CHAPTER 75: CHAPTER 75

"’Morning is never good’ — that’s what people in my old world liked to say. And in a way, they were right. If I were still human, my arms would definitely have gone completely numb, since each one had been occupied as a pillow by two certain individuals who loved sneaking into my bed during those rare moments when I actually decided to sleep.

I’d long since gotten used to Night’s company and no longer even paid attention to the fact that we usually woke up together. But how was I supposed to react now, when apparently my other arm had also found a permanent tenant? I wasn’t so sure.

"M-m?"

The white-haired miracle curled up against my left side rubbed her sleepy eyes, finally waking and meeting my gaze.

"Good morning, Nott-sama. I hope it wasn’t my presence that woke you? If that’s the case, then I don’t deserve forgiveness, and I..."

"Stop." I quickly pressed a finger to her lips before she could launch into a whole morning epic. "I woke up on my own. It’s not because of you."

"I see. Your magnanimity knows no bounds, Nott-sama. I’m simply in awe."

"Yeah, sure. By the way, Atla..."

"Yes, Nott-sama?"

"Why are you even sleeping in my bed?"

"I want to be as close to you as possible, Nott-sama. Is there something wrong with that?" Looking into her earnest, completely serious, innocent face, I just couldn’t bring myself to argue. And really, wasn’t she right?

"There’s nothing wrong with it. But... You know what? Whatever. I don’t mind."

"You truly are a great man, Nott-sama. I’ll do everything in my power to meet your expectations."

I really didn’t want to dig into what expectations she thought she had to meet. Night could, at least to some extent, be seen as a girl, but Atla... definitely not right now. At the moment she looked like a child of about ten or twelve, and to me she could evoke nothing but tenderness — or admiration for her pure beauty.

"Atla! I’ve come to protect you!" While I was lost in my thoughts, Fohl burst into the room shouting at the top of his lungs.

And his face was so full of righteous determination you’d think he was marching to his death — here to rescue his sister from the clutches of a terrible dragon... except Atla herself...

"Go away, brother. Can’t you see? You’re interrupting me and Nott-sama as we greet this beautiful morning together."

"W-what?! What has he done to you, Atla?!" Fohl grabbed his head in horror.

"I haven’t done anything to her. Stop yelling first thing in the morning..." With a sigh, I started sitting up, which made Night stir beside me.

"You’re coming back to your room right now! You can’t sleep in the same bed with him, Atla!"

"What? You can’t forbid me from sleeping with Nott-sama, brother!"

"B-but Atla..."

"Hm? Master?" Fully awake now, Night rubbed her drowsy eyes, looking in confusion from me to the chaotic scene unfolding in the room.

"Ignore it. Today we set sail, so we’d better start getting ready."

Yes, the day of the Activation event had finally come. Over the last few days, each of my companions had gone through a Class Upgrade, even the "newcomers" like Atla and the fox girl, whose cap turned out to be level sixty.

I’d be taking Night, Sadeena, Atla, Fohl, and the fox girl with me to the island. I still needed to think about splitting into groups for more efficient leveling — if I even decided to bother with that on Cal Mira. With my current level, and Sadeena’s as well, I wasn’t sure if even monsters boosted by the Activation event would provide much experience.

I was also curious about the orca’s opinion on the difference in experience between sea monsters and those empowered by the Activation event. If the difference wasn’t all that big, the island itself might lose much of its appeal.

And then there was the Wave we’d have to face on the island... what concerned me most was the involvement of the people from Glass’s world. If I wasn’t mistaken, I’d soon have the chance to meet another Scythe Hero in person — albeit a Vassal one.

I wonder what that will be like?

Our departure was scheduled from a port town where the ship was already waiting for us. I spotted Ren’s dark-haired head as he boarded last, with a few more people still in line behind him — some I knew personally, and others I recognized only from the text descriptions in a novel I’d once read...

"...I didn’t mean to insult you, it’s just that you look younger than me."

"You see, L’Arc? Your fussing only bothers others."

Naofumi and Raphtalia were standing on the gangplank facing a rather colorful pair — a red-haired guy scratching his head awkwardly, and a blue-haired girl giving him a look of disapproval.

