At Luke's words, Sona's gaze drifted back to his face.
The man was looking out at the sea, and the reflection of the water in his eyes made them seem unusually clear.
It didn't sound like he was trying to comfort her. It sounded more like something spoken from a certain vantage point.
A faint smile appeared on her face, and she said nothing more.
Luke, of course, knew that this war would end in Ionia's victory.
It was just that, for them, the price paid for that victory had been far too high.
What was happening on another continent was still beyond what Luke could truly worry about.
He still hadn't even sorted out Demacia's own little corner of the world.
"Your Highness, breakfast."
Cithria's crisp voice came from behind him.
Luke snapped back to himself and saw her standing there with a steaming breakfast in her hands.
"Thanks."
He smiled and took it from her, lowering his eyes to look it over.
From the presentation alone, it looked pretty good, something between a hearty stew and a curry.
A thick, rich sauce had been ladled over the top, with the main portion underneath.
Luke hadn't really been that hungry, but one glance at it stirred his appetite anyway.
It was still piping hot, though, so he set it aside for the moment instead of digging in right away.
Cithria wore a bright, lovely smile as she said, "It's only what I should do. I'm heading off to train."
Luke nodded.
Cithria turned and went to find Vayne and Quinn.
Luke, meanwhile, got to his feet and retrieved the fishing rod he had left nearby the day before.
During the long voyage at sea over the last couple of days, this had been how he passed the time whenever boredom hit.
Whatever else could be said, fishing really was addictive, especially when you hooked a big one and had an audience watching.
With practiced ease, he baited the hook, then cast hard. The line whistled through the air and dropped into the sea.
When a ship was moving, it churned up huge amounts of water, which attracted schools of fish.
At the same time, some smaller fish would hide beneath the vessel to avoid predators whenever they saw a ship passing by.
So there was no need to worry about not catching anything. It was just more of a test of skill.
The hook sank into the water, and after a while there still wasn't the slightest reaction.
Luke remained patient and unhurried. Just as he picked up the breakfast beside him, he suddenly noticed a tiny boat ahead.
Tiny really meant tiny, the sort of wooden skiff that could seat two people at most.
Compared to the warship beneath his feet, it was smaller by more than a little.
Who would be out in this vast stretch of sea in a boat like that?
The same question sprang into the minds of many people on the ship as they noticed the skiff ahead and began discussing it.
But when they got a little closer, people realized there didn't seem to be anyone on board.
How could a little wooden skiff appear out here? Even the nearest city was still a very long distance away.
That became the new question in everyone's mind.
"Your Highness, should we steer around the skiff ahead?"
A soldier came forward to ask Luke for instructions.
Luke thought for a moment. "Slow down as we pass it. I want to see what's going on."
"Yes, sir."
The soldier obeyed and went off.
Very soon, the ship approached the wooden skiff, and the closer they got, the more obvious the difference in size between the two became.
Then the ship slowed and began to circle past it.
Sitting at the bow, Luke glanced inside and paused in slight surprise.
There really was someone in the skiff after all, just a very small figure lying flat on her back, fast asleep and snoring softly.
From her tiny size alone, it was obvious that the one lying inside was a yordle.
She was just a little over three feet tall, wearing armor proportioned to her size. Two long, pointed ears drooped naturally as she slept.
Her silver-white hair shimmered almost golden in the sunlight, her skin was a pale blue, and her face looked just like that of a child.
Her sleeping expression was adorable. She seemed to be having a wonderful dream, smiling in her sleep, with a tiny little fang visible.
She lay sprawled in the boat, arms and legs spread wide.
Beside her was a hammer that looked even longer than she was tall. It looked old, but time had failed to wear it down.
Looking at this yordle, Luke felt this really had to be fate.
The one before him was none other than Poppy, the Keeper of the Hammer.
Just then, with a sharp hiss, a crack suddenly split open in the skiff, and a thin jet of water spurted up from below.
The sleeping yordle was still completely unaware.
"Hey, your boat's leaking."
Seeing that, Luke called down to warn her.
Hearing someone speak to her, Poppy's eyelashes fluttered and she finally began to wake. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of large, amethyst-like eyes.
They still looked heavily drowsy. Rubbing them, she sat up and looked toward the source of the voice.
In her blurry vision, she immediately saw an unbelievably handsome person looking at her.
"Orlon?"
Poppy blurted out instinctively.
