MaruMA:Volume09:Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Saralegui Army Port we arrived at a few days earlier is still blanketed under a tense atmosphere. It’s different from the business ports here, all the vessels docked are navy ones, so the monotonous and dull colors can’t be helped.

But there is one particularly eye-catching ship.

“There wasn’t such a luxurious vessel before, huh.”

Waiting for us is the meticulously prepared, gaudy Shou Shimaron royal ship.

The goddess statue praying for a safe journey on the bow of the ship is smiling gently, while there’s a Shimaron flag billowing on the stern. The BODY of the ship is a shade of deep green that goes well with the waves, and the windows and rims are hand-carved and inlaid with gold. If they unfurl the yellow and blue striped sail on the amber-like wooden mast, then this ship would surely be as beautiful as a butterfly sailing on the seas.

Another ship docked next to it looks real shaky, though, making the flagship all the more magnificent. Looks like that cargo ship is headed for Seisakoku too.

“We must come prepared with a variety of things when dealing with others.”

So, the cargo on that ship must be either bribes or presents? As expected of someone who graduated from the School of Kings, he thought of bringing gifts on a visit. That’s why he’s different from me, and knows how to prepare for every eventuality.

Walking up the long gangway, I can’t help but praise the ship’s grandeur. All I’m doing is voicing my honest thoughts, and to Saralegui, that’s definitely not a displeasing thing.

“It’s so pretty~. Does it have a name? Like the SS QUEEN or something?”

“‘The Golden Salmon’.”

“Huh?”

“It’s called ‘The Golden Salmon’, isn’t that a wonderful name?”

Golden salmon… To be honest I prefer red salmon. Its natural enemy should be the bears around Alaska.

Just when everyone is being led into the luxurious cabins, Lord Weller is the only one who politely declines boarding ‘The Golden Salmon’, choosing another mode of transportation on his own.

“I’ll be fine on that cargo ship over there.”

“Over there? But that cargo ship is completely packed. Sleeping right on top of all of that won't feel very good. The flagship will be far more comfortable.”

“I don’t mind about comfort during the journey, after all I’m neither royalty nor nobility.”

The ambassador from Dai Shimaron wordlessly heads toward the worn-out ship.

“… He’s weird, is it because he doesn’t want to ride on the same ship as us?”

Thinking that he might know the details about Lord Weller's situation, I'm suddenly cold with fear. Günter got seriously enraged so Saralegui knows his former nationality, but does he know about his lineage as well?

“About that, I’m not so sure either.”

As we climb up the gangway side by side, Saralegui takes a good look at me.

“Do you plan on starting this voyage dressed like that?”

It’s not unsanitary, but I’m still in a personal chef’s outfit. The long apron all the way to my calves may not be that convenient for walking, but it does help warm up my legs and knees.

“Sorry I'm not wearing a TUXEDO or something. I think there are military uniforms on our ship. Those would be fine for Wolfram, but… I'm, you know, not in the military.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for, but voyages on the sea tend to have temperamental weather, be it the wind or the strength of the sun, it’s all different from when we’re on land. That’s why, if it’s possible, it’s best to prepare a coat that can wrap up your entire body.”

But now there’s no time left to get a change of clothes from Captain Sizemore's ship docked on the opposite end of the jetty. Actually I really want to go back to the ship and check up on Zeta and Zuusha too, but since they say the high tide now is ideal for setting sail, the few of us who lack geographical sense can only agree.

At this moment, Saralegui takes off his cloak and shoves it at my chest.

“If it's all right with you, wear this. It's my usual cloak, but if you wear the hood too then you can block out the wind fairly well. Since we're around the same height, I think it will look good on you. I have several more cloaks anyway.”

The light blue cloak he’s giving me is made of a shiny and smooth material. You can tell it’s quality goods just by touching it.

“Really? Geez! I keep making you worry about me!”

“I’m glad to be able to help you. Ah, sorry, Storob is calling me. We’re setting sail soon. Can you board first and wait for me?”

