novelraw Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Ch.55 “Huh? I’m not mad.”
We finally arrived in the port city of Nook by evening, secured a room at an inn, and had dinner.
Selena’s hair was slightly tousled.
‘Doesn’t she have a comb?’
‘Well, it doesn’t matter. We’ll part ways soon anyway.’
Thinking that, I carefully broached the subject.
“Selena, I’m going to check tomorrow for a ship heading to the North Pole. Where are you headed?”
What if she’d fallen completely for me during our travels? She’d been blushing and staring at me intently all this time.
‘No matter how charming I might be, she shouldn’t fall head over heels like that. What if she insists on following me all the way to the North Pole?’
The journey north sometimes ends in disaster—ships sink if you’re unlucky.
Though I’d prepare for survival just in case, sinking would mean tremendous hardship, so I was genuinely worried about Selena.
It just didn’t feel right dragging someone who liked me into such danger.
But my worry became reality.
Selena fixed me with a resolute expression.
“I’m going to the North Pole too.”
‘Ah… so I’ve charmed another woman without even trying.’
‘Was I really that kind of man—a natural-born heartthrob who ensnares women just by standing still?’
‘Why were there so many women who liked me?’
Back in my original world, I was perfectly ordinary—but why was I so popular in Destiny?
Could it be that here, I was actually considered handsome?
Regardless, I opposed her going to the North Pole.
The North Pole was as cold and dangerous as glacial tundra, and the peril only intensified toward the center.
One wrong move, and a ship could be smashed to pieces against an iceberg.
Besides, I was heading there to retrieve the Trident of the Sea God.
I knew full well that path wouldn’t be easy.
“Why do you want to go to the North Pole?”
“I have something to find.”
A woman chasing love all the way to the frozen north.
Though her usual aura screamed ‘biting winter winds’, her actions revealed a surprisingly passionate romantic.
Given how often she snapped at me, Selena was clearly a tsundere.
But still—I couldn’t bear the thought of dragging a woman who loved me into mortal danger and getting her killed. So I pressed further.
“What exactly are you looking for that requires going all the way to the North Pole?”
“That’s… something I can’t tell you.”
Of course you can’t. You’re going to find our love in the Arctic—how could you possibly say that out loud? Only someone extraordinary would admit that.
“But the North Pole is dangerous. For someone like you, who can’t even read a map properly…”
—Bang!
Selena’s face flushed bright red.
Trembling with anger, she shouted,
“I can read maps!”
“Huh?”
“I said I know how to read maps!”
“Then… if you can read maps, why did you follow me… wait!”
Could it be? Selena hadn’t been lost from the beginning…
Had she lied just to stay with me?
And back at Edward’s house—was kicking me out actually because she was embarrassed?
Too flustered by sharing a room with her ideal man to handle it?
Was her wandering in the forest when we first met… actually her searching for me?
My heart pounded at the thought that a perfectly sane woman could adore me this much.
“A-anyway, I have business in the North Pole.”
Selena ducked her head, hiding her crimson face with her black hair, unable to meet my eyes.
“So… take me with you, okay?”
Selena… using aegyo?
The same girl who was always prickly and cold toward me was now acting cute because she didn’t want to be separated?
“Ahem… but the North Pole is dangerous. Ships can sink without warning, merfolk are everywhere, and where I’m going is extremely perilous.”
The Trident of the Sea God was hidden beneath Arctic glaciers.
I’d have to swim through freezing seawater to reach it.
“B-but… you’ve prepared for everything, right? Haven’t you?”
She looked at me with a shy, pleading expression, clearly terrified of being left behind.
Of course I’d prepared. It wasn’t like I’d retrieved the Trident of the Sea God just once or twice.
But unlike in the game, this was real life—I had to move and act with my own body.
One mistake, and I’d die.
Sure, with proper preparation, we’d likely both survive—but still…
“Well, yes, but…”
“But how do you even prepare? Isn’t the North Pole dangerous?”
“Huh?”
At my words, Selena smiled brightly.
“Oh, I was just curious—have you been to the North Pole before?”
Scratching my cheek awkwardly, I gave a vague answer.
“Not exactly… but let’s just say I know a lot about it.”
Aside from artifacts in Heaven and Hell, the Trident of the Sea God was among the hardest to obtain.
Securing a ship bound for the North Pole was already a hassle, and even if you got one, you’d face merfolk attacks, risk smashing into icebergs at night, or plunge into icy waters—countless dangers lurked at every turn.
“How do you know so much about it, Hans?”
Selena asked, her mysterious crimson eyes sparkling with curiosity.
What could I say?
‘Oh, I’m just a hardcore veteran of the game set in this world—I know everything! Pretty cool, huh? But don’t fall for me, okay?’
I obviously couldn’t say that.
“Ah, well… I’m from the New Continent. I had a relative who explored the North Pole—they told me all about it.”
Selena replied in a flat, soulless tone.
“Oh? Really? I see.”
But then her mood brightened again.
“You really are amazing, Hans! But how will you find a ship?”
Ships sailing the Arctic route were notoriously hard to come by.
