Chapter 186 : Woodrock (5)
Woodrock (5)
"Rio. What's up with your head?"
Victor asked Rio as he got off the carriage.
While he had briefly dozed off, a change had occurred to Rio's head.
"Did someone hit you while you were sleeping?"
Simon also asked the same question, and Rio replied with a pitiful expression.
It was only natural to wonder about the large bumps stacked like a tower on Rio's head.
"The young master hit me."
"Why?"
Rio explained the circumstances of being struck.
Upon hearing the story, everyone's faces hardened and they turned away.
"You kinda had it coming."
"Why?"
Since no one was siding with her, Rio looked shocked.
"Do you really not know? You said something like that in front of the young master, of course you got beaten up."
"Honestly, you have nothing to complain about, even if you did get hit."
It was roughly about what she would say if she met her real father.
The possibility of that happening was slim, but even if it did, Rio's planned actions were outrageous.
She boldly declared she'd introduce Louis as her husband straight away—how could that make sense?
"You're all so unfair. Why doesn't anyone understand my heart?"
But Rio, not knowing what she had done wrong, only despaired.
"Haah... you're really something. In a lot of ways."
"Rio, I think you're the most blockheaded person in human history."
Victor and Simon groaned loudly and gave up trying to talk to Rio.
"Speaking of Rio, don't you guys think it's weird?"
Then Rozen, who had been listening from the start, stepped in between the two.
"She's spent her whole life with us and the young master, so why does she act this way?"
"Yeah, really."
"That's true."
Both nodded in agreement at Rozen's question.
Rio had been by Louis's side for several years, just like them.
So naturally, she understood Louis's personality and what shouldn't be done in front of him.
"Plus, Rio really likes the young master, right? That means she probably knows him better than the rest of us."
Given Rio's personality, there's no way she wouldn't know what Louis likes or dislikes.
She was open about having feelings for him, without the slightest embarrassment, even in front of everyone.
If she didn't realize it, it would almost make you suspect amnesia or split personality.
"Then why is she like this? We know how to adapt our speech to the mood, so what's wrong with her?"
How many years has this been going on?
If you don't consider what the person you like dislikes, what are you doing?
Others were adapting and growing in their environment, but Rio seemed like she hadn't grown at all.
"Exactly! We've mastered the basics and moved on, but it feels like she's been learning the basics for years."
At that, Pram joined their conversation.
"Pram, you feel the same way?"
"This is a good chance for me to say a few things of my own about her."
Pram began sharing her perspective on Rio.
"First, unlike you guys, I want to speak from a girl's point of view."
"A girl's point of view?"
"Most girls don't just confess to a cool guy easily. When they see the person they like, they usually get all flustered."
None of the three had much experience talking to girls, but they nodded.
It was just as scary for them to confess to someone they liked.
"But Rio isn't like that at all. It's as if she was born with the mindset of 'just confess, no matter what.'"
Thinking back, Rio had never hesitated when saying she liked the young master.
Instead of acting shy, she just threw herself forward without reservation.
"Plus, even after doing weird things, she always wonders, 'What did I do wrong?' I honestly don't think she's ever been normal."
"Now that you mention it, Rio's personality isn't suited for adapting socially."
"Right. We just didn't notice because we're so used to the 7th Legion environment."
Indeed, they had fully adapted to life in the 7th Legion.
Compared to the craziness there, Rio didn't seem so strange until now.
"Good thing the young master and the Princess were around. Otherwise..."
"Phew! I don't even want to imagine it!"
Those two served as inhibitors, allowing Rio to exist as she was.
If they hadn't been there, who knows what might've happened?
"But the fact that she's survived until now is really something."
"Has to be. Besides the young master, you all know who's the strongest among us, right?"
At Simon's question, everyone looked at Rio.
No matter how problematic she might be, no one could question her strength.
"We should all thank the young master."
"Yeah. Just having him around is saving the world."
"But it's not like the young master has a gentle personality either."
That was true, too.
It wouldn't be accurate to call Louis a perfect saint.
He didn't shrink from killing if needed—who could call such a person a saint?
"Even so, the world needs someone like the young master."
As they chatted about this and that, Silia and Louis called to them.
"It's time! Get on, quickly!"
"We're about to depart!"
Getting off the carriage was hardly the end of their journey.
Now they had to travel over water with a new mode of transport.
"Come to think of it, none of us have ridden one of these before, right?"
"Yeah. Maybe not even the young master."
"So this is a ship."
The special task force boarded a large ship, marveling at it.
Unlike the carriage, the ship was a novel experience for them.
Soon, as the ship set sail, questions began to arise among the team members.
"Um, squad leader. We are going to Woodrock, right?"
"Isn't that part of the continent? Why are we going by ship?"
"Did you even look at the map?"
Silia spread out a map on a barrel and pointed out Woodrock's location.
Only then did the team members notice something odd.
"Huh? Was Woodrock an island country?"
On the map, Woodrock was located in the north of the continent, where a huge round hole filled with seawater cut into the land.
Woodrock was an island in the center of this inland sea.