Having been called by his soldier subordinate, Saralegui jogs back onto land. On the way he turns back to look at me, a child’s smile on his face.

“Oh yeah, Yuuri. You should stand behind the helmsman until we leave! When the front of the ship squeezes out of the narrow bay, that feeling of awe is something you never get tired of. I always stand there and watch.”

“Is that so~”

“And then we pop open some grape wine to toast the captain and the helmsman’s skills. That’s the custom for sea voyages.”

“I see~”

Leaving the dock along a pier must be as tricky as an airplane taking off. Getting complimented as soon as the mission's completed must make the experts really happy. I see, so this is how he captures his subordinates' hearts. When I'm with Saralegui, I'm only impressed.

Lord von Bielefeld, who passed him as he left, frowned and followed Saralegui with his gaze. He looks like he wants to ask why he's in such high spirits at the start of such a serious voyage.

“Günter asked me to give this jacket to you. It might not fit too well, though.”

Wolfram is also still wearing a kitchen apprentice’s clothes, but there’s a thick OFF-WHITE jacket hanging on his arm. Be it the sleeves, the hems, or the decorations, everything is supersized.

“Oh, that's alright. Just now Saralegui lent me his cloak. Besides our heights aren’t that different so the size should be a better fit than Günter’s clothes… Wanna see?”

Wolfram spreads the cloak out and scrutinizes it closely, even bringing it to his nose like a little rabbit sniffing at the fabric.

“Hmm.”

“Wolf… What are you sniffing it for? Saralegui did take a bath.”

“I'll use this one.”

“Eh, why? He purposely lent this to me, you know?”

I look the third son from top to bottom. He has smooth cheeks that have never gotten tan and EMERALD GREEN eyes that remind me of the bottom of a lake. Compared to me, who's constantly outdoors practicing, his skin is so white it looks like it can’t bear direct sunlight.

“… On second thought, it might be better if you wear it. Alright, yeah, you take it. I don't mind if I get more tanned.”

Because he's so fair, I ask him to wear the hood too and I pull it up until his blonde hair is hidden. Now he looks just like a light blue weather doll, and I can’t help but laugh with a ‘pfffft’.

“What? What are you laughing at, Yuuri?”

“Because you’re super cute-… No, I mean, it feels like the weather will be on our side. If we hang you from the mast, the entire journey might be sunny.”

“You want to use me as a live sacrifice to pray for a safe voyage?!”

“Not a live sacrifice, weather dolls aren’t live sacrifices!”

Then I turn my back on a displeased-looking Wolfram and run off to tour the number one battleship in Shou Shimaron. Logically speaking, the equipment and firepower of the main ship are top secret military information, but there’s no one on surveillance duty here at all, Saralegui really is a generous king.

“Amazing~. There are even gun ports. There isn't any gunpowder here so I wonder why…”

A young passing crewman amicably tells me that there's a small scale catapult on board. Though they were our enemies until twenty years ago, in truth they are a bunch of friendly people.

The crew of ‘the Golden Salmon’ consists entirely of Shou Shimaron soldiers. They're wearing that familiar yellow and light blue uniform, they sport the even more familiar cropped ponytail. Everyone is busily going about their work.

Just as everyone’s busily making preparations, Sunny Wolf walks over confidently. “Aren’t you cold? Either get into the cabins or put on a jacket or else Günter will come over in a panic and pull you inside.”

“How is Günter? After losing to Conrad… Um—Is he very down?”

“Nah, he’s in a very good mood, in fact. Seems like he was really happy that you protected him."

“What, he sure recovers quickly.”

Wolfram rubs his frozen fingers together to get some temporary warmth. Maybe it’s because we’re by the water, but it’s fairly cold even though it’s not winter climate.

“He excitedly said that he’d come over as soon as he got his hands on the voyage map… Yuuri, I think it’s still better if we go in, right?”

But Saralegui said that before exiting the bay it’s best to stay on the deck and watch. And he said that the best position is behind the helmsman.

“He said watching the ship leave the bay from here gives an amazing sense of awe, and that it’s a tradition when setting sail, as well as a highlight. Since it’s such a rare chance, let’s just follow our senior’s suggestions.”