Then, once she woke up fully and her sight cleared, she realized this man wasn't Orlon after all.
Still, there was something in his brows and eyes that strongly resembled Orlon, as if he carried a bit of the old king's younger self.
For Poppy, her memories of Orlon still felt as if they had happened yesterday.
But this person really was handsome. Poppy had spent so many years on this land and rarely saw a man who looked brighter than he did.
The last one she remembered seeing like that had been a man named Taric, all glittering and radiant too, and he had looked very well suited to this hammer.
Poppy remembered trying to entrust both the hammer and the duty of protecting Demacia to him, only to be turned down.
He had said he would protect many things, but with his own two hands.
"I said, it's leaking."
Seeing Poppy stare at him in a daze, Luke reminded her again.
This little shorty had called him Orlon at first sight?
Orlon was Demacia's first king, and Luke's ancestor.
"Huh? Oh!"
Poppy's thoughts snapped back from old memories. She froze for a second, then noticed the spray nearby and all the water already pooling in the skiff. She hurried over and stomped one foot down on the leak.
Once the water stopped spurting out, she turned back and flashed Luke an open, cheerful smile.
"It's plugged now. Thanks for the warning!"
Luke smiled back. "Need help?"
"Nope. It's just a little hole."
Poppy put both hands on her hips and looked completely unconcerned.
The moment the words left her mouth, another hiss sounded, and a second jet of water burst upward.
Poppy reacted quickly, stretching out her other foot to stomp that one too. Then, as if narrowly escaping disaster, she wiped at sweat that wasn't there and muttered to herself, "There, no problem now."
Hiss.
A third spray answered her.
Luke spoke up again. "You really don't need help?"
"I've got this!"
Poppy grabbed the hammer from the boat and jammed it over the newest leak.
Her little body leaned against the hammer as she looked up at Luke with complete composure.
"See? Problem solved."
Hiss.
This time an even bigger jet of water burst out.
Poppy noticed the skiff starting to sink, seawater flooding in with desperate enthusiasm.
"Uh... okay, maybe there's a tiny problem."
Both of her legs were already soaked, and her expression turned a little awkward.
With a splash, a ladder was tossed down from the larger ship.
Luke smiled. "Come on up first. Unless you were planning on taking a swim, in which case forget I said anything."
Quite a few people on the ship laughed at the scene, finding the little yordle unexpectedly amusing.
Two minutes later, Poppy climbed up the ladder with her hammer in hand.
Only about half of her had gotten wet. Most of the water had been kept out by her armor, so it barely looked like she'd been soaked at all.
"Whew. Thanks a lot."
Poppy shot Luke a grateful look.
She hated getting completely soaked. It took forever to dry.
"No need." Luke gave a light chuckle, then asked, "How'd you end up alone out in the middle of the ocean?"
Poppy answered without the slightest caution, "I'm heading to a place called Dawnhold. It sounds like there's some trouble there."
Luke looked at her. "And you set off in that little wooden skiff?"
Poppy nodded. "Yep."
"How long have you been drifting out here?" Luke asked.
Poppy tilted her head, thought for a moment, then shook it. "I don't remember."
Yordles had a very vague sense of time. To them, never mind a single day, even a whole year could feel like the blink of an eye.
Still, the fact that Poppy had simply grabbed a hammer, boarded a leaky little skiff, and set out alone...
That really was yordle style.
At that moment, Poppy caught the scent of food, and her eyes were instantly drawn to the breakfast sitting nearby.
Looking at the delicious-looking meal, she couldn't help swallowing.
Then, remembering it belonged to someone else, she forced herself to look away.
But the moment she did, her stomach suddenly felt very, very empty.
Seeing that, Luke picked up the breakfast and held it out to her. "I haven't touched it. If you don't mind, go ahead."
"Really?"
Poppy's big eyes lit up all at once, sparkling as she stared at Luke and asked again and again, "I can really eat it?"
"Of course."
He passed it over and asked curiously, "How long has it been since you ate?"
"I don't remember... I gave all my food to the little fish."
Poppy shook her head again. She remembered bringing quite a lot of food before setting out.
But along the way, little fish had kept gathering around her boat, so she shared some with them.
And then she kept sharing...
Until there wasn't any left.
After that, she just lay in the boat, staring blankly up at the blue sky. Then she drifted and drifted across the sea, sleeping whenever she got hungry so she wouldn't have to think about it.
