The Replacement of the Sword Hero

Chapter Eight: Information Gathering

As it happened, I ran into them sooner than anticipated. The first mate himself came to our cabin and invited us to dine at the captain's table that evening. Eclair and I followed him up to the captain's quarters which were noticeable spacious and well furnished.
"Good evening."
The captain greeted us with a warm welcome and shook my hand. Whereas the first mate was a broadly built and weathered man, with an unkempt appearance, the captain was slim and suave and smartly dressed. He introduced himself as Captain Cyrus of the Hickwaal company, a large merchants guild in Zeltoble. The first mate, whose name was Philip, excused himself after introductions were made.
"Mr. Wilbur, it is a privilege to have you onboard. I would be honoured if you would dine at my table." Said the captain. "If there is anything we can do for you during your voyage, please let us know."
He showed us to a long dining table in an adjacent room. There were places prepared for more than just the three of us.
"Are we dining with other passengers of importance?" I asked.
"If you would please take a seat, Philip is fetching them now." Captain Cyrus answered.

Then I heard a female voice from the adjacent room.
"Mr. Motoyasu, you really mustn't."
My mood plummeted. The door opened to reveal Bitch and Motoyasu, followed by the other two girls in his party. The captain stood up to greet them as well to invite them to the table. From the introductions they gave, I learned that the two other women were named 'Lesty' and 'Elena.' Motoyasu made a beeline for the empty spot next to Eclair, but Bitch curled her hand around his arm and strategically pulled him into a seat between herself and Lesty.
"Captain Cyrus, it's so good of you to invite us here." Began Bitch, turning up the charm. "But I would never have expected you to share your table with a slave." She shot a pointed look at Eclair. The captain's eyes widened in surprise, and he re-examined Eclair.

We had both dressed smartly before making our way up to the captain's quarters, so Eclair's slave seal was hidden from view and she carried herself like nobility, so he had no reason to suspect any differently.
"I apologise if I have caused offense in my ignorance, Ms. Myne." Said the captain. "If Mr. Wilbur-"
"No, it's okay. I'd rather have her beside me where I can keep an eye on her than allow her to go unsupervised." I said.
At almost the same time Motoyasu interjected. "It's more than fine with me to share my table with so many lovely ladies." His hands wandered under the table and the two girls sitting beside him flinched.
"Oh stop it Mr. Motoyasu." Said Bitch with a bashful laugh, but her eyes were glaring at him indignantly.

"So, Motoyasu, do tell us about your adventures these past few days." I said in order to change the subject.
"I gotta tell you, after the incident with Naofumi, my blood was boiling!" Motoyasu said. "Luckily for him, Myne convinced me not to go after him otherwise I'd have killed him." He continued prattling on. "... And then Elena joined us just this morning."
I raised an eyebrow. I hadn't taken in a word of what he'd just said but he seemed happy enough just talking about it.
"So, how are you ladies enjoying travelling with the Spear Hero?" I asked.
"Oh well, you know..."
"Mr. Motoyasu is so good to us. He's such a strong hero. And look at all the levels we've gained." Bitch said.
"Yes, and he doesn't make us fight, that would be too dangerous, and we might get dirty." Lesty added.

I was getting a good idea of what kind of characters these people were.
"Well that sounds excellent." Said the captain, looking a little bored. "Now, please enjoy the food that the cooks have prepared. I'm afraid it's not to the same standard as the palace chefs, but on a ship, food is hard to keep and simple is always better."
Several servants bought out platters of cooked meat and fish. Some bean-like vegetables were served as well, along with small bread rolls. Wine was poured for all of us. I wasn't much of a drinker, but I politely accepted it and gave it a taste. It would appear as if I had become accustomed to the strong smell of rucolu fruit, as I found the wine quite appealing.