Just as I’m putting on the excessive jacket of Günter’s, a brass instrument instantly strikes up some loud music like a shishi-odoshi that rang a few hundred times in quick succession. The people on the dock all look up and watch the Shou Shimaron king’s flagship, ‘the Golden Salmon,’ depart with reverent gazes.

Leaving behind the ropes and the gangway, the anchor is slowly pulled up, accompanied by a deep rumbling.

After the ship makes a simple and short glide on the water, it begins to flow with the current within the bay. At first, it’s towed by the manpower boat in front. Then, thanks to the adjusting valve set up in the bay, the helm of the ship is immediately turned to face the outer sea.

“Eh, is Saralegui on board already? Wasn’t he called back onto land by his subordinate just now? I was even worried he wouldn’t get back on time.”

“Come on! How could a ship leave without its master?”

“Oh, yeah. You’re right.”

'The Golden Salmon' moves with a smoothness belying its large size, and begins to sail on the calm ocean surface. It's not just going with the flow. This is where the helmsman shows off his skill. The ship sails in a straight line in between all of the docked ships. From Wolf's and my position, we can see the minuscule movements of the ship's wheel.

Behind us is the tribute ship carrying Lord Weller and the cargo.

“That’s odd…”

“What’s up?”

I pull back my chilly fist to rub around my right eye. Because there’s a medium-sized ship approaching us from directly ahead in the bay.

“Is it just me, or… no, it shouldn’t be. Hey, Mr Helmsman. That dark brown ship seems to be coming right at us.”

“It’s not just you. But, please don’t worry, there’s still a distance between us. Though it is odd that the first mate hasn’t issued a warning…”

The middle-aged helmsman sounds very serious. Technically the first mate should be at an even higher position than the ship bridge and should have made a warning upon discovering an obstruction ahead.

In place of the helmsman, I glance at where that soldier should be. All I see is a bulging yellow cloth.

“A human? Is that a human? Are they sleeping or did they collapse from a seizure?”

But the unassuming medium-sized ship is still headed straight towards us at top speed, the distance between the ships now close enough for us to discern each other’s armaments with the naked eye. Based on Shin Makoku’s navy, that would be a medium-sized patrol ship. Standing in rows on the deck are people wearing the same uniform as ‘The Golden Salmon’, and a few sentinels are clinging tightly onto the mast that’s currently lowering the sail.

This is bad. We’re not filming ‘Speed 2: Cruise Control’ here, it looks like the other party is serious, and the situation is dire.

“Waa—BRAKE! Mr. Driver, quickly, BRA~KE!”

“Calm down, Yuuri.”

Just when I’m thinking ‘we’re gonna crash’ and shut my eyes, bracing for impact, the body of the ship finally starts turning right. Turns out the helmsman had long since turned the wheel to make the helm change direction, but the patrol ship coming straight for us doesn’t plan on turning. Since we’d turned right to avoid them, we ended up exposing the side of our ship to them.

“That ship plans on coming straight at us!”

“Hold on tight, keep low, and make sure to grab onto something!”

Amidst the panic on the ship, a loud and clear man’s voice yells several times.

“They’re coming! Everyone, hold on--”

Wolfram and I immediately hit the deck. Just then, there’s a vertical tremor just like an earthquake and our shoulders knock together. It’s the impact from the medium-sized ship crashing into the dark green belly of ‘The Golden Salmon’. And then there’s a shaking from left to right, increasing in intensity, until the sound of breaking wood brings the scene to a climax.

The amber mast tilts as the belly of the ship fills up with water.

“What’s going on?!”

“I was gonna ask you! Why would a patrol ship that also belongs to Shou Shimaron crash into the king’s flagship? Mr Helmsman, hey—My Helmsman… but after such a crush, I guess even the rudder has been destroyed.”

The ship’s wheel has long since broken apart, and a huge hole has also been blasted into the entrance into the cargo bay just ahead. To successfully get up on the deck that’s now so slanted it’s hard to walk, we hook onto each other’s arms for support. Finally, we manage to get onto out feet.

