Galliant Island (1)

Tess fought to contain her laughter when she saw that the two suddenly became less talkative. After being close to her tough and energetic classmates at the fencing academy, meeting students from the magic academy felt like meeting people of the same age but with a younger sibling vibe.

"But Amy, you're amazing too. When did you learn Esquema?"

"I trained for about two years before entering the magic academy."

"Hmm, it's rare for kids to learn Esquema. It's often said to not be good for growth, isn't it?"

"I didn't really exercise or anything. It just... happened."

With just those words, Tess understood. Many gifted children might come out with Spirit Zone, but Esquema is a way to overload the body, making it hard to learn at a young age.

However, with the Red Eyes automemory, it would have been impossible to control the body precisely without going through a rigorous training process.

"Oh, so you can use the Red Eye like that. That's amazing."

"It's not really that special. There's no structure, and it only enhances strength a bit. Compared to you, I'm at a child's level. I saw you earlier, and you were very fast. If the acceleration had started, the gap would have widened so much that I wouldn't have been able to cast Teleportation."

"Hey, I'm a swordsman, but you're a magician, right? Besides, Rian still can't use Esquema, so what? Now that I see it, I understand why the Karmis Family is so famous on the continent."

Shirone looked at Rian in surprise.

"Rian, you didn't learn Esquema? So, what about the firewood you cut at our house? I thought it was Esquema because you didn't say anything."

"Ho Ho Ho! Rian did that? Borrowing Sir Kuan's words, it must be his stupidly strong muscle power. Do you know how he was at the fencing academy? During the final exam..."

"Oh, come on! Why are you so interested in other people's private lives?"

Rian abruptly cut his words. He wasn't sure about anyone else, but thanks to that, the atmosphere improved, and the others also shared their school life stories. Despite their different fields, they were all students, so the conversation continued without stopping.

And so, they got to know each other.

***

Upon reaching the port of Creas, Shirone and his group found a ship bound for Galliant Island.

The grand Galeas, moored at Dock 6, unfurled its sails as if it had finished preparing to depart.

Since all the kingdom's academies were on vacation at the same time, there were more tourists than usual. Dragged along by the crowd, Shirone boarded the ship and found a place on the third deck.

There were passenger rooms on the lower deck, but as it was his first time on a boat, he found it enjoyable to take in the view while they sailed.

The waves crashed, and a salty breeze blew. It wasn't until the port sank into the horizon that they truly realized they were afloat on the sea.

"How many hours will it take?"

"I heard it's approximately a 5-hour boat ride from the port of Creas."

"I see. If we had arrived a little later, we might have had to leave tomorrow. There are more people heading to the island than I thought."

As Shirone said, there were many people on the deck. Half of them were traders, but there were also tourists dressed like nobles. There also seemed to be quite a few people from places other than Creas.

"As Rian mentioned, it must be a famous island. What kind of place is it?"

"I did some research."

As if Amy had been waiting for it, she took out her notebook. Tess, now friends with everyone, initiated a casual conversation.

"Ohh? As expected, you have a meticulous personality."

"I'd say so. I didn't even think to look it up."

While Shirone scratched his head shyly, Amy looked at him disapprovingly.

"You said you were exploring ruins, but you didn't even do preliminary research beforehand?"

"Haha! No, it's just that..."

There are two types of travelers in the world: those who impulsively set off and those who meticulously research before departing.

One might say the former follows an unknown romance, and the latter is efficient, but Amy belonged to the latter.

But Shirone didn't belong to either side. It was his first trip ever since he was born, so everything was amazing and unknown.

"First, let me tell you about Galliant Island, where we're heading. The area of the site is 1500 square kilometers. It's a crescent-shaped island, and because the north has a natural cliff, ships must enter the harbor from the south. The west of the island blends with the residents' houses and tourist centers, and the Ruins of Kerugo are on the east side of the island. It is said that the Ruins of Kerugo are the temple of the Kerugo civilization, which established civilization 2,000 years ago."

"Kerugo?"

"Yes. They have diminished in number now, but some indigenous people still reside in the autonomous district in the center of the island. They are generally dark-skinned and short, but they are characterized by sunken eyes and small pupils. Oh, and they tattoo their faces in praise of Ankera."

"Who is Ankera?"

"It's the name of an ancient god worshipped by the Kerugo civilization. And um... the natives chew a hard root called Lufru, which seems to have hallucinogenic effects. They refer to Lufru as the 'awakening agent of god'. They would enter a trance and have divine visions. Their downfall is known to be due to religious conflicts, but there's a theory that internal conflicts arose due to excessive use of Lufru."

"I see. That's fascinating."

"Perhaps because they abused in the name of God. By the way, my brother said that most of the ruin administrators are from Kerugo, so you'll be able to see them. However, we won't be able to enter the native autonomous district as it's forbidden for outsiders. Oh, but my brother said..."

"Hmm? What did your brother say?" Shirone asked curiously. The older brother Amy mentioned was probably Ares, an explorer. Traveling around the world, he likely had detailed knowledge of the Kerugo ruins.

"My brother said this, 'The downfall of a civilization isn't defined by scholars; if you want to know about them, you'll have to offer something more important than an entrance fee.'"

Shirone nodded with a meaningful expression.

