It's true that the sea breeze is only good for the first time.
'My hair is sticky. I can't let Master Magnus stroke me like this.
　Aria and Chocolat blurted out.
　It's been an hour since the ship left port.
　It's about time they got tired of standing on the edge of the deck with me and watching the waves on the ocean.
'Well, Chocolat. If you wanted to be petted, you could have just told me. 'Gulp, gulp.'
'Please don't, Lady Aria. Your sticky hair will clump up in a strange way.'
　It's probably out of boredom....Aria and Chocolat were frequently jostling each other like this.
　I've been watching their interactions with each other on the edge of my seat.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to fight...?

　He even tried to intercede in a shaky voice.
　But both Aria and Chocolat were stunned.

A fight. I don't mean to be so mean to you.
It's just as you said, Aria-sama. I'm honestly very grateful to you, Aria-sama, for taking good care of me, even though I'm just a maid for the occasion. I'm very happy to have met both of you, Magnus and Aria. It was worth enduring five hundred years of lonely thoughts.
"Oh, I see......... I hope I'm wrong. But we're both girls. If we're close, then we could have more of these.......spineless banter or something.......
Hmmm, Mr. Magnus, you have too many fantasies about girls.
"How about you get used to being a woman?　I'll gladly be a training ground.'
Uh-huh. Is this the mouth that says the wrong thing?

　I was pulling Chocolat's mouth from beside Aria's words, from side to side.
　I was getting more and more on edge, and Chocolat was protesting, ''Ouch (hita) hi-hi-isu'', but....
　Indeed, if you look closely, you can see that Chocolat looked her usual expressionless and her eyes were clearly smiling. She seemed to be enjoying skin-to-skin contact with a stranger for the first time in five hundred years.

　I'm not very good at skin-to-skin contact with others, or rather, I'm the type of person who refrains from touching others myself....
　It's a good thing that you can't get away with it.

''I mean, you know, Magnus-san. It's a good thing that you're friends with each other, wouldn't you normally do this kind of thing with each other, zealously, zealously?

　Aria huffed in the middle of saying that.
　She took Chocolat a little further away and explained in a whisper.

'It was. Mr. Magnus was a man without friends.
"Poor Mr. Magnus. I will serve you more and more faithfully so that you will not be missed.
There!　I can hear you!

　I tsk, and Aria chuckles back, "Just kidding.

'Hey?　We're good friends, and we do this much together, and I think we have fun together and don't get bored. I mean, we're more of a business partner than a friend, like we're just having spineless banter all the time.
...I see.

　Aria really has a lot to learn from me.
　I'm sure that's why I can't help but respect her as a person and that's why I love her so much as a lover.

　　　　◇◆◆◆◆.

　The three of us never get tired of our banter, a mixture of affection and thorns.
　The boat trip should be boring, but somehow we forgot the time.

　This ship we were on was a trading vessel owned by the Malm Trading Company.
　It's a fairly large ship, 60 meters long and three masts. And it was a state-of-the-art ship.
　It was called the "Maria of Hope".

　She was heading straight for Nerf Island, my first destination.

The wind is blowing so hard today that it's almost a once-in-a-year thing, but it's so smooth. At this rate, we'll arrive two hours earlier than planned.

　That's what the captain, Barbas, said.

　He is fifty-two years old, with one eye and one arm. He has a muscular physique to match his age. He is an experienced captain that the Malm Chamber of Commerce has hired for a large sum of money as a potential candidate for the job.
　He used to be the captain of a pirate ship, a fierce man with a unique background.
He is full of pride, saying, "Leave the affairs of the sea to me," and he does not show restraint, even when dealing with the daughter of his employer.
　He was a trustworthy professional.

　In fact, he was right on target.
　We arrived at Nerf's largest port two hours ahead of schedule.
　As Ramsey had felt in Alabana, the predictions of a man who knows his way around the world are so accurate that it never ceases to amaze him.

　Such was the case with Barbas, who reported in a sharp voice.

'There's a cinnamon stench coming from the harbour.

　The meaning of his words was immediately apparent.

　A single small sailing ship had left the harbor and was now being pursued and surrounded by five medium-sized sailing ships.

'The one that's encircling you is flying the flag of the Azzurri Chamber of Commerce, I see.

　Captain Barbas watches intently.

　And the very reason I came to Nerf Island was to make amicable contact with the Azzurri trading company that has this island as its territory.
　I'd rather not get into trouble at the outset.

　The captain continued.

It's just a normal scenario," the captain continued, "that the Azzurrians are chasing after the smugglers and trying to get them to follow their orders. But that's just ridiculous. That's what my gut tells me. The five ships surrounding them look more like pirates.

　With that said, I asked Aria and I to make a decision.

　This is the only way to get the ship moving, to determine its course, to manage the crew - this man would never let us, amateurs, have any say in such matters.
　But when it comes to the policies that this ship should have adopted in the first place, he listens very attentively.
　He's not just a one-man captain.

