The New Gate (LN)

"If you're feeling out of it, you could rest at the inn, you know . "

"Kuu…"

Yuzuha, curled in a ball on Shin's shoulder, expressed that she was okay, so he just lightly patted her on the head .

Since their battle with the demons that attempted to sacrifice the Holy Woman Hermie, Yuzuha would sometimes lean on his shoulders, maybe because she was not feeling too well .

"Your companion does not seem to be feeling well . "

"She's saying she's OK, though . It doesn't look like she has a fever either, so I'll just keep an eye on her for now . "

Leaving Hermie to Wilhelm's care, Shin and Schnee had gone to meet Berett at Balmel's Golden Company, as they needed a ship to return to Sigurd .

Many of the ships leaving Balmel's port headed towards the northern part of the continent (Est) . Travel by land would take too much time, so they decided to head by sea to a port town near Sigurd and then reach the city by land .

Using the dragons to travel by air was a last resort, so the party would not use them this time .

"So, how are the arrangements for the ship going?"

At Schnee's question, Berett lowered his head apologetically .

"I would love to help you, but unfortunately our guild's ships are all out . There is, however, one ship heading towards Est . It will stop by another port for supplies on the way there, but it will certainly allow you to reach your destination faster than waiting for one of our ships . What do you say?"

It was a ship that carried both trade goods and people . A relatively high social status was required to board it, but with Berett's introduction the party would have been able to board it easily .

"Using Tsuki no Hokora's introduction or revealing our members' identity would have been troublesome, so this really helps . "

An introduction letter from Tsuki no Hokora would have been more than enough proof of status . Using Hermie's name too would have probably made it easy to board the ship . But both methods would have created trouble down the line, so they wanted to avoid them as much as possible .

An introduction letter from Berett, Golden Company deputy manager, had the same worth, but saying that they were business partners made it easier to use in their situation .

Having an A-rank adventurer (Wilhelm) and a Church knight (Konig) with them, saying that they planned to do item transactions would make their travel more believable .

"The ship's departure is scheduled for tomorrow, would that be alright?"

"Yes, we don't have a lot of time to waste, so that's perfect . "

"I will contact you later about the current available cabins . "

"I would prefer a private one . There are some members that wouldn't like their faces to be seen . "

"Understood . Please wait a while . "

Berett opened a drawer and began to write quickly on a piece of paper . He then inserted it into an envelope marked with the Golden Company's logo and sealed it with wax .

"Please show this to the captain . I will let them know . "

"Thank you, and sorry for the trouble . "

"It is a joy and an honor for me to be of help to High Humans . Do not worry . "

Berett's smiling expression as he bowed was honest and pure . There wasn't the single trace of malice within it .

Shin thanked the man again and left the Golden Company .

◆◆◆◆

While Shin's entourage was at the Golden Company, Tiera, Filma and Shibaid were buying foodstuffs and items . Kagerou, as usual, stayed within Tiera's shadow .

Filma, who had awoken after a 500-year long sleep, was excited to see the streets' hustle and bustle .

"As expected of a town based on trade, there's so many people here . They also look pretty happy too, it's a relief to see . "

"A relief?"

Filma's words caused Tiera's puzzled question . After a chuckle, Filma answered .

"I only remember until the era of reconstruction after the natural disasters . At the time, even a small earthquake was enough to send everyone into a panic . "

There was no sorrow in Filma's tone .

"As the generations changed, they probably forgot about what happened then . But the present was born on the efforts of many people . Now and then, people are much more resilient than one would expect . "

Shibaid, who was accompanying them to prevent Filma from going too wild, commented with a smile .

Not finding any words to say, Tiera kept quiet .

"Yes, I feel that clearly . Anyway, that was nice of you to leave Shin and Schnee by themselves, Shibaid . You've become more perceptive, haven't you?"

"To be precise, there's someone else with them . But I didn't do it for a particular reason . I just made the decision that letting you go unattended was far more dangerous . "

"And what would you mean by that?"

"I'm speaking from past experience . Try to think about it and you'll understand . "

Shibaid was looking at Filma with half-opened eyes, clearly showing his disbelief at her last question .

"Don't treat me like a troublemaker now . Well, I've gone a little overboard sometimes in the past, I'll admit . "

Maybe because she recalled what Shibaid was talking about, Filma avoided looking directly at him .

