By the time Remy woke up, he found Atilia sleeping next to him in the middle of the bed. He lay a few millimeters away from the bedside, someone had moved him closer to the edge. He could only assume it was Atilia. His question about why was immediately answered when he saw who slept beside her.

What happened last night?

He sneaked over the wooden floor, not wanting to wake either of them. He peeked through the window, looking out at the beautiful city. Since the two of them looked quite close, He assumed that the issue had been solved.

Maybe we could continue our journey?

The Kingdom of Juskon, a land to the north, much closer to the demons, the enemies they would be fighting. It scared him a bit, thinking about all the fearsome enemies that they would face. He remained convinced, though, as long as Atilia and Mimiyat stood next to him, he would be fine. He went down and purchased three pieces of bread, as a light snack before they headed out to eat lunch.

When he returned, both of them were still asleep, so Remy ate his piece in silence as he watched Atilia sleep. If smartphones existed in this world, the first thing he would do would be to take a picture of the sleeping Atilia.

How would Atilia react to me taking a picture?

Remy could imagine her face going red. He contemplated saying that just to see how she would react. Atilia probably knew that he couldn’t do that, however, as they had yet to see anyone with smartphones in this world. The idea of someone bringing their smartphone over wasn’t impossible, though. He was curious if he would ever get the chance to use one.

For now, he sat next to her, burning her beautiful sleeping face into his memories.

So cute… I want to hug her.

He couldn’t, unfortunately. He didn’t want to wake her up.

But she’s so cute.

“Maybe I should try…” He murmured, before cheekily approaching her.

“Wakey-wakey,” he whispered into her ears. Her lips moved ever so slightly.

“You’re awake?”

She didn’t react, but Remy couldn’t help but feel that she was pretending to sleep.

Is that the game you’re playing?

Remy lowered his hands and from the front slipped them under her arms.

“Mmhh…” She let out some cute little noises.

You’re definitely awake.

He pulled his hands under her armpits, locking her and pulling her up.

“NYAH!”

He held her in a half-kneeling position with her body resting on his hands, holding her like how someone would hold a cat. Remy could practically see Atilia’s nonexistent cat ears twitching. Her eyes stared at the person who disturbed her sleep.

The thought made him smile. “You’re trying to trick me, aren’t you? You little naughty kitty.”

Atilia tilted her head. “You got me?”

“Hmm… this is the last time I share a room with you two.” Mimiyat rubbed her eyes and got up. Remy lowered Atilia back down to the bed and handed over the bread he bought them. The two ate their breakfast, despite the already late hour. Once they finished, the three of them made their way to Natiria’s inn. Atilia went up to the receptionist, mentioning Natiria’s name. After a while, the receptionist cleared them to go up and meet him.

“Excuse us.” The three flooded the room. The small inn room felt even smaller with three additional people inside.

“Mister Remy, Lady Atilia, Lady Mimiyat, welcome,” Natiria greeted. Atilia had told Remy about what happened the night before during her trip to the inn. She included the private conversation with Natiria. When he entered, he had expected some hostility from Natiria toward Mimiyat. To his surprise, the complete opposite of that happened. Natiria acted as if the fight the day before never happened.

“Should we discuss this somewhere else? As you can see, my inn room is unsuitable to accept more than one guest.”

“I don’t mind,” said Atilia. She then looked at her two companions, both of them nodding in unison.

“Please wait a moment.” Natiria returned to his desk, searching for some papers underneath the desk. Paper and books filled the room. Remy had taken the conveniences of having a smartphone for granted back in his previous life. Now, he began to think otherwise. He couldn’t imagine needing to carry so many documents for himself.

It probably had something to do with the fact that Natiria was a public servant. That and all the complexities of handling foreign diplomatic relations. As an outworlder, or more broadly, an adventurer, he probably wouldn’t face so much paperwork. But if he did, he could only hope that they weren’t too complicated.

It didn’t take long for Natiria to find the documents he was searching for. He took a brown envelope and put the papers in, before inserting them into his suitcase. It was the same suitcase he had taken to the meeting the day before.

“Let us head out.”

The three followed Natiria out of the inn, going through the city. They stopped by the Outworlders’ Guild. Natiria collected even more papers, before heading to a proper restaurant. They took the table farthest from the kitchen, at one of the far-end corners of the place. The restaurant had stone walls and wooden tables. It wasn’t as fancy or as ‘unique’ compared to the stores owned by outworlders. The menu there only had food names written in Pataranian.

