Taneva, Galik, and Heneis arrived at the docks of the Eventon Republic. As one would expect, the place was so busy and noisy. People shouting, giving orders, scolding, or just out loud cackling. Men lifting heavy packages to put on the big sailing ships and others unloading them to land.

During the day, everything seemed pretty normal. People doing their legit businesses. But at night, there would be different kinds of business at work. The three headed to where the demon said they had made a deal with. It was a dockmaster at its particular side of the bay.

“You think it’s that building right there?” Taneva pointed at a small building.

“Let’s ask,” Heneis said before unhesitantly barging into the building.

There were a few people inside talking to each other. However, the three walked in with extreme confidence and glared at the people staring back at them.

“Who are you?!” one man aggressively shouted.

“Which of you is the dockmaster?” Heneis asked.

“Whoever you are, you’re not supposed to be here!” One approached them in an intimidating manner. “Leave now!”

Heneis grabbed him by the throat and casually lifted him up. The man squirmed and choked.

“Are you the dockmaster or not? Answer or you’re dead.”

“Oi! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Don’t you dare, man.” Taneva grinned, holding up his hand where a ball of flame appeared. “You’ll get hurt real bad.”

Seeing him cast magic prompted the people to step back, looking at him with a hint of fear.

“Now then,” Taneva continued. “Where is the dockmaster? Lest you aspire to be turned to barbeque.”

The group looked hesitantly at each other. However, in the end, they pointed at a plump man.

“You damn idiots!” shouted that plump man.

Heneis casually dropped the man in his hand. “All of you leave now.”

Without hesitation, the humans quickly left the building, heartlessly abandoning the dockmaster to these strangers.

“W-What do you want?! I don’t know anything.”

The dockmaster walked back with trembling legs until he hit the wall. He was sweating bullets, looking at the three of them with wide, frightened eyes. Heneis walked up in front of him with a stern face.

“Did you transport a man carrying a white-haired young woman?”

“W-White haired w-woman?” The man’s eyes anxiously darted around. “I, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

In his annoyance and impatience, Heneis grabbed the man’s collar and held out his other hand before his eyes. Gradually, the flesh of his hand shifted and morphed into repulsive claws. Seeing that, the man’s eyes widened in terror.

“Lie again and I’ll carve your face.”

“Eeh-eh, I, I…!”

“White-haired young woman. Where is she?”

The man closed his eyes as his body trembled. “She and the demon have already gone!”

“Gone?”

“Their ship had already sailed!”

“Since when?”

“B-Before dawn!”

Heneis frowned. “Where are they heading?”

“Enikada!”

The demon they interrogated mentioned the same place. That at least confirmed the two of them were not lying about the destination.

“What kind of ship is it?”

“It’s a yellow and brown-colored galleon! It's called The Fortunate Lady!”

“What is its route?”

“R-Route? What ships always use. T-There’s really no special route or anything, it’s an open sea.”

“Considering your organization, you must have a predetermined route. Show me.”

Heneis threw him to the floor and waited for him to move.

“U-Uh, r-right.” The man scrambled to his table and grabbed the nearest map he could get. “I-If it goes as planned, t-they should be taking this route.” The dockmaster used his finger to trace a path on the map, going all the way to an archipelago with four main islands.

The one he stopped was the northern island named Hokunoa.

“Hm, it would take days before they reach it,” Galik muttered.

“Seven to ten days perhaps,” Taneva added.

“We can still catch up.” Heneis quickly left the building.

Taneva and Galik quickly followed him until eventually they arrived at a wooden bridge built on top of the sea water. There were smaller boats tied around it, with a load of people minding their own business. The three unnatural men stood at the edge.

“What are you planning?” Galik asked Heneis.

“We fly.”

Galik furrowed his brow for a moment and shifted his eyes towards the sea. “... We can, but depending on the ship’s speed, I doubt we can really catch up.”

“We can try. But if we don’t make it, at least we’ll already be on our way to its destination.”

“Hm.”

Taneva popped his head to the side with widened eyes. “Eh, excuse me. You’re flying? Do I look like I can become smoke?”

Heneis turned towards him. “As teleportation is not possible, the only choice is for us to fly. You, Wanderer, will have to find another way.”

Taneva sighed and looked away, looking into the horizon.

“We’ll be going,” Heneis said.

The two cursed children turned into black fogs as they ascended into the sky. The people all around looked at them in confusion, staring as they flew into the air and headed into the ocean. They began to murmur as Taneva placed a hand on his forehead in exasperation.

“Aaaah, they just left me. Those pricks.”

If he had to be honest, it was a bit embarrassing.

“And here I thought we were in this together. Guess not.”

