Chapter 14

Time passed without any issues until the day indicated on the ticket. Perhaps the problem was that I couldn't settle down being idle.

I decided to set a goal. I felt that if I didn't, I would collapse into emptiness the moment I arrived somewhere out of my family's sight.

My goal was to go and fetch Anna someday. Realistically, it's impossible for someone like me to sneak past my family and take Anna away. I'd be caught immediately. But if I waited until I had the power to outsmart my family, I'd make Anna wait forever.

Then, I could ask someone else to do it. I would entrust a letter to a competent and trustworthy person, asking them to fetch my friend and escort her back.

Of course, I would confirm Anna's wishes first.

For that, I needed to save money. Moreover, if I were to entrust this task to a reliable expert, they would likely be a high-ranking adventurer. To ask such a person, I would need to earn their trust to some extent.

To gain trust and earn money, I needed to establish a solid foundation for my life.

I didn't want to be satisfied just with escaping my family, so I set a clear short-term goal and climbed the ship's gangway.

This is the third-class cabin.

I walked through a dimly lit room with two, four... twelve bunk beds lined up. The space between the beds was just enough for people to barely squeeze past each other. It seemed there was no door to the third-class cabin, and on this deck, just below the deck, there were several similar cabins on both sides of the ship.

I was told that the first-class cabins on this ship have private rooms with showers, and I could imagine what the second-class cabins were like—private compartments with seats that can double as beds, though they are small. Ordinary people usually use the third-class cabins.

Most passenger ships are like this, with the better cabins located above the deck, near the bridge.

This is the general cabin. I had heard about it, but there were many things I couldn't understand until I saw it with my own eyes. I felt a bit intimidated as I searched for the place indicated on my ticket.

The room was stuffy with the smell of alcohol, tobacco, and an indescribable unpleasant odor, likely due to the unhygienic environment. The sheets and mattresses, which had been used by who knows who before, were cleaned with a combination of moderately advanced spells that looked like life magic—cleaning, drying, and purifying simultaneously.

I cast a spell to circulate fresh air from outside at the four corners of the bed. The sea air carried the scent of the ocean, but this freed me from the room's odors, and I finally felt at ease.

"Was that magic?"

A child spoke from the opposite bed. A woman, who seemed to be the child's mother, was leaning against her luggage, holding a baby and looking tired.

I knew I was being watched, but I didn't expect to be spoken to. However, they wouldn't understand what I was doing. I put on the mask of "Rin, the young musician" that I had decided on.

"Yes."

"Awesome! Can you show me something?"

"Sure, but if you want to see, you'll have to pay."

When I said that, the child pouted and clung to his mother. I regretted it a bit, even though I did it myself. The journey must be boring for a child. There's a billiard room in the upper cabins, but it's for adults, and third-class passengers aren't allowed upstairs anyway...

The mother also looked tired, so maybe I could take care of the child for a while and show them a puppet show.

But unlike on the way to the port, there are many people on the ship, so I shouldn't get too close to others.

If I stayed as Rio the alchemist, I would make many acquaintances. As an alchemist, I would definitely be asked to sell seasickness medicine or potions. There's no place to hide until we arrive, so I can't be recognized by many people. I can't be too friendly.

Here, I have to be "Rin, the musician who won't even show his face unless it's profitable."

I carry my instrument case visibly to add credibility to being a musician, but I don't plan to gather passengers on the deck and play. If asked to do something, I can bluff a little, but I'm not that skilled at playing, so I plan to stay as inconspicuous as possible. If I played at this level, people might doubt whether I'm a professional or just a beginner traveling alone.

I deliberately took a cold attitude and waited in silence for the departure time. I wish I had bought a book. When the ship finally started moving, a sense of nostalgia welled up inside me.

I couldn't see outside, but I could tell I was getting farther from the country where I was born.

I curled up on the simple bed and closed my eyes, thinking I never wanted to return. Of course, I wasn't sleeping without any precautions; I had cast a security spell.

For dinner, I bought food from the third-class dining room and ate it on the deck, then fell asleep without talking to anyone... or so I thought. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a baby crying, which overlapped with the sound of the ship cutting through the waves.

It seemed the baby in the opposite bed was crying, but I sensed no signs of illness or discomfort, so I assumed it was just a night cry and tried to go back to sleep. But then a man in the same room started yelling, "Shut up!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Is it that baby again? Give me a break."

