Adventure Awaits! Huzzah! 17

A princess of Jugdral. Daughter of the Emperor. One of the most important women in the world.

Was it any surprise that after that had been made known, her room became full? Clair had told the Captain of the girl's awakening, but after Himmel added that she was also a princess, chaos had almost descended on the ship.

Thankfully that hadn't come to pass, and so Himmel, his friends, and the Captain stood with the girl.

With a few exceptions, of course. As excited as Alm and Faye probably were to meet a princess, someone needed to keep guard of the empress. Actually, that might be the most exciting job now that Himmel thought about it.

Assuming Julia was telling the truth, of course. "You've got any proof of your identity, lass?" Something which the Captain was justifiably doubtful towards.

Having Jugdralian nobility suddenly show up in his ship was probably already seen as crazy. Having Jugdralian royalty instead? Well, Himmel could only imagine what crazy shenanigans were going on inside of the guy's head.

"I-I do not have any concrete proof. Only my Brand." That was troublesome.

The Captain looked towards Himmel. "Mister Mage, can ya do anything with that information?"

Himmel nodded. "To a certain extent. A Brand... well... it takes many different forms, but if we are lucky, I should be able to recognize the required markings on Julia." It was a good thing Kris had taught him how.

Himmel himself was the son of Sigurd of Chalphy and Deirdre of who knows where. The woman was supposedly the daughter of the deceased Prince Keith, whom his father had been accused of killing, and so she should have the blood of Naga in her veins.

Which meant Himmel himself should have blood from two houses... of a conqueror and of a princess... But his Brand barely showed that. Instead, most of what one could see was the blood of Baldr. His mother's blood was just too minor.

Still, Julia should either have Major Holy Blood of Naga or of Fjalar. Both of which Himmel could recognize... but there was also a chance of her being a mess like Alm, who had a Brand that couldn't be deciphered at all. Sadly, stuff like that just happened occasionally. A symptom of many different marriages across many years of alliances and such.

Hopefully that wouldn't be the case, and her nobility would be easy to confirm.

The Captain smiled. "Okay then, let's check out the girl's Brand! Seems easy enough!"

Julia's face immediately became as red as a tomato. "N-no...! I-I don't want to show that...!"

"Hah? Why? Something wrong, lass?" And now the Captain was back to being filled with suspicion.

Clair cleared her throat. "I'll tell you what's wrong. Her Brand happens to be in... a delicate place. One that should not be shown to anybody but her future husband!" Ah. Right. Clair had caught sight of it when changing Julia's clothes, so that made sense.

It was okay, though, as her brother, Himmel, could see it! He might lick it too. Oops, maybe he shouldn't see it after all.

Suddenly his seasickness felt a bit stronger for some reason.

Julia quickly nodded to Clair's declaration. "Y-yes, I do not wish to show it!"

The Captain sighed. "I see... well, can't Blondie just see what you're sporting and tell us? This time she can get a better look at it, since she knows what she is looking for."

Clair huffed. "Can you at least attempt to not speak like a barbarian when it comes to such matters?" The Captain could only wince in response. "And about your suggestion, I sadly cannot..."

She continued. "While I can recognize a Brand, I am afraid I am not knowledgeable enough to distinguish them apart." She couldn't be blamed for it, really.

Clair was Valentian nobility, there was never any need for her to study Major Holy Blood of all things. Himmel knew a scary amount about Jugdral, but he was the exception, not the rule, for obvious reasons.

The Captain clicked his tongue. "I see. Can anybody here do that?"

Kliff shrugged. "I certainly can't. I struggle to imagine anybody in this crew who could either—"

"I can." Himmel raised a hand. "Though it will depend on how clear Princess Julia's Brand is. If it's just a mess, then I can't do much, I'm afraid." He was actually a bit scared.

This was not knowledge he should have. He knew that. They knew that. Naturally, questions would arise.

And Kliff was the first to do so. "You do? Why? Did Lady Sonya teach you—" He stopped himself before he could finish. "Wait, I don't think she would know this sort of stuff either..."

"Lady Sonya?" Clair was definitely curious about the name she didn't recognize, but she quickly ignored it and went right back to the important matter. "I must admit, I am now curious about how you know this as well, Himmel."

She frowned. "You do know this, correct? Please do not tell me this is just an attempt to see... see..." She blushed. "See some skin!" Geez, wasn't she complimenting him earlier?

Now it was Himmel's turn to frown. "No, I genuinely do know it." Now how to explain it. "My father... Kris, he is an eccentric man, so he taught me some eccentric things. I actually know a few Archanean dances, by the way."

In the end he would just blame this whole thing on Kris being a weirdo. The other brats should back up his point. Hopefully. Kris did already have a reputation as a weirdo back in his home village, so that should help.

