"Y-You really want to just adventure with me?"
His words echoed through the night sky as the woman just stared at him curiously.
Cam had removed her hood, slowly revealing her mid-length brown hair that rolled down her covered shoulders.
"Was I not clear? I will be adventuring with you until I have determined that you pose no threat to society. Whether it takes a week or ten years, I will be here."
Her response settled into the boy's mind as he truly dissected her meaning and intentions.
Years? One of the Marshals of the Hunters' Guild would seriously devote their life to watching me?
Throughout the world, the Sea Kings were the most influential figures in modern history; however, closely behind such idols were the Marshals and Commodores of the Hunters' Guild.
Even some of the highest authorities in the Oceanic Association bowed their head to such individuals, for they weren't as simple to control.
A few of the top-ranked members choose to reveal themselves to the public, with the most well-known being William Twynam, who sits as the chairman of the Association, but the rest stick to the shadows, lurking in wait for orders from above.
I heard that even Lord Cosmoti was a Marshal before becoming one of the Kings… For someone so powerful to waste their time here must mean that she has another incentive…
Aaron looked up at the woman who slowly glanced around the deck of the Ghostship, taking in the surroundings for anything useful.
"You're hungry, right?"
Without even acknowledging the boy or waiting for a response, she revealed a small bag from inside her cloak that she tossed at the sitting boy.
As he watched it soar through the air, he hurriedly caught it, curiously opening it to see what was inside.
"Sturgeon Flower? Where did you even find this stuff? I thought it only grew in…"
He paused, remembering that this woman had likely come from faraway lands just to observe him and the Ghostship he wielded.
Well, with this, I can make bread, biscuits, and other things with the added benefit of reduced sea sickness… Not like that was a problem anyway…
Aaron sighed softly as Cam turned to face him solemnly.
"Where is the other person aboard this vessel? I can sense their presence, but I cannot seem to locate them."
For the first time, a confused tone of voice left the woman's mouth as the blond boy simply furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Another person… Oh!"
Forgetting the ingredients inside the bag, Aaron leaped up from his seat, looking at the ring that adorned his finger.
Across from him, Cam tilted her head slightly but continued to silently watch the boy tap the turquoise gemstone twice.
Groooaaan!
The sound of wood cracking and the masts buckling resounded through the area as the carefully disguised Ghostship, for the first time since battling the hydra, exposed itself in its fullest of splendor.
Magnificent turquoise flames erupted from the masts, sizzling and popping away any insects that, in a way, flew too close to the sun.
Two iron cannons groaned as they aimed skyward, searching for any target to lock onto and fire on without hesitation.
Out of all the changes that sprang forth quickly, the one that caught the woman's attention the most was a small object atop the helm.
Unlike a normal human, her vision was enhanced to a degree that allowed her to see details a kilometer away with the accuracy of a hawk.
So when she noticed a tiny crustacean staring at her with hatred and disgust, she instinctively saw such a being as a threat suitable for elimination.
Faster than what Aaron could comprehend, she vanished from view instead appearing at the helm, dagger in hand.
The weapon slashed across where the crab had been standing only a moment ago, cleaving one of the handles clean off the wheel.
Mr. Crab had disappeared in a mist of particles that seeped into the Ghostship, leaving Cam gazing oddly at the spot she had damaged.
"Interesting… It seems you have a third companion; however, this one needs to mind his manners when in the presence of a guest."
The blond-haired boy, who had zero idea what had just transpired, began piecing together a possible conclusion based on her speech.
D-Did she sense Mr. Crab at the helm and try to attack him…? Even I don't hate him enough to make him into a meal… Anymore…
Dipping his head downward in a silent prayer to his ten-legged friend, he realized he was standing atop the trapdoor that led into the lower quarters.
"Uhh… Ms. Cam… That other person you mentioned is down below, but she's not in the best condition right now."
As he spoke, he looked up at the brown-haired woman who frowned at the mention of the girl down the ladder.
