CH 23

Chapter 23– Escaping Helos (3)  

“Anyways, get on! I can manage a few more trips since I have already given you rides before.” 

Peter got onto the carriage nearby, as if he were shy. 

“No, we need something other than a carriage.” 

Arje didn’t seem to be thinking about getting aboard. I thought it was fine. 

“A different ride? Why?” 

“If the elves were to follow, they would most likely be waiting in front of the castle doors. They could even already be inside the gates.” 

Arje was clever. It was true that the elves were inside the city already.

“Well, at least for now, I have taken care of all the ones who entered this city.”

When I nodded at Arje’s response signaling that I agreed with her, Arje took a deep breath as if she were shocked.

“They are already here? But are you alright? How did you return safely after dealing with that elf?”

“No, not the crazy one, just her subordinates.”

“Does that mean that they all….”

Arje couldn’t say ‘dead.’

“Yes, and I alone defeated all four of them.”  

I replied proudly, but Arje didn’t say much.

“Why aren’t you complimenting me? I won against all four elves!”

Arje sighed at my request.

“That means that we really cannot go on land.”

Cannot go on land? Does that mean that we will fly there using magic?

“Let’s go by sea.”

The sea? It wouldn’t be weird for there to be a port, since Helos was located near the ocean.

“Then what about the ship? Where do we get one?”

For a moment, I thought that we were going to modify Peter’s carriage into a ship.

“Wouldn’t there be someone who would give us a ride?”

Arje was full of confidence. Well, if anything were to happen, there should at least be a ferry.

“What do we do about Banu?”

Arje sighed again.

“Just leave him here. Now that we have the sword, we don’t really need him.”

Isn’t that a little cold coming from the fact that they were close childhood friends?

“Can we just abandon him? He came all the way here to find you.”

Arje flinched a little at my comment.

“….he has a burn. He must rest at the temple.”

Still, even though she talked like that, I could tell that she still had a side of her that cared for him. She wasn’t honest with her feelings.

“Peter, thanks for being a good company until this far. You should head on back, now.”

And I said farewell to Peter.

“Sorry that I couldn’t be much of a help.”

Peter still seemed sad. 

“What do you mean? We got here this far with your help.”

It was with Peter’s carriage that got me to Daglen, and to Helos as well. He had helped us out far more than he thinks he did. He didn’t give himself enough credit because he is not skilled in combat.

“Is that so?”

Since Peter still seemed to be down, I decided to ask him for a favor in order for him to regain his confidence. 

“Peter, let me ask for one last favor.”

Then, Peter looked up with a cheerful face.

“Yes, ask for anything! I will help you no matter what!”

And so I told Peter what he could do. 

“Got it! I can do that, of course!”

I wasn’t sure if he had understood everything I said, but Peter looked at us with a confident expression. 

“Aris, will it be all right? If he gets caught…”

Arje had a concerned voice. 

“Peter, are you going to get caught?”

I asked Peter if he would get caught, and

“No way! Please trust my carriage-driving skills!”

Peter replied that he would not. 

“And so he says.”

When I listened to Peter and then looked over at Arje, she sighed again. 

“We ask of you, Peter. And one last thing. If in any case you tell anyone about seeing me or Banu…”

Arje slightly raised her hand and then threatened him. Peter turned pale.

“Of course not! I will never speak of it.”

“All right then. I wish you the blessing of the emperor no matter where you go.”

With the last of Arje’s farewell, Peter started to dash through the town square on his carriage.

“Still, I am uneasy about this.”

What I had asked Peter was to speed as much as he could, pretending that we were inside the carriage. Even if he were to get caught, the elves wouldn’t want to waste their time and kill Peter. Most likely. 

“Wouldn’t he be fine?”

I could hear Peter’s confident shout of ‘A MAN!.’ Nothing would go wrong. 

“Let’s head over.”

Arje and I headed over to the port. 

“Wait, Arje!”

“Ahh!”

On the way to the port. I snatched Arje’s wrist and hid in an alley from a sound my ears picked up.

“Sister said that she will be here soon, correct?”

“Yes! I also heard that some carriage just escaped Helos quickly.”

“It’s that carriage! Move fast before some other guy snatches the bunny!”

I could see the elves running after the carriage. Peter seemed to be working hard.

“That sister they mentioned must be the crazy elf, right?”

“I assume that it is.”

We got out of the alley and headed back to the port, in which something unexpected occurred.

“We can’t set sail because of a storm?”

Unfortunately, there was no ship setting sail. The reason was because the weather on the seas was too dangerous or what not.

“We are in a rush; is there no other method?”

Arje asked the port manager, but

“Sorry, Miss. No idiot would set sail in such weather.”

It was rejected.

“What a loss. We shouldn’t have sent Peter away.”

Arje started sounding ill when her plan didn’t work out.

“It’s never good to regret the past.”

But even if we were to regret it, nothing would change.

“That is true.”

Arje quickly regained herself, and then got into a trance of pondering what next move to make.

It was at that moment.

“Hey there, ladies. It seems that you are in a hurry. Need a ride?”

A scratchy voice called us from behind. Arje waved her hands as if she was going to use magic, so I had to grab her hand and stop her.

“It’s okay. They are not elves.”

The ones behind were not elves, but some ugly, rough sailors, with a tattoo of a winking skull on their forearms.

“You seem like you need to go somewhere immediately, wanna join us?”

