The two ships were moving slowly side by side towards the port — because of heavy traffic, many ships with different sizes and shapes had come all over the world to be present for the grand day.
After waking up, Kier had understood everything on how they saved him and many other members of the crew, founded the sword and how they got away.
Here's what he was told:
After he saved Aulen, he had screamed his guts out for the sword, which led to Aulen realizing how important the item was to him. But before stepping in to help, Bron and Clad had already managed to free the ships from the tentacles and successfully save the crewmates.
Once the tentacles were gone, a devastating gust of wind struck the two ships, nearly lifting them off the surface of the sea. It was all Noah's doing.
They managed to escape, but they had left one crewmate behind—Kier.
Aulen had been quick to react. She informed the others about him immediately, causing everyone on Bron's crew to grow worried.
But they didn't waste time talking. Bron blindfolded himself and prepared to jump off the ship. Aulen, who was also present, offered her help. She was an awakened half pure-one. With her powers guiding the waters, Bron managed to reach Kier, who had already slain the monster by then.
After Kier was saved, Aulen used her powers once more to locate the object that had fallen from his hands—the sword, as Kier called it.
Now Kier and Aulen stood at the front of the ship, looking at the breathtaking view before them.
The capital city of Irene—Bessa.
It stretched as far as the eye could see—land in every direction. Where the sea met the shore stood the main port, connecting the rest of the world to the heart of the kingdom. The port was divided into three main sectors, built from blue stones that absorbed sunlight during the day so they could glow at night.
These stones separated the sectors with massive, ancient bridges. Beneath them, through their hollow spaces, small boats filled with tourists passed quietly. Ships stood anchored in place, their anchors cast deep into the sea. At the center of the three sectors rose a long, elegantly curved arch, holding at its heart a bronze bust. Though more than a hundred years old, it still reflected the sunlight with remarkable clarity. The statue depicted the first crowned king of the kingdom.
Clad in his royal uniform, his right hand raised, he held in his palm the first crown—formed by melting together the five crowns of the previous kings. In his left hand, he gripped his sword, its tip touching the ground. A magnificent figure—Austin Rhagar, the first crowned king.
The bust had been created to remind the people of the new world, of peace, and to stand as a protective symbol of what had been built.
Behind the statue, where the waves crashed against towering stacks of stone, crystal-clear water flowed through diamond-shaped openings. This was not the only one—if you looked along the line of the wall, every six meters there was another opening just like it.
The purpose of these gray stones was simple: to protect what lay beyond them from the wild waves of the sea. And beyond them stretched the famous city of the kingdom. The buildings varied in shape and size, yet shared the same architectural style—warm colored walls with reddish roofs in forms such as oval, spiral, and pyramidal.
From where Kier stood in the distance, he could see the main part of the city. But what captivated him most was its center: five main cobblestone roads all converging at one point—where the royal castle stood.
This castle, with its tallest and grandest central tower surrounded by five others, seemed to reach halfway into the sky. Pure white in color, with blue cone-shaped roofs, it had a unique and highly detailed architectural style. Numerous statues spiraled upward along each tower, placed one above the other in a graceful, ascending pattern.
Kier stood silent, for a moment everything seemed bigger than himself, a feeling suddenly surging through his chest. Excitement spread through him as he realized the world was far bigger than himself—far beyond everything he had ever known.
Beside him stood Aulen. He glanced at her, she stood with an upright posture, her expression cold and distant, but it wasn't as bad as she first appeared. Kier turned to her side leaning on the forecastle deck. She noticed and glanced at him back.
"Thank you for finding the sword, you saved me a lot of trouble."
Kier said with a big smile on his face.
She looked at him and her expression slightly changed, almost as if she was feeling guilty.
"I needed to pay my debt in some way, so it's fine. Thanks to you, I can attend the banquet in one piece."
Her face didn't change much, but her voice softened slightly. She then looked at the sword Kier claimed was one. It obviously didn't seem like a sword; it was just a piece of wood painted black, the kind she had used to play or practice with. Moreover, it didn't even have a blade. So a question rose in her mind and, almost curiously, she asked:
"That thing you call a sword, is it really a sword?"
Kier looked at her. He wasn't surprised by what she asked, it was just a common question to his ears.
"Yeah, it is a sword."
Kier answered simply, almost tired of answering. Aulen seemed disappointed by the answer. A few moments passed silently. The conversation seemed dead.
