Normally the journey would take almost two months, but since the group didn't seem to stop at any town or city for too long, constantly moving except when the sun set. As a result, in just one month, we arrived at West Port, the westernmost city of the Millis continent.
So in just a few more days, we would reach the Central Continent; it sounded a bit fast and smooth sailing, but because of that, we ran into a problem. Fate really never lets me have peace for too long, does it?
"So you're the famous Paul Greyrat, huh?" Our problem spoke with a sarcastic, somewhat harsh tone. "Looking like some street rat. Ah no, it's an eyesore seeing a pile of trash right in my office."
"Tch." Paul clicked his tongue.
However, he didn't react any further and just stood there. It seemed Paul had mellowed out due to what had happened recently, allowing him to remain this calm. Or maybe Paul was always like this, I don't know. But my impression from stories was that my uncle was quite a rebellious guy; being compared to trash without cursing or slashing at 'that problem' was truly commendable.
To introduce a bit, the 'huge' problem, both literally and figuratively, sitting behind a massive wooden desk, reading every document we had provided, was Duke Bakshiel von Wieser, director of the Customs Office of the Holy Kingdom of Millis. And as you can all see, it seemed we were being interrogated. Just look at the massive number of guards surrounding us in this office. Compared to the four of us—me, Paul, Isolde, and Talhand—there were four times as many of them.
Ah, if you're wondering why the four of us were here instead of anyone else, Roxy and Geese definitely couldn't come in, because they were demons. According to Paul, it's best not to let officials of Millis meet demons. And to make the group look reputable, the most gentle-looking people should accompany Paul. So here I was.
"And after causing us so much trouble, you think you can just leave?" The Duke raised an eyebrow. "If it were that easy, the laws of this Holy Kingdom of Millis would be a joke. Tell me, why shouldn't I arrest all of you and throw you in jail, taking you back to Millishion for trial, huh?"
To be honest, I didn't know either; I didn't know a single bit of the Holy Kingdom of Millis's laws, and Paul knew even less. But there was someone who could answer these questions.
"I don't think you need to do that, Lord Bakshiel." Isolde was the one to speak up; she looked quite calm and polite. "Apologies for answering without your permission. But if Sir Paul here could be convicted, we wouldn't have made it this far. Besides, according to the laws of the Holy Kingdom, Sir Paul's actions could only be classified as a crime if he engaged in the trading or profiting from those slaves. And which isn't the case here am I right?"
The entire room fell dead silent. Since when did Isolde become a lawyer and know so much about the Holy Kingdom's laws? I knew she had brought along a few law books from here, but I didn't expect that in just one month she could speak like that. Truly terrifying.
Ah no, maybe Isolde foresaw this happening and deliberately researched it beforehand. No wonder she said she should come along to meet the Duke.
My girlfriend is so amazing! I'm truly lucky!
Meanwhile, Bakshiel was clearly surprised; he definitely didn't expect us to be able to retort regarding the law so easily. However, because of that, he seemed to become even more cautious and sat up straight.
"Can't be convicted? With that way of speaking, you're probably not ignorant adventurers. State your name, girl."
I swear I wanted to punch this guy no less than ten times already. Who does he think he is, talking to Isolde like that?
Meanwhile, Isolde didn't seem to mind and calmly replied.
"I am Water King Isolde Cluel, disciple of Water God Reida."
"Water God Reida?" Bakshiel raised an eyebrow. However, the rest of his face relaxed for some reason. "Why is the Water God's granddaughter traveling with a bunch of scoundrels?"
"It's quite a long story, related to the mana calamity in Fittoa. I'm sure you know of it."
"That matter again huh?" Bekshiel sighed wearily and waved his hand toward the door. "But never mind that. If it's you, then there shouldn't be any problem. You may board the ship; I don't want trouble with the Water God either. But if I catch you kidnapping slaves or doing anything illegal, don't blame me if I have to act strongly myself."
"Thank you for taking the time to review this." Isolde bowed.
We did the same. And so our group managed to leave Millis without too much trouble.
"You're really talented, Isolde." I marveled as the group walked out.
"I didn't expect Lady Reida to have a granddaughter who knew anything besides swordsmanship." Paul's way of praising was really weird, but whatever.
