The sun had set, and night had fallen over the sea.
I had been carried to bed and was lying there resting.
A towel sat on my forehead, cool and soothing. My face turning red from just a sip of liquor had been an oversight, but since my goal was accomplished, I figured there was no problem and drifted off to sleep.
Then the door was knocked. When I called out, the one who entered the room was Vera.
"So? Have you finally decided to accept my confession?"
When I said that, Vera answered with an exasperated expression.
"How can you be so upbeat about this. Just go to sleep. I only came to thank you personally. And I can't return your feelings. There's someone I like."
As I slowly sat up, Vera had moved closer to retrieve the towel that had slipped from my forehead.
I reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her in—and there was Vera, eyes narrowed, reaching behind her waist with one hand.
"That's a shame. But if that's the case, you'd better be careful."
"...What's that supposed to mean?"
Without releasing her, I pulled Vera onto the bed and pinned her down beneath me. Our positions had flipped from before.
Vera lay beneath me as I hovered over her.
Then I felt the cold touch of a golden gun barrel pressed against my stomach.
"...This isn't funny. I'd really rather not shoot the person who saved my life."
I laughed, then moved the barrel to the center of my chest.
"If you're going to aim, aim here. And it looks like there's no bullet loaded."
When I said that, Vera looked frustrated. She turned her face away from me, and then—
"You're after my fortune too, aren't you? You kept going on about funds and whatnot... Sorry, but you'll have to look elsewhere. I can't inherit the Trace name anyway. What a shame."
I listened to that.
"I see... So it's either unrequited love, or a difference in social standing. It's the former, isn't it."
Vera reacted to the unrequited love part. Watching her, I traced a finger along her collarbone.
"I want money. I want your connections. There's plenty I want... but now I want your body and your heart too."
"Are you drunk? I know you're riding high after your growth spurt, but you're going to regret this later."
I pinned down Vera, who was blushing and trying to resist, and grinned.
"Fine. Then let's make a bet."
"Again? You never learn, do you."
Watching Vera's breathing grow ragged, I—
"The deal lasts until we get back to Baim on this ship. You're staying in port for a few weeks, right?"
"...Well, we'll need repairs too, so it'll be a bit longer than that. What about it?"
I flashed Vera a grin.
"I won't do a thing. But if you admit defeat before we reach Baim... kiss me. And watch yourself. Don't think about me. If you keep thinking about me, you'll fall for me."
"...I can't wait to see what state you'll be in tomorrow. Don't worry—there's no chance I'd ever fall for you."
I got out of bed and offered Vera a hand to help her up. As she left the room, she pressed a hand against her chest and walked out.
As she was leaving—
"I only let you get away with all this because you're my savior. Don't get the wrong idea. But... thanks for today."
With that, she closed the door.
From the Jewel hanging around my neck, the Seventh Generation spoke.
"That was a failure, Raier-san."
In the empty room, I closed my eyes, confident in my victory.
"I told you, didn't I? Sometimes you have to lose in order to win in the end. What's left is simply to wait for the fallout. Even if I'd won that contest, she wouldn't have been convinced. If anything, winning would have made her go along reluctantly, and then it would really take forever until things fell apart. This was the right call."
The Fourth Generation spoke, laughing.
"I can see how that sounds like sore loser talk. Still, good work this time. Rather than calling it interesting, how should I put it... I'd say your aggressive posture was a step up from usual."
The Fifth Generation shared the opinion, but looked slightly worried.
"You were more aggressive than your usual self, Raier, but too much so. It worked out this time because the situation left no room to escape, but if there'd been an opening, you should have had retreat on the table as well. The post-Growth effect played out nicely, though."
The Seventh Generation was preoccupied with the whale's words—the White Whale's words.
"What concerns me are the White Whale's words. The House Walt from three hundred years ago—you don't think they could have some connection to us?"
The Third Generation was quiet for a moment before answering.
"…I can't say there's no possibility at all. The information on how Agrissa was defeated is strangely scarce. And it's a country that's been pulling all sorts of strings, so there could be some origin to all this. That said, Raier-san, you really are something. 'Don't think about it,' she says… which only makes me think about it more."
While I was at it, I also handed over the Magic Stones I'd collected.
This time, I'd obtained the head of Trashy. Scales, teeth, and metal—a huge haul. They'd cooperated, so the least I could do was hand over the Magic Stones. Still, when I said I'd take the entire head of Trashy, Vera had looked apologetic, and that nagged at me a little.
The way she kept asking "Are you sure that's really okay?" wasn't the same as demanding a bigger share—it felt more like she was worried about me.
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.
