Chapter 4

Theres the sound of waves in the distance.

Thank goodness for the rays of light shining in from the crack in the wall, its the only way we know that its not night yet. But the space really is cramp and dark, and theres the suffocating smell of fruits.

Thats why I didnt want to hide in the mandarin crate! The color orange gets on my nerves every time!

Youre really noisy, Yuuri. If we followed what you said and hid in the crate with fish, by now wed have choked on the odor of fish Oh-umph!

WaaWolf! Dont puke dont puke! Dont puke here! I wanted to say that the fish crate was already cleared and washed, so we wouldnt have to squeeze with the fruits like this, and theres so smell. Tsk, and I thought that stowing away with the food cargo was a good idea too Oh, no, Wolf, someones coming!

After a frantic mess of footsteps, someone runs into the food storage. Since theyre in such a hurry, perhaps theyre preparing dinner now. I check my hardworking G-SHOCK, and find out that its now 5.20 pm. The tips of my feet step on some more mandarins, squashing out more sour juice.

I mmphwould now rather be fund mmphits probably more relaxing than now mmmph. After all we left the land ages ago, they cant turn back now mm-ph!

Dont say silly things with such a weird suffix. Were stowaways, remember! If we get caught, well definitely get tossed into the sea by our necks!

Toss you and I into the sea? Who would dare? Even the so-called Tough Guy Sea Monster Sizemore wouldnt dare be so rude to the king and his fianc?

No, the problem is Gnter. Still remember that moving speech he made? The way I see it, he just didnt say might not make it back alive aloud. He obviously knows this mission is very dangerous, and in the mood hes in now, he would never let us tag along.

About that, Shou Shimaron is very dangerous.

But Gnter is conducting an official visit as special ambassador, there shouldnt be any dangers, right?

After an emotional transformation, Lord von Christ, who at some point became real Gnter, personally volunteered to head to Seisakoku, and no matter what anyone else said he refused to listen. Since I have no idea what his political methods are, all I could do was to try and stop him with all I got, and finally his tear ducts started to loosen up.

I say, Gnter, even if the virtual live conference failed, theres no need for you to volunteer yourself to make up for it!

Thats right. Gnter, this mission should be mine anyway. Dont tell me that after the Yuki Gnter and Kiku Gnter incident, the screws in your brain have gone loose?

Ah, then next time why dont you try becoming Kuzuyu Gnter? Yuki, Kiku, Kuzuyu hey, its a word-connecting game!

*sob* Your Majesty, I never thought that you would be so worried for me, you really are a good king who appreciates your officials. Coming into contact with Your Majestys beautiful and pure soul, I, von Christ Gnter, feels like I might melt. However, please allow me to complete just this one mission. Even if our fate as king and minister will be broken, I am still willing to head for that dangerous land! Oh~ Your Majesty, just the thought of never seeing your beautiful black eyes again No, I should say not seeing your eyes for now, my little heart beats painfully, like payo-payo, in my chest.

Even the way the way he praises is unique.

Whats really surprising, is the ease with which Gwendal agreed, and every other noble present even gave him the honor of being special ambassador. Even Lady Anissina, who never has a good word for men, agreed,

Come to think of it, maybe you are very suited for it.

Why? What could be in the heart of Shou Shimaron? Something that suits super bishies?!

When I came to that idea, I was already excitedly planning my stowaway.

So we hid in the wooden crates filled with food, and then we were sent onto the departing Friends on the Sea. Captain Sizemore is a brave but gentle strongman, and also a good guy whos secretly worried about his receding hairline. Although its not like I dont know him, but since he has an important position in the navy, I dont dare to openly ask him to help me stowaway. If I did, he would most likely be torn between Gnter and I, and lose even more hair over it. Thats why I decided to fight alone, but why on earth did the easily seasick Wolfram have to come along too?

Im really worried because theres no telling when hell puke. And our knees have been knocking each other since just now, in a really painful way too.

This place really is cramped, huh? A space like this cant help but remind you of Poison Lady Anissina.

Ouch! Dont stretch your legs! Forget about my Windpipe no 1, your sword gets in the way too What? Why would you mention Poison Lady Anissina at a time like this?

Because in one book they described how a purse-fixing expert opened the lid to find Anissina stuffed inside. I brought it if you wanna read it, here!

Wolfram pulls out a particularly small, around Collectors Edition[1] sized book. Shouldnt the cover be intricate leather, though?

This is the mass-produced version.

