24 HOURS AGO

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After a strenuous journey, the crew and I finally managed to land on the shore. As soon as our rafts touched the sandy beach, our priority was to satiate our starving stomachs. We had been surviving on meager rations for days, and the thought of a hot meal was enough to invigorate us. We wandered a short distance until we stumbled upon a quaint restaurant, and eagerly rushed in to order our meals. The captain, Lezlie, and I sat together at a table, eagerly anticipating our food.

However, the captain seemed to be preoccupied with his thoughts, and his eyes were fixed on the ground with a melancholic expression. Concerned, I turned to him and asked if he was alright. He waved off my worries, saying that he was just a little distracted. But when we pushed a little harder, he told us that he still felt responsible for the ship's attack. He blamed himself for not being able to fulfill his duties as a captain.

I reassured him that his crew's safety was his top priority and that he had done everything in his power to save them. I also reminded him of his passengers' promise to return and their unwavering commitment to keeping it. Lezlie chimed in, expressing her concern about the whereabouts of our two friends, Ryuu and Hiroshi, and whether they would be able to find us.

The captain who speaks wisely in a whole speech, comforted us with his insight into the nature of the sea. He said that no matter what vessel sailed upon it, the sea always had a way of attracting them to ports. Therefore, if Ryuu and Hiroshi succeeded in navigating the sea, the port would draw them to us.

However, his words were tinged with a hint of uncertainty, as he revealed that the second Kingdom had two ports, one of which was two days away from our current location. Lezlie inquired about the distance to the other port, to which the captain responded that it was not too far away.

By the time we finished our conversation, the food had arrived, and the delicious aroma wafting from our plates was enough to silence our worries temporarily. As we dug into our meals, the captain suggested that we find a nearby hotel to rest and recuperate.

Lezlie turned to the captain, her expression one of concern. "What about you, Captain?" she asked.

"I and my crew, unfortunately, have to part ways with you here," the captain replied, his tone regretful. "We have fulfilled our duty. We have brought you to the second Kingdom."

I nodded understandingly. "I see. Will you return to the first Kingdom?"

The captain nodded in response. "There's a ship Merchant in the eastern part. I'll go there and see if I can buy another ship, and we'll see how it goes."

With a heavy heart, I hugged the captain tightly. "Captain! Take good care of yourself! I hope you and your crew can make it back!"

The captain smiled wryly. "Come on, it hurts," he said, teasingly. I released him, and he sighed, turning to address us both. "It was a pleasure to meet you all."

Lezlie spoke up, her voice warm with gratitude. "It was a great honor for us to meet you too, Captain."

After saying goodbye to the captain, Lezlie and I did as he said and headed for a nearby hotel. We had barely any gold left, but I managed to purchase a room for us to spend the night. I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes, exhaustion taking over.

In the morning, I met Lezlie at the hotel entrance, where she greeted me with urgency in her tone. "It would be better for us to not waste any more time here, Babu! We need to get to the other port as soon as possible."

I hesitated, voicing my concerns. "Wait a second, Lezlie! But what if they come here?"

"Maybe I can't observe events like Ryuu," she admitted, "but according to my observations over the last few days, we've been at sea for days and we've been here for almost a day. I'm sure Hiroshi and Ryuu should have caught up by now."

I considered her words for a moment before nodding. "You may be right, Lezlie. But I'm not sure about this."

As we hurried along the dusty road, my mind raced with various scenarios of what could have happened to our friends. If they were indeed following us as we had feared, it made sense for them to arrive later, but the captain's warning about potential danger made me consider the possibility that they could have gotten here before us. Lezlie's suggestion was our best option for finding them quickly, and we needed to act fast.

"Okay, we will do that. But you know we need a car or a horse, so we can complete the road faster," I exhaled with a sense of urgency.

My companion looked at me, concern etched in their features. "I understand, but where will we find such a vehicle, Babu?"

The memory of a faded job poster flashed through my mind. "Last night I saw a poster in front of a place - a job poster. I couldn't read much, but it said something about transport work related to the second port."

"Then our only chance is to go there and look, am I right?" my companion replied.

We made our way to the location, eagerly scanning for the poster advertising the transport work. Finally, we saw it. However, our hopes were quickly dashed as the poster lacked any specifics, including the exact address.

Determined to find answers, we entered the establishment and approached the bartender. After explaining our predicament, we asked if they knew anything about the transport job.

"Unfortunately, I don't know anything. Posters can usually be incomplete or they can be there for a long time," the bartender replied apologetically.

As we were leaving the establishment, our attention was caught by a commotion at a nearby table. There sat a woman, cloaked in black with her face shrouded in darkness, surrounded by a group of rough-looking men. At first, we paid no mind to the situation, but then we realized that the men were berating the lady with harsh and hateful words.

One of them barked, "I guess you didn't learn that your kind isn't welcome here. You and your kind make me sick."

Despite the verbal assault, the woman remained composed and silent, which only further incensed the men. "Let's see if you still be so quiet when you get hurt," one of them growled menacingly.

That was when Lezlie intervened, unleashing a spell that halted the aggressor in his tracks. "Please leave that lady alone and leave here without making a scene," she commanded.

As the group turned to face us, I quickly grabbed a tray from the table and flung it at one of the attackers. He lunged at me in retaliation, but I used the tray to block his punch and then slammed it into his jaw, knocking him to the ground. Meanwhile, Lezlie cast another spell that brought down another assailant, causing him to stumble towards me. I reacted quickly, striking him on the head with the tray and incapacitating him.

In no time at all, we had taken down all the attackers. The mysterious woman wasted no time in thanking us and then quickly ushered us outside, urging us to follow her into a nearby alleyway.

Once there, she pulled back the hood of her cape, revealing herself to be a beautiful woman with long, flowing hair. "Thank you for your help," she said gratefully. "But I didn't bring you here just to express my gratitude. I need your help with one more thing."