“We skipped the Western Countries and came straight to the Dark Continent.”

“Skipped?”

“Ah... passed without stopping?”

“Yes.”

“What should we do?”

“There is nothing to be done. Well, we intended to go to the Dark Continent eventually anyway... so we can go to the Western Countries after the Dark Continent. It simply means the order has been reversed.”

“Is that broad-mindedness, or are you simply not thinking at all? When the king is like this, those of us around him suffer.”

“I really do think you are the last person who should be saying that, Ryo.”

Ryo shook his head slightly with a troubled expression, and Abel shrugged with a look that seemed to say the accusation was unjust.

“Your Majesty, what are your orders?”

Captain Paulina sought Abel’s judgment.

Abel was not an adventurer.

He stood in a position of responsibility over more than a hundred people.

Paulina, under him, stood in a position of responsibility over her crew.

“Captain, I am sorry, but we will stop at the Dark Continent first. After that, I want you to head for the Western Countries.”

“Understood.”

“I have heard that people on the Dark Continent live only along the coast?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. That is correct. In particular, only the northern coast of the continent has trade with the Western Countries. Vamos Island, which should come into view tomorrow, is an independent island nation, but beyond that, the Eastern Nations and the Federation of Western Nations govern much of the coastline. I have heard there are oasis cities a short distance inland, as well as towns and small states not under the control of either great power... but we people of the Western Countries possess almost no knowledge of them.”

“I see. Then we will go from Vamos Island to the Eastern Nations and the Federation of Western Nations, circling the coast from east to west. After that, we head for the Western Countries. Is that possible?”

“Understood.”

And so King Abel’s journey west was greatly altered from the very beginning.

After that decision had been made, one red old man and a coffin came to Ryo and Abel.

“Darling of the Fairy King, and King Abel as well. I have come to take my leave.”

“Merlin?”

“Did you say take your leave?”

Ryo and Abel did not understand what Merlin meant and asked him to repeat himself.

“Indeed. The ship will be stopping at the Dark Continent, yes?”

“Yes. Sorry. That is how things have turned out.”

“It matters not. I am only aboard because you allowed me passage. When I tried a little earlier, it seemed that from here I can teleport to my dungeon.”

“Oh...”

Ryo let out a sound of surprise.

“And, to tell the truth, I do not wish to set foot on the Dark Continent.”

“Why not?”

“There is a troublesome golden one there. I do not even wish to go near it.”

Merlin answered Abel’s question with a wry smile.

Ryo freely interpreted that to mean there was a Demon Man on the Dark Continent who did not get along with Merlin.

“So... I understand about you, Merlin, but...”

Ryo glanced at the coffin lined up beside Merlin.

“I shall teleport with Merlin.”

“For all the complaints you always fling at me, at times like this...”

The coffin... or rather, Regna, declared this, and Merlin grumbled.

“Afterward, I intend to tour the Western Countries.”

“I see.”

Ryo nodded at Regna’s words.

He nodded, but then a sudden question occurred to him.

How exactly would it tour them?

Surely not while still in the form of this coffin?

No, surely that could not be...

“This box is comfortable.”

“Ah. Yes...”

Everyone had their own way of living.

“If you ever stop by the western dungeon, call on me. I shall treat you to good coffee.”

“I hope we meet somewhere before I vanish.”

After saying that, Merlin and Regna left Skidbladnir by teleportation.

The next morning.

Ryo and Abel stood at Skidbladnir’s bow, peering through spyglasses.

“Yes... I can faintly see land.”

“That must be Vamos Island.”

“Sailors really are amazing.”

“Hm?”

“I mean, they determine where they are from nothing but the positions of the stars out in the open ocean, with nothing visible around them. In this world, without GPS.”

“Gee-pee-ess?”

It was a term Abel did not know.

Captain Paulina came over to the two of them.

“Your Majesty, before long, I believe a patrol boat will come and conduct a boarding inspection. It is a perfectly ordinary procedure along the coast of the Dark Continent, so...”

“Yes, I will leave that area to you, Captain. If necessary, you may verify my identity or do whatever else is required.”

“Thank you.”

Once Paulina had gone, Ryo spoke up.

“This time, you remembered to wear your identification plate.”

“I am fine.”

Yes. When they had been flung to the Eastern Countries, Abel had not been wearing his plate... and Ryo had suffered for it.

“That was difficult...”

