Heracles Island also had villages much like those on Hestia Island. The difference was that here, the one running the inn was a Servant from Proper Human History: Rider, Francis Drake.
Once night fell, no villagers could be seen in the tavern, just like on Hestia Island. This wasn't because the villagers believed in healthy living and avoided drinking at night.
It was simply because they never got sick, so there was no need for alcohol in the first place.
At this moment, inside the tavern, which had closed for business but hadn't locked its doors, Drake sat alone, drinking away her gloom. Across from her, another blond Servant was sprawled face-down on the table, snoring loudly, clearly dead drunk.
Shiomi recognized the blond Servant at once. It was Jason, who had once opposed Chaldea as a subordinate of the King of Magecraft during the Third Singularity.
That former enemy was now sitting at the same table, drinking together. Even Shiomi couldn't help feeling that fate was a strange thing.
…Though back at the Temple of Time, Drake and Jason had already been on the same side, working to stop the King of Magecraft.
"Yo, you're back, little lady from Chaldea." Drake lifted her mug and greeted Olga Marie in a drunken voice.
Olga Marie was taken aback. "Captain Drake, you're still drinking? You've already drunk Mr. Jason under the table…"
"There's nothing else to do anyway. Running this inn is just something to pass the time."
Despite the obvious flush of alcohol on her face, Drake was still fairly clear-headed. Even so, a trace of unmistakable loneliness showed in her expression as she spoke.
"Can you still sail after drinking this much?" Shiomi asked.
Drake didn't care in the slightest. "I'm cursed now anyway. I can't sail at all. How much I drink doesn't make a difference."
With that, she raised her wooden mug with a grin.
"So? Want to sit down and have a drink? We've never officially met, but back at the Temple of Time, I saw how you fought, buddy."
"So those of you sent from Proper Human History remember us too?" Shiomi said, already used to it. He pulled out a chair and sat down.
Drake picked up the jug and poured wine into two empty cups.
"Um… I don't really drink…" Olga Marie froze when the wine was placed in front of her.
"If you don't drink, just leave it there. No need to force yourself," Shiomi said.
"That's right, that's right. The young lady's my guest. It'd be rude not to pour her a drink," Drake said, making it clear this was just hospitality, not an attempt to get Olga Marie drunk.
"Mm…" Olga Marie nodded.
"Besides Bartholomew and Orion, who's acting alone, how many Servants from Proper Human History are still in Atlantis?" Shiomi asked as he lifted his cup and took a sip. The flavor really was rich.
"I don't know," Drake said with a hint of frustration. "Just getting the advance team into Olympus used up all my strength. The rest of us, whether it's me, Jason, or even Bartholomew who brought you here, we're all in the same situation. The others are probably holed up on some island right now, quietly making their own preparations."
"I see," Shiomi said, understanding.
He didn't press for the true names of the advance party Servants. According to Bartholomew, even speaking their true names here could pose a potential threat to them.
That was why Bartholomew had suggested Chaldea wait until they reached Olympus and reunited with the advance team before worrying about anything else.
Chaldea had agreed with that approach.
"Then let's get to the main point," Shiomi said. "We've already finished investigating Heracles Island, including the temple here, and we were planning to leave tomorrow. But Marie came to me and told me something—"
"Ah… you mean the curse on me that makes it impossible for anyone to sail?" Drake burst out laughing. "I told you it's fine. You really do worry too much, little lady."
"It's not worrying for nothing. I… I just think that if there's a chance, we should at least try," Olga Marie said earnestly.
"Hey, hey, that's a god's curse, you know. A curse placed on me by Poseidon, the Sea God, that prevents me from sailing. Even if Chaldea has outstanding Magi, there's no way they could—" Drake laughed loudly, but there was bitterness she couldn't quite hide in her smile.
Shiomi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Poseidon? That guy again?"
Back in the Third Singularity, Poseidon had revived together with the Atlantis continent, only to be defeated by Drake, causing Atlantis to sink once more.
But clearly, the same thing hadn't happened again in this Atlantis Lostbelt.
The Poseidon of this Lostbelt was nothing like the weak, almost counterfeit version from the Third Singularity.
"Yeah, yeah, that's the one. Figures. A sailor who doesn't show the sea god any respect is bound to get his payback eventually." Drake laughed as she poked fun at herself.
"So why did Poseidon curse you?" Shiomi asked. "You're all Servants skilled in navigation. Why was Bartholomew spared?"
"Well…"
Drake thought for a moment, hesitated slightly, then took out an object and set it down in front of Shiomi and Olga Marie.
It looked like something torn off a piece of machinery. An unknown metal base, topped with a blue crystal overflowing with mana.
Calling it a crystal was about all one could do.
The divine power contained within it was immense. To even call it a gemstone would have been an insult to what it truly was.
"This is…?" Olga Marie froze.
Her first impression was that it was beautiful. Beautiful in a way that clearly didn't belong to human craftsmanship, nothing that should have been produced by this planet.
"…One of Poseidon's divine cores," Drake said.
"So you beat Poseidon again this time?" Shiomi asked in surprise, then added with admiration, "At this rate, the next time you manifest, your Noble Phantasm might even gain a special effectiveness against Servants tied to sea gods."
"It wasn't anything like that. Just coincidence. Pure coincidence," Drake replied calmly. "The waves, the wind, luck, everything happened to be on my side. The price was a vicious curse that left me like this. Just breathing feels exhausting, like I'm about to die."
She looked at Shiomi.
"Since I've taken it out already, you should keep it. I was planning to give it to you tomorrow anyway, as a gift when you set sail."
"I see. As a gift for a voyage, it really is something precious," Shiomi said.
He held the divine core up before his eyes, carefully examining its internal structure. Even so, he couldn't begin to exhaust the depth of the Mystery contained within it.