Felin Crysinne is a genius.
Even at a young age, he had already reached the third tier, a level of talent recognized without dispute by any magician.
However, unfortunately, Felin Crysinne’s na isn’t well-known.
This is because Felin Crysinne’s talent could not match that of his sister, Penia Crysinne.
In other words, his brilliance was overshadowed by the even greater talent of his sister.
Nevertheless, Felin did not resent Penia.
Instead, he admired her.
She effortlessly perford magic that he could not easily achieve.
Seeing Penia already recognized as the vice-tower master of the Blue Tower at such a young age, Felin even felt a sense of pride.
He was proud to be of the sa lineage as Penia Crysinne.
Proud that Penia Crysinne, who had beco the vice-tower master at a young age, was his sister.
And so, to soone like him…
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it’s been… a while.”
“How have you been?”
“Yes, yes… of course…!”
The situation that was unfolding before him was beyond surreal—it was utterly shocking.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Oh, well, it’s because the tower master ntioned there was sothing to do in Raksas~.”
Felin stood agape as he watched Penia awkwardly smile, sothing completely out of character for her, who typically behaved arrogantly with everyone except the tower master.
He had never seen Penia act that way toward anyone.
“Wha… What doesn’t make sense?”
Evan, who was sitting in the carriage, asked as Felin muttered to himself.
However, Felin remained in shock, as if he couldn’t hear a thing.
“My sister… can she even speak formally like that?”
“…?”
It was as if he had witnessed his proud sister compromising with the world, leaving him with a blank expression.
But then…
“Just yesterday, she slapped a noble heir three tis and froze him with ice magic for being insolent, didn’t she?”
“??”
“And a few days ago, when a rchant group tried to scam her, she destroyed all their carriages, froze the guards who ca later, and even stord the lord’s castle to make a scene, didn’t she??”
As Felin continued to recount Penia’s outrageous behavior, Evan thought to himself:
‘As expected, there are many crazy wizards.’
Admiring his troublemaking sister, or being that troublemaking sister, Felin and Penia were both equally bewildering.
As Evan was once again updating his prejudices against wizards after hearing this wild story…
“So, that guy is your brother?”
“Yes, yes…! I am truly sorry…! He has been holed up in the tower all his life, so he knows nothing about the world…!”
At this response, Alon calmly replied to the bowing Penia,
“There’s no need to bow like that. It seems like he simply didn’t know, so I understand.”
“Th-Thank you!”
Penia bowed again and sighed in relief.
“Sister, why on earth are you speaking so formally-”
Just as Felin, who had been looking disheartened, finally managed to speak up, his words were cut short.
“Shut up!”
Smack!
Before he could even finish his sentence, Penia began to rcilessly strike him with her staff.
For a mont, there was silence.
“I- I’m sorry… Hah… The kid… is still very young…!”
As Penia approached and apologized again, leaving behind the flinching Felin, Alon was reminded that she was sotis portrayed as a bit of a morally corrupt character in the ga settings.
“No, it’s fine. Besides, if you’re heading to Raksas, our destination is the sa, so let’s go together.”
“Huh? No, there’s no need for that.”
“Do you not want to?”
“N-No? It’s not that… it’s just… uh…”
Penia, who had been violently thrashing Felin with her staff like a demon just a mont ago, began darting her eyes around, gauging the situation.
It was as if a mouse trapped in front of a cat was trying desperately to find a way to escape.
“If you really don’t want to, we don’t have to go together.”
“N-No, it’s just…”
Alon was simply trying to be courteous, but Penia suddenly shuddered and murmured as if the thought gave her chills.
“I-I’ll go.”
“Is that so? You really don’t have to if you’d rather not.”
Alon confird again, seeing Penia’s less-than-thrilled expression.
“N-No! Please, let join you!”
Unlike before, when she hesitated about accompanying them, Penia now seed determined to make it clear that she wanted to go.
Her slightly desperate face gave off the feeling of having been coerced, leaving Alon with a strange sense of guilt.
“Alright, then. Let’s go.”
####
With Felin, still trembling, in tow, Alon set off toward Raksas, during which Penia shared two stories.
First, about why the two of them had been foraging for food in the middle of the road.
