Chapter 103 - Training and the Elven Scion
I faced Avea on the deck of the ship, a wooden stick in my hand. The sun beat down, and the humid wind felt warm against my skin, causing sweat to trickle down my cheek. It was the third day of our river journey.
"I get that this is training for fighting on a ship. And I get that it'll come down to sword fighting in the end. But what I really want is for you to teach me how to use a crossbow."
I didn't want to get hurt. But a smirk played on Avea's lips as she took her stance.
"I'll teach you that later. First, you need to learn what pain feels like."
We'd exchanged blows countless times, but I didn't feel like I could land a single one. The more I challenged her, the fewer options I had left. She surpassed me in both experience and skill. I attacked from a textbook middle guard stance, but she deflected it with ease. A kick sent me stumbling, and I collapsed onto the deck.
"No sneak attacks today, huh?" she said, her voice calm.
"Ugh, shut up!"
She'd follow up if I stayed down, so I scrambled back to my feet and readied my stance.
I was breathing heavily, but her own breathing was perfectly even. Just as I took a breath to steady myself, she lunged. I parried her strike, but she unleashed a second and third attack in rapid succession. I retreated, dodging her onslaught, and was cornered against the ship's railing in an instant. The drop from the deck to the water was considerable.
I leaned back to evade a thrust from Avea, nearly toppling overboard. I tried to scramble around her, but she grabbed my clothes.
"Let go!"
I swung my weapon, but she caught my wrist.
"Don't be shy. I'll let you have a truly unique river experience."
She lifted me into the air and threw me. I sailed through the sky and plunged into the river below. I hit the water with a huge splash and sank deep into the murky depths.
I couldn't tell which way was up. Instead of struggling, I waited for my body to naturally float to the surface. Soon, I began a slow ascent, and my sense of direction returned. It felt like I wouldn't be able to hold my breath long enough, so I tried kicking my legs to speed things up, but my shoes prevented me from getting any real propulsion.
My lungs were about to burst. Just as panic set in, my head broke the surface.
"Gasp!"
I took a huge breath. Looking around, I saw the ship was further away than I'd expected.
"Master! Master!"
I could see Fam shouting from the deck. Next to her, Avea was looking down at me with a smug grin. What an infuriating woman. Someday, I'd sic a horde of goblins on her and make her scream, "Ugh, just kill me!"
I tried to swim toward the ship, but my clothes clung to me, making it difficult. Treading water was the best I could manage. Even if I reached it, climbing back on deck seemed impossible. My only hope was for them to toss me a lifebuoy on a rope.
Seeing my struggle, Fam must have thought I was drowning. She leaned over the railing.
"Master! I'm coming to save you!"
"Hey, stop! I'm fine!"
But before my voice could reach her, she leaped into the river. It was the kind of dive that made me worry she couldn't swim at all. A huge column of water erupted. Did she do a belly flop? I watched, concerned, as she began to flail and splash frantically.
Wait, did she really jump into a river without knowing how to swim?
"Gurgle… Master… gurgle… I'm coming to save you!"
"…"
Her will to save me was strong, but she was clearly drowning.
I had to save her. I paddled desperately, closing the distance between us.
"Gurgle… Master! Master!"
She was in a full-blown panic. I had to calm her down.
"Fam, calm down. It's okay, just grab onto me."
As I tried to embrace her, she pushed my head down.
"Ugh, I can't breathe! I'm gonna die!"
Fam used my head as a flotation device, latching onto it to keep her own face above water. Her strength was incredible. Immobilized, I was pushed under in her place. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even come up for air.
When Avea had thrown me, it had been sudden, but at least I'd had a moment to fill my lungs. This time, I had no such preparation.
"Gah!"
Unable to hold it any longer, I opened my mouth and a torrent of water rushed in. I tried to cough, but that only made more water pour into my lungs. With Fam still clinging to me, my consciousness faded into darkness.
A large volume of air was forced into my lungs. My chin was held, my nose pinched.
I felt something soft press against my lips, and in that instant, air was breathed into me. The pressure on my mouth was released.
I could breathe. When I opened my eyes, Avea's face was right there. I was surprised, but my body wouldn't move.
