Rygar ran across the sea, creating ice platforms as support. He followed the trail left by the ship, focusing on the scent left by the passengers. Upon spotting it in the distance, he increased his speed, charging into a final sprint before powerfully leaping onto the deck.
As he landed, the dull thud of his impact echoed through the ship, drawing the crew's attention. The men stared at him in astonishment—some widening their eyes, others exchanging incredulous glances. The short captain hurried toward him, breathing heavily, his expression a mix of shock and relief.
"Sir! I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed, panting. "We got caught in the aftermath of a battle between superpowered monsters! The waves were colossal! I was terrified when I heard you were in the sea. Where have you been? Did you see which creatures were fighting?"
Rygar reflected for a moment, replaying the battle in his mind. The waters boiled with lightning, the ocean erupted in fiery explosions, and he recalled the sheer magnitude of the Kraken and its absurd abilities. Taking a deep breath, he answered naturally:
"It was a massive Kraken, dark-toned, covered in a tough crust. It controlled lightning and had red eyes. The other beast…" Rygar paused briefly, observing the captain's reaction before continuing, "was a creature that spewed fire and lightning and leapt through the sky."
The captain's face turned pale with every word. His lips parted in a reflex of contained terror, and as understanding dawned in his mind, cold sweat began to form on his forehead.
"My God! We're doomed!" The man ran a trembling hand through his hair. "Zeroth… The Lord of Storms has awakened!"
Rygar furrowed his brow. The name meant nothing to him. "Who is this Zeroth?" He had learned much from his master about the world, but it wasn't as if he knew everything she did—after all, it was the accumulated knowledge of 500 years.
The captain turned his gaze to the horizon, his breathing uneven. "Zeroth is an octopus-like beast that fought countless heroes in the past. None ever managed to kill him. There are stories that say that, many years ago, even Saint Milis himself couldn't defeat him—only drive him away. He's a legendary creature that has brought destruction for thousands of years. Whenever he awakens, storms ravage the seas, and beaches are swallowed wherever he appears."
The captain seemed genuinely frightened. "In fact, even today, some coastal tribes worship him as a Sea God!"
Rygar remained silent for a moment. Was this monster really that famous? If he told the captain that he had killed it, he'd probably be seen as either a liar or a lunatic.
"Don't worry," he said simply. "The beast that spewed fire and lightning won the battle. The octopus is dead."
The captain froze, staring at Rygar with wide eyes, unable to form a coherent response. His lips moved, but no words came out—just a hesitant murmur. "Zeroth… is dead…?"
Ignoring the impact of the revelation, Rygar made his way to the ship's quarters. As he walked through the corridors, the scent of damp wood and salty air filled the space. Pushing open the door, he was greeted by a serene scene.
Eris slept soundly in Lilia's lap, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, exhausted. Beside her, Aisha sat with a book in her hands, tracing the words with her finger while murmuring softly. When she noticed his presence, her eyes lit up, and she prepared to shout with joy, but upon remembering that Eris was sleeping, she simply smiled and whispered:
"Welcome back, Master!"
Next to Aisha, Ghislaine was sitting, helping her learn to read and write. Rygar had told her that teaching others was an efficient way to learn faster. When she lifted her gaze to Rygar, her tail began to sway slightly.
"Did you succeed?" she asked, her voice firm but tinged with curiosity.
Rygar smiled and dropped the large sack he was carrying. As it opened, it revealed the magic stone he had collected—only now in pieces, their massive sizes gleaming under the dim light of the room. Silence fell over them.
Lilia widened her eyes, her mouth slightly open in absolute shock. Aisha, on the other hand, looked at it with curiosity. Ghislaine narrowed her eyes and crouched down to inspect the stones, her fingers gliding over their rough surfaces.
"I've never seen magic stones this big. Not even dragons have something like this…" she murmured, impressed. Her lupine eyes turned to Rygar, her voice firm and inquisitive. "I could feel the mana fluctuations from the battle. I saw time and mana surge like never before. What kind of monster did you fight?"
