The Book Of Flowers
Captain Alice (3)
--- 2 years later ---
...
"Hey, wake up"
Cyth rubbed his eyes feeling that pat on his back. He who sleeps by folding his whole body because the cold air directly stretches every muscle before waking up
"The next morning, captain" He greeted Alice who was sitting at the end of her bed
"Huh, you are this. Get used to waking up early try". Alice reprimanding
"It can't be, right? I was on guard duty and driving last night. Yu just fell asleep in the middle of work"
Alice immediately looks furious at hearing that and is ready to hit Yu if she has time
"That ear I should beat up every once in a while" He said in annoyance, clenching his hand
"Not to be too upset, Captain. We have all been sleepy since we plundered the entire noble house yesterday"
"It was also Uncle Broke's fault for being too noisy when sneaking around. Next time, I probably won't assign him a sneak next time even if we don't have anyone to look after"
Cyth just smiled, then jumped down from his bed and stretched back
"I want to prepare the captain. Where are we going this time?"
Alice was silent, whether she was focusing on what
"Captain?"
"Oh sorry. Our next destination is Crux. I heard Duke Grandier loved to waste his money. How about we take it so he knows the taste?" Alice answered
"Is that so? But Salman told me that Crux's security wasn't playing, just like Orion's. If we mess with their nobles, we might..."
Cyth immediately looks pale and limp while goosebumps in fear from hearing his own words
"Yes, yeah. But I still want to go there. It's also the closest and safest place to find new groceries, right?"
"Well, maybe too. I want to try their pastel again"
"You're even thinking about the culinary"
Alice just laughed as Cyth just stared at her while pouting
Alice jumped down from the bed. He then walked out of the room with a sigh of excitement
"Oh yeah. I realized that your body was getting bigger and stronger. It's even starting to rival me now" she added before coming out completely
Cyth was confused, then watched his entire body closely
"Is that really so?" He asked himself
He just shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to think too long about the masala
......................
-- Crux, Sto Astra Continent --
"Cold....!!" Cyth shivers
They've arrived in Crux. The entire crew of the ship had also started parking on the no man's beach. The perfect place to secure their ship when it's this bright
However, the cold temperatures here could kill if they did not find warmth immediately
"Captain, can we find something warm?! I'm hungry and cold!" Cyth said again
"It's impossible to get it right away. The distance of this place to the nearest village ranges from 5 Kilometers. You have to be strong enough to hold back if you want to eat warm food" Alice replied
He then pulled out an old bacon from the handkerchief he had, then threw one of them at Cyth
"Eat it first if you're starving" Alice said again, then chewed on one
The sound of a giant foot creaking suddenly appeared from near them. A tall, but fat, large-bodied man was seen glaring at them
"Hi uncle Broke"
"Uncle also asked for one" Broke said in a friendly tone
"Eat him next time don't always spend his bacon, Uncle Broke" Alice said in annoyance, then gave one of his bacon to Broke
the remaining 2 pieces of meat were handed over to Salman, their informant and a female crew named Amanda. That's because Amanda's the chef of that crew, so she's got to get rations because she's the one who cooked it
Unfortunately, the remaining 11 people got nothing and were forced to endure this cold first
"Some stay here while we're looking for new food. Amanda, I beg you to cook all the ingredients that you have left. Poor the others"
"Understand captain"
Amanda got back on the boat to do what she was told
"It's best that only the four of us go. We've already taken food rations, so we're also responsible for this right now" Alice said
"Huh...? I would walk 5 Kilometers away" Cyth complained as he shivered from the cold
"Then it doesn't matter. I'll eat a typical Crux Pastel alone, without you" Alice retorted, then started walking while snorting
"K-Captain is evil! Wait for me!"
Cyth went after Alice, while the 2 people who were going to follow them just shook their heads
...
-- A while later, Trigo Village---
"Cold....!!!!" Cyth shivered violently
Alice could even see that there was ice growing under the child's nose as if she was starting to freeze
"Well, we're in the southernmost touchable area of the world. Of course this place will be very cold" Salman said as he looked around
"But not as cold as Antarctica. The area in Goeitias makes me want to die, not yet discuss the monsters that live there" Alice added
"Not to be discussed. The giants are not at all friendly to us. Their faces were human-like, but they were acting like monsters" Cyth said
"That's it. We'd better get into his culineran section" Broke interjected
The three people immediately cheered Broke with a mocking intent
"Uncle's mind is just food" Alice said
"Well, I don't want to lose fat. This thing in my stomach is very useful in winter" Broke responded
"Keep cold because fat is just a myth. After all, you seem to have a hard time walking because of that" Cyth said
"That's it. You also want a culineran, don't you, Cyth?"
"Of course you want! Come uncle, let's find good food~!"
Alice immediately patted her forehead seeing Cyth and Broke go along looking for snacks
"It looks like the two of us will be looking for groceries for the ship" Salman said half-complaining
"They're not going to get Amanda's hot food rations tonight" Alice responded in an annoyed tone
...
