Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

“Peace is the best.”

“Indeed.”

Ryo and Abel were two people who cherished peace.

Especially during meals and after them.

In front of the two sat their post-lunch coffee.

As usual, they had set out an ice table and chairs on the deck of the Lone Dark and elegantly enjoyed their lunch, followed by coffee.

It was a moment of pure bliss.

“Encountering a ghost ship must have been some kind of mistake.”

Abel didn’t share Ryo’s wishful thinking.

Two days had passed since then.

As Lau and Fan had said, none of the crew members aboard the large Bor ship were injured.

Although some had been hurt in the fight with the skeletons, it seemed they had somehow healed without anyone noticing.

It was strange.

Because of this, they were able to operate their ship independently and parted ways with the Lone Dark at that spot.

The Lone Dark was also in a hurry to complete its mission.

On the deck of the Lone Dark, the crew was relaxing after their meal.

The ship had a shift system, so outside their working hours, they could spend their time freely.

After all, during long voyages, it’s impossible to stay alert all the time.

Ryo and Abel were enjoying their coffee in this relaxed atmosphere.

Then.

Without any warning, a black ‘gate’ about four meters square appeared on the deck.

“Wha…?”

Ryo barely managed to let out a sound.

More like a voice escaped him rather than him actually speaking.

Abel and the crew noticed the gate too, but none of them could move or speak.

Everyone sensed that something extraordinary was happening.

But no one knew what that black ‘gate’ was.

And of course, they had no idea what was about to happen next.

Nor…why it had appeared on the deck.

Among them, only Ryo knew what that black ‘gate’ was.

However, Ryo didn’t want to acknowledge it.

He wanted to believe it was just a dream or an illusion.

He convinced himself of that.

“The world is at peace.”

“Yeah, but that… that’s probably not peaceful.”

Abel couldn’t help but retort to Ryo’s forced statement.

The exchange was frighteningly casual.

“Ah, it really fits perfectly. Good job, Jean-Jacques.”

“I told you, I can adjust it, even on a ship.”

A woman’s voice and a man’s voice could be heard.

Ryo was the only one who recognized both voices.

Abel furrowed his brows.

The woman’s voice sounded familiar to him…

And then, two Akumas appeared.

The woman was a stunning beauty.

She was beautiful, seductive, and had an air of danger about her.

She had a slender, black tail and small horns on her head.

The man, dressed like a clergyman.

Had a mischievous grin and an equally dangerous aura.

Unlike the woman, he had no tail or horns.

“Leonor…Jean-Jacques…”

“Hey, Ryo! Long time no see!”

“I tried to stop her, but Leonor insisted.”

Ryo called out their names, Leonor happily responded, and Jean-Jacques made excuses for no apparent reason.

Even though no one had blamed him yet.

Beside Ryo, Abel almost readied himself but intentionally relaxed his guard.

These weren’t opponents to be provoked lightly.

Abel didn’t even think his sword would reach them…

He had seen Ryo fight Leonor before. She was strong.

But the man, Jean-Jacques…seemed just as strong.

“Hmm, you must be Abel. Wise choice.”

“Is that so.”

Abel responded, as Leonor praised him for not preparing for battle.

The crew remained frozen in shock.

But that, in a way, was for the best.

“I’m having my post-meal coffee right now. I can’t fight.”

Ryo declared firmly.

“We didn’t come here to fight. But if you insist, I wouldn’t mind.”

“I’ll pass.”

Ryo immediately rejected the idea.

“Hmph… you didn’t have to reject it so strongly.”

“If there’s no fighting, then come. I’ll make some good coffee for you two.”

Ryo said as he conjured two ice chairs for them.

Complete with .

“Hmm? This surface is new. Oh ho, very nice! It’s so comfortable!”

“Indeed. As expected of Ryo. There’s no one better at water magic.”

“No matter how much you praise me, all you’re getting is coffee.”