Rygar crossed his arms, thoughtful. "I'll tell the story when Eris and Eidar are here to listen too."
He then turned to Lilia, who was still staring at the stones. "Has she woken up at all?" he asked, referring to Eris.
Lilia blinked a few times before composing herself. "No… She's been completely exhausted since we returned."
Rygar nodded. "Alright. I'll go see Eidar and Skoll."
Aisha waved energetically, a bright smile on her face, while Ghislaine simply observed him with a watchful gaze. Rygar cast one last glance at Eris, then at the magic stones he had brought, before leaving the room to meet his other companions.
Rygar walked through the ship until he reached the place where Skoll and Eidar were staying. The room was spacious, with an entrance that led directly to the deck, offering a wide view of the ocean. He approached and knocked twice before stepping inside.
As he opened the door, the scene before him was unexpected: Skoll was holding Eidar's head between his teeth. The moment he saw Rygar, he quickly let go, wagging his tail and feigning innocence. Rygar raised an eyebrow, suspicious, while Eidar stood up, flustered, adjusting his clothes.
Trying to divert attention from the embarrassing situation, Eidar asked, "How was the battle? I could feel the tremors even from here."
Rygar noticed the attempted distraction but decided to spare him from awkward questions. "It was a pretty big one this time," he replied casually.
He then walked over to Skoll and started stroking his soft fur. The large wolf took the opportunity to try licking his face in every possible way, but Rygar skillfully dodged.
"What did they feed Skoll?" he asked, still laughing at Skoll's frustrated attempts.
Eidar thought for a moment before answering, "Lots of fish… He doesn't have to worry about bones, so he ate them without any trouble."
Rygar settled beside Skoll, who lay down, turning into a warm, fluffy couch. Eidar sat in a nearby chair, watching Rygar with a thoughtful expression.
"Do you know what path you'll follow for the rest of your life, Eidar?" Rygar asked, looking straight at him.
Eidar chuckled before responding.
"I think I do, but it keeps changing all the time."
Rygar continued stroking Skoll and said, "Sounds easy. You can change whenever you want."
Eidar responded casually, "I really believe that things happen for a reason. Meeting you and the others in the Great Forest was a turning point for me," Eidar began, his voice carrying a mix of emotion and conviction.
"I can have as many doubts as I want, I can make mistakes, but even so, I can keep moving forward. It's actually easy, but that's because I don't really have anyone depending on me besides my grandmother and my brother, and they're already safe. I've always believed in my own talent, even after meeting you all, and in the future, I still want to become a powerful warrior and leave my mark on the world."
He looked directly at Rygar. "You're different. You carry a lot on your shoulders, including my own expectations."
"It might seem silly or idealistic in your eyes, but as long as I follow you, I feel like I can accomplish anything. And you've been proving that to be true ever since we left the Great Forest. I've noticed you've been more fierce lately, but honestly, I don't mind. I decided to follow you, and that's what I'll do, as long as you keep protecting my family and don't change who you really are."
Rygar crossed his arms and pondered for a moment before letting out a light sigh. He wasn't too worried about his change and had only asked casually, but it was good to know that his shift wouldn't drive his friend away.
"Isn't that kind of fanatical?" he teased.
Eidar shrugged and laughed.
"What are you complaining about? Just keep moving forward. You're already on a path you can't turn back from now. I can simply believe that you can do anything and pray… and you… you have to be able to do anything! Hahahaha!"
Rygar laughed along, relaxing for a moment. And then, a sudden flash shone. His hand crackled with electricity, the hairs on his arm stood on end. A grin spread across his face as he looked at Eidar.
"But what…?!" Eidar started to say, but there was no time.
He tried to draw his sword and step back, but it was too late. A loud bang echoed, and Eidar's screams filled the room. On the deck, the crew stopped what they were doing and looked fearfully in the direction of the cabin.