"Can't you take it outside until it falls asleep?"

The moonlight coming in through the window for lighting and ventilation was dim, but I could tell from the mother's voice that she felt very apologetic. From the reactions of the others, it seemed similar incidents had happened before tonight.

I could hear her trying to feed the baby or check the diaper, but the baby wouldn't stop crying.

That must be why she looked so tired. The child and the mother spoke with a unique accent from the unstable country of Nueral, so they were likely traveling to a foreign country for some reason.

...What should I do? If I intervene, it might be seen as "babies cry, so what's the problem?" or "your voice is louder," which would only make things worse. I don't know how far this mother and child are traveling, and I don't want to leave any bad feelings after I disembark.

The mother seemed to be considering whether to take all her luggage and the baby outside or to leave the luggage and the older child on the deck.

I understood her dilemma, as I had been advised to keep my luggage close at all times on the ship. I was also concerned about the person who was speaking, who seemed eager to leave the room.

But the older child looked to be around five years old, and it would be worrying to leave them behind. I hesitated about offering to watch the luggage, as it might seem too suspicious after being so cold.

After some thought, and with my head still groggy from just waking up, I almost instinctively opened the instrument case I had been holding and started plucking the strings of Viera.

"♪...My dear child, it's dark outside now. Sleep in my warm embrace.

Close your eyes, and the dreams you see tonight will surely be happy.

Be a good child, sleep soundly, my dear, sleep well...♪"

The crying stopped as soon as I started singing, but I finished the song at a good point. I skipped the second and third verses and ended with a quick coda. I knew others had been woken up by the baby's cry, so I used a "sleep" spell to put everyone in the room to sleep.

I hope the man who yelled won't remember this when he wakes up. It's not impossible, but hypnosis would be too much.

The baby and the mother, who was holding the baby and looking stunned, were the only ones left awake. I excluded the mother from the spell. If she suddenly fell asleep, she might drop the baby.

"Um... thank you."

"It's nothing. I just wanted to sleep too. I was woken up by that man's voice."

Magic can be activated in various ways. Except for rare cases where a skilled mage can activate it with a mere thought, the most common method is through "incantation," which combines magical phrases. Magic circles and magical circuits are also commonly used in daily life. There are also large spells activated by "rituals," and spells used in dancing and singing.

Songs, in particular, can have magical meanings given through elements other than lyrics, such as pitch and rhythm. Learning and using them is difficult, but magical songs are interesting. If you can infuse your voice with magic, you can do many things, like "boosting someone's energy" or "making them brave."

I find them quite convenient and easy to use.

Father had no musical talent, and Mother wasn't good at magic. I learned this while challenging myself to do things my family couldn't.

"The baby will sleep soundly until morning, so don't worry. It won't have any negative effects."

Based on the baby's size, it must be over a year old, so frequent feeding isn't necessary. The diaper was checked just now, so it should be fine until morning.

Normally, putting someone to sleep with a simple spell is quite difficult because it affects the mind, but with a magical song, it's different. Moreover, it affects everyone within earshot, with no limit to the number of people.

That's why it worked on everyone who was already sleeping. If this were a noisy dining room during the day, no one would fall asleep. That's the extent of its power.

That's probably why my family didn't praise me for learning this skill. Thinking about it now, it was a common occurrence.

Magic and music—there was nothing praiseworthy about me in either field, but I was excited thinking I could do something wonderful with this.

But it was good that I could naturally put the baby to sleep by pretending to sing a lullaby as a service. It wasn't a waste; it was useful.

The mother looked very tired, so I confirmed that the baby was sleeping soundly and then sang a healing spell in a low voice. She would wake up refreshed tomorrow, thinking, "Maybe it was because I listened to pleasant music."

After everyone in the room fell asleep, I put Viera back in the case and curled up again.

"Hey, big brother, sing again!!"

I woke up to this voice before my natural wake-up time, still groggy and unsure of where I was. The rough wooden wall in front of me was unfamiliar, and the "big brother" didn't immediately connect to me. My head and body felt heavy, as if I had been in a deep sleep.

I was shaken by someone saying, "Hey, hey," from behind, but my consciousness was slow to return.

"Big brother, what's your name?"

"...I... My name is... Lilia..."

Hearing my own voice, I realized my mistake. I had forgotten that I was pretending to be a boy. I tried to deny it, but it was too late.

