The Water Magician

"Peace is the best."

"That's true."

Both Ryo and Abel are a duo that loves peace.

Especially during and after meals.

In front of them, post-lunch coffee is set.

As usual, on the deck of the Rondark, they enjoyed a leisurely lunch with ice tables and chairs, followed by coffee.

It was truly a moment of bliss.

"Encountering a ghost ship must have been some kind of mistake."

"No, that was a fact."

Abel did not share in Ryo's wishful thinking.

Two days had passed since then.

Just as Lau and Fan had said, none of the crew members of Bol's large Hirofune had sustained any injuries.

There should have been some who were hurt in the battle with the skeletons... but apparently, they had healed before anyone noticed.

It's quite mysterious.

Because of this, they were able to operate the Hirofune on their own and separated from the Rondark at that point.

After all, the Rondark had to hurry on business.

On the deck of the Rondark, the crew was relaxing after their meal.

Basically, they worked in shifts and could spend their free time outside of their work hours.

During long voyages, it wouldn't be sustainable to stay tense all the time.

Ryo and Abel were also enjoying their post-lunch coffee in that leisurely atmosphere.

At that moment.

Out of nowhere, a black "gate" about four meters square appeared on the deck.

"Eh..."

Ryo barely managed to utter a sound.

More accurately, it should be said that a sound slipped out involuntarily.

Abel and the crew noticed it, but they couldn't speak or move.

Everyone felt that it was something extraordinary.

However, no one understood what that black "gate" was.

Naturally, they also had no idea what was about to happen next.

Of course, they didn’t understand why it appeared on the deck either...

Among them, only Ryo knew what that black "gate" was.

However, Ryo did not want to acknowledge it.

He wanted to think it was a dream or an illusion.

He decided to convince himself.

"The world is peaceful."

"Yeah, probably, that thing isn't peaceful at all."

Abel interjected Ryo's deliberate words.

The banter was quite fearsome.

"Well, that's certainly fitting. Good job, Jean-Jacques."

"I told you, right? I can adapt even on a ship."

A woman's voice and a man's voice were heard.

Only Ryo recognized their voices.

Abel frowned.

The woman's voice seemed familiar...

And then, the two demons appeared.

The woman was an extraordinary beauty.

She was beautiful, alluring, and gave off a sense of danger.

She had a long black tail and small horns on her head.

The man was a jester dressed like a priest.

He laughed lightly and had a dangerous aura about him.

He had no tail and no horns.

"Leonor... Jean-Jacques..."

"Hey, Ryo! Long time no see!"

"I quit, but Leonor pushed me into it."

Ryo called out the names of the two, Leonor replied cheerfully, and for some reason, Jean-Jacques tried to avoid responsibility.

No one had accused anyone yet.

Ryo instinctively tensed up next to Abel, but Abel consciously relaxed that tension.

If they were to oppose, a fierce reaction might come back at them.

In the first place, Abel didn't think his sword would reach...

He had seen the battle between Leonor and Ryo. Strong.

But the other man was... just as strong.

"Hmm, it's Abel, right? Wise of you."

"Is that so?"

Leonor praised Abel, who had not consciously tensed up.

The crew remained frozen in surprise.

That was actually a good thing.

"It's coffee time after a meal. We can’t fight."

Ryo stated clearly.

"I'm not here to fight. Of course, if Ryo insists, I wouldn't mind fighting you."

"I absolutely refuse."

Ryo immediately rejected Leonor's suggestion.

"Hmph... There's no need to refuse that much."

"If we're not going to fight, please. I'll brew some delicious coffee for you two."

As Ryo said this, he generated new ice chairs for the two.

Of course, they came with ice cushions.

"Mm? This chair's surface is new, isn't it? Oh ho, it's good! The seating comfort is excellent."

"Indeed. As expected of Ryo. No one surpasses him when it comes to using water magic."

"You can praise me, but nothing else will come out aside from coffee."