novelraw Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Ch.82 Shut Down the Magic Propeller and Drop the Anchor
I arrived at the theater to find Nekhuf, who’d vanished somewhere.
“Seriously! Where were you, Nekhuf?”
Nephert scolded him, her voice sharp despite his awkward smile.
Good. Good! Do you even know how hard I searched for that guy?
“Sorry. I got lost in old memories.”
“Old memories?”
“Yeah. I was thinking about the time we cleared Set’s Dungeon—and lost track of time.”
Nekhuf scratched the back of his head as he spoke, and I was utterly dumbfounded.
He wasn’t even old—yet he was lost in nostalgia over clearing Set’s Dungeon?
Then we lined up and entered the theater.
A luxurious red velvet curtain concealed the stage, surrounded by marble-clad interiors and hundreds of seats.
This venue hosted plays or circus acts for passengers during the voyage.
I’d heard the weekly rotating plays were quite popular—but honestly, compared to modern cinema, they’d probably be painfully dull.
I’d seen a few performances back in the Old Continent before, and even then, they weren’t particularly entertaining.
The only reason I came was because Nekhuf had begged to see it until my ears nearly fell off.
“Hehe, the Hero Party! Sister Leah’s actually in this!”
Right. This play celebrated the Hero Party’s heroic deeds.
I had zero interest in watching a performance glorifying those lunatics…
A group where not a single member was even remotely sane.
“Hans, what’s your disciple Leah really like?”
Selena asked with genuine curiosity, making me pause for a moment.
“Well… she’s rough and filthy. She acts all sweet in front of me, but according to others—ugh, she’s an absolute wild horse.”
“Others?”
Oops. Slip of the tongue.
“Oh, I knew someone in the army back then. Heard it from him.”
To deflect her suspicious gaze, I exaggerated deliberately.
“Hey! Look—those must be our seats!”
I was stunned to see plush sofas with built-in footrests.
So money really is everything, huh?
They called this a luxury liner—and the facilities truly lived up to the name.
As I sank into the sofa and stretched my legs out…
The cushion cradled my lower back and hips with a softness unlike any ordinary chair.
“Ahh… feels like my body’s melting.”
The sofa blended plush comfort and relaxation in perfect harmony.
“Really? Did they spray perfume on it? It smells faintly nice.”
Selena sniffed the sofa curiously, so I took a whiff too.
“Huh? You’re right—it’s got a really fresh scent!”
“Wow! First time sitting in a chair like this. I want one.”
Personally, I felt the same—this sofa was worth buying.
After all, I’d once been the head of Pisa Trading Company and still held the title of Baron of Pisa Manor.
Naturally, I spent long hours at my desk, so I’d developed a keen interest in seating.
My previous chair was already expensive by normal standards—but this was the most comfortable seat I’d ever experienced in my life.
Just as I thought that, the lights dimmed—and the play began.
***
A country girl named Scarlet is chosen as the Hero.
The Mage Tower immediately tests her.
The Mage Tower Master, looking deeply unimpressed, declares:
—If you’re truly the Hero, defeat our golem!
The actress playing Scarlet smiles proudly—but recites her line with utter indifference:
—To test the Hero chosen by the gods with such scrap metal? How arrogant.
With a few lazy swings of her dagger, the golem shatters into pieces.
That’s not how it happened at all…
In the original game, this was just a tutorial—but in reality, Scarlet couldn’t even handle the Mage Tower’s golem and kept failing repeatedly.
That’s why I had to step in and help her—otherwise, we’d never have defeated the Demon King.
But why is the play so different?
Ah, I guess it’s theater—they even insert music at random moments, with actors breaking into solos or choruses.
It’s basically a full-blown musical.
Anyway, the story quickly moved on—Scarlet met her companions.
—So you’re the Hero!
The actress playing Cecilia looked fairly accurate—just slightly taller than the real person.
—My master sent me to aid you.
Then Leah appeared…
—Moved by your noble resolve, we elves shall join your cause.
Mia showed up too—but she’d never say something so grandiose.
‘Noble resolve?’
Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get Mia to join?
The elven elders threw a fit, insisting they’d never send a High Elf to serve ‘lesser humans’.
I ended up owing them a massive favor just to force her into the party.
This play really was distorting reality.
Cecilia only joined because she had to as a saint; Leah was sent by me against her will; and Mia was practically dragged in.
Just then, someone poked my left and right sides simultaneously.
“Hans, did you really tell Leah to join the Hero Party?”
“Brother, did you really order Sister Leah to join?”
Selena and Nekhuf asked almost in unison.
I answered in the tiniest whisper—just loud enough for them to hear:
“Yeah. I did tell her to join.”
Then I turned my attention back to the stage.
The story rushed forward.
—Justice shall triumph and vanquish evil—that is my sacred duty.