It seed they had a major fallout with the rchant they were traveling with.
According to Penia, after a minor argunt, she made a small mistake, causing them to flee.
He wondered why a minor mistake led them to flee without even securing food, but he chose not to pry further.
More importantly…
Evan and Felin were looking at Penia with different, subtle expressions, giving Alon a rough idea of the situation, so he naturally changed the topic.
During that ti, he learned sothing else interesting from her.
“Ships are disappearing?”
“Technically, it only happens near the Ruinous Coast, but they say ships are being pulled underwater.”
“Is it a disaster?”
“No, according to the treasure hunters, it seems to be ‘rfolk.’”
“…rfolk?”
“Yes. Of course, it’s not certain. rfolk haven’t been seen for a long ti.”
Alon paused at Penia’s words.
‘Why are rfolk appearing now?’
He knew that rfolk were part of Psychedelia.
However, the timing was odd.
At this point, the existence of rfolk hadn’t yet been revealed.
While the presence of two Outer Gods had already appeared, making the timing of their ergence sowhat aningless, the appearance of rfolk still seed rather premature based on the ga’s basic settings.
Alon tilted his head slightly in confusion.
‘No, rfolk shouldn’t be appearing at this point.’
Unlike the other Outer Gods, whose appearance was more abstract, the rfolk had a unique set of conditions that dictated their ergence, which made Alon uneasy.
If rfolk had indeed appeared now, it also ant that other Outer Gods could potentially appear sooner than expected.
Given this concern, Alon pondered until…
“We’ve arrived.”
Evan’s voice snapped him back to reality.
Even if rfolk were appearing, Alon still needed to proceed to Raksas.
With that in mind, he stepped into the Kimin Territory, which was part of Raksas’s domain, and imdiately left the carriage to head toward the harbor.
This was because taking a ship was the only way to enter the capital of Raksas.
The four of them soon arrived at the harbor and, fortunately, found a ship preparing to depart.
However, there was a problem.
“It’s 100 gold coins per person.”
The man who seed to be the captain sneered blatantly, clearly intending to scam Alon and Penia.
“Huh? 100 gold coins per person?”
“Yes.”
“Do you really think that’s reasonable?”
“If you don’t think so, you can wait for the regular ship in two weeks.”
The captain grinned.
Even though he had a vague sense that Alon was a noble and knew Penia and Felin were magicians, he was brazen enough to attempt to swindle them.
“Do you know who I am?”
Penia spoke nacingly, even releasing so of her magic power, but the man rely flinched slightly and continued.
“Whoever you are is none of my business. Whether you’re nobles or magicians, this is my ship. I decide the usage fee.”
The man spoke confidently.
Seeing this, Alon surmised the likely reason for the captain’s audacity.
‘He must have connections higher up.’
The only way he could speak so boldly before nobles was if he had protection from soone powerful enough to cover up such a scam.
After a mont’s thought, Alon asked,
“So, will you board or not?”
The captain spoke arrogantly.
Gazing at the arrogant captain, Alon finally spoke.
“So, 400 gold coins?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll pay it.”
“?”
The captain’s face montarily twisted in confusion.
Perhaps he hadn’t expected Alon to accept the offer so readily, and he was stunned for a mont.
“Take it.”
When Alon handed over the money pouch, the captain accepted it.
Though still appearing sowhat skeptical, the captain wore a beaming smile and gestured toward the ship.
“Get on. I’ll take you there.”
The captain, with a sleazy grin under his thick beard, led the way onto the ship.
“Wait, Count, are you really going to pay that? Even considering the high cost, that’s nearly ten tis the usual price!” Evan asked, shocked at the unexpected situation.
“There’s no other choice.”
As long as the captain had connections to higher-ups, there was no way around it.
Even if they managed to haggle the price down, they’d still have to pay a significant amount, or else they’d have to wait two weeks to reach Raksas, so paying the full amount was the only option.
…Honestly, it was an extravagant expense that he wouldn’t have considered before, but thanks to the treasures he received from the King of the Colony, his pockets were rather full.
‘…Maybe I should have let Penia and Felin pay for it since they’re loaded…’
Of course, even with full pockets, that thought did cross his mind.
