Four days later, in the city of Boago.

“We got kicked off the ship...”

“Well, it’s not just us. All the adventurers were removed. It can’t be helped.”

“But the original contract was supposed to take us to the imperial capital!　My ‘Easy Trip to the Imperial Capital’ plan has fallen apart! I’m going to sue!”

“What kind of plan was that...? Besides, we were given a hefty compensation on top of the contract termination fee. It can’t be helped.”

“Abel, you’ve been saying ‘it can’t be helped’ over and over! Where’s your fighting spirit?!”

“Yeah, I don’t have any of that.”

Ryo and Abel, along with the other adventurers, were forced to disembark from the ship in the city of Boago.

Ryo had been counting on an easy journey to the imperial capital by ship, so he wasn’t happy about the sudden change of plans.

“The captain and crew seemed pretty sad. Probably because of the freshwater supply job and the deck shower rights.”

“The captain and crew were good people to begin with. It wasn’t just about bribes.”

In response to Abel’s remark, Ryo countered with a belief in the inherent goodness of people.

People are fundamentally good!

“The higher-ups who kicked us off should suffer when the crew pushes back against them!”

“I find it hard to believe you are fundamentally good, Ryo...”

After venting their frustrations, they had to face reality.

The two of them had to get to the imperial capital and then return to the Central Countries.

“Are there any carriages heading to the imperial capital?”

“There might be... but it’ll cost money.”

“We’re rich! We have money in the bank, too.”

“I don’t even know how rich we are. What if we spend too much and regret it later? This country, Darwei, is huge. It’s going to take a lot of money to get out of here.”

Abel spoke with a very practical mindset.

“For a king, Abel sure is thrifty. You should be saying something like, ‘I’ll spend big and keep the economy moving!’”

“I don’t have that kind of money.”

“This should be the Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Association they told us about, right?”

“Adventurers: When in trouble, go to the guild.”

Abel and Ryo arrived at what served as the guild in the eastern countries, the Mutual Aid Association.

When they stepped inside...

“Whoa, what a huge crowd.”

“Morning request bouts should be over by now.”

It was just before 11 AM.

Having nearly 100 adventurers there was unusual...

“Hey, I think I recognize some of these people.”

“Ah... they’re the same folks as us. Those who were kicked off the ship.”

“I see. Everyone had the same idea.”

Indeed, the adventurers swarming the association were the ones whose contracts had been terminated when the princess’ escort deal was canceled.

“Should we wait until they’ve been taken care of?”

“That room over there caught my attention.”

Abel pointed to a separate room on the left side of the entrance.

“It says ‘Equipment Shop’?”

“Looks like it. Let’s check it out.”

Abel led the way.

And Ryo followed.

The equipment shop was exactly what its name suggested, offering weapons, armor, and a variety of potions.

“They have quite a selection.”

“Yeah. Even if we’re not buying anything, it’s fun to browse.”

Being a swordsman, Abel had always liked looking at weapons and armor.

Ryo had only recently realized this.

Abel picked up different items, inspecting them one by one.

But he didn’t seem intent on buying anything.

Meanwhile, Ryo was searching for something specific.

Something he wanted to buy if he found it.

And then...

“Found it!”

“Hmm? Ah, a map.”

Hearing Ryo’s excited voice, Abel turned to look.

It wasn’t particularly detailed.

Just listing cities, major roads, and checkpoints, but having it would make a huge difference.

“If we have to travel by land to the imperial capital, this will be useful. And even if we find another route, we’ll definitely need to travel overland to reach the Central Countries. So, I figured we should have one.”

“Certainly. Good thinking, Ryo.”

“Heh, it’s nothing special.”

Ryo blushed at the compliment.

With the map in hand, the two of them felt like they had secured a bright future.

Not everyone in the world had a bright future.

That night, in a room at the princess’ lodging in Boago, a guard coordination meeting was being held.

Attendees included Deputy Minister Snus, Secretary Bal, Captain Bizis, and the newly arrived head of the Ministry of Rites’ escort team, Captain Wie Su.

After exchanging greetings, Captain Wie Su sighed and addressed Deputy Minister Snus.

“This might not be something I should say to you, sir, but the ship’s crew has been giving us hostile looks.”

Wie Su and Snus had worked together often, so they were familiar with each other.

Because of that, they spoke candidly about various matters.

“Well, we did force 80 people off the ship on the first day. I understand why the crew resents the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Ministry of Rites’ escort team... I don’t expect them to welcome us, but still, it’s frustrating.”

“I’m sorry, Wie Su. That’s entirely my fault... and the fault of the headquarters of the Ministry of Rites.”

Deputy Minister Snus responded with a grimace, beyond just a wry smile.

As he spoke, he glanced at Captain Bizis, who was also present.

Bizis had her eyes closed, adopting an indifferent attitude.

In other words, Snus was essentially exposing his own department’s shame, but Bizis seemed willing to pretend she hadn’t heard anything.

In his heart, Snus silently bowed in thanks to Bizis.

“The Deputy Minister and headquarters?”

“When the new escort team from the Ministry of Rites arrived, we dismissed the adventurers we had previously hired from the ship... and that’s what caused the problem.”

