Unmoor — Chapter 3 (Part 1)

3.

Stopover Port

As expected, Ivan was inside the room where faint sunlight filtered in. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, reading a book, and he did not spare Kinta even a fragment of a glance. That, more than anything, made Kinta uneasy.

“Ah, Ivan…”

“Kinta, I’m reading a book right now. We should be considerate of our comrades.”

“S, sorry.”

Ivan spoke dryly as he turned the page. The plan to confess first and beg for forgiveness ended before it even began. With his head lowered, Kinta struggled to hold back his tears.

Soon, the sound of pages turning was all that filled the cabin. Not long after, the door burst open and Krok stormed inside.

“Ivan.”

Only after Krok entered did Ivan finally lift his gaze from the book and look at the two of them. He silently observed Krok and Kinta standing side by side in the narrow room, then opened his mouth.

“Hm. Should we start by having you bow your heads to the floor? It’s rather rude to make a comrade look up at you.”

As he said that, a faint smile seemed to linger at the corner of Ivan’s lips.

Krok and Kinta exchanged uneasy glances, then hesitantly pressed their foreheads to the floor and lay prone with their hands clasped behind their backs. Ivan sat in front of them, looking down at the crowns of their heads.

“I suppose I do care quite a bit about my comrades.”

With an impassive face, Ivan began to mutter as if talking to himself.

“Why would my comrades step forward in front of the captain like that. I regret it a little. It feels like Krok and Kinta only recognize each other as comrades, excluding me. And I’m starting to think I may have been too merciful to the two of you.”

With every word Ivan spoke, Kinta’s complexion grew paler.

“To be honest, I feel like going to the captain right now and leaving your punishment back in his hands. What gives you the right to stake even my judgment when you act. Don’t you think so?”

“……”

They did not answer, but Ivan did not seem to be asking for one anyway and continued speaking.

“Well, the captain already knows Kinta’s position, so it would probably end with throwing you into the sea and pulling you back out. But Krok, who disobeyed the captain’s orders… you might truly end up as food for a sea monster.”

“……”

“Well, it doesn’t seem to concern me anymore.”

Perhaps fear finally caught up with him, because Krok’s body began to tremble violently. Ivan quietly watched the sight before asking,

“Krok, what do you think?”

Krok answered in a somewhat suppressed voice.

“Th, that… Ivan, what’s so great about comrades anyway? I was just planning to properly train the newbie and present him to you so you wouldn’t have to get involved. What happened yesterday was probably a misunderstanding. I thought of you as a really good comrade, Ivan, so I figured I’d take care of things in advance.”

Whether from exhaustion or fear, Krok’s voice trembled slightly.

“Really, really, it was a misunderstanding, Ivan. Please believe me… Ente, that bastard, was so insolent that I was worried he’d offend you, so I tried to straighten him out beforehand. It’s true!”

After rambling incoherently, Krok paused to catch his breath, watching for Ivan’s reaction. Ivan listened in silence, then asked in a stiff voice,

“So you tried to do that even though you know I enjoy training those kinds of people to my own taste? Krok, you really don’t understand my preferences at all. Or are you just saying anything to get out of this situation right now? What should I do?”

At Ivan’s words, Krok flinched. His face pale, he tried desperately to maintain his composure.

“Hah, Krok… I honestly wonder if you even thought of me as a comrade. After spending years together, you don’t even know a fellow comrade’s tastes, and you go and pull something like that on your own… What am I supposed to do with this.”

At some point, Kinta had begun trembling uncontrollably, and Krok was clenching his fists tightly behind his back. After looking at them one by one, Ivan shrugged and spoke lightly, as if it were nothing.

“What is there to do. At this point, what does any of that matter. Right?”

“……”

“Take it off today, Krok.”

At Ivan’s command, the air in the cabin instantly turned icy. Kinta froze mid-breath, stiff in place. Krok also stood there motionless, as if he could not comprehend what he had just heard.

“And you too, Kinta. Krok says he wants to help you as a comrade. There are times when you should receive help too. You can’t always be the one giving it every day. Comrades should be considerate of each other.”

Ivan spoke in an almost cheerful tone. Kinta was so frozen he could barely breathe, while Krok’s face flushed red as he began breathing roughly. His tightly clenched fists looked as if they might turn white from the strain.