"I will deduce that myself."
…
Ten minutes later, two figures stood outside a thick metal hatchway with a name sprawled across the front.
"She's right in here. I have figured out a way to feed her; however, I have no way of bathing her…"
His fading words brought a smile to Cam's face as she turned the handle on the doorway and entered quietly.
Bright purple adornments covered the chamber, decorating every square inch of the room with fabric or wood that all screamed at the eyes.
On the large bed that rested in the center of the bedroom lay a sleeping girl hidden beneath bedsheets and cloth that Aaron had carefully tucked her under.
Eleanor's hair was tied into a very messy bun that the boy had struggled with for at least an hour to figure out; despite that, she still silently slumbered through the entire process.
"Her core is jumbled with a mix of holy energy greater than any mass I have ever seen in my life. Not even the Pontiff of the Holy Cathedral could compare to such an overflowing aura…"
Cam's words were quiet but also curious, like she wanted to dissect the girl and figure out what made her tick.
She turned to Aaron with an expression that reeked of her curiosity, and asked, as the boy had expected:
"What happened to her to leave her this way?"
Unlike all the previous occasions where he was left speechless or confused by her probing, this time he had carefully planned an answer for her.
"W-We were in Sea Fallen together, and in a chamber below the city, we found the terrorists who caused the disaster."
He paused for dramatic effect, expecting some sort of response from the woman; however, she just stared at him, waiting for more.
"One of the criminals did something that dragged us into an unknown world where we met a strange being with pink hair and indescribable limbs."
The description and story weren't technically untrue from the boy's perspective, yet it wasn't exactly truthful either.
In reality, they had been pulled into the mindscape by strange forces; however, the true cause of Eleanor's comatose state wasn't so simple as he made it seem.
"As we encountered that creature, Eleanor tried to attack it with holy magic but…"
Again, he stopped himself and, instead of finishing the fabricated story, he allowed a few tears to flow from his eyes.
Perfect! Even if she could tell I'm lying, there should be enough truth in there to disguise it!
This theory that Aaron had come to on his own wasn't incorrect; after all, he did encounter such a creature, and he did enter a space where Eleanor attacked something with holy magic; however, coincidentally, he missed the main incidents.
The strange deity that she had encountered within his mind, and the Old Man who had performed a miracle by reviving her body.
His plan was perfect in his own thoughts, but as he turned his gaze upward at the woman, her expression was even more grim than before.
"A pink-haired creature with indescribable arms…? In the Mausoleum…?"
Her words were little less than whispers to herself as she walked over to the sleeping girl, checking her pulse carefully.
"You are incredibly lucky… What you saw inside that core was likely a Dormyrr, and you should be thanking any god you pray to for your survival."
Aaron stared at her, confused and slightly afraid at her sudden change of attitude at the mention of the creature who had attempted to enter his memories.
"W-What do you mean, a Dormyrr? What even is that…?"
Moving himself closer to the woman, he watched as she released a warm glow from her palms that embedded itself into Eleanor's chest.
"Dormyrrs are spirits that have haunted the Sea of Dreams since its inception. They are known to ensnare their victims in illusions that are so realistic that you might live your entire life in one and never know until you die. Horrible creatures that dwell in pockets between the World of Dreams and our own."
She paused as she sighed and gazed at the boy solemnly.
"The one you met inside the Mausoleum of Dreams is likely a mutated Dormyrr that has attached itself to the Mausoleum's core, growing its strength to an untold degree. It is also likely what caused the primary disaster that has engulfed the city of Sea Fallen."
A cold chill went down Aaron's spine as he realized that his altered story about how Eleanor had ended up in that state had inadvertently revealed something so dangerous.
"H-How would I know if I was still in an illusion right now?"
Fear crept into his heart as he waited for the woman's answer, yet she just turned her head downward and frowned.
"There is no way to know if you are not still in its grasp."