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It didn’t take long for us to realize that our voyage was just going around in circles in the same waters.

The trigger was the deserted island randomly sitting in the ocean.

“Isn’t that the island we saw yesterday?”

“Looks like it.”

The island showed up again the next day and the day after.

No matter how we changed our course or dropped anchor in the vast sea, the island kept revealing itself to us.

Above all, Erwin’s grumblings played a decisive role.

“There are no whales. Just a few days ago, they were so easy to spot.”

Of course, I wasn’t the kind of person who would harshly inform Erwin that what he caught was not a whale but simply a large fish.

However, the diminishing number of tuna that Erwin was pulling up indicated that the sea we were in was definitely strange.

That evening, a meeting was held.

The elven navigator concluded with a pale expression.

“It seems we’re just going around the same spot.”

“Yeah. It does seem that way.”

“Even the compass is pointing in the right direction, so what could be going on?”

“Does this happen often?”

“No. This is the first time.”

After finishing the conversation with the navigator, I sighed and examined a nearby map.

Going around in circles. But there was no problem with the navigation equipment, including the compass.

Then, the conclusions I could draw were quite limited.

“Could someone be using magic?”

I naturally put forth a fantastical theory, but Emily’s reaction was less than impressive.

“I don’t think that’s likely.”

Her reasoning was as follows.

“If there was a barrier set up in a sea this big, I would definitely be able to feel it.”

It was a very confident argument, and we had no choice but to accept it.

Emily Barried. Without a doubt, she was the divine one to lead the upcoming magical realm of the continent. If she says no, then it must be no.

“However, if it’s a shamanistic territory, it may not be impossible.”

“A shamanistic territory?”

“It’s a bit different from a magical barrier. It feels like… the territory cast by that dark mage we fought in the Great Forest.”

Upon hearing that, everyone’s expression hardened.

Territory.

That word implied that someone from the Demon King’s Army or a possessor had their eyes set on us.

“So what do we do now?”

“If it were land, we could stir things up around, but this is the sea.”

Emily pouted as she gazed at the calm night sea reflected in the ship’s windows.

“For now… I think we have no choice but to wait.”

And thus, our drifting adventure began.

*

We had barely a week’s worth of food left.

However, we were able to enjoy a plentiful meal.

Caught by Erwin, the tuna he so eagerly landed became our lifeline.

If we cook this, we could still last over a month.

The problem, however, wasn’t food.

“Are you saying we have to endure here…?”

“Yes. I think… that’s probably the case.”

“How long?”

“…It seems like it will take at least double the time.”

Ophelia asked back with a trembling voice.

“Wait, are you saying it didn’t just get reduced from a week but actually got extended? Two weeks?”

“…That’s the case.”

“…Gah.”

That was the sound of Ophelia banging her forehead against the edge of the bed.

From that day forth, it seemed Ophelia’s world had crumbled.

Her daily routine became nothing more than hanging limply on the deck’s hammock, resembling a dried fish.

“Emily, don’t you have any magic to prevent seasickness…?”

“Well, it’s not really for seasickness, but I do have something.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“Fainting magic.”

“….”

I looked at the dried fish Saint Ophelia.

Considering her condition, it seemed I had to make a decision.

That night, I continued discussions with Emily to resolve the situation.

“It definitely seems like a shamanistic barrier, but maybe it was unintentional.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“We might have been drawn in by some natural entity with certain powers.”

“Drawn in? Natural entity?”

Emily shrugged, looking once more at the deserted island shimmering beyond the horizon.

There was no need for further explanation.

The next morning, we decided to turn the ship around.

Docking at the island. The one who seemed the happiest at that news was Ophelia.

“I! I want to go!”

No one tried to stop Ophelia from insisting on joining the island investigation team.

A short while later, Ophelia, grinning widely, took her first step toward the island.

She took a step…

Thud.

“My sense of direction is all off.”

“You probably just got seasick for too long. Let’s start by adapting.”

“Catch me. I can’t walk.”

In the end, I ended up helping Ophelia learn to walk.

What is this, not even parenting?

After a while, Ophelia finally got used to the ground. She literally flew around freely; it seemed the lack of seasickness was her biggest blessing.

“Um…”

“Strange, right?”

“Yeah.”

Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but notice the subtle discomfort permeating the island.

All the trees and bushes were warped as if caught in a vortex.

The bent branches were all leaning towards the center of the island.

No natural law twists living creatures like this.

“…It feels like the island is definitely the cause.”

We made up our minds and decided to head to the center of the island.

Just in case, we packed herbs to alleviate magic addiction and magical tools to communicate with the ship at any time, and stepped into the dense forest of the island.

“There’s not a single creature.”

“Not a bird, not an insect, not a single one.”

“Are there any spirits?”

Erwin shook his head.

“None at all.”

Even that didn’t indicate the presence of magic.

An intense discomfort.

There were no animals living on the island.

Even the trees were just standing still in place.

It was as if someone had separated this island from time and space.

“This isn’t something a human did. Nor is it something a demon did.”

Emily nodded in understanding as she approached the center.

“This is a distortion.”

“A distortion?”

“Something on this island caused the time and space of this entire region to warp. We happened to get caught up in it.”

“…Hmm.”

“Magic tools probably won’t work properly either. Can that crystal ball be used?”

At Emily’s words, I took out the crystal ball handed to me by the navigator and tapped it.

No light came through.

“Be careful. Right now, we’re not much different from ordinary people who can’t use mana.”

At that, I gulped.

Not being able to use magic. It would be hard to assure our survival if we ran into enemies in that situation.

But we couldn’t run away out of fear.

We finally entered the center of the island and—

“….”

We encountered the worst possible character.

Dark skin, silvery-white hair, eyes that burned red, and a muscular body. Finally, the bloodstained bandage wrapped around a fist like a mountain.

It was a familiar sight.

I’ve seen it on the monitor.

“…Black Water Elgore.”

In the middle of the island, in a clearing where all the trees had fallen, stood one of the Demon King’s Army’s officers, Elgore.

I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword.

Meeting one of the strongest officers in a state where I couldn’t use mana?

How despairing.

“…You all.”

At last, Elgore looked up at me.

Our gazes met.

Contrary to my expectations, what appeared on Elgore’s face was not hostility or anger.

“Oh! Finally, we meet!”

It was joy.

That huge, scary demon stretched out its arms and approached me.

Until that moment, I didn’t let my guard down.

“Eh?”

Elgore looked at my hand resting on the sword’s hilt and grinned.

“Aha! No need to be wary. I’m a very kind demon who doesn’t indiscriminately kill humans.”

“….”

“More than anything, isn’t it a very rare situation to have humans like this right now?”

I couldn’t understand what this fool was saying.

I soon recalled the Black Water Elgore from the game.

Impulsive, strong, with a horrifying appearance, an officer of the Demon King’s Army.

At the same time—

“Then where did you all come from? Did you come by ship? You look like western continent folks…”

“….”

“Eh? Are you scared? Hey, don’t worry. I won’t eat you. Human meat is too greasy and not tasty.”

This idiot was greeting us without even realizing we are the hero party right in front of him.

“…Is this guy an idiot?”

Ophelia muttered, and Elgore frowned at her words.

“Ah, no, it’s not like that…!”

Elgore grinned at Ophelia, who hurriedly covered her mouth.

“My comrades used to say that too. But being stupid isn’t a crime! It’s a blessing to feel the world with pure senses!”

“….”

“Such a blessing!”

Staring at the idiot named Elgore, Ophelia let her hand drop in despair.

“Is this… an officer of the Demon King’s Army?”

It was probably a question everyone had.

 

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