Felin Crysinne is a genius.

Even at a young age, he had already reached the third tier, a level of talent recognized without dispute by any magician.

However, unfortunately, Felin Crysinne’s name isn’t well-known.

This is because Felin Crysinne’s talent could not match that of his sister, Penia Crysinne.

In other words, his brilliance was overshadowed by the even greater talent of his sister.

Nevertheless, Felin did not resent Penia.

Instead, he admired her.

She effortlessly performed magic that he could not easily achieve.

Seeing Penia already recognized as the vice-tower master of the Blue Tower at such a young age, Felin even felt a sense of pride.

He was proud to be of the same lineage as Penia Crysinne.

Proud that Penia Crysinne, who had become the vice-tower master at a young age, was his sister.

And so, to someone like him…

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it’s been… a while.”

“How have you been?”

“Yes, yes… of course…!”

The situation that was unfolding before him was beyond surreal—it was utterly shocking.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Oh, well, it’s because the tower master mentioned there was something to do in Raksas~.”

Felin stood agape as he watched Penia awkwardly smile, something completely out of character for her, who typically behaved arrogantly with everyone except the tower master.

He had never seen Penia act that way toward anyone.

“Wha… What doesn’t make sense?”

Evan, who was sitting in the carriage, asked as Felin muttered to himself.

However, Felin remained in shock, as if he couldn’t hear a thing.

“My sister… can she even speak formally like that?”

“…?”

It was as if he had witnessed his proud sister compromising with the world, leaving him with a blank expression.

But then…

“Just yesterday, she slapped a noble heir three times and froze him with ice magic for being insolent, didn’t she?”

“??”

“And a few days ago, when a merchant group tried to scam her, she destroyed all their carriages, froze the guards who came later, and even stormed the lord’s castle to make a scene, didn’t she??”

As Felin continued to recount Penia’s outrageous behavior, Evan thought to himself:

‘As expected, there are many crazy wizards.’

Admiring his troublemaking sister, or being that troublemaking sister, Felin and Penia were both equally bewildering.

As Evan was once again updating his prejudices against wizards after hearing this wild story…

“So, that guy is your brother?”

“Yes, yes…! I am truly sorry…! He has been holed up in the tower all his life, so he knows nothing about the world…!”

At this response, Alon calmly replied to the bowing Penia,

“There’s no need to bow like that. It seems like he simply didn’t know, so I understand.”

“Th-Thank you!”

Penia bowed again and sighed in relief.

“Sister, why on earth are you speaking so formally-”

Just as Felin, who had been looking disheartened, finally managed to speak up, his words were cut short.

“Shut up!”

Smack!

Before he could even finish his sentence, Penia began to mercilessly strike him with her staff.

For a moment, there was silence.

“I- I’m sorry… Hah… The kid… is still very young…!”

As Penia approached and apologized again, leaving behind the flinching Felin, Alon was reminded that she was sometimes portrayed as a bit of a morally corrupt character in the game settings.

“No, it’s fine. Besides, if you’re heading to Raksas, our destination is the same, so let’s go together.”

“Huh? No, there’s no need for that.”

“Do you not want to?”

“N-No? It’s not that… it’s just… uh…”

Penia, who had been violently thrashing Felin with her staff like a demon just a moment ago, began darting her eyes around, gauging the situation.

It was as if a mouse trapped in front of a cat was trying desperately to find a way to escape.

“If you really don’t want to, we don’t have to go together.”

“N-No, it’s just…”

Alon was simply trying to be courteous, but Penia suddenly shuddered and murmured as if the thought gave her chills.

“I-I’ll go.”

“Is that so? You really don’t have to if you’d rather not.”

Alon confirmed again, seeing Penia’s less-than-thrilled expression.

“N-No! Please, let me join you!”

Unlike before, when she hesitated about accompanying them, Penia now seemed determined to make it clear that she wanted to go.

Her slightly desperate face gave off the feeling of having been coerced, leaving Alon with a strange sense of guilt.

“Alright, then. Let’s go.”

####

With Felin, still trembling, in tow, Alon set off toward Raksas, during which Penia shared two stories.

First, about why the two of them had been foraging for food in the middle of the road.