Soldiers are running up and down all around us. Some are busy grabbing swords, some are raising their arms and directing others, some are running everywhere with buckets. Buckets?

“Your Majesty, you’re all right… gyagh!”

Günter runs over, stumbling. Waves beat on the slanted deck, making movement even more difficult, and finally he accidentally steps on the hem of his robes and falls flat on his back. He tries to get up and falls back down again and then he stares fixedly at his palm. The super beauty’s expression changes drastically.

“This isn’t water, it’s oil! Oil’s flowing in!”

I stare at the top part of the slant and see a man kicking down barrel after wooden barrel. It was the young soldier who had told me about the gun port and the catapult at the jetty and now he’s raising his fist high, excitedly singing goodness knows what.

“…Why?”

Hearing the sound of the thick metal cable being hacked apart, I feel the air flowing strangely. It’s a wind carrying the pressure of intense heat and not the naturally calm air.

“Günter! Take it off, take off your clothes!”

“W-what?! Y-Your Majesty, don’t tell me you want do that kind of thing in this kind of place?!”

Günter covers his chest with his hands. You’re already so old, there shouldn’t be anything to be ashamed of.

“Take it off now! Otherwise it’ll burn, it’ll ignite a fire!”

The bright red fireball in midair is cutting a curve as it approaches us.

That’s not majutsu or houjutsu. Over a hundred flaming arrows descend from the sky, rapidly igniting the oil on the deck, plunging the entire ship into a sea of scarlet flames.

The old soldier cries out, almost in agony. As for the younger soldiers with the shorter ponytails, they’re singing a certain man’s name.

“It’s Maxine, Maxine’s here--!”

“Master Maxine is finally here!”

… What about Crop Pony?

The weird thing is that medium-sized ship’s crew isn’t trying to board our ship. They’ve already made such a daring assault on the flagship, but now they’re not moving into a close quarters battle. What’s the meaning of this?

“Are you all right over there, Günter?!”

Wolfram grabs my jacket tightly with one hand and covers his mouth with the other.

“Y-you’re seriously taking it off?”

The super bishie is stripping his clothes off one by one, and doing it with gusto.

“Why would you say so? I’m always serious! Just like in my dictionary, ‘serious’ is pronounced MAZO (as in masochism)! That’s what His Majesty taught me! Wolfram, protect His Majesty until I get to his side. Your Majesty, Sizemore's ship is on its way right now, so before it gets here, please try not to fall into the sea…”

Oh, yeah, Shin Makoku’s pride and joy ‘Friends on the Sea’ was also docked in the Saralegui War Port. Once they see this huge fire, Captain Sizemore would definitely rush right over. It’s just a fire, putting it out would be a piece of cake, there’s no need at all for my super Maou mode…

“That’s right, after all he is the hero of the sea and the evening sea monster, Sizemore, right…”

At first I'd planned to raise the pitch at the end to make it a question so I could get Wolfram's approval, but before the final sound reaches my lips from my throat, my breath stops.

A black line is aiming for my forehead.

If I measure the time with my G-SHOCK, it wouldn’t be even one second. But it seems like an old recording on slow-motion, slowly slicing through the air as it approaches me.

I thought I’d get hit; I thought the bullet fired from a gun that wasn’t supposed to exist would go straight through my forehead, so I waited to be impaled without being able to move.

I thought it was aimed for me.

But—

What follows is a sound like that of sticking a bat into the sand at the beach, a sound that is incredibly hard to describe.

It's not a gunshot, nor the sound of a metal bullet destroying bone, passing through flesh, nor is it the sound of spattering blood.

There’s no sign of a gunshot wound anywhere on my body.

But in the corner of my left eye, there suddenly a flash of aqua blue.

“… Wolf?”

The hand that was grabbing mine suddenly slackens and the body next to me sways forward.

“Wolf?!”

He fell backwards onto the flaming deck.

“Wolf? Wolf! Wolfram!”

