The Book Of Flowers
Captain Alice (1)
"Captain"
...
"It's noon. Don't want to rest first?"
"... I can't cool my head right now, Veskal"
Veskal breathed. Forced to accompany Cyth on the side of the ship so that he is not alone without a friend to talk. Everyone is busy making sure everything stays on board. Some were even preparing cannon balls to be used
They have not even circled the Sahra continent. They could not get through the waters of Xiang because Xiang could have been their enemy, so Julius advised them all to circle around the Sahra continent, then towards the end of the Xiang kingdom in the North
"By the way captain, Walter could have easily escaped through the waters east of Lao right? Why are you sure he's going through Goeitias to escape?"
...
Cyth doesn't seem to want to answer. He looked like he was remembering something
"The ocean to the east of the Lao Continent is the same barrier as Goeitias. You might think it would be easy to escape from there to Hortensia, but that path is actually just an easy road to death"
"Same boundary as Goeitias...? That means...?"
"Just like a nest of land monsters in Goeitias, the ocean is ruled by sea monsters"
"... The first time I heard that..."
"so. Everyone who's just a sailor will usually die there. If they hadn't been looking for information about the ocean, they would have been gone. That's why the area is called the sea of blood"
Plus, the monsters that were there could not be underestimated at all. Sea monsters were the most frightening type of monsters to deal with
That is why they did not directly take that route when sailing from Orion to Gong. Information regarding the sea of blood was something all sailors should know
"But, is there not a people like the Elves who keep the limits of their attitude as in Goeitias?"
"... There's only one. The mermaids. But, they can be counted as Beasts because they are monsters with common sense, although sometimes they do disturb passing sailors"
"Vivacious... Horrifically. The sea of blood is like a brutal place huh...?"
...
...
"It was actually where we all parted ways with captain Alice" Cyth said again
"!!!"
'Ah, my big mouth...' Veskal said in his heart
He just sparked a conversation that he shouldn't have. Bad memories from their past
But... He wanted to ask, didn't Walter kill Alice?
Unfortunately, he had to hold back because he did not want to make the atmosphere even more damaged
"Hm... You want a little history lesson?"
"T-No need for Captain. I don't need to listen to him"
"Hm... There is no need to assume that you are making me sad because of this. I didn't think about it too much. Anyways...
I can't possibly not feel sad when I see this necklace..."
...
The necklace belonged to Captain Alice. The necklace made of pearl oysters looked simple, but beautiful. Unfortunately...
The shell no longer had a shining pearl. All that was left was his shell as a memory that he had been in this world
...
"His mood, you better take a break, Captain" Veskal said, switching the conversation
Cyth just smiled at Veskal who was looking agitated. He patted Veskal on the back, then went to the inner area of the ship
Veskal breathed a sigh of relief. At least he did not make things worse with his curiosity
"It looks like you managed to convince the captain" Erin suddenly spoke
"Someday... I'lli'll... Hit you if you do it again...!!!" Veskal said while panting for breath as he had just shouted half-dead
Erin only smiled awkwardly at Veskal who limply propped herself up on the floor of the deck
"But, the captain alone is never surprised when I do. Somehow you were always surprised to the point that your heart came out through your mouth" Erin said
"OF COURSE I WAS SHOCKED FOOL!! I've been trained to be alert for about 24 hours a day!!!" Veskal shouted loudly to his face
Erin just remembered that Veskal was a former assassin. Naturally he was always vigilant in every situation, also very sharp in response to circumstances
"Sorry, sorry. You'll take my drink ration" Erin apologized
"No. I don't want to get drunk and spew random words anymore. Try to be more creative if you want to bribe people"
Veskal threw his face out from before Erin
...
"Is the Captain really okay?" Veskal asked
He couldn't ignore Cyth's sad face earlier. Every time the topic came up, he always put on such a face
"He won't be anything" Erin replied
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. But...
It was impossible for him to forget those past memories..."
...
"Captain Alice is very influential for you guys huh...?"
"Well, honestly... All of us here did join this crew because of it. Our... Also stay here because of his last commandment"
"Last order...?"
Erin just smiled
"The government he said it was..."
......................
-- Inside the deck ----
...
...
Veskal had already asked her to rest, but Cyth could not fall asleep, nor could he lie down quietly
All he did now was lie on a multi-story bed looking out the window, staring at the choppy sea very loudly
The day was very windy, but they intended to move slowly. They want to mentally prepare as much as possible before they can face Walter
The wind also directly makes the waves feel firmer, making the feeling of being tossed on this ship quite felt by someone
Ordinarily... Today he will be very excited. But somehow he has no taste at all. Even being on the deck alone she didn't know what else to do, not like usual. That's why he'd rather go into that room, but even he didn't know what else to do there
He just lay down, but couldn't rest
...
There's that...
The reason why he could not feel his old spirit, was because there was nothing on this ship. It's a completely new ship. He missed the ship, to the very end of his heart
A place that has held it for years. Home for him, and everyone who's been following him all this time. The ship that had carried them as far as this world stretched out
A ship containing mementos belonging to their beloved captain. The time they had spent with their captain was very long, but it passed quickly
All the memories they've experienced. Everyone loves the pain they have met. All of those things suddenly came back, going into Cyth's head
Thinking of all the memories he considered sweet, he closed his eyes to sleep