M-mass produced Anissina

She gave it to me, saying its for spreading the teachings, and she wants me to secretly put them in the drawers of all the hotels we stay at.

Its not as though this is the holy bible, and she didnt say spread the word, but spread the teachings?![2]

If Lady Cheri is the Love Huntress with the superb methods, then Lady Anissina is the global Poison Lady who transcends worlds? One is the beautiful leader of the Free Love Party, the other is the terrifying founder of the Poison Lady Anissina cult. Its hard to tell which one is more impressive, and I have no intention of commenting either.

I cheat by using my pointer finger to touch the pages inside. What Im doing will probably shock even the super-powered people of China, but thats because I read much faster with my fingers than with my eyes.

Damn As expected of the latest printing technology, theres barely any difference between the printed parts and the white parts when it comes to touch, I can feel only a teeny tiny difference. Guess I cant read in this dark place then. Hmm What does it say?

When the repairman opens the cover of the purse, a blinding light shines into his eyes.

Waa!

And at that moment the world really did suddenly shine before our eyes, I was even surprised that even the mass-produced books would have magic on them. Right now, a light even more piercing than a spotlight shines in from above, where the cover has been lifted off completely.

Crap, weve been discovered by the kitchen crew!

... Thats weird?!

He probably thought he was seeing things. The man closes the lid immediately, then opens it again, staring at Wolfram and I, who are in turn staring at the ceiling. Besides the position of the light that hides his face from my sight, I notice that the mans head is particularly shiny. His scalp is rubbed till its shiny as a mirror, reflecting the light from the lamp.

Eehh--?! Who did this, who mistook His Majesty and His Excellency for food?

What a familiar voice.

Shh--! Shh--! Its not what you think, Dakaskos!

Turns out hes Lord von Christ Gnters miscellaneous man, Lilit Latchie Nanata Micotan Dakaskos. It took me forever to remember his full name, but whenever I say it he starts crying. That shaven head gleaming, Dakaskos repeatedly wipes his hands on his lacy apron.

Milords, what are you doing in the fruit crates? Are you conducting some sort of experiment?

Before that, why are you wearing one of those shoujo dreamy aprons? When did you become Sizemores chef?

No, no. Actually last time after I returned home to try and make my wife happy, I ended up making her more and more angry instead. As a result, I had to decide between silence is golden, or sleeping separately at home. Since even staying home was so miserable, I decided to change my profession and find a job that keeps me away from home for long periods of time, eventually stumbling across Captain Sizemores recruitment drive. Im still an apprentice supplies soldier, though, living the every day is peeling day life. If milords keep staying in the crates, youll probably rendezvous with the head of the kitchen shortly.

Rendezvous? That wont do, well be very troubled.

Aside from the naggy and friendly but not very bright Dakaskos, we strictly forbid him from telling anyone else, and then we leave the food storage. Even using magical propelling energy, it takes at least seven days to get to Shou Shimaron. Add that to the changes in the weather, and itll take more than ten days. Even though its not even halfway yet, but since weve already been discovered, theres no more need to hide in the cramp little crate.

Dakaskos half looks like hes gonna cry when he says its still better if we report to the captain, but just thinking about how badly Gnter will scold us, we decide to keep as few people in the loop as possible.

After all, were talking about Lord von Christ Gnter here, if his jealousy turns to hatred, hell definitely shoot beams out of his eyes, and supersonic rays out of his mouth and curse us to death!

How could you say that? Your Majesty! Then what about me, who hid milords in my room? Is it okay if I get punished?

Sorry.

Eek!

Perhaps because hes imagining some scary scene, all the baby hairs on Dakaskos scalp stand on end. Farewell, Dakaskos. Well never forget the great sacrifice of your head No. Well never forget the light of your life.

Even though weve moved from the food storage to the cabin, we still spend each day in hiding. Weve escaped from the darkness and suffocating space, but in a high-level kitchen apprentices room with only one bed, it doesnt take much to guess that there wont be an attached bathroom. So we have to keep our guard up whenever we want to go to the bathroom, even going in disguise lest we be noticed. Having tied up my black hair with a scarf, I feel like a weird chef with no nationality. As for Wolfram, he wore a white chefs hat and immediately transformed into a cute little cook.

In the daytime when there are more people around, we can only mope around in the room, sometimes sleeping on the simple and small bed that looks like a stretcher, sometimes reading Poison Lady Anissina carefully. I havent read a book so seriously in a long time, perhaps even since I read the baseball rule manual. I even memorized the long-winded lines, imitating all thee voices from old people to little girls. After we get back, Ill read it to Greta immediately. My reading skills have become surprisingly good, childrens books really are useful for beginners to the language.

