Chapter 20

〈 Episode 20 〉Rupture

The unexpected event occurred two days after Asha had the dream. The somber look on the navigator Ben’s face and the hurried footsteps of the crew made it impossible for Asha, who didn’t know much about sailing, not to notice that something was happening.

Whooong!

It was midday, but the sun was barely visible. The sea was violently shaking with fierce winds.

“Reel it in quickly! It’s about to break!”

The crew members climbed onto the Mast, struggling to maintain their balance as they furled the sails. Asha couldn’t bring herself to ask the busy Captain and navigator, so she asked Johnson.

“Uncle Johnson! What’s going on! What should I do!!”

“Asha! Tie those ropes over there properly! A typhoon is coming. If you’re not careful, people will be blown away by the wind!”

“Yes, I understand!”

The sound of the wind was so loud that Asha and Johnson had to shout to hear each other. Asha ran to the Mast and re-tied the Lifelines connected to the crew members more securely. Light objects on the deck were already being swept away by the wind.

Ding, ding, ding, ding–!!

The urgent ringing of the bell, rung by navigator Ben, echoed through the wind. The crew’s footsteps became even more hurried. Asha didn’t know the meaning of the bell, but four rings meant the approach of a massive typhoon or hurricane that they couldn’t handle. It was like a death sentence for the sailors.

“Huh…”

With the ringing of the bell, the despair that had been lingering on the faces of the crew deepened. Only Asha, not understanding the situation, was desperately trying, and she was the last bastion keeping the crew from giving up. None of the crew members wanted to show their pathetic side to the girl who hadn’t even lived half their lives, and they continued their seemingly meaningless efforts.

Soon, the wind became so strong that it was difficult to open one’s eyes. No one could stand properly outside, so they all went below deck. The ship’s inner walls had been hastily reinforced by the crew, but they continued to shake precariously. The Captain, who had come down with the crew, called Asha.

“Asha, take this.”

The Captain handed her a pendant with a red jewel embedded in it. Asha was puzzled by the unusual object.

“Why are you suddenly giving this to me…?”

“Listen carefully. You might see something when you get there, but don’t worry about it. Just focus on finding Lucia, understand?”

“W-What are you talking about…”

Asha’s voice was tinged with tears at the Captain’s ominous tone.

“I believe you’re a smart child and will handle things well. Go!”

With his words, Asha disappeared from the ship. Thus, the Captain threw away his only Lifeline for Asha’s sake.

“Hahaha! That’s a relief.”

“Why didn’t you send her away sooner, Captain! I thought I was going to die trying to keep up appearances in front of a child.”

As soon as the Captain sent Asha away, the crew members began to chatter boisterously as if they had been released from their restraints. They already knew that a small Sailing ship was no different from being barehanded in the face of such a natural disaster.

While the men on the ship were laughing and talking below deck, a whirlwind struck the ship, and after the storm passed, only the wreckage of the ship, torn to pieces and losing its original form, remained.

Whoosh!

With a flash of light, Asha reappeared in a dark room. At first, she thought she had returned to the waiting room, but the unfamiliar sight made her realize that she had come to a different place alone.

“Again, I came alone again… I can be revived even if I die anyway, so why…”

Asha regretted not telling the Captain her secret sooner. However, she didn’t think the Captain would have acted differently even if she had told him her secret.

‘Sending only me means they thought it would be difficult for them to survive too…’

“Ugh, ugh… Hwaaaaa!”

Asha cried for a long time, feeling sad and guilty for being the only one to survive. The people Asha had grown fond of left too easily. She felt unbearable loneliness in the small room.

As time passed and she calmed down a little, Asha recalled the Captain’s request.

‘He told me not to worry about what’s in the room. What’s there?’

The ship wasn’t a cheap asset, but the Captain, who wasn’t even a shipowner but just sailed a small Sailing ship, couldn’t have been rich. However, this pendant that the Captain had was clearly more than just an ordinary treasure.

‘What kind of person was the Captain?’

Asha began to search the room. He told her not to worry about it, but Asha wanted to know what he had been trying to do.

“This isn’t it. Something else, something else…”

She found expensive-looking valuables all over the room, but these weren’t what Asha was looking for. Asha soon found a seal and a bundle of documents.

