Durand resisted sleep well past midnight, but his tired mind was trying to convince him to just rest his eyes at least. He knew back of his mind that was the gateway to the dreamland but he succumbed to the temptation and closed his eyes.
Durand was back on the pirate ship with Yel and Lav. The blood dripped from above deck onto their faces. Yel and Lav were cowering in the corner, they had only fear in their expression as they looked to Durand.
"I killed all, I saved you! Stop running from me!"
Durand stepped towards the two, and the two ran away to another corner.
"Stop!"
He couldn't reach them. The two somehow broke free from their chains and ran above deck.
"Don't leave me!!"
Durand tried to walk towards the ladder, but a chain bound him to the wooden pillar of the ship. He looked around for something to use, then his eyes landed on the floor. A mighty dragon's drawing painted by dripping blood from above. Durand extended his arm and chanted.
"On this day, I grant you existence! Arise, Blood Dragon, destroy this ship!"
A waterfall of blood burst out of the drawing, destroying the ship. Durand drowned in the blood waterfall, desperately trying to hold on to something. Then he realized he was already safe, on a boat.
He looked around the sea, but the ship was gone; only some of its parts drifted on the sea.
"Yel! Lav! Where are you?!"
Durand looked around but couldn't see them no matter where he looked, then he heard movement on the boat, turned behind immediately, expectantly.
A girl was sitting on the boat. Pink sunset glow hair and dark blue eyes. She smiled.
Durand woke up, his bed covered with sweat. He massaged his head. What was that dream? He thought. His back was hurting, so he raised his body, and their eyes met...
Enrosa was sitting on the chair, holding a candle that dimly lit her face, looking directly at him.
Was he still dreaming? Durand blinked a couple of times. Enrosa was still there, so he cowardly called out to her.
"...My lady?"
Enrosa smiled.
"Lying is bad, you know. I really felt guilty believing you lost your memories because of me."
"What lying?"
Enrosa's smile deepened.
"Let's start at the beginning. What's your name?"
So her magic was to invade dreams, great. Now, how was Durand supposed to get away from this situation? Admit everything or...
"I have no idea what you are saying, my lady. I just had a weird dream, and you are in my room for some reason."
"If you don't answer me, I will have you executed at dawn."
"It is Durand... My name is Durand."
"Who were Yel and Lav and why were you chained on a ship?"
"They were my little brothers, and we three got kidnapped by pirates."
"From where?"
"Nymph realm."
Enrosa sat silent for a long moment. In the silence, Durand thought about his future. What would happen to him now? He had rare magic, but he was a runaway slave too. Maybe turned to a slave soldier to use for fighting beastmen and monsters. He would escape regardless. He would escape and find Yel and Lav whatever might happen.
"...So you want help?"
"...?"
"Help to find your little brothers, I mean, you wanna find them, right? I can read dreams beyond just being an observer in them, well, to an extent. You have a strong desire to save them; I could read that much at least."
"Why? Why would you help me?"
Enrosa winked at him with her ever-present smile.
"Because it sounds like it would be a fun adventure! I want to be part of that journey."
"..."
Durand felt insulted. His goal to save his little brothers from slavers was treated as fun. But... It was help he desperately needed. Enrosa didn't just offer help; she wanted to be part of it all the way, which meant that when they reached Yel and Lav and if they were already owned by nobles, her presence might help him greatly.
"Wouldn't you need your uncle's permission first?"
"Didn't I say being neglectful is how northerners do it? Oh, my niece went somewhere? Did you arrange guards? Yes? Then why are you reporting me?"
Enrosa said in a grunt voice, mimicking someone. Durand presumed that was how her uncle talked.
"So you want my help or not?"
"Yes! And I am eternally thankful for this."
"Great, then we shall depart tomorrow!"
Enrosa stood and pointed forward as if rallying her troops to the battlefield. Then she broke character and laughed.
"Hehe."
She looked excited about the journey as she walked around the room doing various poses, putting herself into scenarios she imagined.
"Stop, corrupt noble! I shall defeat you."
"Ahh! Pirates are so strong, how!? What do you mean, they are beastmen alliances' spies? We should alert the empress now!"
"My tragic past is too much for you to handle, my right arm! Ugh... Going berserk again. Run, Durand, run!"
"This might be above my paygrade, Durand; you don't pay me enough to deal with this shit."
"Dragon kidnapped me, save me! Nevermind I shall save myself HAHAHAHAHA..."
Was this 'thing' a normal noble? Invaded piracy of one's dream. Sneaking into a room of the opposite sex in the middle of the night. Now being straight insane. Durand was horrified thinking of Yel and Lav's future being servants of such nobles. He had to save them quickly!