"Kris, huh..." Kliff put a hand on his chin. "He does have a lot of weird books, so I'm not surprised." Awesome, it worked. "But... well, Himmel can't exactly look at the Brand anyways, can he?"

Clair shook her head. "I do trust Himmel to be a gentleman, but he absolutely cannot." Where the hell was this Brand!? On his little sister's ass!?

Himmel hummed for a bit. "Okay... I think I have an idea." He looked at Clair. "How good are you at drawing?" If she was awful at it, maybe Faye could fill the spot.

"I am adequate." She puffed her chest in pride. "Those who train to ride a pegasus are expected to be able to have some skill in drawing maps. Naturally, I took this to its extremes and became a master of art." That sounded way above adequate.

But he got the gist of it. The little noble liked painting.

Which meant... "Well then, problem solved. You draw Julia's brand, I take a look at the drawing, and nobody's honor is tarnished."

Clair's eyes widened. "Oh. Not a bad solution at all. As expected of you, Himmel." It was weird that he had to think of a solution for this in the first place, but whatever.

Clair looked back at Julia. "Is this fine with you?"

"Y-yes, I think it should be okay." Welp, they got permission. The drawing plan was a go!

Clair cleared her throat. "Very well then, gentlemen, please leave the room so that I may begin working. I am sure Princess Julia wants to have those bindings of hers removed already." Not to mention how she probably wanted to eat too.

Clair had brought her food, but Julia kind of lost the opportunity to eat it with the whole mess about her being a princess.

"Sure." Though Himmel hoped Clair would still keep her guard somewhat up. Julia could be an impostor. "But... can I ask you something, Princess Julia?" It was a foolish question.

One that he, as someone who had tried to more or less cultivate a specific image, shouldn't ask. Nonetheless, he could not resist.

"F-feel free to ask me anything." Julia didn't know how dangerous her words were.

As Himmel was about to show her. "Thank you. Now, may I please know where your Brand is located? I'm incredibly curious about it." He needed to know! It was his privilege as her big brother.

Kliff immediately clicked his tongue. "Seriously...?" Himmel didn't know if that was better than the Captain, who had started laughing.

And then there was Clair, who looked as if she wanted to murder him. "Himmel! How dare you ask such a question of a refined lady!? And a lady who is a princess at that!?" Yeah, he had expected this.

You know, if Julia didn't answer his question, then he would still be content. Clair had a cute angry face—

"And do not think you can just silently stand there smirking like a buffoon!" She wouldn't even let him enjoy her cute anger!?

"I-It's fine..." His sister suddenly came to his rescue.

"But Princess Julia..." And Clair tried denying that rescue. "Himmel is a great man, but do not feel as if you need to fulfill his... suspicious requests out of gratitude for having saved you." Nah, he liked gratitude. She should obey him.

"T-That's not it. I'm fine with talking about it, I just don't want people to see it." Her words became as silent as a whisper. "Lord Himmel... my Brand is located on my stomach."

"Oh." How disappointing!

He was expecting a womb tattoo or something! Not this prude crap! And why couldn't she show her stomach to a guy!? It wasn't really a big deal, was it!?

Well, she was a princess, so even showing her bare shoulders was probably considered lewd.

His little sister sure was a special little gal.



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Himmel hated ship biscuits.

Alas, they were one of the few things one could take on such a voyage, so he just had to tolerate them. Now that he had to wait for Clair, he decided that he might as well eat, but with each bite he almost felt his teeth crack.

At least the batch he was currently eating wasn't filled with insects. Because that could happen, and if it did happen, you were kind of supposed to ignore it and just eat it anyways. Life was tough on the seas.

"Himmel... are you alright?" Kliff suddenly questioned, almost whispering in his ear.

Himmel could only assume he didn't want the Captain hearing their talk, so he began whispering too. "Yeah, I'm alright." And eating was probably helping with that.

As much as Himmel despised these goddamned ship biscuits, they were still food. Something that his body had been begging for. He imagined poor Julia was in a similar state.

"Are you sure? You're trembling, Himmel."

"...I'm sure." He was fine. And hey, if nothing else, he had his amazing little sister to cheer him up. Really, he felt like a kid on Christmas who asked for a sibling and actually got that wish. "I just haven't eaten in a while, Faye was right."

"If you say so..." He let out a long sigh. "I wouldn't blame you for being nervous about this situation, though. Everyone is." Yes, Himmel could imagine that.

It was almost kind of funny how they were now guarding royalty of all things.

Himmel smiled. "Everything will be fine, Kliff. It's not like Princess Julia wants our head or anything." If everyone really was feeling nervous, then it was all the more important that Himmel did not share the feeling.

Everybody had been maturing, but they were still brats. It fell upon Himmel to at least try and act confident.

Kliff nodded. "I know... How sure are you that she's the princess though?"

