Part 1
The passenger ship bustled with dwarves, humans, and elves making their way from Port Jade to Tempestira, the human port city of Estelaris—a five-day voyage.
Along the route lay Astralith, the capital of the light elves, where Haruto's group was scheduled to disembark. For now, however, they were seated in the dining hall, waiting to be served.
"Are we going to have to wait much longer before someone takes our order?" Haruto muttered, glancing toward the barkeep—a middle-aged human working with two young assistants, one boy and one girl.
"Now that you mention it… we've been sitting here a while, and no one's even come close," Yuna said, folding her arms.
"Pff, haven't you noticed? Nobody sits near us. It's like we're repelling them," Thalindra remarked seriously, pointing out how the other passengers were actively avoiding their table.
"Haruto-kyun! I told you, you should've bathed before leaving Port Jade!" Kizuna teased, her tone sing-song.
"Don't say that, Kizuna! I'm sure that's not the reason."
"Mmm… my arachne-heroine sense says otherwise, Kizu," the tiny fairy chimed in, her mischievous expression daring him to argue.
"That's… not how spider-sense works," Haruto sighed, before his expression hardened. "Still, I think I know why they're avoiding us."
"Rina not understand. Why humans stay so far away?"
"Well, my theory is… they're scared of us," he said bluntly.
"Scared, Kizu?"
"Think about it. The only ones who look remotely 'approachable' at first glance are Yuna and Simmone. But on the other hand…"
Haruto lifted a finger and pointed at Thalindra.
"We've got a hotheaded redheaded dwarf who wants to pick a fight with literally everyone."
"Haaaah!? They're all just weaklings! And what are you staring at, huh?" Thalindra snapped at a burly man across the room. The man—who looked plenty tough himself—instantly paled and buried his face in his soup, pretending to be fascinated by it.
Haruto then turned his finger toward Rina.
"Next, we've got a six-foot-five raptor girl who keeps bumping into everyone because she can't manage her personal space…"
"Rina is sorry… ceilings too low for Rina," the velociraptor girl mumbled, lowering her head like a scolded puppy.
"That's not the issue! Don't you realize you're taller than everyone else!?" Haruto complained, his tone exaggerated.
"You do have a point… Besides, you scare people yourself with your know-it-all speeches," Yuna added, resting her hand on her chin.
The comment hit Haruto like a ton of bricks.
"It's okay, Haruto-kyun!" Kizuna laughed, fluttering above him with a manga magazine in her tiny hands. "Kizuna likes you! Even if you're a hopeless otaku full of cheap references and off-style parodies…"
"Comment," Olivia interjected drowsily as she floated nearby. "Do not worry, Master. Your explanations put me to sleep faster. Therefore, I find them valuable."
"…Thanks. That helps… so much," Haruto muttered, shoulders slumping as he felt his soul crack.
But then he raised a finger once more, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"At any rate, the real reason for all this… is her."
His finger pointed straight at Eliza.
"Hmph. Foolish mortal, I don't know what you're implying. Humans should feel honored simply to be in my presence," Eliza declared haughtily, crossing her arms with an air of grandeur.
At that moment, the cook approached their table, his expression clearly uneasy.
"Esteemed guests, may I ask that you not cause such a commotion? You're making the other passengers uncomfortable… And besides, the blonde little girl looks like she's from Netheria, which frightens my staff."
A tense silence spread across the table.
Eliza narrowed her eyes, her crimson pupil glowing with intensity as she fixed her gaze on the cook as though cursing him outright.
"Little Girl?" Her voice dropped low, grave and menacing. "Did you… just dare call me a little girl?"
She shot to her feet, chair clattering backward with a sharp thud, and struck a pose straight out of an opera villain's script.
"I am a vampire who has lived for more than fifteen hundred years… child of darkness, bearer of the Eye of Eclipse! I am—"
"Yes, yes, we get it!" Haruto sprang up immediately, clamping a hand over her mouth before she could finish her theatrical performance.
He forced an awkward smile at the cook, wearing the weary expression of an older brother covering for his eccentric sibling.
"Sorry about that. My little sister has delusions of grandeur… you know how kids are. She's really into the whole vampire role-play thing. Gets carried away sometimes."
The cook squinted, clearly unconvinced.
"Really…?"
Haruto sighed. Without another word, he nudged Eliza over to the window so that sunlight poured over her.
"See? If she were a real vampire, the sun would hurt her. But nothing happens. Simple logic."
The scene was less a serious explanation and more a full-blown absurd comedy skit.
"This is humiliating! Pure-blood vampires are not harmed by sunlight!" Eliza huffed, puffing out her cheeks in indignation.
Haruto winked at the cook, as if to say, "all under control." Then he leaned close to Eliza and whispered:
"Play along, or I'll tell Simmone not to be your friend anymore."
Eliza froze. Her eyes widened, as if calculating her odds. Then, just as quickly, her expression flipped completely.
Suddenly she was all playful innocence, her face beaming with a radiant, childlike smile.
"Tee-hee! I'm sorry, Mister Cook, I was just playing. My brother's right—I'm human, just like him~" she said with exaggerated sweetness, clasping her hands together like a harmless little girl.
The cook let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness… For a moment I thought you were actually from Netheria." He wiped his brow and nodded. "One of my boys will be over soon to take your order."
As he walked away, Eliza's innocent smile vanished instantly, replaced by a glare sharp enough to kill.
"I swear you won't get away with this… hmph!" she hissed, folding her arms once more with wounded dignity.
The group could barely contain their laughter. And just like that, the unease in the dining hall melted away—the other passengers quickly filled the nearby tables, and the atmosphere returned to normal.
Moments later, their table was piled with dishes and drinks. The cheerful clamor of the dining hall surrounded them, and for the first time during the voyage, it felt like they truly blended in with the other travelers.
It was then that Eliza set her glass down and, with a calm that sent a chill down the table, fixed her gaze on Yuna.
"Something's coming…"
The elf, already familiar with Eliza's instincts, immediately furrowed her brow.
"What do you mean? Is it hostile?" she asked, serious.
Eliza didn't look away.
"I doubt it's good news," she replied, idly swirling the wine in her glass. "We'll find out soon enough."
Before anyone could press her further, a deafening blast shook the entire dining hall.
"That sounded like a cannon!" Simmone exclaimed in her usual monotone.
Eliza sighed, rising to her feet with the calm air of someone utterly unsurprised.
"Must be pirates. These merchant ships don't carry cannons…"
"Let's get to the deck!" Thalindra barked, her tone sharper and more serious than usual.
The group didn't hesitate and followed her swiftly up to the ship's top deck.
There, the captain and five soldiers stood ready, two magi already channeling magic into their hands. The tension in the air was almost suffocating.
"What's going on?" Yuna demanded from a nearby sailor.
The man swallowed hard, answering in a trembling voice:
"A group of pirates is attacking us…!"
Haruto snapped his gaze toward the horizon. There, a pirate ship was rapidly closing in, its cannons thundering as it unleashed a relentless barrage. The air quaked with each shot, the deadly projectiles hammering against their vessel.
Fortunately, the ship's magi had already erected a magical barrier, straining to hold back the blasts. But with every impact, cracks rippled across the shimmering wall of light.
"It won't hold much longer…" Haruto muttered, feeling the surge of adrenaline racing through his veins.
From across the waves, cruel laughter and mocking shouts carried over the sea—the pirates weren't just attacking, they were toying with them.
"They're not firing to sink us…" Eliza said, her crimson eyes narrowing, sharp as blades. "They want us alive."
The group exchanged wary looks. This wasn't just a raid for plunder. Something else was at play.