L-let m-me continue reading--

Hang in there, Yuuri! If you go on like this, youll get poisoned!

Im just worried about the perpetual victim, Gwe Dal! Its really very scary.

Once the sky goes dark, and the activity outside decreases, were free to enter and leave the room, as long as were careful. Just like how the dads would duck into the balcony to sneak a smoke, wed stay on a corner of the deck for a breath. After letting the cold breeze blow past his cheeks, Wolfram finally recovers from his seasickness.

Since this isnt a luxurious cruise like last time, there arent any balls after meals or social activities like a saloon. I dont blame them, this ship is headed for a country on bad terms with us, after all. But this is still one of Shin Makokus famous large-scale battleships, so there are plenty of basic entertainment facilities for the soldiers. From a distance I can hear the lively sounds of a violin, and the timely cheers are proof.

Wolf and I loiter around a corner near the stern of the ship where no one patrols, not saying much. The crews merry singing and the steady rhythm of the waves fill my ears.

The only thing bobbing on the surface is the light from Friends on the Seatheres not a star in sight.

Yuuri.

Mm?

If you want to, go over there and have some fun.

Where do you mean by there? The crews drinking party? Please, you know that I dont touch smokes or alcohol. And our disguise this time is so simple, what if were discovered? Dont forget, were currently in the complicated position of stowaways, you could call this Mission Impossible: Stowaway!

As long as youre happy.

Leaning on the painted-white railing, Wolfram says while looking into the sea.

That I mean, you like mixing with people lower in status than you, right? Even if youre in the capital, youll just sneak out of the castle straight away, even in Covenant Castle you like to stick around the kitchens or the stables. Basically Well, youre always with Conrad, so I just thought that the lively atmosphere would suit you.

Oh-- I see.

Gripping the cold iron railing, I gaze into the waves too. Right now my heart is filled with an endless sense of unease, and I start to suspect: will I ever reach the shore?

Although its a little lonely, but I never thought of mixing with them, yknow. This ship is headed from Shou Shimaron with a heavy duty. Personally, I believe that this journey will definitely be a safe one, but everyone else doesnt think so, do they? Just like that time in the imperial meeting, Im sure there are still a lot of people who think theyre the enemy. Maybe some of them feel sure that theyll be attacked, and have mentally prepared themselves to enter enemy territory.

When my arm and waist hits the railing, my sour muscles cry out in pain in spite of myself.

But it never occurred to me that everyone is living so warily, its just impossible to imagine, thats why I dont want to disturb one of their rare days of peace. If their boss suddenly walks into their free-for-all party, theres no way they can relax, huh? I dont care at all whether they talk to me respectfully or not, but if I cause them to worry then I wont be able to get over it myself.

I subconsciously shake my head.

I dont want to ruin their fun, and besides

Suddenly there are cheers, followed by enthusiastic applausemaybe someones having a drinking match. At that moment, even the corners of my lips lift naturally. Lets just hope that no one collapses due to acute alcohol poisoning.

Besides, Im not alone here either.

Hmph, you finally have some awareness as a leader?

I can hear the purposely suppressed joy in his voice.

It depends on the time and location, Wolf. Time and location.

I really dont know which one of us should be feeling embarrassed now.

If you want to drink, why dont you get some wine from the kitchen? Its okay, you dont have to abstain from alcohol just because I do. Youre already eighty-two, after all, though its true that you should take care of your liver.

If I get drunk and end up interrogated by a certain someone, youll laugh at me for the rest of my life Hey!

Wolframs tone and expression changes abruptly as he points to the other side of the ocean, the direction this ship is headed for.

Whats that?

Probably ship lights?

Theres a flickering light on the surface of the black ocean. But those lights start increasing immediately, and approach us at a fairly fast speed. The sentry yells on the top of his lungs, and theres a sudden commotion in the ship. The night duty crew start running across the deck.

Since the speed and distance with which we approach each other is similar, they conclude that the torchlight is coming from another large-scale battle ship, but at least its not an entire fleet or army.

Hey hey hey, dont tell me its pirates again--

How can it be? Were already in Shimaron territory, surely there arent pirates who are that stupid, right? Id sooner believe thats a giant squid

Upon hearing that, Wolfram starts shaking.

Why, Wolf, are you scared of squids?

Y-you wouldnt understand how scary that can be! C-calm down, calm down, a squid-fishing boat cant be that big.

