It was nighttime when I woke up from my slumber. It was a decent sleep, but I was still a bit sleepy. I had to get up though, forcing myself to sleep further was causing a bit of headache. So, gonna go let my sleep cooldown for a bit. Weird, right? Pfft, imagine sleep on a cooldown. But it was true, though!

  After gently rubbing my face, I got out of my room. Immediately, I felt the pleasant cold sensation of the sea breeze. I took a deep breath and noticed Velar standing on the deck, chatting with the crew. The moment he noticed me, he promptly walked over towards me.

  “Did you have a decent rest?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, I did. But I might be dropping back again shortly.”

  “You’re that tired, I see. But I guess you should have as much rest as possible right now.”

  “Hm?”

  “Captain Suda arrived earlier. He wanted to talk to you, but as I believed you didn’t want to be disturbed, I’ll just convey his message to you.”

  “I see, and what did he say?” I leaned on the wooden railing.

  “We can leave with them the day after tomorrow, in the morning. For the continent.”

  And by ‘we’ meant this ship and its crew. About time. It would seem my threat to that ninja did its work.

  “That’s good.”

  “Additionally, they’ll have another ship with them.”

  I smiled. “That’s great to hear…” I looked over to the crew chatting and laughing on the deck. They were getting along fine. They’d been together for not that long, but they’d been through hard times together. That had more weight and value than anything else in their lives. “Do they already know?”

  “Yes.”

  “They must be quite excited.”

  “Of course. Well, some of them are still conflicted.”

  “I suppose. Some of them have nowhere to go once they return to Eventon.”

  “Some even mentioned they have no intention of seeing their family again.”

  Of course, betrayal was one of the worst things that could happen to someone. Even more if it’s betrayal from your own family. Imagine seeing the parents that sold your ass. That would be a bit fucked up in the heart.

  “Mm…” As I stared at the deck, a thought came to mind. “Velar, can you bring the helmsman to me? I have something to tell him.”

  “The old man? Sure.”

  Velar left for a moment and called for the helmsman. While waiting, my elbow leaning on the wooden railing, I placed a hand on my cheek as I stared up at the dark sky. The stars twinkled beautifully. The world was full of color, but had never been so dull. It has been hard to appreciate things lately. But I shouldn’t let this get to me. It would be one miserable experience. I didn’t want to feel more miserable than I already was.

  You know, wallowing in these thoughts, it reminded me of the time I first arrived in this world. It was a simpler time. And more fun. Sure there were some bad parts, but a lot of it was good. And now…now it was just mostly bad…

  Velar returned with the old man with him.

  “Your Highness… You called for me?”

  I turned towards him with a small smile. “Who’s ship is this?”

  His brow furrowed, confused by my strange question. “... Um… I don’t know what that question is for, but as the captain, it’s yours.”

  I nodded. “Once you go back to Eventon, you can use the ship however you want.”

  “Sorry?”

  “It’s yours to do as you please. And yours, I mean, everyone. You just take the lead.”

  “Really? Why?”

  I shrugged. “It won’t have any other use, anyway. If everyone leaves, it’ll just be an empty ship. It would be a waste if you don’t do anything with it. You might find some use for it.”

  “I see…”

  “And, well… There are others that have nowhere to go. They might need this ship until they find a new direction in life. So until then, they can use this ship as their home.”

  The old man’s eyes widened, and they slightly started to moisten. “You really are a good person, Princess.”

  I’m not.

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  It just would be a waste. I worked hard for this ship, you know. I would not like it tossed away like some trash.

  And stop getting teary eyes, old man. It’s weirding me out.

  Always found it weird when someone suddenly cries for a small reason, even more so if they were seniors.

  “You’d still care for us even away…”

  I casually waved my hand to dismiss him. “Yeah yeah, just go ahead and tell them about this when you’re already sailing.”

  The old man chuckled. “You don’t have to be shy about it. We can just tell them now.”

  “Just… don’t.” I let out a sigh. I dread to think what kind of reaction I would get. Would rather not face it. “And oh, please rename the ship. I don’t like the old one.” And I was just lazy to mull over a name for a ship I’d discard in the end.

  “Of course! We’ll surely think of a new one!”

  With that done, I drove him away, urging him to get back to his work or whatever he was doing. Once he was gone, Velar faintly chuckled.

  “Are you always like this, even back in your kingdom?”

  “What?”

  “You show a fierce and tough exterior, but inside you are quite different.”

  I fell silent for a moment. “... They always say I am kind… But I always say I’m not.”

  “Are you sure?” He glanced at the crew. “You treat them with fondness.”

  You know, it’s kinda hard being misunderstood. But then again, that’s what I led them to believe.

  So it was still kinda my fault.

  I grinned. “Well, they do call me the Pure Princess. So I guess that counts to something.”

  “Heh. So it would seem.”

  “But, Velar, you shouldn’t always expect kindness from me.”

  “I am aware.”

  “... Okay.” I looked around. “By the way, have you seen Nira?”

