Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings

Chapter 48: Untamed Sea

Demonic Waters.

For three hundred years, ever since the giant Kraken, known as the “Ship Eater,” settled there, humans had scarcely ventured into this uncharted sea.

A single sailing ship was making its way through these waters.

Onboard this ship were sailors of the Rougvelt, led by Fol and Log.

A few days after the incident with the submarine at the port town of Viperport, a message arrived for Rougvelt.

It was from Carlos, addressed to Fol.

The exploration of the uncharted demonic waters was officially approved. Necessary supplies and personnel would be sent, and the exploration should begin as soon as preparations were complete.

The message was long, but its essence was this.

Fol internally grumbled about not needing supplies or personnel, but upon seeing who had been sent, not only Fol but even the young sailors under Log were puzzled.

“I’ve come as per Lord Carlos’ instructions! I’m Carla! Nice to meet you!”

A red-haired girl, full of energy, greeted them with a smile—Carla.

It was early morning.

The person sent to Rougvelt was a girl who seemed about the same age as Fol, and all she brought was a single bag slung over her shoulder.

No other supplies, except for a seemingly unused sword hanging at her waist for self-defense.

Noticing Fol’s gaze, Carla smiled brightly and hugged her sword.

“Oh, this? It’s just for show. It’s dangerous for a girl to travel alone, you know. I can’t really use a sword, so don’t worry about it.”

“I… I see…”

Fol’s face twitched at Carla, who proudly held her sword.

Fol wondered how she had managed not to be attacked by bandits on her way.

“Well, I did say we didn’t need help…”

Still, it was true that sending such a frail girl who couldn’t even wield a sword was problematic.

Fol frowned, wondering if this was Carlos’s way of getting back at them for refusing help.

Fol scratched her messy blond hair and looked at Carla.

“Uh… The demonic waters we’re heading to are very dangerous, with lots of monsters… Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Carla, seeing Fol’s concern, smiled confidently and patted her flat chest.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m good at running away. Lord Carlos has informed me of Lady Falatiana’s intentions. I’m just here as a record keeper to observe the exploration.”

“If that’s the case…”

Fol couldn’t completely shake off the unease but acknowledged that keeping records and reporting wasn’t something they were good at.

Indeed, having someone to handle that would be very helpful.

As expected of Carlos, Fol thought to herself, feeling somewhat convinced.

“Oh, and if you don’t mind…”

“Yes?”

Carla hesitantly extended her hand, and Fol tilted her head, not understanding her intent.

“If you don’t mind, could we… shake hands?”

“Oh, to mark the start of our journey together.”

Fol nonchalantly shook the offered hand, and Carla jumped with joy.

“Thank you so much! I’m a big fan of Lady Falatiana, so this means a lot to me!”

“Fan…?”

Fol was bewildered by Carla’s unexpected reaction.

Carla took a book from her bag.

It was a high-quality, black-covered book titled “The Dark Noble and the Sailor Girl.”

Though literacy rates among commoners were low, Fol could read everyday words.

“Dark Noble… Sailor Girl?”

Fol struggled but managed to read the title.

It seemed to depict her and Rofas.

“Is this…”

“Yes, it’s a story about Lord Rofas and Lady Falatiana.”

“A story!?”

Fol snatched the book from Carla and flipped through the pages.

Though filled with difficult words favored by nobles, Fol could understand enough to know it detailed her meeting with Rofas up to their farewell confession.

Fol trembled, her face turning red.

“Who wrote this…”

“Lord Carlos.”

“That old butler…!”

Fol held her head in her hands.

Then she realized something else.

“Is this… being sold?”

“Yes, in the main city of the Lightless domain. It’s not very popular yet, but it’s gaining secret popularity among housewives.”

Compared to the rural areas, the main city had a higher literacy rate among commoners.

With Carla winking at her, Fol’s face turned beet red, and she covered her face with her hands.

“I can’t show my face in the city anymore…”

“I can’t believe I get to help with Lady Falatiana’s romance as a fan and reader! This is a dream come true!”

Next to Fol, who was trembling with embarrassment, Carla was ecstatic, hands on her cheeks in delight.

The ship set sail for the demonic waters that afternoon.

＊

Carla was dispatched to Rougvelt as a record keeper.

Carlos had arranged for someone close in age to Fol, thinking it would make things easier.

Almost simultaneously, a man arrived in Rougvelt.

In his mid-twenties.

With short-cropped brown hair and sun-tanned, scarred skin.

Tall and lean, yet muscular.

His name was Dyne.

An elite former explorer hired by the commercial guild executive, Mild.

