"If you''re feeling out of it, you could rest at the inn, you know . "


    "Kuu…"


    Yuzuha, curled in a ball on Shin''s shoulder, expressed that she was okay, so he just lightly patted her on the head .


    Since their battle with the demons that attempted to sacrifice the Holy Woman Hermie, Yuzuha would sometimes lean on his shoulders, maybe because she was not feeling too well .


    "Yourpanion does not seem to be feeling well . "


    "She''s saying she''s OK, though . It doesn''t look like she has a fever either, so I''ll just keep an eye on her for now . "


    Leaving Hermie to Wilhelm''s care, Shin and Schnee had gone to meet Berett at Balmel''s Golden Company, as they needed a ship to return to Sigurd .


    Many of the ships leaving Balmel''s port headed towards the northern part of the continent (Est) . Travel bynd would take too much time, so they decided to head by sea to a port town near Sigurd and then reach the city bynd .


    Using the dragons to travel by air was ast resort, so the party would not use them this time .


    "So, how are the arrangements for the ship going?"


    At Schnee''s question, Berett lowered his head apologetically .


    "I would love to help you, but unfortunately our guild''s ships are all out . There is, however, one ship heading towards Est . It will stop by another port for supplies on the way there, but it will certainly allow you to reach your destination faster than waiting for one of our ships . What do you say?"


    It was a ship that carried both trade goods and people . A rtively high social status was required to board it, but with Berett''s introduction the party would have been able to board it easily .


    "Using Tsuki no Hokora''s introduction or revealing our members'' identity would have been troublesome, so this really helps . "


    An introduction letter from Tsuki no Hokora would have been more than enough proof of status . Using Hermie''s name too would have probably made it easy to board the ship . But both methods would have created trouble down the line, so they wanted to avoid them as much as possible .


    An introduction letter from Berett, Golden Company deputy manager, had the same worth, but saying that they were business partners made it easier to use in their situation .


    Having an A-rank adventurer (Wilhelm) and a Church knight (Konig) with them, saying that they nned to do item transactions would make their travel more believable .


    "The ship''s departure is scheduled for tomorrow, would that be alright?"


    "Yes, we don''t have a lot of time to waste, so that''s perfect . "


    "I will contact youter about the current avable cabins . "


    "I would prefer a private one . There are some members that wouldn''t like their faces to be seen . "


    "Understood . Please wait a while . "


    Berett opened a drawer and began to write quickly on a piece of paper . He then inserted it into an envelope marked with the Golden Company''s logo and sealed it with wax .


    "Please show this to the captain . I will let them know . "


    "Thank you, and sorry for the trouble . "


    "It is a joy and an honor for me to be of help to High Humans . Do not worry . "


    Berett''s smiling expression as he bowed was honest and pure . There wasn''t the single trace of malice within it .


    Shin thanked the man again and left the Golden Company .


    ◆◆◆◆


    While Shin''s entourage was at the Golden Company, Tiera, Filma and Shibaid were buying foodstuffs and items . Kagerou, as usual, stayed within Tiera''s shadow .


    Filma, who had awoken after a 500-year long sleep, was excited to see the streets'' hustle and bustle .


    "As expected of a town based on trade, there''s so many people here . They also look pretty happy too, it''s a relief to see . "


    "A relief?"


    Filma''s words caused Tiera''s puzzled question . After a chuckle, Filma answered .


    "I only remember until the era of reconstruction after the natural disasters . At the time, even a small earthquake was enough to send everyone into a panic . "


    There was no sorrow in Filma''s tone .


    "As the generations changed, they probably forgot about what happened then . But the present was born on the efforts of many people . Now and then, people are much more resilient than one would expect . "


    Shibaid, who was apanying them to prevent Filma from going too wild,mented with a smile .


    Not finding any words to say, Tiera kept quiet .


    "Yes, I feel that clearly . Anyway, that was nice of you to leave Shin and Schnee by themselves, Shibaid . You''ve be more perceptive, haven''t you?"


    "To be precise, there''s someone else with them . But I didn''t do it for a particr reason . I just made the decision that letting you go unattended was far more dangerous . "


    "And what would you mean by that?"


    "I''m speaking from past experience . Try to think about it and you''ll understand . "


    Shibaid was looking at Filma with half-opened eyes, clearly showing his disbelief at herst question .


    "Don''t treat me like a troublemaker now . Well, I''ve gone a little overboard sometimes in the past, I''ll admit . "


    Maybe because she recalled what Shibaid was talking about, Filma avoided looking directly at him .


    "Come on, both of you, that''s enough . Since we''re out in town and all, why don''t we check out the stores?"


