The crew starts running towards the helm, and those who can’t escape in time jump directly into the sea.

Everyone’s holding hands as we climb up the slanting deck, then gripping the railings tightly. The cargo s.h.i.+p that was originally stopped beside us is speedily leaving in fears of being caught up in the calamity. Only the first few soldiers to jump across are now catching their breath on the deck.

Just then, someone yells, “The boat’s sinking.”

“The boat’s sinking, quick, jump onboard!”

I wrap my arm around Wolfram’s waist, then hold my breath and prepare to jump.

“Your Majesty!”

“Günter, if we don’t get away soon, the boat’s gonna sink!”

The Special Amba.s.sador clad only on his underwear and with his hair a mess, shakes my shoulders with a spine-chilling expression, making me feel like even my dried-out brain juices are slos.h.i.+ng around in my skull.

“Your Majesty, please forgive my bringing up an unreasonable request at a time like this. I’m a ghost, a devil, and Covenant Castle is like the Temple of Exorcism! Logically speaking now I should be strongly advising Your Majesty, and trying to stop your actions, but even if later I am cursed by the people or punished accordingly, I do not mind… so…”

“W-w-w-w-what do you want to say, G-G-G-G-Gun…”

I’m begging you to stop shaking me, as I desperately try to hold up my powerless neck.

“…Everything shall be done as Your Majesty wishes.”

Those violet eyes veil a flash of bitterness. But Günter immediately changes his mind, pointing at the rapidly departing cargo s.h.i.+p.

He’s pointing at Lord Weller, who’s sticking his body out, and Saralegui, hugging the railings tightly. They’re sandwiched in between the Shou s.h.i.+maron crew.

“Go, Your Majesty. If you miss this opportunity to go to Seisakoku, there won’t be another!”

“But the boat… and you guys…”

“Captain Sizemore’s on his way, we’ll be fine!”

Wolfram roughly grabs my hand, and says simply,

“Don’t worry so much, just go! And then you must return safely… Gurrier!”

Josak runs up to us, tossing away bucket of water and gripping a rope.

Just in case, he even tugs at the thing in his hand several times, replying as he tests its strength,

“Here!”

“Protect Yuuri properly.”

“Yessir. Then, Your Majesty, please pardon my rudeness.”

Before I can ask what he wants to do, Josak has already lifted me into his arms carefully, then he lifts his heels on the slanted deck, and the next second we’re already on the ocean surface.

“Waa—What are you doing… We’re gonna fall!”

But the waves pa.s.s under our feet like blue stripes. Right now the rope is wrapped around the mast of the cargo s.h.i.+p, which means to say that Josak wants to send me to that s.h.i.+p from this one. Next, I use the skills picked up during outdoor excursions as a kid, and personally become a temporary Tarzan.

“Aaaaa—Aaaaa--- Aaaa—Waa—!”

“…This angle ain’t that good.”

I even hear a displeased ‘tsk’ by my ear!

“Josak!”

Lord Weller immediately rushes to diagonally below us, his expression solemn and his arms open wide.

“Hurry!”

In that moment the childhood playmates exchange a glance.

“Sorry, Young Master.”

s.h.i.+n Makoku’s well-honed intelligence officer doesn’t even finish his sentence, before he throws me into the air.

I wail with a long endnote, “That’s too much—” And then I fall towards the deck of the cargo s.h.i.+p. At first I thought I would crash into the deck, so I curl myself up into a ball. But surprisingly, the impact I’m waiting for doesn’t come.

“Weird?”

Turns out Conrad, who had moved directly underneath me, had already caught me firmly.

“…Con…”

He very quickly puts me down, then carelessly helps me pat away the soot on my clothes.

“Are you hurt?”

“…No.”

“That’s good.”

Having finally gotten here, Captain Sizemore rescuing the people in the water, one by one. Seeing my friends in their ranks, I feel a weight lifted off my chest.

As for Josak, who had slammed into the mast, he’s now sliding down the pole looking half-dead. His nose and forehead are bright red, and his orange hair are messy as flames.

