"Where have you come from? I don't remember seeing you here before." Shun asked while seated comfortably on the couch.
"Young master, you need to start from introductions, right?" Alfred said.
"Ah, right? Let's follow the rules. So what's your name?" Shun asked.
"Um, m-my name is Airi, young master." She said nervously.
"Hmm Hmm, so Airi, Where have you come from?"
"Amid the W-Whispering Woods, in a small village called Trudid. I lived there with my family."
"Oh, Whispering woods. I don't believe you."
"W-W-What happened, y-young master?" She said, panicking.
"I find your explanation full of errors. Whispering woods is one of four barriers that separate our town from the rest of the world, and it is full of unknown dangers. It sounds like you made the risky trek through the forest simply to get a job here, knowing that it carried risk."
"Um, I a-am not l-lying. I have come here after crossing the forest."
"Then where's your family? Don't tell me you came here alone!"
"That's…"
"I can't believe it. Alfred, on what basis did you bring her in front of Mom? In confidence, she is even worse than the others. And you are keeping me in her care knowing that she is an outsider?" Shun said as he stood up.
"I already told her, but she insisted on meeting you." Alfred said.
Shun sighed and started walking away.
"Um, m-my village is g-gone now so my parents sent me here to live and earn some m-money."
Shun stopped and went straight towards the standing Airi.
"Let's decide it with a toss then." He said as he took out his coin from his pocket.
"This will tell me whether you are a bad person or a good person." He said and tossed the coin in the air.
The coin fell down on the ground and started vibrating back and forth on the surface. After few turns and rounds, it finally stopped and the front facing side was the horn of the demon.
"U-U-mm, I am not a b-bad person, I p-promise." She said and started weeping silently.
"Phew, it saved you, I guess." Shun said as he gave her his handkerchief and started moving outwards.
"Also, you may become my caretaker." He said and left the room.
"Eh? J-Just like that?" Airi said, confused.
"Yeah, you can't comprehend him. He argues on both sides of the fence at once, no matter how much I wish he were more prudent." Alfred said.
"Anyway, now that the lady and the young Lord have permitted, let's get you some clothes from the dresser." Alfred said, and they moved out towards the maid dorm to get her dressed up.
*
"I wouldn't be foolish enough to leave someone like her." Shun thought while walking through the corridor.
"There are many reasons for it. First, she is of my age, so we can have dealings. Second, she is too timid and less confident, so I can do anything without worrying about the consequences because it will be her tied with a rope, not me." Shun thought and started smiling creepily and went out of the castle.
*
"The ship is just as fascinating as it was decades ago." Julius said while looking at the ship.
"Hmm, let's see if the captain is still the same or not." Sylvie said, and they entered the drinking bar.
Upon seeing the Duke enter the drinking bar, everyone was standing up except for those busying themselves with their own affairs.
"It's my drink. Stay away from it or else I will shave that moustache of yours."
He was a medium-sized, thin skinned adolescent with a funky colour combination. Wearing a mandarin collar T-shirt with a half cut coat on it, he had murky coloured stripes designed on his pants. He had rolled a white scarf on his neck and was trying to place his drink away from the man in front of him. His eyes were clear blue as water and a slight brown skin.
"Ehhhhh? Give it to me, you can take another drink, right?" The man said while hanging onto the table.
"You know it's my favourite one, Captain. We need to ship all that is present here because we will travel far away from here and I don't when we will come here next." He said.
"You are such a niggard, Yuragi. It's not like two sips will make a difference. And it will all go to the ship so we will share it among us." The man said as he got a hold of the bottle and started snatching it.
He looked like he drank too much and his voice was altering accordingly.
Standing 5' 3" tall, this olive-skinned person had a very learned feel about him. A notable feature was a strange scar on his left eye.
He had a narrow face, seductive lips, and dark red eyes with a black ring separating the two variants.
His black hair, dyed completely black, was medium-long and a little sinuous. Both of his ears were pierced. A thick neck, slanting shoulders, short arms, large hands, a slim torso, curvy hips, toned legs, and mid-range feet were several features of his physique. A runic tattoo on his left hand, representing a dragon. He wore perfectly pressed tacky clothes that were mostly pastel-coloured and had put on a silver ring.
"Come on, don't be a miser. Let me get a sip of it too." He said.
"Eeeeerrrggghhh, I won't give it to you, you already drank more than enough." Yuragi said.
Both of them grabbed the bottle and get it to their side, but the other side didn't back down and the battle continued.
"You still haven't changed, Yami. As energetic as ever." Julius said.
A grin spilled across Yami's face as he let go of the bottle and looked at Julius with uncontrollable excitement.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaa!! (*THUD)." Yuragi shouted as he fell to the other side. The people present there looked at him and started chuckling.
"Damn it!! Even the bottle broke." He thought, and stood up.
"Ay, my sweet girlfriend, Julie. Long time no see." Yami jumped out of the crowd and ran to Julius, with a hugging posture.
"And as mischievous as ever. You need to sober up." Julius flipped sideways and kicked the back of Yami's running leg, causing him to collapse.
"Hey, what are you both doing to my captain?" Yuragi came running towards them.
"You can see for yourself." Julius said as he pointed towards Yami.
"Long time..no..see, haaafurrrrrr." Yami mumbled a little and took a nap in the same posture.
Yuragi looked at Yami and ticked his forehead with his hand and said, "Captain."