Himmel shrugged. "Fairly sure." Though he was still keeping the chance of him being wrong open. His big brother's heart might not survive such a backstab, however.

Kliff raised an eyebrow. "Can you tell me why?"

He sure could, but Kliff might not accept his answer. "They say the Empress of Jugdral is the world's most beautiful woman... Julia's mother... She lives up to the hype. I can't think of anybody being more beautiful than our current sleeping damsel."

Maybe a grown-up Celica could match her? That was the only one that could even become competition, really. As much as it hurt him, he had to admit that Faye and Clair would not be able to reach Deirdre's level. And he could say the same thing about Julia... and himself. Their fathers had tainted their genes, he supposed.

Honestly, that woman was a fairy tale come to life.

Though that wasn't all the proof he had. There was also the fact that Deirdre had called him a ghost... Himmel did not know how similar he looked to his father, but perhaps he looked similar enough to bring up some bad memories? Whatever the case, he couldn't talk about this to Kliff unless he planned on revealing his true identity.

"Her beauty, huh..." Kliff took a moment to consider. "I can't deny that she's beautiful, but I guess theories won't be mattering soon." He clenched his fists. "That girl better not be lying."

Oh? He hadn't expected that from Kliff. "What, you really want to be buddies with a princess, Kliff?" There was always Celica.

Though she probably wouldn't be buddies with any of them anymore.

Kliff clicked his tongue. "Tsk. Don't be stupid. It's just that... If she's a princess, couldn't she help us? I mean, she could let us stay in Jugdral for a while. It would certainly be better than Archanea and its war."

Himmel immediately felt as if he was going to collapse. "That's... an idea." A good idea. The worst part is that it was a good idea. "But Jugdral has its borders closed right now. We won't be able to enter."

"Who cares about that? You think they're going to reject us after we save their princess? Their empress?" Kliff sounded full of hope. "We could be seen as heroes there."

"You're right." Yes, Himmel had been thinking of this event as unlucky, but...

For the brats, this could be their salvation. They weren't Jugdral's number one child enemy, after all. The only one of them besides Himmel who really had something to kind of worry about was Alm, but even if his Brand got found, it was possible he would be welcomed as someone returning to his homeland by chance. Destiny.

"I'm glad you see it." Kliff stole a glance at the Captain. "Let's talk about this later with everyone. When he's not around."

"Yeah..." Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.

He had to calm down.



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"So, is my drawing acceptable, Himmel?"

"Yeah, you're really talented at this, Lady Clair." He was analyzing Julia's Brand, and he had to say, Clair had done a good job. Every line was clear, which is why he could confidently say that... "With this I can confirm it, we have an Imperial Princess on board."

Her Major Holy Blood had definitely gone towards her mother, in fact, he couldn't really identify any trace of Fjalar blood, but that didn't really matter. Without a doubt, Julia was a princess of Jugdral.

His cute little sister!

Hah... maybe Kliff had been right, Himmel suddenly felt as if he was going to pass out. Had he caught something when he jumped from the ship? Or was this just a result of him ignoring his own health?

Clair took the drawing back. "That is good to hear." She sent a smile to Julia. "Please forgive our disrespect, Princess."

Julia smiled back. "I-It's fine, I understand... Father always said caution is the most important tool one could have." Woah, some piece of advice from Emperor Arvis! Himmel would treasure it!

This felt like a nightmare.

Himmel cleared his throat. "So... now that I've confirmed her identity, Captain, may I release Princess Julia?" He was sure his little sister would love to feel her limbs again.

The Captain gave an excited thumbs up. "Go for it, Mister Mage!" He was probably dreaming about all the gold that could be extracted from this mess.

Himmel envied him. Just getting to live would already be a great reward.

He put those depressive thoughts behind, however, and went to free Julia. It was fairly easy, he just untied the ropes, really. And afterwards, she finally had a chance to begin eating.

It was cute, even though she was basically eating trash, she was trying to act refined. Himmel supposed it was hard to give up on habits that had probably been instilled in her since she was young. A little princess like her probably had tons of education when it came to etiquette and such.

Well, so had Himmel. He was technically a little prince. Kris really tried his best.

"S-so..." The Captain awkwardly tried to reject. "Erm... Princess Julia... I..."

Julia stopped eating for a moment. "You wish to ask me for a reward, correct?" She definitely hit the nail on the head. "Don't worry, I'm sure everyone here will be rewarded handsomely by my father. He truly loves Mother and me." Oh, she blushed a little at the end. How adorable.

Now, would that loving emperor be willing to spare the life of arguably the biggest threat to his rule? Himmel was guessing that was a solid no... Maybe he could ask for a quick death, though!

His vision was getting hazy for some reason.

