34. The encounter in the Spring Town

A person is busily tying logs with strings and push it to the sea.

Yes, that person is Shura. When she sees it floating… she proudly says, “It’s a ship!”

“No, it’s impossible. How far do you think we are, from here to the <Mother Punk>? “

“I’ve a plan! I’ll keep strengthening the ship with Red Mana, and you’ll keep rowing all the way. And Frederica will manipulate the water stream to accelerate the ship! ――Yes, it’s perfect, a perfect plan!”

Hearing Shura’s plan, Frederica says…

“Ermm～, the Knights will come to this island someday, right? Until then, why don’t we just sit still? “

“I can’t stand just standing still for too long.”

While swelling her cheeks like a child, Shura shakes her head.

Carrs and Ignacio nod to Shura’s opinion.

“Me too!”

“Me too!”

“Oi, stop acting like kids…”

Well, I don’t like doing nothing for too long either.

“Shura’s plan is not that bad. Worst case it’ll sink in the sea, but even if that were to happens, we could do something with Frederica’s magic.”

“That… I don’t have magic that can save everyone…”

“How about two people? Carrs and Ignacio, if you can manage to do something with them, I and Shura can strengthen our bodies with Red Mana and swim somewhere to the nearby land.”

“Ermm… I think if it’s just three people, including myself, I’ll be able to do something about it.”

I pick up the drawstring bag that I left on the ground.

I just remember about the important thing that I had left in the drawstring bag.

“Wait, it’s not good if the letter from that Old Man gets wet!”

“Ah! What if I put coating on it? I can use my magic to make something like an armor that repels water for a certain period of time. If you have any valuables items that you don’t want to get wet, please take them out. “

Hearing so, I have my talismans and the letter coated. 

Frederica, what a useful magician!

As expected of someone belong to “Seaside Rulers”, she’s very strong in the sea.

Shura at the front, right behind her is Carrs, I’m at the middle, right behind me is Ignacio, and lastly, Frederica at the end. With this arrangement we got on a ship――or rather a raft.

“Everyone got on! Ready! Full engine! Go!”

“Okay!”

With Frederica’s magic the raft begins to accelerate.

Splashes coming out behind the raft. It creates a speed that surpassed even a normal ship at once.

Splashing water droplets wet everyone faces, turning hot wind into cold wind.

“Wooohoo!! This is amazing! “

The monsters in the sea couldn’t react and just saw us off.

“Woaaahhh!? Hahahahaha! Interesting!”

“Kyaaaaaaa!!!”

Carrs and Ignacio screamed.

“Next! Accelerator! Full Speed!”

I strengthen the oar and my body with Red Mana.

“Aye!”

I move my shoulders and raise a bigger splash to accelerate.

…Fast, too fast. If this is the case, we’ll arrive at <Mother Punk> in no time.

The most important person in this operation is Shura. This fragile raft needs her Red Mana. At this speed, a raft like this would have sink in no time.

Yes, this plan will fail if Shura were to disappear.

――And not long after, I notice the sun.

“Shura… I found a serious flaw in this operation.”

“What a coincidence. Me too.”

Shura replaced Ash before making the raft.

So, the time she spent in the sun from making the raft until now…

There isn’t much time left?

“――Carrs! Cover Shura Now!”

“Oi, oi, General, what the hell!”

“Just do it! Fast! Cover Her!”

“I don’t really get it, but leave it to me!”

Carrs spread his arms to cover Shura.

Alright, with Carrs covering her――

“W-What are you doing!”

Shura kicks right on Carrs’ face.

Carrs flew in the air and landed between me and Ignacio.

“Noooo! Anything is fine, just cover Shura with someth――”

BOOOM!!

White smokes are coming out from Shura. 

The brown-haired girl disappears and a blonde girl appears.

Ash, she waves at me while wearing clothes that doesn’t fit her.

“Morningー”

“Morni… No, it’s not the time for that! Frederica, stop the magic!!!”

Frederica doesn’t understand the situation. And she stills using her magic.

The ship that lost the support could not withstand the acceleration… as a matter of course, it breaks in no time.

But, because of the speed, we’re being thrown into the vast sky.

“Woaaaahhhh!!?”

“Aaaaaaaaahhhh!!!?”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!?”

Fortunately, Carrs and Ignacio are flying in the sky near Frederica.

Ash is floating on the water using wind magic.

I concentrate on my own survival. I strengthen my body with Red Mana.

A slap-like pain ran on my back.

“Damn…! The flow is strong!!!”

I can’t do anything with physical strength alone in the strong streams.

In a desperate situation, high waves were approaching…

“Ooo… this is really bad ―― “

In an instant, blue and black dominated my field of vision.

——————————————

“Waaah!?”

After being swept away by the waves, I swam with all my strength and managed to get to the shore.

When I was swallowed by the waves and raised my face, no one was around. So, I’m alone now.

I raise my both hands and grab the soil.

I put my strength on both arms and raise my upper body to the land.

A salty taste still remained in my mouth.

My clothes are wet and heavy.

“Shit……”

I can’t see my bag anywhere. 

Did I lost it when I were washed away?

I need to look for it―― nah, it’s impossible. I don’t even know where the raft sank. I’m sure my talismans and the letters are still in that bag… Let’s hope someone I know is picking it up.

I raise my whole body from the sea, and kneel.

I can see the harbor in the distance. It doesn’t seem like this is the place to land.

“Where… where is th――?”

I look up.

The sky is not there.

To be exact, the sky is blocked.

Covering the sky is―― pink color. Looking ahead, I can see a city. And there is a huge big tree in the center of the city, A cherry blossom tree. 

The branches and flowers of the tree are spreading out like a roof.

My instinct tells me that this is the place.

“The Everlasting Spring Town, <Mother Punk> ……! “

The dirt road soon stops at a cobblestone paved road.

A dog-faced warrior, a pig-faced merchant, a woman with a horse in the lower body and a boy with horns. A wide variety of races are bustling the city.

It’s my first time seeing a “Beastman”.

“Haha, it looks like I’m in a fairy tale world.”

The peoples nearby are looking at me with a frightened face.

Well, if there’s someone who sits on the ground and laughs in the water, of course I’ll have that kind of face too.

They saw me for a while and then left as if they didn’t want to get involved in something troublesome.

Only one… only one person stepped in front of me.

“You… are you okay?”

A white long hair.

Light blue eyes.

A white dress with no pattern and a straw hat. It’s a common outfit that I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere.

A girl with a dignified beauty is standing in front of me. That beauty, even I who couldn’t draw a picture, still want to somehow keep it on the canvas… before it’s gone from my memory… that transient beauty…

“You are…..”

For some reason- I can feel a nostalgic atmosphere from her…