"…"
I had been rescued and was lying on the deck.
"You awake?" Avea asked.
"Avea, I'm still not feeling well. Can we do that one more time…"
I coughed violently, spitting water from the back of my throat. It felt awful.
"Still some left, huh? Have her do the rest."
She pushed Fam toward me. Her eyes were bright red, and not from the river water.
"Master, I am so sorry… But I thought you were going to die. When that happened, I just couldn't think straight."
"Are you okay, Fam?"
She nodded once. A tear traced a path down her cheek. I could feel my body temperature starting to rise. As my arms began to work again, I reached out and stroked her ear. It was soaked.
"You'll catch a cold. Have Cecily dry you off."
Looking around, I saw that Maira, Aira, and Doris had apparently been using healing magic on me. Mizuki and Cecily were watching from a distance. As I sat up, Fam supported me.
"Besides Fam, is there anyone else here who can't swim?"
"Actually, I'm more surprised that you can swim, Mash. Most people can't," Maira answered. The children in Flucht had been diving and playing in the water, so I'd assumed swimming was common, but apparently not. Come to think of it, there was a river in Richelle, but it didn't look suitable for swimming.
"…I can swim," Doris said, raising her hand. It seemed to depend on where you grew up.
"Mizuki can swim too, but… hand-to-hand combat on the water might be difficult."
If we hung ropes or lifebuoys over the side, enemy soldiers could use them to climb aboard. Anyone who fell in would have to be left there until the battle was over. Only Mizuki and I could rescue them, and I'd just had a terrible experience trying to save Fam. Doris would need to stick with the members of Altair. We had to come up with a rescue plan in case someone fell overboard.
"Master, please teach me how to swim," Fam requested.
"I can do that, but it's not something you can learn overnight. The human body naturally floats. If you lie on your back, you can breathe. For now, just try to remember that."
"You must have realized you can't swim properly in that gear and those boots either," Avea interjected. "Also, when you rescue someone, approach them from behind, not the front. A panicked person can exhibit surprising strength. Sometimes, it's more efficient to wait for them to weaken."
She was absolutely right.
"Did you dunk me just to teach me that?"
"You didn't seem afraid of the water, so I figured you could swim. I just couldn't predict the actions of your loyal hound."
Avea gave a wry smile. She must have realized she'd gone too far. If she felt that way, I wished she'd offer another round of artificial respiration as an apology.
"She's right. You need to lay down the law with her, Mash. She won't listen to anyone else," Cecily chimed in.
I was about to retort that Fam didn't listen to me either, but seeing her dejected look, I held my tongue.
"Wait, did you not dry Fam off as some kind of punishment?" I asked. My mouth was still wet from throwing up earlier, but when I touched my hair, it was dry.
"She almost got you killed!"
"She was just trying to help. And she regrets it. There's no point scolding someone who's already learned their lesson. Fam won't make the same mistake again. Please dry her off."
"You're too soft!" Cecily shouted. Mizuki placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"I agree that these two are a hopeless case, but don't forget it's thanks to Mash's softness that you're a free citizen again, Cecily."
"…Fine. I'll just forget this whole tragicomedy ever happened. For a life-or-death situation, it wasn't funny at all. Besides, there's no point in having a serious conversation with a pervert lolling about in his underwear!"
Cecily stormed off toward the ship's cabin. Her words were true. Fam was reckless. She valued something more than her own life. That devotion was beautiful in a way, but I didn't think it was right, and I didn't want her to live like that. But I had no idea what words I could use to persuade her.
"Master, I'm going to go apologize to Cecily."
When I nodded, she ran after her.
Left behind, I realized thanks to Cecily's words that I was standing there in nothing but my underwear. My clothes were neatly folded nearby.
"Eek! A pervert!"
I tried shouting it myself, but the mood was just too heavy.
By the time the sun began to set, we had reached a mooring. Three sailing ships were already in port, along with several high-speed boats with triangular sails.
I disembarked with the rest of Levante.
"Master, that sailboat must be Mo's ship."