He glanced towards a small sailing boat, a dinghy. He considered it. It was a better option, he supposed. Easier to handle alone than a bigger ship. And with such a boat, an owner would be more willing to sell.

Taneva approached the owner with a smile.

“Hey there, what’s up?”

The owner looked up at him with wary eyes. “... Hey. You were friends with them? Those strange men.”

“Yeah… Ah no, we’re not friends. As you can see, they left me.”

“Ah. Guess not. Friends won’t just leave each other like that.”

“Yeah. So, I see your little boat there. How much?”

The owner frowned. “It’s not for sale.”

“Really now?” Taneva snuck his hand into his pocket. A small circular black hole was conjured inside, and he grabbed a gold coin. He pulled out his hand and showed the coin to the boat owner. “Will this be enough?”

***

The deep night has fallen, a galleon sailed across the vast waters, gently rocking at the faint ocean tide. The ship was moving at a moderate speed, with only half of the sails raised. For half of the crew had gone on to rest and took it easy, leaving the other half to remain on watch on the top deck and man the helm. The surrounding of the ship was dark, leaving only the faint moonlight to light the surroundings, or torches to shine a light on the deck.

Inside this specialized ship were many more people, chained and tied altogether, as was what it was designed to carry. And among the brigs contained the princess from a kingdom far away. She was taken from her home. She was a valued treasure in her kingdom, and the most beautiful jewel in all of the world. And she was sleeping on the dirty floor that smeared her pristine form. Parts of her beautiful platinum hair were now stained with black mud.

Because of the constant rocking of the ship, she was roused from her induced slumber. Her face twitched as her eyes slowly opened. With narrow eyes, she looked around. She immediately realized where she was, from her surroundings, to the rocking of the floor.

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I see… The ocean…

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. One should have felt frustrated or frantic upon realizing such a thing, but instead, the princess, Estelia, remained at rest. The heavy chains on her wrists clanged faintly as she moved her hand close to her face. Her body laid sideways. She took a deep breath… No, it was not merely that.

Her body, from her shoulders to her head, trembled as she placed her hands on her face. She was stifling involuntary sounds coming out of her mouth, it was her sobbings. Her tears wet her hands, and even many dropped to the floor. The princess wallowed in sorrow.

Mother…

What filled her mind was only that. And she could not hold back her tears at all. The pain in her heart was so intense. She had never experienced something like this in her life. The never-ending tears, the pain in her chest as if her heart was being pulled out, and her swirling, messy thoughts.

Never did she ever imagine she would end up like this. Never had she imagined that she would experience this much sorrow. Not even the deaths of her past colleagues made her feel like this. And thus, as someone like her, all the emotion, the loss, was just too overwhelming. It was too hard to process. And thus, she felt all kinds of things — longing, sadness, agony, confusion, and most of all, anger. But perhaps her sorrow was holding it back. Indeed, despite the anger, most that filled her was her sadness.

She touched a necklace hidden under her clothes.

She took a deep breath, but it was hard to breathe. She was tired. She didn’t want to do anything. She lacked any motivation.

The images of her mother kept appearing in her mind. She didn’t want to forget her mother’s face. Not a detail. But the human mind was just too cruel. One would always forget the tiniest detail. She stifled her heavy breathing.

It hurts so much…

She placed a hand on her chest.

It’s cold… Mother…

So lonely. And yet, there was nothing to lift away such feelings. And she realized it a long moment later.

They will pay.

All of them must pay. She would kill them, all that wronged her, all that took away one of that she loved, that she truly loved. It was her chance of a different and better life. A place full of pleasant things. And they took it all from her. No, it was not a chance that she could have gotten. She already had it. And it was all destroyed.

There was no room for forgiveness. Absolutely none. No matter if people begged for mercy, cry for forgiveness, they would never have it.

She took a deep breath.

I must return home.

Wherever they may be taking her, she must get away before they arrive at their destination. Otherwise, it might be too late. She was somewhere in the ocean, that could have been a cause for hesitation, but no. She would only need to commandeer the ship. To take control, she should kill the captain, and then brutally slay those that still tried to fight. Incite fear. However, she still had to figure out more about the setting.

She rubbed the tears on her face and slowly sat up. Pain stabbed her head and around her body, still strained from before. But she endured the pain. She checked her body, and as expected, her weapons were gone.

She glanced at the black shackles tied around her wrists, linked together by a chain. Both were heavy and thick. Her ankles were also tied by the same thing, but the chain was locked to the floor, leaving her a small room to walk around. However, there was something strange about these shackles.

She cast her mana.

It’s disrupting my magic?

The shackles were affecting the flow of mana in her entire body. As the mana coursed through her Mystic Medium, control got loose and the flow was ruined. She pushed through it, but when she got some out, they immediately got disrupted and the mana dispersed, fading into the air like wasted energy. She frowned, feeling frustrated and irritated by it.