"Emphin...! These potatoes are delicious...!!"
"I'm more interested in the sauce. I wonder what the recipe is so I can recommend it to Amanda"
"Ah, great idea uncle! But, I doubt they'll give you this recipe straight away"
They were busy chatting outside a food store, accompanied by a few dishes and a cup of hot chocolate for each
Cyth also occasionally looked around. For a small village, it could be seen the existence of some nobles here, for some reason
"Those people look so crowded here, don't they?"
Cyth's words also made Broke look around
"of course. Those nobles are buying slaves here"
*clang!*
...
Cyth accidentally dropped his fork. Hearing that 'slave' word, made him shocked
"But, I think Crux and Orion strictly forbid slavery..."
Cyth immediately looks riled up. His face even began to pale, and Broke was instantly aware of the situation
"... That's how they are, son. If they could obtain something of ease at a cheap price, humans like them would not hesitate to accept it"
"... But Uncle... Why are you sure they're buying slaves here?"
"Look a minute..."
...
...
And it's true. Just like Broke said, a noble brought out two male slaves. The children tried to thrash and break away while he was dragged away by the noble's subordinates
But somehow, one of them who had golden blond hair managed to break free and ran on the streets of the city...
Then approached the two of them who were originally just sitting and looking...
"I beg you! Help me!" He calls on Broke and Cyth
"Ah you fucking kid!" The subordinate said, then kicked the child in the stomach until he fainted, while the other could only see his friend fall unconscious from a distance
"Sorry to disturb. My master will be angry if I linger" The subordinate said to the two of them, then turned around
...
Seeing the slave being kicked like trash just like that, made Cyth's anger start to overflow. Because he knew how painful it was to be treated that way
"Wait" Cyth stopped him
The man turned his head again, but this time with an annoyed face
"Let him go" Cyth said again
...
"will not. What do you want, boy?"
"Ah, excuse me sir. Please don't be rude to this kid" Broke woke up and blocked the guy's gaze at Cyth
"P- Uncle!?"
Broke just smiled unresponsive. Cyth also realized what he had to do
"It's good that you don't intend"
"But I didn't say you had to take the poor boy away, did I?"
In the next second, the person was struck in the face and floated quite far above the city streets. So hard he was hit, hit by the man on a building wall left a very clear mark
"Cyth" Broke said, then handed Cyth his gun. "Run"
"I understand!"
Following Broke's words, Cyth bagged the gun, lifted the unconscious child to his back, then ran as fast as he could towards the other child, while shooting his gun in the air three times to scare everyone
The one who was holding the other child immediately panicked while preparing to fight back. But his movements were slower than Cyth who instantly managed to knock him down and then carried the two children away out of the city
The commotion certainly made the noble who bought the child angry after coming out of his carriage and seeing his two slaves disappear. He directly ordered his other subordinates to immediately chase and retake the child
"Well, these guys are so stubborn" Broke muttered
Broke immediately blocked all of those people's paths
He started to cast magic. And after the last stanza of his reckoning, he stopped putting up a fighting horse
"Take a look at the kids!" He exclaimed, then started beating all the pursuers one by one
Even with her big, fat body, she could quickly and agilely cope with all those people. All those who intend to attack him are like a little fly
Someone then landed a punch right in Broke's face. But he was happy too soon. Not long after, that person was thrown and floated quite high. Everyone could not describe the pain of that person when he landed with his back falling first
"Well, time to get away"
Broke then ran as fast as he could to leave the place
He then accidentally finds Alice and Salman coming out of a store. They were shocked, but were further shocked when Broke grabbed them, then carried them both like an item while running
"Hey fat uncle! What are you doing!?" Salman shouted
"Look back!"
Salman immediately looked up at all those pursuers. When they saw that they all had swords
"Run faster!!" He shouted in panic
Alice on the other hand immediately looked excited looking at all those pursuers
"Uncle! Let's fight him!" He called
"I can fight them, but not you!" Broke retaliated immediately
"Come uncle! Let me fight them!"
The other was busy asking Broke to keep running, while the other was busy asking Broke to drop him off
Broke only smiled weakly in response to the situation, while continuing to focus on running so as not to get caught
Suddenly...
