volume 3 - Chapter c259 (1/2)

To Ampere Seale!(1)

“How are the negotiations going, Gryphine?” The Nun Princess, Margaret asked in her long silver gown as she stepped down the horse carriage, waiting for quite some time in the carriage.

“It’s not going well. Arreck that sly fox was trying to get his hands on the Haruze. “ Gryphine blankly spoke. The weather was slightly chilly, and her servant draped a coat over her shoulders. She continued “I will never allow that to happen. I don’t think Master Fleetwood and Sir Makarov will agree to it as well. “

“Then what do we have to do?” The ever so soft Nun Princess asked with a concerning tone. “I heard that your brother had met up with Arreck.”

“That’s fine.” Gryphine was not in the slightest worried about this matter, “Arreck was just boasting. He knew we would not agree to the terms and is using this as a chance to figure out the limit in which we would offer.” At this point, the half elf teenage girl raised her head to look at the sky.

Despite nearing the year’s Revival month, the entire city was dull and inactive, like the falling snowflakes.

Gryphine sighed, “There’s still room to negotiate in this”

Brendel’s POV

In Kirrlutz, the adventurers dominated the west of Aouine, and there was an inland sea near the south of the country. Moving west from Port Gris, one would enter the s.h.i.+ning and pale blue waters. And if they continue north, they would enter one of the main channels that were headed for Ampere Seale.

It was sunny that day. A s.h.i.+p was traveling across the waters with high speed. It was moving not far away from the coast, and there were seagulls circling its three masts. On it, there were papyrus and crystal ornaments, allowing it to disguise as a merchant s.h.i.+p that came from the Rubik Nation from the south. That nation was located to the furthest south of the desert region, and was full of wonders. There was a merchant travel route from this country to the Nine Phoenix. However, due to the distance, Brendel had never ventured to that place.

Beneath his feet, the s.h.i.+p was known as “Faraway”. It was a new boat and was registered in the Ampere Seale to be a legal merchant s.h.i.+p. Carglise was only able to obtain the s.h.i.+p only because the Firbur Group had close ties with the merchants of Ampere Seale. It was a pretty fast boat, thus giving it the nickname “the best brat” by the native tongue.

The captain was around 30 years old. While he was a lot younger compared to the other captains, it was an indication of his superior ability to lead. The young captain was like a king, and did not bow down to any of the n.o.bles. Brendel hated their influence as well, and this led them to become fast friends.

The captain was named James. Unlike other sailors, he kept his appearance clean. No matter if it was his beard or his outfit, he would pa.s.s as an ordinary civilian anywhere else. However, he did have an odd fas.h.i.+on sense, and liked to wear a large red overcoat and a boat-shaped hat with a sword on his waist as well as a smoking pipe on his lips. Brendel had heard many stories about drunken captains that were horrible at commanding a s.h.i.+p, but that impression was shattered upon seeing James.

However, the captain exuded an aura that was oddly similar to the militant. Disciplined and strict. Upon asking, Brendel found out that he was the descendant of some navy captain in the past. While the militant operations have now converted to a merchant business, the aura of a soldier stuck.

The two of them stood on the deck, slowly watching the waters turn to a purplish hue. They had been into the s.h.i.+ning Sea for one day now, and the mast’s shadow. Soon, they will reach the deep waters and by then, even the seagulls will disappear.

These were the normal sights for James. Albeit being only a young thirty years old, he had been on this route for the past twenty years. From a sailor to an officer, and then recently being promoted to the captain. And in terms of experience, there was no one on the s.h.i.+p who had it more than him! But Brendel was not surprised. He had much more of an exposure, and had probably seen even deeper waters. Even if he was put against the most experienced sailor, Brendel was sure that the young captain would have more to say about the sea myths!

The n.o.ble next to him, Amandina was staring blankly at the seas. As far as she could remember, she had always been living in the mountainous areas in the south of Aouine. She was unfazed by the first time she saw the sea at Port Gris, but that look was really different than what it was back then. She had read her father’s notes before, that the sea as seen from the waters was way more of a sight than seeing it from the sh.o.r.e. She had her doubts at first. But right now, she just realized how wrong she was last time.

Upon reaching the sea, one’s fate was placed in the arms of the sea, with a fickle mood that paid no mind to the sailors’ lives. And even in the best times, the waves looked terrifying. Even the strong and st.u.r.dy s.h.i.+p looked like a rowboat. Many seafarers were scared to weak knees when seeing the sea for the first time. Comparatively, Amandina was really brave.

Romaine who was jumping so enthusiastically at first was now dizzy with sea-sickness and was left to rest in her room. She was complaining so much about it that she scolded Brendel for bringing her upon this ‘pirate-s.h.i.+p’.

“But if you want to become a big merchant, you must have to suit yourselves in such waves. It is unheard of for a merchant to be sick in this situation.” Brendel coaxed her and she was left with the only option to bury her head beneath the pillows and cry.

“I think I’m beginning to understand my father, my lord.” Amandina was standing by the side of the s.h.i.+p, her head bent down to see the streaks of white left by the s.h.i.+p as it coursed through the blue waters. In reality, she was feeling sick, but upon seeing Brendel on the deck she thought to herself:

How can I back down when My Lord is here? How can I be weaker than him!

And so she gritted her teeth to stay on it.

“Yep?” Brendel looked back at the silent lady. Everyone’s impression of her was a young n.o.ble lady with a lot of knowledge, and was studious yet silent. But what they had not seen was a sight of her valor.

“Before when I had never been to see the outside world with My Lord, I had never expected it to be so beautiful. Although I have seen the sketches left by my father, they were really incomparable to the actual thing. If not because I’m looking at it right now, I will never expect myself to long for it so much.”

“...As I am here, looking at the skyline where the waters met the skies, I cannot help but want to see the end of this ocean, cannot help but wonder what lies there.” Amandina continued, her voice becoming rater soft and innocent. “I believe my father had the exact same thoughts as me.”

Brendel sensed rue in her words. She must be thinking about her dead parents and her relatives back in Grinoires.

How stupid am I? I still have my family here. Although I may not be the real Brendel, I should probably return someday. But, when…

Amandina was mourning for not having a home to return to; He, on the other hand, had a place to return to, but was unwilling to do so. [T/L: The irony.]

At that moment, he could not help but ask, “Do you blame him?”

She shook her head, “I don’t know. Despite being a n.o.ble, Mother rants sometimes too. But I believe I could understand her thoughts. Just because we’re n.o.ble, I had always expected myself to be more mature than those my age. And yet, the hatred still lies there.”