And then, after who knew how long, she ran into Luke.
Taking the food, Poppy's delight was visible to the naked eye. She looked at Luke gratefully and said, "You're a really good person."
In less than a few minutes, Luke had already earned a good-person badge.
Honestly, that wasn't so bad.
Smiling, he watched Poppy start eating.
She ate quickly, but she didn't look sloppy doing it. Small bite after small bite, quiet and focused.
Quite a few people around them looked curiously at the little yordle, and when they saw how adorable she looked while eating, smiles spread across their faces.
The yordles weren't quite as mysterious across Runeterra these days as they once had been, though they were still rarely seen in Demacia.
But most yordles were straightforward and simple by nature, and easy to like.
Just like the Poppy in front of them.
After watching for a bit, the crowd gradually dispersed and went back to their own business.
The ship resumed normal speed.
Before long, Poppy finished the breakfast. Looking at the now-empty container, she still seemed a little unsatisfied.
Seeing that, Luke instructed someone nearby, "Go get another serving."
"Yes, sir."
A soldier accepted the order and hurried off.
At those words, happiness practically wrote itself across Poppy's face. Only then did she start noticing that most of the people on the ship were dressed in armor, just like the Demacian soldiers she remembered, every one of them wearing the same resolute expression.
She looked at Luke. "Are you an army?"
"We are." Luke nodded. "Do you know the Dauntless Vanguard?"
"I do!" Poppy answered immediately, looking a little proud. "I'm the one who came up with that name! Well... I also listened to a few suggestions from other people."
The people nearby burst into laughter at that.
They all thought the little yordle was talking big.
The Dauntless Vanguard had been around for so many years. How could she possibly have named it?
Poppy didn't seem to care much about the expressions that clearly said nobody believed her. It was as if she was already used to that reaction.
Only Luke smiled at her and asked, "When you chose that name, what were you thinking?"
Poppy froze for a moment and looked at him in surprise.
For the first time in a very long while, someone had actually asked her that.
Whenever she told people about it, most of them assumed she was bragging or lying.
But from the look of it, Luke didn't think that at all.
What a strange person.
Poppy blinked her innocent, wide eyes and answered, "I thought the people who joined that legion should be upright, brave, and willing to stand at the very front to protect the weak. So I called it the Dauntless Vanguard."
That did sound somewhat similar to the Dauntless Vanguard's oath.
As time passed, joining the Dauntless Vanguard came to require more than just honesty and courage. It required strength as well.
Just then, the second breakfast arrived.
Luke handed it to Poppy and smiled. "I see."
Poppy happily took the container and immediately focused all her attention on eating again.
Luke watched her and didn't interrupt, feeling more than a little emotional inside.
No one would ever guess that the little yordle was telling the truth.
The history of the Dauntless Vanguard went all the way back to the time of King Orlon.
According to the historical records of the Dauntless Vanguard, not long after King Orlon's death, the legion that had always followed him was formally renamed the Dauntless Vanguard.
But shortly after the Dauntless Vanguard was established, its first commander vanished from public view as if she had disappeared off the face of the earth.
After so many years, people only remembered that commander as extraordinarily heroic, broad and towering in stature, a woman with many names, something like "Boki," "Bubi," or "Bobu."
Her name had faded with time, but people still remembered her.
In legend, she was tall and powerfully built, covered in impressive muscles, with laughter that boomed like thunder.
Her weapon was a hammer as large as she was, and every enemy who encountered her trembled in fear.
That was the legendary first commander of the Dauntless Vanguard.
And yet, looking at the Poppy in front of him, barely over three feet tall, with a cute face and an expression of pure bliss as she ate breakfast...
No one would ever connect her to that legendary figure.
But she really was her.
For all that Poppy looked tiny, like a child, her real age was dozens of times greater than Luke's. She was probably several hundred years old.
Among yordles, though, that still counted as a child, and their personalities didn't really change all that much.
Yordles were beloved by the world itself, blessed with extraordinarily long lives and unmatched talent.
To them, ten years or a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
Poppy had been one of the very first to follow Orlon to Demacia.
Which meant she really was the legendary first commander of the Dauntless Vanguard.
As for why she had left, the reason was simple.
It was because of Orlon's dying words to her:
"Find the hero worthy of this hammer."
So Poppy took the hammer and set off on a journey to search for that hero.
