Chapter 56: The Battle for Discipleship, I

It had been ten days since their departure from Luft Hagenn Harbor. The Hap Sunny was cruising smoothly toward Dormant Port on the eastern coast of the continent with no incidents whatsoever.

And amidst this uneventful journey, one person was struggling to stave off boredom.

“Ahhh… So bored.” Louis found the ten-day voyage tedious after all his recent adventures.

“It’s just ocean here and ocean there. All you see is sea!” His assessment of life aboard the massive cruise ship was simple: There wasn’t much else to say about it. From where he stood, all he could take in were expansive decks, endless seas, the sky above, and the sun overhead.

The novelty of experiencing life on a cruise liner lasted only a few days. The thought of enduring twenty more days of sailing made him antsy already.

As Louis grew weary of his boredom and stared vacantly at the sky, two small shadows zipped past him.

Skreeee!

Eeeekkk!

It was Khan and Kani, always full of energy. The twins bounded around the ship without tiring. Louis watched them with admiration.

“How do those two never get bored? It’s just the ocean all day, but they keep running around…” He sighed deeply.

Today marked ten days straight that the twins had been using the ship as their playground without missing a beat. As such, they’d become quite the attraction on board.

—Those kids have steel bodies!

—And they’re super cute too!

The rumor had spread like wildfire throughout the ship, and now people were gathering to watch them run due to their cuteness. Some even rewarded the twins with snacks for running harder.

Louis couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “…They’re cute?”

To Louis, the loud and clingy twins were nothing but a nuisance.

“I need to discipline those two! How rude of them to act that way in public!” He let it slide this time because they’d become famous on Hap Sunny, but Louis resolved to teach them proper etiquette soon enough.

“Hmph…” With a slight sigh, his gaze shifted slightly to one side.

Over the past ten days, another individual had become as well-known on the Hap Sunny as the twins.

“Ahhhhhgggghhh…” Pablo leaned over the railing, retching so hard that he couldn’t lift his head. His gagging sounded prolonged enough to make Louis worry about suffocation. However, Louis remained unfazed—almost detached—as this was a sight he’d grown used to witnessing daily for the last ten days.

He whispered quietly, “…Fin.”

“Yes?” Fin peeked out from under Louis’s collar at the sound of its name.

Louis kept his eyes fixed on Pablo, whose shoulders spasmed with each heave.

“You know…,” Louis began softly.

“Yes?”

“…Pablo, do you think he’s going to die soon?”

“Yes! I believe so!” Fin nodded in agreement.

Over the past ten days, Pablo had repeatedly vomited without consuming any food, which explained their concern. Fin looked at Pablo sprawled over the railing like a rag doll with pity.

“I’m…a bit worried about him. Ten days should’ve been enough time for him to adjust…”

“Well, what did you expect from a dwarf? Living underground all their lives is encoded in their genes.”

Despite being known as fearless warriors who would fight to the death, dwarves were also notorious for hating heights. Although Pablo boasted impressive physical prowess, half his DNA was undoubtedly dwarf.

“Hee-hoo…”

Saliva dripped from Pablo’s mouth as he collapsed like a corpse.

Louis approached him and crouched down beside his body. He then poked Pablo’s back with his finger.

“You’re still alive, right?”

“…”

When there was no response, Louis continued poking Pablo relentlessly until Fin intervened.

“Stop it, Mr. Louis! Stop! Don’t touch him anymore!”

It wasn’t clear whether Fin was trying to stop Louis or finish off Pablo for good. The cruel remark made Pablo shudder despite himself. Who could believe this trembling creature was once considered a tier-three powerhouse?

While Louis kept at it, the twins returned from exploring the deck and joined them on their haunches.

“Huh? Is Pablo dead?”

“He’s not moving.”

The twins produced a stick from somewhere and poked Pablo with it.

“I think he’s dead.”

“He isn’t moving at all.”

Seeing no reaction, they quickly lost interest in Pablo and dashed off across the deck once more.

“Whew…” As soon as the twins were out of sight, Pablo exhaled deeply.

Louis’s eyes twinkled. “Oh! You’re still alive!”

“…Yes.”

“You know what, Pablo?”

“What do you mean?” Pablo sounded like death warmed over.

Louis grinned widely. “You’ve become quite famous on this ship. They call you ‘the vomiting giant.’”

“…”

“I overheard people betting on how many days you’d last before dying.”

“Oh…” Pablo’s eyes welled up as Louis’s words stabbed him like daggers.

Never once had he considered taking a boat journey, so seasickness hadn’t crossed his mind at all. Tears began streaming down Pablo’s face.

Why am I enduring this hell just to see some damn light…?

The thought that none of this would have happened if he hadn’t left the winter continent brought more tears to his eyes.

But what choice did he have? He was the one who put the collar around Precious’s neck with his own hands.

“Ack…!”

“Tsk.”

Seeing Pablo tear up, Louis clicked his tongue and muttered condescendingly as he placed his hand on Pablo’s head.

“Get some rest.”

