Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 53: Sea and Sky

Chapter 53: Sea and Sky

The airship Ifrit was flying over the sea.

It had been six months since they began their search for the Sky City Ciel Parc. The sky pirates known as the “Crimson Wind” had been flying around gathering information about large dark clouds and sightings. However, since they couldn’t find any promising information within the kingdom, they were now planning to expand their search beyond its borders.

While searching for the Sky City, Riruka was also investigating something else in parallel. She was looking for information on the other Six Divine Apostles besides herself. Comparing it with her previous memories, she meticulously investigated anything that felt even slightly off.

With her ability to use magic to block detection and render herself invisible, Riruka could investigate most things given enough time. Of course, her main objective was to cure Iz’s illness, and gathering information about the Sky City was her top priority, so this investigation was more of a side task.

However, neither information about the Sky City nor the Six Divine Apostles was forthcoming. Previously, they had discovered that items from various dungeons and ruins had been entirely looted, but they couldn’t find any leads on the culprit.

Regarding the apostles, Riruka had a suspicion, or rather, a hypothesis related to Rofus. With knowledge from her previous life, Rofus was almost certainly one of the Six Divine Apostles. She became sure of it when Rofus mentioned the name Abel, which he shouldn’t have known at that time, during a near-interrogation on the deck.

Riruka had suspected Rofus from the moment they met in the Tomb of the First King because he had referred to her by name even though it was their first meeting. The “Crimson Wind” was somewhat infamous as sky pirates, and there were bounty posters of all the members circulating. Knowing her name wasn’t strange in itself.

What made her suspicious was the clear differences in Rofus this time around. His left eye had turned jade-colored, and he had lost his left arm—clear deviations from the previous timeline. This made Riruka think that Rofus might lead her to the other apostles. In the end, it turned out that Rofus was indeed an apostle, bearing injuries from actions stemming from his knowledge of the previous timeline.

Incidentally, Riruka hadn’t been able to hear about those injuries directly from Rofus. She missed the opportunity to ask, and given Rofus’s personality, he likely wouldn’t want to talk about his wounds. Still, Riruka gathered information on it anyway.

What she found was a book sold in the Lightless territory titled “The Dark Noble and the Sailor Girl,” with a glossy black cover and a promotional slogan declaring it a bestseller with more printings on the way.

“No way…” thought Riruka.

Though names were changed, the book depicted what seemed to be a romance between Rofus and a girl resembling Faratiana.

“No, no, no, no. There’s no way Faratiana and Rofus could be a thing. This book is definitely lying.”

Remembering her former comrade Faratiana, Riruka recalled her relentless sword attacks against Rofus, the Four Heavenly Kings’ Shadow Wolf, fueled by hatred. Riruka thought, “Impossible, no way.”

Regardless, it seemed to be true that Rofus lost his left eye’s sight and his left arm in Rougvelt. Riruka pondered and considered one possibility.

“Could it be Fala who cut off Rofus’s left arm?”

This strange book had likely twisted the fact that a sailor girl wounded Rofus, resulting in a highly exaggerated and incorrect account. That was undoubtedly a misinterpretation of the truth.

However, to Riruka, the idea of Rofus and Faratiana having a romantic relationship was so absurd that the exaggerated tale seemed more plausible. If Faratiana was indeed the one who cut Rofus’s arm, she might hold memories and hatred from the previous life, making her a potential apostle.

This needed to be confirmed directly.

“Sigil! I need to make a little detour, is that okay?”

Riruka’s voice rang through the airship. Soon, the Ifrit changed its course and flew off towards the horizon with its crimson engine blazing.

＊

It had already been six months since they started exploring the sea of demons.

The exploration proceeded as planned under Dyne’s direction. Splitting into base and exploration teams, they had managed to explore nearly ten percent of the vast sea of demons.

Covering ten percent in six months was an impressive speed given the small scale of the exploration team and the lack of support supplies. Currently, Fol and the others were using a newly discovered small uninhabited island as a base. This was the third island they had found in the sea of demons. The island had vegetation but was too small to secure food, so they used it as a relay base by transporting food and water from other islands.

Fol and the exploration team had just finished their morning exploration and were returning to their temporary base. Leaning against the deck railing, Fol bathed in the sea breeze. The exploration was progressing smoothly, but Fol’s expression was grim.

“Fol, you’re making that face again?”

“Dyne…”

Dyne approached, a cigarette in his mouth, and stood next to Fol, who was gazing out at the sea.

“We’re making good progress today too. Why the long face?”

