[125] Island: Galliant (2)
Tess did her best to hold back a laugh at how suddenly quiet the two of them had become. Having only seen tough, no-nonsense comrades at the sword school, the magic school students felt like younger siblings even if they were the same age.
"But Amy's something else. When did you learn skima?"
"Before I entered magic school. I trained for about two years."
"Oh? It's rare to pick up skima that young. Everyone says it's bad for growing, doesn't it?"
"I didn't really do sports or anything. It just… happened."
Tess understood from that alone. Skima punishes the body, so even if Spirit Zone prodigies appear in the mental realm, it's hard for immature bodies to master.
But if it was the crimson-eye's self-image memory, you could control the body precisely without going through brutal conditioning.
"Ah, so you can use the crimson eye like that. That's amazing."
"It's not that impressive. I don't even have a proper build for it; it just strengthens my raw power a little. Compared to you, I'm a kid. From what I saw earlier, you were really fast. Once your acceleration kicks in, the gap would get so big that even teleportation couldn't catch up."
"Come on, I'm the specialist, but you're a mage, right? And Rian still can't do skima. No wonder the Karmis family is famous across the continent."
Shirone blinked in surprise and looked at Rian.
"Rian, you never learned skima? Then what was that time you chopped wood at my place? I didn't say anything because I thought it was skima."
"Hohoho! Rian did that? According to Master Kuan, it was just stupidly powerful raw strength. You know how he did at the sword school? In the final test—"
"Ah, really! Why are you so nosy about other people's private lives?"
Rian hurriedly cut him off. He absolutely didn't want Shirone to know that.
Still, the mood lightened and everyone started swapping stories about school life. Different fields, same students—so the conversation flowed on.
They were getting to know one another.
* * *
When Shirone's group arrived at Creas Harbor, they looked for passage to Galiant Island.
A large galleass moored at Dock No. 6 had its sails unfurled as if ready to depart.
Because the kingdom's schools had similar vacation schedules, there were more tourists than usual. Swept along with the crowd onto the ship, Shirone took a seat on the third deck.
There were cabins below, but since it was their first time on a ship, watching the scenery from above was more fun.
Waves slapped and a salt-tinged breeze blew. Only after the harbor sank below the horizon did the group truly realize they were out at sea.
"How long will it take?"
"I heard it's about five hours from Creas Harbor by ship."
"I see. If we'd been a little later we might have left tomorrow. Seems more people are going to the island than I expected."
As Shirone said, the deck was crowded. Half were merchants, but there were tourists dressed like nobles too. Many had come from regions beyond Creas.
"Like Rian said, it must be a famous island. What's it like?"
"I looked it up."
Amy produced a notebook as if she'd been waiting. Tess, now friendly with everyone, spoke without reserve.
"Oh? As expected, you're thorough."
"Right. I didn't even think to check."
Shirone scratched his head awkwardly and Amy shot him a displeased look.
"You went to explore ruins without doing any homework?"
"Ha! Well, the thing is…"
There are two kinds of travelers: those who leave recklessly and those who plan meticulously.
The former chase unknown romance; the latter value efficiency. Amy clearly belonged to the latter.
Shirone didn't fit either. It was his first trip, so everything felt novel and wondrous.
"First, let me tell you about Galiant Island. It's 1,500 square kilometers. Crescent-shaped—the north is sheer cliffs, so ships must enter from the southern harbor. The west mixes residential areas and resorts, and the Kergo ruins are on the island's east. The Kergo ruins are temples of the Kergo civilization from two thousand years ago."
"The Kergo?"
"Yes. They're extinct now, but a small number of indigenous people remain in an autonomous district in the island's center. They're dark-skinned and rather short, with deep-set eyes and small pupils. They tattoo faces in praise of Anke Ra."
"What's Anke Ra?"
"It's the ancient god the Kergo worshipped. Also… the natives chew a hard root called ruf that apparently causes hallucinations. They call ruf the god's awakener. In trances they entered states of possession. The fall of their civilization is usually blamed on religious conflict, but some say excessive abuse of ruf sparked internal strife."
"Wow. A hallucinogen destroyed a civilization."
"Probably because they abused it in the name of their god. Oh, and my brother said the ruins' caretakers are mostly Kergo, so we should be able to see them. But the indigenous autonomous district is off-limits to outsiders, so we won't be able to enter it. Oh, but my brother—"
"Hmm? What did your brother say?"
Shirone asked, curious. Amy's brother was likely Ares, the explorer. Having traveled the world, he'd probably know the Kergo ruins in detail.
"He said, 'The fall of a civilization isn't something scholars decide. If you want to know them, you'll have to offer something more important than the entrance fee.'"
