MTFBMP Chapter 12

 

“No, it’s okay, I didn’t misunderstand.”

 

Just quickly, I let him know what I thought.

 

I hadn’t written the story featuring Dion, but I knew who he was.

 

Dion was known as the adopted son of the Lord of Pirate Island, and he would obsess over being recognized as the rightful heir to the island. That meant he had no interest in romance.

 

Although the sailors here are a bit free-spirited, Dion was someone who didn’t belong there.

 

‘The more important the NPCs are, then the more miserable their lives become.’

 

I have to admit, I was feeling quite sympathetic to Dion.

 

‘In the original story, I had to die for Dion to appear.’

 

After me, Dion was the next person to fall victim to a terrible fate. There was no way I was going to give such an important character a scandalous beginning.

 

‘I would never plan something like that.’

 

Besides, I was on the ship pretending to be a man, so I felt relatively safe in that regard.

 

Instead, I squeezed my legs in my baggy pants. It was a comfort to know that I could avoid suspicion simply because I was wearing different clothes.

 

Taking a step away from me, I glared at Dion’s face as he averted his gaze and searched for excuses in his head. A flush crept up his cheeks.

 

At this rate, he could stand there for a long time.

 

“You said you’d treat me.”

 

I stepped forward and held out my injured arm. It was a minor scratch, and the blood had already stopped bleeding.

 

“…I did.”

 

Regaining his composure, Dion coughed once and pulled a chair over to sit in front of me, his touch overly polite for a boy who worked at an inn. I could tell he’d been taught strict manners.

 

“Hmph.”

 

As soon as the antiseptic touched the wound, even if it was only a small one, she winced. Dion reflexively gripped it firmly.

 

If not for Dion’s reflexive grip, I might have pulled my hand away.

 

“Does it hurt?”

 

“No, no. Not really. I’m just surprised.”

 

I frowned a little at myself for showing weakness. If I was going to stay on this ship, I needed to show no signs of vulnerability.

 

It’s always more nerve-wracking when it’s visible. I deliberately turned my head away to avoid watching the process.

 

The pole holding the canopy was shiny without a scratch, and my face was clearly visible.

 

‘Ah, my hat. I guess I left without it.’

 

That made me realize that I wasn’t wearing a hat. As I had thought earlier, when something was visible, it becomes noticeable.

 

With my free hand, I smoothed down my hair, which I had tied back into a ponytail. I turned my head away, wishing I could look away. Just then, a pair of seagulls flew by the window and returned.

 

It was Dion’s voice that brought me back to reality.

 

“You don’t have much muscle in your arms, for a man who worked at an inn.”

 

“I don’t think that’s the same for you, Captain.”

 

Dion stopped disinfecting my arm at the word ‘captain’, but only for a moment. He glanced up to look at me, then resumed his silent treatment.

 

“You haven’t seen me well enough to say that.”

 

“You also don’t know me well enough, Captain, and this whole inn thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

 

I was taking it pretty well, considering last night in front of Adelaine, when I hadn’t been able to make a proper conversation.

 

‘I know. I should have tried to talk to Adelaine, too.’

 

It was a hindsight regret. My first chance had already been blown, and I’d already broken the rules and gotten myself in trouble. Even now, he was lurking at my feet.

 

“That’s it.”

 

While I was thinking about Adelaine, Dion’s treatment was finished, which didn’t take long since it wasn’t a deep wound, but then.

 

“You didn’t have to bandage it.”

 

It was overkill for the wound. It was also sloppy.

 

“That could have been a risk of infection…”

 

“Be honest with me. You’ve never treated anyone else before, have you?”

 

“…”

 

The silence was taken as an affirmation.

 

“Besides, if I walk out with it wrapped this thick, everyone will think I’m getting special treatment.”

 

It looked like there was a cast in the bandage.

 

I grumbled and quickly rearranged the sloppy bandage. I cut off almost half of it, rolled it up stuffed it in my pocket, and wrapped the remaining portion around my arm. Likewise, I ended up with a slightly raggedy pirate look.

 

“What do you think? Pretty good, right?”

 

“Did you learn about medication?”

 

“Not really, I just have a small inn and my grandfather’s the head of the guard, so…”

 

Healing small wounds was easy enough. I was also the one who tended to Iris’s burns.

 

As soon as my thoughts drifted to Iris, my gaze reflexively landed on Dion’s hair. The slightly curly orange hair reminded me of someone.

 

“I’m learning to sew, but I like the material.”

 

“You have good dexterity for a young man.”

 

“I guess you could say that.”

 

“And yet you never belittle me.”

 

I had no answer for that one.

 

“I can tell by the way you call me captain. You’re a pretty smart guy.”

 

After organizing the medical tools and placing them in the box, closing it with a click, Dion stood up and looked down at me. His slightly narrowed eyes looked at me suspiciously.

 

“Let’s get right to the point.”

 

Somehow, his response was sharper than before.

 

‘I called the captain a captain, what the hell was that supposed to mean?’

 

Dion seems more delicate than I thought.

 

“What can I do for you to get us to our destination?”

 

He looked like he was going to throw me to the whales if I didn’t tell him right away.

 

‘We’re just getting started.’

 

No matter how polite, I couldn’t let my guard down. I swallowed dryly and answered.

 

“I can guide the boat, I’ll draw a map from the harbor to prove it.”

 

“You’ll have to talk to Jade about that, too.” 

 

“And also…”

 

Before Dion could finish this conversation, I quickly interrupted.

 

“I won’t give you all the information at once, I’ll give it to you one at a time, depending on how far we sail.”

 

Until then, it was a bargain of sorts, a deal to ensure my safety. Dion’s eyes calmed once more as he realized what I meant.

 

“So… I see… you’re smart.”

 

Even as he spoke the questioning words, Dion didn’t look away from me. He still had something to say.

 

“All that information…”

 

There it was. I knew this question would come up at some point.

“Where the hell did you get that, I’d like to ask.”

 

It wasn’t just any hunting ground or information about the entrance to a mine. The hidden trading markets of the Empire are, after all, places where illegal things are tacitly practiced.

 

To have such secrets in the possession of an innkeeper in a small, rural harbor town?

 

It’s highly doubtful.

 

“You do know who my grandfather was, don’t you?”

 

Simon was the first person I pointed to. He wasn’t called ‘the warrior’ for nothing. It was Simon who conquered the beasts of the land and sea to map the current empire.

 

“I’ve been sneaking into my grandfather’s journals.”

 

Despite his fame, the reason for Simon’s exile remains a mystery, but rumors abound that it was the journals he kept during his travels across the continents.

 

When the imperial court came across them, they burned them all and banished him.

 

In other words, he knew too much, and they wanted to get rid of him, but he was too famous, so instead of killing him, they sent him into exile.

 

The implication was that he was old enough to live and die quietly.

 

“So the journal didn’t disappear, it was kept.”

 

“Yes. I’ve been reading it since I was a kid.” 

 

On the contrary. ‘Simon’s Journal’ was written by me in a previous life. It was an explanation of the world of the upcoming game in the words of a character named Simon.

 

The real journal had long since been burned to the ground, as rumored, but it was still as clear as I wrote it.

 

“Besides, information usually comes asking for information.” 

 

Finally, I just mumbled something about how I was selling information to get information.

 

I thought that would be enough to convince him.

 

After all, Simon had pledged his honor to his sword before boarding the ship, so Dion had no reason not to trust it.

 

“…Anthele. It’s more important to me than anything else that we complete this voyage successfully.”

 

The young man, who had not yet been recognized as a captain, spoke in a way that the more seasoned sailors did not.