Sorry for the long delay. I've been sent to some job without internet for the last month.
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I look into the blue sky with no cloud in sight. Just some birds are passing us by. By now, we’re sailing on the ships. We’ll reach Loos Port in 5 hours. By the meantime, salt water in sight.
“Hey, I’ve told you don’t cling on me!” Reis yells at Eri.
“No way, I don’t like ships. I might fall into the sea.” Eri won’t let go of Reis.
“So you don’t like ships?” Erfia asks Eri.
“Huhuhu, no, it’s not that she doesn’t like ships. She just afraid of water.” Kurua answers Erfia’s question.
“I’m not afraid! I just hate them!” Eri responds to Kurua answers. Trying to act all high and might.
“Then, how do you take a bath?”
Ahh, now our party became noisier than before. At first, Eri is a silent and obedient type. But as she adapted to our condition, she became easy going and cozy.
We’ve got ourselves a new man in our party. The strongest beast man out there is now in our party. By his coming, our fighting capabilities are doubled. At least one of us will be able to protect Erfia and the others while the other one fight to repel the enemies. All of it for a single magic book or grimoire in Erfia’s neck. The book became smaller into a size of a palm and I made it into a pendant.
He doesn’t want me to revoke the slave bind magic. He says it’s necessary to keep her in check. Well, I won’t argue with that.
But, it sure is noisy.
“Huh.” I let out a heavy sigh. “Kurua, I’ll take a stroll in this ship. You take care of them.”
They don’t hear me and just continue with their useless yet cheerful argument. I don’t hate it, it just, this change is a bit too sudden for me and I need some time for myself. I bundle the Pair of Dragon and Phoenix with a cloth and bring it with me. Right now I’m travelling as Mada Jeian of the Vorks, so I need it ready without taking it from the Keeper.
This ship is a 5 level ship. The bottom level is a place for any vehicle and animal. As I put our mana carriage in the Keeper, we’re not putting it on the bottom level. The fourth level is the cheapest level. It is the most crowded as a lot of trader that don’t want to spend a lot of money stay in this level. The third level is the level of normal people. They travel to reach the Sairkhan or the Demon’s Realms. They don’t cost too much so a lot of people can afford it. The second level is a bit expensive, but it has a lot of spaces and no fix seat. So, we can just stroll around or looking into the sky. This second level is the one we’re in. and the last is the first and the topmost level. It’s reserved to VIP like the noble or a very rich trader. Well, even if I’m a first rate trader, I don’t feel like staying on the first level. This ship itself is a immense ship made of metal with two funnels. It travels at the speed around 40 km/hour.
Finally I reached the stair to the first level. In front of it, standing a pair of bodyguards with a white robe. That’s unusual. White robe bodyguards only used for a religious passenger type like the great priest or something like that. But I couldn’t care less. I just walk past it trying to enjoy these moments.
“Excuse me sir, do you happen to know a man named Mada?”
Suddenly someone asks me from my back. I turned around and see a figure of a short man in an imperial uniform. A blue and yellow line. He held a sheathed saber in his right hand. He has a pair of dog ears popping out of his golden hair. The imperial uniform of blue and yellow line is the imperial uniform of Sairkhan. Sairkhan is indeed part of beast man territory, but it also holds a special place in the beast man territory as it has its own king.
“Can’t you be more specific? Mada is a common name, you know?” I ask him back.
“Ah, sorry about that sir. I’m looking for Mada Annaress. I’ve been told by my master to look for him.” The man replies.
“Mada Annaress? No, don’t know him.”
“Oh, okay. Thank you. Sorry for disturbing you walk.”
The man left me after he bowed down. I look into him as he left me. He stops people and asks them the same question. Did he plan to ask everybody in this ship?
But, this name, Mada Annaress. It nearly the same as my name, Mada Arcaness. Could it be he’s looking for me? Ah, no way. My identity as Mada Arcaness is just a simple traveler without any title or anything notable. There’s no way he’s looking for me.
I continue my stroll. The passengers of this ship is dominated by a beast man race. You can find some humans, demons, or such if you look hard enough.
I go to the third level and see a lot of passengers are sitting in their designated seat. Only some people walk around and see to the ocean like what I did. They did look at me with a curious face, but it’s not so long because a human sailing to the demon realm is not something new.
The only thing to cautious is the pirate. The sailing in this world is not much, so a pirate is focused on those few places. In 5 hours of sailing from Grouse Port to Loos Port, normally there would be at least 3 to 4 pirate attempts. The pirate already knows the interior of this ship, so they would target the bottom level as all the people’s belonging is there.
“Pirate!!”
Finally it’s time for the first attempt. I walk back to the second level to get a better view of the pirate process. The platform is becoming smaller the higher it is, so looking it from the upper level is good enough.