“In six months, we’ve covered ten percent. At this rate, it will take us five years to finish the exploration.”

“We’re doing well considering our small team and lack of supplies. We’re clearing out monsters and mapping as we go. Speeding up more would compromise safety.”

“I know.”

“Then why the long face? It’s about time you told me what’s bothering you.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“That’s sad. We’ve been traveling together for six months, right? Am I the only one who thinks we’re comrades?”

“It’s not that…”

Fol averted her face awkwardly at Dyne’s words.

If it took five years to finish exploring the sea of demons, Rofus would be 17 by then. While Rofus hadn’t set a specific deadline for Fol to become a noble, she had been informed by Carlos about a treaty between the Lightless family and other nobles. Rofus currently had no fiancée, but there was talk that he might get one when he came of age. It was a vague notion, but not entirely impossible, so Carlos had felt obliged to mention it.

This made Fol uneasy. If she became a noble in five years, and Rofus had a fiancée by then? Fol, though possessing magic, was still a commoner’s daughter. The promise she made with Rofus was almost forced. If circumstances changed and he broke the promise, Fol wouldn’t be able to say anything.

She had no right to complain. She had approached Rofus and suggested the exploration of the sea of demons herself. Should she ask Carlos for help now? But if she became a noble relying on Carlos’s help, could she face Rofus with pride?

“Ugh…” Fol groaned, clutching her head.

“Fol…”

Dyne tried to place a comforting hand on Fol’s shoulder.

At that moment, a brand new sword flew at them. The drawn sword thrust forcefully into the deck, standing upright as if to separate Fol and Dyne. Startled, Fol and Dyne turned to see Carla rushing towards them in a panic.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I was practicing my swings to fight monsters too, but since I’m not used to it, the sword slipped out of my hands! I didn’t mean any harm! Are you hurt?”

Carla spoke rapidly, explaining herself. Dyne looked at her with a strained expression, while Fol sighed, pulling the sword out and handing it back to Carla.

“That was dangerous. You’re helping us enough by drawing the maps. Leave the fighting to us.”

“Thank you!”

Carla, tears in her eyes, took Fol’s hand gratefully. Dyne watched this with a cold stare.

“Anyway…”

Carla, wiping her tears, turned to look at the small island they were using as a base.

“There’s a strange presence above the island. Be careful, everyone.”

Carla spoke seriously. Fol and Dyne looked at the island but couldn’t sense anything unusual. The sky above was clear and blue, with nothing out of the ordinary.

“I don’t see anything. Can you see something, Carla?”

“No, I can’t see it. But there’s definitely something there.”

“Can you sense things like that?”

“Well, I do have some magic, so I’m sensitive to presences…”

Carla hastily explained, seeing Fol’s suspicious look.

“Got it. There’s something there. Let’s be on guard.”

Fol focused on the unseen presence above.

＊

The airship Ifrit was anchored above a small island in the sea of demons.

Utilizing magic to block detection and make the ship invisible, it couldn’t be seen from below. As Riruka requested a detour, the “Crimson Wind” had changed course towards the fishing village of Rougvelt in the outskirts of the Lightless territory.

Riruka searched for Faratiana but couldn’t find her. After asking around, she learned from the innkeeper’s daughter that Faratiana had gone to explore the Sea of Demons.

Flying around the Sea of Demons in an airship, Riruka discovered a small island with what appeared to be a campsite and a ship nearby. Using farsight magic, she confirmed Faratiana’s presence on the ship and decided to wait on the island until their ship returned.

Hawk, observing Riruka using farsight magic from the deck, tilted his head in confusion. 

“Riruka, is that farsight magic? When did you learn such a spell?”

Due to her second life, Riruka possessed advanced magical abilities, including high-level spells and advanced techniques like chantless casting, which she had not yet learned in her current timeline. However, she kept these abilities a secret from her companions in the Crimson Wind group. Constantly being with them, they would become suspicious if she used such spells frequently, and she couldn’t tell them the truth. They would never believe she was living her second life, and revealing the world’s end in ten years would only bring despair.

She had been cautious about using advanced magic, but recently, she felt more comfortable using minor spells openly. Thanks to her supposed romantic relationship with Rofus, she could use advanced magic without raising too many questions.

“Rofus taught me, during bedtime stories,” she replied.

This explanation usually sufficed. Hawk adjusted his round glasses and shrugged.

“Bedtime stories, huh? You seem to like that excuse lately. I don’t remember you having much time alone with Rofus, but alright.”