“What are you both doing. Not getting up. Aren’t you taking it off?”

“N, no. I, I’ll take it off. I’ll do it.”

Kinta was the first to stand up and began fumbling as he removed his clothes under Ivan’s gaze. Still lying face-down, Krok lifted his head slightly and glared at Ivan. Ivan paid no attention to that glare, blinking calmly as he instead scolded Kinta.

“Kinta, it’s disgusting, so turn around when you undress.”

“U, okay. S, sorry.”

Bowing his head and apologizing to Ivan, Kinta turned around and continued undressing. Krok ground his teeth as he glared alternately at Kinta and Ivan. How things had ended up heading in this dogshit direction left him feeling as if his insides were burning with rage.

---

The next day at noon, just as Sheniba had said, the Scepter docked at Ront Port. Vast beyond comparison with Crimson Harbor, Ront Port bustled with countless merchants, pirates, and tourists. Standing on the deck, Sheniba explained Ront Port.

“At Ront Port, you can do all kinds of things. First of all, you can stock up on food supplies, clean water, and lots of necessities for the ship, and you can also take care of your own business.”

“How long will we be staying at the port?”

“Usually about a week. This time will probably be similar.”

Astric nodded at Sheniba’s explanation and followed him as they disembarked from the pirate ship. The moment his foot touched the ground at Ront Port, Sheniba grabbed Astric and headed somewhere.

“Is it okay to just go like this?”

“Yes. Everyone does it. See that?”

“You mean the inn?”

“Yeah. That inn is our lodging. Just remember it.”

After pointing out the location of the inn to Astric, Sheniba grabbed him again and hurried along.

“Where are we going now?”

“A restaurant! I told you I’d take you somewhere delicious. I’ll treat you to something insanely good for lunch on the first day. You can look forward to it!”

The place Sheniba dragged Astric to was a restaurant called Lahem. With a wooden sign hanging out front, the restaurant looked shabby, and the interior was no better. Still, it was packed full of customers.

“The owner’s surname here is Lahem. The current owner’s grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather’s… well, anyway, it’s a really old restaurant. That’s why it’s so good. Just talking about it makes my mouth water already.”

Chatting away, Sheniba finally sat down at the table they’d managed to get and started ordering this and that. He didn’t even ask Astric about his food preferences or opinions, confidently ordering whatever he wanted before putting on a satisfied expression.

“This is my first time bringing a comrade here. The one who first told me about this place was old man Lewin. Apparently, he was friends with the current owner’s grandfather. Old man Lewin has an extremely picky palate, so if he says something’s good, it really is.”

As Sheniba went on, Astric found himself getting excited without realizing it. It had been a long time since he’d come to a place like this, and the feeling wasn’t bad. Astric was looking around the interior of the restaurant and chatting with Sheniba here and there while they waited for the food.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Lahem’s special grilled pork neck, potato salad, and Lahem sausages.”

The server took the dishes one by one off the tray and set them on the table before returning to their spot. Astric stared blankly at the food as steam rose from it. The pork neck was marinated, and the smell was intense and deeply stimulating.

“Ente, hurry up and try it. It’s really good.”

Sheniba gestured for him to eat and picked up his own utensils, digging in eagerly. Astric took his fork and knife, cut off a small piece of pork neck, and put it in his mouth.

A perfectly balanced mix of sweet, salty, and slightly spicy seasoning spread across his mouth, blending with the moderately chewy and savory pork. At the very end, there was even a hint of smoky, grilled flavor.

Astric chewed with widened eyes. He hadn’t expected such a harmonious and distinctive taste from an old, shabby-looking restaurant. It far exceeded his expectations.

He went on to try the potato salad and sausages as well. Both were excellent too, but Astric couldn’t easily pull himself away from the taste and aroma of the pork neck.

“It’s really good, right? I keep thinking about this taste even when we’re out at sea, and it drives me crazy. I feel bad for the captain, but this pork neck alone almost makes me want to live in Ront Port.”

“Yeah. I get how you feel, Sheniba.”

“Right? It really suits your taste too, Ente, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s really delicious.”

“Old man Lewin was right. Having a comrade with a similar palate is actually a great thing.”

When Astric nodded and replied, Sheniba broke into a bright smile. Moments like this made Astric feel that Sheniba truly considered him a real comrade. At the same time, guilt gnawed painfully at him.