It was still early, but most people seemed to be awake from the boy's voice. As I sat up, I could feel the gazes of those around me. There was no hope of bluffing my way out of this.

...I messed up.

"Lilia? That's a girl's name."

The mother seemed to understand why I was traveling alone and looked uncomfortable. What should I do... No, it's not unnatural for a girl to dress as a boy. As long as my identity isn't revealed, it's fine.

"Not Lilia, but Liana. I never claimed to be a boy. What's the problem?"

I was taught by intelligence operatives that it's better not to use a completely different name if you're not used to it, but "Lilia" was too close. I corrected myself to Liana and continued with the same cold attitude as yesterday.

"Big sister? Liana big sister? Can you sing again?"

"Both magic and songs cost money. Can you pay?"

The mother avoided my gaze and started scolding the boy. I took the opportunity to quickly leave the room and go up to the deck. Many people were moving around for breakfast, so I didn't stand out.

I only need my magic bag in the worst case, but I brought my instrument case, which looks valuable. The cloth bag I left on the bed was just for show, filled with used towels and nothing important.

...Maybe I shouldn't return to that cabin until late tonight. There are women in the third-class cabins. In the room I was in, there was another woman besides the mother. However, she was with a lover and was careful not to be alone, even in the bathroom.

Traveling alone as a teenage boy is dangerous, but it's even more dangerous for a woman to be seen as traveling alone. Of course.

We had just set sail, and it's still three days until the next port. It's inconvenient for that child to call me "big sister" in front of others. Can I convince them to understand... Maybe I'll cast a spell to keep the child asleep until I wake up when I return late at night. Since the mother can't leave the child, I can repeat this until we arrive, so I won't have to talk to the child.

Such a selfish plan came to mind.

I didn't want to face the mother and child, so I took out some portable food and water from my magic bag and had a simple meal on the deck.

I had prepared, but I didn't expect to use it so soon.

"Hey, kid, can you play an instrument? Are you a traveling musician?"

"Something like that."

I regretted not wearing a coat, but I was too preoccupied with my mistake to think about it. I pulled myself together. Not everyone on the ship knows my gender, so it's okay. The people in that room have no reason to spread the information, so it shouldn't spread. ...Yeah!

"I was bored, can you play something?"

"Thank you for the request. It's two hundred fels per song."

"What, you're charging?" The middle-aged man disappeared, muttering. For street performers, it's common for people to throw tips if they like it, but if you ask for something specific, it's normal to pay. Two hundred fels is about the price of a skewer from a street vendor, so it's a reasonable price for a starting musician to respond to a request. He was probably just teasing me.

I had observed market prices during my inspections of towns.

"Hey, I'll request a song. It's early in the morning, so something to wake me up, please."

"Sure thing."

Another person called out, and I responded as "me" on the ship, who is friendly when it's profitable, regardless of the name. I had thought of a character that would make my stay comfortable, so I might as well use it.

I made my voice sound more boyish and started singing a bright, popular song from a nearby country. Of course, I didn't infuse it with magic; it was just a song. But the man seemed to like it a lot and requested a second song.

Despite not being that skilled, it seemed the ship was quite boring, and I kept getting requests. Tips started flying in from people who hadn't requested anything, and I hurriedly opened my instrument case to collect them.

An unexpected crowd gathered, and it grew larger with each song. I was internally panicking, "I didn't plan to be this noticeable," while my face maintained a smile of "I'm happy about the good business," but my mind was full of question marks.

Why is my singing, which has never been praised by my mother, a professional musician, so well-received? It doesn't feel like it's just because the ship is boring.

What... Why...? Is it because people prefer something that's not quite professional but better than amateur...? That makes sense; I wouldn't feel at ease with high-class court music in a place like this...

"Hey, Rio? Is that you, Rio?"

Despite not using that name since boarding the ship.

The tall man, whose head was half-visible in the crowd, called out to me. I turned to him and recognized him, and my face showed my anxiety.

His expression was hidden by his black hair, but he must be disappointed to realize I've been lying.

"Uh... Rio, you can sing this well... That's amazing..."

It was Fred, whom I had just parted with, saying, "Stay well, and if we meet again," and I was at a loss for words, frozen in place.

"Uh, well, it seems we have met again...?"

I regretted my words as soon as they left my mouth.