Though he didn’t believe the bedtime story excuse, knowing Rofus’s unparalleled magical prowess, it seemed plausible to him.

Riruka was grateful for this, as it made using magic easier.

“Hey, is Far looking at us?” Riruka muttered, watching Faratiana disembark from the ship through her farsight magic.

The airship was heavily concealed with invisibility and magical interference spells, making it undetectable. Yet, Faratiana seemed to sense it, approaching cautiously with several people.

Riruka watched for a while but eventually, Faratiana and her group reached the airship’s base, clearly aware of its presence. It shouldn’t have been possible for Faratiana to detect it, especially since she hadn’t met the water spirit Lunamar yet, who could sense such magic. This led Riruka to suspect that Faratiana might also have memories from a previous life.

“Should I just meet her directly?” Riruka decided, looking at Hawk beside her.

“Someone’s down there… Are they looking at us?” Hawk squinted down, adjusting his sunglasses.

Riruka chuckled and grabbed the railing. 

“That’s my friend. I’m going to talk to her.”

“Hey, wait, Riruka! Your friend—” Hawk’s voice trailed off as Riruka jumped from the deck.

＊

“Is it up there, Carla?”

“Yes, I sense something above us.”

Fol, Carla, and Dyne approached the area where Carla sensed something. Though Fol could see nothing, Carla insisted something was there. Fol began to doubt her.

“Is there really something there?” Dyne questioned, and Carla glared at him.

“Should we throw a stone to check?” Fol picked up a stone, but Carla sensed something descending from the invisible object.

“Fol, step back! Something’s coming!”

Fol jumped back, drawing his cutlass, and Dyne followed suit. A small girl appeared from the invisible barrier.

“Wind Embrace,” she chanted, and wind cushioned her fall. She landed softly and smiled at Faratiana.

“Hey, Fal!”

The girl, with light brown hair, smiled as if reuniting with an old friend. Fol watched her suspiciously.

＊

“Fal? Are you talking to me? Who are you?” Fol asked, eyeing Riruka.

Riruka narrowed her eyes, pondering whether Faratiana truly had no memories of their past life or if she was pretending.

“Did you do something to Rofus’s left arm?” Riruka asked bluntly, unable to hold back.

Fol widened her eyes and glanced back at her companions.

“Leave us, please.”

Dyne and Carla protested, but Fol insisted.

“It’s okay. She knows Rofus… right?”

“Yes,” Riruka nodded.

Carla stared at Riruka for a moment, then sighed and pulled Dyne away.

“Follow me.”

Reluctantly, Dyne followed, leaving Fol and Riruka alone.

After a moment of silence, Fol spoke.

“You call Rofus ‘Rofus’ so casually.”

“You call Rofus ‘Ro’ too. Isn’t he a marquis’s heir?” Riruka countered.

“What are you to Rofus? Did he send you?”

“I’m Riruka, a sky pirate. Rofus and I are friends. I’m here of my own will, to meet Fal,” Riruka explained.

“To meet me?” Fol narrowed her eyes.

“Yes, to ask about Rofus’s left arm. Did you do it?” Riruka asked again.

Fol looked away uncomfortably.

“…Rofus’ left arm, huh. That was indeed my doing.”

“That’s a bit too vague, don’t you think? I want to know exactly what happened.”

Feeling as if she were being accused, Faratiana lightly bit her lower lip in response to Riruka’s question.

“…I was being protected. Rofus’ left arm and left eye were lost then… because I was too weak.”

“…Huh?”

Riruka frowned at Faratiana’s words, spoken almost like a confession of weakness. What she said matched what was written in the book.

“Didn’t you cut it off yourself…?”

“Cut it off…? Me, cut off Rofus’ left arm? There’s no way I would do that, why would I…!”

Faratiana vehemently denied it. Riruka then took out the black book “The Dark Noble and the Sailor Girl.”

“Wait, so you mean to say that everything written in this book is true…?”

“Whaaaaaaa!?”

Faratiana’s face turned bright red, almost as if she were about to burst into flames, and she snatched the book from Riruka.

“Wha-wh-why do you have this…! H-how widely has this thing spread!?”

Hugging the book to her chest with tearful eyes, Faratiana looked at Riruka. Seeing Faratiana’s reaction, Riruka couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.

“Why are you making that face…?”

Blushing and teary-eyed, hugging the book tightly, Faratiana looked almost like a maiden whose secret love had just been exposed. It reminded Riruka of the time Faratiana couldn’t hide her feelings for Abel.

Feeling a slight tightness in her chest, Riruka asked Faratiana, “So, do you really love Rofus?”