"Well, once we get back, we'll look into all sorts of things. Besides… by the time Baim arrives, Vera will have fallen for me."
The Fourth Generation reacted to my words.
"What staggering overconfidence… I can hardly wait for tomorrow."
The Fifth Generation muttered.
"If it were me, I'd probably be unable to take it and jump into the sea."
—Two days after the Trashy attack, on the morning of the second day.
Vera was chatting with the captain on the bridge. Her body felt light — she was sure she could beat anyone right now, probably thanks to the growth.
Still, she was keeping herself in check, watching Rael for reference.
"We're going to be late after all."
"The distance grew wider, and more than that, we burned two whole days. At my age, to have growth come along out of nowhere... honestly, I'd love to forget yesterday ever happened."
Defeating Trashy had triggered growth for everyone aboard. It wasn't as heavy as what Rael endured, but even Vera had spent a full two days not wanting to do a thing.
She still felt the rush now, and knew she wasn't capable of making calm decisions.
Yesterday, seeing the whole ship wrapped in that bizarre high, she had judged it too dangerous to push forward and had them pull close to shore for a rest at minimum.
They'd spent the time on cleaning and repairs inside the ship, but as a result, making port on time was looking hopeless.
"If only the master would come out of his room, that'd be a big help. That speed-boosting Skill? Think you could get him to use it?"
Vera perked up with a grin the moment she heard Rael's name.
"Doesn't look like he can. He's in pretty rough shape, after all."
The captain watched her.
"You're a bit heartless, young lady. Going to see him over and over like that..."
"I was just returning a kiss debt. Cheap deal, right? It was my first kiss."
"That's true enough."
The captain laughed, but then remembered there wasn't really anything to laugh about and tugged his hat low again.
"That said, we won't go into the red, but it's going to hurt our reputation."
Vera heard that and let out a sigh.
"Exactly... Maybe I'll go ask him one more time."
The captain watched Vera's cheerful profile as she spoke, pretending to adjust his hat while murmuring in a low voice.
"You're not being honest about it, are you?"
That was what they said—
"Stop it! Make them stop! Don't call me Lyle-san!"
Inside the room I'd been given, I was huddled under a blanket with my ears covered.
Voices drifted in from beyond the door, and from the Jewel as well.
"Boss, come on out!"
"Lyle-san, we're begging you!"
"The ship's been delayed. At least hear us out, Lyle-san!"
The crew warming up to me was all well and good, but now they'd taken to calling me "Boss" and "Lyle-san."
I wanted them to stop. Because—
"Hey, hey, what happened to the Lyle-san from three days ago? Come on outside and at least show off a Skill or two!"
"You can make even a goddess fall for you, right? Vera might already be head over heels! Let's go check out the results!"
At the sound of the Third Generation and Fourth Generation roaring with laughter, I screamed from inside my blanket.
"Screw you! I'm never going outside! Never!"
And then it seemed Novem and the others had arrived at the door.
"Lord Lyle, it's time for your meal, so please come out. You haven't eaten anything in days, have you?"
Miranda chimed in cheerfully.
"Just come out and whisper some sweet nothings already. Come on—it's a promise, isn't it? I'll listen nice and slow for you."
Aria knocked on the door even harder.
"How long are you going to mope in there?! You're going to grow mold! Get out here right now, and give us a passionate confession while you're at it!"
Shannon looked at me as though begging for help.
"Come out already! It's scary! Everyone's so worked up, it's terrifying!"
Eva looked equally exhausted.
"Dealing with all of them on our own is exhausting too, so hurry up and come out to take our place."
Clara said to Eva.
"You want Lyle to be your substitute? Classic elf. Always so good at playing dirty."
May called from behind the door.
"Clara changes the most, honestly. She's been like this since morning."
From behind the door, I could sense Clara buzzing with energy.
"Lyle, hiding away forever isn't going to solve anything. Come outside and let us tease you. It's all women here and it's getting boring. That spider woman who gets all flushed, that heroine — they're so annoying, so please come deal with them."
"...Hey, who exactly are you calling a heroine?"
Aria was on the other side of the door, pressing Clara on it.
"The one who drenched herself in blood fighting sahagins and scared all those sailor men witless. Just look in the mirror and you'll find her."
Shannon's screams rang out.
"The sailors all ran awaaay! Hey, the Lady just drew a dagger from her waist—! Come out right now, you stupid Lyle!"
I wrapped myself in the blanket and shouted back.
"No way! I'm absolutely not going outside! Just leave me alone until we arrive!"
Then, the locked door slowly swung open.
It was Monica.
"Still moping around like this… I do find that whole 'Chicken' thing charming, but the real regret is that you never whispered your love to me during the fever. That's what I regret most of all. Anyway, something to look forward to next time — it's time for a meal. Let's wipe you down too."