After finishing their meal, Astric and Sheniba left the restaurant and walked through streets lined with stalls and stands. Spotting a shop selling fruit skewers and juice, Sheniba pulled Astric over.

“If you’ve eaten, you have to have dessert too!”

Sheniba bought fruit skewers and juice, placed them in Astric’s hands, then took a bite of his own skewer.

“Mmm, it’s so good. Ente, hurry and try it too.”

“I feel like I’m just being treated to everything. From now on, I’ll pay.”

“Huh?”

At Astric’s words, Sheniba’s eyes widened as if he’d just heard something absurd. He even stopped walking, staring at Astric for a moment before bursting into laughter and shaking his head.

“There’s no need. You’re still a newbie and haven’t really gotten anything yet. Later, when we find treasure or fleece some rich captain and make a profit, money will come into your hands too. Treat me, then. Right now, you probably don’t even have the money to treat anyone.”

It wasn’t that Astric had no money at all, but with Sheniba saying it like that, insisting on paying would only raise suspicion. Most people who boarded ships to become pirates were poor, after all.

“But aren’t you in a similar situation too, Sheniba?”

Sheniba made a subtle expression, as if he didn’t even know where to start explaining, and only spoke after a long pause.

“If pirates stayed poor even after becoming pirates, who would want to be one? When we recover treasure at sea, or punish captains or the navy and gain profits, the captain distributes the earnings. Or we sell the corpses of sea monsters. If you’re lucky, you can get a pretty decent cut, so just wait a little, Ente.”

So that was how it worked. Astric had been curious about how pirates made money, and thanks to Sheniba’s kind explanation, he learned something new. He already knew that they hunted treasure or extorted money from captains and the navy, but he hadn’t known they even sold sea monster corpses.

Thinking about it, there were plenty of people who dealt in sea monster remains at high prices due to their many uses, so demand was bound to be high. Even if the seller was a pirate, the supply was scarce enough that they would surely sell like wildfire.

After roughly understanding how pirates generated income, Astric nodded and took a bite of the fruit skewer.

The sweet and tangy fruit seemed to cleanse his mouth, which had been left heavy with the scent of meat. The fruit juice was refreshing as well. Astric alternated between the fruit skewer and the juice as he wandered around the port with Sheniba.

Each time they walked down a new street, Astric carefully scanned the surroundings to figure out where the post office might be. Eventually, they reached a street that mainly sold food supplies, fruits, and vegetables. Walking ahead, Sheniba spotted something and widened his eyes.

“Huh? Uncle Desmond!”

A familiar pirate was looking over goods in front of a grocery shop. When Sheniba called out, Desmond turned his head and waved casually. As Astric followed Sheniba over, Desmond spoke up.

“Oh, Ente. Did you get something good to eat? Don’t tell me you dragged him around without even feeding him, Sheniba.”

“Uncle Desmond, honestly. Do I look like someone who’d do that? I even took him to a really good place I didn’t bring you to! Ente was super satisfied too. Right, Ente?”

“Yes. It was delicious.”

“Well, that’s a relief then. Oh, Ente. Is there anything you want to eat?”

At Desmond’s question, Sheniba started bouncing in place and shouted eagerly.

“I do. Veal!”

“What?”

At Sheniba’s answer, Desmond looked utterly dumbfounded, then let out a sigh.

“Good grief, this is ridiculous. Sheniba, do you think you’re some kind of noble? Or that we are? Veal, my ass. What do you mean veal. Just eat sardines, you brat. And I wasn’t even asking you. What’s with getting all excited and answering on your own?”

“Only nobles get to eat veal? I want to try veal too!”

Ignoring Sheniba’s protest, Desmond turned his gaze to Astric.

“Ente, what do you want to eat?”

“Ah, I…”

After a brief moment of thought, Astric gave his answer.

“I want to eat white bread with jam on it.”

“Oh ho, white bread, huh. I happen to be very good at baking white bread. Don’t worry, Ente. I’ll bake it nice and soft for you.”

Sheniba pouted, glaring at Desmond as he spoke so confidently.

“Put your lips back in, Sheniba.”

At Desmond’s sharp bark, Sheniba hastily pulled his lips in and started grumbling.

“Seriously, Uncle Desmond only dotes on Ente. How much friendship have you and I built up all this time? I want to eat veal too!”

