Chapter 498: Cleaning Duties
The gulls had finally retired from the rooftops, but not due to the onset of night.
As moonlight reflected upon the lake, the waves shook from the sounds of revelry in the distance.
From the alleys of the market district all the way to the steps of the castle, there was enough noise that even the flying terrors whose profession was squawking turned away, and so they instead sought where peace and tranquillity could be found.
“[Spring Breeze]!”
Pwooosh.
Thus … the gulls chased after the frothing wake of a modestly sized sailing boat as it practically skipped across the lake.
Oddly named ‘Granholtz Diplomatic Vessel – No Unauthorised Boarding Or Passage’, it just happened to be the boat nearest the entrance of the docks. Once I ignored all the other boats before it.
However, while its name was certainly strange, the sturdiness of its sails was not.
They billowed against the gentle breeze brought forth by Starlight Grace, all the while the mast occasionally groaned whenever I twirled a little bit faster. Sometimes fast enough that a ball of swirling wind started gathering ominously and trouts could be seen skipping away.
… But that was fine!
After all, they were likely merely skipping towards the nearest fishermen–plus I was in a rush.
There were entire streets of stalls I needed to inspect before the start of the official festival.
Luckily, contrary to what everyone had ever told me, sailing a boat was remarkably easy. Whereas Apple needed to be bribed at regular intervals, the Granholtz Diplomatic Vessel – No Unauthorised Boarding Or Passage, went exactly where I wanted.
Or rather, where a certain clockwork doll wanted.
“Straight ahead!” declared Coppelia, moving the wheel she stood behind far more enthusiastically than was necessary. “We ram the stern!”
Yes.
Captain Coppelia, whose maritime instinct for ramming warfare was evidence of why no pirates ever encroached upon Ouzelia’s shores despite them only having fishing boats for a navy, was officially at the helm.
I didn’t know what was more horrifying. The fact she was in charge of directions or that she’d definitely made sure where the rowing boat for escaping was.
After all, I’d checked as well.
“Coppelia!” I said, my aghast voice cutting past the crashing of the boat against the waves. “We are not ramming the stern!”
“No worries! There are other structural weaknesses! I’ve identified at least 8 points where we can cause catastrophic hull failure so we can loot the sunken treasure afterwards!”
“Why would we sink it?! This is my ship! And my treasure!”
“Well, we’re sinking something, because this is definitely ramming speed!”
“It’s ramming speed because we’re busy! … Unlike whoever is causing mischief now!”
Indeed.
Unlike myself, someone clearly had time to loiter.
Despite its vast sails being unfurled, The Gentle Princess was merely at hobbling pace as it failed to even reach the mouth of the lake.
A poor start for whichever drunkard had slammed their face into the ship’s wheel.
Frankly, there was no other explanation. The sailors had clearly decided to begin their celebrations early. Perhaps somebody lit the summer brazier by accident and now they were shuffling away like guilty children.
Why, that probably explained the panicked expressions.
“–elp! Help! You gotta help us! Big trouble!”
As the silhouette of my kingdom’s most prized asset began to near, what drew my attention first was the floating gaggle of ogres desperately waving their arms, their cries shooing the gulls away.
Naturally, they cheered in relief as the boat came to a stop.
I leaned over the edge and offered my finest smile.
“Salutations,” I said as looks of recognition dawned upon the ogres. “I understand something inconvenient has happened. Rest assured, one of you will accept responsibility despite the fault being equally shared. What happened?”
The ogres fell silent.
Their arms slowly lowered. Several chins dipped beneath the lake’s surface.
Eventually, the designated spokesperson amongst them coughed.
“Uh, nothing.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing happened. We’re good.”
I jabbed my finger towards the ogres. All of them. At the same time.
“What do you mean nothing happened?! You are enjoying an evening swim when you should be readying the ship for tourists! Why is it sailing away?! Why has the summer brazier been lit?! And has the weird smudge been cleaned yet?!”
“Uh, we’re sorry, ma’am, but we’re still cleaning the smudge.”
I raised my arms in exasperation.
“You’re still cleaning it?! What are you using to scrub?! Hopes and dreams?!”
“We’re actually using soap. It’s just that, well, we’ve not quite enough.”
“You are based on Soap Island. How can you possibly not have enough soap?”
“It takes a lot of bars for what we need. The smudge is dried tar. We’re making headwind since the smudge has sort of become a cursed slurry. But we think we can get it down before the year is done.”