Asha, who didn’t have an eye for such things, couldn’t tell for sure, but the seal decorated with gold and jewels looked very luxurious. She then examined the bundle of documents.

“Artois property statement? Royal family? Uncle, what on earth…”

Asha couldn’t understand all the contents of the disorganized ledger, but she could tell that the information here was confidential. She carefully reread the documents. Royal family, nobles, security system… The documents all pointed to one thing in common.

“Rebellion, or assassination… Was Uncle trying to kill the Artois king or something.”

Asha had enough motivation to continue the work if that was what the Captain had wanted. Finally, she was able to confirm the final signatory of the documents.

“Maximilian de Artois… He was royalty.”

[You have discovered one of the most important secrets about an unidentified organization.]

[The Quest has been completed after investigation.]

Thus, Asha completed the Quest in an unexpected place and was able to return after a month.

[Your physical condition will be restored upon returning to the waiting room.]

[You will receive rewards for completing Quest 6.]

[Quest 7 will begin in 13D23H.]

Asha was moved to the waiting room with the documents she was holding. Back in the waiting room, she first put the documents in her Inventory. Asha met Justitia again.

“You’ve returned, Asha.”

“Yeah, Justitia…”

Justitia didn’t know all the details of the Quest Asha had undertaken, but she felt that her heart had become precarious once again.

“I know you’re having a hard time. But remember that your goal still remains.”

At Justitia’s words, reminding her of her goal, Asha roughly wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.

“Yeah… I have to go find Lucy. Where will I go next?”

“The next place you will go is very close to the Labyrinth.”

“That’s a relief… Maybe I can go there this time.”

“However, this time there is a different problem than distance.”

“A different problem?”

“Powerful individuals are stationed on the way to the Labyrinth. You need to become much stronger than you are now to go there.”

“How? There are only ten days left this time. Is there a way to suddenly become stronger?”

Asha sighed at the daunting reality.

“It would have been difficult if you hadn’t succeeded in the Quest this time, but you have quite a few Tokens. You’ve also reached level 5 in Weaponry, so let’s buy the Skill Book you’ve forgotten about.”

“…Ah.”

Asha remembered that she had forgotten about it after purchasing the Swordsmanship Skill Book for the first time.

‘Maybe I can become overpowered with Skill Books too!’

“…That’s not likely…”

Of course, most Skill Books were excessively expensive. She had almost no Tokens left after obtaining the Subordination Contract last time, so Asha could only purchase an Intermediate Weaponry Skill Book.

“There are so many Skill Books. Archery, magic, superpowers… Can I use them all if I just buy them?”

“As you know, you can learn skills on your own without Skill Books. If you become familiar with your skills or have a high talent, you can easily learn skills, and conversely, even if you learn with Skill Books, it’s difficult to be more than just decorative if you don’t have enough talent.”

“Then…”

Justitia nodded in response to Asha’s guess, adding certainty.

“It means you need to solidify your talent and goals for growth a little more before configuring your skills. If you buy Skill Books recklessly, you might just waste Tokens, so you need to buy them carefully.”

“I see. But am I talented in Weaponry?”

Justitia pondered for a moment before answering.

“I wouldn’t say you’re amazing, but it’s enough to keep using it in the future. Instead, it’s good to learn other things as well. You can’t know if you’re good or bad until you try.”

“Okay. I’ll try if I get the chance.”

Asha learned Intermediate Weaponry and was able to use Mana stats in earnest. It was only at the level of moving a little faster than usual or hardening her body with basic usage, but it was a welcome thing for Asha. She listened to Justitia’s advice and became familiar with what she had newly learned.

On the third day after completing the Quest, Asha was taking a shower after finishing her training for the day. Naked, she looked at the golden ring on her white chest. Although she hadn’t been able to remove the piercing from her nipple for several days since returning, Asha now decided to take it off her body and store it.

‘I have to keep it safe…’

It was common for her to get wounds on her body or legs, and Asha didn’t want the ring, which was like the Captain’s keepsake, to be damaged during battle.

After fiddling with the piercing on her chest for a while, Asha carefully removed the piercing from her chest, cleaned it, put it in a small pouch, and stored it in her Inventory. There was a pierced needle mark on Asha’s nipple where the piercing had been, but like other wounds, it would disappear someday.