“Ow ow oww, someone come help me.”

“Josak!”

I use my injured subordinate as an excuse, escaping from that suffocating s.p.a.ce.

“Ah! Your Majesty, thank goodness you’re safe. On the other hand, it seems like Gurrier must ask Lady Cheri for whip-using pointers!”

Over the mischievous Josak’s shoulders, I see the beautiful s.h.i.+p snapped into two.

Shou s.h.i.+maron’s flags.h.i.+p, ‘The Golden Salmon’ sinks just like that, while red flame and black smoke rise from the sky and the sea.

Saralegui sits on the deck despondently, covering his face with his slender fingers.

“I… I…”

The voice m.u.f.fled in his palm is shaking with uncertainty.

“I know the opposing forces should have been immediately quieted down, after all Storob is an excellent soldier. And there’s still s.h.i.+n Makoku’s wars.h.i.+p for reinforcements. Even if we were to be ambushed and take some damage, there’s still an overwhelming difference in military power. Only...”

There are only two medium-sized cargo s.h.i.+ps leaving the war port at full speed. Considering this is a long distance trip for the king of Shou s.h.i.+maron, it counts as an imperfect guard force.

“Only, the final outcome is that all I got is this cargo s.h.i.+p, and now I’m heading to an unfamiliar land with no real trustworthy subordinates. What should I do after this…”

“C’mon, you’ll be fine.”

He is someone raised since young as royalty. Even if he’s an expert at governing the people, there’s no way he would know how to take care of himself. Even I can only pat his shoulder or grip his hand to console him.

“Relax, Sara. There’ll be a way.”

“Yuuri, there’s one more even scarier thing!”

The hand that has never before lifted any loads, grips my calloused hand tightly. He raises his face, expression tragic, and I realize that those eyes hidden behind the thin lenses are still br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears that may fall at any time.

“I nearly had you killed.”

“What does that mean?”

“You… No, the reason your friend was shot at, is most probably because of my cloak.”

“So that’s what it was!”

After hearing him say that, my previous suspicions now make sense. The man who was tied to the middle of the mast and shot Wolfram, wouldn’t be able to tell who was wearing the cloak from that height. But that shooter had unhesitatingly loosed his arrow at Wolfram, not me. That time Wolfram had said a name, though, what was that person called again?

“Ki…nan…”

Kinan? Wolfram did say something like Kinan back then.

Although it’s a name I’ve never heard before, but that man wasn’t aiming for Lord von Bielefeld, his attack was directed at the light blue cloak.

At the s.h.i.+ny cloak that Shou s.h.i.+maron king Saralegui normally wore.

“Your friend took that arrow in the chest for me… I-if, back then the person wearing the cloak was Yuuri, whenever I think that it could’ve been you… I… When Storob called me over, I should’ve just asked him to board the s.h.i.+p with me. If only I’d never returned to land, and just stayed on ‘The Golden Salmon’. Or if I could’ve made it back on to the flags.h.i.+p in time, instead of being late… I shouldn’t have waited to switch s.h.i.+ps after reaching the outer sea. It’d be fine if I’d just stayed on ‘The Golden Salmon’ like a good boy!”

“…But in that case, you would’ve been the one attacked, Saralegui.”

I gently put my arm around Saralegui’s shoulder, as he sobs uncontrollably.

“Because you don’t have the Poison Lady’s protection, you could’ve died if you weren’t careful.”

Since he doesn’t understand what I’m saying, he’s shocked there for a moment. But those unbidden tears still flow from his lost-looking eyes.

His shoulders, so slender they’re like a girl’s, are shaking unstoppably in guilt.

I think to myself, “This won’t work, this child can’t protect himself. As a king who leads the people and runs the country, he doesn’t have any skills necessary to protect himself.”

“It’s okay, Sara. Wolfram is fine, and there aren’t any deep wounds either, so it’s really fine.”

“I regret it, I regret it so much. Why did I give you that cloak?”

