Chapter 875

"Understo— Alright."

Nehat instinctively straightened her posture as she answered, then awkwardly corrected herself and turned away.

Miguel scratched his chin and glanced at Ian. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Looks like your seasickness is gone. You're worrying about pointless things now." Ian took another sip of stew before lowering the bowl.

Miguel let out an awkward laugh. "Maybe all the crazy things we've been through forced my body to adapt."

As if shaking off his thought, he stretched lazily and continued, "Anyway, as long as that's not it... Damn, now that you're awake, I can finally relax. It actually feels like everything's over."

"Your work isn't finished yet, Miguel."

Miguel froze with both arms raised. "Huh?"

Ian let out a dry chuckle and lifted the bowl to his lips again. "Write down the name of everyone here, without exception. I'll be submitting them together with my report to the royal house."

Not only Miguel, but the fairies and beastfolk quietly eating nearby also turned toward him with shining eyes. This was clearly the other topic they had been curious about.

After blinking in surprise, Miguel finally asked. "You were planning to report everything that happened here as soon as we reached the mainland?"

"That was always the plan. I'm still deciding exactly how to present it, though." Ian answered calmly after finishing the last of his stew.

Of course, it wasn't simply because he had promised the fairies and beastfolk. This was also the perfect justification for delaying their arrival in the central region. And the same would likely be true for the Emperor, who was eager to buy time himself.

The archipelago was effectively under the administration of the Great Church. There's no way he'll pass up an opportunity to hold them responsible.

The true power behind it might be the Round Table, but in the Emperor's eyes, there would be little difference between them and the Great Church.

The standoff with the Dark Prince would naturally continue as well. Hyked would surely refrain from acting first if he wanted to smuggle in as many survivors as possible.

But that wasn't the only reason his mouth curled upward.

Unaware of Ian's reasoning, Miguel merely shrugged. "I figured you'd keep all this secret for a while. But if that's what you want, then sure."

A sly grin spread across his face as he looked around the deck. "I'd love to see the faces people in the central region make when they hear about this. Heh. Especially the part where fairies and beastfolk fought side by side."

Ian smirked. "I'd like it if it stayed on everyone's lips for a while. Enough to push the Dark Prince out of the spotlight."

Miguel's eyes widened as he stared at him.

Smacking his lips, Ian muttered, "Though I never thought I'd live long enough to hear myself say something like that."

However, right now, he needed every bit of time he could buy. It was the very definition of a desperate measure.

Miguel let out a chuckle and nodded. "I've got no idea what kind of situation would make you say that.... But in that case, you definitely shouldn't write the report yourself. You'll just skip all the details and write the conclusion, won't you?"

His gaze shifted toward the Silent Storm beyond the starboard railing.

"If that's the case, then ask a fairy to do it instead. Showing off is practically in their blood. And I mean that as a compliment, so stop looking at me like that."

Apparently sensing the glares suddenly directed his way, Miguel quickly turned his head.

Ian, who had also been looking toward the Silent Storm, slowly nodded.

"That's actually a good idea."

Of course, that wasn't the only reason the corners of his mouth curled upward. At some point, the beastfolk and fairies aboard the other ship had started looking in his direction as well.

Among them were the captains, Nikau and Yalo. Nikau, along with Terua standing beside him, was looking at him with one fist pressed against his chest.

They're acting like knights or something...

Of course, it wasn't hard to guess why.

He had resealed Raskagin. Not only that, but all the corruptors who had worshipped the ancient god had perished in the process.

It had not been his intention, but he had effectively fulfilled the lifelong wish of the islanders.

Suppressing a laugh, Ian shifted his gaze to the black-furred beastfolk clad in gold-trimmed armor standing nearby.

Charlotte met his eyes and gave a slight nod. "Glory to the lofty heavens and the great Demigod!"

A cheerful voice rang out from across the deck, belonging to the one-eyed captain who had followed Nehat up to the main deck.

His scruffy, beard-covered face wore an exaggerated grin.

Miguel shot Sanford an unimpressed look as he asked, "If you've got nothing else for me to do, mind if I get started while you talk?"

When Ian nodded, Miguel immediately turned away and walked.

"Lily, would you help me search through the carriage? I can't remember where I stuffed my bag. It'd be even better if you helped me carry things too."

Setting down her empty bowl, Lily rose without complaint.

Only after she left did Sanford, who had been approaching Ian, finally say, "It may be somewhat late, but allow me to offer my sincerest congratulations on yet another magnificent victory, Your Grace! Even by your standards, this battle was so legendary that I would have found it impossible to believe had I not seen part of it myself!"

"You actually didn't see most of it, though," Ian replied with a faint chuckle.

After all, Sanford and the other sailors had been unconscious by the time he arrived. They probably hadn't even witnessed Raskagin's sealing.

As expected, Sanford lowered his head awkwardly after stopping before him.

"It is my greatest regret that I missed the climactic moment of that victory. Everyone I asked seemed unable to put it into words."

The smile on Ian's lips deepened naturally.

Not because of the blatant flattery, but because he knew the real reason everyone was being so careful with their words.

