Cilbene decided to leave the sentry duty to Cecilia.
The next day, I bid farewell to Remi and her family. Everyone looked sad, asking, “Are you all leaving already?” Her father, in particular, had a look of disappointment.
“Ah, what a shame. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such cute girls… Ah, but you’re the cutest, of course.”
Saying this, he glanced at his wife and gave a wry smile.
“Alright, I’ll prepare a ship, so please wait a moment.”
While the couple was busy, Remi and her younger brother went to prepare the ship. We quickly packed our luggage so we could depart as soon as possible. The siblings brought two ships, slightly larger than the ones they used when we were rescued.
“Come on aboard. I’ll take you to a nearby fishing village.”
Prompted by her, we each boarded a ship. Just then, Cilbene appeared, holding his head and accompanied by Cecilia.
“Br-Brother, listen to me. This woman headbutted me! What a terrible woman.”
“It’s your fault for trying to take a second drink, isn’t it!”
I had bought some sake and asked Cecilia to give him only a sip at regular intervals. It seemed she was already fulfilling her duty as a sentry.
“Hurry up and load the luggage onto the ship.”
“You arrogant Elf! You’re treating me like a slave. Brother, please kick her out.”
Cecilia was prodding Cilbene’s rear with the tip of her sword. It was the right decision to leave it to her.
As the ship we boarded departed, the villagers waved goodbye. Some were beating drums, others were dancing in the water. Though it’s not something you’d see on land, their swimming with their large fins spread out is beautiful.
The ships they were towing continued down the river. On the edges of the wide river, swimming birds, previously sold by slave merchants, floated idly. These birds, resembling parrots with short wings, were like otters, cracking nuts on their bellies. They seemed to be picking up nuts that had fallen into the water from nearby trees. I don’t know why they chose the water when they could fly, but they seemed much more lively than when they were in a cramped tank.
“Ah, those birds are River Flippers. We call them Flippers, but it’s strange that they specifically choose to swim. They seem to get along well with crocodiles, though. They sometimes clean their mouths.”
It seems they get along with the river’s top predators. After floating in the gentle current for a while, the dense forest opened up. A sandy beach appeared, and houses could be seen in the distance.
“This is the fishing village. We’ll get close to shore, and you can go the rest of the way yourselves.”
Saying this, they brought the ship closer to the sandy beach.
“Thank you. This was a great help.”
“You’re welcome. Please visit our village again sometime. You’re always welcome.”
I’m truly glad they were a friendly race. We wouldn’t have come this far without their help. We would have drowned in the dense forest by now. After we thanked them several times, they returned to their home.
I took a deep breath and looked forward. Before entering the fishing village, I decided to observe from a distance. I could see a few figures that looked like fishermen working. For now, I decided to leave everyone else and head out for reconnaissance with Sharin.