After some time, an expressionless woman guard came to Durand's room and carried Enrosa from her armpits like a cat. She bowed to Durand. Apologizing on behalf of her young lady.
"Let it be said that if there are any non-pecuniary damages, please file a report. It will be paid by the Kainmatrich family."
Durand didn't know what nonpecuniary meant, so he just nodded.
"Durand! You can call me Rosa!"
Rosa said while being carried to her room by her guard. Durand nodded again.
Durand couldn't return to his sleep, so he forfeited it and waited for the dawn. Watching the ceiling without sticking to any particular thought in his mind. How are Yel and Lav doing? How could one protect oneself from dream invaders? She said the Kainmatrich family was an important family, but did she herself carry any weight to save Yel and Lav?
He didn't know any of those answers, but at least could come up with possible answers through what he knew. So he thought, perhaps to placate his heart, he came with the best possible answers. Kainmatrich was a strong enough family for Rosa to do something to save them. They just needed to find where the two were.
Rosa invading his dream was something he could just accept and move on. He didn't have anything he wanted to hide anyway. If she wanted to learn everything, past life and talk with a nymph goddess about the fate of the world, then learn it and advise him on a way to organize his thoughts on that.
Yel and Lav... His past life... The world's end... Even one was enough to lament his life and have nightmare filled nights, and Durand had all three of them. If he could, with some magical item, remove the need for sleep, it would help in various ways.
Dawn's light licked the room, lightening Durand's sleep-deprived eyes. He got out of his room, knocking Bolb's next to his.
"It is I, Bolb, Durand."
"Come in."
Durand opened the door. Bolb was still in bed, straightening his body to get up.
"My lord, isn't it risky to tell your name? They think you've lost your memories."
"I told them everything."
Bolb's half sleepy eyes widened instantly; he was alarmed to his core.
"Why? Oh, no. I am gonna die. You have an escape plan, right?"
"Relax, they don't know you are a pirate. I told everything except that."
Bolb sighed in relief, then he looked back with a serious expression.
"What about you, my lord? What are they gonna do to you?"
"Nothing, Lady Enrosa even said she would help to find my little brothers. We are gonna depart to find them. Will you come?"
"Of course, my lord, my life is yours. I will follow you to the depths of hell, even."
Durand was moved by those words. He had never felt such loyalty, and Bolb's serious eyes made it clear he wasn't jesting.
"Good, we will depart tomorrow then."
"...Tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"What about next week or month?"
"..."
There was something weird in Bolb's tone. Durand couldn't put a finger on it.
"I wanted to follow you, my lord..."
"Is there a silent but?"
"You see, do you remember yesterday I went with that servant girl to prepare tea? When we came to the library, you two weren't there. I thank you for that, my lord. We didn't want it to go to waste, so we drank it while talking to each other in the library. We had something going on in that conversation. I can feel that."
"..."
"I don't know if she has anybody now, so I am hesitant. If she has someone, then I will go with my lord. If she has no one, then I will stay, try to find a job and court her. Please give me time to learn that at least."
What happened to eternal loyalty? What about following to the depths of hell?
"Why not just ask the girl?"
"That would be inappropriate I think."
What happened to that serious look that made Durand believe in him? Durand ate the betrayal, digested it, and it absorbed into his body as a valuable lesson to never to trust pirates.
"I shall ask Lady Enrosa. If that servant girl is, court free."
"Thank you, my lord; you are magnanimous!"
"So you are gonna stay if she is?"
"Yes, if my lord asks Lady Enrosa if there is any job I can do, it would be great."
'Greedy fuck.' Durand thought.
"Sure," Durand said with a distant smile.
He could at least repay this way for what Bolb had done until now. Durand departed to find Rosa. He didn't know where Rosa's room was, so he decided to wait in the garden, as Rosa said she read books there often.
He tried to remember the route to the garden but failed. He got lost, walked embarrassed, wishing somebody to find him and lead him to the garden. Then somehow he reached the main door. Perhaps he could be a great captain. It looked like he had a talent for directions. With a smug expression, he opened the door.
Rosa was waiting for him in the garden, fully dressed up in armor and with a short sword. Upon seeing Durand, she dropped her armor's visor and raised her sword.
This wasn't a reading book in the garden wear, but let's go on an adventure wear.
"By 'departing tomorrow', did you mean today?"
Rosa opened her visor with an annoying, condescending look. Her head tilted forward, one eyebrow raised and half-smug mouth. Durand couldn't describe with words how much he wanted to punch that face.
"Duhhh, of course tomorrow is today."
"It was well past midnight."
"That's just a technicality. Everybody would know what I mean, tomorrow. To. Morrow. It means at morning."
She was annoying even if Durand was in the wrong here, though he didn't feel like he was the wrong one; it didn't change; she, was annoying.