Unaware of Ian's thoughts, Sanford smiled back and continued, "Still, simply being able to see you again fills me with more joy than I could ask for. Especially seeing you standing here in such good condition."

Ian shrugged. "I'm not exactly in good condition. As you can see."

He was still wearing the battered, nearly destroyed equipment from the battle.

Realizing he was joking, Sanford burst into laughter. "After fighting a god, I'd say that qualifies as perfectly healthy. To be honest, I expected Your Grace to remain unconscious for quite some time."

"So while I was asleep, you decided to sail into the inner sea?" Ian asked casually.

That alone was enough to make Sanford stiffen. After a moment, the captain forced out an awkward laugh.

"So you would have preferred that we stop and anchor at an island... I did consider it. However, as you've seen, every island within sight was devastated by the tidal wave. None of them was suitable for establishing a camp—"

"You know that's not what I meant," Ian cut him off.

Sanford's expression hardened.

Ian continued calmly, 'I heard we're heading north of the archipelago. There's a much closer port from here—Barnaso, isn't there?'

The moment Ian mentioned the lawless frontier city, Sanford squeezed his one remaining eye shut. The reaction alone was enough to confirm Ian's suspicions.

A crooked smile spread across one corner of his mouth. "I knew it. You just didn't want to pay off the gambling debt you owe Ohara."

"The amount isn't exactly small," Sanford admitted readily, as though resigned to his fate.

He still hadn't opened his eyes. It was more than enough to draw the sharp gazes of the beastfolk and fairies, including Nehat.

Ian let out a short laugh as Sanford mumbled an excuse. "O-Of course, I also wanted to bury the sailors who died on mainland soil..."

"You don't need to worry about that part. I'll personally oversee the funeral alongside Priest Miguel." Ian shut him down immediately, jerking his chin forward. "So head to Barnaso. I have something I need to tell Ohara as well."

Sanford finally lowered his head as he answered, "Y-Yes... understood, Your Grace...."

He couldn't quite hide the sigh in his voice.

Of course, Ian didn't even blink. "Change course immediately, Captain."

"Yes..." Rubbing a hand over his face, Sanford replied and staggered away. His back looked like that of a man being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

However, neither Ian nor anyone else spared him another glance, likely because nobody felt the slightest sympathy for him.

Whoosh—

A platinum-haired fairy was flying toward them in a great arc through the air.

Powerful gusts blasted from her gray relic boots adorned with gold trim as she rode the wind like a surfer skimming across waves.

Watching Diana draw nearer, Ian's eyes narrowed slightly.

He had realized she wasn't alone. A dwarf was tucked under her arm.

"Sir Ian!" Elia looked down at the deck with her mismatched eyes gleaming. The moment their gazes met, she waved enthusiastically.

There wasn't a trace of fear in her eyes. If anything, she looked delighted.

Crack! Fwoosh—

Twisting her body, Diana landed in the middle of the deck in a smooth slide. Winds swirled around her as she came to a stop.

Despite having crossed such a distance in a single leap, her posture remained perfectly balanced.

As she lowered her head slightly and let out a quiet sigh, Elia jumped down from her arms.

"You're awake, Sir Ian!"

She was clutching a round travel bag that looked almost the size of a soccer ball. A smile spread across her face when she noticed the bowl in Ian's hand.

"And you've already finished eating."

"It was good. Thanks for your hard work, Elie," Ian replied while briefly showing her the empty bowl.

Looking even more pleased, Elia swept her gaze over him and asked, "Is your body alright?"

"Not fully recovered yet, but it's manageable. I'll be fine in a few days."

"Then you should take all that equipment off. I'll check if any of it can still be salvaged while I work on repairs."

"You've already got plenty to do," Ian replied as she stopped in front of him.

Elia shook her head with a bright smile. "This is part of my work. Though while I'm doing that..."

The look in her eyes as she gazed up at him sparkled oddly.

"You'll also have to tell me exactly what happened."

"For your research materials?" Ian asked after a brief pause.

Elia immediately nodded. "Of course. Don't worry. I've already prepared plenty of questions. You only need to answer whatever comes to mind."

Her tone and expression made it abundantly clear that she intended to hear every detail.

Acting as though he had no choice, Ian nodded and smacked his lips, turning his gaze aside. Diana had gotten to her feet and was staggering toward them. She was also glancing back at Nehat with a quiet snort.

Sensing his gaze, she turned to him and said, "The Chieftain asked me to check on your condition. If you have any orders, I can pass them along."

"As you can see, I'm not doing too badly," Ian answered readily and tilted his head to the side. "Tell her we're changing course for Barnaso, the lawless frontier city."

"I've never heard of it before, but alright. And..." Diana nodded, then trailed off.

After a brief hesitation, she added, "She also asked whether she could carry out the punishment as previously announced once we reach land."

That alone was enough to send a chill through the atmosphere on deck. The fairies and beastfolk, who had been whispering among themselves moments ago, immediately fell silent and looked up at Ian.

Ian swept his gaze across them with only his eyes. "Looks like quite a few of you have lost your mates, huh?"