With a history of soloing numerous ruins and dungeons, he had taken on a role akin to a bodyguard in maritime trade under Mild.

Thus, he had some familiarity with the sea and was chosen to aid in the exploration of the demonic waters.

Mild had instructed him to avoid unnecessary conflict while making significant contributions to the exploration.

A tall order.

Dyne sighed in exasperation.

“Well, for now, it’s about assessing the mood of this exploration team formed by the nobles.”

Arriving in Rougvelt, Dyne asked around and found Fol’s group preparing to explore the demonic waters.

What he saw was two girls causing a commotion, watched over by a group of sailors.

He approached the largest man among the sailors, a man with a cross-shaped scar on his forehead—Log, who exuded the demeanor of a seasoned leader.

Dyne was confident this man was the leader of the exploration team.

“I’m Dyne, sent by the commercial guild to assist with the exploration of the demonic waters.”

Log glanced at Dyne.

“Oh, you’re another one of the personnel mentioned in the message. I thought it was just the girl Carla.”

Log turned and extended his thick arm.

“I’m Log, the first mate.”

Dyne, tall himself, had to look up at Log, who towered over him.

Swallowing hard, Dyne shook the offered hand firmly.

“First mate… So, you’re the leader of this exploration?”

Dyne’s smile grew as his assumption seemed correct, but Log shook his head.

“No, the leader is that one over there.”

Log pointed to the still despondent Fol.

“Huh?”

Dyne tilted his head in disbelief.

Log called out loudly.

“Hey, Fol! Another one of the personnel from the message is here!”

Fol looked up.

“Another one?”

“The commercial guild, right?”

Carla whispered to Fol, who muttered in annoyance.

Dyne frowned, wondering if this was a joke.

He forced a smile, suppressing his complaints.

“I’m Dyne, a former explorer. Nice to meet you.”

Despite his growing unease, Dyne introduced himself.

＊

At sea, in the demonic waters.

The exploration team’s ship sailed ahead, catching the wind in its sails.

“Fol-sama, your hair is so smooth! You should comb it, it’s a waste!”

“It’s fine! The sea breeze will mess it up anyway!”

On the deck, Carla chased Fol with a comb in hand.

Incidentally, Carla calling Fol by her affectionate nickname was because Fol felt awkward being addressed formally by someone her age.

Fol had told her to call her by her shortened name without honorifics, but Carla insisted on the formal address out of respect.

“Who knows when the young master might visit?”

At Carla’s words, Fol froze.

“The young master… Rofas is coming?”

Fol looked at Carla with a mix of expectation and anxiety.

But Carla shook her head.

“No, he’s not.”

“He’s not coming!?”

Fol yelled, and Carla playfully screamed as she ran away.

The two girls ran around the deck noisily.

Watching this from a distance with a complicated expression was Dyne, the former elite explorer sent by the commercial guild.

What am I getting myself into?

Dyne sighed, feeling the weight of the situation.

Do they understand the danger of exploring uncharted territories?

This was the demonic waters, untouched for three hundred years.

A true peril.

Even Dyne, not a local, had heard of the “Ship Eater” demon.

Though it was said the demon had been subdued by the young heir of the Litres family, Dyne couldn’t believe it.

A demon that had terrorized the seas for three hundred years, defeated by an untested noble youth?

It seemed far-fetched.

For Dyne, the demonic waters were still a dangerous place where the “Ship Eater” demon might attack at any moment.

He had no choice but to come due to Mildo’s orders, but his motivation was low.

And now, the exploration team was led by a young girl.

This made no sense.

Did they think this exploration was a picnic?

“Hey, Dyne, right? Want a drink?”

Around that time, Log approached Dain with a bottle of liquor in hand.

Dain shrugged and declined it.

“No, thanks. You’re quite at ease, considering we’re already in the demonic sea region.”

“You don’t need to be so wary. The monsters don’t appear around here yet.”

Log’s casual tone, as if he were familiar with the demonic sea region, made Dain furrow his brows.

“…You seem to know a lot about the demonic sea region. Do you come here often?”

“I sometimes accompany Fol for his so-called training hunts for monsters. Fol has already wiped out most of the monsters in the early stages of this region.”

“Training…?”

Dain’s face stiffened, thinking about what kind of barbarians would use the infamous demonic sea region as a training ground.

“Aren’t you afraid of the ‘Ship-Eating’ Demon?”

Log tilted his head at Dain’s incredulous mutter.

“What, you don’t know it was defeated?”

“…You’re a local, right? Do you believe in that rumor?”