I couldn't tell one ship from another, but Fam must have been able to distinguish it. Her friends' vessel was a passenger ship that had departed a day ahead of us. It seemed they had stopped here, wary of the pirate ships.
"May I go and check on my friends?"
She was practically vibrating with anticipation. I nodded, and she took off at a run. If her friends were here, there was no need to force a confrontation with the pirates. I watched her go and let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks for taking care of Fam, Cecily."
I gently nudged the back of Cecily, who was also watching Fam run off.
"Hmph. I know I might be imposing my own values, but don't use her crush on you to turn her into your personal dog."
"I know. I want to do something about it, but I just don't know what."
"Honestly…"
Cecily scowled and sighed. In the beginning, she'd called Fam 'dog ears' and mocked her. Cecily had changed. And that change made me very happy.
"What are you grinning about, Mash the Pervert!"
Cecily puffed out her cheeks.
"Excuse me?"
A voice called from behind. Mercedes and Claire had gathered, along with the members of Altair.
"It seems a noble is traveling by ship to the city of Heilong," Mercedes said.
"A noble?" I asked.
He nodded with a knowing look. "There are nobles known as the Four Regent Houses who rule the city of Migul. It's said that a scion of one of those houses is traveling from Flucht to Heilong. The Demon Kingdom's pirate ships seem to have sailed upriver past Heilong for the purpose of abducting this child."
"Four Regent Houses? Does that mean Migul is a city-state ruled by a king?" A regent's role was to govern when the ruler was unable to for some reason.
"A king ruled a long time ago. Now, the royal bloodline has died out, and the Four Regent Houses have become the de facto rulers of the city," Maira explained. Migul was anti-Demon Kingdom. A noble's child would be a high-value hostage.
"In that case, why don't they just pinpoint the noble's ship and attack that one? Why attack merchant ships too? What a nuisance." The pirates were a problem, but so was this noble's kid. You should either travel with an escort befitting the price on your head or, if you can't, stay quietly at home.
"I believe they are acting under secret orders from the Demon Kingdom, but they are pirates, not soldiers. Furthermore, I doubt they have information on which specific ship the scion is on. In fact, even we are not aware of their location."
"So they might still be in Flucht?" The daughter of a city's ruler would surely travel with a proper retinue. They should stand out.
"…That is a possibility. It appears they are traveling disguised as common citizens."
Are they traveling the countryside incognito, righting wrongs with a secret family crest? If Fam successfully met up with her friends, I had no intention of fighting pirates. In that case, we'd have to wait for the fleet from Flucht to be dispatched. But the king who could mobilize the army was in a castle up in the mountains. We could be stuck here for who knows how long.
"Do you know the scion's name?"
"Marmie Moome Mo Starunion. An elven girl."
I was strangely impressed to learn that there were people in this world, too, who gave their children such odd names.
"Wait. Mo? An elf? A girl with that name was staying at our inn in Flucht. That's the name of Fam's friend."
It was the same name as Fam's friend.
"She has three names. One of them is 'Mo'."
"A coincidence is… unlikely. There's no way… I can't imagine there are multiple parents in this world who would give their child such a… distinguished name."
The fact that they'd stayed at the same inn meant she was likely traveling incognito for some reason. And yet, information had leaked to the Demon Kingdom, and she had revealed her real name to Fam. I couldn't make sense of it.
"Could it be that Fam-sama has some connection to House Wanland, one of the Four Regent Houses?"
"House Wanland?"
The name had a somewhat pastoral, fluffy ring to it.
"It is the house of the dog-eared race. They are of equal rank to House Starunion."
"No, Fam is a village girl from the countryside. She said she became friends with Mo while washing her face at the inn. I can't imagine she would tell me a lie like that."
When I denied any connection to House Wanland, Mercedes's disappointment was obvious. He was a man with a sharp mind for business.
"So, are there any updates on the pirates?"
"They're set to pass the island tomorrow, but it seems to have become the pirates' base of operations. Another merchant ship was attacked today."
Just as Avea finished answering in Mercedes's stead, I saw Fam returning from the passenger ship. By her side was an elven girl.
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, and rated this story, thank you very much. It encourages me. I'll do my best. Thank you for pointing out the typos.