‘I never expected that my family would be so foolish about things like this.’
I shook my head in concern for their future, feeling a bit disheartened.
‘I need to quickly explain while the momentum is on my side.’
Anyway, the wind was blowing in the direction I wanted. If I don’t raise the anchor now, I’ll lose my right to be a pirate.
“Everyone, be quiet and listen to me.”
The cheering stopped abruptly. Although I was slightly intimidated by their unity, I spoke as confidently as I could.
“You’re haven’t fully recovered yet, so we need to reach the port quickly.”
“Do you know why this is happening?”
“Yes, we make sure to eat fruit at least once a week, right?”
“That’s right, because of scurvy.”
The illness we were discussing was related to scurvy. It used to be the nightmare of the sea, a terrible disease that plagued sailors. However, it was discovered that consuming fruit could cure it almost instantly, and the fear of scurvy faded.
Since then, sailors always carried preserved fruits or salted items on board. Around this time, a magical item was brought aboard our ship, the Caelum.
“You don’t think it’s scurvy, do you?”
I shook my head at Nereus’ words.
“Dad, the only person who’s gotten sick besides Gerard is a woman.”
Nereus’ face hardened at my words.
‘As I thought, he knew.’
There was a superstition among sailors that having women or children on board brought bad luck. Because of this, it was difficult for women to be promoted in the navy, and those who went on actual missions were particularly few.
‘It’s ironic that the sea god, Cormare, is often depicted as female, yet there’s such a superstition.’
The navy wasn’t the only one bound by this superstition. Pirates also avoided having female crew members, making the Caelum pirate crew quite unusual.
Not only did they welcome female sailors, but they also accepted a child like me, treating us all as family.
On this ship, where everyone was like family, if this mysterious illness turned out to be related to gender, it could undermine the trust we had built.
‘But it wasn’t just Nereus who noticed.’
Not only Nereus but also the other healthy sailors darkened their expressions at my statement. It seemed that they had noticed but refrained from speaking out, likely worried that someone might blame the female crew members.
‘Ugh, what should I do with these warm-hearted criminals?’
“But if it really only affected women, I would have collapsed too. I’m weaker than my mom or my brother, so I might have died first.”
“You shouldn’t say such scary things lightly.”
“As a pirate, don’t you feel guilty for saying such things? Besides—”
I pointed to Gerard and continued.
“Gerard got sick too, right? Why do you think that is?”
“Lala, do you know the reason?”
“Of course I do; that’s why I asked.”
I spoke boldly, and Nereus let out a deflated laugh.
“Well, Gerard is close to Clara, so did he get sick instead of her?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Nereus might have said it jokingly, but unfortunately, that was the truth. Given the circumstances, nothing else made sense.
“Nereus, before we set sail, didn’t you buy something expensive for the ship?”
“A refrigeration device?”
“Yes, that. Why did you buy it?”
“Well…”
While answering, Nereus opened his eyes wide and found Clara standing among the crowd.
“Clara, don’t tell me…”
“I-I’m sorry, Captain.”
Clara turned pale and fidgeted with her hands.
“The day Polaris collapsed, Gerard felt so guilty that I gave him my share.”
“…………..!”
‘As expected.’
Unlike the distant past, now only remembered in myths, people of the current era could no longer use magic. Instead, they created items that defied the laws of nature using mysterious stones found in nature—these were called magical artifacts, and the study of creating them was known as Magology.
The Western Continent had higher prices for these magical artifacts compared to the Eastern Continent. The refrigeration device Nereus had acquired not only kept things cool but also slowed down time to maintain freshness for as long as possible, making it an incredibly expensive item.
The reason Nereus went to the trouble of acquiring such an item was for one specific fruit.
‘The White Sun, was it?’
White Dragon Disease was the name of a plant epidemic that plagued all orange orchards. It started from the roots and gradually turned the trees white from the leaves down, eventually producing only shriveled fruit from the afflicted trees.
The disease was so contagious that the only solution was to quickly find and dispose of the affected trees. However, one day, amidst these white trees, fresh fruit appeared.
Of course, such fruit-bearing trees were extremely rare. The precious fruit was hailed by all as the ‘miraculous fruit that overcomes even death—the White Sun.’ The name ‘Sun’ probably came from the fact that the fruit was an orange.
This ‘White Sun’ became particularly popular among sailors. Given that scurvy was closely linked to fruit, especially citrus fruits, it was no wonder that the result of overcoming the incurable White Dragon Disease was highly coveted.
‘Who could have known that this Sun would end up killing everyone? Not even in their wildest dreams.’
Nereus had acquired the refrigeration device because he realized that one of the female crew members was subtly concerned about the superstition. He wanted to show that he always supported them.
But his attempt to protect his family ended up choking them instead. That’s why Nereus regretted and suffered the most on this day.
He hadn’t just failed to protect them; he had, in effect, killed them with his own hands.
“I often get sick, so Grandpa Ethan helps me a lot. His room is full of picture books, so sometimes, when he’s not around, I sneak a peek at them.”