“Y-yes. Sorry about that.”

Abel honestly apologized for Ryo’s complaint.

In fact, ever since returning from the Eastern Countries, Abel had kept his plate on him at all times.

“Because you were not wearing your plate, Abel, we couldn’t do Mito Komon roleplay. That was a terrible blow.”

“Mito Komon roleplay?”

“This time seems fine, so let us do it somewhere.”

Ryo began working out a plan in his head.

“What is this intensely uneasy feeling?”

Looking at Ryo, Abel grimaced.

He was arbitrarily certain it would be something ridiculous.

Well, he was more or less correct.

They had been told about the patrol boat, but even as Skidbladnir approached Vamos Island, no ship came.

“It isn’t coming.”

“That’s strange.”

Ryo and Abel conversed while peering through their spyglasses.

The port of Vamos Island seemed to be on the far side of the island and was not visible to them.

However...

“Does it look to you as if smoke is rising from the far side of the island?”

“Ah... now that you mention it. Is everyone preparing breakfast?”

Abel and Ryo were having that peaceful exchange when...

CLANG CLANG CLANG, CLANG CLANG CLANG...

A bell rang out across the deck.

“Eh?”

“An attack?”

Of course, neither Ryo nor Abel had found any hostile vessel attacking the ship.

But the crew, without a word, began furling the sails and placing shields, bows, and arrows on the deck.

In response, the Kingdom’s knight orders led by Zack and Scotty also took up shields and began surrounding Abel.

Neither Zack nor Scotty understood exactly what was happening.

But they knew that something abnormal was about to happen, so first they secured their lord’s safety.

As they did so, Captain Paulina came over.

“Your Majesty, it appears fighting is taking place in the port of Vamos Island.”

“So that smoke was from that.”

“Yes. This ship will not enter port directly. We will circle around to the waters off the port and confirm the situation.”

“Understood. Captain, I support your judgment.”

Abel made an immediate decision on Paulina’s explanation.

He quickly looked toward Vamos Island through his spyglass.

“There is no smoke rising from any other part of the island, correct?” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“No, there isn’t.”

Ryo answered Abel’s words.

After that, his gaze went upward and behind them.

At the end of his gaze was Skidbladnir’s mast.

“They must have confirmed from the top of the mast that combat is underway.”

“I imagine so. Don’t climb up there and get in the way.”

“I won’t. Really, Abel, what do you take me for?”

“A selfish magician?”

“What a thing to say!”

Abel answered offhandedly while still peering through his spyglass, and Ryo {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} was indignant.

Skidbladnir continued moving, trying to circle around to the port side of the island.

Then...

“Captain! Please look at this!”

A lookout shouted from the mast.

When Paulina heard the voice, she turned, climbed lightly up the mast, and landed in the lookout post, then looked through her spyglass.

“That was very nimble.”

“As expected of the captain.”

“But that expression...”

“Does it look like she cannot make a judgment?”

Ryo and Abel were reading Paulina’s expression from the deck.

Her expression did not change much, but the two of them had somehow begun to understand her.

Her current expression was probably “perplexity.”

“Helmsman, circle around while keeping our distance from the port. Do not approach under any circumstances!”

“Aye, sir!”

“Deck, watch for arrows and long-range magic!”

“Understood!”

Paulina’s orders flew down from the mast.

“Long-range magic?”

“At this distance?”

Ryo and Abel tilted their heads.

“Ryo, could your magic reach at this distance?”

“If I only need to make it reach, then it will reach... but the target is hard to see. I think precise magical attacks would be difficult.”

Ryo answered honestly.

Even at a distance that made things difficult for Ryo, Paulina had told them to prepare for magic.

Just what had she seen from the mast?

“The captain judged it so. Once she has time, she will come report.”

“That part of you honestly makes me think you have a large vessel, Abel.”

“Hm?”

“You know how there are sometimes bosses who say things like, ‘Report every single thing to me!’”

“Ah... well, I do understand the feeling, but... to begin with, handling ships and naval combat are outside my area of expertise. I cannot judge what is correct, so I am merely leaving it to someone more knowledgeable.”

“That is what I am saying is impressive. Even if it does not go well, you will not blame the person you entrusted with it, will you?”

“Of course not. I am the one who made the decision to entrust it to them. If it does not go well, then I should be the one who takes responsibility, shouldn’t I? Apparently, a king’s job is to take responsibility. My elder brother said that once.”