    "That''s true too . We have the list of what we need, so let''s wrap that up quickly . "


    "Yes, yes…"


    Filma weed Tiera''s proposal, while Shibaid gave a wryugh . He didn''t want to fight either, after all .


    Filma quickly went to buy foodstuffs .


    "Tiera, are you good at picking the good from the bad here?"


    "More or less . I''ve been trained by master, after all . How about you, Filma?"


    "I can cook if it gets down to it, but I make no promises about the taste . So, the choice of the groceries is up to you . "


    Shibaid wasn''t one to be fussy about food either, so the only one among them who could tell the good groceries from the bad ones was Tiera .


    The huge load of foodstuffs they bought was then carried by Shibaid .


    "We really bought a huge amount…will you be all right?"


    Tiera was worried about Shibaid carrying therge bag of groceries by himself, but Filma casually brushed away her concerns .


    "No need to worry, he''s not the type of guy to buckle under this much weight . "


    "No problem, I will ce them in the item box as soon as we reach a ce without people around . "


    Shibaid was in fact holding the bag without the least bit of difficulty .


    "By the way, Tiera, there''s something I wanted to ask you…"


    "Yes, what is it?"


    "What''s your reason for traveling with Shin?"


    "Hmm, I have been wondering that too . And the divine beast you have with you is clearly superior to your abilities as a tamer, too . "


    Shibaid also joined in questioning Tiera .


    "Uhm, do I have to talk about that here?"


    "On the contrary, this is the ideal situation to . Crowded ces are the best to talk about secrets . "


    In a noisy and bustling street, as Filma said, it would be impossible to understand who was talking about what . Furthermore, neither Konig the Church knight nor Wilhelm the White Lion Lancer were around .


    "Shin and Schnee are close to me, that''s why I want to know . "


    Both Filma and Shibaid served directly under Shin, thus they wondered why Tiera, who was not under Shin''smand, was part of the entourage .


    Tiera understood that they didn''t just ask her on a whim, and nodded seriously .


    "I understand . Everything started when my master, Schnee, saved me . "


    Tiera than exined briefly what happened until Shin removed her curse .


    "… . I see . It''s true that the "Cursed Gift" was usually removed in town before, so there was nothing else to do . "


    "Indeed . I too have attempted to research it, but could not find anything . "


    "Shin seemed to know about it, but both of you didn''t?"


    Tiera was surprised to know that, Schnee included, no one knew how to acquire the skill of 【Purification】 .


    "I knew that Shin had learned it though . I helped looking for the items needed to learn it, but thest part was done by Shin alone, so I don''t know the details . It wasn''t a skill used often to begin with, so it was enough for only Shin to learn it . I think it''s simr for the other people we know too . "


    "That''s right . That time, even if you did not learn it yourself you could have curses removed easily in the cities now called ''Sacred ces'' . It was not something to spend effort to learn . "


    "What can I say…it''s incredible . "


    The existence of cities where cursed people could freely enter and leave and easily be purified was something Tiera was not able to imagine .


    Shibaid and Filma, who knew how the world changed after the "Dusk of the Majesty", understood Tiera''s surprise .


    "By the way, Tiera, what do you think about Shin?"


    "Eh?"


    Tiera couldn''t help but voice her surprise at the sudden question .


    "I mean, you thought you wouldn''t ever leave that shop and he pops out of nowhere and dispels your curse without a single exnation . I honestly doubt that you aren''t the least bit interested in him, with all that happened . "


    Filma spoke with confidence and a strange gleam in her eyes . She couldn''t help pointing it out .


    "It wouldn''t be exaggerated to call him "a prince who saved the damsel just as she was about to give into despair", right?"


    "Well, um…of course I am thankful! But, er, you know it! Shin has master with him!"


    "Polygamy is the norm in this world, isn''t it? Elves don''t seem to like that too much though . But do you really feel only gratitude for him?"


    "Ah…um… . "


    Tiera couldn''t find the words to answer Filma''s dead serious look . But her floundering for words without denying the allegations was an answer in itself .


    "Filma . It''s not proper to poke about in people''s love affairs . "


    "I know, and I''ll stop now . But Tiera, let me say just one thing . "


    "Y-Yes . "


    Filma wasn''t grinning anymore now, and talked with a very serious tone .


    "It''s better to make your feelings clear . If you do after you feel regret, it''s toote . "


    "!!!"


    Tiera found herself swallow her breath, feeling that Filma had seen right through her .