“What do you want? My treat.”

Remy looked through the menu. He had no problem with reading the menu, thanks to his ability to understand Pataranian. Many of the food items were quite expensive by his standards. That shouldn’t be a surprise considering his economy. The menu contained many different kinds of foods that he had never seen before. Many had familiar names as well. One of the ones that caught his attention was the pineapple pizza.

The specific dish name was called ‘Akuro Inepelle’. It meant pizza with pineapple. The picture of the dish further proved that it was the same dish he liked. He thought about ordering it, just as a joke, but changed his mind after seeing the price. Even if Nataria offered to pay for things, he didn’t want to impose. Atilia’s sharp glare didn’t make his choice any easier, so he flipped the pages. He thought about buying the cheapest thing on the menu when Atilia gave her order.

“Northern Sea Salmon with Rice and Salad.”

Curious, he looked for the item she ordered. Sure enough, it was quite expensive. Not the most costly dish on the menu, but not cheap either.

“...” Mimiyat stared at the menu, before closing it.

“You’re not hungry?”

“I don’t want to be indebted to Juskon.”

Natiria’s face twitched, but he turned toward Remy, returning his smile.

“How about you, Mister Remy? Anything interesting to you?” he looked for a cheaper item. A set of rice and egg with some seaweed sprinkled onto it.

“I’ll choose-” Atilia caught his hand, holding it down and hiding it behind the menu.

“He’ll take the same as me.”

“Atilia?”

“Alright.” Natiria raised his hand, calling a waiter over.

“It’s not your money, why not try something tastier?” Atilia whispered to him.

“Precisely because it’s not my money that I don’t want to impose.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s just a little meal, not like it will bankrupt the country.”

As the pair traded words, Mimiyat gave them a sidelong glance. She let out a sigh but didn’t comment. Once the waiter arrived, Natiria gave him their order. Mimiyat asked for a tuna sandwich, paid separately.

“While we wait, I have contacted my superiors.” Natiria took out the layers and layers of paper that he had collected earlier. “This is the contract.”

Remy took it into his hand. Atilia slid closer, while Mimiyat stood up and read it from behind them.

The Kingdom of Juskon would loan the ship for a year, and the three could use it as much as they wanted. If they wanted to keep the ship, though, they needed to earn at least a hundred points. If they fail to earn those one hundred points by the end of the year, they must return the ship. They could pay points to extend the loan.

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In other words, they would be taking quests from Juskon to slowly pay back the ship. Some harder quests would earn them more than one point, while some of the easier ones would earn them less than one.

After reaching that one-hundred-point mark, the ship would be theirs. The three would be affiliated with the Juskon branch of the Outworlders’ Guild throughout their journey in Juskon. They would operate independently as smaller parties. The guild may invite them to participate in a large group for some missions. Participating in a major battle would give them a whole lot of points. There were also other quests, some of them requiring their party to penetrate deep into enemy territory, like recon missions for example.

“I don’t think we should take any difficult ones for now.”

“There is none at the moment, actually. Juskon is locked in a stalemate against the demons, both sides throwing attacks at each other, but not much more,” Natiria explained.

“So what kind of quests should we expect?”

“There’s a lot of gathering quests. We need to gather as many resources as possible to support our main army. For your party’s level, I advise you to take these kinds of quests. But…” Natiria looked doubtful about continuing. It was Mimiyat who spoke next.

“I’m a class S adventurer, the highest rank available. You’re around D. Juskon doesn’t follow the normal rules of the class system. Here, you cannot take quests above the lowest class in the party. In Juskon? As long as you have a class S with you, you’ll be able to take any quest-”

“But I highly advised against taking that kind of quest. It’s too dangerous to have just one class S with you.” Natiria cut in. Mimiyat glared at him, but she said nothing else.

“... You’re offering this contract even after knowing that we’re class Ds?” Atilia asked. They weren’t able to take any high-level quests when they were in Purwa. Going from normal, everyday gathering quests to high-level anti-demon raids was a huge leap. It was too much of a risk, even with Mimiyat onboard. It made Remy realize just how desperate Juskon must be to end the war.

“You found the ship. Had you not reported it, we wouldn’t know… assuming you didn’t go to Juskon with it.”

“Considering Juskon’s condition, they’ll take anyone willing to help. How’s the national treasury? Still alright?” Mimiyat asked, sounding sarcastic.