The pirates board the ship and go directly to the trader’s carriage. But few guards come and manage to repel them and throw them to the sea. It’s not really a fight as the pirates don’t have a decent weapon, just some knife and small sword while the guards in full armor and they equip a halberd in their hand and a sword sheathed in their hip.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
I can see on the other side of the ship Kurua is explaining the pirates and their attempt to Erfia and the others.
Another hour passes us by and another pirate boards and tries to do the same. The second one is also a failure for the pirates.
I take another stroll and meet with the dog man in the imperial uniform from before.
“How is it? Did you find him?” I ask him to show some courtesy.
“Not yet, sir. Maybe he’s not boarding this ship.” The man answer in a low voice.
I can see he’s starting to lose his spirit. “Do you have any picture? Maybe I’ve seen him in the lower level.”
“Yeah, I have.”
The dog man take a piece of paper and show it to me. The man is having a short black hair with a small face and jaw. He’s in his early twenties.
“To tell you the truth, he seems familiar.”
“Really? Did you meet him somewhere sir?”
I try to remember all the people that I saw in this ship. I can’t find him in this ship.
“I saw him, but not in this ship.”
As I tell him that words, he lost all of his interest and will.
“Oh, okay, thanks for your assistance sir.”
I roll the paper and give it to him. But before I give it to him, I look into the letters in its back.
“Say, what is this letter?”
“Oh, that’s the person’s name. The person asked me to find him write it in the back in case I forgot the name.” The dog man answer with a straight face.
I rotate the paper and try to read it.
“It’s not Mada Annaress, it's spelled Mada Arcaness. You read it wrong the entire time.” I try to correct his mistakes.
“Oh, really? Thanks for the help. It will help me in case the real person shows up.”
I give the paper back to him and he put it back to his pocket.
“Shiba, did you find him?”
Suddenly, a voice of a woman appeared from my back. I recognized this voice. I turn my back and look into her. A human woman in an all white and yellow clothes is appearing in front of me. You can show her green eyes and the white skin of her face. It’s the only thing you can see from her as she’s wearing a veil covering her hair. One more thing. She got a big breast.
I let out a voice to call her. “Nevi? Nevi Frendezcht?”
“Mada? Mada Arcaness? Wow finally I could meet you.”
She hug me out of nowhere and nearly made me fall. You can feel her breast is rubbing against you.
She’s another Ariana’s pupil. My friend when I’m still in her care.
“Wow! I never thought I’ll meet you in this place.” I try to let go of her hug.
“Actually, I’ve been expecting you since the fall of Ul Thadur.” Nevi let go of her hug but she’s not letting go of her hand in my neck.
“You, what?”
“I’ve been expecting you since the fall of Ul Thadur. I made Shiba come all the way here from Sairkhan to look for you everyday. Today I have a day off so I want to come here too.”
Since the fall of Ul Thadur? She’s been expecting me for 14 days?
“Ah, Madam, I’m sorry, but could you at least show some restraint? You’re the high priest for god sake.” Shiba interrupts us. He’s trying to separate us but he has no courage to touch her.
“Wait, you’re the high priest?” I ask her.
“Yes I am.” Nevi turn her face toward Shiba. “Oh, c’mon. He’s the man we’re looking for. Can’t you see the face?”
Nevi tries to explain it to Shiba without letting go of her hands off me.
“Sir, are you Mada Arcaness?” Shiba still can’t believe it.
“Yes, I’m Mada Arcaness. The picture she gave you was the picture of me a few years ago.”
“So you’re lying when you said he’s not in this ship?” Shiba narrows his right eye.
“Well, technically, few years ago I’m not in this ship. So, no.”
“You’re just playing with words. Just like the old time.” Nevi take me closer to her face.
I try to keep my balance and keep a distance between our face.
“And you’re still like to cling on me. Just like the old time.” I try to let go of her hug. “Well, okay, you’re looking for me. But, what for?”
“Well, then, let’s head to a more private place. Let’s go to the first level.”
***
“Wow, the second pirate is no different from the first pirate. They’re a bunch of fool.” I mumble to myself.
It’s been a few hours since we set sail and Mada left me with Erfia and the others. The existence of Eri and Kurua sure bring a lot of noises in this place. At first, I thought she’s the sadist and rebel type when we first met her in the capital. But Mada tell me apparently it’s not her real self. The Perfect Role Play changed her personality because she’s using it too long. So, as the Perfect Role Play is being used by Mada, she’s back to the way she was, easygoing and kind of aloof.
“Hey, Reis, where’s daddy go? And who’s that woman with him?” Erfia tucks my vest while points into a direction.
I look into the direction and see Mada is walking with a woman into the first level. A woman in white and yellow line clothes like a priest. But, she’s clinging to Mada.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Let’s just stay here until we reach Loos Port.” I don’t know why but it’s pissing me off.