    "I''m sorry . I know this is none of my business . "


    "…no, honestly speaking, I can''t find the answer yet myself . "


    Tiera spoke with a small, wryugh .


    Filma was looking at her with a kind smile .


    (I wonder what Shin''s answer will be, then . )


    That was what Shibaid was thinking, apart from the two women .


    ◆◆◆◆


    "First, we''ve secured a means of transport . "


    Shin''s entourage, back from the Golden Company, exined to the others about the ship to Sigurd .


    Not only Tiera, Filma and Shibaid, but also Hermie and Wilhelm, who had stayed back at the inn, plus Milt, who had gone out with Konig, were listening .


    "When will we depart?"


    Konig asked .


    "Tomorrow morning, in the ship called the Mediel . How were things on your end?"


    "I contacted the Church . As I said before, they shoulde meet us at the town called Leshelle . "


    Konig nodded to Shin''s inquiry .


    Most members of the grouping to meet them, however, would be heading to the "Summit Faction" base .


    The group,posed of Chosen Ones, was made to subdue the base in one fell swoop . It was a strategy possible only because Shin''s party had defeated the more powerful demons .


    "Aw, I wanted to go with Shin too…"


    "Didn''t you say that you would pay for the trouble you caused? You''ll have to work hard volunteering for a while . "


    Milt''sints were quickly shut down by Shin .


    Even if she had been manipted, it was a fact that she had kidnapped Hermie . For this reason, it was decided that Milt would serve the Church for a period . Starting, of course, from this base capture mission .


    "Well, is there anything else that needs to be said? If not, we have an early start tomorrow, so let''s go rest . "


    As no one had anything in particr to add, all members proceeded to their assigned rooms .


    The room division was Shin with Yuzuha and Shibaid, Schnee and Filma, Konig and Wilhelm, Tiera with Milt and Hermie .


    The bright and cheerful Milt had be good friends with Tiera and Hermie and could also act as bodyguard, so she was put in the same room . Kagerou was, as always, in Tiera''s shadow too, so the fighting power was more than sufficient .


    "Anyway Yuzuha, you''re still sick?"


    "Kuu…"


    "Monsters get sick too, huh . It''s not a status ailment, so I really have no idea what it could be…"


    Shibaid was worried too, but Yuzuha kept mentally signaling that she was all right .


    Shin told her again to let him know if her condition got worse and went to sleep .


    ◆◆◆◆


    The next day, Shin''s eyes opened earlier than expected . The reason was a weight of unknown origins on his right arm .


    "I think this happened before…Yuzuha, is that you?"


    After confirming the situation with 【Analyze】, Shin looked at the young girl sleeping next to him .


    She was Yuzuha, transformed in human form . But her appearance was not the "small girl mode" Shin knew .


    She looked like she could be in her early teens . Her height was around 150 cemels, and her body now showed budding feminine curves . Her silver hair, stretched until her waist, sparkled in the sunlighting in through the window .


    Her ears and tail were the same as before .


    "Your feeling sick was because of this, then . "


    Shin pulled out the arm that Yuzuha was hugging and, with his free hand,id a nket over her . As he did so, Yuzuha slowly opened her eyes .


    "… . where?"


    Staring at where Shin''s arm used to be, Yuzuha''s hands fumbled around in the now empty space . Maybe because she wasn''t fully awake yet, she hadn''t noticed that Shin had just slightly moved away .


    Her expression was just like a lost child looking for her parents .


    As she clumsily propped her body up, the nket over her fell down, revealing her naked figure .


    Mornings in Balmel are slightly cold . Shin picked up the fallen nket and wrapped Yuzuha with it .


    "… . here . "


    Yuzuha didn''t even nce at the nket; with a mumble, sheid her head on Shin''sp and quickly slipped into slumber . Her expression was one of simple bliss .


    "Wait, you''re going back to sleep!?"


    It would be a problem to just leave her like that, so Shin wanted her to put some clothes on first of all . Previously she had turned in fox mode with clothes on, and when she had turned into a small girl again she had them still on, but for some reason it didn''t happen this time .


    Yuzuha''s clothes were on the ground next to her, in card form, so there was no need to pull them out .


    "Tell me what''s going on, first . "


    "Hm?"


    "Your looks, I mean . Is it because your power returned?"


    "Yes . I''m still not used to it, so this is my limit for now . "


    ording to Yuzuha, she had been feeling sick because alongside the recovery of her powers, a lot of new knowledge returned to her too . Arge quantity of memories had returned to her as well, so her head felt overloaded .


    Her powers apparently returned to 60% of their original state; if she got used to her newly recovered strength and more memories returned, her appearance would also grow some more .


