Chapter 105

The sail swelled tautly, and the ship sped through the sea.

It wasn’t as fast as a ship built with Earth’s technology, but considering it was being powered by just one person, its speed was unbelievable.

Moreover, since it didn’t require any fuel, it was incredibly eco-friendly…

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Was it really right to call magi eco-friendly?

Da-eun, feeling uncertain about her own words, tilted her head in confusion.

‘…Maybe not.’

After all, it’s not very eco-friendly if the energy turns animals into monsters and makes plants sick.

That was the conclusion Da-eun reached after a brief moment of thought.

Anyway, the reason Da-eun was able to enjoy such a fast and pleasant voyage was thanks to Artisha, who spent all her time navigating the ship except when recovering her strength.

“Can Kana do something like this too? …Hmm, never mind. Forget I asked.”

Da-eun quickly withdrew her question, which she had asked out of curiosity.

‘Kana could probably do it… but…’

She had a feeling that if Kana tried, the ship would end up half-wrecked.

Or the sail would be torn to shreds.

In that case, Da-eun would be left either drifting across the vast sea in a tattered ship or flying through the sky in Kana’s arms.

‘That kind of extreme experience… I don’t want to do that again.’

Da-eun, who wanted to live a long, healthy life, firmly refused the idea of another heart-pounding, body-flying experience.

Da-eun tried to calm Kana, who seemed pouty, perhaps thinking she was being ignored.

A few days later.

Da-eun finally spotted land.

Thanks to the system, her senses had been dulled, and she hadn’t felt seasick despite the rough journey. However, the boredom and frustration of being in a confined space remained unchanged.

She had been eagerly awaiting the day they would reach land.

But now that the long-awaited land was close enough to see…

“….”

Gulp.

Da-eun couldn’t easily shout for joy.

‘Black soil… I think black soil is supposed to be really good for farming…’

But Da-eun was sure that the black soil she was seeing in the distance wasn’t the kind they meant.

Even though the land was dark, she felt no sense of life coming from it, even from afar.

It felt as though if you planted a seed, instead of growing, it would rot away immediately.

That wasn’t the only thing making Da-eun anxious.

The thick black fog, like a mist, rose up, blocking the sunlight. Even though the sun was shining brightly, the whole place had an eerie and gloomy atmosphere.

If this were a novel, this would definitely be the setting for the final chapter.

Da-eun’s courage wasn’t big enough to boldly step foot into a place like that.

As the black wind whipped the sail, the ship, which had been speeding along, also came to a stop.

“This is as far as I go…”

“Huh? …Oh, I see.”

Hearing Artisha’s sudden statement, Da-eun turned to look at her face and immediately understood.

Even with her usual pale complexion, Artisha looked even paler, as if she could collapse at any moment.

Right, she had been forced to leave Laxia because of her broken horn…

“Even now… it’s a bit too much for me…”

Artisha’s breathing was far from calm.

Seeing her gasp for breath as if someone were choking her, anyone with a heart would find it impossible to ask her to continue.

Da-eun gently patted Artisha on the back as she gazed at Laxia with a mix of frustration and regret.

“Thank you for guiding us.”

As Celine’s holy power enveloped Artisha, her deathly pale face gradually regained some color.

“The chieftain is in the center of Laxia… The road is clear, so it won’t be difficult to get there…”

While the people of Ardina called the leader of the Demonic Race the “Demon King”, the demons themselves, including Artisha, referred to him as the “Chieftain”.

Considering their original identity as the Purifier Clan, the title didn’t seem all that strange.

“I’ll give you a small boat, so take that and go.”

“Is that really necessary? We could just run that distance—mmpf.”

“P-please, we’ll take the boat!”

Da-eun quickly covered Kana’s mouth to stop her from spewing nonsense. Ignoring Kana’s disgruntled gaze, Da-eun let out a sigh of relief.

Along with Da-eun, the group transferred to the small boat tied to the larger ship. The boat, lacking even a sail, would’ve been cramped if three adult men had boarded it, but for two adult women and the much smaller Kana, it was perfectly fine.

‘If there were three people like Celine, maybe it’d be a bit tight…’

“Is something wrong?”

“Huh? Why?”

“I felt a gaze… but I guess it was just my imagination.”

Da-eun, who had been staring intently at a certain part of Celine, quickly feigned innocence. Celine, despite the uneasy look on her face, didn’t seem to suspect anything thanks to Da-eun’s perfectly nonchalant reaction.

