Frank noticed an unfamiliar black scroll in Bairon's hand.
He'd seen many similar items in the possession of young Master Padorn.
They were rumored to be called "spell equipment".
By infusing just a bit of Mindergy, a magus could invoke the spell reserved within the scroll.
A luxurious commodity indeed.
As to why Bairon had one, Frank, learning from the painful lesson of accidentally overhearing the Count's secret, neither wished nor dared to know.
"As you command, my Lord!" Frank removed his captain's hat, offering a deferential bow.
With his first mate in tow, Frank personally checked and re-checked the preparations for departure.
If the magus said they could sail, then they surely could.
Frank had faith in Bairon.
While awaiting the moment to set sail, Bairon returned to the first-class cabin and escorted Evelyn and Seasoft out.
"Miss Seasoft, the ship might rock quite a bit soon. I have duties to attend to. Could you please look after Evelyn for me?" Bairon requested.
"You've found a way to dispel the Windless Expanse Spell Field?" Seasoft's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"That's impossible. A spell field generated by a Divine Artifact can only be retracted by an Elf using the same artifact. Even I, as a half-Elf, can only retract half of it using the Divine Artifact."
This had been Seasoft's greatest trump card in her confidence to retrieve the Divine Artifact.
But now, it seemed Bairon had an alternative.
A sense of foreboding nudged at Seasoft's heart.
"I have a way." Bairon held up the spell scroll as an indication and added, "Please ensure your safety as well, Miss Seasoft."
"A mere spell scroll can't dispel a spell field created by our Elven Divine Artifact!" Seasoft retorted with a snort. "I'd love to see you try!"
"Then keep your eyes wide open." A smirk played at the corner of Bairon's lips as he turned to walk towards the expansive deck.
Standing at the center of the deck, Bairon took a moment to feel the weight of the spell scroll in his hand, slowly channeling a stream of Mindergy into it.
Once the Mindergy left his mind, the scroll acted like a vortex, violently drawing it in.
Bairon then sensed the Mindergy moving along a specific path within the scroll.
It was tracing the remnants of the Magic Pattern, constructing the Magic Circuit.
After a brief wait, sensing the right moment had come, Bairon unfurled the scroll with both hands.
A soft golden glow emerged from within. Under the blinding illumination, Bairon saw what appeared to be patterns drawn with a dark substance inside the scroll.
This was his first glimpse of the true face of a spell scroll.
"Let the winds rise!" Bairon whispered.
The once azure sky, dotted with a few white clouds, darkened instantly.
Layers upon layers of stormy clouds gathered overhead.
The temperature plummeted by ten degrees.
"It's so cold..." A sailor murmured, crossing his arms and vigorously rubbing his shoulders.
"Yes, the wind feels like ice," another sailor agreed with a nod.
And then, the wind—.
"The wind is rising!"
"The wind is rising!"
From atop the crow's nest, the lookout sailor shouted down to his comrades below.
Everyone felt it as the White Gull began to sway.
The sound of waves crashing against the hull, the creaking noise of wood pressing against wood, echoed continuously.
"Sailors, one final check!" Frank removed the pipe from his mouth, bellowing at the top of his lungs.
The gale began to howl.
The swaying of the White Gull grew more violent, even risking capsizing.
The sailors' faces turned pale.
While the Windless Expanse Spell Field was a realm of death, too fierce a storm at sea could also be more than the White Gull could bear.
"Lord Stewart, the sailors are doing their best to keep the White Gull stable, but they won't hold out for long," Frank hurriedly descended from the upper deck to Bairon, his face a mask of fear.
The good news was that the White Gull was on the move.
But the bad news was just as dire.
Bairon asked, "Are you sailing into the wind?"
"We have to. The storm is too strong. Sailing with the wind would make capsizing even more likely," Frank explained.
"The issue now is that even while tacking against the wind, White Gull might not survive much longer."
"I understand," Bairon mused. "Take me to the jib of the White Gull."
While Bairon had never operated a sailboat, nor been a captain, Sailport was the sailboat manufacturing capital of the Provincial Alliance.
