I'm on a boat.

I would have preferred simply flying, but Hestia did express her tiredness on our way out of the underground bar. It makes sense, considering we walked through the scorching desert with no rest or food for the better half of the day, and haven't stopped even once after coming to this city. Still, we couldn't stop somewhere for the night, since it would mean wasting that much time not getting closer to Kamii.

I gave Hestia some of the food I took at the market, which I hadn't begun to dissolve yet. She accepted it with an ecstatic look in her eyes, and I think it may have something to do with the fact that they came from inside my body. Kinda like an indirect kiss, I guess? Heh, to be happy with something harmless like that, even though we did something much more awesome not long ago.

When I looked through the purses of the bodies dissolving inside me I realized that there were different tiers of currency, such as copper, silver and gold coins. Strangely enough, the gold ones are the most numerous, followed by the silver and then the copper. We asked a dockhand, who knew our language enough to learn that the copper ones are called Repuk, the silver ones are Lakin and finally, the gold coins are Eyebtam. Each tier is ten of the previous one. In other words, I have a huge fortune inside my body right now.

With him as an interpreter we found someone who was not yet busy with dinner or preparing for sleep. It was an old man, easily over sixty years old, with a very dark tan that spoke volumes about his experience on the river while under the glaring sun. The quote for taking us to the next large town upstream on the next morning was fifteen Repuk, so I offered twice the amount for departing right away. Suggesting such a large sum for essentially the same job caused the elderly man to look at us in wonder. I handed three Repuk to the dockhand, who repeatedly thanked me for my generosity.

Which brings us back to our current status. The boat is a small sail-less barge measuring no longer than four of me laid out in a line, and it seems to double as the old ferryman's home. It has a bed and even a fireplace, although I have to seriously question the presence of fire on a wooden boat. We were allowed to use the little cabin he calls his home, while he would be rowing all night - he did say that the offer reinvigorated him enough to easily accomplish that feat.

I have Hestia sleep on the tiny bed, upon which she lays out her large robe first. While he may be a nice person, hygiene is a different matter, and I can understand her concern. I'm sitting at the bow, staring up into the starry night sky, deep in thought. The gurgling of the water and the sound of the oar create a rhythmic sound into which I lose myself slowly. The river is very wide and flows steadily and gives us a lulling ride, even as we go against the stream.

My thoughts are swirling around the fact that I was made to forget about space magic with what I perceived as just an order from Basarab. Leaving Kamii with him makes me very uneasy, and while I doubt they'll be so stupid as to hurt her physically, considering what I did to them after one of them hit Hestia, her mind is another matter. I've seen enough stories in which the heroine gets kidnapped and brainwashed, before being pitted against the hero. But I don't know what I would do, if that was the case upon my return. Senka did say that lost memories can't be restored...

"Sov nenez ri nthkart ngev?" The old man calls out to me. I don't understand this nation's language at all and wonder why that's the case. When I first became aware of myself in this world, I was able to speak the language of the Demon Continent, which also seems to be the same in the Kingdom of Lares, the Fatas Triarchy and the Mineva Republic. I have no idea why that was the case with that language, but not with the one from the Khurut Sultanate.

"I don't understand." I never bothered to ask his name, since he only has this job to complete for us. When we reach our destination the next morning, Hestia and I are going to fly, and won't require his services anymore. Waving to him, I signal that I'd rather not be bothered at the moment.

"Id Rehstav ni id Thkan zi gniyep tyakmazkremfu." He says and points at the sky. I look up and notice the two moons. Or rather, three, since the waning sickle moon is also up there. The two round lights are aligned with it perfectly to make it look like an immense grinning face among the stars. I blink at it, then turn to the old man while gesturing at it.

"What is that?" I try to make it obvious that I'm asking a question.

"Rehstav ni id Thkan." He repeats part of his sentence. Maybe that's the name of that phenomenon? Yes, I still don't want to admit the possibility that those are the eyes of a living being, since its immense size would be simply illogical. Even if there's magic, something that large just shouldn't exist.

I look at it, but there's no sign of it moving or blinking. Basically, it's like there are two full moons and one sickle moon in the sky. However, after a while I notice that the latter is going out of alignment with the others, while they become smaller, as if moving away. At first I thought it was my imagination, since it's such a slow process, but it became clear when I compared it to the stars around it. While I cannot say whether there's intent behind it or not, it's obvious that those aren't moons.

No point thinking about it, as Senka put it that time I first pointed it out to her. Apparently it's not associated with some sort of calamity, if the old man speaks of it in an almost affectionate tone, so there's nothing to worry about for now. I lie down on the bow and rest, realizing that I don't really feel tired or sleepy at all. But I'm sure I'll regret it the next morning, when I have to fly all day.

