“I didn't feel anything, there is no one here with the mana level to create the kind of spell you describe.”

Yu was disappointed by Ana's report. He hadn't expected things to be solved so easily, of course, but he had hoped that at least a few people could get together and find someone with the mana level to carry out that attack.

He had no idea if such a thing was possible in this world, but he tried to be as ‘fantastic’ as he could when he thought about things in this world.

As Yu brought his newly acquired left hand to his chin, Ana tossed her green hair and leaned her back against a wall.

“I don't like men, they look at me like they're seeing a woman for the first time,” she said as she folded her arms across her stomach.

“Hmm? I asked the roarons to stop this,” Yu said. Most of the army were teenagers and he didn't want to send Ana alone with high school kids.

“They did. One of the kids pissed himself when they roared.”

If he used to, he would have laughed at that answer, but he couldn't because he was a person who pissed himself out of fear. In fact, even if he hadn't done the same, he couldn't laugh anymore.

“Besides, Yu and I are both men,” Link said, standing next to Yu. “I can tell I'm offended.”

“Except you,” Ana added. “Although Mr. Valarfin might be getting on my nerves a bit lately.”

“Wow that was unexpectedly daring.” Link put his hand on Yu's shoulder, hoping to make him laugh, but Yu didn't laugh.

“I'm sorry,” Yu replied. “But it's out of my hands. I can't control other people's feelings.”

Ana was jealous of Sivina's caring behavior towards Yu, especially starting today. That's why her face had been low since they left the cathedral and came to the harbor.

Even if she didn't remember it completely, she must have noticed Sivina's behavior towards Yu in the previous world and felt jealous. This feeling of jealousy could have been transferred to this world through Yu.

“Be more respectful to Yu.” It was Yurine who spoke, gripping Yu's hand tightly.

There was no joy or anger in her voice. In fact, she said the sentence just for the sake of saying it.

“I'm sorry,” Ana said. She was not sincere in her apology either.

“Did I think Yuri waifu were beautiful? I don't think so anymore.”

Ana left them and started moving towards the ships that the third division would board. Sivina was there investigating the ships and Yu was going to join her and start investigating behind her.

“Ana is in a direction without end,” Link said as he watched Ana walking.

He was going to keep talking, but when he saw Yurine looking at him, he stopped and said only one thing as he and Yu started moving forward.

“I think you and Sivina are good together, you need a romantic relationship. I really believe.”

Yu waited for Yurine before answering, curious to see her reaction, but it didn't come. Yurine preferred to ignore Link's words.

When Yurine didn't react, Yu started talking. “I don't think I have time for such things.”

Link smiled a lopsided smile, the so-called bastard smile. “So you'd do it if you had the time?”

“What do you want to hear?”

Yu was really getting tired of arguing. So instead of trying to understand Link, he chose to cut it short.

“I'd like to hear about Yu Valarfin's romantic side, for example, would he be with Sivina Ecues if he could?”

He could not answer that. He opened his mouth to answer the question but had to stop because he was choked.

The woman on his mind was Rie. The time he spent with her was not even three hours, but his soul felt an abnormal attraction to her. He began to feel this abnormal attraction not at Rolderhelm, but at the Sky Palace.

As for Sivina, his heart trembled and he could not refuse. How could it not tremble? Despite telling her what a monster Yu Valarfin was, Sivina did not back down.

Yu was moved, even though he didn't think her feelings were healthy. Especially at a time when he needed support, after confessing his sins, that kiss was therapeutic.

“Why don't you answer?” Yurine asked.

If they were alone with Link, he could give an answer, but with Yurine he didn't know what to say.

“I mean... From a man's point of view and if we had met before all this happened,” he replied. He didn't have to be honest, but he didn't want to lie, especially to Yurine.

Yurine said nothing again. Yu thought he had broken her heart and to make it up to her, he picked her up by her legs. Yurine put her arms around his neck as usual.

“That was a bit of a Yu Valarfinian answer. I expected you to dodge and lie and hide your true feelings.” Link was cheerful despite Yu's sullen expression. “But if you say so, then tell me what happened after I left the room.”

“After you left which room?” Yurine asked without lifting her head from Yu's shoulder.

“I was sick, that's why...” It wasn't a lie, so he didn't hesitate to answer, but he didn't say which room it was. Yurine didn't press any further.

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“By the way, I spoke to the Cardinal of Libra,” Link said. “I told him it would be better if he spoke to you, but he insisted on speaking to me, saying he didn't have time. He asked to see the document on the legality of the army and demanded two pieces of silver for each soldier traveling.”

“The bastard asked for one silver last time...” Two pieces of silver for a few soldiers would have made no difference, but two pieces of silver for thousands of soldiers would have put Yu at a loss.

“Is that what happened? I apologize.”

“You don't need to apologize, we just need to finish this without any casualties.”

He felt more tired as he thought of all the other things he had to do after taking the city. He also had to deal with the council in Virgo, and it probably had connections with the Cathedral of Aquaria.

After all, the Cathedral of Aquaria was sort of in control of the city before they came along and they were the dominant sect in the city. When you think about things like money laundering, it was very likely that he would have had a confrontation with the Cardinal of Aquaria as well.

“What if we fight this asshole? Can we beat him? What is the purpose of the bucket he carries with him?”

He had never heard of the Cardinal of Aquarius's fighting power, only knew that he was richer than the Cathedral of Virgo.

Before entering the ship Sivina was investigating, Link spoke. “Yu, the only thing missing from your new look is a smile.”

“I'm sorry.”