These folks didn’t even know us, but wanted to help.

“Why? The other boats are not setting sail because of a storm.”

Arje was suspicious of a sudden act of kindness.

“A storm, to us real sailor men, is just a soft stride of a gentle sea wind.”

The sailors laughed out loud. What a lousy bluff.

“So, why are you trying to help us?”

Arje still seemed confused about why they would help.

“If you don’t want it, then whatever. You can wait until the other ships set sail after the storm.”  

The sailors tried to pass us without much regret.

“What do you mean we don’t want it? Hurry and lead us.”

With my words, the sailors looked back and then smiled. 

“This bunny has a better sense of judgment than the lady. What will you do?”

The sailors looked at Arje.

“If you are tricking us, I will not let you live.”

Then the sailors laughed out loud again, and then waved their hands to follow them.

“Aris, why did you give in so easily?”

Arje nagged without letting the sailors hear her. 

“Why? They said that they will help!”

From my naive tone, Arje couldn’t talk for a while.

“Did you see those sailors? They are not ordinary sailors, and they are taking us to a weird place instead of the port!”

As Arje said, the sailors were not taking us to a ship on the port, but to a vacant beach.

“Don’t worry. Trust me.”

I had something I could trust from their appearance. And if nothing else worked, these sailors would be no biggie as the greatest swordsman and a skilled sorceress. The only problem would be that no one would be left to drive the ship.

“Hey, all! Look at what we’ve brought!”

After walking for a while, we could see a floating ship at a place far from the city.

“What is it?”

“It’s a bunny! How did you bring such a rare item?”

“Is that one in the mask next to her also a woman?”

The sailors, who were in a rush to set sail again, cheered at our appearance. 

“Yes, I have brought them over because they said they have some urgent seafaring matter.”

The sailor who initially spoke to us smiled. 

“Okay, ladies. Get on board.”

And then two of the sailors who walked us blocked us from behind. As if they were preventing us from running away. 

“Aris, what should we do?”

Arje asked me what to do, since she didn’t like these sailors to begin with.

“We get on. They said that they will give us a ride.”

Arje shook her head rapidly then stared at me. She had not been expecting my answer, and perhaps her expression underneath the mask was bizarre.

“You mean, you want to get on that ship?”

“Yes. We don’t know how to sail.”

“I have no idea what you are thinking, Aris.”

“You will soon find out.”

And so we got on board as they told us to. 

“Welcome, ladies!”

As soon as we got on board, the sailors got rid of the plank, as if they were preventing us from trying to escape.

“Ladies, do you know what kind of ship this is?”

Then they approached us with a creepy smile.

“Hey! Raise the flag!”

From this, the flag on the ship rose. It was a black flag with a winking skull. It was a pirate ship, as expected.

“Aris, they are pirates. PIRATES. They are no ordinary sailors.”

Arje tried to use magic again, having reached her limit. 

“I already know, Arje. That’s why I got on.”

When I acted nonchalantly, Arje looked at me after stopping her magic. 

“Aris, don’t you know what Pirates are? You must have some idea what happens to women like us who get aboard in such places!”

Arje shouted with an angry voice.

“Tell us, lady in the mask. What happens to women who get on a pirate ship? Hmm?”

The sailors laughed amongst themselves.

“Shut up! Do you know who you are talking to?”

Arje seemed ready to expose her identity as a princess, but it wouldn’t work with pirates. Instead, I had a better plan. 

“Of course I know. Why wouldn’t I know ones as famous as the Winking Pirates?”

I already knew that these were from the novel. I was able to confirm from their tattoo. These were one of the folks who helped Jarrod. 

“Woah, I guess our fame has reached the bunnies’ ears, too!”

The sailors, I meant the pirates, started to get excited. 

“So, could you lead us to Mary? I have a thing to say to them.”

Then the pirates snorted out laughing. 

“You? For what reason?”

“I know something you guys may be interested in. About a treasure.”

There was nothing better than treasure to lure in pirates. I was a little sorry for Jarrod, but I felt as if I should mention it first. 

“Yeah right. How do you know about the treasure?”

Of course, they wouldn’t buy it at first. Pirates were a tricky crowd to please, since they were the masters of bluffing. So, I had to have a more threatening bluff.

“If you all plan on locking us underneath those planks, then do so. Still, if you were to throw away a chance to make a lot of money for just a moment of pleasure, I don’t think your captain would be pleased.”

I said this while looking at their private parts. The pirates knew why I did and then stepped back. I knew from the book that when Mary got mad, the private parts got cut off.

“What is the treasure?”

“Do you guys need to know? I am going to directly tell your captain.”

Then, the pirates stopped their laughter and looked at each other.

“What do we do?”

“Isn’t she lying?”

“Shouldn’t we just lock her up?”

“What if she is telling the truth?”

And as the pirates murmured, Arje tapped on me.

“Are you for real? Do you have such information?”

Arje should have known by now, what kind of person I am.

“Of course I do.”

“Huh?”

Then the pirates looked over at us, after they had decided.

“We will take you to the captain. If you are lying, however, be aware that you will be punished.”

“Yes, show us the way.”

And I followed the pirates to the captain.

“Aris?”

Arje had a worried voice. 

“Don’t worry. Just believe me.”

I winked at Arje to keep her assured, and she didn’t say anything.

Before anything, if we had to travel by sea, I had to first become friends with Mary, the captain of this ship.