053
“The ship is about to move now. It’s dangerous, so come over here.”
“Okay!”
How could such a huge ship move? There’s no wind, after all.
As I was wondering, the Admiral, as if reading my mind, began to explain.
“You must have learned about magical engineering in class. Every ship has an engine room.”
“An engine room?!”
“I’ll show it to you later. There are spirit stones imbued with the power of fire spirits and air spirits. When these two are combined in a magic circle, they become the power source.”
[The Fire Spirit King ‘■■■■■’ explains that a power source is something that makes stationary objects move.]
Ah, I see!
My curiosity satisfied, I tried to stand still with composure.
The Admiral patted my head and then called over a navy officer standing nearby.
“This is Colonel James Felton, the chief engineer. Greet him. He’ll explain everything about the engine room.”
Colonel Felton was a round, plump man with an impressive mustache. His eyes, nose, and cheeks were all round and gave off a warm, friendly vibe!
“Hello, Colonel!”
I immediately took a liking to him and politely placed my hands on my belly before bowing.
And then—suddenly, the Colonel started crying!
“Hwaaah! Where did such an adorable young lady come from? Hwaah—sniff!”
Wait, he’s actually crying?!
Flustered, I hurriedly took out a handkerchief from my bag. It was embroidered with a rabbit.
“Here, use this.”
“Hwaaah, you’re so kind, too! Sniff—hic!”
“…You can blow your nose with it too.”
It was my precious handkerchief, but if it would stop him from crying, I didn’t mind.
The Admiral patted the Colonel’s shoulder, then lifted me into his arms once again.
“Alright, let’s head down to the engine room. Seeing the generator in person will be best.”
“Yes!”
Excited, I threw my arms up in the air and cheered with a big smile.
Meanwhile, the navy officers, who had been watching Shupetty intently, only exhaled the breath they had been holding the moment her fluttering pink hair disappeared from view.
“Phew… My goodness. So, she’s the new ‘young lady’ everyone’s been talking about.”
“Young Master Mikard has been bragging about her so much… and she really is adorable.”
“That’s true, but more than that… she’s like a ray of sunshine, don’t you think?”
Plump, rosy cheeks and eyes full of life.
Every little step she took, her impeccable manners—there wasn’t a single thing about her that wasn’t utterly charming.
No matter how one looked at her—from above, below, left, or right—she was simply beautiful.
But what was strange was that, despite having heard she was of common birth, there was an undeniable grace about her.
One’s origins are difficult to conceal.
No matter how skilled an actor might be, they cannot mimic what is inherited from their parents.
And yet, Shupetty carried an unexplainable sense of authority.
“If she had a Bijou, we could just say it’s because of that.”
“Right? I thought it was strange too. Maybe it’s because she’s a Spirit King’s contractor?”
“That’s possible… but is she really a commoner?”
The officers of common birth exchanged puzzled looks.
After all, none of the ordinary people they knew were anything like Shupetty.
“Direct descendants of Pashayen always carry a weight within them, like an anchor, no matter how young they are.”
At this remark, several officers nodded with expressions of deep understanding.
“Young Master Mikard is a prime example.”
“Exactly. Though his personality is mischievous and lighthearted, no one dares to underestimate him.”
Even Shupetty, despite her lovable demeanor, carried an inexplicable weight beneath it all.
Those who served Pashayen could instinctively sense it.
This was something they had never felt from the adopted direct descendants—Nine, Ilyad, or Naiad.
“In any case, it’s the first time we’ve seen the Admiral make that kind of expression.”
“More like… the first time in a long while.”
A relatively young officer spoke in amazement, and an older lieutenant colonel, standing with his hands behind his back, responded with a knowing nod.
The higher-ranking officers remembered the Admiral from long ago.
They knew what kind of smiles Diegon had in happier days, how gentle he used to be.
To the newcomers, who had only ever seen him as a sharpened blade, this expression must have seemed foreign.
“…Thank goodness. It’s a relief.”
