"Try using your magic," Freyr said with a smile.
Both Lilith and Naya cast spells, but there seemed to be some issues.
Lilith tried using wind magic to summon a breeze to speed up the sail, but she only managed to conjure a small gust that barely tousled their hair. Naya, being more impatient, tried to fly away immediately… only to crash into the sea after a short distance!
By the time Freyr, with several empty gourds hanging from him, swam to Naya's side to rescue her, the poor witch had already swallowed several mouthfuls of salty, briny water. She struggled back onto the raft and lay there, retching for quite a while.
"Well, it seems your magic has somewhat recovered, but it's still far from normal. Just a bit better than on the island," Freyr said, trying not to laugh as he looked at Naya. "For instance, Naya, you could only fly ten meters on the island, but just now, you flew over twenty meters!"
"You! You're mocking me! Ugh…" Naya started to retort but was interrupted by a sudden wave of nausea and began to vomit again.
Freyr squinted and smiled. "I think it's possible that, although we've left the island, the suppression on your magic might linger for a while before it gradually fades. It won't just disappear instantly. I guess in about two days, you'll be back to normal."
"How do you know that? Hmph!" Naya asked coldly.
"I'm just guessing." Freyr shrugged.
In truth, Samael had told him.
…
Two days wouldn't be too hard to endure… as long as they were lucky enough to avoid any storms. And as long as they could handle two days of hunger!
On the island, they had only eaten the roots of that plant. This time, when they set off on the raft, Freyr had managed to dig up a bit of those roots to bring along, but it was very little. Just enough for one day.
By the time the sun set, they had run out of food.
All three of them were young, growing teens with good appetites. They had been perpetually hungry for days, and now they were at their limit.
Freyr couldn't help but start eyeing the small cage hanging from Lilith's waist!
That chubby little phantom beast, like a ball of flesh!
Lilith knew Freyr well enough by now! Seeing his gaze frequently shift to the small cage beside her, she immediately understood his thoughts!
The poor girl clutched the cage tightly, her pitiful, pleading eyes fixed on Freyr without blinking.
Oh, almighty gods… please protect poor Lilith… and poor Jiujiu…
Finally, that evening, the gods answered Lilith's prayers for the first time in many days!
In the distance, a light appeared on the sea! The light grew closer and closer… Freyr estimated that it was a ship!
Suddenly, their empty, exhausted bodies were filled with energy! Naya and Lilith jumped up, waving and cheering toward the ship.
Freyr, however, remained calm, staring at the ship for a while…
As it drew nearer, they could see it was a two-masted sailing ship, slightly shabby and old… But what made Freyr's brow twitch was…
A black flag flying from the ship's mast! A black flag with a skull and crossbones beneath it!
… A pirate flag?
Freyr's lips curled into a smile. The gods were kind… they had sent a pirate ship!
The sailors on the ship had also spotted the raft with its three passengers. As the ship drew closer, several sailors stood at the railing, looking at Freyr and his companions with interest.
The two witches quickly realized that this ship was no good… It didn't look like a merchant ship, the hull was worn, and there were crossbows mounted on it. But there was no Imperial Navy flag.
"Hey! Look, it's a few kids… oh, and two women! Hahaha…" A sailor's voice rang out from the ship, followed by laughter as more pirates crowded the railing to see Freyr and the others on the raft.
Freyr sighed and shouted, "We were shipwrecked, can you help us?"
The laughter grew louder, tinged with malicious intent.
A rope ladder was thrown down, and Freyr breathed a sigh of relief before glancing at Naya. She understood his signal and was the first to climb up.
Naya was skilled and confident. Though her magical abilities hadn't fully returned, she had recovered two or three-tenths of her strength, enough to be considered a low-level wizard. Additionally, she possessed excellent combat skills. This level of ability, while insufficient against true masters, was more than enough to handle a few dozen small-time pirates.
Naya climbed up first, followed by Freyr, and finally Lilith.
The surrounding sailors gathered around, laughing and leering at the three young people as if they were lambs to the slaughter.
"Oh! Look at those two beauties!"
"Yeah! Look at the legs on the one on the left! The captain will love her!"
"Haha, you kids have boarded a fine ship!"
These men were scruffy, mostly barefoot, wearing tattered clothes, their faces dirty, grinning lecherously at Lilith and Naya.
Lilith, timid by nature, felt frightened and moved closer to Freyr, while Naya's face grew darker, showing signs of her imminent outburst.
This fierce, icy beauty had dared to attack an imperial garrison openly; what were a few pirates on a shabby ship compared to that?
"Silence!"
A hoarse voice came from within, followed by the sound of boots on deck. A tall man emerged, wearing a tattered Imperial Navy uniform with the shoulder epaulets and insignia torn off.