It seemed they had a major fallout with the merchant they were traveling with.

According to Penia, after a minor argument, she made a small mistake, causing them to flee.

He wondered why a minor mistake led them to flee without even securing food, but he chose not to pry further.

More importantly…

Evan and Felin were looking at Penia with different, subtle expressions, giving Alon a rough idea of the situation, so he naturally changed the topic.

During that time, he learned something else interesting from her.

“Ships are disappearing?”

“Technically, it only happens near the Ruinous Coast, but they say ships are being pulled underwater.”

“Is it a disaster?”

“No, according to the treasure hunters, it seems to be ‘merfolk.’”

“…Merfolk?”

“Yes. Of course, it’s not certain. Merfolk haven’t been seen for a long time.”

Alon paused at Penia’s words.

‘Why are merfolk appearing now?’

He knew that merfolk were part of Psychedelia.

However, the timing was odd.

At this point, the existence of merfolk hadn’t yet been revealed.

While the presence of two Outer Gods had already appeared, making the timing of their emergence somewhat meaningless, the appearance of merfolk still seemed rather premature based on the game’s basic settings.

Alon tilted his head slightly in confusion.

‘No, merfolk shouldn’t be appearing at this point.’

Unlike the other Outer Gods, whose appearance was more abstract, the merfolk had a unique set of conditions that dictated their emergence, which made Alon uneasy.

If merfolk had indeed appeared now, it also meant that other Outer Gods could potentially appear sooner than expected.

Given this concern, Alon pondered until…

“We’ve arrived.”

Evan’s voice snapped him back to reality.

Even if merfolk were appearing, Alon still needed to proceed to Raksas.

With that in mind, he stepped into the Kimin Territory, which was part of Raksas’s domain, and immediately left the carriage to head toward the harbor.

This was because taking a ship was the only way to enter the capital of Raksas.

The four of them soon arrived at the harbor and, fortunately, found a ship preparing to depart.

However, there was a problem.

“It’s 100 gold coins per person.”

The man who seemed to be the captain sneered blatantly, clearly intending to scam Alon and Penia.

“Huh? 100 gold coins per person?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really think that’s reasonable?”

“If you don’t think so, you can wait for the regular ship in two weeks.”

The captain grinned.

Even though he had a vague sense that Alon was a noble and knew Penia and Felin were magicians, he was brazen enough to attempt to swindle them.

“Do you know who I am?”

Penia spoke menacingly, even releasing some of her magic power, but the man merely flinched slightly and continued.

“Whoever you are is none of my business. Whether you’re nobles or magicians, this is my ship. I decide the usage fee.”

The man spoke confidently.

Seeing this, Alon surmised the likely reason for the captain’s audacity.

‘He must have connections higher up.’

The only way he could speak so boldly before nobles was if he had protection from someone powerful enough to cover up such a scam.

After a moment’s thought, Alon asked,

“So, will you board or not?”

The captain spoke arrogantly.

Gazing at the arrogant captain, Alon finally spoke.

“So, 400 gold coins?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll pay it.”

“?”

The captain’s face momentarily twisted in confusion.

Perhaps he hadn’t expected Alon to accept the offer so readily, and he was stunned for a moment.

“Take it.”

When Alon handed over the money pouch, the captain accepted it.

Though still appearing somewhat skeptical, the captain wore a beaming smile and gestured toward the ship.

“Get on. I’ll take you there.”

The captain, with a sleazy grin under his thick beard, led the way onto the ship.

“Wait, Count, are you really going to pay that? Even considering the high cost, that’s nearly ten times the usual price!” Evan asked, shocked at the unexpected situation.

“There’s no other choice.”

As long as the captain had connections to higher-ups, there was no way around it.

Even if they managed to haggle the price down, they’d still have to pay a significant amount, or else they’d have to wait two weeks to reach Raksas, so paying the full amount was the only option.

…Honestly, it was an extravagant expense that he wouldn’t have considered before, but thanks to the treasures he received from the King of the Colony, his pockets were rather full.

‘…Maybe I should have let Penia and Felin pay for it since they’re loaded…’

Of course, even with full pockets, that thought did cross his mind.

