Chapter 95: Sailors

The ship tore through the small waves, the sound of water splashing against the hull filled Shina Venilon’s ears as she stood near the edge of the boat. The seas were calm, reflecting the sun’s gentle rays on its surface.

So far, her journey to Sekhtar has been smooth. She thought finding a crew that was insane enough to sail the southern oceans is impossible, but here they are.

Except, these people Shina found weren’t ordinary sailors. They were pirates.

Seemingly the most notorious ones in the whole world.

“What’s wrong, Shadowblade?” a gentle voice of a woman asked from behind her.

Shina turned her head and saw a beautiful Hirazan woman with short brown hair. She wore a traditional attire that many swordsmen wore in her nation. Over her white kimono was a black haori and her white hakama covered her entire legs.

Around her waist, she wore a red obi which held her katana.

There was a concerned look on her usually cold expression. Perhaps Shina had been showing much of her inner turmoil lately.

Shina spoke behind her mask.

“Is there a way we can speed up our travel?”

The woman paused and stared at her mask covered face before saying:

“I wonder who you are trying to save… They must be really important.”

Shina gazed at the ocean ahead. There was still no sign of any form of land.

“You’re right, Nozomi,” she answered.

“They’re someone I can’t live without.”

The female swordsman sighed and then said:

“By the way, we’re going as fast as the ocean allows us. A detour around the continent to sail to Sekhtar is going to take some time.”

Shina knew this fact already, but found it hard to accept…

Nozomi continued.

“You did give us the payment already, so we will take you there no matter what.”

Shina nodded at her.

“Thank you.”

Nozomi looked away for a moment, pondering.

“Still… I know you’re not planning to give us this information, but I’m getting increasingly curious about who you and this person who needs saving are. I’ve been around for quite some time and have seen many things. This is one of the weirdest ones. Not to mention, you have a literal baby dragon…”

Shina glanced past Nozomi to see Remi playing with the crew of this ship. They ran in circles around the deck and no longer knew who was chasing who.

The peculiar band of pirates consisted of equally peculiar people. Their captain was called Finch, a composed young man with aspirations for great wealth. Nozomi, the first mate, was a wanted criminal in Hiraza. She said that she was falsely sentenced and had no choice but to escape.

Their cook was a fire mage named Jessika. She was a noble from Olcour who was supposed to join the imperial army as a mage, but her passion for cooking made her run from home and wound up becoming a pirate…

There were two crew mates who were twins: Rico and Franco. They were responsible for the general functions of the ship, having doing this since they were able to walk, they said.

Currently, the twins and the captain himself were playing with Remi.

“No one ever goes to the land of demons,” the swordsman added.

“Luckily for you, we know the safest areas to arrive at Sekhtar alive.”

Shina couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. She responded, saying:

“I know right? Lately, nothing normal has been going on in my life.”

The empire seemed like they were really convinced that Shina was in Tianmin with her grandparents. No searches, investigation or nationwide panic had ensued after her escape this time.

These people had no idea that she was the imperial princess either. It was a saving grace that Shina was thankful for.

The crew consisted of people that had no access nor the interest for information from the empire. Since they dealt with shady business, like escorting a stranger to the demonic continent, they steered clear of the empire’s legal territory. Thus, they had very little information about what had been going on.

As long as she kept her disguise up, she should reach Sekhtar with no one finding out about the truth. It wasn’t only her secret that she had to protect, but Dheinyrus’ as well.

No one would even fathom the truth that Shina holds. If anyone found out that Dheinyrus was actually powerless and needed saving, the entire world would be flipped upside down.

Moments later, they heard Jessika’s voice calling them.

“Lunch is ready guys!”

They all gathered in the deck. On the table was a hearty dish of mouthwatering seafood and vegetables.

To keep the dragon from eating all this up, there was a pile of fish far away from the table, ready for him to devour.

Shina partially lifted her mask, revealing her lips. And with that, the crew began to dig in.

Franco, a modest young man suddenly asked:

“Must you really hide your face at all times, Shadowblade?”

Everyone paused and looked at her, waiting for her response.

She only nodded and said:

“Yes. Sorry if it comes off as being cold, but no one can know my real identity.”

A smirk crossed Captain Finch’s face as he spoke.

“Nevertheless, just by looking at half your face alone, I can say you’re far more beautiful than Nozomi.”

Shina almost choked at her food. She glanced at the swordsman to see if Finch’s statement offended her, but Nozomi paid no attention and just enjoyed her meal. This frosty swordsman was unexpectedly a food enthusiast.

Shina sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, Jessika took offence in Nozomi’s stead.

“This is why no one likes you, captain. You’re such a piece of shit.”

Finch laughed. Eventually, his laughter turned into sobbing.

“You’re so brutal, Jess. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t mind being hated by someone like you. Besides your talent in cooking, you have nothing else going on—”

Finch was blown away several meters by a fireball. There were traces of burns on his silvery blonde hair…

“They say leaders finish last. It’s time you become a real leader for once,” Jessika said with a satisfied expression.

As the crew proceeded to eat, they chatted about things ranging from important to meaningless. It was another uneventful day for their travel.

Until something from under the water rammed against their ship…

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