I never want to get on a ship again.

  I spent the first few hours after we set sail puking nonstop.

  Leda contacted Lunaflare, and she ordered us to head for the Tsukiyama Trading Company in Ternova.

  It’s a major port town south of the capital—nowhere near as big as Tricia, but still thriving.

  She said we could interrogate the prisoners there or at sea, but after seeing the state I was in, everyone agreed that would be too cruel.

  Since it was a small boat we stayed close to shore instead of heading out to open water, but it still rocked like crazy.

  The shape of the seabed around here makes the waves rough.

  My stomach was already empty, yet the nausea wouldn’t stop.

  There was a loud banging from the cabin.

  The captured men must be struggling.

  Liera gave Leda a look. Leda pulled something from her bag and tossed it into the cabin.

  A few moments later, everything went quiet.

  “What did you throw in there?” I asked, face pale.

  “You look awful. It’s just a sedative. Better if you don’t breathe it.”

  “Hey, Fedra—how did you know exactly how many people were inside and where they were standing?”

  “She’s really good at making barriers,” Leda answered. “She can cut off sound and presence, or stretch threads like a spider web to scout. She’s incredibly useful in situations like this.”

  Magic really does have different strengths depending on the user.

  Some spells might be useless on the battlefield but incredibly powerful in the right place.

  Aunt had built an organization that let people use their unique talents to the fullest.

  “That spell of yours was amazing,” Fedra said. “I never thought of using it that way.”

  “I was just experimenting. By the way, how much longer until we reach land?”

  “A few more hours. Even after we arrive we won’t go ashore right away. The cargo’s a pain, so we’ll wait until midnight. Hang in there until then.”

  “Got it…”

  ‘How pathetic, getting seasick like this.’

  I had no comeback, but I was slowly starting to feel a little better.

  The boat kept the peninsula on our left as we sailed.

  The sky was blue, seagulls flew overhead, and fish occasionally leaped from the water.

  I had zero energy to enjoy any of it.

  When the sun began to set and Leda started lowering the sail, we must have been near Ternova.

  “Change of plans. We can link up with a ship returning from the south. Tsukiyama will handle the cargo. Even the seasick young master can finally get on dry land.”

  Thank the gods. I really thought I was going to die.

  Apparently a Tsukiyama merchant ship had already reached this area earlier than expected, so we could meet up.

  The small vertical sail that appeared on the horizon looked like a divine savior.

  As we got closer, I saw it was a large vessel.

  Two masts with fore-and-aft rigging, plus a jib at the bow.

  The name “Moon Maiden” was painted on the side, and a carved snake head decorated the prow.

  Leda brought our boat alongside. A rope ladder dropped down, and they sent me up first.

  Bastet clung to me the whole way.

  Several men from the Moon Maiden climbed down into our boat.

  “You came all the way from the west side of the peninsula in that thing?”

  An older, deeply tanned man asked.

  “Yeah,” Liera answered.

  “You’re crazy. That route’s brutal even for this ship—the waves are no joke.”

  “We managed. The cargo is five men and six hemp sacks of gold. Get everything to Tsukiyama.”

  “Boss already told us. We’ll handle it clean. Don’t worry.”

  He clapped Liera on the shoulder and gave a thumbs-up.

  They would bring the ship ashore at night, transfer the cargo to wagons, and then burn the boat.

  Only sailors used to night sailing could pull that off.

  “Also, collect every document left on the ship. There might be important clues. We used cannabis resin in the cabin—better ventilate before you go in.”

  “Got it.”

  Leda and Liera transferred to the bigger ship.

  The captain—a woman—came out to greet them.

  “Leda, Liera! Long time no see.”

  “You look well too.”

  They happily reunited.

  “So the one who just came aboard is the teacher’s… niece? Or rather, little brother?”

  “Yeah. First time on a ship and he got wrecked. Let him rest for a while.”

  “First voyage being that route? Of course he’d end up like this. Why didn’t you stop him?”

  Liera shrugged. “Perfect ship, perfect cargo, and the kid suggested it himself. The decision was right, but the seasickness was… unexpected.”

  “Figures. We’ll unload in Ternova. You two rest too. Don’t worry about the cargo—that guy’s one of our veterans. He knows the job and we trust him completely.”

  “Thanks, Bell.”

  The woman shouted “We’re moving!” and the crew sprang into action.

  The rest of the trip to port was smooth and quick.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  I was carried on a stretcher to the Tsukiyama Company building and laid on the couch in the president’s office.

  Bastet was curled up asleep on my stomach.

  The Tsukiyama Trading Company used to be called the Kiaros Company.

  It had belonged to the father of one of Lunaflare’s students, Kiaros Bernadia. When it was on the verge of bankruptcy, Lunaflare bought it.

  Bernadia now runs it.

  All the information gathered across the kingdom flows here and turns into money.

  They sell the information itself or use it for business. It’s the heart of the Moon Shadow network Lunaflare created.

