. Remy then looked toward the left, noticing Atilia’s dress. The white dress had lost all the damage on it as if it was never damaged in the first place.

“Is this because you’re an ex-angel?”

“Pretty sure that’s a property of the dress itself,” Atilia answered while looking down.

“By the way…”

“Yes?”

Remy let go of Atilia’s cheeks, pulling his hands back. He then poked on the soft, kind of squishy surface underneath him.

“Mhm!” she squealed in surprise, telling Remy all he needed to know. Yet he continued poking anyway, enjoying his wife’s reactions.

“Remy, what are you doing!?”

“Do you dislike it?”

“I mean, not really, but…” she trailed off.

Remy lifted his body, much to her relief, only to completely turn around and sink his head into her thighs.

“Eh!?”

“Swo swoft…” Remy began mumbling coherently, rolling his head. Atilia shook, flustered. Remy imagined how red her face must be, although he felt pretty sure his own face was also red. Luckily for him, Atilia’s thighs hid his cheeks, although that also meant he couldn’t see her flustered face.

“At least tell me before you do it, dummy,” she said shyly, her hands caressing Remy’s hair.

“Wid I wually weep?”

“... What?”

Remy turned his head to the side, facing her stomach. “Did I actually sleep?”

“Yeah. Pretty peacefully, at that. The fight sure is exhausting for something that went by so quickly.”

Remy turned his face back toward her lap and once again sank right into it.

“I nwever fwought anwone bwfore.”

“I can’t hear you clearly, so at least lift your face if you want to talk.”

“Dwon’t wanna.”

Remy began turning his face left and right. Atilia let out some weird noises, but he purposely ignored them. He then remembered a certain someone and lifted his head. He rose from her lap and sat beside her, looking for the girl. He couldn’t see her figure. Outside the ship, many other ships filled the port. Many people went around carrying various items.

“Where are we?”

“Lasabinka. North of Purwa. We’re twenty-five kilometers from home.”

“So we already count Purwa as our home?”

Atilia shrugged. “I kinda feel like it.”

“Where’s Mimiyat, by the way?”

Atilia pointed toward the city beyond the port.

“Asleep, probably. She woke up, told me she wanted to get some ‘proper’ sleep, and went off the ship.”

“How long did the trip here even take?”

“We took a roundabout way east of Kilotakia, around four hours.”

“Sorry for leaving you alone for that long.”

“Leave me alone?” Atilia laughed. “You rolled around during your sleep and ended up hugging my leg. Not sure that counts as ‘leaving me alone’.”

“I did? I didn’t remember doing that.”

“If you remembered, that means you’re not sleeping,” Atilia said as she stood up. Remy followed behind her, reaching out for his sniper case. He took a quick inspection of the weapon inside, before bringing it with him as he followed Atilia off the ship. They walked past the busy port, weaving between the people. People filled the port, some preparing their ships for departure. It was a scenery he couldn’t see in his past life.

Had he not come here, he would never have seen such sights. Had he not taken Atilia with him, he would probably still be alone, fighting demons somewhere with his ‘cheat’ ability. Seeing her back, knowing that she decided to stay with him, made him happy. He made the correct choice. No kind of powerful cheat would be able to replace the girl he relied so much on. It only made him want to do more for her, to make sure she enjoyed her time in this world.

As they were walking, Remy heard the sound of a bell. A large sailing vessel opened its sail, sailing out of the port. Its departure reminded Remy of something.

“How are we going to go back home?”

The answer seemed obvious. If they didn’t take the ship, they would take some ground transportation back there. He still wanted to make sure. He never traveled outside of his city in his adult life, and he had forgotten all the memories from his childhood. Not like there was much in there, anyway.

“We’re stuck in here, for now."

"We can't return to Purwa?"

"Purwa doesn't have a port. We can take a train trip back to Purwa if you want. But I think we should hang around since we're here anyway.”

“I don’t mind looking at new sights.”

“It’s decided, then.”

They left the port. Atilia approached a port staff standing next to the gate and asked for the direction of the guild. The staff pointed to the left. The two thanked him and followed the road south, walking through the busy streets.

“Oh, by the way, some port officials came to examine the ship earlier.”

“What did they say?”

“They verified the ship as the Urkon Maria, a Juskon vessel that went missing a year ago.”

“Stolen?”

“Kind of? It ran aground somewhere. They rescued the crew, but the entire thing disappeared when a team came to salvage the craft.”

“Demons, huh?”

“The only suspect I can think of," Atilia said.

It didn’t take them long before they arrived at the guild. The building looked identical to the one in Purwa.

They really didn’t want people to miss it, huh?