"Right. This little territory here is Woodrock. This sea we're on now is what surrounds it."
The sea they sailed across was much wider than expected.
Measured, it was a perfect circle with a diameter of at least 300 km.
"I never knew the continent had a place like this."
"But isn't this sea area kind of strange? It's as if someone carved a circle out of the continent."
Just as Pram said, the sea was the most unusual spot on the continent.
There was no way it was naturally made.
"Sharp of you to notice. As you guessed, this place was made by someone."
"Really?"
The team collectively looked shocked.
Who on earth could have created a crater 300 km wide?
"Who?"
Victor asked in disbelief, when suddenly, a voice came from the sword at Silia's waist.
[Who else? It's the beast that once threatened this continent the most.]
[On top of that, it's the monster we barely managed to seal away after fighting it.]
At Frederick and Mirianne's words, the members all looked at Louis.
"The Chaos Dragon?"
[That's right. This land wasn't always ocean—this was Woodrock's territory.]
[In our time, it was a great power that rivaled the Imperial Court.]
With so much new information on offer, the team listened intently.
[Back then, the Emperor of the Imperial Court and Woodrock's king were both out of their minds.]
[Both were so consumed by war, we were tormented, pushed this way and that, suffering terribly.]
[In that sense, the appearance of the Chaos Dragon wasn't all bad.]
"How so?"
What could be good about such a cataclysm?
It made no sense, but the two continued.
[Thanks to that beast, the war ended in an instant.]
[It was an extreme solution, but nothing else could have stopped a continent-wide war so quickly.]
"How extreme was it?"
How extreme?
At the question, both chuckled dryly.
[See this sea we're on now?]
[When the Chaos Dragon unleashed its strength here, do you know what happened?]
Calling it a catastrophe was an understatement.
[The whole land collapsed into a crater and the sea we're sailing on now was formed.]
Even the word 'natural disaster' didn't suffice.
[A massive explosion carved a huge round pit into part of the continent. The seawater rushed in, turning what used to be Woodrock's territory into what it is now.]
What would you call it if a meteor fell or a giant volcano erupted?
Normally it's called a natural disaster, but there was only one expression that fit even better.
[Back then, everyone thought the same thing: that God was enraged.]
[An apostle of the gods sent to purify foolish humanity. Maybe that's what the Chaos Dragon was.]
[Thanks to that monster, isaac among us suffered the most.]
Hearing that, Louis became curious.
"Then why did that Isaac send monsters to our Seifert Village?"
They'd already learned who was behind the monsters at the village last time.
According to the two in the Bloodline swords, it was Isaac.
[To be honest, we can't believe it either. He's not the kind of guy who would do something like that.]
[We just hope it turns out to be someone impersonating him.]
If they were so sure, he must truly be a good person.
But then, why attack the Seifert domain?
"We'll know when we meet him."
That was why they were heading for Woodrock.
Based on the information that Eramon confessed.
.
.
.
"Please be careful, young master. These waters are notorious for frequent monster sightings..."
"If it's so dangerous, I don't see why you brought me here."
"Well..."
A young man standing on the deck wore a sour expression.
His crossed-legged, slouching posture spoke of arrogance, and his clothes—different from those of the Imperial Court but flashy—clearly marked him as a noble.
"To think I have to come all the way to such a dangerous country just to cooperate. What was the name of this place again?"
"Woodrock, sir."
"A small nation, at best. They must be out of their minds to treat the 'Thousand Sword Society,' the greatest family of East Continent, so lightly."
Every country boasts its own powerful martial group.
Sometimes run by the ruling class, other times formed by a noble family.
The Thousand Sword Society was the latter, and Kaid, the eldest son, was dissatisfied with being on this continent.
"I have no idea why the Thousand Sword Society, which dominates the East Continent, is responding to a call from a small Western outpost like Woodrock."
"Still, it's the family head's command, so we must obey."
"Tsk."
Just as his attendant said, no matter how powerful he was, Kaid couldn't go against his father's orders.
"But since we're here, why not try to enjoy yourself?"
"Enjoy? What's there to enjoy here? Are there women? Is there food? Anyone to bully?"
If he bothered the passersby, there'd be a diplomatic incident with the Imperial Court.
There was food, but nothing that could satisfy Kaid's refined taste.
And there certainly weren't any women.
Just a bunch of rough, burly men on the ship...
"Wait?"
... Or so he thought.
Kaid noticed someone and walked over.
"Uuuuugh..."
There, sitting on a barrel and leaning against the wall from seasickness, was a girl.
Long black hair, red eyes, and a dazed but innocent look that evoked protective instincts.
Above all, finding such a young girl for the first time on this all-male ship excited Kaid.
"Hey. Are you traveling alone?"
"..."
Though Kaid addressed her, Rio was too sick to respond.
Unfazed by her silence, Kaid smiled and reached for her hand.
"If you're all right with it, how about—"
Thunk!—
Kaid's outstretched hand was slapped away.
"Get lost. You're ruining my appetite."
The one who slapped his hand away, Rio, was now wearing a threatening expression.