Then could it be Shou Shimarons warship?

Our corner near the stern may be quiet, but anywhere that may be attacked is already covered with soldiers, each going to their respective positions. What I can do now, is pray that there wont be any tragedies.

Waa, thank goodness milords are here! Your Majesty, Your Excellency, please retreat to the cabin at once! If you stay in such a dangerous place, once the enemy starts using catapults, who knows what will happen!

Dakaskos rushes over, hairless head sweating buckets and an inflated life preserver in his arms. He was probably worried wed drowned or something.

That wont do, I have the duty to watch the battle from the sides. In the worst case scenario, should we lose the highest ranking officer, Ill have to take his place in charge.

Eh? Even though were stowaways?! Well, according to what you just said, then Ill have to watch too. Although I dont want to be pessimistic, but if the captain and Gnter get hurt, then the responsibility will first fall to me, and not you, Wolf.

I get the feeling that if we leave it to you, youll probably surrender straight away

AahPlease, spare me, young masters--

The kitchen apprentice half cries, half pleads as he pulls the stubborn duos sleeves.

Its not a warship! Its a patrol ship!

The sentry above reports.

Great, now we wont get ambushed. Speaking of patrol ships, does that mean, uhAn organization like the marine customs? If they ask for the ships credentials, itll definitely check out, so by right they shouldnt have to investigate further. Sizemore should be used to these situations, too. No, perhaps this is a problem that the captain doesnt even need to deal with it himself, one that can be solved easily by the guard on duty.

Just when were about to return to the cabin, the clouds shading the moon are suddenly swept away by a gust of wind, and faint moonlight shines onto the surface of the sea. A black ship tinted oddly with white enters our field of vision.

Wait.

Why?

I think theres something there, between us and the Shimaron ship. Look, there, theres people on board!

Its an old fishing boat with the mast about to break. Its filled with people, but not too many until they exceed the limit. The passengers are hugging each other tightly, trying to avoid falling overboard. I was just about to ask why theres a speck of light amidst the black waves, turns out those people are shockingly pale.

Under the moonlight, their hair and skin are so white, it looks like faded dye.

I saw two children just like them before. Those girls also had skin so white it was almost transparent, and blonde hair closer to the color of butter.

Those people cant do anything else but hug each other and shiver. Although I cant see them very clearly, its obvious that theyre terrified to the point where they dont dare make any noise anymore.

Could it be a refugee boat? Ive seen those in the films they played in history class, like during the Vietnam War or Cambodian refugees.

"What countries are you talking about?"

"What countries, you ask? They're EarthsAh! They attacked! They attacked a small unarmed boat!

The Shimaron ship doesnt even bother with a warning, just aimed their catapult into the middle of the fishing boat. A large block like a rock punches a huge hole into the body of the boat, and it immediately starts slanting, throwing the people onboard into the sea.

Unforgivable!

But they seem to want to rescue those people!

Its just as Dakaskos says. The Shimaron ship is pulling all the people in the sea onboard, one by one. There are adults, kids, old folks, even mothers carrying babies. All of them are equally pale as theyre pulled into the patrol ship. On our side, Captain Sizemore seems to have decided against interfering. Although its unforgivable for them to attack an unarmed civilian vessel, if they insist that they were just trying to warn the boat and accidently misfired, theres nothing we can say about it.

And as long as all the people are rescued, the rest has to be settled between those two parties. Were not exactly welcome here, either, so its only natural that we wouldnt want to start a riot on another countrys waters.

If that attack wasnt a warning, then Shou Shimaron really is a scary country.

Now only youre saying that, havent I been telling you from the start?

Once most of the passengers are rescued, the patrol ship starts taking precautions against our ship, asking run-of-the-mill questions like, Where is your ship coming from?, What are your intentions?, Where do you plan to land?, and Have you gotten permission from the Shou Shimaron navy? etc.

Since there isnt anything else suspicious except for the two stowaways, the investigation goes smoothly. Leaning my arm on the railing to watch the soldiers cause a ruckus, I suddenly shift my gaze to the surface of the sea. In the black waves after the moon has disappeared, I notice something shaking slightly in the corner of my eye.

Thats weird

Just underneath us, theres a white object standing out against the pitch black.

I use my 2.0 vision to look closely.

Its an arm? Ah, Your Majesty?!

Before Ive completely confirmed whether or not its an arm, Ive already tossed the lifebuoy in Dakaskos arms down. The rope curves beautifully, the inflatable landing on the water.