Scarlet delivered cringey lines while effortlessly dispatching hordes of demons with flashy swordplay.
Seriously… if she’d been this strong from the start, I wouldn’t have had to run all over creation hunting for artifacts and proper gear for her.
I remembered how weak she’d been—how I scrambled desperately to find weapons and relics worthy of her.
That time was truly exhausting…
Now, it all felt like a distant, bittersweet memory.
But the real shock came next—Leah’s portrayal was almost… normal.
How… how could Leah not attack the soldiers?
I’d exchanged hundreds of letters with every Hero Party member.
All of them—except Leah—wrote about burning down tents of disobedient soldiers or setting fire to generals’ heads during arguments.
I’d seriously wondered if Leah’s hidden trait was ‘friendly fire’.
Yet here on stage, she calmly supported the party with magic and said to Scarlet:
—I’ll wipe out the enemies for you, Miss Scarlet.
I nearly burst out laughing.
This was the same Leah who never used honorifics with anyone—now speaking politely to a teammate?
And that wasn’t all—she was even tending to the wounded.
In the play, Leah looked absurdly kind.
If she were truly kind, she’d have given me money when I was short during my travels—but in reality, she just resorted to threats.
Nekhuf tilted his head, clearly confused.
“Brother… Sister Leah isn’t actually like this, right?”
I gave a bitter smile.
“No… it’s just a play.”
The story continued: Cecilia healing the wounded and reading holy scripture late into the night.
I was flabbergasted.
‘Her?’
Reading scripture all night? Maybe if it were a romance novel…
In reality, every letter from Cecilia asked, “Have you read the latest romance novel? Write me a review!”
When I finally asked when she found time to read them, she said she read one every night.
She was a thoroughly delinquent saint—far more devoted to romance novels than holy texts.
—Friends! The elves stand beside humanity—now and forever!
Mia saying that?
The same Mia who constantly wrote things like:
‘Human soldiers are filthy’, ‘They stink’, or ‘These inferior creatures die too easily?’
No matter how much artistic license this play took, this level of distortion made me click my tongue inwardly.
Then again… maybe realism would cause problems.
A pyromaniac Leah, a romance-obsessed Cecilia, a human-hating Mia, and an utterly incompetent Scarlet…
If they made a play like that, they’d probably be charged with ‘Hero Defamation’.
The play reached its climax—the Demon King appeared, and after a long battle, the Hero Party emerged victorious.
The cast sang a triumphant chorus together, and the audience erupted in cheers.
—Clap clap clap!
—Wooaaah!
Thunderous applause and shouts echoed through the hall as the actors returned for a curtain call—and I sat there, dazed.
Even for a play… isn’t this outright cheating?
Nekhuf and Nephert beside me looked equally puzzled—probably because the Leah they knew didn’t match the one on stage.
“So? Nekhuf—you begged so hard to come. Was it fun?”
“Huh? Well… she’s kinda different from the Sister Leah I know…”
Seeing Nephert nod in agreement, I finally felt understood.
Do you know how many times Giovanni looked at me like I was trash while I exchanged letters with those four?
At last—someone who gets it.
I couldn’t help but get excited and add,
“She acts sweet in front of me, that’s all. Leah’s actually violent! I heard she once set fire to someone’s head just for disagreeing with her.”
“Sweet? Why would Leah act sweet in front of you?”
At Selena’s question, I thought to myself:
‘My mouth really runs away with me…’
***
“Captain… could you take a look at this for a moment?”
Johnson, the sailor, called out with a grim expression.
The captain approached, coffee in hand.
“What is it?”
“It’s just… we’ve furled the sails, yet we’re still moving way too fast.”
The captain frowned as if Johnson were talking nonsense—but when he saw the chart Johnson laid out, his eyes widened, and his body froze.
The speed marked on the map defied all maritime logic.
His voice trembled in disbelief:
“The speed… hasn’t dropped at all? Is this even possible?”
“I… I don’t…”
They’d only been sailing for less than two weeks—yet they’d already covered half the journey.
A route that should’ve taken a month and a half.
At this rate, passengers’ travel plans would be ruined—and the shipping company would face serious complaints.
The passengers aboard this liner were either extremely wealthy or powerful nobles.
If they complained…
‘I’ll probably get fired…’
—Gulp.
If he was lucky, he’d only lose his job.
But if things went badly, he might have to pay compensation himself.
Face hardening, the captain gave Johnson a firm order:
“We have no choice. Shut down the magic propeller and drop the anchor.”
Johnson gasped.
“Sir? Are you serious?”
The captain slowly nodded, sealing the decision.
“Yes. I’m serious.”
Moments later—
—Screeeech… Kkkk-kkkk!
A grating metallic screech echoed through the ship—
—Splash!
A massive anchor plunged deep into the ocean below.
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