'Can you break into that siege and get next to a small ship, Captain?

　If that little ship belongs to the criminals, we can take it out ourselves and turn it over to the Azzurri Commission of Commerce as a greeting.
　But if the captain's instincts are right--
　I trusted his reading predictions and asked for a request that could be handled both ways.

I got it. No problem.

　The captain smiled wickedly in response.
　That's exactly what it feels like to be on a big ship.
　Barbas gives precise instructions to his crew. They are also highly-paid professionals, handpicked by the captain. They are tough guys who have been at sea far longer than they have been on land.
　In the blink of an eye, the "Maria of Hope" broke through the encirclement and flanked a small ship.

　On the deck of the small boat, a mother with a baby in her arms was shouting.
　She was a beautiful woman of strange age, in a dress that was not flashy but well-tailored and tasteful, and she was screaming in a screeching voice, distorting her form.

'We're being pursued by the bad guys!　Help!　Please!

　I'm not so shallow as to take the complaint of a mother holding an innocent baby for granted.
　But--
　But oh, but what a shallow and unknown group of people surrounded us and the small ship now.
"As soon as they came alongside the Maria, without permission, they threw a lot of ropes with four-clawed anchors at us, secured us in place, and then attacked us through the ropes.

"Hihihi, why are you guys coming in here all of a sudden?
I wouldn't mind a big game like this for a big game like this.
You're one of the guys on that smuggler's boat, aren't you?　Okay?　Well, I don't know if I'd tell you differently.
You're supposed to have your own people following you around.
Where's the guy who can't take a beating?

　Making false accusations, killing us all, and trying to steal this fine ship for its cargo was no different from the way pirates do things without justice.
　Captain Barbas' instincts were right again.

"I guess we'll just have to punish them for this.
"Yes, Master Magnus. Tell me what to do.

　Me and Chocolat split up on either side of the deck to face the swarming pirates.

'Why not, buddy?　You want to give up?　Heh, you're a smart guy!
'But I'm sorry!　You're all going to be killed!
I'm gonna keep you alive, Cho. Until we get bored.
Where's the guy who can't take a beating?

　The pirates brandished their curved swords (cutlasses) and slashed at us without question.
　They had a sneaky smile on their faces, teasing their prey.

　I'm going to strike the "Great Magic Staff" into its face without mercy.

　If that one is also a no-questions-asked question, this one is also no-questions-asked.
　I'm not going to be able to get a good look at them.

　I'm a Wizard, but I've reached Level 38. Moreover, I've fully boosted all of my status with the Fruit of Destrent.
　Even in a hand-to-hand combat, even if your opponent is the vanguard, you'd need a level in the mid-20s to compete with me.
　How many people like that would be in the Kasiu?
　And there's no way I'm going to get beaten up by these riffraff. I don't need to use magic.

　It's a good idea to have a good time.

I'm not going to be able to get it for you. I'm not going to be able to get a hold of you. You can't be violent. I'm against violence!'

　He was gritting the pirates, screaming and gritting them.
　He became the incarnation of violence and kicked them with a punch. Fortunately for the hit, I knocked her down into the sea.
　She's a slaughterhouse maid in her own right, and now she's the owner of a fighting ability that surpasses mine.
　I'll never fall behind a pirate!

"Wow, these are all Pokemon...
Save my life!
Where's the guy who wants to get beat up?

　Chocolat and I will continue to knock those begging for their lives down to the ocean, no questions asked.
　I'm not going to take my life, but you can cool your head for a while and reflect on it.

It's a done deal.

　And Chocolat placed his hands on either side of his hips, proudly.

'Once again, Magnus-san is substandard, isn't she? And even Chocolat-san is strong........

　Aria was stunned.

　Captain Barbas and the rest of the crew of the "Maria of Hope" also rolled their eyes.
　It's not a bad feeling to be recognized by a man among men as they are.

　　　　◇◆◇◆◇◇.

Thank you for your help.

　The mothers and sailors aboard the small boat, all holding their babies, gathered together and bowed.

'You should thank Captain Barbas over here. He's the one who spotted that something was wrong and warned us.
No, no, I owe that to Lord Magnus. Anyway, don't raise your head. You can't save people in a harsh sea, even if you wanted to, and there are many cases where the only way to save people is to let them die. That's why we should save people when we can. I think that's what I think.

　The experienced ex-pirate captain played the good guy with aplomb.
　I suppose this is the kind of man who is known to live for a thousand miles on the sea.

"Whoever you are, I would like to thank you all for saving my life.

　The young and beautiful mother, on the other hand, did not readily raise her head.
　Then she said her name politely.

"I'm Felix's wife, my name is Hannah,
What?　Then, if it is, it's the Azzurri Chamber of Commerce!
'Yes, sir. The Azzurri is my husband's business association. ....or should I say, was a chamber of commerce...

　Hanna said, and a shadowy look came over her face.