    "Is that also the reason why your expression is so stiff?"


    "Kuu?"


    Yuzuha tilted her head to the side, puzzled by Shin''s question .


    Excluding her blissful expression while sleeping, her facial expressions barely changed . It was a perfect poker face .


    Shin checked Yuzuha''s status again, finding that her level now exceeded 600 and her stats had increased exponentially too . Even judging from the numbers alone, she was now at Raid rank 3 strength .


    "I guess we should let Schnee and the others know . Can you go back to fox mode? Some people might be surprised that you grew bigger all of a sudden, so that would be better . "


    "No problem . "


    Yuzuha answered positively and transformed right in front of Shin .


    After confirming her transformation, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat . He told Schnee, who was already awake, to call Filma too, while Shin himself woke up Shibaid .


    Tiera was with Hermie, so he decided to tell herter .


    "Ooh, you really got stronger . "


    Filma was impressed after seeing Yuzuha''s new level .


    "I suppose that her level will be 1000 eventually . "


    Schnee, her hand on her chin, was imagining Yuzuha''s final form .


    "Having an Element Tail as an ally is a great asset . "


    As he had battled one before, Shibaid knew what a reliablepanion she could be .


    "Nothing''s particrly different from before, so please treat her as you did until now . "


    "Please . "


    After finishing talking, it was now time to prepare for departure .


    Shin joined the others for breakfast on the ground floor . It was still a little early when they finished eating, but they decided to head to the harbor nheless .


    Shin was walking next to Wilhelm .


    "Hermie seems to feel a little better, right . "


    "So it seems . But why are you asking me?"


    "Isn''t it because you two stayed back at the inn? That she smiles like that now . "


    Hermie clearly looked in Wilhelm''s direction more often than before . It wasn''t hard to think that something must have happened . Next to Hermie now walked Konig and Milt, as protection .


    "We just talked a little, I tell you nothing happened . "


    "Looking at her tells me something else, though . "


    "Whatever . "


    Shin felt that it wouldn''t be good to pursue the matter further, so he dropped the topic . They kept walking, chatting casually, until they spotted the ship''s sails .


    Probably because the time for departure was close, the port was full of bulky men carrying supplies inside the ships .


    "It''s really packed! By the way, which one is our ship?"


    Milt asked while her eyes darted all around the port .


    "Thergest one, over there . I confirmed it yesterday, so there''s no mistake . "


    Shin pointed at one of the anchored ships . It was clearlyrger than the others around it, looking like it could carry arge quantity of goods .


    "It looks like there are people on board already . Shall we go too?"


    "We don''t have anything else to do anyway, let''s go . "


    Shin answered Tiera''s question and started to walk towards the ship . As the group drew closer, the crewmember in charge of the passengers'' check came up to them .


    It was arge, muscr man, who looked like he could break in bodybuilding poses any second .


    "Do you n to board the Mediel?"


    "Yes . "


    "Do you have the boarding pass or a letter of introduction?"


    The man''s intimidating appearance hid a perfectly polite demeanor .


    Representing the group, Shin handed the man the letter received from Berett . The man took the letter, opened it carefully and examined its contents .


    "…yes, this will do . Wee aboard the Mediel . Shall I guide you to your cabins?"


    "Please . "


    Berett said to show the letter to the captain, but apparently the crewmembers already knew of them too .


    The ship''s cabins reflected the overall size of the vessel; Shin''s request for a private cabin had been granted as well .


    Following the muscr man, Shin''s party proceeded through the ship and finally arrived before a room protected by a sturdy-looking door .


    The cabins were divided between men and women . Hermie was camouged, but they picked the farthest room from the entrance for her, to avoid others'' eyes as much as possible .


    "Guess I''ll go see the ship . "


    "Kuu . "


    Shin stood up and Yuzuha leapt on his shoulder with a small cry .


    "OK, let''s go together . "


    Shin called Shibaid too, then went on a walk through the ship . They checked the ship''s interior structure, what was located where, while paying attention not to get in the way of the stockers .


    After they checked most ces they had ess to, they heard the sound of a bell, the signal that the ship was about to depart . More time had passed than expected .


    Just as Shin thought that it was time to return to their cabins, they heard a voice from beyond the corner .


    "Finally, my sister''s sickness will be healed!!"


    "Yes, I am sure Lady Haruna will be very happy too . "


    The owners of the voices could not be seen, but from their high pitch Shin assumed they belonged to a little girl and her female attendant . As the ship was veryrge, they had already seen several passengers apanied by servants .


    They were now close to the guest rooms and the surroundings were fairly quiet, so they could hear the conversation clearly .