And searched.
For centuries.
And with the innocent nature of yordles, she never once realized during all that time that the hero she was searching for was herself.
Well... yordles were just like that.
And her legends were far from limited to that alone.
Over the next several hundred years, that hammer-wielding hero left behind no end of famous tales.
Even in more recent decades, a mysterious and powerful hero known as the Demon Slayer had actually been her.
She just never realized it.
By then, Poppy had neatly finished the second breakfast as well. She handed the empty container back to Luke and asked a little embarrassedly, "Could I have another one?"
"You can, but aren't you worried you'll eat too much?" Luke took the container and stared for a moment, his eyes dropping to Poppy's stomach.
It was hard to imagine how someone so small could put away two full adult portions of breakfast without bursting.
Was she another Lux-level eater?
"I'm not worried. I'm only about half full."
Poppy still scratched her head shyly.
"Bring two more."
Luke handed the container to a soldier and gave the order.
"Yes, sir."
The soldier immediately hurried off, and from how excited he looked, he clearly wanted to see whether Poppy could really finish two more servings.
Very soon, two more adult-sized portions were brought over.
Poppy once again sank into a state of happy concentration as she ate.
She didn't notice that a larger and larger crowd had begun gathering around her.
Watching her eat with such bliss on her face, people found themselves swallowing too. Somehow they felt hungrier just looking at her.
She was eating with so much enthusiasm.
And most of all, she could really eat.
The poor kid must've been starving.
Looking at this, Poppy had probably gone hungry quite a lot on her travels.
Not long after, Poppy polished off both servings, and a wave of astonished exclamations broke out around her.
It wasn't as if they'd never seen big eaters before.
But someone this small who could eat this much?
That was a first.
Garen didn't look particularly impressed by the scene.
After all, there was already someone like that in his own household.
As for Luke, Quinn, Vayne, and Sona, all of them thought of the same blond girl at the exact same moment.
It was hard to say who would win in an eating contest between the two.
Judging by size alone, Poppy might actually have the edge.
Luke had someone pour her a cup of water and handed it to her. "Full now?"
Poppy took the cup and drained it in one go. Then a deeply satisfied expression spread across her little face as she leaned back and flopped down.
"Full. Totally full."
Looking up at the blue sky, she felt as if this moment was absolute happiness.
Just then, Luke's fishing line suddenly jerked.
His hand shot out and grabbed the rod, and he yanked upward hard, only for it not to budge at all on the first pull.
The line thrashed wildly across the surface. Looking down through the water, he could just barely make out the shape of a huge fish below.
"Fish on!"
Luke felt a surge of delight. This was the first time he'd ever hooked something this big, and he instantly poured more strength into reeling it in.
But the resistance of the sea was no joke, and the fish was absurdly strong. Luke simply couldn't haul it up.
Poppy sat up and stared with wide-eyed curiosity.
Many of the soldiers who had been preparing to disperse stopped in their tracks and gathered around to watch as well.
"Hah!"
When the stalemate dragged on, Luke put his full strength into it. The fishing rod bent into an incredible arc in midair while the huge shadow in the water kept darting back and forth.
What the hell had he hooked, a shark?
Luke refused to believe he'd lose and didn't let go.
At last, after two minutes, the fish gave out first.
It helped that the rod was excellent quality. Somehow, it hadn't snapped.
Luke gave one final violent yank and with a splash, a massive fish flew up out of the sea and crashed onto the deck with a heavy slam.
It flailed its huge body across the planks, sending up sprays of water and drawing startled cries from every side.
"That fish is enormous!"
"It's almost as big as I am!"
"Good grief, that's one hell of a catch!"
"Isn't that a python-pattern fish?"
"Damn, it really is! The one worth a gold coin a pound?"
"That thing has to weigh five hundred pounds at least!"
"You can actually catch one of those?"
Once people recognized the species, the outcry only grew louder.
It looked somewhat like a carp, but its body was massive, even a little bigger than Poppy, and it was covered in patterns like those of a python.
It was called a python-pattern fish. Its meat was tender and delicious, making it an extremely valuable delicacy from the sea.
Its defining trait was how hard it was to catch.
Rare.
Ridiculously rare.
Hearing the amazement all around him, Luke, whose body was a little tired from the struggle, instantly stopped feeling tired at all. His back straightened without him even noticing, and he suddenly had the urge to plant his hands on his hips.