I wake up to the ferryman shaking me lightly and speaking to me in words I don't understand. But I do understand his gesture and sit up while stretching myself. I fell asleep after all. When I look around, I see that the sun is rising over the horizon. We're at the docks of a bustling city, around the size of Hovsgaerden, the destination he was contracted to bring us to overnight.

"Knada." I say, hoping that I used the right expression. He looks at me with a bright smile in response, so as expected, this must be the word for thank you.

But before I give him the money, I go and wake Hestia up. She's in the fetal position, hugging her robe rather than lying on top of it like the way she started the night. As I approach, I see that she seems to be enjoying herself with smelling the fabric. Must be because I wore that for a while yesterday. Yeah, she's a full-blown pervert already...

"Hestia..." I mutter and she immediately sits up in shock.

"O-onee-sama!" Her face is red and an awkward atmosphere lays itself on the small cabin. Well, I don't really mind her preferences, since I understand that she's hopelessly in love with me, and doing such things is considered normal when in such a condition. Not that I can really verify it, I only learned this through stories I read...

"We've arrived." I don't know what the city is called, but since we'll be leaving it right away, it doesn't really matter. "Get ready to leave." With this I exit the cabin and walk up to the bow, where the old man is waiting. From within my clothes - created from my own body - I produce a purse. Opening it, I look inside and count the coins, then hand it to the ferryman, who immediately begins to go through its contents.

I step onto the docks and help Hestia up, who follows me. When we turn around to leave, the old man calls out to us. At least that's what I assume he's doing, as he's yelling.

"Ri tah rim ust lif!" He says while pointing at the purse with an obvious question written on his face. I suppose he counted them already and noticed that there's more than twice the promised amount. It's really inspiring to see that there are people in this world who will point out that you forgot your change after paying them. It's not because I don't care about money, but I thought that he was a nice person, that I gave him a generous tip. I show him a smile and wave goodbye.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Knada! Knada!" The old man keeps expressing his gratitude as we walk into the town.

Once again, everyone's eyes are on us, since Hestia isn't disguising her wings. I spot the occasional shady-looking person, but this isn't what I'm trying to achieve this time. I'm looking for breakfast - or more specifically, breakfast for my companion. She can't live on the fruits and dried meat I swiped at the market yesterday, and the longer things remains inside my body, the more likely they will become corrupted into inedible stuff. While I know that she would never complain about something she receives from me, and most likely cherish it like she did with last evening's meal, it can't be good for her body.

Luckily, there are proper-looking restaurants here. But not being able to speak or read the language means I can't order anything from the menu. While I have so much money which I have not much use of, that I don't even care if I'm being ripped off, I don't feel like falling for it that easily either. Thus, our first goal is to find someone who might understand our language and be able to interpret for us.

I try by entering a tavern and calling into the room, asking for someone who can understand me. All I get in response is confusion, with some indignant expressions at being disturbed during their conversations or meals. Why was I so lucky to find several people in the last, much smaller town? Maybe it's because they were slave traders who might have dealt with foreigners on a regular basis...

I try it again and again, but not a single person shows any hint of understanding my language. I purposefully didn't tell Hestia that I'm doing this for her sake, since I know she would say that everything is alright and we should simply think of moving on. I'd rather not have her break down in exhaustion or with an illness after her immune system grows weak from lack of balanced nutrition.

"You looking for interpreter?" A man in his late twenties approaches us on the streets. His accent is not much better than the one from the first guy I met, but at least he can help us. I already wondered why nobody else came up to us to offer their services any earlier, considering the fact that we're obviously foreigners.

"Yes, we would like to find a good tavern for breakfast." I'll not mention that price isn't a problem, since that will just invite an attempt at exploitation. But I do take out a leather purse filled with coins, rattling its content to show that I'm willing to pay for his services.

Ugh, human relations feel like such a waste of time, when I consider how long it will take before we can get back to Kamii. Impatience is welling up in me again. If only I could cook, then I could just swipe the necessary ingredients and have no need for dealing with people like this to get a meal for Hestia. I currently have no preferences for food, although I do remember that there are some ways to make it taste good for me, too - like the first human I ate.

The guide leads us to a street cafe where many people are sitting with an assortment of dishes on plates in various states of emptiness. They seem to enjoy their meals and are chatting away while eating, so it seems that this is a good locale. When Hestia and I sit down at one of the tables and the guide waves over a waiter, everyone turns around and stares at us. I miss the academy somehow. People there weren't so rude as to stare straight into one's face, even if they found it curious.