"Hmm, so is there something more magnificent in the autonomous district than the Kerugo ruins?"

"I'm not sure. My brother always speaks like that. He thinks posing riddles makes him sound deeper."

"Haha! But I find this more intriguing. Something more important than an entrance fee, I wonder what that could be."

Shirone's heart raced. Upon hearing Ares's words and Alpeas's, it became clear that the Kerugo Ruins weren't just a tourist attraction.

When Shirone couldn't contain his excitement like a child, Rian felt good in a different way. If the master was filled with enthusiasm, the duty of a knight became even more significant. Regardless of the secrets hidden in the ruins, he was determined to protect Shirone.

"Shirone, by the way, when do you plan to go? We're not going directly after we arrive, are we?"

"Right. It's vacation time, so we should have some fun first."

"Then I'll have to secure accommodation first. Let's head to the resort as soon as we leave the port. There's a place where we can swim on the western beach. There are also plenty of sightseeing spots and famous seafood restaurants."

Eager to see the southern country as soon as possible, Tess clenched her fists and quivered with excitement.

"Ugh, that sounds like so much fun!"

There were still more than 4 hours left. But the excitement of the journey quickly devoured the time, and finally, the island they longed for appeared in sight.

"Look! That's Galliant Island!"

The passengers at the bow of the boat shouted, pointing at the distant island. In response to their calls, Shirone and his group ran to the front of the deck.

They were greeted by the cliffs of the northern part of Galliant Island. It was as if the lush forest had been split by a sword, leaving behind towering vertical cliffs.

The passengers cheered with excitement.

"Finally, we've arrived! It looks so cool!"

"Wow! The color of the water is fantastic! I want to swim right now!"

However, the merchants were still lounging with their luggage scattered around them. They knew they still had to go around the island for another 30 minutes because the port was in the south.

***

Port of Galliant.

The port was crowded with people. Merchants getting off the ship and those rushing towards the boat caused chaos everywhere.

In comparison, tourists could only disembark later, and Shirone's group also waited for the crowd to disperse before stepping onto land.

As soon as they disembarked, they felt the heat of the southern country. Creas had already entered early autumn, but it was still summer on Galliant Island.

Once the merchants were gone, the port was filled with people from a different line of work. They were vendors trying to attract tourists to their shops.

"Come, come! To the Dolphin Inn! You can have a delightful holiday with the cheapest accommodation fare on the island! My wife's cooking is also excellent!"

"If you want to taste authentic southern seafood, come to our restaurant! We also have carriages ready for comfortable transportation!"

"We can carry your luggage! We have strong porters waiting!"

Shirone and the group were overwhelmed by the vendors' clamor.

While no one had approached them openly yet, it was clear they were attracting attention. Firstly, not being adults gave them high points. Additionally, they were dressed in high-quality clothing and carried top-notch weapons, which was enough to draw attention from the vendors.

Of course, not all of them were honest businessmen. On the opposite side of the dock, in an alley, some gangs were tracking their prey, making money illegally.

"Huhuhu. Well then, who shall we steal from today?"

A boy named Jiss glanced at the crowd, his eyes lighting up. Behind him, two of his friends inspected the same area.

What differentiated them from the outside vendors was that they didn't own shops. They were, after all, alley ruffians who made money through their cunning tongues.

The temperament of the mainland ruffians and the island ruffians was different. Living in a floating space in the vast sea, they had to ignore the rules of the world just to get a piece of bread.

Jiss, in particular, had been rebellious since childhood and had grown up amidst much criticism. His pride had led nobles to beat him more than once or twice.

But even that experience was now just a useful tool to earn money.

"Wow, there are so many people due to the holiday season. Jiss, we can make good money today."

"Still, half of them don't have a penny. They may seem rich, but we need to choose carefully to succeed."

Jiss was carefully choosing his targets. However, his friends, needing to earn a day's tribute, were getting impatient.

"Jiss, hurry up and choose. The others are taking them all."

"I got it. Just wait."

Jiss scrutinized the port with eagle-like eyes. But even before he finished scanning the scene, his gaze stopped at Pier 3.

Four people of similar age were conversing, and among them, a red-haired girl caught Jiss's attention.

"Hey, hey, that's it! Let's go for that group. See? Two boys and two girls."

"Really? But isn't there a huge guy there? And he's carrying a sword? Let's pick someone else."

"These are genuine. Who am I? The ruler of the port, Jiss. The bigger they are, the more cowardly. Who else would carry a sword to a tourist destination unless they're crazy?"

"Uh, it seems a bit risky. No way, Jiss, do you... have that mental illness of falling for a woman you've never met? What if they're mercenaries?"

"Stop! Can't you see they're students? Students can't lay a finger on us anyway. We'll pursue an aggressive strategy, so back me up well. Don't cower, even if they're nobles."

Jiss pulled his two friends from the alley. He was nervous that other vendors might snatch them on the way to the pier, but as the girl's face gradually cleared, those thoughts dissipated.

'What's up with this girl? She's really pretty...'

It was a natural romantic notion for an island boy to fall for a foreign girl. But this was the first time he felt something deeper beyond mere infatuation.

Jiss quickly regained his composure and approached. If he left it as it was, they would be taken by other vendors.