Raven's harassment ended when we arrived at our destination after a fortnight's journey, a continent with vast plains. As if to prohibit intruders, there was a dark purple barrier spread along the boundary and even a portal located in the sea in front of it.
«¡Wow!»
«They were here!»
As soon as the long-awaited sight appeared on the horizon, the explorers gathered on deck and applauded. It's true that the trip was boring, although I didn't have time to get bored between suffering from dizziness and looking at the islands when I was feeling well.
«It's Riehen Schuitz», I warned Erwen once again as soon as she was by my side. She lowered her head. It seemed like he realized his mistake. Hopefully this would prevent more. «So why did you come? It will take a while to enter the portal».
«Just because... I just wanted to be with you...»
At first, her candor overwhelmed me a lot, but it relieved her a lot. Or should I say I got used to it?
«... But what is that ship? I don't think I saw it when we set sail.» I pointed. The portal we arrived at was full of ships that had already arrived, and among them were different types of the sailboat we arrived on.
«Oh that? It's a fast boat. They send those who reach the sixth floor first in advance».
«To prevent Noark from going down?»
«Yes, there has been more of that recently. But since there are no signs of battle on the ships, I don't think there was an attempt this time... I heard it was intense not long ago, to the point where more than half of the speedboats were completely destroyed».
I see. Anyway, since they arrived before, these guys would have already caught the Guardian. I wonder if there was an essence.
As I looked around like this, I could feel eyes on me. This was a change that occurred as the journey became longer.
«That woman is Spirit of Blood...»
«But do you know who the man next to him is?»
«I don't know. When I asked a friend who joined the Magic Corps, he told me it was his first mission after retiring a few years ago».
«Hmm, though, he became a teammate of one of the Mighty Seven... I guess he has a hidden card».
Thanks to Erwen's popularity, Amelia and I received attention wherever we went. For now, the excitement in his eyes was 99% curiosity. Although nameless faces appeared in this war all the time, I assumed they were curious about my identity and abilities while working with Blood Spirit from the beginning. The other 1% was hostility.
«Schuitz.»
«¿Ah,?»
«She's doing that again from afar», Amelia said.
Even as we met with the body to talk about this and that, since war was just around the corner, Raven's eyes were fixed on our side.
«Um... should I get rid of it when the situation arises...?» erwen asked.
What was this child saying? When I hit Erwen on the forehead to give her no idea, she looked at me with resentful eyes.
«But what happens if she recognizes you? I'm anxious».
Actually, I thought that too. Of course, it is not about getting rid of her, but about whether or not to reveal my identity and request her cooperation.
It just seems like a pointless annoyance.
First, convincing her that I was not an evil spirit was work. Even if she accepted it, there was no guarantee that she would keep my secret and cooperate. He knew Raven could grow attached, but he also knew how to distinguish between public and private matters.
Even if he keeps it a secret, as long as it belongs to the palace now, it would cause harm in the future.
My final decision was that it would be best to tell him the situation myself once everything was resolved.
«If they catch me, I have no choice but to tell them everything honestly». Regardless of my ideals, if I were discovered before that, I would have no choice but to ask for your cooperation.
«Ugh, that makes one more person.»
... Was that what worried you?
***
Booooo!
The moment the horn of the boat in the lead sounded, our boat was also filled with activity.
«Everyone to their positions!»
Finally, the brief waiting period ended and it was time to enter the battlefield at once. The scouts who were observing on deck moved to their assigned positions under the direction of a palace affiliate. We didn't need to move because our assigned position was the deck.
«Miss...no, I'll tie you up, Riehen!»
«¿Eh?»
«I'm good at these things!»
We soon tied ourselves to the boat with the supplied rope. This was a measure to make sure we didn't fall. When preparations were completed, the horn sounded again from the front and the ship began to move.
«I'm a little nervous...»
«Don't worry. Riehen... I'll make sure to protect you».
Um, isn't that supposed to be my line as a tank?
Even when I thought that, I didn't bother to continue the talk.
«¡Boat entrance completed!»
The ships in the lead crossed the portal and as our ship approached it, I could feel my body warming up. That was because we were heading to a battlefield right now. The other scouts were also stiff and solemn-faced, unlike before. This caused me post-traumatic stress due to a certain event on the first floor.
«¡Main unit, full entry!»
It was time for me to abandon my cheerful attitude too. This was the first time I entered the seventh floor of this body. Furthermore, that place was full of explorers who were more dangerous than monsters. Even if you went there to get something, you could easily lose something.
«Erwen the Emily.»
«Sí.»
«Talk.»
Holding on to the railing with one hand and my new shield with the other, I said: «Don't leave my side».
Flash!
Shortly after, our ship entered the portal.
¡Eye!
The large sailboat floated in the air for a moment as if it had been thrown by a giant before hitting the sea surface and spilling streams of water. It was an incredible experience, but there was no time to distract yourself. Currently we were not in a calm sea under a blue sky.