“Wasn’t it because you were scared I’d get cold? You were scared that the sea breeze and the sunlight were too strong, that’s why you kindly lent me your cloak. Thank you, I was really very happy.”

“Yuuri, you really are so gentle. I just don’t know how to make it up… to your friend…”

Saralegui cups his face with his right hand, and before long starts sobbing. Only until my fingertips are getting chilly in his grip, does he finally stop his tears flowing, and those eyes staring out at the sea finally regain their old light. He uses his fingers, damp with tears, to push his pale golden hair behind his ear.

“There’s only one way I can compensate.”

He heaves a long sigh, then says in a soft but determined voice, “The only way I can make it up to you and your friend, is by leading this s.h.i.+p and sending you safely to Seisakoku. That’s all I can do.”

“Saralegui.”

“The interactions upon reaching there, are between s.h.i.+n Makoku and Seisakoku, something I can’t interfere with. But following the flow of the current, navigating the sea according to the nautical map and the stars… sending you to the Seisakoku jetty at the ends of the sea, that’s something I can do.”

Releasing my hand, Saralegui stands facing me and hugs my waist, asking excitedly,

“What do you think, Yuuri? Is doing that enough?”

“Actually, you… don’t have to mind so much.”

The boy king, now alone after losing his subordinates, runs away the drying tears on hisfaace, then turns his gaze behind me, that’s a look of focus.

“Lord Weller.”

“Yes.”

The voice comes from somewhere not too far from me, scaring me in spite of myself.

“You said before that Dai s.h.i.+maron is like a parent to Shou s.h.i.+maron. As His Highness Belar the Second’s appointed amba.s.sador, you have the responsibility to report and invigilate my country so we don’t do anything out of line, yes?”

“That’s right.”

“And also the responsibility to make sure Shou s.h.i.+maron’s rights are not infringed, as well as giving suitable a.s.sistance.”

The amba.s.sador from Dai s.h.i.+maron nods in lieu of a reply, and waits for him to continue.

“I’m ready to head to Seisakoku with Yuuri. Therefore, I have to commandeer this unfamiliar s.h.i.+p, deal with the hards.h.i.+ps of the ocean, and may even be in mortal danger.”

Lord Weller gives him a sideways glance with those pale brown eyes, predicting what the next line with be, the silver irises hiding a gleam.

Saralegui speaks in a strong and challenging tone. He, who had just been on the edge of cliff, seems to have been saved from despair and gotten back onto his feet, his words showing glimpses of his strength.

“Are you willing to protect me?”

The Dai s.h.i.+maron amba.s.sador, whose fringe is billowing in the sea breeze, pauses for several seconds before nodding and saying, “I will do my best to protect you.”

I use the secret technique of finding the emergency exit in hotels, and start wandering the deck of another country’s s.h.i.+p. I give the hardworking Shou s.h.i.+maron crew a sideways glance, then I walk around to the back of the thick mast. When I sit down on the wooden box there, the damp sea breeze blows my hair into a mess.

I bend my body to put my head between my knees, my eyes seeing only the wooden floorboards.

“You’re just too mean, Young Master. If you want to go for a walk, you should’ve invited me, Gurrier, too!”

The joking tone and what looks like borrowed military boots approach me, and then he sits down so close to me he can almost touch my legs. His arm seems to wrap around me, landing on the back of my white kitchen uniform.”

“But I never would have thought.”

He uses a rare solemn tone, saying at the most comfortable distance from my ear,

“Is it because you have to take care of yourself, so you’re feeling really lonely?”

“No.”

I shake my head slowly.

If I had that confidence and corresponding ability, then I wouldn’t need to bother anyone.

“…I’m real hungry, so much so I can barely move, since I practically haven’t eaten anything since yesterday morning.”

Next to me, Josak’s body trembles as he laughs heartily.

“Aww, you poor thing! Humans will get hungry whenever, be it at weddings or funerals!”

He doesn’t forget to add ‘Of course, Mazoku too’. So we can continue living on.

And the only redemption is the fact that we’re on sea.

Surely the waves can take away any sort of emotion.