“Is that before or after you finish swimming back to the ship? What happened? Please don’t tell me that you somehow drank enough to forget you weren’t falling out of a bar but a ship.”
“Well, we’ve all had our fair share of goblin grog, but it wasn’t that, ma’am. There’s a stowaway onboard. A human man. He bowed and did something strange. Next thing we know, we were all tossed overboard. Swept right off our feet like we’ve been grabbed.”
I was appalled.
“He did something strange and swept you away? Just like that? … Why, that sounds simply unfair!”
The ogres stared at me.
A moment later, their floating spokesperson pointed.
“We think he’s making off with the ship, but we don’t know how. You can’t sail that alone. You need a crew of at least 50 experienced hands.”
“I can see that. I’ve utterly no idea what this … stowaway thinks he’s doing, but he’s clearly putting the reputation of thieves at risk. You may relax. I’ll fix this. But I won’t fix the smudge. That is yours.”
The ogres glumly nodded.
Understandable. I could save them from needing to build me a new ship, but not the mildest frown Florella could offer for allowing a stowaway onboard.
Luckily for them, the worst frown would be reserved for someone who tried to steal a ship by themselves. That either made them the worst drunk or the worst pirate.
However, as I turned to look at the Gentle Princess and found several runed cannons now looking back at me, I quickly realised which one it was.
The answer was both.
PWOOOMPH.
A volley of flaming cannonballs tore through the night.
They whistled as they flew, the flames trailing behind them as they slammed into the Granholtz Diplomatic Vessel – No Unauthorised Boarding Or Passage.
“Hup~”
I was promptly lifted away by Coppelia.
The boat exploded in a burst of fire and splinters, its destruction joined by the cries of ogres as they dived beneath the water’s surface. A hail of wreckage flew in every direction as flames clipped the bottom of my soles … and yet that wasn’t the reason for my horror.
“–Hiee?!”
Clap.
It was Coppelia tossing me airborne as a moment of darkness came to swipe away the moonlight.
And also the additional fireballs hurtling towards us.
Catching me in one arm, the world promptly spun as Coppelia did. Her scythe swirled in a whirlwind around her as she batted away the flaming cannonballs, sending bursts of flame rippling across the night.
“Ahahahaha~!”
Smiling at the first explosions outside of Clarise’s observatory she’d recently experienced, her delight was lit up for all the world to see.
All the more so as the rest of the runed cannons started joining in.
Dawn briefly surfaced as a barrage of fireballs barrelled towards us … and yet as I looked up to see Coppelia’s sparkling eyes, I knew she wouldn’t be content to merely wait.
They were about to arrive even faster.
“Starlight yields, ceding night to stillness. Luna Form, 8th Stance … [Moonlight Descent].”
Twirling her scythe, she carved a circle of pure light behind her as though imprinting a second moon in the air. She then slammed her soles into it and leapt.
Or rather, she dived.
“–Hieeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”
With little regard to herself or the princess preferring to be dropped into the lake, she streaked like a falling meteor past the wall of fireballs and directly towards the deck of a recently repaired ship–and yet instead of causing a crew of ogres to weep, she slowed as though caught by a mountain of pillows.
The tip of her scythe gently touched the deck.
Ping.
A wave of shimmering force swept outwards.
The mast, the barrels and the many cannons on the deck wobbled as though in the midst of a storm, but it was the unseen figures amongst them which were swept away.
Spectral silhouettes were briefly revealed beneath the moonlight before being hurled overboard, their forms already unravelling into wreaths of flame as they flew.
For a moment, I could only blink, blowing my hair from my eyes as my tummy recovered.
“–A most exquisite landing, my long awaited audience.”
What I saw was enough for me to shake my hair until my vision was blocked.
Still in Coppelia’s arm, I took stock of a man I knew at once held neither importance nor worth.
Dressed in garments purchased for the perfect blend of garishness and affordability, he could have been a common aristocrat or a merchant, and yet as he offered a bow so low it almost touched his feet, I also sensed he was somehow worse than both.
He stood up straight and smiled.
“Welcome, Your Highness, to The Gentle–”
“[Spring Breeze].”
Poomph.
I nodded as he was sent over the back of the ship to join the ogres.
I expected they’d be pleased. I’d cleaned the smudge for them.
Then, I looked up and pointed at the sky. Despite the slight queasiness in my tummy, an unusual excitement was running through me from the sensation rapidly plummeting into suddenly slowing.
Why, it’d almost been thrilling!
“I wish to try that again.”