That softened expression just now—
The smile of a father whose walls had momentarily crumbled—
It was reminiscent of the Diegon from many years ago.
And there was no need to ask who had brought about this change.
Shupetty.
The youngest lady, named after the North Star.
***
“This is Mikard’s room.”
After thoroughly exploring the engine room, filled with all sorts of impressive machinery, the next stop was the living quarters.
The Admiral’s room wasn’t much different from what I had seen at home, but brother Mikard’s room was fascinating.
Because—
“Look! The doll I gave him!”
I remembered the festival from before.
I had won plushies of a crab, seaweed, and a pufferfish from a claw machine.
The seaweed plushie went to brother Elzen, the crab to Lina.
‘Young miss… such a precious gift… and you’re giving it to me instead of keeping it for yourself?!’
‘I got it for you, Lina.’
‘Waaah! I’ll treasure it forever! No one else can have it! From now on, this crab plushie is mine for life!’
I suddenly remembered what Lina had said before and couldn’t help but giggle.
But wait—brother Mikard also treasured the pufferfish plushie I gave him?!
“A plushie you gave him?”
At that moment, the Admiral raised an eyebrow.
“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Ah!”
“So, my eldest received a plushie from you but didn’t bother to report it to me?”
Covering my mouth with both hands, I glanced around nervously.
Could it be… does the Admiral want a plushie too?
[The Spirit King of Emotions ‘■■■’ bursts into laughter in amusement.]
[He’s sulking! He’s totally sulking!]
Gasp—really?!
He doesn’t look upset, though…
As I carefully studied the Admiral’s expression, I suddenly froze.
What should I do?
“He even tied a ribbon around it. On this pufferfish plushie.”
“Mhm!”
Did brother Mikard do it himself? The round, spiky pufferfish had a clumsily tied pink ribbon wrapped around it.
As I stepped closer, I noticed a note attached to the ribbon. I read it aloud, enunciating each word carefully.
“Looks like our Chubby. Looks like our Chubby… Looks like ME?!”
Thud!
A pufferfish isn’t cute! It’s all spiky and round!
“Admiral, do I look like a pufferfish?”
“Ahem.”
“Really…? Do I really look like a pufferfish?”
Sure, pufferfish are round, and so am I, but still…!
Feeling strangely displeased, I puffed up my cheeks and looked at the Admiral with pleading eyes.
[The Spirit King of Air, ‘Shaparsi,’ chimes in.]
[To be honest, don’t you look exactly alike? Those plump cheeks—oof!]
“…….…!”
[The Spirit King of Emotions ‘■■■’ punches Shaparsi in the gut.]
[The Spirit King of Fire ‘■■■■■’ scolds them to read the room.]
[The Spirit King of Water ‘■■■■’ insists that pufferfish are actually quite cute if you look closely.]
No, I don’t want to be the kind of cute you have to look closely to notice—I just want to be straight-up cute!
‘I… I really do look like a pufferfish, don’t I?’
Clutching my soft cheeks in despair, I plopped down onto the floor.
The Admiral, covering his mouth, was trembling slightly—then he cleared his throat.
“Pufferfish are precious creatures of the sea. There’s nothing in this ocean that isn’t beautiful.”
“But still….”
“What does it matter whether it’s a pufferfish or an octopus? A pufferfish is happy being a pufferfish, and an octopus is happy being an octopus.”
…Is that so?
I was almost convinced but quickly snapped back to reality.
“I still don’t like pufferfish.”
“You don’t like sea squirts either, if I recall correctly.”
“Mhm.”
“I momentarily forgot how picky you are. Alright, then. No pufferfish. How about crabs?”
Crabs are fine. They’re delicious.
I placed the pufferfish plushie back by the pillow and turned away without hesitation.
I’d seen enough of brother Mikard’s room.
“Ahem. That reminds me.”
After leaving the room, as we made our way back up to the deck, the Admiral suddenly glanced back at me.
“Why don’t I have one? Same thing happened with the cookies last time.”