The rest of the journey went by without major issues. The sea remained calm, and Rygar spent the days training. Many times, he cast healing magic on Eris, and he noticed she had become calmer around him.
Whenever possible, he froze the surface of the water so he and Ghislaine could spar without damaging the ship. However, no matter how much he tried to focus, he felt his instincts sharpening more and more with the mating season.
It was a strange, almost frustrating feeling. His body craved something, and every time he looked at Ghislaine, he got excited without even realizing it. But fortunately, they were still at sea, and he had plenty of distractions to keep his mind occupied: his Touki training, magic practice, sparring with Eidar, and teaching Eris and Aisha.
Even so, Ghislaine seemed to notice that he was avoiding her. However, instead of confronting him, she simply said nothing. But what was even more confusing was that every time Rygar looked at her, she would subtly seduce him, provoking him in small ways. Yet she never spoke directly—maybe because she never had to before?
These thoughts kept hammering in Rygar's mind. Should he just go for it? He started weighing the pros and cons.
The pros were that Ghislaine was incredibly hot. Totally his type. Strong. Hardworking. Determined. Fierce. Loyal. He was 95% sure he could beat her in a direct fight now. But honestly, she probably wouldn't even want to fight in the first place. If he was direct, she'd agree easily.
The cons… well, little Rygar was only 13 centimeters—which was actually pretty good for his age, honestly. But did that matter? Things could get weird after the mating season. He was only 11 years old… but then again, in this world, that was much more normal. Besides, his mind had over 30 years of experience. So, in the end, did it really matter?
He kept weighing the points as he looked out at the sea, feeling the salty wind against his face. His tail swayed from side to side, reflecting his indecision. But after a while, he made his decision—the pros outweighed the cons!
"I was thinking about embracing my wild nature more, wasn't I? This is what my body wants!" he murmured to himself, firm in his choice.
Before he could think further, he heard a voice calling his name.
"Rygar." It was Ghislaine.
He quickly turned around. As always, she had that expressionless face, but her gaze seemed more intense than usual.
"Ghislaine!" he responded, trying to sound natural.
She spoke before he could continue:
"I'm sorry." And then, to his surprise, she bowed slightly.
Rygar was confused.
"Huh? Why are you apologizing?"
Ghislaine lifted her gaze and continued:
"In the past few weeks of the mating season, I noticed your looks and thought you wanted to sleep with me. But you always avoided it at the last moment, and I didn't know why. I've never been good at understanding people, so I decided to talk to Lilia just now. And she explained the reason to me."
Rygar blinked a few times, not understanding.
"Explained what?"
"I didn't consider your side as a warrior and as a man. Lilia reminded me about the beast race's tradition of challenging their intended partner to a duel and winning. When I said you could probably beat me now if you tried seriously, she told me you probably wanted to win against me only with the sword."
The shock hit Rygar like a punch. Wait, what?!
He froze. How did Lilia come to that conclusion?! Thinking about it, for the natives of this world, it actually made sense… But he didn't even have time to formulate a response.
"Ah—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Ghislaine continued, serious:
"With your current progress, you should reach the Sword King level in less than 3 or 6 months. I won't bother you about this anymore until then." Her voice was firm, as if she was absolutely sure of this truth.
Rygar opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out. What could he even say now?!
"A-ah... alright." He tried to sound confident, but it came out hesitant and awkward. Trying to regain his composure, he swallowed hard and spoke with more firmness: "When I reach the Sword King level, I will challenge you!"
Ghislaine smiled slightly. Her tail swayed, seeming pleased.
"I'll be waiting," she said, then turned and walked back to the cabins.
Rygar stood there, still processing everything. His gaze slowly lifted to the sky, and he let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"Why?" he murmured to himself, frustrated.
Just when he had finally made up his mind, he was forced to wait again…
His ears drooped to the sides, utterly disheartened.
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