A fisherman's sense of glory swelled up inside him all at once.
Honestly, this was the first time he'd ever caught a fish this huge and this valuable.
"So big..."
Even Poppy was staring in a daze. She edged a little closer, feeling like the python-pattern fish could swallow her whole in one bite.
"We're eating well today."
Luke laughed brightly and looked at Poppy.
The little yordle showed up and he immediately landed a monster catch like this.
What a lucky sign.
"Your Highness is amazing."
Cithria looked at Luke with obvious admiration.
"Not bad, not bad."
Luke waved his hand modestly, though there wasn't the slightest trace of humility on his face.
Sona watched him with smiling eyes.
Quinn's gaze held a hint of admiration, and even Vayne, who was usually annoyed by Luke, had to admit that this time he'd really done something impressive.
Seeing that quite a few of the female soldiers on the ship were now focused on Luke, many of the male soldiers were immediately fired up.
They all ran back to their quarters and fetched their fishing rods. During a long voyage at sea, this was one of the few forms of entertainment they had.
Everyone was brimming with determination. They were going to catch a fish just as big as that one.
And so, from one end of the ship to the other, there was a fishing rod every few yards.
Luke's luck, however, seemed absurdly good.
He had Poppy sit beside him, and in less than two hours he reeled in twelve fish in a row.
Three of them were especially valuable.
It was almost as if all the fish had decided they belonged to him.
Compared to his dazzling record, the soldiers had miserable luck. The best among them managed only five fish, and all of those were small.
Seeing the lemon-sour jealousy in their eyes, Luke almost wanted to grin wide enough to flash his teeth.
He was happy.
Very, very happy.
"That's it, I'm done."
"Ugh, comparison really does kill a man."
"Let's go, let's go. Back to training."
Seeing the corners of Luke's mouth nearly stretch to the back of his head, those soldiers who had been bursting with confidence two hours earlier all gave up one after another.
They just couldn't compete.
They really couldn't.
Luke couldn't help patting Poppy on the head, feeling deeply emotional inside.
By now, he could tell what his source of good luck was.
It was obviously the Poppy sitting beside him.
He had fished for the past two days too, but today's haul alone surpassed the last two days combined.
And all of it had started after Poppy came aboard.
As for this sudden, mildly intrusive gesture, Poppy didn't seem to dislike it much at all. If anything, she looked rather well-behaved.
Luke gave her head two pats and withdrew his hand.
"Maybe I forgot to tell you. We're headed to Dawnhold too. You can catch a ride with us."
Poppy looked at him, eyes shining. "Really?"
Truthfully, she'd already been thinking about staying around a bit longer to observe him anyway.
Because she had never once forgotten her mission.
To find a hero worthy of the hammer.
"Of course."
Luke smiled and nodded, then asked, "You said there was some trouble in Dawnhold. What kind of trouble?"
Poppy shook her head. "I don't know."
Luke paused. "Then how do you know there's trouble?"
Poppy answered with pure simplicity, "The hammer told me."
The hammer now stood quietly at her side, motionless.
"I see."
Luke seemed to understand something. He rose to his feet and said, "You can wander around the ship as much as you like. I'm heading back to my cabin for a bit."
"Mhm."
Poppy nodded, lifted the hammer with one hand, and began strolling about the ship curiously.
She happened to glance at Yurna and paused for a second, scratching her head.
She had the strangest feeling she'd seen her somewhere before.
But Poppy didn't think much of it and kept wandering.
Luke withdrew his gaze from the hammer, already aware that it really did have some mysterious qualities.
Thinking it over, if he wasn't mistaken, then the trouble the hammer was pointing toward was probably the Harrowing.
Once back in his cabin, Luke silently said in his mind, "Sign in."
Congratulations, Host. You have received: Realm Advancement Card ×1
Congratulations, Host. You have received: Intermediate Skill Upgrade Card ×2
Congratulations, Host. You have received: Eye of Truth
Three system notifications sounded one after another, making Luke's eyes light up.
Just as he thought.
His luck really had improved.
"Use the Realm Advancement Card."
Without hesitation, he spoke again inwardly.
Realm Advancement Card used successfully.
Host realm has advanced to late Unyielding stage.
As the system's voice fell silent, Luke immediately felt a surge of fullness spread through his body. It was as if every cell inside him were cheering, while a current of energy flowed from his heart into all four limbs and every corner of his body.