  The building was originally a noble’s mansion that had been put up for sale when the owners moved out. Lunaflare bought it because of its prime location near the port—and because it had a solid foundation and a large basement.

  The five men we brought from the sea cave were now locked in separate rooms underground.

  We hadn’t touched them yet because we were still organizing the information.

  When I finally woke up, I carried Bastet to the main hall.

  “You’re awake,” Leda said.

  “Yeah… still a little fuzzy…”

  “Want something to eat?”

  Plates of food covered the table; everyone was picking what they wanted.

  “I’ll skip solids for now… just something to drink.”

  Leda handed me juice from southern citrus fruits.

  The perfect balance of sweet, sour, and a faint bitterness felt wonderful after being seasick.

  I drank it slowly.

  “We prepared a bath. Go soak and freshen up.”

  Leda led me to the bathroom.

  Since the building had once been a noble’s mansion, the bath was luxurious, made of cut stone.

  I stripped and slipped into the water.

  “You coming in too?”

  ‘I hate hot water. Besides, I’m already clean.’

  “It feels so good~”

  ‘It’ll just make you cold later.’

  “There’s a fireplace.”

  ‘…Fine.’

  She jumped from my shoulder into the bath.

  “Not too hot, right?”

  ‘Mmm.’

  I half-lay in the shallow tub.

  Bastet sat on my stomach.

  I poured warm water over her head and stroked her.

  “How did you notice that crack in the cliff?”

  ‘The wind. I heard a strange sound and went to check.’

  “Thanks to you we didn’t have to climb down the cliff. You actually helped for once, Bastet.”

  I rubbed soap through her fur.

  ‘“For once” is a bit harsh.’

  She narrowed her eyes in pleasure.

  “You made me ride a horse and almost killed me, then dumped ice water on me. Is this some kind of divine prank?”

  I tugged her whiskers; she swatted my hand.

  ‘The horse was fun—the speed was thrilling. The water was just you pointing at the tub. I’m innocent.’

  “Right~ Next time I might accidentally drop chili peppers in your fish, so watch out.”

  ‘That’s just evil!’

  “Chili peppers are delicious~ Pure goodwill, I swear.”

  ‘I’m leaving. I’ll dry off by the fireplace.’

  She hopped out, shook herself vigorously, and sprayed water everywhere.

  On purpose, obviously.

  “Whatever. You did save us this time.”

  The bath helped a lot, so I got out.

  I changed clothes and decided to wash the dust-covered ones tomorrow.

  When I returned to the living room, everyone was already camped in front of the fireplace, munching on something.

  It looked like flatbread topped with cheese, ham, and vegetables, then baked.

  “Feeling better?” Liera asked.

  “Much better, thanks. I can eat now.”

  She gestured for me to help myself.

  “While you were out cold we sorted all the documents from the ship and checked them,” Leda said.

  As expected—fast work.

  “Find anything?”

  “Yeah. The ship probably belonged to Bernolt. He kept what look like request slips, but they’re just meeting times and vague instructions. Orders were given orally.”

  “Could any of the five we caught be Bernolt?”

  “No.”

  “Then we’ll have to ask where he went. Let’s start questioning all five at once.”

  Leda nodded.

  Fedra and Fiona still hadn’t arrived, so Bernadia and his sister would help.

  “I’m Bernadia, president of Tsukiyama. This is my support staff and little sister, Natalia.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Denaris. We need to find the whereabouts of a man from the northern forests named Titus—or Bernolt.”

  “Understood.”

  We all headed underground and entered separate rooms.

  I took the fat man at the very back.

  Bastet came with me.

  He was still in the same state we’d left him.

  I removed the burlap sack.

  His hair was matted with sweat and looked gross.

  The cloth I’d stuffed in his mouth was already spat out.

  “Hello. How are you feeling?”

  “Fuck off…”

  His voice was surprisingly small for his size.

  “You think you’ll get away with this? You bastards…”

  “I do. You can’t escape this place on your own. What exactly can you do?”

  “My comrades…”

  “They won’t come. You don’t even know where you are, right?”

  “……”

  “What do you think I’m going to do now?”

  “Interrogate me? I won’t talk.”

  “Exactly. That’s why I’m going to let you go.”

  “What?”

  “It’s simple. We took all the gold that was on the ship. But the owner doesn’t know who did it. He’ll assume one of you stole it.”

  “Bullshit. That lame lie won’t work. The boss will understand if I explain.”

  So there is a boss.

  “How? No matter what you say, the gold is gone. Are you going to pay him back? That’s easily a hundred gold coins.”

  (Actually there was way more.)

  “What do I get if I talk?”

  “I’ll give you money. Then you can run wherever you want.”

  “How much?”

  “Depends on the information. Taking the escape money and disappearing is probably better for your health.”

  “……”

  “Well?”

  “Fine. I’ll talk. Untie me and give me something to eat.”

  “No. Tell me everything first. If the information is good, I’ll give you the money and let you go somewhere safe. If it’s worthless, I’ll dump you somewhere with no money. If you get hungry, figure it out yourself. And don’t even think about trying to break free and attack me. I’m a mage. I can kill you anytime I want.”