Thus, Celine didn’t notice Da-eun’s sly grin, and the truth sank quietly beneath the surface…

Thwap—

“….”

“….”

…If there hadn’t been another witness, that is.

Da-eun suddenly remembered the pink-haired girl standing beside her, who was clearly not pleased. Da-eun gulped as she locked eyes with Kana’s pink gaze, which was filled with both disdain and scorn.

“….”

“Kana.”

“What.”

Da-eun gave her a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry. One day, you’ll grow as big as Celine. Though, on second thought, that might be a bit sad. I won’t be able to carry you like this anymore.”

“Just die.”

“Waaaah?! Stop! I’m really going to fall overboard…!”



I-I almost fell…!

Having narrowly avoided being tossed into the sea, Da-eun sat back down, feeling the dampness of her hair as she tried to catch her breath.

“You two look so close. Watching you warms my heart.”

“…You’re joking, right, Celine?”

“Huh? No, I meant it…”

“…Well, thanks.”

I appreciate being called close, but how can anyone think that after what just happened?

Or maybe it just looks that way because I was the victim. Perhaps, from a third person’s perspective, it did seem like a moment of closeness.

But that doesn’t explain why Da-eun’s viewers were flooding the chat with hooks and anchors after hearing Celine’s words.

“Is this a chatroom or an anchor factory…?”

“Here, catch this.”

“Catch what…? What’s—Whoa?!”

Thump!

Hearing a voice from the deck, Da-eun instinctively ducked her head to avoid the shadow looming over her.

Kana reached out and caught the object that had been falling from above.

“What’s this?”

“You’ll need it…”

What Artisha had thrown was a wooden oar, with one end flat and the other narrow like a stick. It was the same object Da-eun had touched the day she first boarded the ship.

“That boat doesn’t have a sail…”

If they rode the currents toward the continent, they might be able to land without rowing.

But waiting for the right currents in these waters wasn’t exactly an option.

If they were to drift off into the ocean, that would be the worst possible situation.

“Here.”

“Huh? Why are you giving this to me?”

“…? You said you wanted to row.”

“Uh… I never said I wanted to row, though.”

“…Really? Then I guess I have to do it… or maybe I’ll ask Celine.”

Kana’s voice trembled slightly, and Da-eun’s eyes twitched as well.

‘This is definitely a trap… Kana’s cunning trap to lure me in!’

Even knowing that, there wasn’t much Da-eun could do about it.

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—Me

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“Now that I think about it, my dream was to be a boatman!”

Rowing against the rough waves was beyond Da-eun’s strength, so she half-snatched the oar from Kana’s hands.

It wasn’t that she had any intention of passing the task to Kana in the first place… the same went for Celine too.

‘How could I ask her to row with those delicate arms?’

Sighing deeply, Da-eun adjusted her grip on the oar with both hands. She wasn’t very skilled, but it wasn’t her first time either.

If she rowed impressively, maybe Kana would look at her with respect, right?

With hopeful thoughts, Da-eun adopted a rather credible rowing posture and began rowing with enthusiasm.

‘Even a slow bug can roll, right? Seems like Da-eun finally found something she’s good at.’

…Wait, that’s not respect.

That’s not even a compliment; she’s just mocking me, isn’t she?

No matter how hard Da-eun tried to imagine it, the results weren’t encouraging. With a sour expression, she continued to row.

But strangely, it didn’t feel like they were moving at all.

The reason for that quickly became apparent thanks to Kana.

“Idiot.”

Slide.

Kana’s hand had untied the rope that had been anchoring the boat, and now it gently slipped into the water.

“Ugh, how embarrassing.”

Da-eun buried her face in her hands, her ears turning bright red.

“Have a safe trip….”

“Yeah.”

“See you soon.”

“Thank youuu….”

With those simple farewells, the boat sliced through the water toward Laxia.

***

After days of sailing, Da-eun finally set foot on land.

“…Urgh!”

It’s common for people to feel seasick when they step onto land after spending a long time on a boat.

Having adjusted to the boat’s constant rocking, their bodies find it difficult to adapt to the stillness of solid ground.

However, Da-eun’s nausea wasn’t due to seasickness.

“…The corpses.”

Celine muttered, her expression filled with despair.



They hadn’t expected a warm welcoming crowd, but… no one had anticipated this sight either.

Corpses.

And more corpses.

No matter where they looked, there wasn’t a single living person. Only the dead remained to greet the party.

Da-eun squeezed her eyes shut.