After some time, the feeling slowly faded.
And when it did, Luke's physical strength had grown considerably once more.
Looking at the two Intermediate Skill Upgrade Cards, Luke hesitated briefly.
At the moment, he had two high-tier skills that could be upgraded.
One was Righteous Aura Guard.
The other was Double Leap.
Both were at level five.
After a moment of thought, and with the coming Harrowing in mind, Luke decided to use both upgrade cards on Righteous Aura Guard.
Intermediate Skill Upgrade Card used successfully.
High-tier skill Righteous Aura Guard has advanced to level 6 (Exceptional).
High-tier skill Righteous Aura Guard has advanced to level 7 (Perfected).
Two notifications rang out in succession, and with a humming sound, an imposing white radiance suddenly burst from Luke's body.
It enveloped him completely, giving off an extraordinary aura.
Even several people outside the cabin faintly sensed it.
Garen lifted his head and looked toward the cabin, then withdrew his gaze and continued training.
A few seconds later, that aura vanished and everything returned to calm.
Luke, meanwhile, looked utterly relaxed, with a deep sense of satisfaction.
After reaching level seven, Righteous Aura Guard had gained much stronger defensive power, and its suppressive effect against dark-aligned forces had become even more apparent.
Most importantly, once it reached level seven, Righteous Aura Guard could now be released outward.
He could gather the righteous energy he had built up and fire it out.
Though that meant giving up the defensive benefits of keeping it around himself, it could be reserved as a hidden trump card.
That gave Luke several degrees more confidence about the coming Harrowing.
Then Luke turned to the third reward, curiosity in his eyes.
Looking at the reward called Eye of Truth, he checked the system's description. A while later, delight appeared on his face.
"This is good stuff."
He immediately said inwardly, "System, fuse the Eye of Truth."
Fusion successful.
The moment the words fell, Luke felt a warm sensation spread through his eyes, as though warm water were washing through them.
It wasn't painful, but it wasn't especially comfortable either. His eyes simply felt hot, making him close them involuntarily.
After a while, the sensation disappeared. Luke opened his eyes, and the world before him looked exactly the same as before.
Nothing had changed on the surface.
The Eye of Truth gave no direct increase in combat strength, and it didn't even improve Luke's eyesight.
But that didn't diminish how absurdly useful it was.
Eye of Truth, just as the name suggested, allowed Luke to see the truth of things.
In other words, illusions, false realms, and deceptive appearances would no longer work on him.
That meant he never had to worry about getting trapped in some world-spanning nightmare illusion again.
Hypnosis wouldn't work either.
Good stuff.
This was really, truly good stuff.
In his good mood, Luke felt all of this could be credited to the little shorty who had just come aboard today.
Ever since Poppy arrived, his luck had been shooting straight through the roof.
A thoughtful look appeared on Luke's face.
He needed to find a way to keep the little yordle around.
At that very moment, the little yordle was wandering aimlessly around the ship, thinking about the absurdly handsome Demacian who had been talking to her earlier.
The resemblance in his eyes and brows to Orlon was real.
He seemed strong, had kindly pulled her aboard, and had given her lots of delicious food.
That made Poppy think he might actually be the hero she had been searching for all this time.
Still, she needed to observe him a little longer.
She couldn't decide he was qualified to wield this hammer based on looks alone.
Even if he really was very handsome.
During her wandering, Poppy also ran into a Demacian who somehow felt even more Demacian than Demacia itself.
The tall man with short hair and a sturdy frame had a face full of determination, as if he carried countless stories within him.
She heard his name was Garen.
Poppy had the feeling she'd heard that name before, in many of the stories she had picked up along her journey.
That made her think Garen might also be the hero she was looking for.
But for now, in her mind, he could only rank second.
The sky gradually darkened.
Even at night, the ship continued sailing toward its destination, lit by firelight.
Because the day's catch had been so good, Luke decided to cook personally and prepare a full seafood feast.
All kinds of seafood were hauled up from the sea, together with the python-pattern fish and other fresh, delicious fish Luke had caught.
Before long, a rich seafood aroma spread across the open water itself.
Even the people on the nearby ships cast envious looks over.
There was no doubt about it.
The people on Luke's ship were in for a treat.
"It's done."
Luke sprinkled sauce over a piece of fish he had grilled himself, then handed it to the eagerly watching Poppy beside him.
