We were chasing two vessels from land. A warship called longship was leading the way, followed by a small boat. The road along the canal ended, and we were about to be pulled away.
Suddenly, a swordsman jumped onto the boat. What’s more, I recognized someone I’d seen before, so I couldn’t help but gasp.
“N-Nils?!”
The boat was taken over in an instant. The river pirates had been thrown into the canal or slashed, and only Nils was left standing.
Why?
How?
I was confused by his perfectly timed rescue.
Then the sound of chains rattling brought me back to reality.
“Haha! Looks like we’ve got ourselves a free boat!”
Mia-san’s eyes gleamed. The chain-axe she threw wrapped neatly around the prow of the small boat.
“Hup!”
With a sharp pull, she hauled the boat toward the shore— likely using her skill, Immovable.
I pointed at the approaching vessel.
“Let’s take that one and go after them!”
With a thunderous thud-thud-thud, we leapt aboard the small boat. Just in time, two more allied boats appeared—manned by city guards.
This was where several canals converged. Their patrols must have been alerted by the commotion, so they gathered here. Including the boat Nils had stolen, there were three boats, each with a capacity of six people. They were just over five meters in size, but they still had oars and masts to set sail.
『Lion, we can still see the enemy!』
Solana’s voice came from the gold coin.
It seemed that the guards’ boats were similarly stationed at the exit to the lake. Water fences and small boats provided a brief delay. The warship, however, quickly broke through, gaining momentum.
“…Why are you all here?”
Felix-san handed the oars to Nils, who was still stunned.
“It seems we have the same goal.”
We’ll talk about that later. For now, all we have to do is row!
The makeshift fleet, including Nils, began to paddle down the canal. Calls echoed through the darkness of the night. Our speed rapidly increased.
I looked ahead and shouted.
“The enemy is moving fast!”
The warship was large. I thought we wouldn’t lose sight of it, but the night mist that hung over the lake gradually began to obscure its shape. I oared desperately, trying not to lose out to the tall people. But the agile enemy ship seemed to mock me.
“We’ve come this far…!”
My short sword trembled. The blade of blue crystal short sword glowed emerald-green.
“Wake up!”
The skill I instinctively called upon brought an incredible effect— after all, this little one is a spirit of wind.
“Whoa!?”
A strong tailwind suddenly surged against our sails, propelling the boat forward with a burst of speed. Mia-san and the others nearly pitched forward from the force.
When I glanced back, I saw it— a faintly glowing, greenish dog sprinting across the surface of the water.
“Woof!”
More wind rushed in. Felix-san raised his voice—
“Raise the sail!”
The canvas stretched wide against the night sky, swelling with the breath of the wind spirit, Sylph. With the oars and the blessing of the wind together, our speed surged.
The fleeing warship ahead of us began to grow larger—closer.
“W-what the hell’s going on!?”
“We can’t shake them off!”
Their curses drifted back to us across the water.
『Haha, this is splendid!』
『Normally, water spirits like undine handle such things but——』
『Wind serves just as well. Water and wind both nurture life so they go well together.』
The gods smiles at the excitement.
Thus the speed issue has been resolved.
“You…”
Breathing hard, Nils looked at me. His expression caught somewhere between astonishment and disbelief.
“W-who are you really?”
By now, we didn’t even need to row anymore. The wind alone was enough to keep us right on the enemy’s tail.
Felix gave me a subtle look.
If we caught up too soon, we’d lose the chance to “let them lead us to their base.” So, we stopped rowing on purpose and let the wind carry us forward.
“…My name is Rion. I’m with the Raven Warriors.”
Then I added, firmly.
“Just like you, I’m after the slave traders. My sister’s been targeted by them too.”
Neither Felix-san nor Mia-san stopped me from introducing myself. Well, if we were going to exchange information here, hiding who we were wasn’t an option.
Nils’s eyes widened. His gaze shifted to the two raven emblem on our cloaks, and after a moment, he gave a firm, thoughtful nod.
“…I see. So, two hunting dogs have sunk their teeth into the same prey at the same time, huh.”
His face was smudged with the soot of travel, yet even so, his features were strikingly handsome. Beneath the sweep of his golden hair, his expression softened for a brief moment.
“Looks like we’re a temporary party, then.”
At that, Felix-san spoke up.
“Tell us what you can. Were you already aware of this slave deal as well?”
“Yeah”
Nils replied.
I saw Felix-san’s narrow eyes widen slightly.
“I came to Flocia because I was told that the slave traders had a base here. There are people who pass information to me—reliable ones.”
That… then it means his network might be on par with, or even greater than, the Raven Warriors.
Considering he was once a noble, maybe he had special connections of his own.
“I also received word that a trade would be happening soon on the western side of the city. Tonight was only supposed to be a quick reconnaissance.”
Something about that made me pause.
Wait a second—this side is…
“This is the east side, right?”
I asked.
“Yes” Felix-san confirmed.
I discussed with Felix-san.
If he was searching to the east, how did he manage to meet up with us on the other side of town?
Nils lowered his eyes, fiddling with the sword at his waist.
“I got lost.”
The lake breeze blew through the boat.
“…It’s always been like this. I came to Flocia by river, and I couldn’t have gotten lost if I was on the river. I thought I was searching west, but I see, I was in the east.”
Mia-san’s mouth twitched.
“You’re an adventurer, right? H-how’s your dungeon dive doing?”
“I hardly ever go in. Actually, I only became an adventurer six months after my sister was kidnapped.”
We exchanged uneasy glances.
Is this really okay…? He seemed like such a reliable ally, but the more I heard, the more nervous I was getting!
“Look—there!”
One of the warriors pointed ahead.
Through the thin mist, faint torchlights began to flicker into view.
My voice trembled.
“…That’s the slave traders’ base in this city…?”
What we saw was nothing like the peaceful scene from the daytime.
Torches burned here and there, but the island itself—shrouded in darkness and fog—looked eerie, almost alive. The longship cut straight toward it without hesitation—toward that place.
Toward the Dungeon Island.
Felix-san set his staff against the deck, his expression hardening.
“They’ve realized they can’t win on open water. They’re gambling everything on escaping inside the dungeon. Which means—”
I swallowed hard.
The Flocia dungeon lay on an island in the middle of the lake.
“Their base… is inside the dungeon?”
“Most likely. If there’s an undiscovered exit within the dungeon, they could use it to shake off any pursuit.”
The Dungeon Island is in chaos now. Guards were visible along the shore, but they were trained to face monsters, not enemy warships. No one had expected an assault from the lake. The enemy vessel steered straight for a dark, gaping cavern ahead—the island’s dock, the entrance to the dungeon itself.
“Let’s go after them!”
And so, under the shroud of night, we turned our prow toward the dungeon.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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