The route passed through brutally cold waters, and icebergs at night made it far too easy for hulls to rupture.
But who was I? A veteran player, that’s who.
There was one captain in Nook who specialized in Arctic exploration—which was precisely why I’d asked Aria to send me here.
Still, admitting I knew that would seem suspicious, so I played it off casually.
“I’ll start looking now.”
Selena fell into thought, then spoke slowly.
“But I heard captains are terrified to sail the Arctic seas… Do you really think there’s a ship available?”
Waving my finger reassuringly, I grinned confidently.
“Don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
I puffed out my chest with bold assurance.
***
A reunion with old friends.
She still couldn’t fully believe their claim—that her master was alive and romantically involved with her friends.
‘Master… is dating my friends?’
Their words were unbelievable.
From their descriptions alone, her master sounded like a strange man suffering from delusions—but to her, he’d always been gentle and considerate.
‘I can’t believe Master approached them like that.’
—Peep?
Perhaps sensing her gloom, Pipi leapt from her pocket and faced Leah.
“Pipi… about Master…”
It would be a lie to say her faith in him hadn’t shaken.
Her friends had no reason to lie—and Mia, an elf princess from a race that never spoke falsehoods, had confirmed it herself.
—Pip?
Pipi tilted its head, confused by Leah’s troubled expression. She gently stroked its feathers, her heart tangled in turmoil.
Her master was deeply involved with other women—no, with her own friends.
She had a sinking feeling…
That her friends were telling the truth.
She remembered one day, while staying by her master’s side, when he’d urged her to defeat the Demon King.
Back then, she’d assumed he wanted her to do it for his own honor—that since he lacked the strength himself, he sought glory through his disciple.
But that wasn’t it at all.
“Pipi… why is Master like this?”
“Pip…”
Pipi let out a thin, uncertain chirp at Leah’s dejected tone.
“You don’t know either, huh? I don’t know either.”
The Demon King.
Humanity’s enemy.
A dangerous being who sought to subjugate all races—humans, elves, dwarves—under his rule without distinction.
Had her master seen the Demon King as a threat?
Was that why he’d been so kind to her, Scarlet, Cecilia, and Mia?
Listening to each of their stories, she realized: her master had appeared precisely when each of them was at their lowest, offering help.
So perhaps… he hadn’t come for her out of love—but because he needed her strength, needed her to slay the Demon King.
He’d drawn close for that purpose alone.
Leah’s mind churned in confusion and pain.
She wanted to rush to her master and demand answers—but Mia and Scarlet wouldn’t let her go.
Evading the Wind Spirit’s messenger and outrunning Scarlet, the fastest of them all, was nearly impossible for Leah.
So she gazed up at the stars, seeking solace in the vast, indifferent night sky.
***
I strolled with her along the harbor.
“Hans? Do you know any ships here?”
Normally, one would go to a shipping company near the docks to charter a vessel—but I didn’t.
The ship I sought was privately owned, purchased solely for Arctic exploration by its owner.
Going to a regular shipping company would make finding an Arctic-bound ship difficult—and if found, prohibitively expensive.
“I don’t know any ships, but I know of one that might work.”
Casually deflecting, I headed straight for the ship I remembered.
The Freya.
A large, two-deck vessel with three tall masts bearing billowing sails—I instantly recognized it from my memories.
Found it. The Freya.
The familiar name confirmed it: this was the ship that explored the Arctic.
The captain should be nearby…
Captain Carlos of the Freya was obsessed with Arctic exploration. In the game, he’d appear whenever anyone passed by, asking if they wanted to join his expedition.
Back then, I’d dismissed it as a generic event—but now I understood why Carlos was so desperate to recruit people: no one volunteered for Arctic voyages.
So he’d grab random passersby and declare, “You! You’re my new crewmate!”
Convinced he’d be nearby, I walked on—
“Not here? Why isn’t he here?”
“Huh? What isn’t?”
Selena looked puzzled. I gave an awkward smile.
“Oh, nothing. Just checking if there’s anyone around worth taking to the North Pole.”
I didn’t even know what I was saying—but that wasn’t important right now.
Where was Carlos?
As I stepped onto the Freya’s deck—
“Hans? Where are you going?”
Selena’s voice called out, but finding the captain mattered more to me at that moment.
I rushed toward a sailor scrubbing the deck.
“Hey! Outsiders aren’t allowed here!”
“Ah, my apologies—but may I ask a quick question?”
I handed the wary man a 10-silver coin from my pocket. His expression softened slightly.
“Do you know where the captain is?”
Pocketing the coin, he answered,
“He’s probably drowning his sorrows at a tavern nearby.”
“Do you know the tavern’s name?”
He waved dismissively.
“The Siren’s Song.”
Perfect! Let’s go now.
As I stepped off the ship, Selena glared at me with a sullen face.
“Hmph!”
She was clearly sulking—probably because I’d ignored her.
“Selena, are you mad?”
“Huh? I’m not mad.”
She claimed she wasn’t angry—but her face screamed otherwise.
Crap… this was bad.
From traveling together, I’d learned one thing: when Selena got like this, her grudge lasted a long time.
I had to fix this—somehow.
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