In any case, Alon and his party paid the fee and boarded the merchant ship bound for Raksas.

####

On the first day of the voyage to Raksas, Alon rested in a room assigned by the captain, knowing that they were expected to arrive in the city in three days.

“Urrgh!”

He glanced over at Evan, who was lying on the bed with a sickly green face, groaning.

“Are you alright?” Alon asked.

“I feel like I’m dying, Count… I’d rather just die. Urgh!”

Watching Evan, who had already dashed to the side of the ship over five times since waking up, Alon realized that Evan was prone to seasickness.

“Ugh…”

…And then, there was Penia.

Much like Evan, Penia’s face had turned pale, and she too looked dizzy.

Not long after, she clutched her mouth and rushed off in urgency, just like Evan had earlier.

“So, even a sixth-tier magician can’t handle seasickness, huh?”

Seeing Penia in a practically lifeless state, unable to move a finger like Evan, Alon let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m lucky I don’t get seasick.”

It was one of the few moments Alon felt a positive sentiment toward his body, which had a pitifully small mana pool.

How long had it been since he thought positively about his own physique?

Ding, ding, ding, ding~!

The ocean that had only produced the sound of waves and the creaking of rusty metal suddenly echoed with the sound of bells.

“E-Enemy attack!! P-Pirates!”

In an instant, the merchant ship became chaotic.

Feeling the commotion, Alon moved quickly and stepped outside to assess the situation.

Pirates were swarming the deck, leaving no time to react.

Alon immediately prepared to activate his freezing magic, flexing his fingers clad in magic armor, but then hesitated.

If he cast the wrong spell and destroyed the ship, the situation could turn perilous.

Realizing that a broken ship meant certain drowning with no alternatives, Alon decided to let himself be captured by the pirates for now.

####

In the end, Alon was captured by the pirates.

Penia, who couldn’t overcome her seasickness, was slumped against the ship’s railing and fell unconscious, unable to resist.

She was caught without a fight, and her staff was confiscated.

Evan and Felin suffered the same fate.

And in this situation…

“Let’s make a deal! You can take all the goods, and I even have something you might like—some magicians and nobles! Over there, over there! That one’s quite a wealthy noble! You could definitely get a high ransom for him!”

The captain, who was captured along with the other mercenaries and crew, shamelessly sold them out to the pirates.

Alon wore an incredulous expression.

“That bastard…”

Evan, though seething with anger, could only grit his teeth and glare.

Despite the situation, Alon didn’t feel overly threatened.

After all, Alon’s magic required time for chants and seals, so he had allowed himself to be captured on purpose.

Furthermore…

‘…As expected.’

Penia, still weakened by seasickness, had already broken free from the mana shackles set by the pirates and was watching Alon.

It was clear that she was waiting for Alon to make the first move.

‘…Should I go for it?’

Just as Alon was about to speak the chant he had been considering…

“You’re damn noisy.”

A man emerged from the pirates’ ship, which was anchored with hooks.

He wore an elaborate suit of silver armor and carried a blue trident, exuding an air of elegance that was quite unlike a pirate.

As he approached the captain with a relaxed expression…

“The Sea King…!?”

The captain’s face turned pale as he uttered the man’s title in shock.

Penia, who had just woken up from her faint, quickly assessed the situation, and her expression twisted in anxiety.

Having done her preliminary research before arriving, Penia knew exactly who the Sea King was.

‘The Pirate King…!’

A ruler who had unified six of the Seven Archipelagos and was called the Great Pirate—one of the most wanted men in Raksas.

Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, she gritted her teeth.

What on earth is going on!?

While Penia anxiously observed Alon’s passive behavior, wondering what he was planning, the Sea King spoke.

“There’s no way there’s a noble here…?”

The man seemed utterly disinterested in such matters as he looked at the captain.

“Y-Yes, over there, over there!”

The captain stuttered as he pointed toward Alon.

The Sea King’s eyes naturally followed his gesture and landed on Alon.

“…Huh?”

A moment of silence passed, followed by a look of surprise on the Sea King’s face.

And then…

“B-Brother?”

The man known as both the Sea King and the Pirate King, Radan, called out to Alon in shock.

““?””

All eyes, including Penia’s, turned toward Alon.