The redhead, who’d been called L’Arc, was fairly well-built, with tousled hair sticking out in all directions, visible tattoos on his left arm, and light leather armor. All in all, he looked like your standard adventurer. In a way, he even reminded me of Motoyasu — only without looking quite as stupid.

The girl, on the other hand, was undeniably beautiful. Silky light-blue hair, a kind face with soft, nearly perfect features. The same light-blue eyes, clear fair skin, and her look was completed with gemstone-studded bracelets on her wrists and a tiara on her head.

Neither of them looked particularly old. I wouldn’t have given the girl more than twenty-three, and the guy maybe twenty-five at most. His features were a little on the rougher side.

And of course, I knew them both — though this was the first time I’d actually seen them in person.

"...Maybe you should board already? The line’s moving," Naofumi muttered, clearly not thrilled with the new acquaintances.

"Oh, yes, yes, of course! I hope we meet again, kiddo!" L’Arc waved cheerfully at the man standing practically nose-to-nose with him. With Therese sighing beside him, he passed on with a bright grin.

"...And how am I a kiddo to him?" I caught the Shield Guy grumbling under his breath.

"Take it as a compliment, Naofumi. Better that than ’old man.’"

"Nott?"

"Nott-sama!" Unlike Naofumi, Raphtalia’s reaction to seeing me was much livelier. Notably, she’d started acting this way toward me ever since that incident with Rabier.

I figured that after those events, some of the weight of her past had finally lifted from her heart. If I remembered right, somewhere in that noble’s cellar had been the remains of the girl’s friend... To this day, I’m amazed she managed to stay the way she is. Considering everything she went through... not just doubting, I’m certain I would’ve turned out far worse.

"Your company’s grown quite a bit since the last time we met," the Shield Guy remarked with a dry chuckle.

"Yeah. By the way..." I smirked, glancing at the raccoon girl frozen mid-greeting, her wide eyes staring at something behind me. "Don’t you want to say something to her?" I said, turning to one of my companions.

"Sis Sadeena... Is that really you?"

"And you, Raphtalia-chan... you’ve grown so much since the last time we met. And turned into such a beauty," Sadeena replied with a shy smile, looking honestly flustered for the first time since I’d known her. "You..."

But she didn’t get the chance to hesitate for long — Raphtalia launched at her like a cannonball, locking her in a tight embrace.

"I was so worried about you!"

"Foolish girl. I’m the one who should be worried about you." Sadeena finally snapped out of her daze, smiling softly as she hugged Raphtalia back.

"All right, that’s not our business anymore. Let’s get on board, Naofumi. The real fun is still ahead."

By now, most of Melromarc’s people knew Naofumi’s face, so nobody even asked him for a ticket. Me, on the other hand — I had to show mine. The way the young man checking government-issued passes nearly popped his eyes out when he realized who was standing in front of him...

I could understand. The echoes of the church’s slander about me still lingered, now mixed with the rumors spreading among the people more recently. To the public eye, I was some kind of mysterious figure who almost never appeared in public, but whose deeds thundered everywhere: from single-handedly destroying the church to fighting a legendary sealed monster from a bygone era. Compared to that, Naofumi’s mercantile way of life, Ren’s minor exploits somewhere in the east, Itsuki’s laughable attempts to pose as a shadowy hero of justice, and Motoyasu’s complete failure — bringing a famine-stricken village nothing but a failed alchemists’ experiment from ancient times...

Yeah... their reaction made perfect sense.

Meanwhile, the ship’s staff collectively bowed their heads, apologizing for the lack of first-class cabins prepared for the Heroes.

"We are truly sorry! I’ll immediately send someone to evict a passenger so you may have a cabin!"

"Honestly, I don’t mind a regular one," Naofumi said. He clearly didn’t care whether he got a first-class room or not. "Besides, being next to those idiots isn’t exactly something I want..." he muttered under his breath.

In a way, I agreed with him, though the situation itself was odd. Mirelia herself had provided first-class tickets for all the Heroes and their companions — so how was it that there weren’t enough in the end?

Either those idiots really were complete idiots and crammed all their companions into neighboring first-class cabins — which I was more than willing to believe — or the ship’s crew had already messed something up.

But whatever.

"I don’t really care either. The trip isn’t that long anyway." Not about to play the offended celebrity, I just shrugged.

"In that case... would you mind sharing a cabin with other people?"

