~Chapter 63~
He hesitated for a moment and then bumped into everything around him. He crashed into a box and hit his head on the metal ladder.
The noise from the damage to the ship was so loud that it seemed like no one would hear him, but Reyester didn’t stop.
Maybe his desperation reached someone, because soon, a door above him opened. Light poured in, and he squinted his eyes.
“Gasp.”
The person who saw him from above took a big breath.
“Ahh, I knew this would happen! I’ll get you out of here, so just stay still!”
With a pale face, Relshiz Baltain jumped down from the warehouse and landed below Reyester.
Reyester’s eyes shook violently.
It was truly an unexpected savior.
***
In fact, the first time Reyester saw that mage wasn’t at the Magic Department’s appointment ceremony.
There had been some opposition within the conservative palace when it was announced that a commoner would be placed in a key position.
‘A first-class mage? He’s not even close to the level of the Morning Tower master, right?’
As the rumors didn’t die down, the king decided to gather the royal family and hold a brief magic demonstration to verify the abilities of the mage named “Relshiz.”
Reyester, who wasn’t particularly interested, thought to himself that if this mage was a problem, he’d simply get rid of him.
‘Nice to meet you. I’m Relshiz.’
She had calm silver hair and faint green eyes that left a strong impression. She wasn’t his type. That was all he thought when he first saw her.
‘Today, I will demonstrate a high-level offensive magic, defensive magic, and a combined illusion magic using both.’
However, the magic she displayed was beyond words, mysterious beyond measure.
Under the disdainful gazes of the nobles, Relshiz boldly showed her magic.
Her magic sparkled like stardust, flowing through the air.
With a staff in her hand, she summoned waves of illusions, her movements almost like a conductor leading an orchestra.
In a simple movement, the Milky Way flowed, and the moon faded away.
It was a display more radiant than any jewel Reyester had ever seen.
Perhaps it was because this magical talent was forbidden for someone from the Edelheim family, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The more he watched, the more envious he became.
Why had such a great mage been undervalued for so long? Was it because she was compared to the so-called genius of the century, the Morning Tower master?
‘If you trust me, I will dedicate my body and heart to the royal family for a long time.’
Even Reyester, who had seen countless rare things in his life, could feel that she was special. She sparkled, something unique.
Precious and beautiful things should always belong to him.
Reyester was envious, and at the same time, angry. This attractive mage was working for his father.
So, unlike the others he had pushed away, Reyester had tried to win her over with money.
But Relshiz rejected his offer. Foolishly.
The prince’s kindness stopped there.
As always, Reyester did his best to remove his father’s people from the palace, and Relshiz, caught in the middle, went through countless hardships.
But she clung to the palace stubbornly. Reyester was genuinely tired of her determination and abilities.
If such a mage stood with his father or Dalen, he would surely lose.
‘You must remain an insignificant commoner mage.’
That way, he could dispose of her without hesitation.
But the more he harassed her, the more Relshiz Baltain became special. She achieved incredible feats and expanded her position.
And now, here they were.
“…”
Reyester’s consciousness slowly returned to the present.
He stared at Relshiz, who was holding him up. Her thin arms were filled with determination, as if she wasn’t going to leave him behind.
She didn’t even seem to consider abandoning him here. Reyester, looking at her, suddenly asked.
“Why are you helping me?”
Relshiz looked at him in disbelief.
“You should’ve left me there to die.”
“I figured you’d be satisfied watching me suffer.”
“…”
Not answering was quite honest.
“If I didn’t think it’d be satisfying, I would be lying, but still, drowning sounds a bit too horrible.”
“Ah, so you’re okay with other ways of dying?”
“No, I didn’t mean that…!”
Reyester, forgetting the situation for a moment, chuckled lightly.
“The debt of saving my life will be repaid once I survive.”
“Sure, of course…”
The waves of stardust that Reyester had seen long ago flooded his mind again.
He had always thought he was above everyone else, but now he found himself standing at the lowest point.
There was no way to avoid the starlight gathering around him.
They opened the door and exited the hallway together.
***
The moment I found the crown prince tied up in the dark storage room, my heart was racing wildly.
It was the biggest crisis of my life.
‘If this man dies here, even if I survive, it’ll be a huge problem.’
The moment I realized that, I decided to save him.
Honestly, I didn’t care whether he was a prince or not, but not now. Not like this!
‘I might as well make him owe me a favor!’
Reyester had been drugged and couldn’t even keep his balance. I dragged him like a heavy burden, walking with him.
“Do you have any ideas?”
“Ugh, I can’t use magic right now.”
“That’s really hopeless.”
“You shouldn’t be giving up so soon.”
“What’s left?”
“The lifeboats are all gone.”
Reyester sighed and rubbed his mouth.
“So, are we going to sink with the ship to the bottom of the sea?”
“Do you want to sink? I don’t!”
“You said there’s no way out.”
“I said it’s hopeless, not that there’s no way.”
As I struggled to move up the slanted hallway, I explained the solution I had thought of to Reyester.
“As you know, this cruise uses mana for its power. The engine has magic stones that store mana.”
“And?”
“If we disconnect the magic stones from the system, we should be able to use the mana inside for at least one spell. We can use that one spell to create an opportunity to survive.”
Finally, Reyester’s expression showed that he understood.
“So, that’s why we’re heading to the engine room, not the deck.”
“Yes. If the equipment is underwater, there’s nothing we can do.”
I prayed desperately that the equipment wouldn’t be submerged. When we reached the engine room, I was relieved to find that the power system was still intact.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Without wasting time, I opened the device. My hands were shaking from urgency, and in my rush, I cut my hand on a sharp part.
“Ugh…!”
“Are you hurt?”
“Ugh, it’s fine.”
There was some blood, but I got what I needed. I pulled a fist-sized stone from the device.
It had been some time since the cruise started, and the mana in the magic stone seemed weak, possibly due to the damage. With this amount, we wouldn’t be able to perform many spells, but it was better than nothing.
“I’ve got it. Let’s go.”
We barely managed to make it back to the deck, and when we looked around, all we saw was the black sea.
The lifeboats were nowhere in sight, and the nobles probably realized that the crown prince was missing.
Even if they noticed, there wasn’t much time left for rescue.
“Lady, what can we do with this?”
“I’m thinking.”
“You’re running low on mana, right?”
“Yes, sadly.”
“Hmm.”
Reyester grew quiet.
As the words faded, the sounds of the ship breaking, the crashing waves, and the wind became clearer.
I quickly came to a conclusion.
“Your Highness, can you swim?”
Reyester raised his head arrogantly. Even in this situation, he maintained his pride.
“Of course. Royals can do everything.”
“Can you do it while carrying someone?”
