Chapter 379

Still, getting some rain is better than being quenched in water. Since I couldn’t be certain of this ship’s durability, I didn’t want to make a further gamble. Finishing my short contemplation, I slashed the wave horizontally.

I split the water pouring from above a few more times to make it lose its power. The broken and shattered wave fell down like a sudden shower. I hoped Ruben, held tightly in my embrace, wouldn’t get wet, but I immediately gave up as the next wave followed right away.

The enraged Nereids summoned high waves several times.

The child gritted his teeth and clung to me; the reason for that is obvious. He’s probably doing this out of worry that if I put strength to hold him with my splinted left arm, the wound might worsen. Feeling sorry for him, I wrapped his waist again and concentrated on cutting the waves.

How many times did I split waves the size of a house, waves the size of a castle, waves like a massive mountain like that.

I slashed all the water reaching my field of vision, but I couldn’t eliminate the water falling onto the water surface. The merchant guild’s ship, originally built to cross the tranquil Indus Gulf, pitched heavily. Unable to withstand the heavy shaking, it was pushed back with a thump.

The anchor had snapped.

Immediately, the ship began to advance toward the direction of Yulan. It seems the control stick was inside the captain’s cabin of this ship. It was truly fortunate that the sails were folded up when dropping the anchor. It was exceedingly fascinating that the ship advanced even when the wind wasn’t blowing.

I saw the sight of several Nereids trying to approach our direction and then clinging back to the golden island.

Only then did Ruben relax the strength in his arms. Just how strongly had he been hugging me, the ribbon of his finely braided hair was lost, and his drenched hair covered his face like a ghost. I grabbed the child’s hands and made them wrap around my waist again, and I swept his hair back with my hand.

Ruben docilely entrusted his face to my hand. The sight of his wet cheeks turning pale blue made him look pitiful once again. Since he came out wearing thick clothes because it’s winter, I’m worried his clothes might be heavy now that they’re soaked. I was concerned, even though I plainly knew Ruben is also a martial artist and this level of weight isn’t even as much as a sandbag.

The child hesitated, then asked.

“…Are you going to stay like this?”

“Yes, because you never know.”

Even without a long explanation, Ruben, who quickly understood that a few spiteful Nereids might chase after us, stuck closely to my waist. After the cold chill of the seawater cooled down a little, the child’s body temperature was transmitted through the wet clothes, making everywhere it touched feel piping hot.

…I had a little, very little wicked thought.

But it can’t be helped.

Since the Nereids’ target is Ruben, if I put him in the cabin with the other sailors and they split the ship apart while I’m not looking, wouldn’t it be conversely more dangerous. I couldn’t separate the child from me until we escaped this sea.

Ruben occasionally unclasped his hands to sweep back his wet hair, but promptly found my waist again and hugged it. When our eyes met, his bashfully smiling face was so exceedingly bewitching that I couldn’t find a place to rest my gaze.

It was fortunate that none of the sailors came out on deck, thanks to them considering it still dangerous outside.

I thought we reached Sombre Port in an instant, but it was already the time when the sunset had sunk red.

As soon as the ship stopped, the sailors poured out in a rush, making a fuss fixing the anchor and checking the sails. I caught a passing guy and asked if he had clothes to change into, and that guy was greatly startled, scurried away, then grabbed a bunch of towels and brought them to us.

It seems there are no clothes. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] For now, I took care of Ruben and got off the ship.

The face of Ruben stealing glances at me is still flushed.

“Are you very cold?”

“No, no… That’s not it, but…”

Then Ivan, who brought the coachman, clicked his tongue and scolded me.

“Michael, button up your vest. It’s completely see-through.”

“Ah.”

“I knew it from the time you came out in winter wearing just a white shirt and vest.”

I forgot I unbuttoned the buttons constricting my body, thinking it might be a hindrance when using a sword. Pointlessly embarrassed, I adjusted my attire and rebuked Ivan. Ruben, who still couldn’t raise his head properly, weighed heavily on my mind.

“If you’re a merchant, you should have prepared clothes in advance too.”

“For people who only wear custom-made clothes it’s fine. It’s hard to find a mage here too, so let’s go quickly.”

Ivan asked nothing, perhaps conscious of the surrounding gazes.

However, as soon as we boarded the carriage and left Sombre Port, he immediately pressed and asked.

“What was that just now? How do waves like that form in a calm sea?”

“Nereids were flocking in a group. Around that island.”

“But why did they attack us? There hasn’t been a single instance like this until now.”

What should I answer to this?

I didn’t quite feel that what I had guessed would be the answer. I hesitated for a moment, then hesitantly opened my mouth.

“Because Ruben…”

“The Prince?”

I glanced at Ruben but the child didn’t say much. It seems it’s probably the same reason why the God of Oasis and the God of the Sun were reluctant towards Ruben. I couldn’t know what on earth that guy called the first human went around doing while he was alive.

“…Isn’t it because he’s pretty…”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

Ruben shouted with a red face.

“H-How can you speak like that, Mika! That’s not it! You should say it’s because I resemble that human…”

“That human?”