"Thank you!"
Poppy had been drooling over the smell for a while already. She immediately reached out to take it.
Then Luke handed the rest of the grilled fish to Sona, Vayne, Quinn, Cithria, and Yurna.
Poppy looked at the fish in her hands, blew on it, and, not caring about the heat, bit down right away.
The crisp outer layer gave a little crunch, and then the tender fish inside released a rich, mouthwatering flavor across her tongue.
In an instant, it conquered her taste buds.
This was the most delicious grilled fish she had ever eaten.
A little later, the fish soup was ready too.
Biting into grilled fish and then washing it down with fish soup to cut the richness, people felt warmth spread through their bodies as the delicious soup slid into their stomachs, leaving them indescribably comfortable.
After enjoying the excellent seafood feast, Poppy's stomach had visibly rounded out. She lay on the deck with a blissful expression.
That night, she once again proved just how much she could eat.
Though it wasn't only her. Everyone had eaten to their heart's content.
Luke finished his meal in a good mood, then got to his feet and started strolling around.
After walking for a while, he casually stretched out at a slanted spot near the bow, listening to the sound of waves by his ear with a thoroughly content expression.
Not long after, he noticed Poppy approach.
Carrying her hammer, she stood beside him making odd little gestures with it, muttering to herself and looking quite busy.
She was right in front of him, yet acted as though he didn't exist.
That naturally drew Luke's attention.
"What are you doing?"
At that moment, Poppy had one eye shut and one eye open. She was holding her hands up like a little frame, using them to line Luke and the hammer up together as if she were taking a picture.
Then she nodded to herself.
"Don't you think this hammer suits you really well?"
Poppy looked at Luke with shining, expectant eyes and held the hammer out to him.
"Could you try lifting it?"
Luke sat up and took the hammer, immediately feeling a heavy weight sink into his hand.
He had to admit, it really was a hefty hammer.
"It really does fit!"
Light seemed to burst into Poppy's eyes as she stared at Luke, excitement rising in her face.
The moment he held the hammer, aside from his face, Luke's bearing became astonishingly similar to Orlon's.
She'd found him.
The hero Orlon had always wanted her to find.
Luke couldn't help asking, "What looks so much alike?"
"You remind me of a friend of mine. Your eyes are just like his. They're both amber."
Poppy tilted her head up. In her innocent wide eyes, Luke's reflection was perfectly clear.
"There are plenty of people with amber eyes. Do I also look like him because I've got one nose and two ears?"
Luke laughed.
"No, not just that..." Poppy thought hard for a moment. "Your eyebrows look like his too. The difference is that you're much better-looking than he was when he was young."
"Who?"
"The owner of this hammer."
Poppy answered honestly.
Now Luke understood.
The owner of the hammer, the one who had entrusted it to Poppy, was Orlon.
Orlon was Luke's ancestor, so maybe Poppy was right and he really did resemble him.
Otherwise, the little yordle wouldn't have mistaken him for the man the moment she woke up.
"This hammer looks like it was made for you."
Poppy stepped back a little and gave Luke another appraising look. The more she looked, the more convinced she became.
Luke lifted the hammer and swung it twice, producing a heavy humming sound. It actually felt pretty good in his hand.
But the next second, he lowered it again.
"The hammer really is excellent, but clearly I'm still not worthy of it."
With a smile, he handed it back and said, "Wouldn't the one worthy of a hammer like this have to be some towering, earth-shaking hero?"
Those words made Poppy's eyes light up all over again. Looking at Luke, she felt as if she had found a kindred spirit.
He understood it that well.
"Yes! Only a truly great hero has the right to wield it!"
Poppy said excitedly.
Luke set the hammer down and said, "Then that's not me. I'm not a hero. I'm just a lazy Demacian who likes to eat and loaf around."
Poppy asked frankly, "What does liking food and being lazy have to do with whether someone is a hero?"
What mattered in a hero was a person's character.
Liking to eat and loaf around didn't really affect whether someone had good character.
Luke added, "Besides, I use a sword. I don't use hammers."
"You can learn. I know how. I can teach you."
Poppy hurried closer, looking up at Luke as she patted her chest in promise.
"I can definitely teach you. It's really easy. You just swing it around and smash things."
Luke laughed. "Then maybe you're the one better suited to it."
"No, no, no."
Poppy shook her head over and over.
"I'm not a hero."
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