He goes over the menu and orders for us after I ask him for his recommendation on traditional dishes of this area. This should be the first time I'm consciously paying attention to food, since I usually only cared about quantity over quality. Considering I'm kind of paying out of my own pocket and inviting Hestia, I'm a little conscious about it. This is a date, right? Well, since there's a third wheel standing by, it can't really be considered one.

The food that arrives looks delicious. I've seen my fair share of culinary imagery in all kinds of media, such as books on cooking, whenever I went to bookstores to get the latest volume of the manga series I was reading, or in films and animation. But seeing it before me like this actually waters my mouth. There is a cheese platter, a plate filled with colorful slices of fruits I've never seen before, a large bowl of beans in a reddish brown sauce that smells heavenly and many more.

There's enough for the two of us, and we immediately begin to eat. Since the plates are shared, I have to consciously hold myself back from eating too quickly, as Hestia's table manners are the refined motions of a noble lady. For me, who has been eating Japanese food all my life, and never paid proper attention to the canteen food at the academy - even though it was something foreign - this is the first time that I come to appreciate a previously unknown cuisine.

And the thing is, all this costs only twenty-two Repuk! So the offers for Hestia at the auction, numbering in the tens of thousands of Eyebtam were a huge fortune! Now I have to wonder why such rich people were in such a shady bar, but maybe it's considered normal here, and what I thought was shady was just deliberate ambience. It did seem to have great service after all...

"I wish I could cook..." I mutter while enjoying every bite. Since I grew up in a household where my mother would cook all meals, I never bothered to learn anything myself. I'm not even confident in being able to properly make a cup ramen, since there was never the need for it. Yes, I'm a lazy kid, any problem with that?

"... I can cook for you, Onee-sama." Hestia suddenly says and I stare at her in the middle of lifting a spoonful of beans to my mouth. She has a light blush and looks at me coquettishly, as if she expects me to say something like "I want to eat your miso soup every day" next. Well, I do want to have her by my side forever in either case, but this just adds a new aspect to things. Her devotion and now the newly revealed skill of being able to cook makes her the perfect wife! I want to taste her cooking skills...

"Let's leave that for after we get Kamii back." But we don't have the leeway to waste time on that right now. I have a lot of money, so for the time being we can just have others do the cooking. And we're trying to hurry, after all.

After our meal I pay the guide a Lakin, one of the silver coins. I think he didn't expect such a generous payment for doing such a small job and thanks me profusely, asking whether I might require his services any further. Since I'm stocked up on food inside my body and Hestia had her share, we'll be departing and continue on our journey, on which nobody can join us for now. Refusing his offer, I transform into the shape of a Fata on the spot and take to the skies, closely followed by Hestia.

It's possible a new local legend will be formed around this, since we did it in the middle of a busy street, but since I don't really intend to come back in the foreseeable future - even if the meal was really great - it doesn't affect us at all. Our journey takes us along the river and we fly high up in the sky to avoid overreacting people potentially trying to shoot us down with arrows.

Going by air is much faster, after all, and we see the landscape steadily change from desert to dry steppe. We stop for lunch in another town along the way, where I also make a visit to the marketplace. This time I actually pay for the things, buying several large sacks and palettes of vegetables, fruits and dried meats. While the stand owners wonder how I'm going to carry it all, I simply pull everything inside my body. This will become another local legend we leave behind, as we fly away once again.

I can tell from the way the landscape changes from dry steppe to savanna that we're moving at an incredible speed, especially compared to when I traveled with Rolan's party. I think we covered a distance of several days worth of walking on foot within the better part of the day. I can see farms and plantations more frequently now and it seems that we're heading towards a place with a more moderate climate.

From afar I see an immense structure towering in the distance, featuring a gigantic round surface on top of it. It's reflecting the rays of the setting sun to the point where it looks like an artificial sun. The fields increase in density and the roads are properly paved, the closer we get. The fields soon make way for smaller plantations as houses become more and more common. Then even the plantations disappear and only small gardens are left as the landscape turns suburban.

We're now flying above a massive city, far larger than Kongenssoevn, which has grown beyond its impressive walls. The river flows through a part of it, but countless wide bridges with houses built on top of them make even that space available for settlement. If the capital of the Kingdom of Lares has a million inhabitants, this one easily has three times that number. Even though the surrounding lands look less fertile than those in the kingdom, they're covered in large fields here, as if disregarding the image of this being a dry country.

The structures at the center of this city puts the citadel of Kongenssoevn to shame in size and magnificence. It's a gigantic pyramid ornamented with golden plates and colorful paint on its walls, but the most notable feature is the gigantic disc standing upright on top of it. Even as the day is nearing its evening hours, with that disc reflecting the sun, the city is bathed in light as bright as day.

This is undoubtedly the capital of the Khurut Sultanate.