"Of course." Talhand also nodded. "You'll have a lot of surprises about Isolde and Atur for a long time, Paul."
"Hmm... the kids of this generation really are something huh?" Paul pondered.
Isolde, meanwhile, didn't seem very pleased. Even though she still looked calm, I could clearly sense she wanted to sigh.
"Actually, the reason we got approved so easily wasn't because of what I said." She explained. "The Duke's attitude changed immediately when he found out I was connected to Master Reida, and he also realized I was her granddaughter even before I said so."
Ah, come to think of it, Isolde only mentioned she was a 'disciple', yet he knew she was the 'granddaughter'. I almost didn't catch that.
"Oh... so that's it huh?" Paul nodded.
Talhand also seemed to have caught that detail during the conversation.
And I understood why Isolde felt disappointed. I knew what kind of person she was, someone with very high pride. She had prepared everything to retort, yet didn't need to use more than two sentences just because she was the Water God's granddaughter.
But this wasn't too serious. After all, Isolde just wanted to sigh because her effort was wasted, not to the extent of those characters who feel pressured by their families and want to distance themselves or whatever. My girlfriend still loved her family very much, which is also one of the things I love about her. A very level-headed and smart person.
I'm so lucky to have a girlfriend like this.
"Hey, Atur." Isolde deliberately slowed down to walk parallel to me and whispered. "You've thought that line twice already. Could you stop?"
Oh my, is my girlfriend shy? But too bad.
"And I will think it a hundred more times." I replied nonchalantly.
"..."
And so I got glared at. But it was worth it. Because obviously, my Isolde is the best.
"I told you to stop!" And so my ear got pinched.
"Ehehe."
"Stop smiling!"
And so I successfully teased Isolde again. By the way, as you can see, after a month, she no longer gave me the cold shoulder in public and had returned to how she used to be. Of course, no intimate gestures. But I didn't mind much; at night when it's quiet, I'd get to hug and kiss her to my heart's content anyway.
"Youth really is something." Talhand looked back at us and commented. "Seeing those two reminds me of you and Zenith back then."
"Zenith only pinched me after we got married." Paul replied.
"Then it won't be long until you're like that again."
"Something to look forward to, haha!"
And so we just headed back to the group in extremely high spirits (except Isolde).
In the end, we stayed at West Port for exactly half a day, faster than expected again.
Fortunately, after being permitted to board, a ship was already present at the port, ready to depart. If we had been delayed for even a few more hours, we might have had to wait a week for another ship.
The sea voyage from the Millis Continent to the Central Continent was quite peaceful. No rain, normal wind, and no sea monsters attacking.
The only problem with this six-day voyage was the eternal issue called 'seasickness'. This time, not only Talhand but a few others also had problems.
The good thing was that we had a total of three mages capable of using healing magic in the group—besides me and Roxy, we now had Shierra—so we didn't face much difficulty. Sometimes I didn't even have to lift a finger.
All in all, it was a bit boring. I didn't expect to miss the time we were battered by storms three times and attacked by sea monsters. But this time we had children with us, so it was best that the trip was as peaceful as possible.
After more than a week, we arrived at East Port.
This place was quite similar to Zant Port, that was my initial impression, but it was much larger and more crowded. Merchants, craftsmen, and fishermen made up a significantly higher proportion than adventurers here. The streets were consequently noisier and more bustling.
The local specialty was also mostly seafood, and even more abundant than both Wind Port and Zant Port. Not just squid, octopus, and regular near-shore fish, they even had bluefin tuna. A bluefin fucking oceanic tuna! Needless to say, I spent the money to buy a whole big one incredibly fast.
It was also freshly caught, so I immediately prepared sashimi at the market. Yep, I borrowed their fish-cutting station. Maybe because it was rare for someone to be willing to spend so much, the fishmonger didn't mind.
It sounds a bit weird, but even though I'm a swordsman, my knife skills, especially for filleting fish, aren't exactly top-notch. However, it was still good enough to cut fresh, delicious slices of fish. With a little vinegar added, I popped it right into my mouth.
Too bad there was no wasabi, but the taste wasn't bad.
