A boy raised by a demon king and a dragon king seems to be peerless in his school life.

Volume 10 Chapter 14 Cooking and conversation

After the Emperor Squid incident.

Ruisha and the others were enjoying a beach BBQ.

“Huff, huff, munch… gulp. Yeah, not bad at all.”

Sharo smiled satisfactorily as she ate the white object skewered on the stick – the tentacles of the Emperor Squid.

She glanced at Wolf, who was diligently grilling the squids, and offered him words of praise.

“Nice grilling!”

“Yeah! There’s plenty more, so eat as much as you want!”

Wolf skillfully cut the squid’s meat with a knife and grilled it on the grate borrowed from the merchant Ford.

Since the Emperor Squid was huge, Ruisha and his group couldn’t eat it all by themselves. So, they had given most of it to Ford and received only the portion they would eat, along with seasoning and cooking utensils.

“Wolf, do you want me to take over grilling? Haven’t you eaten?”

“No, it’s okay, Captain. I’m eating occasionally while grilling.”

“I see. But I feel bad, so I’ll help.”

Saying that, Ruisha forcefully positioned himself next to him and began assisting.

“Should I brush this sauce on?”

“Yeah, you got it, Captain. Please, make sure to do it properly, don’t force yourself.”

“Hehe, it’s better to say it honestly from the start like that.”

“… Captain, you’ve grown quite thick-skinned. You’ve become quite dependable, really.”

Seemingly exasperated yet somewhat pleased, Wolf worked alongside Ruisha. While moving his hands, Wolf spoke to Ruisha.

“Hey, Captain, how did you do that thing when you defeated the squid?”

“That thing?”

“Yeah, it felt like you had more strength than usual. And there was something… intimidating.”

“Intimidating… it seemed that way, huh.”

Wolf’s straightforward words made Ruisha feel a bit down.

“Oh, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, okay? I just found it unusual, that’s all.”

“Yeah… it’s okay. I’m aware that I did something out of the ordinary.”

“In that case, it’s fine.”

A brief silence.

Skewering, brushing on the sauce, grilling. After repeating such simple tasks for a while, Ruisha spoke up.

“… I think everyone has a violent impulse in their hearts, even those who don’t usually show it. In fact, I believe it’s stronger in those who keep it hidden.”

“Like you, Captian?”

“Haha, you beat me to saying it.”

Ruisha scratched his cheek, looking a bit embarrassed.

“I don’t like hurting people, but I enjoy training my body, and I don’t mind testing my strength against others. It may seem contradictory, but to me, all these feelings are valid.”

“Hmm, I don’t fully understand complex discussions… but I kinda get it. Every scoundrel has at least one good side.”

“Haha, that’s right. So I don’t think it’s strange for me to have violent impulses within me. I wasn’t consciously aware of these feelings until now, but I think I’ve probably been unconsciously suppressing them.”

Acting out of anger would only worsen the situation. In past battles, there were moments when he felt anger, but he never let it consume him.

“But when I tried letting myself be consumed by anger earlier, I felt considerably stronger. This is probably what they call ‘blind rage’.”

“Indeed, to hurl such a huge squid without using magic or even much technique… that easily surpassed human strength. But… are you okay? Letting yourself be consumed by anger seems dangerous.”

“Of course, I won’t let myself be consumed by it in the future. I just want to control my anger and turn it into my strength. I believe that way, I can become even stronger.”

Ruisha spoke earnestly, his eyes reflecting his determination.

His curiosity and eagerness for that strength were so intense that Wolf felt a deep reverence and fear.

“… It’s good to strive, but don’t push yourself too hard. We’re worried, not just me, but the others feel the same.”

“… Yeah, I’ll be careful.”

Ruisha said with a smile, but Wolf’s restlessness in his heart didn’t subside.

◇

Volume 10 Chapter 15 The Seno Tetis

The next day, after a brief rest on the beach.

As planned, Ruisha and the others headed to the ship of the merchant Ford, which was anchored in the harbor, to investigate the ‘Ship Graveyard’ at the Dead Sea location.

And when they saw the ship anchored there, Ruisha and the others were astonished, their mouths agape.

“Let me introduce you. This is my beloved ship, the ‘Seno Tetis.’” Ford exclaimed proudly.

What Ford had prepared was a massive galleon that stood out from the other ships anchored. It exceeded fifty meters in length and ten meters in width. About fifty cannons protruded from the gunports.

It was undoubtedly the largest of large ships.

“You didn’t have to prepare such an impressive ship…”

“No, Ruisha, that’s not the case. The place we’re going to is that cursed sea area. It’s uneasy with a small ship. In that regard, this ship is sturdy and its speed is impeccable. This ship is suitable for this voyage.”