“For starters, I do not have access to our national treasury, lady Mimiyat.” Natiria kept his professional tone, trying his best not to fall for Mimiyat’s provocation.

“But if you don’t want your lovely homeland to go bankrupt, any help would be appreciated.”

“Like heck I care.” Mimiyat snorted. Luckily for them, the food came before the debate could heat up any further. The group enjoyed their lunch together. After they finished, Natiria explained some more things regarding the contract. Mimiyat reluctantly accepted, and they sealed the deal. They then headed back to the inn in the guild to pack up their things, before heading down to the port for preparations to set sail.

The trip north wouldn’t take long. Their journey to Juskon required them to travel straight north, following the eastern coastline. A sixty-kilometer journey, around two to three hours. Thanks to magic, Atilia and Mimiyat could control the wind and reach there much faster.

Natiria had provided them with some provisions. A box full of supplies enough for their quick journey. There weren’t many things inside. They didn’t need much stuff either, as they could use magic to create water. Natiria also provided them with an official note they needed to show Juskon’s guild staff after they arrived. After everything was ready, Atilia, Remy, and Mimiyat boarded the ship. Mimiyat took care of the anchor and sails, while Atilia piloted the ship. Remy stood by Atilia’s side, his sniper in hand, acting as a lookout.

“Alright, we’re off.”

“Stay safe.” Natiria waved toward them as the three left port.

* ••

“Whoaam…” Remy let out a yawn. They had been sailing for one hour and fifty minutes by this point. Both Mimiyat and Atilia were occupied with controlling their wind magic. At first, Remy’s task involved being a lookout, but in truth, they have no need for that particular role.

Mimiyat’s and Atilia’s combined magic pushed the ship above the waves, sailing at a much, much faster speed. The ship was light, thus the strong combination of magic pushed it above the waves. Similar to a hovercraft, but without the cushion.

Their speed meant that approaching them would be a tough task, making Remy’s role useless in the first place. He didn’t need to guard, and he couldn’t speak with the two either, as they needed to concentrate. Even speaking with himself wasn’t a good idea, as he would bother the girls. Remy could only sit there, looking at Atilia and Mimiyat. Atilia’s glowing hands were on the steering wheel, while Mimiyat stretched hers toward the front. The sails fluttered in the wind, Remy wondering about how they hadn’t broken yet, considering the pressure on them.

“Ah.” Atilia let out a sound. The glow on her hands faded, and the ship slowed down. Mimiyat lowered her hands, the ship’s hull began touching the water. The ship continued slowing down, safely landing back in the water. Remy stood up, looking toward the ship’s front section. In front of them was a large walled city, half of it built into the slope of a nearby mountain, with a majestic castle built above the city. Forfoza, the capital of Juskon.

“Remy, I need some rest, can you handle the controls?”

“Sure. I just need to steer it like a car, right?”

“Yep. Thanks.” Atilia let go of the helm and sat down, resting her back on the wall behind them. Mimiyat went and sat down next to her. The ship now sailed at a much slower pace, like actual medieval-era ships, powered only by natural wind.

The soft sea breeze blew on his face, the clear skies stretching above him.

So this is how it feels to be a pirate, huh?

Remy tried remembering a sea shanty, but his mind came out empty.

Guess I better concentrate.

He didn’t have much experience driving cars, let alone a ship. Remy carefully controlled the ship all the way until they approached the port. Once they were close enough, Atilia woke up and retook the controls, letting Mimiyat continue resting. She maneuvered the ship into port. Forfoza’s port looked much, much larger compared to the port in Lasabinka.

“Generate, Wind!”

She pulled the ship to a complete stop next to a sign.

“Remy, could you wave this flag toward that watch tower?” Atilia gave Remy a black and white flag, split down the middle. She pointed toward a watch tower high above the fortress that surrounded the city.

“Left and right.”

“Alright.”

Remy stretched his hand upward and swung left and right. The watch tower in question flashed something their way three times. Atilia took a mirror and put her hand in front of it.

“Create, fire light.”

A bright fire came from her hands. She used it to flash the watchtower in return.

“Create fire light. Create fire light.”

She lit up the magic and extinguished it. A total of three magic flashes. Not as quick as the guard’s, but it did the trick. She then took her binoculars, looking at the watchtower.

A smaller vessel came close, and a person boarded the ship.

“Good evening, I am an official staff from the port of Forfoza. I will guide your ship into the port.”