The quality wasn't up to par with what I'd buy at a convenience store, but this was already too good. I give it an eight.
"Want to try a piece, Isolde?"
The silky blue-haired girl immediately backed away three steps.
"Do you really eat raw fish?" Isolde looked at me like she was seeing something horrifying. "I thought you were just cutting it up to inspect it or something?"
"This fish is good raw." I replied casually. "Try it."
"Please spare me." Isolde raised both hands to form an X, shaking her head vigorously.
"Your loss then."
I could guess Isolde would refuse. Actually, it was hard for me to eat this whole big fish alone. It's a tuna; it weighs even more than I do, 4 times more to be precise. Now I look like an ant carrying a piece of chicken leg.
The reason I grabbed a whole big one like this was also because now that we had arrived at East Port, it meant it was time to split the group into two. Paul's group would wait for the ship heading to Begaritt and go from this East Port to there. Meanwhile, I and Isolde would take Aisha and Norn to Lilia's parents' house in Asura, accompanied by Ginger, a knight of the Shirone kingdom.
So tonight would be a farewell party; I wanted to contribute to the feast with my sashimi. If someone couldn't eat raw fish like Isolde, I could totally make other 'less raw' dishes like Tuna katsu.
But making that requires oil, and oil is crazy expensive, so it looks like it'll be a hassle...
"By the way, there's something I keep forgetting to ask." As I was carrying the tuna weighing over two hundred kilos on my shoulder, Isolde suddenly asked. "Why did you agree to take Paul's two daughters back to Asura instead of going to Begaritt?"
"If I said it was because I wanted to be with you, would you believe me?"
"No." Isolde replied instantly. "You're not the type to abandon your duties for personal feelings."
"You... rate me a bit too highly." I smiled wryly.
"But I'm right, aren't I?" Isolde tilted her head and asked further.
"Yeah, you are." I admitted.
If I'm being honest, I did want to be with Isolde. But at that time, we hadn't reached the point of being a couple like we are now, so it's hard to consider that the main reason. But should I tell Isolde about this?
Ah well, the story isn't that long anyway, and we need something to talk about, so I might as well tell it.
"It's about how the first few days I spent in Millishion went down..."
...
Going back to over a month ago, when I reunited with Paul and received the letter from my master, an unfortunate incident occurred.
"Paul Greyrat!? You're here, aren't you!? You lot are not permitted to leave here today!"
It was a group of big, rugged guys, an extremely aggressive group of adventurers who had appeared at the inn.
"Who is it?" I immediately grabbed my sword. "They want a fight?"
"No." But Paul quickly reached out to stop me, then shook his head tiredly. "They're just here to blockade this place. Looks like we're stuck here."
"Blockade?" Both Roxy and I said in unison.
"Why don't you just charge right out?" I asked.
"This happens all the time." Paul explained. "They block every possible exit. If we try to force our way out, there will be a clash, and then they'll have the excuse that we started the trouble and we could be detained. Last time we got blocked and I was thrown in jail for a week for that reason; now they want to do it again."
"So this is a trap. Truly annoying." Roxy also expressed her displeasure.
So there was no fight, that was a good thing. I didn't know if this was effective at all, but I just found it rather brainless and mostly annoying.
Well, I suppose causing annoyance is a success in itself.
"However, it's not a problem if you two go out." Paul added. "They're only stopping people belonging to the search party, so outsiders will be able to leave, don't worry. As for them, they'll leave in a day or two at most."
So I could go back, good.
"Ah, if possible, could I ask you a favor, Atur?"
"Huh?"
And so I was asked by Paul to pick up Aisha and Norn from school and take them back to their lodgings. Normally this was Lilia's job, but since she was stuck here, it couldn't be helped. Unless someone, specifically Paul, was imprisoned, Lilia definitely couldn't leave.
Roxy could have gone along, but the kids' school was located in the wealthy district of Millishion - a place that completely forbade the presence of demons.
So I went alone, while Roxy headed back to the inn.
Come to think of it, it seemed to have been years since I last saw my two younger cousins. The last time I saw them was during my final trip back to Buena village, a few months before Rudeus's birthday. At that time, monsters had appeared quite a bit, but because it was still under control, we were still allowed to travel. After that, it was a no-go.