Over time, he had picked up some knowledge about the principles of sailboat navigation.
For a sailboat to sail against the wind, the jib was crucial.
By hoisting sails on the side of the boat, it could zigzag into the wind, pushing forward.
Frank immediately led Bairon to the base of the jib.
By now, half the sailors on the White Gull were there, desperately holding onto the ropes of the jib, trying to maintain the ship's direction as best they could.
However, the waves were monstrous, and the sailors' hands began to bleed, the blood dripping down the ropes onto the deck.
Bairon looked up at the jib, his eyes profound and deep.
It was the second time that Charlotte had opened the gateway to the underlying laws of the world, revealing to Bairon the Magic Circuit of the "Wind Blade."
Hence, Bairon learned how to manipulate the wind with even greater precision.
Invoking the "Levitation" spell, Bairon floated upwards until he was level with the jib.
"Wind Blade!"
Bairon raised his hands, channeling his Mindergy, letting it flow within him, following the pattern of the "Wind Blade" spell.
Just as the Magic Circuit was about to form, Bairon swiftly altered its trajectory slightly.
This modification created a Wind Blade a hundred times larger than the ones he typically used in combat.
"Go!"
With a swift motion, Bairon sent the Wind Blade roaring towards the jib.
On the ship, Frank, who was gazing up, was utterly stunned by the sight.
Was Bairon about to slice away the jib?
Without it, the White Gull was surely doomed to capsize!
Just as Frank was about to shout out in alarm...
The colossal Wind Blade halted just a second before it could touch the jib, spinning in place.
This spinning Wind Blade blocked nearly half of the wind that was rushing toward the jib.
Consequently, the tilting White Gull regained nearly half its balance amidst the tumultuous waves.
"Now's the time, lads! Pull!" Frank bellowed.
With that, he jumped into the fray, joining the sailors in pulling the ropes.
The blood streaming down the ropes onto the deck intensified, but the sailors clenched their teeth, chanting rallying cries and encouraging each other with fervent gazes.
Hovering above, Bairon observed from a bird's-eye view.
The White Gull navigated through the massive waves, moving in a zigzag pattern, steadily advancing forward.
...
Half an hour later, the White Gull finally broke free from the Windless Expanse, entering calmer waters.
Exhausted, Frank and the sailors collapsed onto the deck, their hands almost unrecognizable from wear and strain.
Disengaging from his Levitation, Bairon landed on the White Gull.
He cast a glance at the sailors, then entered the lower deck's cabin: "The storm has passed. We need a few hands on deck."
"We've paid for our passage," retorted a passenger.
The tumultuous half-hour journey had left most passengers pale, and some had even started vomiting.
Yet, the sailors' plight was undeniably far more harrowing.
Bairon's gaze was icy, "I can easily send you all back to the Windless Expanse. You can then voice your concerns about passenger rights there."
Faced with the threat from the magus, the passengers in the lower deck were intimidated.
One by one, they reluctantly rose from their seats and left the cabin.
Once instructions were given, Bairon approached Evelyn.
After a thorough check to ensure she hadn't been harmed in any way, he let out a sigh of relief.
In a gentle tone, he asked, "Feeling nauseous?"
Evelyn shook her head, explaining, "Seasoft cast several spells on me to maintain balance."
"I took good care of her," Seasoft interjected.
"Thank you," Bairon replied sincerely.
"I don't need verbal thanks," Seasoft extended her hand, "Just return the Divine Artifact to me."
"Of course, I understand that simply looking after Evelyn isn't enough to claim the Divine Artifact. So, name your terms," Seasoft added.
Returning the Legacy Treasure was impossible now, having been consumed by the Dark Tower.
A smile flickered across Bairon's face, "Shall we discuss this in private?"
"Certainly," Seasoft nodded in agreement.
Bairon noticed her visible relief and paused, realization dawning.
This half-Elf was no fool.
Aware of her limited power, she had been keen on negotiations to retrieve the Divine Artifact.
Understanding this made Bairon feel the situation was far more manageable.