"Come on, both of you, that's enough . Since we're out in town and all, why don't we check out the stores?"

"That's true too . We have the list of what we need, so let's wrap that up quickly . "

"Yes, yes…"

Filma welcomed Tiera's proposal, while Shibaid gave a wry laugh . He didn't want to fight either, after all .

Filma quickly went to buy foodstuffs .

"Tiera, are you good at picking the good from the bad here?"

"More or less . I've been trained by master, after all . How about you, Filma?"

"I can cook if it gets down to it, but I make no promises about the taste . So, the choice of the groceries is up to you . "

Shibaid wasn't one to be fussy about food either, so the only one among them who could tell the good groceries from the bad ones was Tiera .

The huge load of foodstuffs they bought was then carried by Shibaid .

"We really bought a huge amount…will you be all right?"

Tiera was worried about Shibaid carrying the large bag of groceries by himself, but Filma casually brushed away her concerns .

"No need to worry, he's not the type of guy to buckle under this much weight . "

"No problem, I will place them in the item box as soon as we reach a place without people around . "

Shibaid was in fact holding the bag without the least bit of difficulty .

"By the way, Tiera, there's something I wanted to ask you…"

"Yes, what is it?"

"What's your reason for traveling with Shin?"

"Hmm, I have been wondering that too . And the divine beast you have with you is clearly superior to your abilities as a tamer, too . "

Shibaid also joined in questioning Tiera .

"Uhm, do I have to talk about that here?"

"On the contrary, this is the ideal situation to . Crowded places are the best to talk about secrets . "

In a noisy and bustling street, as Filma said, it would be impossible to understand who was talking about what . Furthermore, neither Konig the Church knight nor Wilhelm the White Lion Lancer were around .

"Shin and Schnee are close to me, that's why I want to know . "

Both Filma and Shibaid served directly under Shin, thus they wondered why Tiera, who was not under Shin's command, was part of the entourage .

Tiera understood that they didn't just ask her on a whim, and nodded seriously .

"I understand . Everything started when my master, Schnee, saved me . "

Tiera than explained briefly what happened until Shin removed her curse .

"… . I see . It's true that the "Cursed Gift" was usually removed in town before, so there was nothing else to do . "

"Indeed . I too have attempted to research it, but could not find anything . "

"Shin seemed to know about it, but both of you didn't?"

Tiera was surprised to know that, Schnee included, no one knew how to acquire the skill of 【Purification】 .

"I knew that Shin had learned it though . I helped looking for the items needed to learn it, but the last part was done by Shin alone, so I don't know the details . It wasn't a skill used often to begin with, so it was enough for only Shin to learn it . I think it's similar for the other people we know too . "

"That's right . That time, even if you did not learn it yourself you could have curses removed easily in the cities now called 'Sacred Places' . It was not something to spend effort to learn . "

"What can I say…it's incredible . "

The existence of cities where cursed people could freely enter and leave and easily be purified was something Tiera was not able to imagine .

Shibaid and Filma, who knew how the world changed after the "Dusk of the Majesty", understood Tiera's surprise .

"By the way, Tiera, what do you think about Shin?"

"Eh?"

Tiera couldn't help but voice her surprise at the sudden question .

"I mean, you thought you wouldn't ever leave that shop and he pops out of nowhere and dispels your curse without a single explanation . I honestly doubt that you aren't the least bit interested in him, with all that happened . "

Filma spoke with confidence and a strange gleam in her eyes . She couldn't help pointing it out .

"It wouldn't be exaggerated to call him "a prince who saved the damsel just as she was about to give into despair", right?"

"Well, um…of course I am thankful! But, er, you know it! Shin has master with him!"

"Polygamy is the norm in this world, isn't it? Elves don't seem to like that too much though . But do you really feel only gratitude for him?"

"Ah…um… . "

Tiera couldn't find the words to answer Filma's dead serious look . But her floundering for words without denying the allegations was an answer in itself .

"Filma . It's not proper to poke about in people's love affairs . "

"I know, and I'll stop now . But Tiera, let me say just one thing . "

"Y-Yes . "

Filma wasn't grinning anymore now, and talked with a very serious tone .

"It's better to make your feelings clear . If you do after you feel regret, it's too late . "

"!!!"

Tiera found herself swallow her breath, feeling that Filma had seen right through her .

"I'm sorry . I know this is none of my business . "

"…no, honestly speaking, I can't find the answer yet myself . "

Tiera spoke with a small, wry laugh .

