“Doctor, please treat me~”
“Little doctor~”
“Doctor, I hurt myself here~”
Damn adults.
If I were really six years old, I would have been emotionally scarred by now. It seems everyone here has had such unfortunate childhoods that they would fill a whole chapter in a novel, so I decided to overlook it all with my mature mind and soul.
“Stop it!!”
But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t angry. I was furious listening to them. When I was Mare Akera, I felt like a mature person, but spending time with these people makes me as childish as they are.
‘I’m not really six years old!’
I stomped my feet in anger, and everyone ran away, pretending to be scared. I saw them laughing as they ran.
While I was catching my breath in anger, Gerard approached me cautiously.
“Po- Polaris….”
“What, why. Why!”
This brat. He wasn’t even eighteen yet, but I bet he was drinking. I glared at Gerard with a sour face, and he handed me a piece of chocolate with a slightly subdued look.
“Take this and calm down.”
“Are you bribing me right now?”
“………….”
“Gerard, you’ve really become a pirate.”
I let it go, not because I liked chocolate, but because I knew how precious such desserts were during long sea voyages.
Gerard grinned when he realized I forgave him.
“Hehe.”
“Are you bappy?”
“Yes, I’m happy. Also, I’m sorry. Dexter cried because he felt bad for Lala too.”
“Why do pirates cry so much?”
“Only for Lala, so it’s fine, right?”
“………….”
This kid, who still had a long way to go to become a true pirate, left me speechless. I just turned my head abruptly.
“You can call me Lala now.”
“……..! Really?”
“Yes, since the rest of the family calls me Lala without asking for my permission anyway.”
“But we did something wrong to you. Actually, Pola, I mean, Lala, if you didn’t want to see us, we were going to stay out of your sight.”
‘I don’t think it’s necessary to go that far.’
I figured he was exaggerating. What was I doing with such a delicate child?
At that moment, my vision heightened again.
I thought it was Nereus again, but the scent was different this time.
Only two people in the Caelum pirate crew had such a fragrant smell.
‘But Clara is helping in the kitchen today….’
“Nancy Mom?”
“Ding Dong Dang― You’re correct.”
Nancy, a tall and always stylish woman, lifted me up with a smile.
“Our princess, can you roam around like this now?”
“Is Nancy Mom also calling me princess now?”
“Oh? I’ve always called our Lala princess.”
“Did you really?”
Yes, she smiled with a crinkled nose, saying I must have forgotten such an important thing because I was in pain.
‘I’m sure she just called me Lala or Polaris….’
I guess it’s the passage of time that made me forget. I awkwardly smiled along with Nancy.
“I heard our princess wants to become a doctor and told the captain?”
“Are you going to laugh at me too, Nancy Mom?”
“Of course~ I’ll laugh~”
Traitor.
I used to think she was the second coolest person on this ship, but now I’ll have to change that. I was pondering who should be the new number two when Nancy continued.
“Our princess has a wonderful dream, so shouldn’t I be happy as a mother?”
“Nancy Mom…. I love you, Mom.”
Never mind, she might still be number one.
Nancy is the best.
A true adult who doesn’t mock a child’s dreams, even though she’s a pirate, she’s a wonderful adult.
“Of course, of course~ I also love our princess~”
Nancy laughed heartily and hugged me tightly. Her warmth was comforting.
To feel this warmth more closely, which I might not sense in a few years, I hugged Nancy tightly as well.
‘In a few years, Nancy will leave the pirate ship to lived with her husband.’
I remember that day vividly. Although her husband was a great person, I cried a lot and threw a tantrum because I didn’t want to part with Nancy.
That was probably the first time Nereus scolded me, saying I should wish for Nancy’s happiness.
‘This time, I’ll let her go without throwing a tantrum. Having a family is a good thing.’
Since I’m not a real child and have grown up a lot, I can let Nancy go gracefully this time.
‘But….’
Something about Nancy made me feel like there was something I needed to remember, but I couldn’t recall what it was. I furrowed my brow, feeling something nagging at me.
‘I’m sure there was something very… significant, and Nereus told me not to leave the room for any reason.’
I had a feeling it was related to Nancy, but just as I was thinking that, I felt my body lift off the ground.
“La- Lala!”
Gerard urgently called my name as he caught me with a thud.
“Lala, are you okay?”
“Oh? Yeah… I’m okay. But….”
My eyes rolled toward Nancy. Just a moment ago, she was smiling brightly and hugging me, but now she was lying on the ground.
“Nancy has collapsed….”
***
‘To think I only remember this now.’
Of course, even if I had remembered earlier, it wouldn’t have changed much dramatically.
Before the regression, when I woke up from my fever and was resting, Nereus suddenly came into the room urgently and moved me from the infirmary to my private room.
I couldn’t step out of the room until we reached the western continent, and only then did I face the brutal truth.
A ‘mysterious disease’ had spread within the Caelum, causing many crew members to die before we even reached the western continent.
The disease was a significant issue, but it didn’t affect me.
‘Because the cure for it is quite simple.’
When the cause was unknown, there was panic about an epidemic, but once it was identified, the solution was surprisingly simple.
‘In fact, it was so simple that Nereus seemed more tormented after it was revealed.’
Before the regression, when I finally went out on deck, I saw many coffins lined up, ready to be sent off into the sea.
The Caelum pirate crew had an island in a secret location on the western continent. It was a place to bury comrades who died during the journey. Instead of sending them off immediately, they would be placed in coffins and stored in an underground warehouse until a proper burial could be arranged later.