If I'm not mistaken, the last time we met, both were only three or four years old. Though I wasn't sure if they would recognize me, Lilia said Aisha would, so I confidently went to pick them up without worrying about being seen as a bad guy trying to kidnap them.
I hope so.
I followed the directions Lilia gave me; the school wasn't far from the district boundary, so it only took about ten minutes of walking before I saw it. It was a fairly large school, not to the extent of the Lighthouse Academy, but in terms of scale for a standard school, it was indeed impressive.
"Oh, perfect timing, school's just letting out."
And so I quickly went to the gate and asked for the pickup spot.
"Aisha Greyrat and Norn Greyrat?" The first person I asked was a girl around twelve years old; she had long, curly blonde hair and was extremely elegant, giving off the aura of a noble. "I know them, but who are you?"
I asked the first person and she knew, I'm really lucky.
"Ah, I'm Atur Greyrat, Aisha and Norn's older cousin." I replied honestly with an extremely friendly, radiant smile usually reserved for strangers. "Miss Lilia and Paul ran into a bit of trouble, so they asked me to pick the kids up."
Ah wait, I accidentally said my name. Paul told me I was quite famous around here, so I wonder if I let it slip or something.
"The Greyrat family?" But luckily, the girl didn't recognize who I was. "But how can I be sure you are their family member?"
Ah no, I probably need her to know so we can skip this interrogation.
"Um... Miss Lilia said Aisha would recognize me, so..."
"Then I will come along!"
I probably didn't have the right to refuse. And so I went with the curly blonde girl to find Aisha and Norn's classroom.
The reason they hadn't left yet had many facets. According to this blonde girl, who introduced herself as Natasha, Aisha was a very talented girl, a genius if you had to say.
While Norn was the opposite, not exactly terrible, but having rather average abilities. Because of that, teachers often subconsciously compared the two sisters, and like today, a teacher had kept Norn behind to try and teach her so she could keep up with Aisha.
I know there are teachers who want the best for their students. But children all have different learning capacities. Pushing like this is a bit too much. Maybe I'll try talking...
"I told you it's not like that!"
Yet I heard a yell; it was a woman's voice, somewhat harsh. The yell came from the classroom Natasha had been leading me to.
"That's Professor Xandri's voice..." The blonde girl explained, somewhat hesitant when saying the name. "She's probably scolding Norn again."
I didn't say anything and tried to stay calm as I walked over to the classroom, peering inside.
It was a fairly standard classroom; I could see at the podium a woman holding a book, continuously raising her voice while pointing at it—that must be the Professor Xandri Natasha mentioned. Opposite her, a girl around eight or nine years old with yellowish-brown hair was looking down, enduring the noise.
Meanwhile, at the back of the room, a red-haired girl dressed as a maid wore a bored expression.
Seeing that scene, Natasha didn't step inside but stood outside the door like me.
"Professor Xandri is a devout believer." The girl explained even before I asked. "Because of that, when she found out Aisha was the daughter of the second wife, she put pressure on Norn... Poor girl."
"Has no one fired her?" I asked, extremely concerned.
"She's the vice principal..."
Oh welp…
Regarding marriage, the Millis religion is truly terrifying. They view adultery as a crime punishable by death... It's lucky that in Asura they don't weigh that issue too heavily. But this is Millishion; something like this isn't exactly rare.
"Norn, oh Norn! The answer to this problem is 42, 42! How can you not do such a simple math problem!?" Xandri continued to slam her hand on the desk, with an even louder tone.
"I... I don't know… I don't understand it…" Norn said meekly.
"How can you not know? Anyone can do this problem. Even that illegitimate trash knows how to do it, so how can you—a child of the lawful wife—not know how to do it!?"
"Hic... ah..."
"Crying?" Xandri slammed the desk. "If you just keep crying like this, you'll always be stuck behind, Norn! Don't become so useless!"
"But I... I really don't understand... Hic..."
And so Norn continued to cry, completely helpless against the professor's pressing words.
This scene, somehow, reminded me of my days in my past life.