Filma was looking at her with a kind smile .

(I wonder what Shin's answer will be, then . )

That was what Shibaid was thinking, apart from the two women .

◆◆◆◆

"First, we've secured a means of transport . "

Shin's entourage, back from the Golden Company, explained to the others about the ship to Sigurd .

Not only Tiera, Filma and Shibaid, but also Hermie and Wilhelm, who had stayed back at the inn, plus Milt, who had gone out with Konig, were listening .

"When will we depart?"

Konig asked .

"Tomorrow morning, in the ship called the Mediel . How were things on your end?"

"I contacted the Church . As I said before, they should come meet us at the town called Leshelle . "

Konig nodded to Shin's inquiry .

Most members of the group coming to meet them, however, would be heading to the "Summit Faction" base .

The group, composed of Chosen Ones, was made to subdue the base in one fell swoop . It was a strategy possible only because Shin's party had defeated the more powerful demons .

"Aw, I wanted to go with Shin too…"

"Didn't you say that you would pay for the trouble you caused? You'll have to work hard volunteering for a while . "

Milt's complaints were quickly shut down by Shin .

Even if she had been manipulated, it was a fact that she had kidnapped Hermie . For this reason, it was decided that Milt would serve the Church for a period . Starting, of course, from this base capture mission .

"Well, is there anything else that needs to be said? If not, we have an early start tomorrow, so let's go rest . "

As no one had anything in particular to add, all members proceeded to their assigned rooms .

The room division was Shin with Yuzuha and Shibaid, Schnee and Filma, Konig and Wilhelm, Tiera with Milt and Hermie .

The bright and cheerful Milt had become good friends with Tiera and Hermie and could also act as bodyguard, so she was put in the same room . Kagerou was, as always, in Tiera's shadow too, so the fighting power was more than sufficient .

"Anyway Yuzuha, you're still sick?"

"Kuu…"

"Monsters get sick too, huh . It's not a status ailment, so I really have no idea what it could be…"

Shibaid was worried too, but Yuzuha kept mentally signaling that she was all right .

Shin told her again to let him know if her condition got worse and went to sleep .

◆◆◆◆

The next day, Shin's eyes opened earlier than expected . The reason was a weight of unknown origins on his right arm .

"I think this happened before…Yuzuha, is that you?"

After confirming the situation with 【Analyze】, Shin looked at the young girl sleeping next to him .

She was Yuzuha, transformed in human form . But her appearance was not the "small girl mode" Shin knew .

She looked like she could be in her early teens . Her height was around 150 cemels, and her body now showed budding feminine curves . Her silver hair, stretched until her waist, sparkled in the sunlight coming in through the window .

Her ears and tail were the same as before .

"Your feeling sick was because of this, then . "

Shin pulled out the arm that Yuzuha was hugging and, with his free hand, laid a blanket over her . As he did so, Yuzuha slowly opened her eyes .

"… . where?"

Staring at where Shin's arm used to be, Yuzuha's hands fumbled around in the now empty space . Maybe because she wasn't fully awake yet, she hadn't noticed that Shin had just slightly moved away .

Her expression was just like a lost child looking for her parents .

As she clumsily propped her body up, the blanket over her fell down, revealing her naked figure .

Mornings in Balmel are slightly cold . Shin picked up the fallen blanket and wrapped Yuzuha with it .

"… . here . "

Yuzuha didn't even glance at the blanket; with a mumble, she laid her head on Shin's lap and quickly slipped into slumber . Her expression was one of simple bliss .

"Wait, you're going back to sleep!?"

It would be a problem to just leave her like that, so Shin wanted her to put some clothes on first of all . Previously she had turned in fox mode with clothes on, and when she had turned into a small girl again she had them still on, but for some reason it didn't happen this time .

Yuzuha's clothes were on the ground next to her, in card form, so there was no need to pull them out .

"Tell me what's going on, first . "

"Hm?"

"Your looks, I mean . Is it because your power returned?"

"Yes . I'm still not used to it, so this is my limit for now . "

According to Yuzuha, she had been feeling sick because alongside the recovery of her powers, a lot of new knowledge returned to her too . A large quantity of memories had returned to her as well, so her head felt overloaded .

Her powers apparently returned to 60% of their original state; if she got used to her newly recovered strength and more memories returned, her appearance would also grow some more .

