Chapter 432
Chapter 432. The Course of the Sea Journey
“Goodbye~!”
“Thank you~!”
“Take care~!”
The next day, we set sail from Bacchos amidst overwhelming gratitude from the residents.
Ah, doing good feels so nice!
…Yes, doing good really lifts my spirits.
Farewell, Bacchos. I will definitely return someday…
With that thought, I waved back to the residents who were waving from the port.
Even without the matter of the simple portal, it’s a city I want to visit again. The hot springs were amazing. My skin is all silky smooth!
‘It was so enjoyable with Leila, hehehe.’
You were just as immersed as I was!
“Well, having the old man with us makes it impossible to be bored, huh?”
Arthur said while lounging in the ship’s deck chair, stretching out in the sunlight. Arthur, too, was looking great.
“Yeah, that’s true. The journey has been smooth lately…”
I nodded in agreement. Luckily, there weren’t any lake pirates or monster attacks. If it were just the ship’s guardian, it would have been incredibly boring.
Speaking of the old man, today he had brought a deck chair to the deck just like us and dozed off while soaking up the sun.
Even the powerful old man must be tired after yesterday’s full schedule of mountain climbing, defeating bandits, and being warmly welcomed by the townsfolk.
It’s hilarious that even the wrinkled old man appears slightly plump thanks to the hot springs.
But――
“Umm…”
The old man had a grim expression and seemed to be groaning about something. It was hard to describe it as a peaceful sleeping face. Why does he look so… sad?
Usually, Shuken or Kirk would be by his side, but today, Hans was with him as well. It’s rare since he usually stays in the cabin while sailing. Well, today is just too nice to be stuck inside.
Even the burly-bearded Kirk had glossy facial hair and good skin condition—it makes me want to laugh. …But Hans looks just as he always does. Did he not partake in the hot springs?
――Then our eyes met. He nodded slightly, so I returned the gesture.
“Hum♪ Hehehe.”
Suddenly, the ship’s captain appeared, hopping around on the deck, looking super cheery.
“You’re in a good mood today, Captain!”
“You can tell, can’t you, Brave Hero?!”
The captain spun around vigorously. Wow, he sure is enthusiastic about my casual comment!!
He exudes an aura that says he wants to share something!
“What’s up?”
Since he looked like he wanted to talk, I decided to oblige.
“Well, you see! Look at this, this!”
He beckoned me to the bow of the ship, and as I walked over…
“Behold! In the town of Bacchos, there’s a talented sculptor! We got ourselves a new figure for the ship’s bow…!!”
With a flourish, the captain spread his arms wide.
On the bow stood a magnificent statue of a beautiful woman wearing a flowing gown.
“Oh! What a splendid wooden statue!”
If I recall correctly, there used to be a statue of the luck spirit, Need, there, but it was ripped off by the Kraken, leaving the ship bare.
“Yes, that’s right! This—this is the statue of the wind spirit, Thard!”
Ohhh, so it’s Thard the wind spirit.
“Y’know, the time we had the forest elf vampire hunters on board, we were able to speed through like crazy thanks to the wind spirit’s awesome gusts! I wanted to invoke that again…”
The captain was bubbling with excitement, but suddenly his face clouded over.
“However… I’m a bit troubled about what to do with the ship’s name, ‘NeedAlun.'”
“Ah, since the figurehead changed, huh?”
“This ship was originally called Alun. But after it was attacked by the Kraken, we mounted the statue of Need in hopes of good luck, renaming it NeedAlun. Then, after being attacked by the Kraken again, we lost the Need statue. Now that we’ve welcomed Thard’s statue, I feel it should change to ThardAlun…”
“That’s indeed… a tough call. Since you’ve already renamed it once, there shouldn’t be any issues with renaming it again, right?”
“Yes. There’s a small fee for the paperwork at the home port for the registration, so it’s just an unnecessary expense… But many crew members are superstitious, including myself.”
I suppose sailors really do care about such things.
“Hmm, no matter what the brave hero thinks, if it affects morale, I think it should be changed. There are values that can’t be replaced by a little bit of money.”
“Exactly!”
The captain nodded eagerly.
“Then it shall be ThardAlun from now on!!”
His face brightened as though a burden had been lifted.
Given the way he was leaning towards renaming it, he must have wanted someone to give him that little push.
And so, the NeedAlun became the ThardAlun.
The captain appeared to have resolved his worries, and it certainly feels good to do good things!
“Ohhh…”
At that moment, Hans had approached and was gazing intently at the figurehead.
“Splendid. To capture the flowing garment in woodwork… it feels almost like it’s alive with movement.”
“Yeah. I wonder if it’s influenced by the maestro, Arenanjaro? The veil’s expression reminds me of Yonmartini.”
As I nodded, Hans looked at me perplexedly, as if to say, “Huh?”
“Y-you’re quite knowledgeable?”
“Well… I wouldn’t go that far…”
A few works had been taken from the dominion to the Demon Lord’s palace, and Sophia had taught me a bit of art history…
“Excuse me. I just assumed you weren’t into that sort of thing.”
