Chapter 182

We departed the Kingdom of Roycen in the cart that Senel lent us.

However… contrary to my initial resolve, my expression inside the cart was far from bright.

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong? You’re not having second thoughts now, are you…?”

“Ah… no, it’s not that, but…”

Of course, my intention to take Lemain with me remained unchanged.

However, apart from that…

I couldn’t shake off the burden I felt about the very path we were heading down.

And it was no wonder…

The place we were heading to was, in the original work, the very site of the final boss battle.

The only place where the original Napoleona was utterly broken like a dog…

‘Dragona Empire… Of all the places, I have to go there myself…’

The currently strongest nation on the continent,

Simultaneously the final boss of the original work, and the place where Senel’s mother, or rather, Lemain’s mom—‘her’—resided.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was actually going to confront the final boss there.

What I needed to do was simply to reunite with my companion, Lemain.

In that sense, the so-called final boss mom was more like a friend’s mom to me at this point.

However… even so.

If by any chance we really had to fight the final boss there…

I couldn’t assure how the situation would turn out at all.

‘Until now, I’ve mostly faced battles that had some reasonable odds… but this time, it’s a different story.’

Since coming to this world and reaching Grade 12, there were just two things I had been careful about.

One was the interdimensional war I discovered recently was completely futile…

The other was the lovely ‘mom’ I was currently heading to meet.

Frankly speaking, when it came to interdimensional warriors, I was prepared for a chance at victory—whether they were at my level or above.

But…

This ‘mom’ in question really had no answer regardless of what I did.

Setting aside the fact that, according to the original work, she was an existence that couldn’t be conquered,

She was the very being that wiped out even Grade 12 Napoleona with ease.

Considering that the method wasn’t even an elaborate plot but a straightforward one-on-one confrontation,

It wasn’t hard to predict that her power surpassed even Grade 12.

The reason I had been careful not to ruffle the feathers of the Dragona Empire, while freely roaming the Five Seas, had its reasons.

Finding myself entangled with someone I truly wished to avoid filled me with unease…

I could only hope that as ‘friend’s mom’, her position would work out positively for me.

Additionally… one more thought crossed my mind…

Depending on the situation, sacrificing the one sitting next to me might be something I could consider.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

“Just to check, you aren’t thinking of sacrificing me if things go south there, are you?”

“…”

“Answer me! Why aren’t you saying anything? Hey! Pirate King! Don’t even think about it! After everything we’ve been through, you want to abandon me like this? Hey! Hey!”

“Tch…”

“Tch? Damn, are you still human after that? How can a human be so shameless!”

While the excessively perceptive Nelson was struggling to survive,

“Enough! Have you already forgotten whose fault this mess is? If you cause trouble, you’ll need to clean it up! Even if Brittania is called a hostile country, you can’t just wiggle your way out of it like this!”

“…Ugh…”

Franklin promptly shut Nelson up.

Thanks to that, the cart became a lot quieter, and I gazed out the window, pondering our future.

‘Well… sending Nelson off is one thing… the real issue is what choice Lemain will make…’

Even though I was on my way to meet her, whether Lemain would return to piracy was still uncertain.

No matter how much she might have feelings for me, she could just as easily decide to leave piracy behind now that she had returned home.

What I could do was simply to clarify the ambiguous situation and the relationship that derived from it.

If she wanted to return, I’d go with her, but if not, my role would only end at saying a proper farewell.

Hoping… that everything would sort itself out without any issues.

I silently continued to stare out the window.

*

“So Drake said, ‘Are you going to give up here and go home quietly? Or are you going to throw a fit and lose an arm going back?’”

“Oh my…. What happened then?”

“Do you think he just turned around? In the end, he charged in cluelessly and became an amputee at Drake’s hands. That’s why Edward still goes by the name Captain Hook. He got a hook attached to the arm that got chopped off back then.”

“So that’s the story behind it. Haha, I had no idea there were such tales among pirates.”

With curiosity glinting in her eyes, mother giggled lightly.

As Lemain wrapped up her tale, she sipped a bit of tea to quench her thirst.

“Anyway… it was entertaining. Before, I was swamped with duties of chancellorship and whatnot, but compared to that, there wasn’t much to think about. Living wasn’t too bad either.”

“Pirates… it surely is a romantic life, but from the standpoint of a country’s leader, it’s a headache.”

“Still, since that man became the Pirate King, Dragona hasn’t really suffered, has it? I did what I could to help, after all…”

“Yeah, right… now that you mention it. So my daughter has been working behind the scenes to help all this time?”

“Hehe, of course. Unlike the Kingdom of Frantz, this land is my true homeland, where I was born and raised.”

The daughter smiled brightly.

After gently patting her head, mother cautiously posed her next inquiry.

“By the way… how did you manage meals there? Given that you were on a ship, you must have gone hungry at times… Did you eat well?”

“Certainly, it was tough at first, since there were countless times I had to gnaw on raw sardines without cooking them.”

“True… sushi is best fresh.”

“But since the cooking crew was established a few years ago, it’s gotten a lot better. Especially in the past year, most newcomers were assigned to the cooking crew, so the food quality has improved significantly. Ah… speaking of which, that person was also in our cooking crew. That… heavenly voice…”

“Heavenly… voice?… No… are you talking about Auriel?”

Mother looked rather surprised.

Lemain, beaming with pride, nodded in response.

“Yes, Auriel Stardust. You knew her?”

“Of course! I’m a fan myself! I even heard her sing when I was in Benessa recently!”

At that moment, mother’s expression suddenly shifted to something slightly peculiar as if she recalled something.

Seeing this, Lemain tilted her head in confusion, asking, “? Why do you look like that, Mom?”

“…Well… I suddenly remembered something, but… it shouldn’t be anything…”

Mother’s face seemed to indicate that she was deep in thought.

Shortly after, she cautiously asked her daughter, gazing at her face.

“Hey… honey? Just to check… Did Auriel sing often on your ship?”

“Of course, at first I didn’t know, but Drake surprisingly liked to listen to songs. He often held performances on board a few times too.”

“In that case… do you remember any of the songs Auriel sang? Something other than hymns?”

“Something other… well, she did sing hymns, but they only made up about 30%, the rest were other songs. I can think of a few right now…”

“…Really? If it’s alright, can you sing a couple?”

“Ugh… that’s a bit embarrassing, you know? Honestly, I’m not that good at singing…”

While not exactly tone-deaf, it was still daunting to sing in front of my mother.

However,

“…I beg you.”

“Pardon?”

Watching Lemain, mother spoke earnestly.

“I need to check something. Even just a little would help. Will you sing for me?”

“…Um… if you insist on that much…”

Having no choice, Lemain finally agreed, feeling the pressure of her mother’s unwavering gaze.

Then, with a voice full of awkwardness, she began to sing any song that popped into her head.

“Ha… once more… give me… the courage of a tempest… (Da mihi fortitudinem sicut procella iterum)”

“!”