Nereus believed that if they were buried at sea, their souls would wander aimlessly. He wanted to tell the adventures of their final journey to their family, facing them directly.
The ocean currents were too chaotic, and he didn’t want their souls to be lost at sea.
However, the reason they sent the comrades who died of disease out to sea was due to the possibility of an epidemic. The departed comrades were placed in coffin-shaped small boats, set on fire, and sent off.
To ensure no one could ever find them.
I will never forget how Nereus remained on the ship, staring out at the sea, even after we reached the continent.
He stayed on the ship for days, gazing beyond the ocean.
As someone who could read the ocean currents better than anyone, he must have felt a profound sorrow looking at the vast sea.
‘Though he acted bright as if nothing had happened later.’
But that might have been all a facade.
That person, when it came to Caelum, was always a hopeless fool, so I sighed deeply, wondering who was the guardian here.
‘I have to take good care of him, don’t I? But….’
Where am I going now? When I came to my senses, I was being carried by Nereus along the corridor inside the cabin. Nereus walked silently and put me down.
‘Wait, what?’
The place I set foot in was my room. The large furniture, too big for my small current body, and the corners rounded off by Titan to prevent injury… this place of memories… No, this isn’t it.
“Dad?”
I turned to look at Nereus. Why was I suddenly in my room? Huh?
Nereus, with a serious and solemn expression, sat me on the bed and spoke.
“Lala, because you’re my daughter, I believe you’ll listen to your dad.”
“…Huh?”
“Stay in your room for a while.”
“What? Why?”
“Now that I think about it, you haven’t been awake for long, and sometimes playing ‘not stepping out of the room’ can be fun.”
What nonsense is this? While I was dumbfounded, Nereus quickly stepped out.
Click―.
I heard an ominous sound.
‘Ah! That rascal Nereus locked the door!’
He locked it from outside with a key, so there’s no way to open it. My body is so weak that if I hit the door, it’s my body that would break, not the door.
“Dad!!”
I banged on the door, calling out to Nereus at the top of my lungs. I started coughing but he didn’t care.
“Don’t shout, Dad’s still in front of the door! You’ll hurt your voice!”
“If you hadn’t locked the door, I wouldn’t be shouting!”
“Are you blaming Dad for this?!”
“Then is it my fault?!”
It’s your fault for making me want to shout! I added. Nereus is so stubborn that arguing with him in the same way was the most effective.
I kept pounding on the door until I got tired and started panting.
“Just stay there for a few days, a few days. If our Lala stays there and plays nicely for a few days, Dad will open the door later.”
“What toys or anything do I have here to play with?”
“Remember the toy Dad made for you last time.”
What? Did I have something like that? It’s been so long I don’t remember. I glanced around and saw some wooden block.
‘What’s that?’
“Oh? Lala, you said you liked the wooden doll Dad made for you.”
“It’s boring!”
“……What?”
“At that time, I was being considerate of Dad’s delicate feelings! Honestly, it’s boring! It’s not fun!”
“How can you trample on Dad’s feelings like that?!”
Well, you’re trampling all over my feelings right now!
Nereus and I continued our argument through the door.
“I like Dad more than those speechless wooden blocks!”
“………?!”
At my last shout, I heard a clattering sound from the other side of the door.
It seemed Nereus had fallen.
After a while, I heard Nereus’s dazed voice.
“How much more do you like Dad?”
Is this my chance? I decided to take advantage of it.
“As much as the sea! As much as Dad loves the sea!”
“What? I love Lala more than the sea?”
Yeah, right.
I almost said that but held back.
“Really? I thought Dad loved the sea the most and thought it was the best, so I said that.”
“Hmph, hmph. Ahem.”
Ugh, idiot. I can hear him trying to suppress his joy clearly. Is that even holding back? It’s so obvious.
“Dad doesn’t know.”
“…..…….”
That means he wants more flattery, doesn’t it? That sly pirate. Although I’m also a pirate now.
“Actually, it’s a secret, but among the dads, I like Nereus the most.”
“Hmph…!”
“And I think Dad is the strongest, coolest, and the best, so I don’t put a name in front of Dad’s name. Because Dad is number one. The first place doesn’t need a name, everyone knows who it is, right?”
“Khm, hmph, sniff. I see. Lala likes Dad the most?”
“Yeah, the most. The best.”
“Alright, I understand now. I didn’t realize my daughter’s feelings.”
Every syllable is filled with laughter. That childish guy. Is that even a dad? He’s an enemy.
‘You’ll open the door now, right? Right? Your loving daughter is saying all this, so you’ll open it, right?’
As I stomped my feet and stared at the door, I heard him getting up.
“I’m Lala’s number one Dad, right?”
“Of course!”
“Then you’ll do a favor for your number one Dad, right?”
“Of course… what?”
“Lala, listen carefully to your number one Dad’s request, okay? Stay quietly in the room and don’t cause any trouble.”
Hey, you.
‘You son of a…!!’
“I’ll bring you food every time.”
‘Am I a prisoner?!’
I heard Nereus laugh heartily as he walked away.
‘That sly and despicable pirate son of a…!!’
That’s why you shouldn’t expect a fair deal with a pirate. Although I’m a pirate too and Nereus is my family!
Seeing him after a long time, I’m realizing again how his personality is. Yeah, that’s how he was.
‘I’ll never forgive you!’
I’ll get my revenge. On Nereus Caelum, I will have my revenge.
I clenched my fists and sat down by the door, muttering like a mad person.