"...Very well, I don't have anything to prepare we can depart now."
"Hold your horses. We need companions first. Where is the big guy?"
Durand understood she was talking about Bolb so he explained Bolb's situation to her.
"Laura is as free as they come. She was complaining about a lack of proper men for these past weeks, and about a job. I will tell the steward to arrange something."
"Allow me to express my gratitude on Bolb's behalf."
"No worries, no worries. Let's go to find companions for our journey."
Durand followed Rosa's quick steps.
"Where are we going?"
"To the barracks to pick guards for us though Judith, my personal guard, the one you saw last night, will be joining us regardless. The steward wanted me to find one more addition to Judith."
In the Barrack castle, the guards were in the middle of training. They were running in circles.
"Attention! Answer me, who among you is the strongest?"
Rosa's shout stopped everybody from turning their way.
"I said! Who among you is the strongest!?"
The guards looked towards a certain direction, horse stable.
"Good, let's see this fellow. "
When they arrived at the horse stable, what greeted them wasn't a guard. A white hair girl of about the same age as them was sleeping on a bed of straw. Rosa clenched her fist.
"I said among them!! Are they stupid or something!?"
The white girl woke up from the sound and gave an annoyed look to Rosa.
"Can you not disturb my sleep?"
"I don't care for your sleep Ria! You spend time with guards more than me; tell me one that's strong."
"Why?"
"I need a guard for travel."
Ria yawned and straightened her body and stretched her arms and shoulders.
"Travel where?"
"To the capital, why do you care?"
"I can go with you."
"...You? Why?- Why do you wanna go to the capital?"
"We were going to the capital together for the academy, anyway. It is just a few months ahead of schedule."
"Ten months ahead of the schedule but fine by me if you wanna join us."
Ria's eyes drifted to Durand, acknowledging his existence for the first time.
"Us? Who is he?"
"He is a half nymph kidnapped by pirates but managed to escape. We are going to rescue his brothers, who are still in pirates' hands."
Rosa puffed out her chest in a heroic display.
"Why not ask father for help? Or write a letter to my mother in the capital?"
"Uncle won't care, and Aunt would just write back pages of how tiresome capital politics are. At the end of the letter, I would feel like I need to write an apology letter for wasting her time."
"You are right, I guess. When are we going to depart then?"
"Today and now. Go prepare."
Rosa turned and left. Durand couldn't catch the abrupt end to the conversation. He was stuck for a few seconds with Ria.
"...So I think I should follow her."
Durand turned and left. It felt rude, but he was outside of the conversation anyway. He half ran to catch up with Rosa's quick steps.
"Weren't you a little rude?"
"Was I? Hmm..."
The guilt crept onto Rosa's face. Durand supposed she wasn't intentionally rude, just came out that way for some reason.
"I might have been a little rude there, yes... I will try to check my attitude next time. Thank you for pointing that out."
"You won't apologize to her?"
"...I will... at some point."
Durand could understand from the conversation that the two were cousins and had a complicated relationship. They seem to tolerate each other, but there is a cold wall between them. Even a simple apology required Rosa to feel ready to apologize 'eventually'.
Durand felt it would be unwise to poke further, so he just followed Rosa as she talked with various people in the castle to prepare for their departure, horses, food, map, camp equipment and Bolb's job all handled in a few hours.
All four were ready at the gate. Judith and Valoria, Durand later learned that was the full name of Ria, had light armor chest plates and guards on their shins and forearms. Rosa looked ridiculous among them with her full body armor, but she looked like she was enjoying herself.
A couple of guards led horses towards them. Durand thought they would prepare a carriage because they were a noble house, but that was deemed unnecessary.
They were going to travel with three horses. One horse for Judith, who would travel in front of them. One horse for Valoria, who would travel at the rear. One horse for Durand and Rosa. They would ride in the middle, Durand didn't know how to ride a horse, and he couldn't join the other two as they were their guards and needed to be ready for any battle without him being a burden.
Rosa got up onto the horse easily. She let go of one of the metal foot loops for Durand to get up. Durand put his foot on it and got up while Rosa put her weight on the opposite side to balance it out.
"Careful with your feet; it is best if they don't touch the horse's body. It would give the wrong signals. And don't hold on to me but hold the saddle. I don't want you to take me with you if you fall."
"Okay."
Durand did as he was told, though he looked ridiculous as he tried to keep his feet without touching the horse's body. It looked as if he had really stiff legs, unable to bend. Rosa turned and giggled at the view.
"You don't need to keep them apart that much, silly."
Durand pursed his lips and relaxed his legs to a more natural posture.
"Let us depart then!"
Rosa drew her sword from sheath and signaled the guards with it. The gate opened slowly, and the horses began to set off for the four to start their journey.