Bertram stood at the bow of the boat, the wind carrying the splash of water on the tip of the waves, and it was very cool and pleasant.

The sea breeze always makes him feel refreshed, but at this moment, the dark clouds that weigh on his heart are not something that the wind can blow away.

From time to time, he looked back at the treasure bay that was gradually disappearing into the distance, and his mind was restless. He knew he didn't have a choice...... Or that he made the right choice, but he once again put his family ...... Leaving Behring behind.

He had secretly left the Limestone Castle. Father and mother would never agree to him leaving everything he had to bear and running to be a free adventurer. Behring was a little over ten years old at the time, and he was already a one-sided, overly serious fellow, like his father—he took it for granted that Behring was more suitable than he was to be the heir to the Grean family, but never asked him if he wanted to...... Never asked if he had his own dreams, as he did.

In fact, he lied to him. The night he slipped away he didn't know why Behring would suddenly open his door as he passed by, showing half of his face in the darkness, and whispering to him, "Where are you going?" with a look of trepidation, as if he had sensed something.

What did he say?—"I'm going to practice my sword." ”

It was a ridiculously lame reason, but Behring still believed it as naively as usual...... And he never looked back.

It was only now that he realized uncomfortably how much damage it would do to Behring...... It was only now that he really realized what a selfish guy he was.

But he couldn't turn back.

He looked at Is, who was lying on the deck. The dragon...... The young man had completely lost consciousness. He was still alive, with a faint, slow heartbeat. But the wound was severe, the body felt cold and hard to the touch like a block of ice, and the wound on the chest that was temporarily frozen looked so terrible. So that they didn't even dare to move him, and could only let him lie there.

He said "to the north...... They could only hope that there was someone in the north who could help him.

"He's been a lucky guy. ”

Rosa said this, but the worry in her eyes told him that she didn't believe much in something like "lucky" that could not be seen or touched.

She sat beside Is, with her knees folded. Bertram wanted to go over and talk to her, he felt they had a lot of information to exchange - and, he had to admit, he liked Rosa. She is calm. Tough, but not cold and stubborn...... But he didn't think he had much of a chance to get to know her better.

She seems to be gentle, but she is not an easy person to approach. Even when he was smiling, he always kept a certain distance, consciously or unconsciously—and the elf standing beside him like a shadow probably wouldn't give him any chance to try to shorten the distance.

Of course, there is much more to him than that...... Or rather. Of all the things that bother him. This one doesn't even rank up.

"You don't seem to want to go north. ”

Captain Grufeld's voice rang out behind him.

Bertram looked back at his eyes, which were slightly red and swollen from exhaustion, but still clear and bright, and for a moment did not know how to answer.

He wasn't sure how much he knew...... But there are some things that cannot be lied.

"I don't want to. "I let the Iron Teeth wait on the bone-white beach to the north...... It's just below the Knife Wall Rock. ”

"But you don't want us to pick them up. The captain calmly poked the tobacco he never lit.

“...... Yes. Bertram smiled wryly, "At least not now...... Not so fast. You know Nine Toes, and you know that the people he recruited into the Black Sails are usually very difficult to get away from them. ”

"You think they're going to set a trap...... You think they're going to take the Unicorn and give it to Nine Toe again. Captain Grufeld was not surprised. Nor angry, "You think they will betray us." ”

Bertram hung his head. Clam up. He hated such doubts, but he had to doubt.

"Maybe. The captain took a leisurely puff of smoke rings that didn't exist, "but they're still my people—until they prove they're not." ”

This was the expected answer, and Bertram could only nod silently.

"Send that dragon away, and we'll pick them up. He said.

"You don't even know where to send it. Gischel, who had walked past them, interjected coldly.

She'll probably never learn to speak nicely.

"The wind will tell me. Bertram looked up at the sky and replied casually, his gaze subconsciously following the half-elf's back.

It was another thing that bothered him—he knew she had unleashed the ghostblade. Even if it's a last resort...... She broke her vow, and that would make things worse.

He lowered his head, which was getting more and more painful, and raised it again in confusion. Maybe it's an illusion...... But the wind that stirred the sails seemed to have become much smaller.

It soon became clear to him that this was not an illusion - the ship slowed down rapidly, and in a moment it simply came to a halt on the surface of the sea, lazily undulating with the waves.

The wind stopped.

The wind, which was always "blowing in the direction they needed it," as Bang Bu said, stopped completely.

“...... Do we need to worry?" asked Bombu worriedly, "or not?"

"Don't be too nervous. Bertram glanced warily at the still-empty sea, and casually reassured, "The northern sea is like that. Do you know why the Anktann don't build ships and sail to sea like the southerners, because there are whirlpools under the surface of the sea, and there are large areas of the sea where you don't know where you are, and you will die of exhaustion at sea with oars alone...... Some say it's a magical barrier that dragons set up to protect their bones, Dragonbone Island, and that's where they say Nine Toes found it, but I don't think it's ......."

He was accustomed to checking the situation and coming up with countermeasures while talking nonsense with half-truths, and this time, it was not Gichel who interrupted him.

"Interesting legend. ”

A thin, unfamiliar voice floated from the bow of the ship, "Although windless areas do exist...... But you are far from it. ”

In the silence, everyone stared in amazement at the two figures who had suddenly appeared on the deck—no one knew how they had come up.

It was two women, one with white hair, who looked to be fifty or sixty years old, thin but standing straight, with a pair of eyes that were surprisingly blue, very young for her age, and crossed her arms, not hiding her anger and helplessness, and the other was a teenage girl, with light flaxen hair, and a simple white robe, tall and delicate, with an indifferent expression.

"I'll take it. ”

She said.

(To be continued.) )