Chapter 29

When I gently pushed her back, Larienne approached Cheryl and held out her hand.

Cheryl looked at Larienne’s hand wrapped in white light, then reluctantly took it.

Watching them with satisfaction, I asked Cheryl,

“Cheryl, you’re not planning to skip thanking Larienne, right?”

At my words, Cheryl hesitated and looked at me.

She had the face of a child being told to brush her teeth, but I gave her a firm smile that said everything without words.

Go fight outside, but get along in here.

In the end, she reluctantly said,

“…Thanks.”

“…You’re welcome.”

Larienne answered with the same reluctance.

Good. Those two were sorted out for now. Next was Heide.

I raised my voice deliberately so Heide would hear as I spoke to Linus.

“Linus, I’m hungry. And I think I’m thirsty too.”

“I’ll go look for food or water.”

Linus replied with the seriousness of a man facing a grave mission and stood up at once.

As he was about to push open the cabin door, Heide followed him and said,

“Let’s search together.”

Watching Heide walk off with Linus, I grinned.

He was not the kind of person to sit still and wait for someone to bring him water.

He was fundamentally righteous, a good person torn between an unjust father and the love he must protect.

And on top of that, he was the empire’s greatest swordsman, fully blessed with main-character power.

I had felt hopeless when I thought Linus would be facing things alone, but honestly, this was much better.

I had no idea what was happening outside right now, but whatever disaster was waiting could only be dealt with once we survived the dungeon.

For now, I needed to make sure these three cooperated so we could clear this place.

While I was mentally mapping out the battle that would happen soon, the food-retrieval team returned with modest spoils.

“There was plenty of drinking water, but this was all we found to eat.”

Heide placed a few potatoes and a few ears of corn on the table.

I already knew from experience, but it was still disappointing.

Barely enough to tickle the stomach, but we had no choice.

We needed to eat something before the moon rose.

I pointed at the potatoes and spoke to Cheryl.

“Cheryl, can you roast the potatoes?”

“Me?”

Cheryl pointed at herself, eyes wide, as if I’d said something outrageous.

Since her reaction confused me, I tilted my head and asked,

“You’re the only one who can use fire magic, right?”

“You’re the first person ever to ask me to use my magic to roast potatoes.”

“Is it impossible?”

“It’s not impossible. My friend wants roasted potatoes, after all.”

Cheryl gave a faint, amused smile and snapped her fingers, setting a flame onto the table.

The wooden table remained untouched, while the potatoes and corn on top began cooking to a perfect golden finish.

As the delicious smell of roasting carbohydrates filled the room, the three sitting apart drifted toward the table one by one.

Soon enough, all of them were peeling the hot potatoes, blowing on them without being told.

Hero or saintess, hunger was equal to all.

As everyone huddled together peeling potatoes, the tense atmosphere softened noticeably.

Sharing food really was the fastest way to get along.

While I was blowing on my steaming potato, Linus held out a beautifully cooked one with its soft inside exposed.

“Please eat this, Ayrbet. It is well cooked.”

“You eat it, Linus. I can eat this one.”

“Then I’ll take that.”

Linus handed me the peeled potato and took the half-peeled one for himself.

My, what a gentle man. Since when was peeling potatoes this romantic?

Maybe because my honey-sweet man had peeled it for me, the potato tasted sweet even without sugar.

Watching us, Heide hesitated with the potato in his hand.

After a few moments, he offered it to Larienne.

“Here…”

“No, thank you, Your Highness.”

Larienne refused Heide’s potato coldly and peeled her own.

The newlywed couple was having a very rough first night.

I understood the situation they were in, but I wished they’d shorten their denial stage.

Because their love was the last hope I had left.

* * *

Night fell over the pirate ship.

It was time for the ship’s so-called pirates to appear.

Or rather, monsters pretending to be pirates.

From now on, skeletons wielding weapons would endlessly climb onto the deck.

It was Linus who noticed their arrival first.

“It seems they have appeared.”

At his words, Heide rose to his feet.

“Let’s defeat them quickly and return.”

Still clinging to false hope, Heide strode out of the cabin with eagerness.

As Linus moved to follow him, I grabbed his arm and whispered,

“The battle will last until sunrise. Save your strength, Linus.”

“Understood.”

Linus nodded with serious eyes and was about to say something while holding my hand when Heide shouted from outside.

“Duke Piction! There are many monsters!”

It had already begun.

Linus pressed a quick kiss to the back of my hand and headed out of the cabin.

I shook awake Cheryl, who had fallen asleep the moment she finished her potato.

“Cheryl, Cheryl. The monsters are here.”

“His Highness can handle it. Let me sleep.”

“He said there are a lot. We need your power.”

Cheryl, who had tried to return to sleep, sat up with a catlike grin.

“If Ayrbet says so, then I guess I have no choice.”

Muttering lines perfectly fitting a rude second male lead, Cheryl stepped out of the cabin and frowned at the chaos unfolding on deck.

“Ugh, the stench. Did they crawl out of the ocean? Things soaked in water don’t burn well.”

“Will you be okay, Cheryl?”

“Don’t worry, Ayrbet. Your friend’s fire burns very hot.”

The moment she answered, flames burst from Cheryl’s hands.

Seeing the monsters that had been swarming toward the cabin recoil from the heat, I shouted loudly,

“Linus, head to the stern! Your Highness, please guard the bow! Cheryl, Cheryl, take care of this area!”

Linus secured the stern, Heide the bow, and Cheryl the deck area in front of the cabin.

We had to hold out like this until sunrise.

It was going to be an unbearably long night.

I picked up a sword dropped by a monster burned to ashes and stepped toward the cabin door.

No, I tried to step there.

Larienne grabbed me, insisting it was dangerous, dragged me back inside, and shoved me into the farthest corner.

“What are you doing when you’re this weak? Ayrbet, don’t move from here.”

“N-no, Larienne, that’s not…”

I tried to argue, but I had no way to explain myself.

How was I supposed to say, Actually, I’m an awakened one and technically S-rank?

The flimsy excuse I’d given Linus would never work on Larienne or anyone else.

Instead, they’d question what kind of magic it was, which magician did it, and if the lie got exposed, everything would become far more complicated.

With no choice, I let out a groan and sank down.

Last time, I was useless because of seasickness, and now again, I was about to end up just watching.

Even last time, with a raid team of twelve people, we’d barely managed. Could just three people really handle this?

I could catch glimpses of Cheryl and Heide fighting through the cabin door, but I had no idea how Linus was doing alone at the stern, which only made me more anxious.

I listened carefully to the noises coming from the back of the ship and prayed for the sun to rise quickly.

About three hours passed like that when Cheryl’s annoyed voice rang out sharply.

“Why do these things never end no matter how many we kill!”

Just like she said, the monsters came crawling up endlessly.

The monsters on this pirate ship weren’t particularly strong, but after three hours of nonstop fighting, they had to be reaching their limits.

They needed even a brief moment to catch their breath.

On top of that, my nausea was starting to return.

Cheryl was probably feeling the same, and at this rate, it was only a matter of time before everything fell apart.