“Cough! Cough! C-cough, urgh, cough!”

Ruben, not knowing what to do out of embarrassment, swept back his hair with his hand comb. A white dress shirt clung wrapping around Ruben’s forearm, as he had taken off his jacket which only took away his body heat being soaked wet. Seeing his skin flickering faintly beyond that, my vision became completely dizzy.

Ruben got angry, covered his face with both hands, and bowed his head low.

“…First, when we arrive. I will tell you when we arrive; let me organize my thoughts a bit.”

“Yes… Do that.”

“Cough, cough, heuu…”

“…The ones who got wet are those two, but why did you catch a cold…”

“No, that’s, that’s not it.”

Ivan glanced at me.

Only then did I belatedly realize that the words I thought in my head and the words I wanted to voice out had been swapped. Greatly embarrassed, I deliberately looked out the distant window to avoid Ivan’s gaze. Ruben was still keeping his head down, feeling shy.

Then Ivan suddenly grabbed his spouse and kissed him.

Ivan’s coughing spouse became quiet in an instant.

I was the only one who was terrified and astounded, accidentally witnessing other people’s such-and-such appearance right in front of my nose. Ivan blew his breath into Sienna Bikoff’s mouth, slowly stroked his broad back, stamped a seal with his lips silently a couple of times, and then shamelessly raised his head.

That guy, that, that. That thing. Right now; my mouth gaped open.

“Are you a bit okay now?”

“…Yes…”

Now Sienna also crouched down in the same pose as Ruben.

It was quiet like that for a long time until we arrived at the mansion in the Yulan capital where we were originally staying. Did Ruben also see what they did? If he knows, what of it, and if he doesn’t, what of it?

I was so surprised I didn’t even have the mind to press and ask. Words Shaden once told me came to mind again.

The method I think is right only needs to be applied to me.

…However, I cannot just stand by and watch them doing inappropriate things in front of the naive and shy Ruber. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Right, I should call Ivan separately later and have a talk. I had to request him not to do such things at least in front of Ruber.

My insides boiled so much I didn’t even feel the cold.

******

As soon as we arrived at the hideout of the Imperial Nobility Almanac’s Yulan branch, a nimble informant informed us of the Ranunculus’s arrival. Unlike other regions that were relatively far, it was a message from Felix, which was absolutely close in distance.

In Felix, reinforcements sent by the Duke of Widro were stationed.

However, since we couldn’t immediately know where the source of the ninth god had moved to, the news from Felix had a relatively low priority. Therefore, Ruben and I washed cleanly, changed into dry clothes, and then brought the Ranunculus into the room.

Hugh Benson’s voice leaked out from the beak of the Ranunculus from Felix.

“I offer a reply following the order of His Highness the 2nd Prince. For the swift conveyance of the situation, I am omitting some formalities, so I ask for your understanding.”

It was a strictly formal tone as if assuming a third party would hear it, but both Ruben and I, who immediately recognized the voice dropping sharply at the end, were greatly surprised. I unconsciously adjusted my posture and sat up.

Hugh Benson is strong enough to rank high even among the group. The guy was positioned near Benjamin and Marianne, and possessed outstanding lightfoot techniques. Ruben had expected the guy to have led the group and headed to the holy site of the Sun.

Such a guy is in Felix? Naturally worrying about the safety of the others, I tensed up tightly.

Is it because he knew we would react like this. Without adding any greetings, Hugh Benson immediately reported on the current situation first.

“Mage Philodendron, Knight Claudian, Mercenaries Leon, John, Giselle. Confirmed evacuation of the above 5 people towards the holy site of the Sun. To rescue mercenaries Peter and Anne, 2 people distressed along with the falling rocks, Knights Benson and Brooks remained on the scene, rescue successful. Due to the severe degree of injuries of the distressed, moved to the closest village from the rescue location. With the help of the reinforcements on standby in Felix, the procedure to transfer both injured people back to the home country is complete.”

…Still, everyone preserved their lives.

I felt proud of Hugh and Elwin, who did not give up on the mercenaries until the end. Also, on the other hand, my heart is heavy with worry for Marianne and Benjamin, who would have headed to the desert without their help. The Ranunculus didn’t stop speaking.

“54 reinforcements including this Count, forming teams of 5 or 4 in 1 group, are in the midst of dispatching remaining Jiangshis and monsters at the Felix border. And…”

The Ranunculus let out a short sigh. Exactly mimicking Hugh Benson’s speaking habit, it thrust out the chest of its round body. Over that round figure, Hugh’s wrinkled brow appeared to overlap.

“After the relevant incident, from the day we had the spare capacity, we have been infiltrating the inside of the Indus Canyon once a day to check the condition… but… It seems these bastards went quite far. It has become possible to distinguish celestial bodies inside the Indus Canyon.”

“…”

“We are keeping preparations so that moving and engaging in battle is possible immediately upon order, but due to reasons of rank and administrative procedures, it’s not easy at all. For that reason, I would like Your Highness to directly give me temporary command authority. Well… If it doesn’t work out, whatever.”

“…”

“I will wait for a reply, Count Hugh Benson.”