In any case, Alon and his party paid the fee and boarded the rchant ship bound for Raksas.
####
On the first day of the voyage to Raksas, Alon rested in a room assigned by the captain, knowing that they were expected to arrive in the city in three days.
“Urrgh!”
He glanced over at Evan, who was lying on the bed with a sickly green face, groaning.
“Are you alright?” Alon asked.
“I feel like I’m dying, Count… I’d rather just die. Urgh!”
Watching Evan, who had already dashed to the side of the ship over five tis since waking up, Alon realized that Evan was prone to seasickness.
“Ugh…”
…And then, there was Penia.
Much like Evan, Penia’s face had turned pale, and she too looked dizzy.
Not long after, she clutched her mouth and rushed off in urgency, just like Evan had earlier.
“So, even a sixth-tier magician can’t handle seasickness, huh?”
Seeing Penia in a practically lifeless state, unable to move a finger like Evan, Alon let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m lucky I don’t get seasick.”
It was one of the few monts Alon felt a positive sentint toward his body, which had a pitifully small mana pool.
How long had it been since he thought positively about his own physique?
Ding, ding, ding, ding~!
The ocean that had only produced the sound of waves and the creaking of rusty tal suddenly echoed with the sound of bells.
“E-Enemy attack!! P-Pirates!”
In an instant, the rchant ship beca chaotic.
Feeling the commotion, Alon moved quickly and stepped outside to assess the situation.
Pirates were swarming the deck, leaving no ti to react.
Alon imdiately prepared to activate his freezing magic, flexing his fingers clad in magic armor, but then hesitated.
If he cast the wrong spell and destroyed the ship, the situation could turn perilous.
Realizing that a broken ship ant certain drowning with no alternatives, Alon decided to let himself be captured by the pirates for now.
####
In the end, Alon was captured by the pirates.
Penia, who couldn’t overco her seasickness, was slumped against the ship’s railing and fell unconscious, unable to resist.
She was caught without a fight, and her staff was confiscated.
Evan and Felin suffered the sa fate.
And in this situation…
“Let’s make a deal! You can take all the goods, and I even have sothing you might like—so magicians and nobles! Over there, over there! That one’s quite a wealthy noble! You could definitely get a high ransom for him!”
The captain, who was captured along with the other rcenaries and crew, shalessly sold them out to the pirates.
Alon wore an incredulous expression.
“That bastard…”
Evan, though seething with anger, could only grit his teeth and glare.
Despite the situation, Alon didn’t feel overly threatened.
After all, Alon’s magic required ti for chants and seals, so he had allowed himself to be captured on purpose.
Furthermore…
‘…As expected.’
Penia, still weakened by seasickness, had already broken free from the mana shackles set by the pirates and was watching Alon.
It was clear that she was waiting for Alon to make the first move.
‘…Should I go for it?’
Just as Alon was about to speak the chant he had been considering…
“You’re damn noisy.”
A man erged from the pirates’ ship, which was anchored with hooks.
He wore an elaborate suit of silver armor and carried a blue trident, exuding an air of elegance that was quite unlike a pirate.
As he approached the captain with a relaxed expression…
“The Sea King…!?”
The captain’s face turned pale as he uttered the man’s title in shock.
Penia, who had just woken up from her faint, quickly assessed the situation, and her expression twisted in anxiety.
Having done her preliminary research before arriving, Penia knew exactly who the Sea King was.
‘The Pirate King…!’
A ruler who had unified six of the Seven Archipelagos and was called the Great Pirate—one of the most wanted n in Raksas.
Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, she gritted her teeth.
What on earth is going on!?
While Penia anxiously observed Alon’s passive behavior, wondering what he was planning, the Sea King spoke.
“There’s no way there’s a noble here…?”
The man seed utterly disinterested in such matters as he looked at the captain.
“Y-Yes, over there, over there!”
The captain stuttered as he pointed toward Alon.
The Sea King’s eyes naturally followed his gesture and landed on Alon.
“…Huh?”
A mont of silence passed, followed by a look of surprise on the Sea King’s face.
And then…
“B-Brother?”
The man known as both the Sea King and the Pirate King, Radan, called out to Alon in shock.
““?””
All eyes, including Penia’s, turned toward Alon.
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