Since the reason why he couldn't smile was the same as the reason why he had taken on a new look, there was nothing he could do about it. He didn't think he could smile, at least not until he got Vermia back.

“But now we are more friends... friends...” Link put a hand to his chin to think about how to continue the sentence. “Friendly? I'm glad you're friendly, or something like that. Honestly, it makes me feel good too.”

Instead of continuing the conversation, Yu went up on the deck of the ship and started scanning the area. They knew that the attack was coming from the part of the third division, but they had no idea which ship it was coming from. So they were searching all the ships carrying the third division.

“Your Eminence, Your Knight, Mr. Valarfin.” They turned around to see another man coming on deck. “Aridan Fork, commander of the third division. Ready for your orders and opinions, sir!”

He was wearing a red cloth robe and silver armor. On his chest was the Virgin of Virgo Cathedral.

He held his helmet under his left shoulder and saluted with his right hand. The man they had chosen as division commander was two and a half times older than the soldiers. His short-cropped black hair was graying on the sides and wrinkles had begun to appear on his face. His brown eyes gave the impression of an ordinary man.

But he had fought in a few battles before and was one of the few who had the experience to make a division commander.

“Yes. The third division and the sixth division will switch places. You will come with the second group.”

“Yes, sir!”

“We also believe that there are traitors in the Third Division who are being used as pawns by malevolent forces. We can't afford to waste time, so we will leave soon, but don't come until you have weeded out these traitors from the division.”

“Yes, sir!”

Aridan Fork accepted the orders without question, as he should have.

Yu didn't think he would succeed, but he tried to motivate him by putting forward a somewhat harsh condition.

“You can leave.”

With Yu's permission, Aridan Fork turned on his heel and strode away.

After the division commander walked away, a new figure appeared on the deck, holding a bag. Her silver hair fluttered in the wind differently than usual and she had an energetic air about her.

“How can she be like this when she knows we're going to our deaths? She's really sick.”

Ana came out from behind Sivina. Yu didn't know what to think of her.

“Yu, I didn't find much,” Sivina said. She had a bright smile on her face.

“You don't have to say that with a smile,” Yu said. His voice sounded a little harsh. Thinking it hurt her, he continued in a softer tone. “Nothing? Even though you searched all the ships?”

Sivina held out a bag and opened one palm. When she shook the bag, a few items fell into Yu's hand.

“Two stones, a... thing? And a letter.”

He couldn't examine them in detail because he was carrying Yurine. Link took the letter while Ana took the magic stones and the green object Yu called a thing.

“Magic stones,” Ana said. “But weaker than yours. Whoever has them must keep them as ornaments or mementos.”

Then he examined the green and soft thing that looked like playdough. It did not seem to have any properties.

“I feel no mana, it's just garbage.”

Ana threw the green thing into the sea and continued to hold the magic stones.

After Ana spoke, Link tore the envelope in his hand and took out the letter. After examining it for a while, he showed it to Yu. “It is written in Brahatul script.”

It was a piece of paper with rings, stars, scribble-like shapes on it. The alphabet he called the Brahatul alphabet was written from right to left and looked like a mixture of Indian and Arabic scripts.

“It's not a letter,” Yurine said. “It looks like a rune.”

“I remember the word from plays and books, but I don't remember what it is.”

“You can use it to cast spells, but I don't know the runes, that's all I know. I don't feel mana from the paper.”

Yu shook his head. “So someone can use this thing to cast a spell twice? And is that the reason why was the fire on the ship?”

And had he created this spell so quickly? Those around him had to see the spell caster and stop him.

He remembered how the flame arrow had gone towards the dragon. It had flown straight to its target. He must have spent time aiming, too, creating the spell.

“I found them all on different ships,” Sivina said. “That piece of paper came from the ship next to us. It was wedged between one of the boards in the passenger cabin.”

“Was it predetermined which soldiers would board the ship you found?”

It was not specific, they would board in turns and the order of boarding would be determined before they boarded the ships. He knew this was the case, he still asked in hope, but Sivina shook her head from side to side and said no.

“So whoever put it there calculated that he would get on that ship? Maybe this rune has nothing to do with it, maybe it doesn't even really work magic...”

Whatever he thought, the result would not change. At the moment it seemed impossible to find out who the traitor or traitors were and they had to leave.

“Link, this time Ana and you will come with us,” Yu said.

“Who will control the soldiers left behind?” Sivina asked.

“If my plan works, we'll be inside the walls of Vermia before they arrive. If my plan doesn't work, we're already dead, their presence doesn't mean anything either way.”

That left them with four thousand men, and if they assumed that the third division they had left behind would not come, it would come down to three thousand. Although there were fewer than that last time, they had done well in the first battle and it was possible that they could do something without them.

“All right,” Link said.

“I will go ahead of the others,” Yu continued. “I want to get to Jade Dragon and talk to him without risking him being attacked again.”

Yurine squeezed Yu's shoulders with her hands. “Yu, is it safe?”

“Yeah, probably, maybe, maybe, I guess, I hope.” Last time he was able to deal with the Jade Dragon, even though he was about to kill him. “I think I can deal with him this time too.”

“I'll come with you, won't I?” Yurine asked.

“Yeah, we'll go with the old lineup.” Yu said. Still Link had to stay behind to check on the men, just in case.

Yu had a feeling that his plan would succeed, but when he thought about what had happened, he realized that he didn't like that feeling.

He wondered if the Jade Dragon remembered the past and how he would react to the fact that he had a hand, even though their agreement had said that he could not take a hand again.