“Believe? It’s not just a rumor.”

Log shrugged with a wry smile.

From Log’s perspective, the ‘Ship-Eating’ Demon had been defeated right in front of him.

Moreover, he had experienced the hellish encounter with an even more monstrous demon whale.

Both of these creatures were defeated by Lorphas, so the greatest threats of the demonic sea region were gone.

Of course, monsters still existed, so they couldn’t let their guard down entirely.

“I saw it being defeated with my own eyes.”

“…Is it true? It’s not exaggerated?”

“Far from being exaggerated, a lot of it is actually left out.”

Log laughed heartily.

The existence of the demon whale and the forbidden magic that could even change the weather were real.

Witnesses were silenced under the orders of the Dark Knight, forbidden from speaking about it.

What Log experienced was so far removed from daily life, it felt as if he had been part of a mythological battle.

“Is that so…”

Dain was still half in doubt, but Mild had strongly warned him not to stir up trouble, so he couldn’t openly express his skepticism.

“By the way, could you tell me the plan for exploring the demonic sea region?”

Dain decided to change the topic for now.

Log unrolled a sea chart without concern.

It was a chart of the demonic sea region.

Being mostly uncharted, it was almost blank except for a few marks.

“We’ve already discovered a few islands during our monster hunts. We’re heading to one of them now.”

Log pointed to one of the marks on the map.

It was a small island where Rofus and Fol had once drifted ashore.

“We plan to use that island as a base. Once we move further into the sea, monsters will start appearing. I won’t be able to drink like this anymore.”

Log laughed heartily.

Dain shrugged.

“It’s helpful to have a base. We couldn’t discuss this before setting out. Once we reach the island, I’d like to hear more about your plans for the exploration.”

“Sure, we’ll have a meeting on the island.”

“Thanks.”

Without saying that he needed to hear this to provide support, Dain showed a surface-level smile.

Ahead of the ship, a faint outline of the island came into view.

The exploration team, having reached the nameless island, immediately began preparing a campsite.

The demonic sea region was vast, requiring considerable time for exploration.

With only what they could carry on one ship, long-term expeditions were impossible.

They planned to create relay points on key islands to expand their operational range.

Finding a new island suitable as a relay point was the goal of this expedition.

Incidentally, this strategy was proposed by Carlos.

Carlos had discussed it while staying in Rougvelt and training Fol.

Dain was somewhat surprised by this plan.

He had assumed the exploration team, led by a young girl not yet an adult, would be more reckless and haphazard.

To his surprise, their approach was remarkably rational.

Expanding their operational range without overreaching was basic to unexplored area exploration, but inexperienced individuals often ignored this.

New explorers and treasure hunters often pushed too far and found themselves unable to retreat.

Dain revised his evaluation of the exploration team.

However, this made him realize an unavoidable issue.

“We’re severely lacking in personnel and supplies.”

This was a thought he had from the beginning, but he had refrained from voicing it to avoid conflict.

He had somewhat resigned himself to the idea of a young girl leading the team.

However, hearing their realistic strategy made him speak out.

Dain’s words drew the attention of Fol, Log, and Carla.

Even so, Dyne continued.

“Based on my experience, it will take at least five years to explore the demonic sea region with our current resources. This exploration is led by the Lightless Marquis family, right? Can’t we get more personnel and supplies?”

Exploring the vast demonic sea region with just one ship and a few local young sailors was clearly insufficient.

This was evident to anyone.

However, this was Fol’s own wish.

Fol, maintaining a calm demeanor despite Carla’s tense gaze, nodded.

“You’re right, Dyne. It will take time. But, sorry, I don’t plan to call for additional personnel.”

Dyne narrowed his eyes at Fol’s words.

“Why not?”

“This is my selfish desire. If you don’t like it, you can leave the expedition. I’ll carry on alone if I have to.”

Fol’s serious eyes made Dyne grimace.

He looked at Log, who seemed to have no objections.

With a sigh, Dyne slumped his shoulders.

“…I understand there’s a reason behind this.”

There’s no point in opposing now.

He had been repeatedly told by Mild not to cause trouble, no matter what.

Dyne considered the possibility of leaving the expedition midway and decided to do his best for now.

Dyne then proposed more concrete navigation routes, a detailed daily schedule, and division of roles.

His proposals were highly efficient and rational.

Dain’s goal in assisting the exploration was to establish a route between the Lightless and Stelia territories.

The sooner this could be done, the better.

Thus, his suggestions aimed at time-saving efficiency.

Although Fol and her team had a solid plan, they were inexperienced, making Dain’s specific proposals quite revolutionary.

