Quefaialm: In Another World With A Battleship

Chapter 25: Going Back

The warm rays of the rising sun filtered through the gaps in the tent, casting a soft glow on the canvas.

"Morning, Nathan," Lira greeted, her voice calm but light as she sat near the tent's opening.

She looked at me with those red eyes, already wide awake.

I groaned lightly, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Morning... you're up early," I mumbled, still half-asleep.

Lira smirked faintly.

"Someone has to keep watch. Besides, you two looked too peaceful to disturb."

As I stretched, Nathalie stirred beside me, her small frame shifting under the makeshift blanket.

She let out a soft yawn, her tiny hands rubbing at her eyes as she slowly sat up.

"Mmm...," she mumbled sleepily, her hair a little messy.

"Morning, Nathalie," I said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Did you sleep well?" Lira asked her, leaning slightly closer with a raised brow.

Nathalie nodded, still blinking away sleep.

I chuckled, brushing her hair back into place. "Good. Because we've got a lot of walking to do today."

"Right," Lira said, standing up and stretching. "Where are we going?"

I paused for a moment, organizing my thoughts.

Honestly, we didn't have much of a plan yet, but one thing was clear.

But considering everything and with Lira's help, I needed to save my ship now. That was my top priority.

"We're going back to Riverton," I said, meeting Lira's gaze.

As I began fixing our sleeping things, packing up the remnants of our camp, Lira simply nodded, her expression thoughtful.

"Riverton, huh?" she said, glancing toward the horizon.

I want to keep going ahead and reach the next city.

Now that I have Lira, and with her army of skeletons, I can use it as a manpower to save my ship that's been stuck at the beach for half a year now.

It's been a frustrating wait, and every day that passes makes it harder to keep things under control.

But with Lira's power and whatever resources we can gather, I'm sure we can manage.

We'll first reach Riverton, then head to the beach where I was stuck—where I hitched a ride with that unknown carriage.

Unknown carriage?

Now that I think about it, where did the group of them go?

The townspeople in Riverton mentioned a princess had passed through recently, but no one seemed to know where she went after.

I shook the thoughts from my head. There was no point in dwelling on questions I didn't have answers to—at least, not yet.

With a deep breath, I readied myself.

"Let's keep moving," I muttered under my breath, eyes fixed on the horizon.

Lira was already waiting outside, taking in the fresh air.

"Ready when you are," Lira called back, looking over her shoulder with a slight smirk.

Nathalie, now fully awake, had caught up, her small hand clutching mine as we moved forward.