Is this the same as what the church has?

She guessed that this was made of the same metal as what they used to restrain the beastmen in the past. The metal that disrupts magic. She tried a different kind of magic, her Physical Enhancement Technique, and tried spreading out her arms. It was being disrupted as well, the mana going all over the place, no sense of order. However…

“Don’t even try, girlie. That thing’s pretty effective.”

She turned a scared look towards the outside of the cell. There was someone sitting on a chair, a bottle in his hand. He was dirty and rough looking. But he was someone she had never seen before. He drank from his bottle, which Estelia assumed to be alcohol.

“W-What is going on? Who a-are you? W-Where am I?” she asked in a terrified tone.

The man grinned with intoxicated eyes. “I’m your precious guardian, looking after ya.”

“W-What?” Estelia innocently recoiled at how fearsome the man appeared.

She looked so fragile, and the man kept staring at her in a lecherous manner. Estelia stared back at him with a scared look and she noticed keys on a metal keychain hanging on his waist.

“A-Are you going to h-hurt me?” She laid her back on the wall, her arms folded in to show wariness but with obvious vulnerability.

“Not at all~. Why would I?”

“... Mm.” She lowered her gaze and shifted her foot to show more of her legs. “W-Where is the one that brought me here?”

The man looked into her eyes, he seemed to be endeared by her helpless look. His gaze gradually shifted down at her flawless white legs.

“That demon? He’s with the captain in his quarters. Must be eating something fancy, lucky bastard.”

‘That demon,’ huh…

At least she had a little confirmation. She didn’t expect that she would meet a demon, of all things. And to be the one to capture her, what did they want with her? She didn’t know what to expect when facing one.

“D-Demon? I… I didn’t think they were real.” She then looked at him with terror. “T-Then you’re a-also a d-demon?”

He chuckled. “Gods no. You don’t need to be scared of me.”

“... Really?” She pulled her arms in until she slightly pressed on her chest.

The man’s eye twitched as he stared in more intently.

“I h-heard demons are monsters,” the princess continued. “Are there more of them here? I’m scared…”

“Well, no one else. Hehe. And that’s good. Demons are a creepy bunch.”

She let out a sigh. “... That’s a relief. Thank you for being honest, mister. You’re nice.”

His smile grew wide. “Yeah yeah, I really am nice, ain’t I?”

Estelia smiled sweetly a little. “Yes… The thing is, I don’t get why you want me. Is it because I’m a princess and want a ransom?”

“So you’re a legit princess, eh?” His gaze changed, like he found something very valuable. “Well, I don’t know what your deal is.”

“I see…”

There was silence for a moment before Estelia spoke again.

“You’re alone? Don’t you have friends to share a drink with?”

He paused for a moment, thinking. “Nah, I’m stuck with you… alone. Others are busy having their own fun, or sleeping.”

“... That’s sad.”

“Is it?”

“A nice person like you should have company.”

“Really now?” He looked up in contemplation before nodding. “Guess I do. Oh well, but I’m still going to do my job.”

“Of course… Jobs are important…”

Estelia fell silent for some time, often changing her posture as if she was uncomfortable. And she often glanced shyly at the guard, and she even smiled at him. And she was so charming and… inviting. She closed her eyes, and moments later, she spoke again.

“I can’t sleep…” she said. “Can I keep you company, mister? It’s boring like this.”

“Well, you can keep me company from there.”

“I’m referring to that drink of yours.”

“My drink?”

“Liquor is an effective way to fall asleep quickly.”

“... True. But you drink? Really?”

Estelia smiled enticingly, but still with a touch of pure innocence. “Of course I do. Even a princess like me does naughty stuff, you know.”

The man’s eyes widened, his cheeks a little red. “O-Oh, I-I guess that happens, huh?” He grinned. “Princesses do that, huh? Never met princesses before.”

“Even a girl wants to do something fun.” She shifted her leg in. “And aren’t you bored, mister? Let’s just share a drink. A few sips is enough to fill me up.” Her gaze turned inviting.

The man flushed red even more, and he placed a hand on his mouth as he pondered deeply. He seemed to hesitate. However, as he gazed at her, that beautiful and sexy young woman, the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen in his life, a ripe fruit, he was unable to hold back the heat in his body.

“Agh, guess it’s no harm.” He scratched his head before walking towards the cell door.

He grabbed the group of keys and used one key to open the cell and walked towards Estelia. He crouched in front of her, and her leg touched him a little, he felt a little of her flesh through his boot. He had a closer look at her. He was dazzled for a moment until Estelia called him.

“Um, mister, may I?”

“Ah, y-yeah.”