  “Nira…? The monster girl? Last I saw was Taneva giving her some thick clothing and bringing her somewhere. Before nightfall.”

  “Huh. Did he say where they went?”

  “No.”

  I wondered what he was trying to do. Given that it was night, she had turned into a monster already. Could he be helping her or something? Anyway, not like anything could harm those immortal two.

  “Anyway. We should have a proper goodbye to each other, with the crew,” I said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I just had the idea, and I think it’s warranted. Can you please have everyone gather on the deck? I have something to tell them.”

  With that, Velar left and called everyone. It took some time, but a crowd had assembled on the deck below me. There were faint chatters, and I raised my hand, causing them to fall silent immediately. They all looked at me as I began to speak.

  “Good evening, everyone. I’m sure you’ve heard the news. The day after tomorrow, you’ll be able to leave these shores and return to the continent. We have been through multiple challenges together, and it will be a significant memory and experience in our lives. I’m sure none of you could ever forget it.”

  They all looked at each other with a smile.

  “We were trapped in darkness, but we found light in each other. In dangers, in hardships, we formed deep friendships that would last for a lifetime.” I smiled. “Sadly, in time, we have to go our separate ways. Even I, along with a few, would not be going with you back to our continent. However, that doesn’t mean we should forget our fondness for each other. Even if we are far away, we must still carry our friends in our hearts.”

  I had never said something more cliche in my life. And yet, it was pleasant to hear. That was why it was a cliche in the first place.

  “Before the departure, tomorrow night I would like for us to have a farewell party.”

  My crew let out ‘wow’ and ‘ooohs’ the moment I said the word party.

  “We’ll have food, drinks, and whatever. Just enjoy our moments together, sing, dance. What do you say?” My smile grew wider.

  And then came the instantaneous cheers and joyful shouts.

  “ALRIGHT!”

  “Let’s goooo!”

  “Party!”

  “YES!”

  It was then that I noticed Taneva arriving and quickly approached me. With him was a fully covered small figure.

  “What’s the cheers for?” he asked.

  “Party for tomorrow. Where did you two go?”

  “Well, she was turning. And I wanted to make sure of her state the moment it happened. Children might have a different reaction, or just her. Have to be careful with this many people around. You were sleeping in your room, so we couldn’t hide there.”

  Was that even necessary? Whatever, he might just be concerned about a monster kid in our midst. “And? How is she?”

  “So far, very well. No signs of going berserk at the moment of transformation. Smaller body must mean a small stomach to fill or something. All’s fine.”

  “We can just use your blood whenever we need it, right?”

  He wryly chuckled. “You can say that. But the kid does not seem comfortable doing it.”

  “Hm? Why?”

  “She said she doesn’t like hurting those that helped her.”

  “... I see.” What a kind girl. “Anyway, we need food for tomorrow. And I want something good. Got any idea where we can get some?”

  “If you want something normal, fishes are the most feasible. But they’re expensive here.”

  “There is a lot of water around us.”

  “This region near the lands doesn’t have a lot of fishes. The dead zone is not only on the islands, you know.”

  “So we have to get fishes from a bit farther away?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then we’ll get some. We should be able to get back before sunset, yes?”

  “I suppose.”

  “Alright then.” I turned to the crew. “Everyone! Wake up early in the morning, before first light. We’ll be going fishing! We’ll use the fish for the party.”

  “Finally! Normal food!”

  “I don’t like the monster meat they have here.”

  Sounded like they liked the idea of getting normal fish.

  “Alright then, everyone,” I said. “Don’t sleep late so you can wake up early tomorrow. We’ll get as much fish as we can!”

  “YES!”

  I nodded, pleased to see their reaction. I turned towards Taneva and Nira.

  “Do you think you'll feel hungry later tonight?” I asked the little girl. Just wanted to make sure. Wouldn’t want her going wild while everyone’s deep asleep.

  “No. I… I have already fed.”

  “Oh. Taneva failed to mention that.” I frowned. “Don’t tell me you hunted some people nearby?” That would be troublesome. Wouldn’t want bodies being left all over the place and people discover them without a shed of blood left in their body. Or their body shredded inside the city, which would be a sign of a monster.

  “I intend to mention it. We hunted some monsters on the way after my observations,” Taneva answered. “At least she’s not a choosy eater.”

  “Wow, you walked far.”

  “There are smaller creatures just outside the city, you know.”

  “Ah right.”

  “I just also taught her to hunt on her own whenever she feels the thirst for blood, without our supervision. Wouldn’t want her to hold herself back.”

  I narrowed my eyes at Taneva. “Woah. Is that you caring about her? How adorable.” I formed a teasing smile.

  Taneva laughed dryly. “I’m only trying to help a companion and a kid.”

  “That’s good that you’re getting along well now.”

  “... I sort of forced her, by the way. To come with me.”

  “Do you even need to mention that…?” I muttered. “At any rate, that’s good. Since she’s still a kid, might need to guide her in some other things.” I doubted her parents taught her a lot.

  “Hey now, don’t throw the responsibilities at anyone,” Taneva said. “You brought her here.”

  I groaned.