The sea came into view.
I watched the scene slowly sink into the deep, dark depths of the ocean, the light growing distant.
The sea glittered with countless tiny red lights drifting about, and there was no sign of life anywhere around.
Upon reaching the bottom, I gathered the small lights toward myself.
Taking my time, and once the tiny lights had grown scarce, I surfaced once more.
Then, a voice called out.
"Your role is finished—"
A figure bathed in sunlight addressed me in a woman's voice. I thought I heard my name, but I couldn't make it out.
And then, I said something.
"Next time—"
The figure reached out a hand. I extended my arm to take it, but my arm was filthy. Rotten and ragged, it was covered with moss, some kind of shellfish, and coral that had clung to it after emerging from the sea.
My heartbeat grew violent. I looked at the surface of the sea, and reflected there was the visage of a monster.
And the other party was smiling.
"Well done—"
I heard my name called again, and my arm crumbled, my body crumbled, and I sank back down into the sea. Shattering into pieces, I descended in an ugly state back to the ocean floor—.
When I opened my eyes, it was still dark outside.
Through the window, the scattered lights of the town flickered into view.
The girl, her breathing ragged, turned her face and reached for the pocket watch on the bedside table. She picked up the golden pocket watch, flipped open the lid, and checked the time.
The opened lid emitted light, and she confirmed the time.
Sitting up, she steadied her ragged breathing and brushed away the hair that clung to her damp face with her hand.
"Hah... hah... Four o'clock. Can't fall back asleep from here."
Pressing her left hand to her forehead, the girl — Vela Trace — surveyed the room. This wasn't the familiar cabin aboard a ship; it was her own room in the manor house.
The place had been cleaned, but it held not a trace of lived-in warmth.
As she got up, she pinched the fabric of her nightgown. She was drenched in sweat.
"Lately it's been happening a lot. Before, it was maybe once a year, if even that."
Vela had seen that nightmare more times than she could count. Every time, it woke her with a start.
(When was the first time I had it?)
Shaking her head, she peeled off her nightgown and headed toward the bathroom in her room to take a shower, clad only in her underthings.
Her black hair was long at the two side sections that were pulled up, reaching down to her waist. Everywhere else, however, it fell only to about shoulder length. Her shapely figure possessed elegant curves.
Even a girl with that figure had her share of complaints. Chief among them, though, was her modest chest — hardly her younger sister's equal.
(Hah... if it were just a little bigger, maybe he would have turned my way...)
In the bathroom mirror, a pair of purple eyes stared back at her. She touched her pale skin with her fingers.
Despite spending nearly the entire year at sea, her skin never tanned. She'd been told it time and again — she was different from other people.
But she had never been treated as a monster.
Quite the opposite, in fact — sailors called her a goddess of fortune. No matter how many times she found herself in mortal peril, the ship would inexplicably refuse to sink as long as she was aboard.
In waters teeming with dangerous Monsters, she would board and not a single one would appear. She herself chalked it up to coincidence, but those around her disagreed.
Now she had been entrusted with important vessels by her father and worked for the good of the family — Vela Trace was one of the most prominent merchant daughters in all of Baim.
"...I need to go out shopping today. We set sail next week... and it sounds like we're carrying crucial cargo this time, so I'll definitely be told to board."
Murmuring that to herself, she slipped out of her undergarments and stepped into the shower.
"Vela Trace?"
I murmured the name upon reading it in the report I'd just received, having visited Rauno's office together with Miranda.
I'd gained fame as a Holy Knight and the like, but in exchange, I'd lost a massive portion of my available funds.
Still, it seemed to have been worth it—even my standing at the Guild had changed for the better. But being flat broke was rough. My future actions would be heavily restricted.
Well, I wouldn't struggle to cover day-to-day living expenses, but for someone who needed funds on a national-budget scale, I had no choice but to seek outside support somehow.
That was why I'd commissioned Rauno, the information broker, to conduct this investigation.
Miranda silently perused the other documents.
Rauno scratched his head with a drowsy expression and began explaining.
"To fulfill what you're looking for, the Trace family is probably your best bet. They don't have any adventurers under their patronage, but they're merchants of Baim—well, one of the merchants who run this city. They mainly profit from trade."
They were a major trading house that owned multiple large cargo vessels and ranked among the most well-known families in Baim.
What struck me as odd was that, despite being Baim merchants, they hadn't entered into exclusive contracts with any adventurers.
With that kind of scale, it wouldn't be unusual for them to be sponsoring several promising parties. And yet, the Trace family hadn't done so.
Rauno continued his explanation.