Ethan’s eyes widened as he asked,
“Did you look at the dictionaries? That must have been difficult.”
“Yes, at first, I didn’t understand anything just like you said, Grandpa Ethan, but after I recovered from being sick recently, I started to understand what those things in my head were.”
I began to lie with the innocent voice of a six-year-old. Honestly, saying I was a 26-year-old who had returned to the past was less believable than saying I became a genius after recovering from an illness.
“And there was something, what was it—oh, right. There’s a fruit called Lambut, isn’t there? It has to be harvested within three days after it ripens.”
“That’s right. Lambut is a fruit that’s good for headaches, but if you wait more than three days, it absorbs harmful toxins from inside the tree…”
Ethan started to explain but then seemed to realize something, his expression turning grim. I smiled sweetly as I watched him.
“Isn’t it true that the tree that bears the White Sun fruit is normally very sick? How could such a tree produce fruit?”
“My goodness. How could this be?”
The Lambut fruit is difficult to harvest because the tree absorbs pollutants from its surroundings. The fruit is beneficial for treating headaches, but if the harvest is delayed even slightly, the fruit absorbs toxins accumulated in the tree.
While I didn’t actually use the information about Lambut to figure out the nature of the White Sun, the principles were similar.
Ethan’s face grew more horrified as he began to grasp my point.
“Of course, it would have been impossible to find a cure. Oh my, thank you, Cormare. Lala, I don’t know how you discovered this treatment, but we have to credit the Sea God for helping us.”
I grinned at Ethan’s words.
“Not everyone is cured yet. Right now, we’re just deceiving the illness in everyone’s bodies.”
First aid is just that—first aid. As soon as we reach the Western Continent, we’ll need to start proper treatment immediately.
‘Luckily, the medicine to treat the toxins absorbed by the tree was similar to cold medicine.’
As things were going favorably, Nereus called out to me.
“But Lala.”
“Yes?”
“I noticed you mixed the medicine with alcohol. Why did you do that?”
“Oh, that’s because…”
I rolled my eyes, glancing at my family before answering.
“Another dad said it tasted terrible. And good medicine always tastes bad. That’s why.”
Once again, I had no choice but to bluff since I couldn’t explain it any other way.
***
‘No matter how I think about it, the people on the Caelum are definitely fools.’
A few days later, I leaned against the ship’s railing, staring up at the sky. It was a very clear day.
‘How else could they believe such an unbelievable thing and just move on?’
“Or maybe they just act foolishly when it comes to me.”
No way, I thought, shaking my head with a chuckle.
‘No matter how much they like me, it couldn’t be to that extent.’
“What are you mumbling about by yourself?”
Suddenly, I found myself sliding down from the railing and lying on the deck. A shadow loomed over me.
“Nancy… Mom?”
“Hoho, our little savior.”
“Nancy Mom, are you feeling better now?”
“Of course~ Out of all the patients, I’m the healthiest now. Isn’t that impressive?”
Nancy smiled warmly and reached out to me as I lay there. When I raised my arms to grab her hand, she effortlessly lifted me up.
‘Originally, Nancy was supposed to be the only survivor.’
Nancy was the first to contract the illness and the only one to survive. It wasn’t because she was healthier than the others.
While eating the ‘White Sun’ with her fellow crew members, Nancy shared a few pieces with her crewmate, Dahlia, who was enjoying the fruit. Thanks to this, Nancy survived while her friend passed away even more quickly.
‘If you eat plenty of other fruits within a week of consuming the White Sun, you’ll be fine, but that’s hard to do on a ship.’
Moreover, the symptoms didn’t appear until at least a week after consumption, making it difficult to identify the cause.
“……….…”
“Why are you so quiet, Lala?”
“I’m just happy that Nancy Mom is awake.”
I gazed at Nancy before hugging her tightly, feeling her warm embrace.
‘I’m really happy.’
I felt a surge of joy, different from what I had felt a few days ago.
Nancy had survived in the previous timeline as well. However, after that, her face was always shadowed, even when she smiled.
The Nancy I knew before was gone, replaced by a Nancy who carried an unshakable burden of pain and sorrow. I didn’t understand it as a child, but now I did.
‘Not only Nereus, but Nancy must have suffered too.’
Every time the crew saw Nancy, the only survivor, they were reminded of that day.
‘Live a happier life this time, Nancy.’
In a few years, Nancy would meet a man, fall in love, and leave the ship. In the previous timeline, I had clung to her, crying, but this time, I would be able to see her off with a smile.
‘When that time comes, I’ll make sure to say goodbye with a smile.’
With a gentle laugh, I closed my eyes, feeling Nancy’s hand stroking my hair.
‘I changed it. I really did it.’
I could feel that destiny had truly been altered. Many more things would change in the future…
‘And I’ll be there, right in the middle of it.’
A warm, fuzzy feeling filled my heart.
“We’re almost there, change the sails!”
I heard the sounds of people moving busily. Even though they were rushing around, all I could sense was happiness, relief, joy, and anticipation.