"Is that also the reason why your expression is so stiff?"

"Kuu?"

Yuzuha tilted her head to the side, puzzled by Shin's question .

Excluding her blissful expression while sleeping, her facial expressions barely changed . It was a perfect poker face .

Shin checked Yuzuha's status again, finding that her level now exceeded 600 and her stats had increased exponentially too . Even judging from the numbers alone, she was now at Raid rank 3 strength .

"I guess we should let Schnee and the others know . Can you go back to fox mode? Some people might be surprised that you grew bigger all of a sudden, so that would be better . "

"No problem . "

Yuzuha answered positively and transformed right in front of Shin .

After confirming her transformation, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat . He told Schnee, who was already awake, to call Filma too, while Shin himself woke up Shibaid .

Tiera was with Hermie, so he decided to tell her later .

"Ooh, you really got stronger . "

Filma was impressed after seeing Yuzuha's new level .

"I suppose that her level will be 1000 eventually . "

Schnee, her hand on her chin, was imagining Yuzuha's final form .

"Having an Element Tail as an ally is a great asset . "

As he had battled one before, Shibaid knew what a reliable companion she could be .

"Nothing's particularly different from before, so please treat her as you did until now . "

"Please . "

After finishing talking, it was now time to prepare for departure .

Shin joined the others for breakfast on the ground floor . It was still a little early when they finished eating, but they decided to head to the harbor nonetheless .

Shin was walking next to Wilhelm .

"Hermie seems to feel a little better, right . "

"So it seems . But why are you asking me?"

"Isn't it because you two stayed back at the inn? That she smiles like that now . "

Hermie clearly looked in Wilhelm's direction more often than before . It wasn't hard to think that something must have happened . Next to Hermie now walked Konig and Milt, as protection .

"We just talked a little, I tell you nothing happened . "

"Looking at her tells me something else, though . "

"Whatever . "

Shin felt that it wouldn't be good to pursue the matter further, so he dropped the topic . They kept walking, chatting casually, until they spotted the ship's sails .

Probably because the time for departure was close, the port was full of bulky men carrying supplies inside the ships .

"It's really packed! By the way, which one is our ship?"

Milt asked while her eyes darted all around the port .

"The largest one, over there . I confirmed it yesterday, so there's no mistake . "

Shin pointed at one of the anchored ships . It was clearly larger than the others around it, looking like it could carry a large quantity of goods .

"It looks like there are people on board already . Shall we go too?"

"We don't have anything else to do anyway, let's go . "

Shin answered Tiera's question and started to walk towards the ship . As the group drew closer, the crewmember in charge of the passengers' check came up to them .

It was a large, muscular man, who looked like he could break in bodybuilding poses any second .

"Do you plan to board the Mediel?"

"Yes . "

"Do you have the boarding pass or a letter of introduction?"

The man's intimidating appearance hid a perfectly polite demeanor .

Representing the group, Shin handed the man the letter received from Berett . The man took the letter, opened it carefully and examined its contents .

"…yes, this will do . Welcome aboard the Mediel . Shall I guide you to your cabins?"

"Please . "

Berett said to show the letter to the captain, but apparently the crewmembers already knew of them too .

The ship's cabins reflected the overall size of the vessel; Shin's request for a private cabin had been granted as well .

Following the muscular man, Shin's party proceeded through the ship and finally arrived before a room protected by a sturdy-looking door .

The cabins were divided between men and women . Hermie was camouflaged, but they picked the farthest room from the entrance for her, to avoid others' eyes as much as possible .

"Guess I'll go see the ship . "

"Kuu . "

Shin stood up and Yuzuha leapt on his shoulder with a small cry .

"OK, let's go together . "

Shin called Shibaid too, then went on a walk through the ship . They checked the ship's interior structure, what was located where, while paying attention not to get in the way of the stockers .

After they checked most places they had access to, they heard the sound of a bell, the signal that the ship was about to depart . More time had passed than expected .

Just as Shin thought that it was time to return to their cabins, they heard a voice from beyond the corner .

"Finally, my sister's sickness will be healed!!"

"Yes, I am sure Lady Haruna will be very happy too . "

The owners of the voices could not be seen, but from their high pitch Shin assumed they belonged to a little girl and her female attendant . As the ship was very large, they had already seen several passengers accompanied by servants .