"They're a broad operation, but the problem isn't just that. When you send out ships, they often sink—storms, accidents, Monsters, and the like. But the Trace family has a remarkably high success rate. Apparently, the difference compared to others is quite significant. Thanks to that kind of trust, they have wide-reaching relationships with other merchant houses. That's why they're one of Baim's top merchants. Nobody would be foolish enough to cross them."
I looked over the documents.
I'd been searching for merchant families that might provide support, and the report stated that while the Trace family topped the list, they were also the least likely prospect.
"It doesn't look like they'd be willing to support me?"
Rauno grinned, draping an arm over the back of his sofa.
"This might sound harsh, but with the kind of fame you've got, I'm not sure they'd even give you the time of day if you approached them. After all, to the Trace family, merchants like Zayin and Rolfis would be considered small fry as business partners. Even if you offered them exclusive sales rights to both nations as a goodwill gesture, it's unclear whether they'd bite."
Through the Jewel, the Fourth Generation looked troubled.
"That would put us in a tough spot, even if they did. Exclusive rights have their perks, but the downsides are just as big... Still, I underestimated Baim. Merchants really aren't to be trusted, are they?"
The Seventh Generation would look over the other reports as well.
"The Trace family is still the top candidate, as expected. The others want Lyle's fame, so they're relatively straightforward. But taking on Lyle doesn't offer much benefit here. Actually, there's even the possibility of clashing with other merchants."
Both Zayin and Rolfis were already doing business with merchants other than the Trace family.
Displacing those merchants, and then getting into a dispute with the local merchants based where Zayin and Rolfis operated—the Trace family wouldn't be interested in that.
Besides, they were already conducting large-scale trade with other countries. They were merchants who had no need for my fame or connections.
"...The support amounts and conditions from the others are all pretty similar. A thousand gold coins a year? Job requests are billed separately."
Rauno said with a grin.
"I hear plenty of merchants would pay double to sign with a famous party, but the adventurers they normally use can be hired for a lot less. These terms are only if they're trying to lock you in. And this is just my estimate—push it, and the conditions could get even worse."
With my level of fame, this seemed to be about the limit.
(Just as Tahnia said, they were probably valuing individual combat prowess over mercenary capability.)
If they were going to hire bodyguards anyway, they probably wanted someone strong, even if they weren't the sharpest tool in the shed.
Warriors over strategists.
That was exactly what Tahnia had told him when the merchants came calling after the dragon hunt.
Miranda finished reading the documents and turned her gaze toward me.
"So if there's anyone with a shot, it'd be that girl Vera? Lyle, think you could take her?"
Miranda asked so casually that I held up both palms toward her and shook my head.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Take her down? You mean fight her? Even if it doesn't look like it, I'm pretty opposed to hitting or cutting girls, you know."
Rauno looked at Miranda.
"If there's anyone with a chance, it'd be that girl. But the odds are virtually nonexistent. There haven't been any rumors of her being flighty or loose, either. Apparently, she spends more time on ships than on land these days. I asked some sailors, and apparently the Goddess of Fortune isn't really a romantic prospect."
When I heard "Goddess of Fortune," I tilted my head.
"The Goddess of Fortune?"
Rauno prefaced his remark with "It's just a rumor," making sure to note that the information was unreliable.
"No matter how difficult the voyage, if Vera is on board, it's guaranteed to succeed — that's what sailors believe. But it's not just them. People from the Trace family think so too. That's why they call Vera the Goddess of Fortune."
I studied the documents, resting a hand on my chin in thought.
If I could get their backing, this would be the ideal arrangement... but with a different trading house, I'd have to deal with their relationships with other adventurers and mercenary companies. It wasn't a bad thing per se, but it would restrict my own freedom of movement, and I didn't like that.
As I pondered, Miranda peered at my face and giggled.
"Come to think of it, you're planning to use the northern sea route, right? What about boarding the Trace family's newest ship? It would cut down the travel time both ways."
Rauno chimed in as well.
"Now that you mention it, it happens to be in port right now. A large vessel that can really move. They say it's exclusively for Vera's use — and that part might actually be true."
So the word was that Vera, the woman everyone was talking about, was currently aboard the Trace family's cutting-edge ship — the one I'd rather not see sunk.
"Well, whether I end up sinking it or not, setting that aside, there might at least be an opportunity to discuss whether they could provide support."
That was when the Fourth Generation spoke up in an amused tone.
"Come to think of it, I've never actually tested whether my Skills work on ships. I mean, they work on small boats, sure."
The Third Generation added:
"Oh, that's a great idea! If you can boost the ship's speed, Rael could offer the Trace family something in return."