Despite his youth, Dyne was considered a top-tier explorer on his own, and he had a broad range of knowledge. His proposals were always practical.

“I’m being selfish by not calling for more people, but honestly, I don’t want to spend five years on this.”

“To be honest, I don’t want to spend five years either. Let’s establish self-sufficiency as much as possible. Returning to Rougvelt for supplies would be a huge loss of time. If we can be self-sufficient at the base, we can save a lot of time. For now, let’s split the personnel into a base team to secure food and water on this uninhabited island and an exploration team to search for new islands.”

When Fol expressed what she wanted, Dyne provided concrete plans to make it happen.

Thus, their exploration meeting gradually developed more detailed strategies.

Mild’s choice in selecting Dyne proved to be a very capable one.

Fol felt that the previously unclear exploration of the demonic sea region was becoming more realistic.

“Thanks for everything, Dyne. And I’m sorry for earlier, telling you to leave if you didn’t like it.”

Fol’s sincere gratitude made Dyne widen his eyes in surprise.

Dyne had assumed that Fol, with her tomboyish demeanor, was the type who couldn’t admit her mistakes and was stubbornly defiant.

“…Well, it’s my job, so don’t worry about it.”

Feeling a bit captivated by the unexpected kindness from Fol, Dyne averted his gaze to mask his reaction.

As they interacted, Dyne suddenly felt a chill and instinctively turned around.

He locked eyes with Carla, who was watching him.

Carla smiled sweetly and tilted her head.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s nothing…”

Dyne shrugged, wiping the cold sweat off his brow, thinking it was just his imagination.

With that, the meeting ended for the day.

As the sun set, everyone had their dinner and spent their personal time.

Dyne was invited by Log and the younger crew members for a drinking party, but he soon extricated himself from the drunken sailors’ boisterous antics and went to the deck to enjoy the night breeze alone.

“Really, what a lively bunch.”

Despite his words, Dyne didn’t feel all that uncomfortable.

At first, he had his doubts, but surprisingly, he found them quite agreeable.

Leaning on the railing, Dyne put a cigarette in his mouth and searched for a lighter.

“…?”

Not finding any matches, he patted his jacket and pants pockets, when suddenly he felt a strong push on his back.

“What the—?!”

Though he didn’t fall, Dyne was startled by the sudden shove, gripping the railing tightly as he turned around.

“…Hello.”

There stood Carla, the red-haired girl, without her usual smile she wore beside Fol, staring coldly at Dain.

She held a brand-new sword and had apparently pushed him with the scabbard.

“…What are you doing? If this is a joke, you should at least smile, or people might take it seriously.”

Still on guard, Dyne watched as Carla regarded him with disinterest.

“…It’s not a joke. I was actually thinking of pushing you off.”

“Hey, come on, that’s not—”

Before he could laugh it off, Carla pressed the scabbard tip firmly against his abdomen, silencing him.

“I told you, it’s not a joke. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“…”

Under Carla’s cold gaze, Dyne clammed up.

Carla continued.

“Your suggestions at the meeting weren’t bad. You seem more competent than I thought, so I’ll let you off tonight.”

“Let me off…?”

Not understanding her words, Dyne narrowed his eyes.

“Haven’t you been told? If you cause unnecessary trouble or are useless, you’ll be thrown into the sea as shark bait.”

“Mild told me not to stir up trouble, but… I’m a representative of the Merchant Guild. If something happens to me, won’t it cause problems?”

“That’s the suggestion from your director, Mild. If you’re useless, toss you into the sea, he said.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Dyne’s face twisted in disbelief.

“And Carla, was it? You usually look so harmless with that smile, but this is your true face?”

“I don’t care what you think of me, but please continue to contribute to the exploration. If I judge you to be useless, that’s when you’ll become shark bait. Keep that in mind.”

With that, Carla turned her back.

Dyne leaned against the railing, relieved.

“…Scary woman.”

Despite his brave words, Dyne’s face was tense.

Though he prided himself on surviving many perilous situations as an explorer, Carla’s killing intent made his hair stand on end, signaling danger.

She was clearly no ordinary person.

As if sensing Dyne’s thoughts, Carla paused before leaving and turned around, as if remembering something.

“Oh, and one more thing. Don’t make any moves on Lady Fol. Unless you want to say goodbye to your head.”

Dyne felt a gust of wind.

When he realized it, there was a small cut on his neck, with blood trickling down.

Dyne hadn’t seen anything.

Not Carla drawing her sword, swinging it, or sheathing it.