Chapter 139
Chapter 139: Things lost and things gained
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Translator: Tseirp
I fished on my own at the harbor .
Ruti and Ririnrara should be attending the Zoltan parliament .
Looking at the river, preparations for Ririnrara’s warship to leave port was being rushed .
If the pursuing ships were under Leonor’s instructions, Zoltan shouldn’t be involved .
Ririnrara and the others had no intention of holing up in Zoltan to fight and even then, they had no chance of winning .
Hence, Ririnrara and the others only probable plan would be to leave Zoltan .
“Demon Lord’s ship huh?”
Wendy Dart .
A steel ship that runs across the sea using coal rather than wind .
In addition, it was accompanied by a fleet of the latest large galleon sailing ships .
Ririnrara’s soldiers were all well-trained but the ship was an old galley designed more than 50 years ago .
The ship designed in Veronia supported a deck higher than the other warships 50 years ago and was vastly popular as it could rain down arrows on their opponents from above .
However, great progress has been made in sailing shipbuilding technology .
The newest galleon had a deck that was a great deal taller than Ririnrara’s galley, didn’t require a large number of rowers and had huge transportation capacity .
The fighting style of pirates changed too .
When Ririnrara was actively leading the Fairy Pirates, the power of the pirates overwhelmed the power of the country’s naval strength . The pirates could boldly attack national naval ships and they directly confronted the navy that came to subjugate them .
It was different now . Pirates attacked transport and merchant ships using medium-sized fast sailing ships and would flee in all directions using their mobility when the naval warships come .
They would flee to various sea regions, plunder from the weak and flee when they were on alert .
Ririnrara still appeared to be at the prime of her age but she probably was, just like her ship, an existence left behind by the times .
Such thoughts swirled in my mind .
“Well, isn’t Wendy Dart a ship more than 50 years old as well?”
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I shook my head and erased my thoughts .
This won’t do, I’ve become too sentimental .
In any case, it was certainly a severe situation for Ririnrara and Prince Sarius .
The problem was how should I act .
I had a goal directly connected to our lives here, to protect Zoltan in which we live in .
However, the crisis to Zoltan was gone .
Mistome-shi would probably go with Prince Sarius .
She no longer had any reason to hide her identity to Prince Sarius and Leonor might attack Zoltan if she remained .
Once Ririnrara, Prince Sarius, and Mistome-shi leaves, it should no longer concern Zoltan .
Even if Mistome-shi was Zoltan’s hero … even if the entire Zoltan army becomes Mistome-shi’s ally, the result probably wouldn’t change .
But if it was us …
“Oop . ”
When I pulled the fishing line up, there was a small fish caught on the hook .
“So a fishing rod like this can still fish up something occasionally … I guess I can use it for soup . ”
I took the fish off the hook and placed it in a water bag .
I was killing time in a fashion that you wouldn’t think a Veronian fleet was approaching .
However .
“That said, what more should I do?”
Well, I don’t dislike Mistome-shi, Prince Sarius or Ririnrara .
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If you ask if I feel ok to watch them die, I would say I would feel so bad that I would feel sick .
However, the opponent was the Kingdom of Veronia connected to the Demon Lord Army and Queen Leonor .
It was as though the world prepared a battle right in front of us despite our choice to stop fighting the Demon Lord Army … I couldn’t dispel such a notion .
It was as though if we fought here, we would be dragged back to the battle to save the world …
“Red . ”
I heard Lit’s call .
Looking back, I saw Lit with steaming milk cocoa in both her hands .
“Did you catch anything?”
“One small fish . ”
Lit sat beside me .
The milk cocoa she passed to me was warm thanks to Lit’s magic and the warmth gradually spread across my body as I fished beside the winter river .
“Hou . ”
“Is it good?”
“Yup, it’s delicious . ”
“Right? I’ve been training all this time . ”
“Training?”
“Although the tea and cocoa Red makes are delicious, there are times that Red probably wants to have a drink made by someone else . I want to make them for Red for those times . ”
I took another sip of the milk cocoa .
The gentle sweetness wrapped around the cold and warmed my body .
“It’s delicious . ”
I felt the tensed facial expression muscles around my mouth relax .
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Lit and I sat together as we watched the river and Ririnrara’s ship a distance away .
“Red . ”
“What is it?”
“Just like you told me before, a slow life is not a binding way of life . ”
“During the Shisandan incident huh?”
“This time I will say it to you . Our slow life is not meant to put up with something . Isn’t the slow life we wish for a pace we enjoy the most and to live a life with no regrets?”
Lit’s shoulder touched mine .
Her sky-blue pupils looked into mine and she smiled with her cute lips .
“Let’s think about it when it happens . If the battle chases after us, we can beat it up, or we can escape or ignore it if it is troublesome . When the time comes, just do what you want to do . Wouldn’t you feel bad if you leave regrets behind while living a slow life?”
” … That’s right, you’re right, Lit . ”
I pulled up the hook from the river .
I removed the bait from the hook and tossed it into the river .
The fish that didn’t even look at the bait when it was on the hook quickly chomped on the free bait .
What a clever fish .
“Nevertheless, you sure know what troubles me . ”
“Of course . You are my Red after all . ”
Lit smiled, showing her white teeth .
“Moreover, personally I’m fuming for what Leonor did . It would be a shame if I can’t directly beat her up!”
“I see … Thank you, Lit . ”
I recalled the time when I stared at maps and thought of battle plans on my own when I was in the hero party .
At that time, I had a ton of magic items, the title of the Knights of Bahamut, and heroic companions who could move nations .
I no longer had any of those .
Now, I only had a cheap copper sword in hand, a lover to snuggle with, a loveable younger sister and a reliable friend .
Hey, aren’t my options even more reliable now?
I stood up with a sword on my waist .
“Let’s go to Ruti . ”
“Okay!”
Lit and I walked side by side as we headed toward the Central District where the Zoltan parliamant was held .
When we arrived at the parliament, the guards let us pass smoothly without dispute .
Well, that was natural .
Hero Lit was here after all .
“Red-san . I watched you fight with Albert . Please teach me the sword one day . ”
“Eh?”
A young guard saluted in my direction .
“Everyone knows about your good qualities . ”
Lit said and smiled happily .