    Shin assumed the little girl had obtained a precious medicine for her sister . Even a stranger like Shin could tell that the girl''s voice was brimming with joy .


    "It was really hard to find it…aah!?"


    "Eh… . ?"


    The girl beyond the corner had suddenly cried, so Shin stopped moving . Before him stood the little girl, with a look of utter surprise on her face . She looked like she was in her early teens .


    The girl was small in stature, around 140 cemels . Her me-like bright red hair, extending until her waist, were her most striking feature . Her ck, clear eyes looked straight at Shin .


    "Mdy?"


    Behind the little girl appeared a young woman who, from her clothing, resembled a Samurai . She was wearing gauntlets and shin guards, ck with patterns drawn in orange lines . On her shoulders she worerge protective tes called "Osode", while her chest was protected by a rtively small breast te .


    Her height was probably close to 170 cemels . Her waist-length ck hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail .


    "Do you have business with these gentlemen?"


    The woman looked towards Shin with eyes as deeply ck as her hair . Her sharp look eloquently signaled how she did not only look tough .


    "No, it''s nothing . It appears I was a little too excited . I didn''t catch their presence . My apologies, fellows . I didn''t pay attention, kindly forget about this . "


    "Er, yeah…"


    After the woman''s question, the little girl apologized to Shin .


    Even if his answer was vague, Shin was relieved to hear the girl''s words, because the woman''s eyes when looking at him appeared somewhat dangerous .


    "Ehm, so, I will take my leave . "


    "Yes, a good trip to you . "


    Shin gave a slight nod and headed towards Schnee''s room .


    As they arrived, they noticed everyone except 2 members were there .


    "Where are Hermie and Konig?"


    "Hermie started feeling sick as soon as the ship started moving, so Konig''s taking care of her . "


    Shin''s question was answered by Milt, who was drinking a ss of water . The horse carriage hadn''t made her feel sick, but the ship apparently did .


    "She wasn''t terribly sick, so she should be OK as long as she lies down . "


    Schnee added to Milt''s words .


    "Shin, you went looking around the ship, right? Anything caught your interest?"


    "No, nothing in particr . There weren''t suspicious passengers either . "


    Thanks to the map function, Shin had also verified that there wasn''t anyone hiding in ces such as the ship''s hold . In the game era there was an event in which NPCs would hide there, to attack from within when the ship was attacked by pirates .


    After briefly talking about the party''s next ns, all members went on their separate business .


    Shin headed towards the deck to see the scenery .


    "Ah, I''ming too . "


    "Me too . "


    Milt and Tiera quickly followed after Shin . Yuzuha was perched on his shoulder as usual .


    Shin had already visited the deck while inspecting the ship, but he had only checked the path which led to it and had not watched the scenery .


    "Coming on deck, you can feel the wind picked up . "


    "It feels really nice . "


    "Ah, there''s something there!"


    Tiera, who was looking at the sea from the edge of the deck, had found something .


    Shin and Milt went closer to the edge of the deck and looked in the direction Tiera was pointing to .


    "Oh, Hero Dolphins . "


    "As colorful as usual, too . "


    What Tiera had spotted were Hero Dolphins, dolphin-type monsters .


    Maybe they were inspired from certain superhero shows, because they always traveled in packs of 5 or 6; a red and blue one were always present, while the other colors were more varied, ranging between yellow, green, white, ck or pink .


    They were non-active monsters, a type that generally didn''t attack unless provoked .


    "Oh, that''s rare . There''s a gold one . "


    "Wow, it''s true . "


    Milt pointed at a pack of Hero Dolphins, led by a red one and followed by a blue, white, ck and gold one, all swimming parallel to the ship . It was really rare to witness a golden one .


    "It''s shining much brighter than the others . "


    "Its power should be about the same though . "


    If defeated, it could drop items slightly rarer than the others . It was said that if a yer found one, their luck would increase .


    "Hm? Hey, Tiera, what''s wrong?"


    Shin looked back at Tiera, to find her staring at the seawater .


    "Nothing, I just realized that now we aren''t touching the ground with our feet…"


    Apparently it was her first time on a ship, so she felt slightly uneasy .


    "We won''t sink unless something really big happens, so rest easy, I tell you . "


    A skill to increase resilience had been used on the ship, so even if charged by arge marine monster, it wouldn''t sink easily .


    "I know that in my head, but I won''t calm down until I get used to it, I guess . "


    It wasn''t something that could change instantly .


    After contemting the scenery for a while, Shin and the others returned to their cabins .


    ◆◆◆◆