Remy looked up to the large Outworlders’ Guild text written above the entrance. It shared the characteristics of the one down south. Both texts were written in Pataranian. Various languages were written on the doors. Remy turned toward Atilia, his wife replying with a nod. He pushed the door open, and the two entered. Interior-wise, the building looked similar to the one back in Purwa. The only difference was that the tavern here was slightly smaller. That wasn’t their destination, however. Atilia led the way, walking up to one of the available receptionists. The receptionist looked up at the incoming guests and greeted them.

“How can I help you?”

“Excuse me, have Mimiyat come here?”

“Mimiyat?” The receptionist tilted his head.

“Mimiyat Pukrakra”

“Ah, her.” The receptionist nodded. He brought his hand to his chin. ”No, unfortunately, we have not seen her.”

The receptionist’s gesture caught Atilia’s attention. “You seem to know a thing or two about her,” she asked curiously.

The guild receptionist shook his head. “We only know her as one of the worst employees in the history of the guild, but not much more.”

“Ah, I see… Thank you for your time.”

“No problem. Feel free to come to us if you need help.”

Atilia and Remy turned around, walking away. She stopped in front of the quest board, looking at the available quests. There were several differences. For one, the construction work poster that was plastered every day on the board back in Purwa wasn’t up there. All of the other quests were different as well. The only exception was the missing person poster. Like in Purwa, the name ‘Barett Kariya’ was also attached to the guild’s quest board.

“Must be someone important…” Atilia murmured. Remy looked at her, before looking back at the missing person poster.

“Him?”

“Well, the reward is a lot.” Atilia reached out and took the quest off the board. She took a closer look at the poster. There were a lot of things written underneath the person’s name. The person’s birth date, his favorite color, and even his favorite food. Any known information, relevant or not, was attached to the quest. It had been a while since he was last seen, however. Roughly a year.

“So someone that has salad as their favorite food exists, huh?”

“Says the person who likes pineapple pizza.”

“But that’s not my favorite food?”

“The fact that you liked it shows a lot about you.”

He knew she hated it, but he wasn’t expecting her to hate it this much. He reminded himself to never eat it in front of her, albeit he couldn’t promise to fully part ways with it. Atilia, meanwhile, returned the quest back to the board.

After looking at the other quests on the board, Remy and Atilia decided to explore the city for the day. They left the guild. Clouds had begun moving in the distance, although it was unclear whether they would bring rain or not.

They followed the street, going from place to place, enjoying the sights. Visually, the city looked a bit more colorful compared to Purwa. Many of the buildings here had bright-colored walls. They first headed to a clothing store, where Remy bought a simple set of new clothes to replace his old damaged ones. Atilia picked a dark green shirt for him, coupled with simple gray long pants.

“Ah, and this as well.” Atilia held a black cape in front of him.

“A cape? I can’t use that. It’ll limit my movements.”

“But Mimiyat can use one?”

“Mimiyat’s a skilled fighter. I’m not one… yet.”

“You don’t even need much maneuverability.”

“I… I would rather not…”

“But you’ll look cool.” Atilia’s eyes sparkled. Eventually, he gave in and added the piece of cloth to his wardrobe. They then went on and found a stall on the side of the road that sold fish balls in stick, and decided to take a quick rest.

“I wonder where Mimiyat is,” Remy said, bringing a fish ball in front of his mouth and blowing on it. Once it was cold, he put it in.

“No idea.” Atilia chomped on her ball, but she wasn’t aware of the heat, immediately pulling it out and blowing her mouth. Remy stifled a laugh. Atilia looked at him half-annoyed. She didn’t make a second mistake, though, and blew on the fish ball before inserting it into her mouth.

“... Something’s been bothering me,” Atilia muttered before eating another fish ball.

“About her?”

“Yeah… the way she looked at the ship…”

Remy recalled his memory. He remembered seeing Mimiyat standing there, staring blankly at the ship. For a moment, he was worried that Mimiyat had fallen asleep, but looking back at it, it felt like a weird thought to have.

“You think the ship means something important to her?”

“I mean, Mimiyat may be sassy and annoying, but she’s highly skilled in fighting.”

Remy still remembered when Mimiyat came to their rescue. She brandished her double-edged spear, cut through that monstrosity of a cow, and killed it with quick moves. Then, she proved herself again, cutting through the demons. Even if they didn’t wipe out the entire demon force in the end, they, especially Mimiyat, still killed a lot.

“You’re right. If she’s just surprised, she probably won’t be staring at it for so long. I wonder what’s going on with her…”

After they ate, they took a quick stroll before returning to the guild for the day.