Then Aulen came near Kier; she too laid her forearms down on the railing.
"I am really curious, in that moment when you were basically taken hostage by the beast, why did you worry more about the sword than yourself?"
She was straightforward with him.
Kier looked her in the eyes and sighed.
"Is that how it looked, huh?"
She stayed silent.
"But yeah, this sword is really important and I have to take really good care of it because I promised someone dear to me that I would deliver the sword to its owner."
Kier looked at her, she seemed more confused than before and even more curious.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Just spill it out already."
Kier suddenly yelled at her face with a stupid expression on his own. Aulen was startled and then proceeded to clear her throat.
"You are making it so hard for me to believe that it is a sword. If it is, then at least unsheathe it."
Kier knew it would come to this. He took a deep sigh and reached for the sword. He put both his hands on it, one at the end and the other in the middle, then proceeded to apply force in opposite directions in order to open it. His hands trembled and his face slightly turned red. Aulen looked closely with great focus, only to show great disappointment moments later.
Kier didn't unsheathe it. He simply gave up instead.
Well, what did she expect? Even Marwen didn't believe him when he told her, not to mention Bron, who called him foolish, and Clad, who simply warned him not to get scammed that easily.
She didn't hide her disappointment. She was waiting for something interesting to happen after seeing how much Kier cared about the sword.
"Liar. What did I even expect?"
Annoyed, she turned and began to walk away.
Kier, who was slightly hurt by her words, told her to stop. She stopped and then turned toward him.
"What do you want? I can't waste my time listening to your lies."
Her face stayed the same, cold and distant, yet slightly warm.
"I am not a liar, I just showed you that I can't unsheathe it."
"Do you even hear yourself? If what you have is truly a sword, then it must have a blade."
Kier looked at the sword. He knew the obvious, and even he himself didn't remember clearly how the blade looked anymore.
"It's not that I can't show you the blade, it's that the sword refuses anyone other than the owner."
Aulen's face showed a big question mark.
"How does that even make sense?"
"Well, I think I have a pretty good idea of what he is referring to."
The voice of an old man came from behind as he ascended the stairs, along with Bron.
Aulen looked back; she too had a rough idea about the sword, but she wasn't completely sure.
"Care to explain yourself, Freston?"
Her attitude changed instantly.
"Oh, but of course, my lady. The object in his hands might as well be cursed."
Kier looked Freston in the eyes. His sincere, happy face didn't show even the slightest glimpse of lies. Then he shifted his gaze toward Bron, who had both his hands behind his back like he didn't give a damn about the world.
"That is only what we think it is, but don't take it to heart. That might just be a piece of wood for all we know," Bron intervened.
He smirked at Kier as if asking him to get mad. And to be fair, it worked a little. Kier was grinding his teeth and holding himself back from crashing out. Bron would always mess with him because of the sword.
Seeing the two of them, Freston started laughing.
"Ha ha ha!"
His gentle laughter caught the attention of everyone present.
"Please, don't mind me. The confidence you two have with each other reminded me of the good old days in the military."
After finishing his sentence, Freston fixed his posture and turned back into his captain-like self.
"My lady, I know I might have interrupted your conversation, but unfortunately we need to part ways now."
The port was close, but the section where these ships had to anchor themselves was pretty far away. After all, the Seirune family held a much greater status compared to the title Bron possessed.
Aulen tilted her head slightly in approval. Then she turned toward Kier. Her serious expression simply refused to leave her face.
"It seems like we need to part ways," she said.
"Yeah… it seems so. We have arrived at our destination."
It felt a little awkward. Kier looked at Aulen and remembered certain moments from their meeting. It felt strange saying goodbye to her even though they hadn't spent that much time together.
"Well now, if you excuse me, I need to go attend dinner with some spoiled nobles."
Aulen smiled faintly as she left together with Freston.
After they boarded their ship, Freston looked down and showed gratitude toward the entire crew. Aulen, on the other hand, slowly waved her hand, naturally revealing her noble presence.
Back at them, Kier and Bron waved as well.
"We will meet again!" Kier yelled at her.
Looking down at Kier from above, Aulen couldn't help but smile. There was something strange about this boy. Not only the "Cursed Sword," but also the robe and many other things.
The ships slowly drifted apart and Aulen disappeared from Kier's sight.
Now he was once again alone with the crew he had known since childhood. Bron had already gone to his chambers, while the crewmates prepared themselves for the city that was no longer far away.