“The adventurers were the problem? Did something happen with them?”

“No, there were no issues with the adventurers. They actually did their jobs quite diligently. The problem was that one of them was a water-attribute magician... and his removal is the root of all this.”

Snus let out a heavy sigh.

“But you only dismissed him because it was following headquarters’ orders, right? We arrived, so there was no longer a need for him to stay. That’s perfectly reasonable...”

“True, but... that magician was crucial. When it came to providing fresh water.”

Snus went on to explain how that particular water-attribute magician had single-handedly supplied fresh water to the barrels of the entire fleet and had even filled the bath in the first ship.

“It’s just like Lord Rowon.”

Captain Wie Su nodded in admiration after hearing the story.

“The man who single-handedly used a flood strategy to wash away the rebel army? I’m not sure if that magician is on the same level as one of the Six Saints, but it’s true that he significantly reduced the workload of the sailors.”

Snus let out yet another sigh.

“Without such a valuable person... I can understand the way the sailors feel. That said, since it was an official order from the Ministry of Rites headquarters, you had no choice but to dismiss him, Deputy Minister.”

“That’s right.”

“If you hadn’t... headquarters would have received the report, and your career prospects would have been ruined, wouldn’t they? The sailors, and even the captains, probably don’t understand that part.”

Captain Wie Su frowned as he spoke.

Sitting nearby, Captain Bizis of the Princess escort unit listened with her eyes closed, seemingly uninterested.

However, inside, she was far from calm.

Originally, at this very time today, she was supposed to meet with that water-attribute magician.

She could have asked him many things...

But now, the magician had left the ship.

She recalled her conversation earlier that day with La Wu, captain of the tenth ship.

“He left the ship? Why?!”

“It was Deputy Minister Snus’s order. Or rather, an instruction from the Ministry of Rites headquarters. Either way, it makes no difference... bureaucrats are truly inflexible.”

Bizis had raised her voice involuntarily.

La Wu responded with an equally dissatisfied expression.

The magician’s departure had benefited no one.

“How am I supposed to report this to Her Highness...?”

Bizis slumped, disheartened.

Seeing her in such a state, even La Wu felt sorry for her.

“Well, since he’s left the ship, and he won’t be meeting any acquaintances... I suppose I can at least tell you his name.”

“Yes, please! Just his name!”

“Just make sure this stays between you, Her Highness, and no one else. The magician’s name is Ryo-dono.”

“Ryo-dono! Oh, thank you so much! Of course, only Her Highness and I... no, I’ll include Mifa-dono as well—just the three of us.”

“Yes, those three should be fine.”

And so, Bizis reported to the princess during one of her short breaks.

Although Her Highness simply said, “It’s fine if he’s already left,” Bizis still wanted to at least report his name.

“Huh? Ryo? That’s...”

“Yes. I believe it’s the same Ryo-san who is Abel-sensei’s companion...”

“...What?”

Princess Shio Fen tilted her head in confusion, while Mifa murmured, probably, leaving Bizis as the only one unable to follow the conversation.

“Abel-sensei... he’s Mifa-dono’s sword master, isn’t he?”

“Yes. And the magician who travels with Abel-sensei is Ryo-san. Now that I think about it, he is a water-attribute magician.”

“That Ryo-dono... does he use a sword?”

“Hmm... I’m not sure. He’s a magician, after all... At least, I’ve never seen him use one...”

Mifa trailed off before suddenly looking up in realization.

“Now that you mention it... I’ve seen Ryo-san practicing with a sword once. He was swinging it, saying it was ‘suburi*’.” (TLN: Practice swings)

“Suburi?”

Unfamiliar with the term, Bizis tilted her head in confusion.

“It’s a practice movement, swinging downward repeatedly.”

As Mifa explained, she took a stance with both hands as if holding a sword, then demonstrated a downward strike.

Several times.

“It was so smooth... now that I think about it, maybe Ryo-san does use a sword.”

Mifa nodded repeatedly as she recalled the scene.

“But... he deliberately hid his name, didn’t he? Even from the ship’s captain. Why? If he had told us, we could have met him.”

“That’s probably why.”

Princess Shio Fen replied with a laugh.

“Mifa, you were sent off on your journey, but then he ended up on the same fleet... maybe he felt embarrassed about meeting you again after that. Probably not just Ryo-dono, but Abel-sensei as well.”

“...Now that you mention it, he did say something about feeling embarrassed.”

Princess Shio Fen guessed, and Bizis recalled her conversation with Ryo during their encounter.

“It can’t be helped. Maybe we’ll meet again somewhere.”

Shio Fen said with a smile.

That had been their conversation earlier in the day.

(What a blunder, what a blunder, what a blunder!)

Bizis screamed in her mind.

(Even though Mifa and Her Highness accepted it, they clearly wanted to see him. Not just Ryo-dono, but also Abel-sensei... And I ruined that chance. What a blunder!)

Though it wasn’t her fault, Bizis’s inherently serious nature wouldn’t allow her to let it go.

The world, it seemed, rarely went as one wished.