They were now close to the guest rooms and the surroundings were fairly quiet, so they could hear the conversation clearly .

Shin assumed the little girl had obtained a precious medicine for her sister . Even a stranger like Shin could tell that the girl's voice was brimming with joy .

"It was really hard to find it…aah!?"

"Eh… . ?"

The girl beyond the corner had suddenly cried, so Shin stopped moving . Before him stood the little girl, with a look of utter surprise on her face . She looked like she was in her early teens .

The girl was small in stature, around 140 cemels . Her flame-like bright red hair, extending until her waist, were her most striking feature . Her black, clear eyes looked straight at Shin .

"Milady?"

Behind the little girl appeared a young woman who, from her clothing, resembled a Samurai . She was wearing gauntlets and shin guards, black with patterns drawn in orange lines . On her shoulders she wore large protective plates called "Osode", while her chest was protected by a relatively small breast plate .

Her height was probably close to 170 cemels . Her waist-length black hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail .

"Do you have business with these gentlemen?"

The woman looked towards Shin with eyes as deeply black as her hair . Her sharp look eloquently signaled how she did not only look tough .

"No, it's nothing . It appears I was a little too excited . I didn't catch their presence . My apologies, fellows . I didn't pay attention, kindly forget about this . "

"Er, yeah…"

After the woman's question, the little girl apologized to Shin .

Even if his answer was vague, Shin was relieved to hear the girl's words, because the woman's eyes when looking at him appeared somewhat dangerous .

"Ehm, so, I will take my leave . "

"Yes, a good trip to you . "

Shin gave a slight nod and headed towards Schnee's room .

As they arrived, they noticed everyone except 2 members were there .

"Where are Hermie and Konig?"

"Hermie started feeling sick as soon as the ship started moving, so Konig's taking care of her . "

Shin's question was answered by Milt, who was drinking a glass of water . The horse carriage hadn't made her feel sick, but the ship apparently did .

"She wasn't terribly sick, so she should be OK as long as she lies down . "

Schnee added to Milt's words .

"Shin, you went looking around the ship, right? Anything caught your interest?"

"No, nothing in particular . There weren't suspicious passengers either . "

Thanks to the map function, Shin had also verified that there wasn't anyone hiding in places such as the ship's hold . In the game era there was an event in which NPCs would hide there, to attack from within when the ship was attacked by pirates .

After briefly talking about the party's next plans, all members went on their separate business .

Shin headed towards the deck to see the scenery .

"Ah, I'm coming too . "

"Me too . "

Milt and Tiera quickly followed after Shin . Yuzuha was perched on his shoulder as usual .

Shin had already visited the deck while inspecting the ship, but he had only checked the path which led to it and had not watched the scenery .

"Coming on deck, you can feel the wind picked up . "

"It feels really nice . "

"Ah, there's something there!"

Tiera, who was looking at the sea from the edge of the deck, had found something .

Shin and Milt went closer to the edge of the deck and looked in the direction Tiera was pointing to .

"Oh, Hero Dolphins . "

"As colorful as usual, too . "

What Tiera had spotted were Hero Dolphins, dolphin-type monsters .

Maybe they were inspired from certain superhero shows, because they always traveled in packs of 5 or 6; a red and blue one were always present, while the other colors were more varied, ranging between yellow, green, white, black or pink .

They were non-active monsters, a type that generally didn't attack unless provoked .

"Oh, that's rare . There's a gold one . "

"Wow, it's true . "

Milt pointed at a pack of Hero Dolphins, led by a red one and followed by a blue, white, black and gold one, all swimming parallel to the ship . It was really rare to witness a golden one .

"It's shining much brighter than the others . "

"Its power should be about the same though . "

If defeated, it could drop items slightly rarer than the others . It was said that if a player found one, their luck would increase .

"Hm? Hey, Tiera, what's wrong?"

Shin looked back at Tiera, to find her staring at the seawater .

"Nothing, I just realized that now we aren't touching the ground with our feet…"

Apparently it was her first time on a ship, so she felt slightly uneasy .

"We won't sink unless something really big happens, so rest easy, I tell you . "

A skill to increase resilience had been used on the ship, so even if charged by a large marine monster, it wouldn't sink easily .

"I know that in my head, but I won't calm down until I get used to it, I guess . "

It wasn't something that could change instantly .

After contemplating the scenery for a while, Shin and the others returned to their cabins .

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