Leonor and Jean-Jacques praised him, and Ryo responded, preparing fresh coffee for the two.

Incidentally, the coffee beans were a gift from the royal family of the Suje Kingdom.

Meaning they were of the highest quality.

After flipping over an ice hourglass, Ryo turned to face them.

“So, what’s the reason for your visit today?”

For some strange reason, both Leonor and Jean-Jacques seemed flustered at Ryo’s question.

It was as if the matter they had come to discuss was no longer necessary.

“Uh…we came to complain because you didn’t spend enough time with us, Ryo.”

“…Huh?”

“Even though you came back from the Western Countries, you disappeared right away. It was hard finding you, you know?”

“Sorry, but I don’t quite follow. Sure, I got blown to the archipelago region by whether it was magic or magic power of the djinn Garwin, but… What has that got to do with you and Leonor?”

“You have to fight with me sometimes.”

“…Ehh?”

Ryo sighed at Leonor’s unreasonable demand.

“Did you seriously come here just to say that? You’ve startled the entire crew.”

“I told her we should wait until you reached land. You never know what might happen out here in the Eastern Seas.”

“…You never know what might happen in the Eastern Seas?”

Jean-Jacques was taken aback by Ryo’s question and clammed up.

And Leonor shot him a sharp look.

“Indeed, I couldn’t wait until we reached land, so I had Jean-Jacques open the gate here. But enough of that. The hourglass is done.”

“Oh, oops.”

Then, the coffee was served.

Ryo and Abel were also enjoying their second cups.

“Ohh…”

“This is incredible. It’s too delicious.”

Leonor sighed in satisfaction, and Jean-Jacques praised the coffee enthusiastically.

Even by Akuma standards, it seemed the coffee was superb.

Ryo, with his arms crossed, nodded smugly, saying,

“Right, right!”.

Abel, too, drank happily.

Good coffee is always worth a second cup!

After finishing the coffee, Leonor stood up and said,

“Thanks for the treat. Jean-Jacques, we’re leaving!”

“A-already? Opening the gate isn’t that easy, you know? Can’t we stay a little longer…?”

“We have other things to do. Apologies for the disturbance, everyone. Farewell!”

With that, Leonor grabbed the collar of a reluctant Jean-Jacques and vanished into the black ‘gate’.

The ‘gate’ disappeared along with them.

They had come like a storm and left just as suddenly.

Later, Leonor and Jean-Jacques had a conversation.

“Looks like we were too late.”

“Indeed. There were traces left… It seems they encountered ‘Ruri’.”

“But Ryo survived…”

“Impressive. Maybe it was a weak ‘body’ No, even if it is, it’s still impressive. But surviving after such a battle means…”

“He’s been clearly recognized.”

Both Leonor and Jean-Jacques sighed deeply.

“Well, someone as unique as him is bound to stand out, don’t you think?”

“Like when you meddled in the Western Countries?”

“I told you, I made sure to avoid doing anything while Ryo was around! In the end, there were some…complications…and I ended up fighting a little bit.”

“You sound far too happy about that!”

Leonor snapped at Jean-Jacques’ excuses.

“Ryo is my prey. Even you, Jean-Jacques, won’t get away with interfering…”

“Come on, why don’t we share? Someone as exceptional as Ryo could be prey for both of us, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Figured you’d say that…”

Jean-Jacques sighed at Leonor’s firm refusal.

“We need to come up with a good plan…”

At Leonor’s small sigh and words, Jean-Jacques nodded in agreement.

Back on the deck of the Lone Dark.

“What were those two really…?”

Ryo muttered, shaking his head.

“I don’t know…but at least there wasn’t a fight, so that’s good, right?”

Abel said while sipping his second cup of coffee.

“True. Peace is the best.”

Ryo murmured as he, too, enjoyed his second cup.

Ten days later.

The Lone Dark finally entered the waters of the Free City of Kwebasa.

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