It was the Fifth Generation who opposed the two of them.
"You might end up bound by a contract, and it sounds like it'll turn into a mess, so just drop it. Testing it out should be fine, I guess. But a goddess connected to the Trace family, huh... Is it a coincidence, or...?"
The Fifth Generation's words left me feeling uneasy, but I gathered up the documents and handed them to Miranda. Miranda traced her finger over Vera's name written in the pages.
"Interesting. Last time, Novem turned down Princess Anneline. I wonder how things will go this time."
Hearing that, Rauno pressed a hand over his mouth.
"So that rumor was true after all? And now even Aramsass's Damian is moving into your estate... What are you planning this time?"
I stood up and turned to Rauno.
"I'll pay the compensation to Innis. And this time, we won't be doing anything so grand. We're just going to see the job through."
I said that with a smile, but Rauno didn't seem to believe it.
"I get that slaying dragons is important, but you're talking about an undertaking so dangerous that even knights run away from it... Well, if nothing comes of it, that's fine by me. Oh, and pay the compensation to me. If you send it to Innis, it'll all get eaten up by rent and living expenses, and next to nothing will reach me."
Miranda heard that exchange and laughed.
"Not a chance. I want to stay on good terms with Innis. Besides, you should pay your rent and living expenses."
Rauno replied in a thoroughly unmotivated tone, "It's a hassle. Besides, even if I'm late on payments, things work out somehow," and flopped down on the sofa.
I thought to myself.
(He's so unreliable on a daily basis, yet he's meticulous when it comes to work.)
I found myself growing a little curious about Rauno.
---Meanwhile, Novem had made her way to the Trace family's trading house.
She had brought along a letter of introduction from the Guild and had come with Clara to request passage on a ship.
Once they were led to a room in the back of the trading house, the person in charge appeared and greeted the two of them. He was a man in his thirties, dressed in a suit, with a gentle demeanor.
They all took seats on sofas, facing each other across a low table. Clara sipped her drink and showed no interest in joining the conversation.
Novem explained their business to the man.
"We've heard that a ship bound for the north is setting sail, and that its travel speed differs from other vessels. Would it be possible for us to board?"
The man in charge then addressed Novem.
"I've reviewed your letter of introduction from the Guild. I never imagined I'd receive a request from the party of the famed Holy Knight herself. However, this isn't a passenger ship. It does have reasonable facilities, but we can't simply take on passengers for the trip, can we? I think it would be safer for you to board a ship arranged through the Guild."
The region where the hunting request for the Land Dragon had been issued was simply too far by land. Mountain crossings would be necessary, and overland travel was completely out of the question.
And the ship the Guild would arrange would take far too long. Besides, there was always the risk of sinking.
(...Honestly, we could manage the trip on our own, but still.)
Novem flashed a bright smile.
"We're not looking for a free ride. We simply want to shorten our travel time. We'll happily cover the fare ourselves?"
The man pretended to consider the offer for a moment, then—
"I'm sorry, but even with payment, I don't think we can accommodate you. This is our newest and largest vessel, and it incorporates some highly classified technology. If it absolutely must be, you're welcome to take a different ship instead. That one would be on us—there'd be no charge, given the Guild's recommendation."
Despite the smile plastered across his face, the man's refusal was unmistakably firm. Just then, a knock echoed through the room.
The man wore a troubled expression, offered an apology, and rose to his head for the door.
"What is it? I'm in the middle of attending to our guests—"
His voice drifted faintly from outside.
"—no, that matter isn't something I handle—"
It sounded like there was some kind of dispute happening outside the room.
Clara finished her tea and glanced toward the door.
"This doesn't look easy. They really don't want to get anywhere near the Goddess of Fortune, do they? Well, I suppose the rumors about Ryeal don't help."
Once word of the Ryeal incident got around, no parent with a daughter to protect would want to put her on the same ship. That was precisely why Novem and Clara had come to negotiate in person.
Novem thought it was a failed endeavor. But then—
"No... something's off."
A flustered voice could be heard from beyond the door.
"At a time like this? B-but we don't have any adventurers willing to take on escort jobs right now—Very well. I'll see what I can do. Please convey that to your master as well."
Then, the door opened and the man stepped inside. He seemed a bit more flustered than before, but his smile hadn't wavered.
And the man—
"My apologies for earlier. Also, our circumstances have changed as well. If you're willing to take on our commission, then I'll agree to the matter we discussed before. Of course, we'll also pay you a commensurate fee."
Seeing the man's changed attitude, Novem smiled and—
"Could you tell us more about it?"
And so she said—