Starlight Lily of the Valley did not linger long at the dock. Once Vyea and those with tickets had boarded, the ice crystal steps dangling from the side were quickly withdrawn, all under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
It wasn’t until the ship once again turned into a beam of light and vanished at the end of the icy track that the silent dock finally erupted in a wave of commotion.
As the Magic Ark sped away, the strange phenomena at the dock gradually faded.
At this moment, Vyea’s mind was a tangled mess. She was supposed to be resting and regaining her strength, but she couldn’t sleep at all her thoughts had already flown a hundred thousand miles away.
Maybe, she would see her daughter soon.
Yet alongside the anticipation, Vyea was anxious and afraid. She worried her daughter would not accept her, and was terrified her daughter would ask:
“Dad, why is your hair so long?
Why is your body so soft and fragrant?
Why is your face as cute as a little girl’s?
Wow, even your body structure is just like mine!
…Dad, are you really my dad…”
Oh heavens, just imagining that scene made Vyea turn pale!
But what she feared even more was—she didn’t know how to explain Flavail’s death to her daughter.
Some things, you just can’t escape, no matter how fast you run, faster than sound, faster than anything—you can never outrun a past that’s already become reality.
Vyea absentmindedly played with her hair, imagining her daughter before her as she spoke with grave seriousness:
“Sorry, to preserve world peace, I killed your mom.”
Pa!
If she really explained it like that, surely they’d become enemies, right?
Even if they didn’t, her daughter might never forgive her for the rest of her life…
“Sigh…”
Vyea plopped down on the floor, her beautiful emerald eyes dulled, staring blankly out the cabin window at the drifting Magic Crystals, as if those were the bits of iron resolve slowly chipping away in her heart.
No matter how she thought about it, a daughter raised among the Demon Race would surely feel a greater sense of belonging to their side, right?
It’s just too hard for me.
Suddenly.
Bang bang—the sound of knocking echoed at the door.
“Hey kid,” Aiselyn called from outside, “They actually banned all instruments on this ship, not even flutes are allowed! It’s so boring, there’s nothing to do… I came to chat with you.”
“Come in, let’s talk.” Vyea issued an invitation.
“Phew, it’s freezing on deck, the cabin is much cozier!”
Aiselyn rubbed her pale arms as she squeezed through the door crack, sighing and grumbling:
“That flat-chested Brave is so vicious! I was on the deck, enthusiastically jotting down my travel experiences, and there were so many passengers waiting for my performance.
But she suddenly ordered those Knights to chase us all back inside the cabins. She even warned me that all entertainment is banned on this ship, or else she’d confiscate my accordion and bone flute to burn them…”
“It was just a reminder, right?”
Vyea knew that Reversal Hero, Rotissa, wasn’t a bad person—she might be a little stubborn, but she was definitely a responsible Brave.
“And this is a warship. Holding a concert on a warship wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“It’s not a concert! It’s just—this is my first time riding one of the Four Great Magic Arks, the Starlight Lily of the Valley. I got a bit excited and wanted to play something to express my feelings, and to record my journey.”
Aiselyn sat down beside Vyea, pulled out a bunch of snacks from her pocket, and nudged them over with her mouth:
“Here, you seemed troubled since boarding, locked up in your cabin alone and not going out to shiver in the cold with everyone else. You didn’t even get the free snacks from the Ark, so I grabbed some for you. Eat while they’re still hot…”
“Thank you.”
Actually, Vyea wasn’t hungry, but she picked up the pastries and wolfed them down one after another. The belly of a Slime-girl was like a bottomless pit, able to swallow anything.
In no time, several boxes of snacks had disappeared into her stomach.
When she was a Brave, she often camped outdoors, so Vyea wasn’t picky at all she could eat anything, and apart from eating a lot, she was easy to care for.
“Sigh. The City Lord of Antler City and the others seem to have gotten on the Brave’s bad side, and it seems that Brave wasn’t too willing to come reinforce this area.”
Aiselyn was quite chatty. “But I heard there are already two Braves in the Southern Territory. By rights, the power of two Braves should be enough to suppress this not-so-severe Monster Tide.”
“Even if the Purple Brave is still young and not that experienced, it should be enough.”
Seeing that Vyea had finished eating, Aiselyn, like performing a magic trick, produced more food from her travel pouch, piling it beside Vyea like a small hill.
“Ah, you’re the most voracious kid I’ve ever met.” Aiselyn exclaimed with a smile. “Even most adults can’t eat as much as you. Does your stomach hurt? You really should eat in moderation.”
“It’s fine.” Vyea paused as she took the food, then calmly stuffed it into her mouth. “Children need lots of energy to grow, so eating more helps development.”
“Oh?”
Aiselyn shifted into a more comfortable sitting position, and after confirming that this human cub was just fine, continued the conversation. “But in this conflict between humans and the Demon Race, the Purple Brave seems to have vanished. No one knows where she’s gone, maybe she’s off on some special mission?”
If being unconscious in a hospital counts as a special mission, then you’re right, Vyea thought. She looked at Aiselyn and asked:
“Did the City Lord of Antler City come aboard?”
“No.” Aiselyn shook her head. “The Brave didn’t wait for the City Lord. Maybe she was just venting at the time.”
“I see…”
Vyea kept eating, but suddenly the ship was rocked by a violent tremor!
Boom!
Boom-boom!!
A thunderous noise like clashing metal echoed from outside the cabin, followed by wave after wave of violent shaking! In an instant, the whole ship was listing at over forty-five degrees!
If it weren’t for the magic arrays carved into the walls, this sealed cabin would have become a spinning washing machine.
“Watch out!”
Quick as lightning, Aiselyn grabbed Vyea and dodged a toppling wooden cabinet. “If we’d reached our destination, this wouldn’t be happening. I’m going to check outside You… stay here. If you wrap up in a blanket you should be safe!”
“I’ll go with you.” Vyea paused, then added, “I’m an adult. I’m strong. I can do anything.”
Aiselyn wanted to refuse, but when she turned and met Vyea’s calm emerald eyes, she found herself unable to speak the words.
On deck, a thin layer of blue ice crystals coated everything.
Rotissa had taken off her white officer’s coat, revealing the silver-white Heroic Armor beneath. Her pale blue hair whipped in the wind, and in her hand appeared a black spear shaped like a clock hand.
The icy channel was shattered, and a huge Reef had lifted the bow of the ship into the air.
“Our route has been ambushed…”
Hidden emotion flickered in Rotissa’s dark red eyes. She knew that for a Magic Ark traveling at 4,000 meters per second to be intercepted so precisely on its course.
There was only one possibility their movements had been leaked.