“As expected of Crown Prince Cain.”

Ryo nodded in praise of Abel’s elder brother, Former Crown Prince Caindish, whom he had arbitrarily evaluated very highly.

Easier said than done... and this, Ryo thought, was a perfect example.

Taking the blame for a subordinate’s failure as their superior meant, if one was fired, one’s own family would be sacrificed.

All for a subordinate’s failure.

When actually faced with such a situation, many people would be forced into a difficult decision.

“Then again, maybe you are simply abnormal, Abel.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

Ryo’s conclusion, and Abel’s dissatisfaction.

At last, Captain Paulina gave permission, and Skidbladnir drew just a little closer to the port.

By then, even from the deck where the two of them stood, they could see what was happening in the port.

“It is certainly fierce combat, but...”

“A few people are putting on a grand fight against an army?”

“So it seems. But those few...”

“They aren’t killing their opponents. They’re only rendering them unable to fight...”

Both Abel and Ryo had noticed.

But something else was even more abnormal.

“Are they unarmed?”

“They don’t have swords or anything... but they’re wearing gauntlets on their hands and what look like greaves on their feet, and they’re punching and kicking with those.”

“Yes... somehow, the force looks tremendous.”

“The people getting hit are literally flying.”

Yes, they were flying about three meters.

As if this were an anime or a comic.

It was a little impossible.

After watching closely for a while, Ryo understood.

“They’re enchanted.”

“Enchanted? That is magic unique to the Western Countries, yes? Adding attributes to weapons, increasing attack power, increasing movement speed...”

“Yes, that. Which means there is an enchanter.”

Ryo nodded at Abel’s confirmation.

The enchanter Ryo knew was Ashkarn, who had been in the Hero’s party.

Of course, she was not among those fighting.

“They are deliberately striking the parts covered by leather armor?”

“Yes. That must be why the people they blow away are not dying.”

“Those people look like adventurers, don’t they?”

“Yes, they do have that air.”

The atmosphere adventurers carried was different from that of regular soldiers or knights.

Completely different.

Of course, one could tell roughly from their equipment and clothing as well, but Abel, who had spent a long time as an adventurer, knew it well.

“But if that is the case, then adventurers are fighting a nation’s army.”

“Yes. And not something like a garrison either... regular troops, no, elites like royal guards.”

“Their equipment is impressive too.”

“Why are they fighting?”

Ryo and Abel both tilted their heads.

Captain Paulina came over to the two of them.

“Your Majesty, I believe this ship should wait here.”

They were just barely outside the port.

If anything happened, they would be able to flee offshore immediately.

“Yes... Captain, I would like to confirm something.”

“Yes.”

“Earlier, you ordered the whole ship onto the defensive. What did you see from the mast?”

“Magic released by a woman with pale-blue hair. It had an astonishing range... and she saved an ally with it.”

“Oh?”

Paulina pointed to the pale-blue-haired woman among the adventurer-like group.

“She is also an enchanter.”

Ryo nodded once and added that.

“You can tell?”

“Only somehow. But she alone... is probably on a different level.”

“A different level?”

“The others are strong too, of course, but her strength is in another class.”

“Her magic is?”

“Her magic too, I think.”

Ryo corrected Abel’s words precisely.

“She is not wearing gauntlets or anything, is she?”

“No, she is not. In the first place, the army has not been able to reach her...”

There Ryo tilted his head and cut himself off.

“What is it?”

“I have been thinking this the whole time, but... I feel like I have met those people somewhere...”

After a while, Ryo struck his clenched right fist against his open left palm.

Apparently, he meant to express that inspiration had struck.

“I saw them at Café Roma in the Holy Capital Marloma.”

“The Holy Capital?”

“After that, I saved a green-haired man and a pink-haired woman. I believe the man was Patrice and the woman was Guti.”

“Oh. Acquaintances, then?”

“We only spoke a little, but they were not bad people.”

Ryo answered with repeated nods.

That information from Ryo may have been the deciding factor.

“Captain, the fighting also seems about to end. Let us enter port.”

“That long-range magic is dangerous, however.”

“It is fine. Ryo will block it.”

Abel said this as if it were only natural.

This time, Ryo struck his own chest with his clenched right fist.

Apparently, he meant, Leave it to me.

“Understood.”

And so Skidbladnir entered the port of Vamos Island.