A light emanating from Louis’s palm penetrated Pablo’s skull.

Sleep.

The white glow was holy magic designed to transmit feelings or sensations to another person. The number of senses that could be simultaneously conveyed indicated the user’s level; currently, third-tier mage Louis could convey about three at once.

“Hnnn…” Pablo relaxed under the sensation of sleep induced by Louis.

I guess it must’ve been tough for him to fall prey to this level of holy magic.

Currently, Louis was using a mere fourth-tier holy spell. Under normal circumstances, Pablo would have easily resisted it, but his extreme exhaustion made him vulnerable to Louis’s magic. As the spell took effect, Pablo’s eyes slowly drooped shut.

Fin observed this and asked, “Why didn’t you do this earlier?”

“Our senses can become desensitized over time, so to speak, building up a sort of immunity. Initially, one sense might suffice for sleep, but eventually, even that won’t work. With twenty days left, I didn’t want him developing resistance too soon, making things harder later.”

“Oh, I see!”

“And…”

“…?”

“If you do it too often, they’ll take advantage of your kindness.”

“Ohhh!”

“You have to make them appreciate it by doing it only once in a while. If you keep giving and giving, people will walk all over you! It’s a universal truth. Fin, remember this well.”

“Yes, sir! I won’t forget!” Fin nodded firmly.

With Pablo finally asleep, Louis stood up from his spot.

“Ahhh…” He stretched lightly before leisurely strolling away. “I should go watch some fishing.”

Fishing was the sole entertainment on board, so that’s where Louis headed next. His footsteps were light as he left behind the sleeping Pablo.

Shortly after, another figure appeared where Louis had just been standing—a being wearing a tattered brown robe with its hood pulled up.

The stranger cautiously approached Pablo and crouched down to inspect him closely. Despite having his face, arms, and legs pinched by this foreigner, Pablo remained sound asleep. The newcomer observed Pablo for quite some time before bursting out laughing from within their robe.

“Heh-heh… Hee-hee!”

A mixture of admiration, joy, envy, and delight could be heard in those short chuckles.

“Incredible!” They slapped their knee and sprang up. Then they gazed in Louis’s direction.

“Where did such a lucky charm come from?!” The old man spoke with pride in his voice as he slowly followed after Louis.

At the stern of the cruise ship was a popular fishing spot open to passengers during long voyages. Louis had joined the crowd there.

“Hey, mister! Your rod is moving!”

“Yes!”

“Pull it in! Pull!”

“Heave-ho!”

The fisherman gripped his pole tightly with muscular arms as he wrestled against the fish, both straining until the line seemed ready to snap. In the end, the experienced angler emerged victorious.

“Wow!” Louis’s jaw dropped at the sight of the huge fish bigger than himself.

Proudly, the fisherman puffed out his chest. “Ha-ha-ha-ha! What a catch!”

“Whoa…” After watching the fisherman bask in his glory for some time, Louis turned to stare blankly at his own fishing rod.

The fisherman with a bushy chinstrap beard next to Louis had lent him his rod while he watched on. Louis pouted as it remained motionless.

I’m confident I can reel one in just as well…

Louis was no slouch when it came to physical strength compared to the man beside him. Yet despite others catching one or two fish each, Louis’s line stayed quiet.

“I’ll catch something too!” Louis gripped the pole tightly, determined.

Seeing this, the bushy-bearded man smiled contentedly.

he looks about the same age as my son back home.

Watching Louis reminded the fisherman of his own child.

The fisherman had lent Louis his second rod after seeing him peeking over his shoulder while he fished. The boy’s eyes had sparkled as he eagerly gripped the pole, looking absolutely adorable.

“Ha-ha-ha! Good luck with your catch! I’ll be back once I deal with this guy!”

“Bye-bye!”

With a pleased smile, the mustachioed man gently patted Louis on the head before leaving.

Not long afterward, someone clad in a brown robe approached Louis, who was completely absorbed in fishing by himself.

“My dear child.” A small voice emerged from beneath the hood, but Louis didn’t notice due to his preoccupation.

“Um… My dear child?” This time, the voice spoke louder, and Louis finally turned around.

This time, the voice was louder, and Louis finally turned around.

“Oh crap!” The robe had darkened almost to black, and seeing such a menacing shadow standing next to him nearly gave Louis a heart attack. In his shock, he lost hold of his fishing rod as it dangled over the railing. He hastily reached out to grab it.

“Ack! My fishing pole!”

Louis swiftly snatched back the rod just before it fell into the ocean, then yelled indignantly, “You scared me half to death!”

“Heh-heh, my apologies.”

“But this isn’t even mine! What if I’d lost it?!”

“O-oh dear, that would’ve been unfortunate indeed. Truly sorry about that.”

“Phew… Okay, fine. By the way, who are you?”

“Well, you see, I am…”

Louis scrutinized the black shadow of the robe with some hesitation.

“Oh!” Louis seemed to have reached a realization and spoke firmly. “I’m not buying it.”

”…?”