I used to be a quick-witted child, but far from being able to be called smart or a genius. However, just a little quick-wittedness was enough to make others place their expectations in the wrong spot.
And so I was pushed to become better and better, to achieve better results. Until I reached the positions of the best, I revealed that I actually wasn't that good.
I tried, I tried a lot, but the boundary between someone 'just a little better' and true geniuses is still very far apart.
And no matter what, it seemed my entire middle school years were just failure stacked upon failure. To the point where I genuinely thought I was an idiot until I returned to a normal high school.
Maybe that's why I feared having too many expectations placed upon me.
Just like Norn right now. Even though she hadn't shown anything special, because this society demanded it, they expected her to be incredibly talented.
Truly unfair.
And somehow, I did what I had to.
"All you know is how to yell and scream, making all this noise." I kicked Xandri hard enough to send her flying a distance. Maybe it's kinda too strong for a woman but oh well. "If all you know is how to yell, can you really be a professor? This society has gone mad lately."
Norn stopped crying for a split second, though her eyes were still red as she looked toward me. Meanwhile, Aisha, the maid-dressed girl at the back of the room, looked up when she saw me and Natasha. Xandri seemed to be the one with the clearest reaction; she scrambled to sit up, pointing a finger at me.
"Who the hell are you!? Daring to assault someone, I'll call the knights and have you thrown in jail! And what do you know about education to dare comment on it!?"
So noisy. Good grief, I hate noisy people like this.
"My name is Atur Don't-want-to-talk-much." I replied firmly as I stepped inside. "And when it comes to education, perhaps I don't have much expertise."
I didn't even have a degree. I quit my job halfway just because I suddenly had money. Later, when I taught at high school, I only worked in a temporary position. In other words, I wasn't even a teacher.
"But I know one thing; the only reason for a teacher to make a child cry is to make them laugh until they cry, not in humiliation and anxiety." I took a handkerchief and brought it to Norn's face, gently dabbing the tears that hadn't yet dried. "Anyone who does the opposite is unworthy of the title of educator."
"Hmph! Speaking foolish nonsense." Xandri continued to argue as she stood up. "Pressure is what creates the best. That's how I got this position. If we did it your way, the world would be full of ignorant peasants!"
Regarding this, it's quite true. Like in that movie about drumming? Pressure makes diamonds, that's what they say. That is the formula for creating the best.
As for me, it wasn't completely wrong either. I used to cry like that. Crying over failures and scoldings. Crying because I felt I wasn't good enough.
Perhaps it was exactly that despair that created the me of today. Was that a good thing? But if I had a choice, I'd always want something different, something more normal.
Ah right, ultimately, the most important thing is having a choice, isn't it?
"Say, Norn." I asked when I saw she had calmed down. "Do you want to be better than Aisha?"
Norn flinched. She probably didn't even know who I was. From her perspective, I was probably just some random thug who had just kicked her teacher away. Then suddenly asked this question? Suspicious indeed.
Yet Norn still answered, or rather, tried her best to shake her head.
"No..."
"Then we have our answer." I clapped my hands together. "So we're done here. Fare-fricking-well."
"What..."
Before Xandri could say anything, I looked toward Aisha at the back of the class.
"Let's go home, your dad is waiting."
"Hold on!" I didn't understand what motivation made that Xandri woman continue to stop us. "If you take these two girls away, they'll never study in Millishion again! Ah no! And you have to apologize to me!"
Ah right... thought it was something serious.
"So what." I gave her the middle finger. "If no one will teach them, I will."
And that's how I officially made Norn and Aisha dropouts.
...
Back to the present.
"So that's why you had to take responsibility and find a better new school for the two girls?" Isolde concluded.
"Yeah. Only later did I find out Paul had planned for them to drop out anyway." I scratched my forehead. "So technically, that whole thing was pretty... pointless."
"It wasn't pointless." Isolde nudged my waist. "You were really cool. And you made your point as well."
"Hehe, really?"
Wait, did she make a pun there? Isolde can be funny sometimes huh?
And yes, maybe I was really cool. But I haven't even told the part where the very next day I got thrown in jail for assaulting Xandri.
I'll tell that part later. My 7 days in Millishion are nothing but dramas.