Chapter 53 – You Know, They Don’t (1)
The days spent on the Anbert family’s ship were unexpectedly peaceful. The sailors were so busy with their work that they didn’t pay attention to us, and they didn’t do anything useless because they were loyal to their family. He was just quietly concentrating on sailing.
He was wary that the head of the house might be trying to interrogate the day, but he focused only on taking care of Roselia. Of course, that didn’t mean she regained her consciousness. And it soon led to our peace.
If there’s one thing that bothers me, it’s that Saya is too clingy. Beyond the sign of affection, he used to follow me with a worried expression wherever I went. Even if I said it was okay, I didn’t think I would listen.
In fact, worrying about such things was proof that everything was going peacefully. But that’s why the time went by so fast. By the time I was finally freed from insomnia and was able to fall asleep, the salty wind started to smell like burnt.
The morning of the week after leaving the island started like that.
As soon as I woke up from a long sleep, I felt someone’s gaze today without fail. She was overly emotional to be Rebecca, and too bold to be Erica. Haru couldn’t even be considered in the first place. In the end, there was only one person left.
Actually, I didn’t even have to worry. For the past week, Saya has always been stuck in my bed. And it was the same today.
“…Hello. Saya.”
“You’re up, Lope. You don’t have to get up already. Would you like to sleep a little longer?”
“No, it’s okay. I slept enough.”
“Where’s the uncomfortable place?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
I answered calmly, but Saya looked at me with a worried face. It was as if I was a terminally ill patient.
No, from Saya’s point of view, am I a terminally ill patient? No matter how mixed-race you are, you will live a hundred years longer than me. Whatever the facts, it was clear that she was overly concerned about me.
Although she has been showing signs since the day she came out of the island, Saya’s worries intensify with each passing day. She didn’t want to leave me even for a moment, and she stopped me from doing anything dangerous. She even looked at her feet as if I were under the guillotine when she was shaving.
Of course, it wasn’t that I was in a bad mood, but I couldn’t stay like this all the time. So even though she knew it wouldn’t work, she repeated it hundreds of times and put it in her mouth again.
“Saya. I’m really fine. You don’t have to worry that much.”
“I know. But…Is it so intrusive?”
“It’s not like that. I just want you to worry about yourself more than me.”
“Still…”
“I’m asking you to buy it. Anyway, I can’t see the others. Did something happen?”
I belatedly looked around, but all I could see were empty futons. Haru and Rebecca. Other people were also absent.
Only then did Saya slightly bite her lip. Then, with great hesitation, she answered.
“Well, everyone went out.”
“Outside? Why?”
“One of the sailors came and said they were starting to see land. So everyone went out.”
“What? That… Of course it’s my fault that it didn’t happen, but I should have woken up earlier.”
“Sorry, but I couldn’t wake you because you seemed to be sleeping so deeply.”
“Yes. I understand. Anyway, let’s get out quickly. We can’t stay like this any longer.”
“Huh? Wait, Lope…!”
As soon as I put on my coat and stood up, Saya hurriedly followed me. As she opened the door, a sharp gust of wind blew in her face.
As always, the cold sea breeze scratched my ears. As I walked to her deck, the intensity increased, but I felt a little warmer today. I felt that something had definitely changed.
To see if that was true, I cast my gaze toward the bow. But before that, the sharp voice of Haru hit both ears first.
“Huh? Senior’s smell? Senior!”
“…”
“You don’t answer again. Rebecca. Hurry up and find out! That’s your smell!”
“Okay. Wait.”
When I turned my gaze to the shocking title, I saw Haru riding a wooden horse above Rebecca. She stirred her body in genuine excitement until she hit her head on the mast and let out a scream.
“Aagh! Don’t look straight! You bumped your head!”
“Sorry. I’m not used to it.”
“Has anyone ever ridden a wooden horse… Mr. Lee…”
“What are you doing Haru?”
“Yeah? He said he wanted to get close to me, so we were hanging out. Let’s not even talk about it. Can I talk to my senior at this point?”
“Don’t do that. Rebecca-san, don’t listen to everything too much.”
“I’m fine. It’s not too much of a burden.”
Rebecca smiled awkwardly and tapped Haru on her thigh. She seemed to have gotten along, so she was fortunate, but she couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
I walked past them and continued toward the bow. Soon, students gathered in the middle of the deck began to appear with a buzzing sound. A girl waved to me in the midst of those who talked about their own stories in their own voices.
“Uh… Lope! You’re here.”
“Erika.”
“I’m a little worried because it seems to be a little late… Ugh.”
Erica, who was approaching me, was immediately stopped by Saya’s sharp eyes in her. She even backed away from her, winning just a little bit, as if she was frightened.
“I didn’t mean to… Go that close. I just wanted to say hi…”
“…”
“I’m sorry. I was… A little too much, wasn’t it?”
“Don’t worry, Erika. More than that, why is everyone gathered like this?”