Two pale, thin arms finally grab a hold of the life preserver. But whats surprising is that theres someone else clinging tightly to the person whose head has already broken the surface.

Normally, this is when I should be yelling, Hang in there! Just a little more! to encourage the ones in the water, but seeing the way they barely even dare to pant, I suddenly feel that we shouldnt make a scene either.

Hold on, Im coming down to save you! Tie the rope around your waists!

Bring the rope over here, and tie it there. Yuuri, switch positions with Dakaskos. Are they two children?

I-I think so.

Wolfram mutters, Then well do it ourselves, and grabs the rope behind me. The Shou Shimaron patrollers and our own crew dont notice this little rescue mission at the back.

After struggling with the rope for a while, two slender bodies are finally pulled near the deck. The white hands that were clinging desperately onto the lifebuoy, now grab the round railings tightly. We wildly tug at the childrens hair and clothes, dragging them onboard.

F-finally, wewe saved them.

Looks we should send them to the healthcare room now, and wed better return them to the Shou Shimaron as soon as possible too, itd be better for them to stay with the others.

Thats true, there are so many of them there, if there are o-only two here, i-it must be r-really scary.

You cant be serious, Shibuya Yuuri? Just that little bit of exertion already has you panting so badly?

The duo that we saved are reduced to all fours on the deck too, desperately trying to catch their breath. They point at me with their fingers several times, but then they immediately put their hands down, probably trying to say something but cant find the breath to form the words.

The language that comes with the irregular breathing, is one weve never heard before.

Their limbs are lithe and long, their skin as white as those adults. They have pale blonde hair, although it only reaches around their chins. Even the weak oil lamp can illuminate their skinny bodies, but only those rare golden eyes are shining brightly.

They look exactly the same, reminding me of the girls I met in Dai Shimaron.

Jason and Freddy, a pair of beautiful twins with amazing powers. I remember someone said they were shinzokus brought in from another country.

So, these two are also shinzokus?

Thats right.

I stop Dakaskos, who wanted to keep the two of them standing, while Wolfram says with a solemn expression,

Im afraid theyre probably from Seisakoku.

What?! By Seisakoku you mean the country in lockdown? Are all the people there Jason and Freddy?! No, I mean, are they all shinzoku who look like Jason and Freddy?

Perhaps because they understand that were saying the name of their country, because one of the strong kids holding onto the lifebuoy suddenly raises his head. I know its very rude to stare, but he should be a boy. The others a girl. Both of them look around twelve, thirteen years old. Although I cant tell which one of them is older, the two of them do look very similar.

Save

We still cant communicate.

Your Majesty, take mine too.

Seeing that Ive taken off my jacket to put over one of the children, Dakaskos hurriedly hands over his. The adult coat wraps both of them up completely, when suddenly the girl starts sniffling, eventually bawling with a rough voice. The boy we dont know if hes her older brother or younger brotherscolds her shortly, but her tears continue flowing unbidden, like a broken dam.

AhSorry, your bodies are still soaked. Go inside, its warmer in there. And dont be so sad Not working? Oh, yeah, take this.

I pull down the scarf around my hair, and hand it to her so she can wipe her tears.

Unexpectedly, both their bodies suddenly stiffen.

Crap, sorry. Youre scared of being touched, arent you?

But the siblings eyes are trained on my black hair. Shoot, black hair and eyes are an ominous sign to everyone except the mazoku. Seeing something so unlucky after experiencing such a trauma, anyone would be unsettled. If a black cat runs across my path when Im cycling, I know Id feel really depressed.

I wont do anything. Dont worry, I wont do anything at all. Black hair IS nothing to be scared of--"

zoku?

The boy opens and closes his mouth, pointing at me (whose voice had suddenly gone all weird). The unfamiliar sound he squeezes out of his throat is a word that we finally understand.

Mazoku?

Mazoku? Thats right!

He quickly grabs my hand and pulls it to his chest. I sense that behind me, Wolfram and Dakaskos already have their respective weapons in their hands. The pure white boy puts a trembling finger on my palm, slowly making a movement that he himself wants to confirm.

His pointer draws out a fixed line.

Save

Save? Do you want me to save you? But you see, your friends are already fine. Just now all of you wanted aid from the Shou Shimaron ship, right? Youll be reunited with your family real soon, if you dont even want to change out of your wet clothes and return home as soon as possible, Ill go contact them now--

He shakes his head, as white and as beautiful as a bubblehead doll, then writes on my palm again.

Mazoku

Save

And then a high-pitched alarm rings somewhere in my brain.