The door burst open, and Shannon came flying into the room.
"Hurry up and get up! You need to deal with these guys!"
As Shannon tried to forcibly drag me out of bed, a hand landed on her head. It was Miranda's hand. Miranda grabbed Shannon's head and said.
"Shannon… does that include me too? It makes me sad to think even you were looking at me with those kinds of eyes. Big sis is feeling so sad she wants to use Shannon as bait for fishing."
Shannon, her head squeezed tight, let out a scream of pain and terror.
"Kyaaaaa!!"
Novem came over with my meal and offered it to me with a bright smile.
"You haven't eaten anything in days, have you? Here, please eat."
Clara also came into the room, and the moment she saw me—
"You look terrible, Lyle. Want to tell me what happened? Are you bothered by how you confessed to Vera in high spirits after your growth spurt? Or are you sad because the confession failed? Which one is it?"
Watching Clara prod me with that pesky smile, I teared up and wrapped myself in my blanket.
Eva, meanwhile.
"The parts where you challenged the Trident Sea Serpent, or when you saved the merchant's daughter, were so cool… Why do you turn all cowardly once you get here? You're no fun. Cut from the song!"
Clara countered Eva's remarks with more confidence than usual.
"That's exactly why elves are no good! If you don't record facts meticulously, there's no point! I'm recording everything. I remember it all, you know. We were connected through the Connection — Lyle's every word, every action, all of it!"
I screamed.
"Just forget it! And what do you mean 'record' — are you saying I should be laughed at for the rest of my life?! Just cut all the embarrassing parts, would you?! Keeping a record like that is torture!"
May was eyeing the meal Novem was holding, and Monica stood by with my change of clothes ready. As the tiny room descended into chaos, Aria came in to let us know we had a visitor.
"Lyle, you have a guest. Come on, go greet them properly. It's the person you confessed to, after all. Ahh, I wish someone would give me a passionate confession like that too."
Receiving Aria's expectant gaze, I thought to myself with growing irritation.
"Stop staring at me!"
Grumbling inwardly, I looked at Vera, who was standing in front of the door.
"...What is it?"
She considered for a moment, then let out a sigh.
"I can't exactly make fun of you when you look like that. Well, I'll chalk it up to you being overexcited after your growth spurt. So cooperate with us. We'll pay you, too."
For now, desperate to escape this chaotic situation, I stood up with the blanket still draped over me and followed Vera.
At the bow of the ship, I lay on my side wrapped in the blanket.
I was using the Fourth Generation's Speed skill to boost the ship's velocity. The size of the ship and the fact that we were out on the ocean made the sensation of using the skill subtly different.
As I adjusted and kept the skill running, it ground through my magic power bit by bit.
However, thanks to having more magic power than before, I was barely able to maintain it.
"...I just want to become one with the sea and forget everything."
As I murmured that, Vera's voice came.
"A bit too poetic for a poet? And I wouldn't really recommend it. So stop thinking about jumping into the sea."
I slowly rolled over and looked behind me, where Vera was standing. Looking up at her—
"Black, huh... I think it looks good."
The silent Vera sat down beside me and handed me a drink. The cup held soup.
She was angry, but she didn't lay a hand on me.
"You're awfully composed. Drink that."
"...I thought you were going to kick me."
As I said that, I took the cup and brought it to my lips. It was delicious. A lot had happened, but sure enough, my body was craving food.
When I sat up, Vera settled down with her back resting against mine.
"...The person I mentioned before. My sister's boyfriend."
I tensed, expecting her to dredge up what happened after I grew up, but that didn't seem to be the case.
"Ever since I was young, it's always been men who were after the Trace family. You were the same, weren't you? Well, you were the first one to go that far, though."
"...I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. It just makes me sad. Sigh... I had a dream yesterday. A continuation of the same dream I always have."
As she talked about the dream, I sipped the soup from my cup. It seemed Vera often dreamed about sinking into the sea.
"But yesterday, I dreamed I made it to land. I felt so relieved. Looks like I won't have to keep worrying about it."
"Um, why are you telling me this?"
Vera thought for a moment, then stood up. She smoothed down her skirt, walked away from me, and then turned back.
"Who knows? Maybe I was just in that mood. I wanted to thank you for the dream, I suppose. And I wanted you to understand that I'm not so easy to win over? Well, to a ladies' man like you, I'm probably just one of many women."
She said that with a smile and walked away.
(Did I really say this woman would fall for me without doing anything? ...Future me is an idiot... Well, that is me, technically.)
I tried to call out to her, but no words came.