There’s a metal arrow sticking out of the middle of his chest, slightly to the left.

“Wha-… Wolfram…? What do I do, what should I do…”

“… careful… ahead…”

He barely lifts his arm, pointing at the mast of a middle-sized ship. Even though his arm immediately falls back down powerlessly, I see a man wielding a bow there cutting the rope that tied him to the mast with a small knife after his job is done.

So it was from that height and that distance that he attacked.

It's not possible, but I saw his face. Although I might have just thought I did. All I saw was an unfriendly sanpaku, but I couldn't make out his face or hair color.

Surprisingly, I’m not at all angry, just shivering uncontrollably in fear of loss.

“Is it that man?”

I lay Wolf down on my knees and lean over his body, putting my ear closer.

It’s okay, he’s still breathing. He’s still breathing.

“… Ki…nan…”

“Eh, what? What are you talking about, I can’t hear you?! Can this be pulled out? Can I pull the arrow out?!”

The tail of the arrow has brown and white stripes. Although we’re in a huge blazing fire, the metal arrow feels exceptionally cold when I grab it. The light blue cloak isn't stained with blood yet. If I carelessly pull the arrow out, I might cause extreme blood loss that could threaten his life instead.

Wolfram gasps for breath. His face, contorted in pain from lack of air, is slowly becoming as white as paper.

“… What do I do… Someone call a doctor… Günter! Günter!”

But Günter just has to be hidden from sight by a wall of flames right now.

I reach out my hand out to where the arrow is sticking out, wondering if I can do anything. At my slight touch, his already shallow breathing almost stops.

“Wolf, hey, don't do this, please don't do this… At a time like this, don't joke around…”

Isn’t maryoku meant for moments like this? That unexplainable power of mine, doesn’t it exist so that I can save him?

Concentrate, forget about the commotion around you.

I start imagining only Wolfram’s wound, ready to slowly accept his pain. I feel the blood flowing in my hands, my shoulders, and my chest, then I adjust my heartbeat to follow his.

Just opening your eyes isn't enough. Read the weakened flow of his blood through your fingertips from his warmth and pulse.

Even my breathing slows down and I stop feeling the heat of the fire as if a thin veil has separated the two of us from the outside world.

“…W-Wolf…!”

Lord von Bielefeld releases a heavy breath and then his whole head loses its strength. The face and eyes that were twitching with pain gradually stop moving and a painless breath leaves his lips.

But my arm and heart are not drawing out his pain at all.

“Wolf! Wait! What is this?! Why can’t I feel your pain, and the flow of your blood?! Hey, answer me! Say something! You can say it! You can say it as many times as you want! You can say that I'm a rookie!”

I lift my hands from my knees and grab his shoulders in order to shake him, but then a pair of sooty army boots comes into view as they step across the burning planks.

“Who--!”

I wanted to yell ‘who’s there!’, but I swallow my words back down.

“How did this happen? That cloak… wasn’t that meant to be worn by the king?”

The pale drawn face is tinted red by the flames. I stare at those thin single eyelids, and that man is staring back at us. That familiar deep brown hair of his is a little messy sticking to his forehead.

"…Nigel Weisz Maxine!"

I'll never forget your face for the rest of my life.

I won't forgive you even after I die.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

“You!”

By now my surroundings turn a pure white, not the red of fire and not the grey of smoke.

I feel like I’m alone in a valley with a blizzard, snow being blown around by the wind behind my back.

I don't feel heat. I wouldn't even notice if my body was on fire. Even though I'm being cut by the white darkness and ice, my wounds only open and do not bleed.

I don’t intend to wait for anyone’s guidance anymore.

It doesn't matter if I don’t hear anyone’s voice. It doesn’t matter if no one pushes me forward. I just use my own power for that burning rage within my heart.

“You did this…!”

I swing my tightly-clenched fist down. I'm searching for a target.

“Nigel Weisz… Maxine!”

My tone is weird and almost indistinguishable, the nerves connecting the cells in my brain suddenly alight with sparks.