  I showed him a tiny spark of electricity.

  He fell silent, so I left the room and locked the door.

  The others were already waiting outside.

  We went upstairs and compared notes.

  The other four were apparently local fishermen.

  They’d been making extra cash helping bandits escape.

  “He was so scared of your magic he thought he was going to die—he spilled everything in seconds.”

  “So you were eavesdropping?”

  Everyone grinned.

  “That was a pretty unique threat. Interesting way to do it.”

  Liera said.

  “Keep going like this. If anything goes wrong we’ll step in.”

  I nodded, drank another glass of the fresh-squeezed juice I’d liked, and sank deep into the couch.

  I was thinking about sleeping.

  “You’re not going back?”

  “Nah, that’s enough for today. When humans have too much free time they start thinking unnecessary things. I already gave him the conditions. If he wants to talk he’ll be anxiously waiting for me to come back. His stomach will be growling too. If he doesn’t want to talk, he’ll be planning his escape. The only way out is breaking through that iron door. I’ll deal with him tomorrow.”

  And with that, I fell asleep.

  The others looked at each other.

  The next morning when I woke up, Leda and Liera were already eating breakfast.

  I liked last night’s juice, so I looked around. Leda handed me the fruit and a squeezer.

  I squeezed a glass, drank it, refilled it, and headed downstairs.

  Everyone followed.

  “Hello. Sleep well?”

  The man was awake.

  I drank the juice right in front of him.

  “What’ll it be?”

  “Just a little… my throat’s so dry I can barely speak.”

  “Open your mouth.”

  He obediently tilted his head back.

  I poured just enough to wet his throat.

  “Thanks… So what do you want to know?”

  “Talk about whatever you want. I’ll ask if something catches my interest.”

  “…Alright. Name’s Bonaris. Pretty well-known among the bandits around here. Heh heh… I was put in charge of that hideout. It can only be entered from the sea at high tide, so we pay local fishermen to transport stuff.”

  I kept my eyes on his the whole time.

  “Yesterday… or whenever it was… when you guys showed up, the boss had already left. We were just eating and drinking. Honest…”

  “What’s the boss like?”

  “Scary as hell. Loves killing. Once he let a guy run away just so he could shoot him in the back with an arrow. Terrible, right? Please, let me go?”

  You’ll get shot if you run, though.

  “His name?”

  “Titus. Yeah, he said he came from the north. Laughed about how he shot his superior in the army and ran.”

  “When did the boss leave?”

  “The day before you arrived. He was there until then. He said he was leaving at night, so I went to tell the fishermen to come in the morning.”

  “Where was he going?”

  “No idea. You’d have to ask the fishermen.”

  “Where can I meet him?”

  “East of the hideout there’s a small fishing village. He’s there. Is that enough? Can I go now?”

  “Not yet. Where are the bandit hideouts?”

  “……”

  “You’ve already talked this much—you can’t go back. Tell me everything and run abroad. I’ll give you money.”

  “…Fine. There are several around the capital, but the busiest one is in the slums on the outskirts. Most of the people living there are like us. But the boss uses an underground room you enter through a dried-up well.”

  “I see. One more thing. How do you take a job request to the boss?”

  “You want to hire him?”

  “Just hypothetically. You take jobs, right?”

  “Jobs come through a pawnshop. There’s a place called Revenant Pawnshop in the capital—they buy stolen goods and such. We always use them to turn loot into cash. Sometimes the old man there brings us work. I don’t know any other routes. The boss might have his own.”

  “Got it. Thanks. I’ll compare your story with the other four.”

  “Those guys are just fishermen.”

  I kept staring into Bonaris’s eyes.

  “This is today’s sample. Open up.”

  He obediently opened his mouth, so I poured in a little more juice and left.

  Surprisingly cooperative guy.

  The other four looked shocked.

  “Impressive. Where the hell were you raised?”

  Liera was amazed.

  “Somewhere I can’t talk about out loud.”

  She laughed.

  “Are you sure those four aren’t lying? They said Titus left the day before at high tide, but if fishermen were there it’s weird. Only one boat too. Maybe we should ask again.”

  “I’m keeping that in mind while questioning. Seems they work in groups. They moor their boat at the rocks and dive for shellfish and bottom fish. They help each other so no one gets stranded. They sold Titus the boat too.”

  “Makes sense. The timelines match.”

  “You did great. We got the hideout location and the pawnshop. Now we need to decide our next move.”

  We didn’t get the destination, but we had solid leads.

  Time to plan the next step.

  The moment I put one of the green fruits from the plate into my mouth, the bitter taste made me spit it out.

  I really hate olives pickled in vinegar.

  Thank you so much for reading! ??

  If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a rating or a review!

  Your feedback is greatly appreciated and really encourages both the original author and the translator to keep bringing more chapters.

  You can also read the original Japanese version here:

  See you in the next chapter!