Chapter 587
"Uh, th-that is—" Sanford paused, then scrambled up the last of the stairs and bowed his head. "You are correct, sir. My apologies..."
Ian stopped before him and gave a slight nod. "Just as I thought..."
"It—it was unavoidable. We strayed too far from our original course. That made the frontier port much closer."
Watching Ian’s expression nervously, Sanford hurriedly continued, "Besides, a great number of sea beasts were heading back into the inner sea. The sailors are far too injured and exhausted, and with the ship in this condition, turning back immediately would have been too dangerous."
Ian looked out at the sea beyond the bow.
Catching the sunken look in Ian’s eyes, Sanford nervously wet his lips with his tongue and added, "O-Of course, we will escort you back to the Empire, sir. Just give us time to repair the ship and replenish our crew and supplies in Barnaso. We will finish as quickly as possible!"
"So, when do we arrive?" Ian asked, looking back at Sanford.
Sanford stuck out his injured arm with a grimace and answered, "We just have to get past this cliffside. We should be able to arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest."
"I see. Did you inform the other passengers that our destination has changed?" asked Ian.
"Yes. I informed the young master from the capital and the priestess."
"And they agreed?"
"Then he kicked up quite a fuss. But, well, it’s not as if we have any other choice. The priestess didn’t say much. She asked where Barnaso was, then just told me to inform you, sir." Sanford shrugged, scratching the strap of his eyepatch where it crossed his cheek.