“Well, I don’t really think I’d want to own them myself… I mean, the works are fantastic. Do you like it, Hans?”
“Well… A bit. I once thought about becoming a sculptor.”
“Ohhh~ So you have some skill after all!”
I could make sculptures too! Bone ones, that is!! Gahaha.
“How about starting to aim for that now? Sculptor?”
“It seems quite harsh… particularly to make a living that way.”
Well, with someone as talented as Hans in the allied territories, he’d have plenty of offers. Indeed, he is accompanying the old man.
“I hope the world becomes peaceful enough for artists to earn a living.”
“Absolutely…”
Hans nodded wistfully… Then suddenly, I had the impulse to sniff discreetly.
“Whoa! What the heck?!”
Oh, busted.
“Sorry, sorry. I was just wondering if you hadn’t bathed. But you didn’t smell sweaty.”
“W-why would you suddenly ask about a bath?”
“I was thinking since your skin isn’t all smooth, you might not have enjoyed the hot springs…”
I poked my cheek with my finger. Mine is smooth! Yours isn’t!
“Ah, well, that’s…”
Touching his own cheek, Hans looked flustered.
“I did go in the hot springs! But you know, it was hot. I struggle with hot water. So, perhaps, I didn’t enjoy the benefits as much as others…”
“Oh, I see. That was definitely hot!”
Preferences can vary. Plus, knowing it was hot means Hans must have soaked for a bit.
“Wahaha, sorry, my bad. It was rude of me to suddenly smell you! I was trying to be discreet but obviously failed.”
Might as well laugh it off!! I burst out laughing, and Hans looked confused before giving a wry smile.
“I suppose Alex-san is a cheerful person. You really uplift spirits around here.”
Leaning against the ship’s railing, he gazed off into the distance.
“Alex-san seems to have no worries at all.”
…Huh, sudden what!?
“Of course I do!?”
Like, seriously, I have a ton of worries!?
What? Am I being punked or something!?
“You truly have worries, then?”
“Of course I do!”
“I apologize. I just assumed you were so cheerful…”
“Just because I appear cheerful doesn’t mean I don’t have a worry or two! I’m human too!”
Well, I mean, even if I wasn’t human, I still would have worries…
“For example, just look at him.”
I pointed to the old man dozing off in a deck chair.
“Usually he behaves like a kindly old man, but he looks like he’s suffering in his sleep… He must have a lot on his mind, too.”
He’s lived a long life, so he must have tasted both sweet and sour.
“Right…”
Hans swallowed hard and nodded bitterly.
“…It’s true that a current brave hero like Alex-san likely has worries. It was an insult beyond just rudeness, apologies.”
“Oh, it’s fine; no need to apologize so much. If that’s the case, I must be doing something right in staying cheerful… I mean, it’s just my personality!”
Wahaha, I laugh it off.
“Frowning won’t solve anything, after all…”
I gazed up at the clear sky and mused.
“Regardless, when we worry, we worry to death. So if we can, we should live bright, right? If we have the luxury to do so… That’s just how I feel.”
“I see… what a profound saying.”
“Do you have any worries, Hans?”
You know, I actually have a decent amount of life experience, both in this life and my past one, so I’m here if you need someone to talk to!
‘You sound like an old man giving advice…’
Stop that! It hurts my feelings being called old-fashioned!!
Well, I realize I may sound preachy right now, but I’ve got to say it!!!
“Rather than specific worries… it often comes to mind that I’m surrounded by such admirable people like the old man.”
Hans forced an awkward half-smile as he seemed embarrassed.
“Sometimes I wonder what I’m doing… shouldn’t I be doing something more? Though it’s really something that doesn’t matter to speak of.”
“Ohhh, I get that. Like feeling far from the ideal self…”
“Exactly.”
“…This may be just a comfort, but trust me. Those who claim to be ‘perfect and the best!’ are often the ones with the least future. Recognizing your shortcomings shows you’re capable of growth, and if you’re working hard to improve, that only enhances your potential. Being around noteworthy folks is a blessing, I think? Just follow their example.”
As I spoke, I glanced at the old man.
“I also think the old man is amazing. If I could be like him, that would be fantastic…”
Though it’s doubtful I’d live as long as him…
“Old man…”
Hans chuckled softly.
“Yes, I’m feeling a bit better. Thank you.”
“No problem! I’m sorry for spouting fluff so carelessly! But I’m glad you feel better. Let’s keep pushing forward!”
I gave Hans a hearty pat on the back. “Oof!” he grunted, stumbling slightly. Oops, that might have been a bit too strong. Whoa, what’s with Kirk? Why is he glaring at me? Relax, will ya?…
So, with me having a heartwarming exchange with the youth, the ship continued its leisurely course.
The destination was the southwestern tip of the principality, a port town near the border—’Kaemuran.’
The place where Arthur and I first crossed paths with the water corpse. Also the hometown of the vampire’s victim, Martin (a pseudonym).
I had also kept a letter addressed to the bereaved families from Martin’s hazy memories.
—I need to deliver that will.
