Chapter 155 – The Butterfly’s Journey (1)

Ｒҽɑｄ ȯո КаțЯｅа​ԁίηģĊαϝ​ε

“Wow…”

Josie stood mesmerized by the cityscape before her.

Dozens of ships docked at the harbor, seagulls soaring through the sky with white wings outstretched. The rhythmic crash of waves carried the salty tang of the ocean breeze.

Versha.

The southernmost city of the Western Continent, and the largest maritime trade hub in the Verdandi Kingdom.

For Josie, whose only reference for a city had been Venetia, Versha’s scenery was both unfamiliar and breathtakingly beautiful.

“So this is Versha? It’s my first time seeing the ocean.”

“If we board a ship here, we can reach the Southern Continent.”

Josie tugged at Leo’s sleeve excitedly as she took in the sights. Her childlike wonder brought a smile to his lips.

If she’s this excited just seeing a port city, how will she react when they actually set sail?

Though nineteen-year-old Josie was unmistakably an adult, her reactions right now were pure, unfiltered joy, like a little girl seeing the world for the first time.

“But… there aren’t as many people as I expected?”

After admiring the scenery, Josie finally took notice of their surroundings.

She had assumed Versha would be as bustling as Venetia, but the streets were far from crowded.

Most of the activity was concentrated around shopkeepers shooing away flies and fishermen mending their nets by the docks. A few merchants were packing up their wagons to leave, but that was it.

“You’re right… It’s unusually quiet. And there aren’t many ships setting sail either.”

Leo agreed as he scanned the area.

A major trade city should be lively year-round, yet Versha felt more like a sleepy coastal village than a commercial hub.

“Guess Nicks was telling the truth.”

Josie recalled their stop in Venetia before coming here.

She had mentioned wanting to visit the Elven Forest, and more importantly, her quest to find a husband for her mother.

After reuniting with Beryl and Nicks, she had excitedly announced their plans to head south.

But when she mentioned taking a ship from Versha to the Southern Continent, Nicks’ expression had darkened.

‘Versha? Hmm… There have been some disturbing rumors about the sea lately. I’m not sure if you’ll find any ships heading to the Southern Continent. Trade routes have been completely severed. Several nations have tried to resolve the issue, but nothing’s worked.’

Disturbing rumors about the sea.

Nicks hadn’t elaborated, but the eerie atmosphere in Versha confirmed they weren’t just baseless rumors.

“You don’t think we won’t be able to find a ship, do you?”

Josie’s earlier excitement dimmed as the weight of their situation settled in.

The only way to reach the Southern Continent from the Western Continent was by sea.

Sure, they could theoretically fly using magic, but as Estelle had advised, that was a last resort.

Besides, Josie wanted to experience a proper sea voyage.

“Don’t worry too much. We’ll find a ship heading south eventually.”

Leo gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Thanks, Leo. I’m really glad I decided to travel with you.”

The warmth of his touch melted her worries away, and she beamed up at him.

No point stressing when they just got here. Surely, out of all the ships docked in Versha, at least one would be heading south.

Clutching that hopeful thought, they set off down the gloomy streets.

 

---

 

Leo’s comforting warmth had filled Josie with optimism—but that optimism didn’t last long.

“No way. The farthest we go is fishing in the morning.”

“You crazy? Ain’t no ships headin’ to the Southern Continent anymore.”

“Hoho. I don’t know if you’re some clueless noble brat, but a long voyage now is like signing your own death warrant.”

They approached several ship captains, but the answers were all the same.

No one goes to the Southern Continent.

With each rejection, the light in Josie’s eyes faded a little more.

“Aren’t you men of the sea? Is this because of those rumors?”

Leo tried appealing to their pride, hoping for a different response.

“Rumors? Those ain’t rumors, it’s the truth. I heard a woman’s voice singing in the fog, clear as day. Then my crew started jumping overboard like their souls got sucked out. After that? I ain’t sailing far no more.”

No matter how much money they offered, the captains refused.

Eventually, they had no choice but to leave the docks empty-handed.

“There… has to be a way.”

“……”

Leo tried to think of something encouraging to say, but Josie was too preoccupied with what the sailors had mentioned.

A woman’s singing voice.

People throwing themselves into the sea.

A memory surfaced, one from her childhood, back when she had first been taken in by Estelle and spent her days devouring every book in the house.

Among them was a large, illustrated fairy tale titled Estelle’s Grand Adventures.

Out of the dozen or so volumes in the series, the second book had featured a similar story.

That volume chronicled the journey of Sion and Aria.

Josie had loved their romance so much that she kept it separate from the others in her room.

Somewhere in the middle of the story, there had been a part about—

A sea witch and sirens. And even a colossal octopus monster called the Kraken.

An episode where Sion and Aria battled oceanic creatures to restore peace to the seas.

The grotesque illustrations of the monsters had terrified her so much that when Estelle once joked about going to the beach, Josie had panicked.

“Josie?”

It’s just a coincidence, right?

Fairy tales are just stories.

Unless… given the book’s title, maybe her mother had written about her own travels?

But that didn’t make sense either. The current situation felt like something straight out of a “Once upon a time…” prologue.

Estelle was a witch, sure—but she couldn’t have written about the future.

“Huh? Oh, Leo! Did you call me?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Josie shook her head.

“How about we get something to eat first?”

“Yeah… I’m sick of jerky. Let’s get some real food.”

They hadn’t had a proper meal since leaving Venetia, and the mere mention of food made her stomach growl.

Since they were in a big city now, she wanted to treat herself.

They could worry about finding passage to the Southern Continent later.

Josie decided to push aside her worries and relax.

“Leo, what do you feel like eating?”

“Anything is fine with me.”

“‘Anything’? Did you just say anything?”

Josie knew exactly what that word meant.

She had said the same thing once, when Estelle took her to a fancy restaurant.

And then Estelle had ordered one serving of every dish on the menu.

A mischievous grin spread across Josie’s face.

‘Now it’s my turn.’

“What’s wrong with anything…?”

“Hehe. Get ready. You’re about to learn what that word really means!”

Leo shuddered.

For a second, he had seen a glimpse of Estelle in Josie’s smile.

‘Should I take it back?’

But before he could, Josie was already dragging him toward the largest, most extravagant-looking restaurant in sight.

She pulled out a pouch of gold coins from her dimensional inventory with a triumphant grin.

A foreboding feeling crept into Leo’s mind.

‘She’s not actually going to order the entire menu, is she…?’

Just as Josie reached for the ornately decorated door—

BAM!

It burst open, and a man came flying out.

“Oww… Was that really necessary?”

The hood of his cloak had fallen back, revealing golden hair and pointed ears. Rubbing his sore backside, he glared up at the hulking man standing in the doorway.

“You think you can eat here without money? Shameless.”

“I told you, this is worth more than money! It’s priceless! I don’t even need change!”

In his hand was…

A leaf.

Just an ordinary leaf, the kind you’d find littering any forest floor.

The man waved it around with a cheeky grin.

“If it’s so valuable, go sell it yourself. We don’t accept leaves here, we accept coin.”

Josie blinked at the sudden commotion, then glanced at Leo.

“Should we… go somewhere else?”

But Leo wasn’t moving.

Instead, his eyes were fixed on the golden-haired man, glowing faintly with recognition.

“…Leo?”

“Josie. That man… he’s an elf.”

“An elf?”

Josie easily spotted the pointed ears poking through his hair.

Elves were supposed to live in the Southern Continent. If one was here in Versha…

Maybe he knows a way for them to get there.