“I-I see.”

Pressed by his enthusiasm, Ruisha was left speechless.

In fact, Ford had various experiences of traveling through different sea areas in the past as a sailor. So, he wasn’t uninterested in unknown sea areas.

However, he was now a top-class merchant with many employees, so he refrained from being reckless. But… going to the Dead Sea location this time, his blood as a sailor had been awakened after a long time.

“Come on, get on board. The interior is amazing!”

“Whoa! W-Wait, I’m coming in! Don’t push me, it’s dangerous.”

Dragged forcefully, Ruisha set foot on the Seno Tetis.

◇　◇　◇

“Mmm! Feels great!”

The Seno Tetis plowed through the sea, and Ruisha, standing on the deck, let out a contented voice.

The weather was clear—a perfect day for sailing.

“It does feel great, but… the speed is definitely much slower than a skyship. Shouldn’t we have investigated over there?” Sharo said, her pretty peach-colored hair fluttering in the wind.

The Seno Tetis they were on was quite fast for a ship of this size. It utilized wind magic stones to create wind and catch it with the sails. Still, there was a limit to the speed.

In good conditions, it could reach about 40 kilometers per hour, less than half of a skyship.

“Indeed, in terms of speed, skyships are better. However, the Blue Empress can’t stay in one place for a long time, and above all, it’s all over if it crashes…”

Although they were called sky “ships,” unlike actual ships, skyships couldn’t travel over water.

Even if it descended slowly, it would quickly become waterlogged and sink to the bottom of the sea.

“There are many ferocious sky dragons flying above the sea, and there are also many sea monsters attacking from below. If you fly at full speed, you won’t be attacked, but I think it’s dangerous if you fly slowly.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The Blue Empress was a small, speed-focused skyship. While military skyships used in warfare had thick armor, the Blue Empress had minimal armor, and its durability was quite low.

If it were to crash offshore, even Ruisha wouldn’t easily be able to take everyone back to land.

“There are mechanisms in the ship’s hull to make it less susceptible to attacks from sea monsters, so it’s safer than flying recklessly in the sky. It may take time, but I think this is the better option.”

Moreover, skyships were not easily replaceable.

If one were to break, it couldn’t be fixed with the kingdom’s technology, and it had to be taken to the empire for repairs. However, the empire was in an antagonistic relationship with the kingdom, so they couldn’t just go there anytime.

“Well, it does take time, but traveling by ship isn’t so bad. It’s my first time on a ship.”

“Yeah, that’s surprising.”

Ruisha, being from a rural village, had hardly traveled far.

However, Ruisha assumed, Sharo had traveled to many places since she was a child… or so he thought.

…Come to think of it, Ruisha realized he didn’t even know where Sharo was from. He knew she had left her hometown to attend the magic academy, but he had never asked where that hometown was.

“Um, I hope I’m not prying too much, but… Sharo, where are you from? I’ve never heard about it until now… sorry.”

“Oh? Did I not mention it? Well, it’s not a big deal, there’s no need to apologize. It’s just that I hadn’t mentioned it.”

Sharo, prompting Ruisha to look up with his apology, began to share details about her past, something she hadn’t done before.

“My hometown is in the vicinity of the Holy Tree Sefilitia, in the heart of the ‘Holy City Eden.'”

“The Holy City… That’s the city with the famous World Tree, right? You come from such an amazing place…!”

About 500 kilometers west from the royal capital lies the Holy City Eden, situated at the base of the largest World Tree on the continent, also known as the Holy Tree Sefilitia. That sacred city at the base of the tree is Sharo’s hometown.

“It’s not a big deal to call it a sacred city; it’s just a countryside for me. The nature is rich, and it’s peaceful, but that’s about it. It was boring.”

“I see… but I’d love to visit. I’d like to see the famous World Tree at least once.”

“Well then, let’s go during the break. I’m sure my… uh, mother will be happy too.”

“That sounds great! I’m looking forward to it.”

Imagining the unseen places, Ruisha smiled happily.

Sharo, blushing slightly, asked him.

“Of course, you’ll properly introduce yourself to my mother, right? …As my boyfriend.”

The last words were muttered in a quiet, almost inaudible voice.

It was a subtle volume, but Ruisha didn’t miss those words.

“Of course,” Ruisha replied, taking Sharo’s hand and speaking in a serious tone.

It was embarrassingly blush-worthy, but Ruisha thought it wasn’t good to evade the matter.

“I’ll definitely… definitely talk to her. I might not seem reliable, but I’ll do my best.”

Upon hearing Ruisha’s words, Sharo widened her eyes in surprise, then smiled gently.