"As long as you’re not packing people in like sardines, then no."

"Of course not, of course not! Standard-class cabins are meant for six people. So, for you... that would mean nine..."

"I only sleep with Nott-sama." Atla stated her position firmly and without hesitation.

"...Which makes eight."

"I... also sleep with Master," Night added, sounding far more serious than she usually did.

"Seven..."

"A-Atla... ngh! How could you..."

The fox girl glanced back and forth between the others in confusion, as if she wanted to say something too, but in the end she kept silent.

"Ooh... Well, no point trying to squeeze into a crowd like that. I’ll pass on claiming a spot at your side this time, Nott-chan." With a sly smile, the orca made her stance clear.

Though, I had a strong feeling she’d still make sure to end up in the same cabin as Raphtalia anyway.

And that’s exactly what happened. At first, we were shown to a cabin with four free spots left. Naofumi opened the door and—

"Oh! Kiddo!"

—shut it immediately.

"This one’s yours. Raphtalia, Filo, let’s go." And with a firm step, he walked on.

"Well, damn..."

"You know, Nott-chan, I think this time I’m completely out of the running." Shooting a glance toward the retreating Raphtalia, Sadeena gave a somewhat hurried smile, though she still didn’t have the guts to dash off after her right away.

"I get it. Go on already, or you’ll lose them."

"Oh, Nott-chan, you’re the best! I think I just fell in love with you all over again!" She pecked me quickly on the cheek before rushing off to catch up with the others.

"Well then, looks like this is ours."

"Hey there!" L’Arc greeted us as casually as ever, his grin unchanged.

"Same to you. Looks like we’re bunking with you."

"So you’re a friend of that kiddo, huh?"

"You could say that. We’ve got... business in common, yeah."

"Oh, I see... Well then, welcome! Although it looks like there might not be enough bunks for everyone..."

L’Arc glanced over our group of five, while two of the six free beds were already occupied.

"You’re just not accounting for all the possible nuances."

"Huh?"

"L’Arc, stop bothering everyone with your questions already!" His companion shot him another disapproving look, and his confidence crumbled instantly.

"I didn’t mean anything by it..."

"My name is Therese Alexandrite." The girl bowed with a sweet smile. "And this clumsy oaf here is L’Arcberg."

"Nott. And these are Night, Atla, and Mia." I pointed a finger over each of their heads in turn as if I were selecting characters from a menu.

"Hey! I’m here too! And why can’t I understand her?" The last unintroduced member — Fohl — jabbed a finger at Therese.

"Oh, my apologies. Just a moment..." Catching herself, the girl touched the scythe at L’Arc’s waist, from which a pale blue orb of light floated into her. "Can you understand me now?"

"Yeah. That makes more sense."

"Oh, right... That’s Fohl. He’s got a sister complex, so I kind of think of him as an add-on to Atla."

"You..."

"Ha-ha-ha! What a lively bunch you’ve got here! Yeah... Just like with Kizuna-chan, huh?" The last part was aimed at his partner.

"Mhm. Things really are always noisy around Kizuna-san," Therese agreed with a smile.

At that moment, I felt the ship begin to move. Without much thought, I claimed one of the open beds — three on each side of the cabin.

Just as naturally, without a second thought, Night and Atla sat down on the same bed as me. Or rather — it never even crossed their minds that they could do anything else.

"Atla! I forbid you to sleep in the same bed with that... that..." Of course, Fohl couldn’t just let things slide and immediately tried to pull the girl off the mattress.

"You won’t stand in my way, brother! Try it, and you’ll have to risk everything you have." For sheer fighting spirit, this girl had no equal.

"Kh! Even so..."

"So that’s what you meant by ’circumstances,’ huh?" L’Arc asked, his voice colored with some odd emotion.

"Something like that."

Only Mia, watching the sibling squabble with an equally odd look, quietly took one of the other empty beds. What an adorable girl she was...

"Yeah... By the way, what’s the name of that kid who came in here first?"

"Oh. His name’s Naofumi."

"Eh? Ha-ha-ha, what are you talking about? That’s the Shield Hero’s name. If you’re trying to joke with me, you’ll need something a lot more convincing."

"Believe what you want. You can ask him yourself later."

"Fine then. And yeah, nice to meet you, kiddo Nott."