[You have entered the Dark Continent on the seventh floor.]
The sea was black as if it were covered in oil. Although this was only the entrance to the continent, the surrounding fog was already affecting visibility.
Burst! Burst! Dad!
Explosions coming from all sides hit the eardrums due to the mana cannons fired by Noark's troops at the top of the canyon.
«The welcome greeting today is very intense», Erwen said.
«Where did those guys get mana cannons?»
«They must have taken them off our ships».
As we chatted, mana cannons, black magic, and various abilities flew towards the ship. I realized that the firepower was considerable just from the sound, but the damage to the actual fleet was non-existent. There was nothing that couldn't be done with money.
¡Shaaaa!
The moment we entered the seventh floor, all incoming attacks were blocked beforehand. Although the ship occasionally shook a lot, it never caused any damage. This was the large-scale measure and investment that the palace had taken on all of its warships after initially suffering serious damage during the landing process. Apparently, tens of millions of mana stones were consumed per minute just to maintain that magic circle.
So how much money is that to get to the continent like this? Oh, maybe it's still a bargain compared to the cost of the boat?
Of course, this was not the time to worry about the country's financial situation, so I erased the distracting thoughts and focused on the present. Receiving the warm welcome head-on, the fleet advanced steadily and soon broke through the adjacent coast before changing formation to a single line to enter the narrow canyon.
[You have entered a special area. Field Effect: The Vengeful Spirit Cannon is awarded. All healing and regeneration effects are disabled. Divine power is sealed.]
The Vengeful Spirit Canyon was a route that had to be passed in order to enter the Dark Continent, where the entire coast was made up of cliffs. When the warship we were on followed the ship before it entered the canyon, the fog filled with sinister darkness thickened even more.
«Prepare for battle!»
The undead monsters began to climb the outer wall of the ship. Their ranks were as numerous as their types.
[You killed a Deadburn. EXP +3]
[You have killed a Red Eye. EXP +4]
[You have killed a Banshee Queen. EXP +6]
[Has killed a skeleton of teeth. EXP+ 4]
[You have killed a Cliff Demon...]
More than half of the monsters that appeared were those that could be hunted on the sixth floor, but since we skipped that floor, the XP filled up no matter what we caught. Erwen's contribution as a veteran was considerable. Almost 70% of the monsters fell before they could board the ship and the sea monsters had no means to attack.
[Has mortado a un Chaosseaman. EXP +6]
[You killed a Malder elephant. EXP +5]
[Has killed the one Reina Sirena Skeletor…]
Since I had a link with Erwen, XP came even if she sent a basic hit. Of course, that didn't mean I spent my time taking advantage.
Tortazo!
The deck was also filled with spirit monsters that had no need to climb, so I had to brandish my weapon non-stop.
[You have killed a ghost. EXP +4]
[Has defeated a soul drinker. EXP +6]
[You have killed a ghost from the canyon. EXP +3]
Since there were so many people on the ship, the comebacks were no joke. Even during the fierce deck battle, Noark's vicious bastards fired cannons from the top of the canyon. This was neutralized by the defensive magic circle.
«Ahhhhh!»
However, there were cases of scouts whose lines were cut during the battle and who fell from the shaky deck into the sea.
«What, why isn't the ship moving forward?»
«The ship in front has sunk!»
«Hey? But it moved so well!»
«It looks like a Deadrect appeared and damaged the warship's magic circle!»
Listening to battle situation updates, it seemed like there were cases where a monster broke the defensive magic circle, causing the ship to sink completely.
Well, I guess the persistent bombardment from above was worth it.
Not only would it be a gain if they were lucky enough to destroy only one ship, but if they continued attacking, the ships would not be able to disable the defensive magic circles. As we advanced through the canyon, we had no choice but to hold the magic circle and consume much of our weaponry.
«Amelia, behind!» When I screamed urgently, Amelia crushed the skeleton that ambushed her with a kick to the back. «There is no need to thank me. We are co—»
«Es Emily.»
«¿Eh?»
«I'm sure no one found out in the middle of this, but I want you to be careful».
«Ah, I'll be careful...» Although it was the same pseudonym he used in the past, it was not retained for some reason. So he had no right to blame Erwen for his mistake.
«Sir...! Look over there!»
«It Riehen».
«Ah... true... anyway, there! We're almost there!»
I looked where Erwen was pointing, but all I could see was fog.
[Field Effect: Vengeful Spirit Cannon is disabled.]
As more time passed, the narrow canyon revealed a wide lake. A waterfall fell from the side and the water was red, reminiscent of blood.
«Wow, it's over!»
«I can finally catch my breath.»
As the constantly appearing monsters disappeared, the bombardment of Noark also ended. Fortunately, this meant that we had safely overcome the first obstacle.
So it's already starting...
Looking at the mist-covered water, I swallowed. Maybe I was imagining it, but I thought I already smelled blood.