He extended the bottle towards her lips. Her lips touched the tip of the bottle. And as the guard lifted the bottle, she began drinking slowly. A little liquid crawled down her slender white chin and dripped down.

“Ah,” she smiled a little when she stopped drinking. “Thank you so much. That… That was delicious.”

“R-Right.” He stared at her entire body. She was so close, and tied up. Defenseless.

She tilted her head adorably. “Mister?”

He put down the bottle to the side.

“They said not to harm you… But damn, you’re so fuckable.”

“W-What…?”

“What I’m gonna do ain’t gonna hurt you anyway. Unless you’re a virgin.”

“What? I am a virgin…”

His eyes widened. “A virgin princess. Much better.” He grinned. “Don’t worry, you won’t be completely hurt. It’ll be a little fun.”

He inched closer.

The princess pulled herself away.

“W-What are you doing? What f-fun?”

“You know, fucking.”

“T-That?”

“It’s a good experience, you’ll see.”

Estelia seemed to be clueless. “W-Well I did hear it’s great. But I-I never went that far.”

“So you are familiar. So, what about we stay quiet for now?” He cackled.

He got closer, the back of his finger touching and sliding on her leg, from the ankle and gradually rising upwards to her knee. The smoothness and softness were so maddening. A touch of perfection.

“Will it hurt…?” she softly asked.

“A little, but pleasure will be a lot more in there.”

“Huh.” She pulled her leg in a little. “Curious.”

“Curious, eh? Then let’s go at it.”

Estelia smiled. “Okay.” A vast amount of mana coursed through her body, and she pushed her hand into the man’s throat.

“Guh!” The man choked, unable to let out a sound.

At the same time, Estelia moved to the side in the direction of where the chain on her legs was tied on, and jumped over the chain. Afterwards, she instantly threw the chain of her wrist shackles under the guard’s neck. And from his back, she crossed her hands, and the chain tightened around the guard’s throat, choking the life out of him.

The sheer strength she had confused the man, even to the point that she was lifting him up a little, her forearm and elbow digging into his back as she did. And the chain kept on tightening.

“First off, you’re ugly as fuck,” she said in a monotone.

She realized something about the chains. They disrupt mana, especially in forming spells. They even affect the mana inside the body. However, what if she just poured an extreme amount of her mana into her body to forcefully use Physical Enhancement? The mana was being disrupted, but the amount flowing into the body was so great that it was basically ineffective.

Like even if the water in a container was in chaos, if it was filled to the brink, whether the water was moving all over the place or not would be irrelevant. In the end, it was full and had little room to move around. Or even if there was a leak, the amount of water being poured to fill it was still greater, thus it could never be empty. And this overloading amount of mana in her body was fueling her Physical Enhancement. Because of her vast amount of mana, she was capable of such a feat.

The guard tried to grab her, but he was struggling to reach her. Her chain on his neck only served to tighten even more. He panicked. He tried to pull out the chain, but no matter how strong he was, he couldn’t budge it.

“Second, your drink was nasty.”

There was a faint cracking sound.

“And lastly. I am pure, and I’ll remain as one forever. You think I’ll let someone like you touch me without consequences? You little shit.”

And the man’s neck was broken, his neck was basically crushed. His face stayed frozen with wide eyes. The princess slowly let the corpse loose, and it dropped to the floor with a quiet thud.

“Simpleton.”

She quickly grabbed the keys and tried them on the shackles.

Damn, which one is it?

She tried each key on her shackles, but after trying all of them, none of them worked.

What the hell, then what are all of these for?

She felt annoyed, and she checked the keyholes of her shackle.

Fuck it.

She straightened the metallic keychain and sandwiched the end point of it between two keys. With her fingers, she pressed them together, flattening the upper part of the metal. With her super strength, it was too easy to press the metal, even she was a bit surprised. She removed the keys and checked the flattened section. Unsatisfied, she used her thumb and index finger to flatten it more slightly.

She tested if it would fit into the keyhole, and it did. She pulled it back, and she slightly bent the tip upwards, making a hook, and she made sure it was still as flat as before. With that done, she flattened the other end and bent it sideways. Afterward, she snapped the metal in half.

She inserted the second pin she made into the keyhole of her left shackle. Then she inserted the hook-shaped pin, and held it with her right hand’s thumb and index finger, moving it around inside the keyhole. Meanwhile, the rest of her right hand’s fingers kept a downward pressure on the second pin.

Medieval locks are typically shit.

But it wouldn’t really matter if they were poorly made or not. For she heard a snap and her shackle unlocked.

Whew, it worked. Good thing they didn’t break.

Feeling a bit relieved, she picked the lock on her other arm and then the two on her ankles. And a short time later, she was free. She sighed in relief as she stretched her joints.

Now then, where are my daggers?