Shirone nodded with a meaningful expression.
"Hmm. So maybe something even more amazing than the ruins is in the autonomous district?"
"It's not certain. My brother always talks like that—if he makes it a riddle, it sounds deeper."
"Ha! But I like that. 'More important than the entrance fee'—what could that be?"
Shirone's chest fluttered. Between Alpheas's and Ares's words, it was clear the Kergo ruins were no ordinary tourist spot.
Shirone's childlike excitement also pleased Rian in another way. If his lord's enthusiasm ran high, the guardian knight's duty became weightier. Whatever secret lay in the ruins, he intended to protect Shirone at all costs.
"Shirone, when should we go? We're not heading straight there as soon as we arrive, are we?"
"No. It's vacation—let's have fun first."
"Then we should book lodgings. When we disembark, let's head to a resort. There's a beach on the west side for swimming. Lots to see and famous seafood restaurants too."
Tess clenched her fist with impatience to see the southern country, trembling with excitement.
"Ugh, it's going to be great!"
There were still more than four hours to go. But the thrill of travel devoured time, and at last the island they'd been waiting for appeared on the horizon.
"Wow! There it is! Galiant Island!"
Passengers at the bow pointed and shouted at the distant island. Reacting, Shirone's group dashed to the foredeck.
The island's northern cliffs greeted them: a vertical rock face jutting up as if a blade had split through dense foliage.
Passengers shouted in delight.
"We're finally here! It's amazing!"
"Wow! The water's gorgeous! I want to swim now!"
But the merchants were still unloading goods. Since the harbor was in the south, they still had to skirt the island for another thirty minutes.
Galiant Harbor.
The port thronged with people. Merchants disembarking tangled with island vendors rushing aboard, creating chaos.
Tourists had to disembark later, so Shirone's group waited for the crowd to thin before stepping onto land.
The first thing they felt ashore was the southern warmth. Creas had already turned to early autumn, but Galiant Island was still in summer.
Once the merchants left, the harbor filled with other trades—hawkers trying to lure tourists into shops.
"Come, come! Stay at the Dolphin Inn! The island's cheapest lodging—have a wonderful vacation! My wife's cooking is unbeatable!"
"Want authentic southern seafood? Come to our restaurant! Comfortable carts ready for transport!"
"We'll carry your luggage! Strong porters standing by!"
Shirone's group was drowned in hawkers' voices.
No one had approached them directly yet, but they were getting attention. Being clearly not adults worked in their favor. Their clothes and weapons looked expensive, so hawkers naturally eyed them.
Of course, not all were honest. In an alley across from the dock, some who made money by illegal means were scouting prey.
"Heh heh heh. So, who shall we pick clean today?"
Jis, a boy, peered at the crowd with bright eyes. Two friends behind him were scanning the same spot.
Unlike the hawkers, they didn't own shops. They were back-alley brats who made money with nothing but their tongues.
Land brats and island brats had different natures. In a place adrift on the open sea, anyone who followed the rules would barely get bread scraps.
Jis had been rebellious since childhood and taken plenty of beatings. He'd been struck by nobles more times than he could count.
Those experiences had merely become tools for making money.
"Wow, so many people for the holiday. Jis, we can make a proper haul today."
"Half those lot are just flashy on the surface. Pick carefully."
Jis scanned the crowd with hawk eyes. His friends, needing a day's bribe money, were nervous.
"Jis, pick quickly. Others will snatch them up."
"All right, wait."
Jis scanned the harbor, but his gaze stopped at Dock No. 3 before he could take it all in.
Four people of similar age were talking—two boys, two girls—and the red-haired girl among them caught Jis's eye.
Her small face had such clear features that even from a distance he could tell she was beautiful.
"That's it! Let's go for that group. See? Two guys, two girls."
"Really? There's a big one there, and he's armed. Let's pick someone else."
"Are you kidding? Who am I? Jis, ruler of the harbor. It's the ones like that who're the cowards. Who in their right mind would come to a tourist spot wearing a sword?"
"Ugh, seems risky. Jis, you're not—again—falling in love at first sight with a random girl, are you? What if they're mercenaries?"
"Shut up! Can't you tell? They're students. Students can't lay a finger on us. We'll go in hard—don't grovel to nobles. You've got to take the initiative with those sorts."
Jis led his two friends out of the alley. On the way to the dock he fretted someone else would snatch their quarry, but as the girl's face grew clearer, every other thought vanished.
'What is this girl? She's so pretty…'
For an island boy, falling for a foreign girl was natural romanticism. But feeling something sublime beyond love was new to Jis.
He hastily gathered himself and moved closer. If he didn't, some other hawker would steal her away.