The Captain awkwardly chuckled. "Well, I didn't want to straight up come out with it, but it's good to hear!" He pointed at himself. "I'll treat ya nice, lass— Princess! And if any of my crew give ya a hard time, just ask for me!"

"I-I'll do so..." The girl's tone made clear that she was a little bit intimidated by the Captain's boisterous attitude. "B-but I have one more request, if you would not mind..."

"Ask away, Princess! If ya want, I'll even catch a shark for you!" The worst part is that Himmel was sure the Captain really would try.

Princess Julia waved her hands around. "N-no need for that! I just wanted to ask... where exactly is this ship going...?" Hmmm... Himmel had a feeling he knew what she was going to ask.

The Captain put a hand on his chin. "We are heading to an island called Novis. After we do some trade there and refill our supplies, we are heading to Grust, an Archanean country, for more trade. Then we head back to Valentia."

Julia's eyes widened. "So you are traveling across continents...? I-I know this may s-sound absurd, but—"

"Ya want me to take you to Jugdral? Isn't that right, Princess?" The Captain had the same guess as Himmel.

Julia nodded. "Y-yes. I do not have the c-coin to pay you for it now, b-but I promise that will change once we reach Jugdral!" As a princess, she could probably make every single crew member on the ship rich.

This wasn't just an opportunity for Himmel's friends, it was for everyone. Really, only Himmel himself got fucked over it. Which meant... which meant things were not going to go his way.

The Captain laughed. "Hahaha! No worries, Princess. I'll take ya there, safe and sound!"

"R-really!?" Her voice was filled with hope.

"Of course! Of course!" And the Captain was filled with greed. "How else would I even take that previous reward for savin' ya that we had talked about? You have my word, you and your mother are getting home."

As soon as the Captain declared his intentions, Himmel, Clair, and Kliff shared looks. This was not what they had planned, but Kliff must have been happy about it, considering his new plan. And so was Clair really, she was smart enough to come to the same conclusion as the mage in training.

Which left Himmel as the odd man out. "Captain, does this mean we are abandoning our previous plans...?" He didn't even want to ask, but desperation had taken over him.

Thankfully, the Captain was a fool. "Of course not! I'm a greedy man! So we are still landing in Archanea... It's just that we are going to Jugdral after it, hahahaha!" Shameless... "Besides, ya can't just change your plans mid-voyage, Mister Mage. The ocean is a dangerous woman, ya gotta plan carefully before moving." Said the guy who was going to a war-torn nation.

Also, since when was the ocean a woman!?

"Hm. Makes sense." Himmel sent an apologetic look towards his sister. "Is that acceptable, Princess Julia?" He was actually a bit happy.

He wanted to protect Julia and the brats, but he didn't want to die. With this though, maybe he could be their guardian until they landed on Archanean shores and then split? They would definitely question his decision, but they couldn't stop him.

And he wouldn't need to worry about them either. It would be... a shame to say goodbye to everyone, but they would be safe with the emperor. Definitely far safer than with Himmel, who was in a way just a stronger-than-usual brat himself.

"It is, of course, I do n-not wish to trouble anyone..." She took a deep breath. "Now that this has been resolved, however, may I go and... and see my mother?"

"Of course."



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"Please wake up soon, Mother..." Julia was grasping the hand of the asleep Deidre.

It was strange that she had yet to wake up, really. Himmel had experienced mana exhaustion many times in his life, and usually he would wake up a few hours after, but that didn't seem to be the case with Deirdre. Himmel could only theorize it was related to why the woman had teleported so far away in the first place.

Maybe if he was lucky, she would never wake up.

No, he shouldn't think that. He had no personal grudge against her, and Julia losing her mother would be pretty cruel. He really had no excuse to wish death on the poor comatose empress.

"Hah..." Suddenly, Himmel let out a silent gasp. He had forgotten to breathe for a moment.

Breathe... he had to breathe...

"Himmel?" Faye sent a worried look at him.

It was a bit depressing. He was sure Alm and Faye wanted to gush about having a princess on board, but seeing their friend look a bit sick was distracting them.

"Sorry, I'm just a little down on the weather." He bowed. "I shall take my leave for now. May your mother be watched over by the Mother, Princess Julia." Heh.

The girl tilted her head. "The Mother...?" She didn't know, huh?

Himmel put on a smile. "The deity us Valentians... well, to be more specific, the deity us Zofians worship. She protects us from war, famine, disease... you get the gist."

Her eyes lightened. "Oh! I see! She is named Mila, is she not?" So she did know. "Thank you for your earnest prayers, Lord Himmel!" Prayers, huh...

"You're welcome."



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AN: Last chapter I didn't get to show much of it, but now Himmel is showing more and more that he's... stressed, to say the least. Maybe he should try beating his meat or something.

I'm actually quite a bit excited, if things go according to plan, next chapter should contain a scene that I'm really looking forward to writing.