“Veal again? Do you really want to get scolded?”

“What did I do!”

Astric watched Desmond and Sheniba bickering back and forth, then turned his head away. His attention was completely drawn to the post office faintly visible beyond the food market alley.

‘I should wait for a good opportunity and slip over there when there’s a bit of an opening…’

While thinking that, Astric ended up being held up for quite a while by Desmond and Sheniba, who kept grabbing him and asking for his opinions.

And the opportunity came sooner than expected. Sheniba, who had seemed ready to stick with him all day, suddenly said he had to take care of something Valerius had ordered and would be busy from now on, sounding genuinely regretful.

“Anyway, Ente… I want to hang out with you more too, but the captain’s orders come first, so there’s nothing I can do. At least take this. It’s what I have left, but it should be enough to last you about four days. Don’t feel burdened. Pay me back later when you’ve got money.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Astric nodded awkwardly as he accepted the coin pouch Sheniba handed him. Sheniba looked back and forth between Astric and Desmond with a regretful expression, then let out a deep sigh and walked away.

“Hmph. Now that that noisy kid’s gone, I feel a lot lighter. Ente, what do you want to do at Ront Port?”

“I’m not really sure. It’s my first time here, so everything feels unfamiliar.”

“When that’s the case, it’s best to just wander around wherever your feet take you. …Ah!”

Mid-sentence, Desmond suddenly clapped his hands and burst into laughter.

“Ente, I’ll be busy all day buying supplies to load onto the Scepter, so for the rest of the time, feel free to roam around the port on your own. Let’s see, money… here you go. Even a little runt like Sheniba gives you his nose-wiped money, so I can’t just sit by and do nothing.”

Astric blinked as he reflexively accepted the money Desmond pulled from his clothes.

“…Thank you.”

“What’s there to thank me for. I didn’t even think about money until Sheniba brought it up. You don’t need to pay me back, Ente. Let’s part ways here for now and meet again later.”

“Yes. I’ll see you later.”

Astric stood in place, waving as he watched Desmond walk away, then finally started moving. He hadn’t expected to receive money from both Sheniba and Desmond, and the feeling was strange. With a complicated expression, Astric stared at the money and coin pouch in his hand before heading toward the post office.

The post office at Ront Port was much larger than he had expected. Perhaps because so many people passed through it, the building itself looked fairly modern.

After entering the post office, Astric confirmed that there were no other exits inside, then stepped back out onto the street. Blending into the crowd as if disguising himself, he kept an uneasy watch on the post office.

“……”

At that moment, he ran straight into Valerius, who was passing by. Astric instinctively hunched his shoulders. Cold sweat trickled down his back. Surely he hadn’t been seen coming out of the post office.

Because he had something to hide, he couldn’t act confidently. On top of that, there was what Valerius had told him on the day of the incident with Krok, which made facing him even more uncomfortable.

Astric tried to move on while pretending not to notice Valerius’s gaze.

“Hey.”

But at Valerius’s sudden voice stopping him, Astric had no choice but to halt again. Being called “hey” was confusing, but when he looked around, there was no one else Valerius could be addressing. Astric took a short, steadying breath and looked up at him. As expected, Valerius’s eyes were fixed on Astric.

Yet Valerius said nothing after calling him over. He simply stared down at him with a blank expression, and the silence gradually became unsettling. Had he seen something and was silently prompting him to confess first.

While Astric was worrying over that, Valerius raised his right hand and crooked his index finger.

Astric hesitated, then stepped forward at the gesture. Valerius looked down at the top of Astric’s head for a moment before finally speaking.

“I’ve given Sheniba and Resh other tasks. I don’t have anyone suitable left to run errands for me, so you’ll do it.”

“M, me?”

At the unexpected order, Astric’s eyes widened. This was the same man who said he didn’t trust new recruits enough to keep them close. Why was he suddenly giving such an order. Valerius was truly impossible to read.

“I’m a new recruit… is that really okay?”

At Astric’s cautious question, Valerius furrowed his brow.

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

Was he so pressed for someone to run errands that a new recruit didn’t matter. Astric blinked as he looked at Valerius.

Besides, for someone who didn’t trust people easily, using even a crew member was probably the better choice. And for Astric himself, Valerius’s orders were practically an opportunity to stay by his side, meet various pirates, and gather information.