“…Yes. If you’ve read that book, then you already know.”

Faratiana didn’t hide her feelings for Rofus. This was a significant difference from the last time. Previously, Faratiana had struggled to be honest about her feelings for Abel, often falling behind the other heroines. But this time, she was clearly aware of and expressing her feelings for Rofus. Riruka found it hard to understand why her former adversary had ended up in such a situation.

Riruka glanced at the book Faratiana was holding. “So, is everything written in that book true?”

“…Well, mostly. Rofus is a bit idealized, though.”

“And he saved your friend from slavery?”

“That’s true. It was Norn.”

“And the part about marrying him if he becomes a noble?”

“Th-that was more of a promise to respond to my feelings…”

Falatia muttered the last part, embarrassed, lowering her head. Despite feeling slightly dizzy, Riruka let out a small breath and looked Faratiana in the eyes.

“You really are serious.”

“I am. I’m not aiming to become a noble for some idle whim.”

Faratiana’s straightforward gaze made Riruka let out a deep sigh. Then, with a slightly relieved smile, she gently placed her hands on Faratiana’s shoulders.

“Got it. I’ll support your love, Faratiana.”

“Oh, uh, thank you?”

Though feeling a bit puzzled by Riruka’s encouragement, Faratiana expressed her thanks. Riruka added, “But in return…”

“Make sure you become Rofus’ most important person. This time, don’t settle for anything less. Don’t be satisfied with being just a concubine.”

Riruka’s words stemmed from her memories of the previous timeline. While Faratiana couldn’t fully grasp the meaning, she found herself accepting the advice without resistance. Smiling, she lightly placed her fist on Riruka’s shoulder.

“Of course.”

Riruka felt a slight sense of nostalgia at Faratiana’s confident smile. Although they were different in many ways, both had been front-line fighters in Abel’s party, often interacting more than the other members. To Riruka, Faratiana had been a friend.

In the previous timeline, if asked whom she would support as Abel’s primary wife, Riruka would have chosen Faratiana without hesitation. She believed Faratiana would have made the same choice for her. That was the kind of relationship they had shared.

Recalling their past, Riruka mischievously smiled. “If you can’t become Rofus’ most important person… I might just steal him away.”

“…Huh? Rofus?”

Falatia froze at Riruka’s sudden declaration. Grinning teasingly, Riruka continued, “Yup. If you don’t manage to be his number one, I’ll just have to take him for myself.”

“Wait, what…?”

“I’ll be going now! Take care, Faratiana!”

Having said her piece, Riruka waved her hand and activated the airship’s teleportation magic. Her body was enveloped in a soft light.

“Hey, wait!”

Faratiana reached out, but Riruka had already vanished. Her outstretched hand grasped only empty air, leaving a faint shimmer of light that slowly dissipated.

Alone, Faratiana kicked at the ground in frustration.

“She said whatever she wanted and then just disappeared… Riruka, I’ll remember this.”

“Oh, by the way…”

“Whoa!?”

Riruka suddenly reappeared behind Faratiana, startling her.

“Nice reaction, Faratiana.”

“Anyone would be surprised by that.”

Riruka smirked at the half-glare Faratiana gave her. “I said I’d support you, so I couldn’t leave without doing something. Here, take this.”

Riruka handed Faratiana a bundle of papers. They contained maps of the surrounding sea areas and locations of various islands.

“Riruka, this…”

“I flew around looking for you, so I pulled this from Ifrit’s flight logs. It’s not very detailed, though.”

“No, this is more than enough… I can’t accept something so valuable…”

“Don’t worry about it. It has no value to me. But if it bothers you, consider it a loan.”

“A loan?”

“Yes. Just make sure to repay it. With interest, of course.”

Riruka winked mischievously, and Faratiana found herself laughing.

“Got it. I’ll pay you back with interest. Don’t forget it.”

“I won’t. If you’re late, I’ll come to collect.”

“Yeah, right.”

They exchanged playful banter and laughed together, feeling a sense of familiarity despite it being their first meeting.

After a moment, Riruka extended her hand. “I’m really leaving now. Take care, Faratiana.”

Faratiana grasped the offered hand, and they shook firmly. “You too, Riruka. It’s strange, but it doesn’t feel like we’re meeting for the first time.”

“Same here.”

They smiled at each other, let go, and Riruka disappeared once again, enveloped in light. Alone again, Faratiana looked up at the sky, feeling a mix of nostalgia and hope.

With the sea chart from Riruka in hand, Faratiana knew her exploration would continue.