Chapter 10
It had been a long time since I felt full.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had a proper meal. Back in Karkere Prison, I’d grown sick of the rock-hard bread and watery gruel they served.
It would have been a perfectly satisfying meal—if Jelly hadn’t spilled everything to Ian just to get some food.
“Jelly. Since when were you such a loose-lipped jellyfish?”
“I was simply building a bond with a useful human for your sake, Master! I am firmly against you starving to death.”
“You sure know how to talk.”
After whispering a bit with Jelly, I returned to Ian. Not that it made any difference—on a raft this tiny, personal space was a fantasy.
“So I qualify as a useful human, huh?”
“…You heard all that?”
“How could I not?”
Once again, I felt a deep need for a bigger ship—something large enough to afford at least a shred of privacy.
“Anyway, thanks to you, I had a great meal. As a token of appreciation, you’re welcome to rest here tonight.”
“Tonight, huh.”
“You’ve had a rough time feeding that jellyfish, so I’ll drop you off at the nearest island once the sun rises.”
I hadn’t planned on stopping by an island so soon, but I made a special exception. I figured that was enough to fulfill my end of our deal.
“Canoe. Are you planning to keep living on the sea?”
He asked as he neatly cleaned up the area where he’d prepared the fish.
“Yes. There’s nowhere as comfortable and free as this.”
“Ah. There’s something important I forgot to mention.”
He replied so quickly to my casual answer that I was a little confused.
“I’m still being hunted by the navy.”
“…And?”
That much was expected. I was drifting around this sea for the exact same reason—to avoid the navy’s reach.
Step off this patch of ocean and you’ll find navy fleets and knights stationed on both land and sea. But that was Ian’s problem.
This guy had deliberately betrayed his own noble family, despite having lived obediently until then. He should’ve known the navy would be after him.
“So you’re saying I should go die. If you leave me on another island.”
“Leave you?”
“Without my strength back, I’ll be torn to shreds by the navy’s forces.”
“Torn to shreds?”
Jelly poked his head in between us, and Ian added, ever so kindly,
“Yeah. Might get my head chopped clean off.”
“Eek!”
I instinctively reached for my neck—after all, I’d experienced that very thing a few times. Ian and Jelly’s conversation continued.
“They might even torture me to find out the whereabouts of the talking jellyfish.”
“Then what happens to me?”
“You might become jellyfish salad.”
“Savages! Barbarians!”
Jelly flailed wildly. I let out a deep sigh and stared at Ian’s unreadable expression.
He had always struck me as odd. All I knew about him came from prison gossip—I had no idea what he was really thinking.
Someone who had lived his whole life just to fall from the highest peak—why had he betrayed his family and sought freedom?
“…Why am I even wondering.”
I shoved the thought aside.
I didn’t want to know. Getting involved in someone else’s story came with too many risks. My hard-earned freedom mattered more to me than any of that.
“So, Ian, what you’re saying is—you want to board our raft?”
Ian gave me the most pitiful gaze, his sharp eyes now soft and droopy.
He looked so different from his usual cold expression. I was starting to understand how he could come off as gentle.
I took a deep breath.
“Sorry, but as you can see, our raft is tiny. No privacy, lots of discomfort—wouldn’t that be unbearable?”
“Master, you said you were going to find a ship?”
“And you got the funds for that? What about the money I gave you?”
“…”
Yeah. That got lost when I fell into the sea.
“I have a plan! The ocean is huge, so there’s bound to be a derelict ship floating somewhere. We just fix it up and—bam!”
“You do know that if you don’t figure out why a ship broke in the first place, it won’t float again, right?”
“…”
I’ll… learn that as I go… eventually.
“And what about meals?”
“…I’ll learn to fillet fish too.”
“You’re not planning to live on raw fish for the rest of your life, are you?”
I’ll make cooking tools once I have a ship!
“Fine. I’ll be honest. Even if I had a nice, spacious ship and was living like a pampered sea otter, I still wouldn’t let you onboard.”
So much for using the cramped raft as an excuse. Just saying what I truly felt was far more comfortable.
It was a little heartless, sure—but it was what it was. That was the extent of our relationship.
I’d shown enough goodwill by saving his life and giving him a place to sleep for the night.