“To get revenge for the king of Shou Shimaron’s attitude, thou actually led your men into a rebellion, thy nerve is inexcusable! In this ever changing world, the people can’t differentiate between the greater good and their personal needs, even a stink bug can’t help but issue a warning!”

“… A-as usual, I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Crop Pony falters for a split second.

Controlled by the part of my brain I rarely use, I continue to spout lines that sound like they come from a historical drama.

“And today we have become angered to the limit! Really really MAX-IMUM! Use your body to experience the killing move released after my energy has been charged to 120%...... Mmph!”

“Stop fooling around, Yuuri! I've told you over and over again not to use magic on human soil!”

Wolfram, whose breathing had returned to normal, punches down hard on Ue-sama Mode Yuuri’s head.

"How is this possible? You, the one called Puu, didn't you die?"

“Don’t kill me off! I was just winded by the impact! We aren’t even married yet, how can I die!”

No wonder even Yuuri couldn’t heal his wound.

“Who knew you can be so active even with an arrow sticking out of your chest, don’t tell me you have the blood of an Arrow Mazoku… Ohhhhh, it’s pretty exciting to discover another new life form!”

“Of course not!”

Lord von Bielefeld holds the arrow he pulled out with one hand and reaches into his pocket with his right. There’s a deep hole through a thick Collector’s Edition novel.

“See, the Poison Lady saved my life. I forgot to leave it in the hotel to spread the teachings, but this is the mass-produced version of the Poison Lady available for every household, never forget to bring it out with you wherever you go.”

Maxine is so exasperated he looks a little awed.

“That’s some luck—Puhaa!”

Maxine, who seems to have clean forgotten his position as leader of the rebellion and is calmly rubbing his chin, suddenly flies out from an impact to his back. As a result, he doesn’t even get the chance to grab on to the railings, falling headfirst into the sea.

“Wuooooooooooooooooooooo--!”

A wail of regret is followed by a high end-note.

The wall of fire disappears in an instant, and in its place appears Günter, on one knee and in nothing but his underwear, the cylinder in his arms spewing copious amounts of white foam.

“Um, I came to put the fire out.”

“Hmm… Yup… So to replace the outdated WATER BOYS, the FIRE BOYS protect the people of the world from fires… but even if you're a cuttlefish or an octopus, you’re already old so calling yourself a BOY would be absurd… From today onwards, it’ll be called the FIRE OLD BOYS…”

“Snap out of it, Yuuri! Turn back into a rookie!”

However, perhaps because he didn't get the chance to explode, Wolfram's current master could not come out of Ue-sama Mode. Even if he grabs the collar of the chef's outfit, all he can do is cough haughtily.

“*cough* It’s decided! *cough* No objections!”

Irritated, Wolfram makes a threat that would have made the usual Shibuya Yuuri write his initials on the tennis court with his tears.

“If you don’t revert back to normal right now, I’ll use the prince’s kiss to wake you up!”

“Today’s method of awak-… Phoosh…”

The sound of air deflating is emitted from my nose and ears, and my raised eyebrows successfully return to their original position. And so the manly young lord turns back into the average baseball boy.

“Hey, wait. You disliked it that much? I’m a little hurt.”

“What are you talking about, Wolfram? Of course His Majesty would dislike a kiss from you!”

Günter throws down the fire-extinguishing cylinder, snatching Yuuri from the former prince’s clutches.

“…Eh… Wolf… Why are you suddenly okay… Wah, Günter, why are you naked--?!”

“Aaah, Your Majesty noticed? Please, don’t worry, I, von Christ Günter, left the last piece out of gentlemanly manners. Of course, this is all for Your Majesty…”

“If it’s for me then don’t wear G-strings, wear trunks!”

“Gay-strings? Trunks? What are those two things? Men?”

Even though he almost died, his ability to create bad jokes with his misunderstandings hasn’t been affected in the slightest.

“Yeah, they’re men, but it isn’t gay-strings, it’s G-strings!”

The boat suddenly begins to tilt, and the soldiers start yelling.

Back to Chapter 8

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