“Thank you.” Atilia moved away from the helm. Unlike the port in Lasabinka, which was built on open waters, the port in Forfoza was located inside the fortress that surrounded the city. The fortress stretched quite far out into the sea, limiting the amount of ships that could enter and go at the same time. It went down from the seaside all the way to the tallest point of the city, a part of it extending higher toward the castle on the mountain peak.

The port official continued communicating with the watch tower, pulling the Urkon Maria into port. They docked in an empty spot and the official disembarked.

“Should we go?” Remy asked, but Atilia pointed toward the sleeping Mimiyat.

“You accompany her. I’ll go deal with the paperwork.”

“Alright.”

Atilia nodded with a smile and got off the ship. Remy sat next to Mimiyat, watching as other ships went through. Remy wondered if Atilia dealt with all these procedures when they first entered Lasabinka. He was asleep back then. It made her even more impressive. Despite only being here for a few days, she learned to deal with the various procedures all on her own.

A large ship then sailed by, sporting the code JN98 on its bow. It looked like a military vessel, sporting six gun turrets, two cannons on each. There was one on the front, one on the rear, and two gun turrets each on the left side and the right side. The ship had two tall masts, far taller than Remy’s vessel, with the Juskon flag waving at the top of the front mast. Despite looking like a WWI-era dreadnought, the ship utilized two sails to move forward. The ship might have an engine, but since they live in a world where magic is abundantly available, it might be used only in emergencies.

“Enjoying the view?” Atilia asked, coming back onboard the ship.

“Yeah. I have never seen anything like this back on Earth.”

“You would if you actually went out.”

“Haha, couldn’t deny that.” Remy scratched his cheeks.

“But… I guess it’s a good thing you died,” whispered Atilia as she sat down next to him.

“Yeah. I'd never meet you if I didn’t.”

“I… I didn’t… never mind.” She looked away. Remy eyed her wife. She was as cute as the day he met her. Atilia glanced back at him.

“Dummy,” she murmured as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Remy waited for the two of them to get some more rest. He tried keeping his eyes open, but eventually, the tiredness from the long trip caught up with him, and he too went to sleep. After a while, Atilia woke him and Mimiyat up, and the three got off the ship, heading into the city.

“Wow…” Remy looked around the city. The city’s architecture differed from the houses in Purwa and Lasabinka. The buildings were mostly built from stone, with flat roofs instead of the sloped ones seen in the two cities down south.

“You’re so easily impressed,” Mimiyat quipped, not that Remy could deny it.

As someone who had just arrived there, Forfoza looked absolutely stunning. Built into the slope of the mountain, the city curved upward from its lowest point in the port, forming an intricate line of buildings on the mountainside. Even from his position close to sea level, he had no trouble seeing all the way up to its tallest point, except for the castle, which was covered by the walls.

He counted five different levels in total, with each level around three stories in height. The fortress that surrounded the city wasn’t any less impressive. The sturdy walls covered the city from all directions, even following the slope up the further the city went. Watchtowers were scattered throughout the fort’s entire length, each of them equipped with their own ballista for self-defense.

“Where do we head now?” Remy asked. “We’re supposed to go to the Outworlders’ Guild, right?”

“What a pain,” Mimiyat murmured. Atilia ignored her words and went to a port staff. The port staff pointed toward the guild. The Outworlders’ Guild was located on the first level, which was at sea level. The building itself had been built next to the south gate, as most traffic went through there. The city only had two gates, not counting the port as an entrance location. The south, where most people went through, and the north, toward the battlefield.

The guild building in Forfoza was located right next to the train station, colored the same way as the other guilds that they visited before, making it stand out. By the time they arrived, a steam train similar to the one they saw when they first arrived in this world blew its whistle. Curious, Remy stopped next to the crossing. The gate closed, preventing people from crossing.

"What are you, a child?" Mimiyat complained.

Despite that, she still stood next to him and Atilia as they watched the train. It let out a second whistle before chugging along the tracks, heading north while towing several cars, smoke floating up from its chimney.

"What is it carrying?"

"Probably supplies and troops. What else?"

After the train left, they turned around and entered the guild building. Atilia went up to the receptionist and stated their business, before showing him the official note they received from Natiria.

The group went through more paperwork. Remy didn’t travel outside his country much in his previous life, so he didn’t understand these things. He felt grateful for Atilia’s ability to handle everything.

The guild had reserved a free room for the night, thanks to Natiria’s message. They decided to take the day off, heading up to their room.