“That’s because I heard you’ll be arriving on land soon. And Anbert said that the butler has something to say to everyone. It’s a very important thing. Everyone should know before getting off.”
“It’s important.”
“I said it’s about everyone’s safety. So it’s especially important to you.”
Erica’s gaze turned slightly downward. She then spat out a word carelessly.
“Are you going to deliver something that belongs to that elf?”
“I told you not to talk about it here, Erika.
“Oh, sorry. I know. I just…Wanted to see if there was anything I could help with.”
“You’ve already helped enough.”
“Yeah. That’s right. It was.”
Her tone her seemed understandable, but her eyes her did not. Since she didn’t properly explain the elf’s stuff, she seemed to think there was something there. Even though she revealed that the offer to accompany him was a lie, she still seemed to have lingering regrets.
However, that lingering look was quickly withdrawn when Rebecca heard a metallic sound. Besides, the butler was approaching us from behind. All eyes of her were focused on his characteristic limp steps of his.
Soon, he cleared his throat and stood in front of us. Then, he climbed onto the scaffold prepared by the other sailors and slowly opened his mouth.
“Thank you for gathering, students. I will skip meaningless self-introductions. Everyone knows who I am anyway, so it’s not that important.”
“…”
“The reason I brought you here today is to tell you about the upcoming schedule. As you know, our ship has almost reached land and will be there in the next three hours.”
“Three hours?”
“Isn’t it sooner than expected?”
“Now you can go home…”
A small commotion broke out once again in the unit of three hours. He knew he couldn’t be overjoyed just because he had arrived on land, but he seemed excited nonetheless that the end of his long journey was in sight. Erica must have felt the same way, just like the day it all started, she was the first to raise her voice her.
“Then, are you going to the port where the Academy Shuttle docked?”
“As I said on the first day, we’ll go there. We’ll probably be able to dock without problems. After that, you’re free to leave. Head home. Or stay nearby. It’s a personal choice.”
“Then… Is the Anbert family heading to the capital? If there are students heading there, would it be okay to accompany them?
“No. Not really.”
“Is it because it’s burdensome to increase the party?”
“It’s not like that. It’s just…”
The butler was silent for a moment. Then she told the shocking story in a very heavy voice.
“…We will not disembark. After picking you up, we will continue sailing.”
“Yes? But… Do you have other destinations?”
“There is no destination.”
“Then…”
“That’s the crux of this story.”
His lips his trembled slightly. I couldn’t tell if it was because of old age or because of the burden. However, the students’ murmur only grew louder. This time, not with anticipation, but with anxiety.
“We will continue to wander the sea with Lady Roselia. She will head to the land only when the lady wakes up or … Sleeps comfortably.”
“Why… It’s a much better environment to nurse Roselia on land than on a boat.”
“I know, but the land is much more dangerous now.”
“Still…”
“The reason I’m bothering to reveal this is to give you two options.”
He looked up and looked at his audience of her. An unfathomable depth of thought lurked under the gray eyebrows of his.
“I understand your desire to see your family. But as I said before we set off, it is extremely unlikely that you will still have places left to return to. It is much safer to continue the voyage with us indefinitely than to set foot on land now. I will.”
“…”
“Nevertheless, those who hold on to hope and head home may go. However, if you want to spend the time relatively safely before the destruction, you can stay on the ship. I’m sorry I told you so late for fear of shocking you all..”
“To stay safe, stay on board…?”
“Of course, I can’t guarantee even that. But I… I want to do my best to give you all the time until the end.
For a moment, Saya’s shoulders flinched and trembled. I held her hand gently.
Of course, the rest of the students were also agitated. They were again wandering, conflicting, and agonizing over the given options. Among them, we were the only ones who made up our mind.
“You must be worried. But again, the probability that your house will remain is low. It has been confirmed that the Anbert family’s mansion has also been completely destroyed.”
“The house of the Anbert family is located in the middle of the capital. But that’s how it turned out?”
“That’s all you need to know. Most of the capital is in a state of destruction.”
“Why…? Why is the capital…”
“Then…Then the surrounding cities? Are you okay?”
“Does the country matter? For example, Mer…”
“It’s not all destroyed, right? Please tell me where it’s intact!”
“Hey guys, calm down a little…”
“…How.”
In the midst of the chaos, I quietly opened my mouth. Among them, the turmoil subsided in an instant, as if my voice had its own authority. After taking a deep breath, I asked the question he hadn’t answered for a long time.
“What the hell happened?”
“…”
“Now tell me. What happened?”
“…I didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes as the imperial family. I didn’t want to cause despair with useless stories. But now that I think about it, I think hiding it would also be a mistake.”
“…”
The butler’s eyes waved for a moment. I caught a glimpse of the despair expressed by the spokesman for the imperial family three months ago in his eyes. His wrinkled face his trembled and immediately fell down.
But he raised his head again. Then, in a calm voice, he opened his mouth.
“So…”
“…”
“Two weeks ago, a dragon landed on land. And burned most of the area, including the capital city. Was this enough of an answer?”