*DOR!!*
The sound of the gunshot made a horse run off the ridge and hit another horse. All of those pursuers immediately scattered here and there. Everything fell from their horses, and some who did not fall were also forced to stop, or had to try to control their frightened horses
Broke was immediately relieved to see their pursuers who would definitely not be able to catch up with it, followed by Salman. Alice, on the other hand, whined and grimaced because the opportunity to fight was lost
They eventually make it out of town, but Broke keeps running. Continue and continue until they return safely to the area where their boat is parked
"Same...!" Broke complained while dropping the two people he held, then dropped himself into the snow
"Uncle is not fun!" Alice commented
"Good work uncle. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief..." Salman said softly
Broke simply held his thumbs up limply, as everyone left on the ship was just curious as to what was happening
Their curiosity was answered a little with the presence of Cyth panting while carrying two boys his age on his back and beside him. Everyone who knew nothing was certainly confused by the presence of the two strangers
"Who are they Cyth?" Ask a crew member named Gaspal while some of them try to help the boy
"... Slave" Cyth said with a still irregular breath
"Wait on! You guys stole slaves or something!?" Alice asked loudly
"If you say stealing is rather..." Cyth said while turning his face away
Alice remained silent, then looked back at the fainted child. Sighing, his affection arose and he ordered the crew to begin taking the two children aboard
"You should be in charge of taking care of those two kids later. Uncle Broke too" Alice then said as she got up and cleaned her clothes from the snow
"... Understand" Cyth nodded with regret
He thought that Alice was angry with him at this moment
......................
the Night of the Day, the Black Hunt Ship----
...
"Why, captain?" Cyth asked without looking at it
From the sound of that foot patter alone, he could instantly recognize who was standing behind him
Alice walked up and stood beside him. Those on the deck right now are just staring blankly at the night sea
"... Both kids are fine. It was just that the other one had to be temporarily on the bed because her stomach was hurting" Alice began the conversation
"Is that so...?"
...
"The child who isn't sick needs glasses later"
"Where do you know, captain?"
"She said she couldn't see my face clearly"
...
"You shot the horse with a gun, didn't you? Why miss?"
"Because I intend to shoot in front of that horse alone..."
...
"Captain"
"Yes, Cyth?"
"You're not mad I made such a mess? Even when I bring people I don't know here?"
...
After being silent many times, Alice looked down with a smile, while looking at the face of Cyth who was still staring blankly at the ocean
"Not at all"
Cyth regained his senses and began to look back at Alice with a surprised look
"I know very well why you saved them. I won't be against it either"
Cyth and the two children, they were slaves on the trade. Alice understood very well the pain Cyth felt when she saw the child asking him for help
Cyth was glad Alice wasn't angry, let alone understanding it. He did not need to feel regret anymore and considered that he was only adding to the burden on this ship
"Thank you captain"
"... It's okay"
...
Seeing Alice that night, buffeted by the moonlight, Cyth's heart was delighted
He was so stunned and asked, how can this very beautiful woman be a good and strong captain?
Don't know. But one thing is certain, Cyth was amazed to see Alice at that moment
"You are so beautiful, Captain..."
...
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
They both react
He intended to give a compliment, but somehow his words even sounded like a seduction
"I didn't mean anything! I just want to praise and have absolutely no intention of making it up because I do intend to praise you so don't-!"
...
Cyth was immediately ashamed of himself for having messed up in a speech just now, while Alice held back her laughter
The face he showed really signified that he did not want to show his face anymore due to that overwhelming shame
"Thank you for the compliment" Alice said
Cyth just glanced a little at Alice from behind the fold of her hand. Although he only glanced, he could see Alice's smiling face under the night light
...
Silence came between the two of them as they stared at each other with calm gazes...
"Alice!!"
But Broke ruined the mood at exactly the wrong time...
The two of them just stood limp as Broke held them in his arms and laughed happily
"Tumben just the two of you?"
The two of them remained silent not to answer because they were angry with Broke
"Oh, and those two kids haven't introduced themselves to you yet. They've introduced themselves to everyone but you"
Broke's embrace got away from them. They both turned to look at the two children who apparently followed Broke from behind with uneasiness. Even the sick child walked beside his current friend, supported
"Are you okay?" Cyth asked to see the child who still looked sick
"It's okay. We owe you"
"... What's your name, new boy?" Alice asked with great enthusiasm
"Eris... And what I'm helping you with is Walter" he replied quietly
"Erin and Walter, huh? Welcome to Black Hunt!"
Cyth only smiled when he saw Alice shake hands with Erin. The handshake was so tight that it made Erin look uncomfortable while Walter just smiled at Erin's face
...
"Erin, Walter"
"Y-yes?"
"My name is Cyth"
"..."
"Why?"
"... I want to thank you for saving us today" Erin said
"me too. Thank you" Walter added
...
"Ah, no problem" Cyth was proud of himself
His nose looks enlarged just like his arrogance, even though his cheeks are a bit flushed
"Then, we're friends from now on huh?" Cyth said again
"... Friends..."
...
The awkward situation is back
"A-ah... How about we just read a book to pass the time?"
"Book?"
"Yes book. You can read, right?"
...
Erin and Walter shook their heads, and it instantly made Cyth panic
"All right, I'll teach you to read and write. This can count as my responsibility, can't it, captain?"
Alice simply nodded while giving a strange look
"All right, let's teach you to read!" Cyth called out with passion
And that was one of the biggest mistakes Cyth ever made, considering that Erin would rather read than talk to him