Ian, who had been idly playing with Jelly, stopped and looked at me intently. There wasn’t a hint of disappointment in his golden eyes.
“Can I ask why?”
He asked it so calmly.
“It’s just… uncomfortable. There’s nothing more uncomfortable than getting entangled with someone.”
“Is it more uncomfortable than all the troubles you mentioned before?”
Of course it was uncomfortable. Not having a ship, not knowing how to fix one, having to learn how to prepare food—everything was a hassle.
But more than all that…
“Canoe. You told me before.”
He spoke first, before I could answer.
“If I helped you escape that ship, you’d give me everything you had.”
“That was—”
“So I used you. And you used me. That’s how it started between us, didn’t it?”
I swallowed my words, knowing they’d carry too much emotion.
Ian continued speaking in that same gentle tone.
“Where else are you going to find someone as easy to use as me?”
“…”
“I could solve all the problems you’re facing.”
Damn it. I couldn’t even deny that.
He used to be the captain of a warship. He clearly knew how to survive at sea.
Compared to me—bumbling around with water powers and pure instinct—he would obviously offer better, more rational solutions.
If I had his knowledge and experience, I wouldn’t need to risk landing on islands and getting caught by the navy. Life on the sea would be so much easier.
As if he could see my thoughts reaching that conclusion, Ian smiled and asked gently,
“Still uncomfortable?”
After thinking it over, I gave Ian a single, firm answer.
“Fine. Temporary. You’re a temporary companion! Just until we shake off the navy!”
“Of course. Until we shake off the navy.”
And so, we gained one more companion on our little raft.
“Master, does this mean we’ll have delicious fish again tomorrow?”
“Ask Ian.”
I spread out a dry cloth and lay down. Jelly scooted close and looked up at Ian with sparkling eyes.
“Hmm, if we had the right tools, we could cook other things too.”
“Tools? Like what? Is there something better than raw fish?”
“Jelly, good jellyfish sleep early and wake up early.”
“Tonight, I’m a bad jellyfish, Master. Please forgive me.”
…What the hell is he talking about?
I scooped Jelly into my arms, and a soft laugh came from beside me.
It looked like tonight would be a noisy one.
“SKWAAAAAAAWK!”
The morning started with a racket.
“…What the hell is that?”
I turned over beneath the shade of the tarp. Some strange bird had been circling above our raft since early morning, keeping me from getting any decent sleep.
“Jelly, go quiet that thing down. That’s an order.”
“Master. You don’t actually think I can fly, do you?”
“I don’t care. I just want to sleep…”
I mumbled groggily, covering my ears. I could feel Ian shifting beside me, also clearly disturbed.
But that bizarre bird’s shriek only got louder.
“SKWAAAAAAWK!”
“Oh my god, shut up!”
I bolted upright—only to be met with a giant beak. I almost toppled backward in shock.
“Damn it. Thought I was gonna die.”
“Are you alright?”
Ian grabbed my shoulder just in time, keeping the raft from tipping over.
“Thanks. But seriously, what is that thing…?”
“It’s a pelican courier. A way to deliver messages across the sea.”
Ah, right. I’d heard of that. You get a special code, and people who know the code can send messages via pelican.
The giant bird flapped its wings, scattering white feathers, then opened its bright yellow beak wide to drop its cargo.
“SKWAAWK.”
A tightly rolled scroll landed neatly on the raft.
Then, with a self-satisfied expression—as if proud of completing its mission—the pelican flapped off into the sky.
“…What kind of delivery was that?”
“Let’s take a look.”
Ian picked up the scroll and unrolled it.
It was filled with familiar print—an issue of the Imperial Times published by Veritas, one of Aquileia Empire’s most famous newspapers.
On the front page was a tall man in a black suit. I looked up at Ian’s stiff expression.
“Isn’t this you, Ian? You look… different in print.”
“…”
He didn’t respond. I slowly read the headline.
“‘Master of Storms’ Ian Frederick Elopes with Convict Canoe Bluebell?!”
“Ian Frederick Faces Down Admiral Markello—Declares, ‘I can’t bring a fleet of navy dogs just to meet Canoe!’”
“Who Is Canoe Bluebell, the Runaway Who Captured the Storm Master’s Heart?”
…
What the actual hell is this crap?
