“Ah… I’ve always been prone to motion sickness when on a boat… and aiming and shooting long-range weapons on one makes it even worse.”
“Hahaha, even the Hero who saved the Empire has things they aren’t good at.”
Iyue sat at a table in the supply camp, chewing on slices of ginger. Her employer, the merchant Ozel, sat across from her.
A cup filled with a different drink sat before each of them—a peppermint tea to relieve seasickness for Iyue, and an amber beer for the merchant.
At several tables beside them, the members of the merchant caravan were clinking glasses and drinking together.
As was custom, the caravan always had a drink after safely surviving an attack… both for themselves as survivors and for the companions who had been less fortunate.
Because Iyue had followed the boss to the bow of the cargo ship when the attack began, the crew guarding the stern deck had suffered some casualties during the crossfire—two crew members were killed on the spot, and the remaining three suffered gunshot wounds of varying severity.
“I’m sorry, Boss. Although I suspected there would be a few people with bad intentions among those mercenaries, I didn’t expect them all to be in on it.”
“How could we blame Lady Iyue for that!” Seeing Iyue’s self-reproachful expression, Ozel waved his hands repeatedly.
“If you hadn’t been there, we would probably all be at the bottom of the river feeding the fish by now. In the end, it was because I wasn’t cautious enough when hiring them… I am the one who should be responsible for this.”
Ozel’s voice and expression were very bitter. Iyue knew that his bitterness was not an act.
The two sailors who died were both loyal subordinates who had followed him for a long time… losing them was surely a difficult thing for him to accept.
So Iyue raised the cup in front of her toward him.
“Forgive me for toasted with tea instead of wine. Let us drink to those two fallen brothers.”
“Alright.” Ozel had the same intention, so the two of them raised their glasses toward the ship and drained their drinks.
The remains of the two crew members had already been cremated upon arrival at the supply station, and the boxes containing their ashes were resting quietly in the cabin, waiting to be sent back to their hometowns by special messengers from the caravan.
“Lady Iyue, I’m afraid the caravan will have to rest here for a few days.” Ozel put down his cup and looked around at his men in the camp.
“Those brothers were seriously injured, so we need to hire some more people in the nearby town.”
“You should do that,” Iyue nodded. “That ship needs enough hands to sail.”
“No, what I mean is that we won’t be able to reach Cyrus as scheduled. Weren’t you in a hurry to get there? So I wanted to ask if this would affect you.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I was actually just stopping by to see my cute little Princess. After that, I was going to return to the Sea of Trees —”
“Hmm? You’re going to Seles City?”
Just then, the servant responsible for serving drinks in the supply camp happened to walk over and refilled Ozel’s cup.
“It hasn’t been very peaceful there lately. You’d better be careful.”
The man hadn’t heard Ozel call Iyue’s name; he was simply offering a well-intentioned warning to the passing travelers.
She tried her best to control her emotions and remain calm, because the servant hadn’t finished speaking yet:
“But fortunately, that attack didn’t result in any victims. The Duke’s Daughter suffered minor injuries, but she defeated the Daughter of the Demon King. And that Magus was also defeated by a young girl who was with the Sword Saint… They say that little girl is the Hero’s illegitimate daughter!”
“Hey, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? The Hero’s illegitimate daughter? That is not something to joke about.”
An invisible pressure suddenly erupted from Iyue.
She rose from her chair and took two steps toward the servant.
“N-no! That’s just the news coming from over there!”
The servant’s legs went weak with fear, and he instinctively wanted to run, but Iyue’s gaze locked him firmly in place.
He felt a bit breathless under this pressure and could only stammer out further explanations.
“The Sword Saint was only covering for her… it was that little girl who truly defeated the Magus! And that girl has a face that looks just like the Hero’s… that’s why they say she’s an illegitimate daughter!”
“Lady Iyue…”
Ozel, who was nearby, also felt the almost suffocating pressure. He looked at Iyue, intending to intervene.
“Iyue…?”
The servant felt the terrifying aura seem to subside slightly, and he felt as if he had heard that name somewhere before…
He wanted to take some time to remember, but the Elf in front of him urged him on with her eyes.
“It’s fine, I understand. Continue.”
“Oh, oh. After that, the Daughter of the Demon King was taken to the dungeon of the Duke’s Household. However, there are rumors that she escaped… and the Duke’s Daughter has also gone missing. Now Seles City is full of anti-Demon Race parades and demonstrations, and it seems martial law has been in effect these past few days. The atmosphere is extremely tense…”
“I’m sorry, Boss Ozel.”
Iyue felt there was no longer any need to keep listening.
She pulled several gold coins from her pocket and placed them on the table in front of Ozel.
“I can no longer travel with you. Please forgive me for being unable to continue my duties as a guard. I must head there immediately, so I am returning the protection fee to you —”
“Lady Iyue, you are being too polite.” Ozel did not take the money.
He shook his head at Iyue and then ordered his men to bring over a horse.
“You have already fulfilled your responsibility… no, you have done more than I commissioned. The Duchess and her daughter are very important people to you, right? Please accept these things.”
He picked up the gold coins from the table, took the reins of the horse from his subordinate, and handed both to Iyue.
“Boss… then I will stop being polite. Thank you very much.”
Seeing that his actions and gaze were filled with an insistence and determination that would not take no for an answer, Iyue knew that further refusal would be useless.
She put away the coins, led the horse outside the camp fence, and mounted it.
“I should be the one thanking you. I, Ozel, will always remember your two life-saving favors. Men… everyone, come say goodbye to Lady Iyue!”
He bowed deeply to Iyue and then raised his arms to shout to his men in the camp.
After hearing the boss’s explanation, the subordinates raised their wine glasses to Iyue one after another.
“Such an important matter cannot be delayed! Go quickly!”
“Brothers, let’s drink a toast to our Hero, the Hero of the Empire! Have a safe journey!”
“Thank you, everyone.” Their enthusiasm moved Iyue as she sat on her horse. She took off her hat, held it to her chest, and bowed to them.
Then she put her hat back on and pulled the brim low.
She lightly squeezed the horse’s flanks and shook the reins.
The horse let out a low neigh, and its front hooves struck the ground as it galloped away.
“Wait… the name Iyue, isn’t that the one from the Brave’s Party —”
The servant’s delayed shout was left behind in the whistling wind as Iyue galloped along the forest path.
She had already checked the map; this supply station was in the border region between the Kingdom of Salvation and Yilansiya…
If she continued at this speed, she would be able to cross the border and enter the Northland of Yilansiya before dark.
‘How could this have happened… Please, please, please… My little Milin… you must be alright…!’